THE GENESIS OF THE STATION 65 



as we shall see, into a right of property. Around these 

 the early history of Australia revolves. These were 

 its chief makers, and from their rise between 1815 and 

 1825 till the gold-discoveries of 1851 the life of the 

 settled portions of the Austrahan colonies, if it does 

 not drop out of sight, as Mr. George Ranken affirms,* 

 becomes subsidiary and instrumental to its chief ac- 

 tivities beyond the pale of settlement. 



These " makers " had no Uttle difficulty in gaining 

 a footing in the country which they were to " make." 

 As the omnipotent British Government would allow 

 no one to emigrate to Australia, save such as it ap- 

 proved of, its masterful representative there, Governor 

 Macquarie, permitted no one to depasture in " new 

 country " without special authority from himself. In 

 those days there was apparently a mortal dread of the 

 Colony getting out of hand. Imbued with the notion of 

 a country derived from the daily sight of a crowded 

 land like England, the authorities dreaded that the 

 population would get to be too widely scattered ; and 

 when we consider the materials of which it was largely 

 composed, we may believe that there were grounds for 

 the fear. Every hole and corner, every recess and 

 natural fastness, would harbour multitudes of rebels 

 or criminals, or those who could easily be converted 

 into such. Accordingly, squatters strayed across the 

 ever-expanding frontier, and built huts, planted gardens, 

 and kept a few cattle, which had often been stolen. t 



A fresh step was taken by Macquarie's successor. 

 Sir Thomas Brisbane freely granted to reputable persons 

 licenses that were revocable at six months' notice. 

 The main object of these was to determine what persons 

 were allowed to settle in remote places at a time when 

 all were to be under the eyes of the guardians of the 

 law. J The license was granted as a proof that the 

 squatter was reputable enough to reside beyond the 



* Bush Essays, pp. 9-10. 



t RusDEN, History of Australia, sec. ed., ii, 514. 



+ Ibid., ii. 517. 



5 



