The Project Gutenberg EBook of Fern Vale (Volume 1), by Colin Munro

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

Title: Fern Vale (Volume 1)
or the Queensland Squatter

Author: Colin Munro

Release Date: November 6, 2008 [EBook #27169]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FERN VALE (VOLUME 1) ***

Produced by Nick Wall and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was
produced from scanned images of public domain material
from the Google Print project.)

Transcribers Note:

Unexpected spelling, punctuation, and inconsistent hyphenation have been
retained as they appeared in the original, except as listed at the end
of the book. On Page 321 the gobbledegook "while the use nht psoe hwi
cfirt h tth em" has also been retained as it appears in the original.

FERN VALE
OR THE
QUEENSLAND SQUATTER.

A NOVEL.
BY COLIN MUNRO.

IN THREE VOLUMES.
VOL I.

LONDON:
T. C. NEWBY,
30 WELBECK STREET, CAVENDISH SQUARE.

MDCCCLXIL

EDINBURGH: PRINTED BY THE CALEDONIAN PRESS,
"The National Institution for Promoting the Employment of Women
in the Art of Printing."

PREFACE.

Some fifteen years ago, when the first mention was made in the Imperial
Parliament of the intention of Her Majesty to dismember the Northern
districts of New South Wales, for the purpose of establishing a refuge
for the expatriated felons of Great Britain, a certain noble lord rose
to enquire where New South Wales was, and whether it was anywhere in the
vicinity of Botany Bay.

Since the time of this sapient patrician much has been said, and more
has been written, respecting our antipodean empire; though I believe the
mass of the English people are still as unacquainted with the
characteristics of the colony, and the manners of colonial life, as if
the vast continent of Australia remained in its primitive inanition.
Poor as is the knowledge of our friends "at home" respecting their
periecian brethren, I grieve to say, with regard to, or rather of, the
Australian colonists, that knowledge is too frequently tinged with
prejudice and err