CAPE OTWAY. - Geelong Advertiser and Squatters' Advocate (Vic. : 1845 - 1847) - 13 May 1846 (original) (raw)

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Wed 13 May 1846 - Geelong Advertiser and Squatters' Advocate (Vic. : 1845 - 1847)
Page 2 - CAPE OTWAY.

About a fortnight ago, we announced

ihe fact that two exploring parties had

started or were about to start into the

country surrounding Cape Otway, and at

the same time took the opportunity of

giving a digest of all that was known

respecting the geography of that part of

the colony: remarking that we looked

forward with great interest to the results

of these expeditions, as being likely to

dovelop the resources of that terra in-

cognito—resources, as might be ex-

pected, of a very different kind from

those already known ; and indulging in

the hope that, notwithstanding the present

impenetrable nature of the country, these

resources would ere long afford scope for

the settlement of a numerous 'yeomanry.'

Our having given expression to this very

natural train of ideas, has called forth a

communication from Mr Fawkner, in the

Patriot of yesterday, in which, by the

dexterous transposition of a few extracts,

he makes of our remarks a very laugh-

able caricature, which we publish in

another column for the amusement of

our readers. Those who perused our

article on Cape Otway, need not be

told that our terriffic description of

the couintry was not intended to " show

its capabilities as a site for the yeomen

farmers to fix upon". If such had

been our intention we would have used

moro seducing language. Neither did

we mean to allude to the cultivation of

grain or potatoes, when we described

the resources of the district as peculiar;

nor, when speaking of the size and value

of the timber, including a species of

cedar, -did we mean, that it was fit only

for being burned and grubbed out. Nor,

in alluding to the plains in the interior

jit only for grazing purposes, dd we

mean rich flats fit for agriculture.

Those who perused that article will look

iin vain-for any advice to purchase iand

at Cape Otway, or indeed to take any

-steps until the result of the projected sur

vey be made known. Neither will they

find that " there cannotbe any harbour in

Itis side of Cape Utway," on the con

trary there is every reason to expect that

available anchorage sill be found, the

wvhole eastern coast ;for fifty miles being

sheltered from westerly gales, .Neither

was our de'cription of the general aspect

of the country, intended as a minute de

scription of what is actually unexplored.

'Upon the whole, we are justified in in

dulging .in the anticipation that the day

'is not far distant when the neighbour

.hood of Cape Otway will be profitably

occupied. The soil is rich,, -water

abundant, timber valuable, vegetation

luxuriant, with many open patches of

good land along its numerous water

courses. With these advantages, and a

sheltered coast on the eastern side, there

are "lthe makings" of a flourishing settle

iient, sim lar in many respects to those

an the coast of New Zealand, without

tho disadvantage of having a warlike

enemy with whom to dispute possession.

The process of colonization is even now

going on; almost every week we hear of

further "' conquests of the wilderness."

The much contemned squatters are not

daunted by difficulties; they giapple

with, and overcome them. We have this

very day received intelligence that a

station has been formed at Moonlight

Head, the most exposed part of the Cape ;

the ''chord of the arc" has been pene-

trated by the formation of a station south

of the Stony Rises; and on the Geelong

side, there are several small stations re-

cently formed, nearly half way between

the north of the Barwon, and the ex-

tremity of ite Cape; to say nothing of

the sawyers and splitters, who supply

the town with all descriptions of timber

for building, a branch of industry which

would receive a most beneficial impulse

from a correct survey of the coast, with

a view to the shipment of the timber.

We, therefore, consider we are only doing

our duty by calling upon such influential

yeomen as Mr F. to assist in the deve

lopement of resources so valuable, and

thus to extend, instead of encroaching

qupon the legitimate pursuits of their

fellow- olonists. So much for our de

fence. Now for our confession. When

we are in the wrong, we will not hesitate

to cry'peccavi.' It was, then, decidedly

bad taste in us to make any personal allu

sions in the article referred to. It was

quite uncalled for; and we hereby repri.

mand ourselves for the offence.

SLAWs oF BETTING.-On Monday last

a case came on at the Court of Requests,

worthy of record, which we throw into

the form of an *' adjudged case."-In the

race between Romeo and The Lawyer,

A bet B 3 to 2nigainst the Lawyer, and

deposited the stakes in the hands of C.

