er is the Special Survey
system, according to which, anyone 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 advantageous to the country, as the large purchasers
seldom buy for occupation, but for sale; and the smallholder, 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.)

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 chronometers, I
left Portland one morning in company with Mr. Tyers. Taking Mr. Henty's
road to the northward we soon passed the rich land surrounding Portland,
and entered a stringybark forest, eight miles in extent. Then crossing a
heathy tract we came to the Fitzroy, distant fifteen miles from Portland.
Here, as elsewhere, the presence of water improves the soil, for along
the banks of the river there was some good land. This was also the case
near a hill just beyond it, called Mount Eckersley. where I saw Sir
Thomas Mitchell's initials cut in a tree at the time when he explored
this country, and found to his surprise that Mr. Henty had a station in
Portland Bay.

EXCURSION INTO THE INTERIOR.

With the exception of the flats near the Crawford, twenty miles from the
Fitzroy, the road lies through a poor country, until it approaches Mr. J.
Henty's station, fifteen miles further. Here we appeared to have turned
our backs on the bad land; and entered a tract of country in which the