260 Swan River. 
Article VIII. — Some account of the Present State of the 
Colony at Swan River, Western Australia. By J, T. 
Gentlemen, 
From the great interest that has so generally been taken 
in the welfare of the New Colony, Swan River, in Western Australia, 
I do not doubt but that a few Extracts from Letters I have lately 
received from two gentlemen, who were among the earliest agricultu- 
ral settlers at that place, will be acceptable to some of your readers. 
I am, your obedient Servant, 
Oct. 31, 1831. J. T. 
EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS FROM S. T , Esq. 
Perth, Sivan-River, Feb. 9, 1831. 
" I very much want to know what is thought of, this place in Eng- 
land, and what the reports concerning it are. The people at the Cape 
of Good Hope, have been doing us all the injury they have been able, 
in persuading settlers bound here, to remain at the Cape, to spend 
their ready money, by spreading reports that we were starving, &c. 
T. and I are quite contented; we find it nearly as good as we expected. 
Our grant of land on the Swan River is, for the size, as good as any 
on the River ; we have got our buildings up, and several acres under 
the plough. Sheep thrive here beyond anything I could have expected ; 
our stock of Merinos has already more than doubled, — we lost one of 
them the other day by the native dogs. There was lately a skirmish 
with some of the natives, in which one black man was killed. There 
has been a large extent of good land, very thinly wooded, discovered 
beyond the hills, about forty miles from our farm ; we have taken up 
the remainder of our grant there. We are still obliged to cut salted 
meat when we cannot get Kangaroo. Kangaroo hunting i sno sport 
except for the pot, for the dogs frequently leave you, kill, and then 
return to show. The fishing up the river is not worth speaking of, 
and as for shooting, you may walk all day without getting a shot." 
Mayl. 1831. 
*' We are now very busy getting in our Wheat, and making our gar- 
dens ; many things we planted last year, failed, from being planted 
out of season." 
EXTRACT FROM A LETTER FROM D. T , Esq. 
Swati-Biver, March!, 1831. 
" We have had a great deal of trouble since I wrote last, chiefly 
owing to the conduct of some of our servants, but we now begin t6 
peep over the hill, and another season will, I hope, make the road 
