r..:-.- -.

To William Henty from James Jenty, Fremantle. "~- February l2th 1830 .

My Dear William,

Fremantle

Western Australia

Fen¥. 12 1830~

Although the Wanstead has been here a fortnight it

was only this morning that I got posse.ssion of your long

expected Letters; the Minstrel however having arrived at

least a fortnight before her, I could of course expect

nothing new. Arkcoll played me a very pretty trick he

promised to take home a parcel of letters or any thing

else and I accordingly made up a Box & got nearly all our

people to write to their friends thinking it to be othe

best opportunity. Arkcoll called upon me the last thing,

took the Box in his hand and went off in a Boat belonging

to his Majesty Ship Cruiser then lying in the Roads, he

went directly to his Ship & got under weigh - - to my utter

surprize two days after the Officer commanding the Cruisers

boat produced my Box: which I had fancied on the high road

to Java & England - stating that Capt Arkcoll in his hurry

had left it in the boat. I was exceedingly disappointed:

particularly as it contained the peoples letters which I

undertook to send home free of expence. The Brig "Skerne"

late of Liverpool but now a Colonial Vessel, is to sail

for the Cape of Good Hope on Monday for a Cargo of provisions,

Flour &c & return. I have therefore availed myself of the

opportunity of sending it by her, under cover to Borradaile

Thompson & C~of Cape Town with directions to them to forward

it by the first safe conveyance, to England. I have in

consequence of the Governors instructions opened a corres­

pondence with their _House & shall desi~e them to ship by

the Brig a small quantity of provisions and a few other

things which their (there) is a possibility of disposing

of to advantage. I have stated I believe in my former

letters to Father the great inducement the Cape of Good

Hope holds out as a place of call for Vessels ;from England

to this place, and I should particularly wish that all

the :business you transact at the Cape, should be done

through thi.s house as they were introduced to us by the

Governor wfi.ose interest in their cases is not to be despised.

Febr l2 1830.

It would be well were you to get either letters of credit

or letters of introduction to therri also in England, it may

tend to strengthen our credit & respectability.,

I commend your mode of proceeding relative. to the Sheep

& Campbell & if you follow it up, he must be brought to a

settlement Hudson is expected here in a Month from the Isle

of France with Sugars for V.D. Land, and I ~hall not fail

to mention the subject to him. Your present of law books

are come at a time when they were much wanted, in one of my

former letters I believe I requested some book of the kind

might be sent out. - We are unfortunately too full of law . \

business, thieving, _quarreling and breaking agreements are

the principal points to have to decide on & without clerks

my office as a magistrate is any thing but a pleasant one.

We hope presently to get more regular & with the assistance

of these Books , I shall feel myself more fit for the

situation.

You ask me many very close & at the same time judicious

questions most of which I think you will find have been

answered in some one or other of my Letters. Cockburn

Sound is without doubt the only Port on the West coast of

Australia, & as such therefore will in my opinion always

remain a place of some importance. The limestone ridge

extends along the Coast for many miles it is composed of

irregular hills the whole of which are covered with large

fragments of Lime & Sand Stone very little of it in my

opinion being fit to burn the vallies are not fertile or

the land even tolerable. The good land begins about Two

miles above the Island or Fraser's point as seen on the

Chart, and all the land described as "part of the great

plain of Quartaina" is bad, nothing in fact but Sand

producing a quantity of small scrub & middling timber. All

eyes are now directed to Port Leschenault where I have

applied for a Grant of 60,000, Acres, my application was the

first in & next week I go down in the ~'Eagle ll (hired for

the purposel with the Governor to look it over. The success

of the Colony I think no longer doubtful, but no one should

come out here with the idea of expecting to find a paradise,

many that have done so, have been of course much disappointed,

it is certainly not the country it was represented to be but

quite enough remains [to] fix mefn the opinion that much may

Feb.r l2 ls3o.

be done, & r feel almost convinced that had r known as

much of the Colony before I came out as I do now, it

would not have prevented me from becoming a settler in western Aus-tralia . We have many disagreeable things, in

Summer in the middle of the day it is very hot we are

annoyed by flies, fleas, Ants & Mosquitoes the latter in

Town places dreadfully: in many places we have a difficulty

of finding good water, and at Fremantle, Perth & many

other places the Sand is very troublesome, hard work and

bad living we are obliged frequently to submit to. There

is also a great lack of female servants: although that

deficiency will be remedied by the importation of Chinese

we have already got 8 or 10 in the Colony & a ~ery useful

set of people they are. I would recommend Father by all

means to charter only one Vessel, let her bring what Sheep

she can without crowding but no more I feel perfectly

convinced, if much money is laid out for the hire of Ships

to bring stock out that we shall never see it again.

Sydney Sheep quite equal to ours can be broug~t here at

about 4/ per head, and in a short time at half the money.

