ic, seemed to account for
its disasters. A body of persons, concurring in the Wakefield system of
colonisation, and comprehending many members of the House of Commons,
formed themselves into an association, and applied to the government for
the necessary powers. After considerable discussion, the minister
declined their proposal, and the realisation of their hopes was deferred
several years. The more active partisans of the scheme kept it before
the public. An act passed the legislature on the 15th of August, 1834,
empowering the crown to erect South Australia into a British province.
Commissioners were appointed for the sale of land, and for the
conveyance of emigrants. It was determined that the price should be
sufficient to prevent laborers from buying land, and furnish the cost of
their emigration. The company were authorised to borrow L50,000. If, at
the expiration of ten years, the population should not reach 20,000, the
control of the land was to revert to the crown. With a population of
50,000, they were to obtain the rights of political freedom, and no
convict ship was to anchor on their shores. The upset price was at first
L1, and, for a time, 12s. per acre. The intended colony was viewed with
distrust by the elder settlements for the theoretical character of the
plan, and its entire opposition to the then prevailing notions of penal
labour. The advocates of the enterprise lost no occasion to denounce the
social condition of Van Diemen's Land and New South Wales; where,
however, the scheme was pronounced insane, and destined to certain
disorder and ultimate overthrow. The appearance of new speculators in
the Australian colonies compensated them for these reproaches. In
publishing their plans, the company had always referred to supplies
within their vicinity, as an immediate and certain reserve. The
Tasmanian merchants met them on the shore of the royal province. Sheep
were sent over as the basis of their flocks; timber for their huts; and
the various produce of rural wealth, originally brought at great cost
from Europe. A long succession of adventurers raised the value of
produce throughout the colonies; and individuals realised large profits
in the trade; but when the arrivals from England ceased, the new colony
was involved in whatever misfortunes its peculiar plan was supposed to
avert. Many hundreds, driven out by poverty, settled in the penal
colonies, and the property of Adelaide became unsaleable: the fra