SQUATTERS. 407 



The detention we had experienced afforded me 

 an opportunity of visiting the country ; and having 

 just seen between two and three hundred miles of 

 the Province of South Australia, I was glad of the 

 chance of comparing these two parts of the continent. 

 Accordingly, after making a series of magnetical 

 observations, and others for the errors of the chro- 

 nometers, I left Portland one morning in company 

 with Mr. Tyers. Taking Mr. Henty's road to the 



comfortable house and garden he was obliged to leave to make 

 room for a street of the new township; but this would not have 

 been very hard had he been given an allotment in lieu ; which, 

 however, as I have stated, was not done ; and he was compelled 

 to witness the labour of his hands entirely swept away, and found 

 himself, after years of toil, placed exactly in the same position 

 with those who came to enjoy the fruits of his enterprise. 



But the greatest hardship sustained by the squatter is the 

 Special Survey system, according to which, any one desirous to 

 become a purchaser to the extent of twenty thousand acres may 

 choose his land where he pleases. A party clubs together and 

 finds out spots, that have been improved by squatters, with a 

 view of purchasing them when able ; many of these are often 

 included in one special survey block : and^even if the squatter 

 is able to purchase the rich and hardly-won small patch he 

 occupies, the special survey party, generally a knot of jobbers, 

 have the preference. This is apparently for the benefit of the 

 crown, twenty thousand pounds being thus added to the revenue 

 under the pound per acre system ; but it is certainly not advan- 

 tageous to the country, as the large purchasers seldom buy for 

 occupation, but for sale ; and the small holder, the squatter, is 

 driven from the land in distress. I have seen instances of persons 

 being utterly ruined in this way. My own opinion is, that the 

 squatter ought to be allowed to purchase the land he occupies by 

 private contract from government; or that an allowance should 

 be made him, equivalent to his improvements. 