V.D. Land Sheep are now selling at 40s/- Cows from the

Cape &c for about 131' , the Cape Horses too are much better

than you would suppose. I regret exceedingly that we ever

shipped Sir John he can never be worth one fourth of the

money here he would have been in England, and I almost

doubt whether it will ever answer to breed horses here for

the India Market: the business is managed so well & so

cheap at the Cape, where a good breed of Horses has been

established by Lord Charles Somerset. I have had a great

deal of conversation with Archdeacon Scott who says, Wool

is the only thing worth attending to in Australian farming.

I have heard of John Street since his last letter to Father

& find that he to is labouring under the depression which

at present exists among all Australian corn Growers, that

is those who grow it extensively for a Market beyond what

is requisite for their own supply., I am convinced that by

combining Trade with Agriculture, more good may be done

than by any other means -- Dry Salting Fish will I hope be

done here to a great extent, when we can af:f;ord to have a

Schooner of about 100 Tons, (not larger) drawing 8 feet

water, of our own we shall . I think make money.. She could

trade with Java with. Timor, the Mauritius·, Cape , V.D. Land

& Sydney & fish for the Sperm Whale when not otherwise

.. •

..... 4 .....

Feb~ 12 1830.

employed a Shipwright & boatbuilder, thoroughly under~

standing the business· would be a capital hand, he must

come out Indentured & subject to a heavy penalty for

nonperformance of his agreement.. Dyer though a useful

hand at repairing a boat is not good enough foi a boat

builder.. With respect to yourself I should recommend

you by all means at present to stick to your profession

and at the same time study for the Bar, so as to qualify

yourself for an appointment here and when you can get

one & I see no reason why you should not,. either as law

officer to the Crown or Attorney General, one of which

appointment , must take place before long. Perhaps Charles

might also get the appointment of Treasarer to the Colony,

it is a most responsible office to which a very handsome

Salary is attached, securities I believe are required:

there are & will be commissions of the Land board,

Registrars, (Collector of Customs after a few Years) &

several other officers & I see no reason why we are not

to apply for some of them. The occupation of either of the

Offices will not incapacitate us from continuing to farm

or attending to other business. Either Lord Egremonts or

Sir C. Burrells?interest I should think quite good enough

to procure some one or other of their appointments. Capt

Friend tells me he has decidedly made up his mind to

return to the Colony he has applied for a Grant of about

5000 Acres at Port Leschenault, whether he will get it or

not is doubtful, he is a good natured man & has endeavoured

to make his Passengers comfortable but he is not calculated

for the command of a Merchantman, very few navy Officers

are: they can sail a Ship well but that is only a small

part of a Merchants Capts. duty.

On my return from Port Leschenault I shall write fully

to you by the first opportunity & give the fairest opinion

I am Master of, on the appearance of the Southward, the

character hitherto given of it is decidedly favorable. Mr

Sains? one out of the Three of Col. Lautourts Agents has

just returned from an expedition there & is so much pleased

as to apply ;f'or nearly the whole of' Col .. Lautour '· s Grant,.

my application being in first I shall probably have a choice

the Governor has said if the land which I have asked for is

not good he. will give me further choice. ~Te shall probably

visit Port Vasse also where the Governor's own Grant is

.. ' .. - 5 ..,...

Feb~ l2 . 1830~

he has given up Ga.rden Isla.nd which is nothing but a Sand

heap, thrown up in the course of time by the Sea .. The only

channel into Cockburn Sound is between Garden Island and Pulo Carnac the passage has been exceedingly difficult &

several Ships have slightly touched going in ._ The Passage

has now been: thoroughly surveyed & buoyed off by our

Surveyor General Mr Roe, & a most masterly survey he has

made of it the Chart has been sent to England, & can

probably be seen at the Admiralty. A sandbank extends

directly across from Woodmans point to Carnac & no vessel

drawing more than 10 feet Water can (paper torn here)

over it, although it was attempted by the Gover ..... the

Parmelia, & the consequence was she was nearly ••...• to

pieces. There is no passage for Ships between the East?

end of Garden Island & the main into Mangles Bay, a reef

runs along the whole coast extending from 5 to 9 miles from

the Coast. Gages Roads will be always the place for Ships

during summer & probably Cockburn Sound during winter, the

Men of War lay under Garden Island in perfect ~afety: the

Gilmore & Nancy have discharged their Cargo on the opposite

side below Woodmans point, the 8ea breeze blows in so strong

during summer that Fremantle is preferable, if there had been

a passage from Gages Roads to the Sound, the latter would

always have been a refuge for Ships during a North Wester,

it is said there is good anchorage at Port Leschenault for

a craft drawing but 10 or 12 feet water. I shall lose no

opportunity of writing, but hardly know where to direct

my letters. With kind love to all believe me o: William

Yours ever sincerely

(Signed) JAMES HENTY.

Letter addressed to: Mr W. Henty

West Tarring

WORTHING

Per Skerne to the Cape.

India Letter - London.

SUSSEX.