356 A HISTORY OF THE COLONY OF VICTORIA 



ten months, and then, in November, 1853, wrote to say that he 

 thought it would have been better if the dispute had been settled 

 locally, without reference to him. He professed not to know 

 enough to enable him to form an opinion, said the Orders in 

 Council were not intended to give the squatters any advantage over 

 other persons in purchasing land, except to the very limited extent 

 necessary for personal accommodation certainly not to enable 

 them to become speculators in land, or to stand in the way of the 

 development of general population and industry. If they did, and 

 had conferred vested rights beyond what was intended, the vested 

 rights would have to give way, subject to such compensation as it 

 might be practicable to give. But before resorting to compensation, 

 the Duke proceeds to suggest certain equivocal courses by which 

 the squatters might be coerced or cajoled into accepting what they 

 could get in place of what they claimed. They were much on a 

 par with those which had been suggested by Fawkner and his press 

 supporters, and not such as would be tolerated between honourable 

 business men. The Duke was not prepared to take Mr. Latrobe's 

 advice. He would not recommend Her Majesty to amend the now 

 patent errors of the original Order in Council, but he promised to 

 obtain fresh orders empowering the alteration of the limits of dis- 

 tricts and substituting a discretionary assessment of stock in lieu of 

 rent. He secured the latter, and presumably thinking it would 

 give the Governor the whip-hand of the squatters, he took no 

 further steps in respect of the former. 



But as a matter of fact the long delays and negotiations brought 

 the matter up to the eve of the inauguration of real responsible 

 government, and the Secretary for the Colonies was only too 

 thankful to pass on the final settlement to the local Parliament. 

 Aggrieved remonstrances, protests and petitions continued for a time 

 to be poured in, but the Government exercised its power of sale 

 where the exigencies of population required it, and though no leases 

 were issued, legislative interference with the runs as a whole was 

 postponed until the full fourteen years of the famous Order in 

 Council, 1847, had elapsed. Up to the end of 1854, the total area 

 of land alienated to squatters under pre-emption claims was roundly 

 300,000 acres, for which 308,600 was paid. The maximum area 