Tho Steward's decision was, that both

horses were disqualified one having

crossed, and tlhe rider of the other having

dismounted previous to weighing and tle

match-money was returned accordingly

to each party. A then demanded his

stake from C, but C declared that he bad

paid the amount to B, contrary to the

decision of the stewards. A required

proof of his having so disposed of tihe

stakes, which C refused to give, where

upon A sued him for tile amount. The

decision of the commissioner was that he

could take no cognisance of the transac

tion as a bet, but that A having paid

money into the hands of C for a certain

purpose, had a right, in case of C failing

to show proof of having so appropriated

it, to demand restitution. Verdict ac

SioUti.,Aa CIIAno.- An old sinner,

was, on Monday last, charged at the

Police office with having been found in

a strange bed on one o'clock in the

morning, and refusing to turn out when

called upon. In defence, he said he had

gone to look after his washing! Dis

missed with an admonition.

FATUII? MATHEW'S BRANCHt OF THE

TOTAL ABSTINENCF SOCIETY. --The

weekly meeting of this Society was held

last evening, for the first time in the New

Temperance Hall.-The attendance was

numerous, close upon a hundred persons,

including about twelve of the fair sex,

being present, and the utmost order and

decorum were observed. The Hall had

really a comfortable appearance, being

full of cheerful faces, and having forms

and a good fire for the convenience and

comfort of the auditory. Mr Bean, as

chairman, and who has taken a very pro

minent and praiseworthy part in raising

the Society to its present state of pros

perity, opened the meeting with a few

observations. He detailed, as he said

from experience, the comparative advan

tages, to a mechanic of a dissipated and a

sober life; mentioning the striking cir

cumstance, that a tradesman who spent

nothing in liquors, and acted otherwise

economically, would, from the high rate

of wages obtainable, be enabled at the

end of two years to build himself a home.

Mr Galbraith, blacksmith, next addressed

the meeting. He had been a confirmed

drunkard ; had at one time in Melbourne

spent £120 in some weeks on liquors

alone, and during the twelve months, in

which he had been a resident of Corio,

he had spent upwards of £40 in the same

manner. He had kept himself in poverty,

his wife in misery, and his house in per

petual disorder. He had frequently

earned £10 a day since he -came to the

colony, but all had gone to the tap-room.

He was happy to say that a great change

had taken place in his health, his circum

stances, and in every thing else, since he

became a Teetotaller ; the present appear

ance of his home as contrasted with the

past, was, of itself, a powerful'-rgumienl

in support of the cause. John O'Niel,

tailor, was the next speaker; he had like-'

wise been a drunkard; he first thoughlt

of taking the pledge, when, after having

spent in drinking £28 in less than a

week, lie found himself obliged to: sell

his clothes. He had found the. ad

vantages of the step he had taken, and

recommended his fellow workmen to do

the same. The Rev. A. Love. who with

the liev. K. Walsh and Kev. V. Hour-,

geois, was on the platform, followed the

last spe.;ker. and spoke at some length,

The meeting being, it may be said, intro

ductory to the regular assemblage of the

members and the public in the Hall, an

exception, on that account probably, was

made in Mr Love's favor from the rules

of the Society, which forbid any but en

rolled members from addressing the

meeting. Mr Love's observations were

excellent,but scarcely enthusiastic enough

for a meeting of Teetotalers. The busi

ness of the evening was wound up by a

collection.; Mr Bean mentioning by way

of incitement to to the generosity of the

meeting, that of £85, or nearly that

amount, the cost of erecting the Hlall,

£23 were still unpaid, and would be due

in less than three months. Thcesumcol

lected was £1 18s, independent of the

monthly subscription due by members of

the Society. It is said that the erection

of a Coffee Room, to accommodate a tea

party of a hundred, is in contemplation,

in connexion with the body. It is ru

moured, also, and on pretty good founda

tion, that a branch of the Collingwood

Total Abstinence Society will shortly be

.HoRSE STE'kLINO.-On Friday, the

man Edward Preston', charged, with

stealing Mr Hawdon's horse, underwent

another examination at the police office.

The .prisoner is the same man who, a

short time ago, was charged with a

robbery at Mrs. Hamilton's, in Elizabeth

street, of which he was acquitted, in con

sequence of none of the property being

found upon him. The horse it will be

recollected, was stolen on the 28th April

last, and by the evidence of William Hall,

superintendent of Mr Willsmore's station

situated about two miles from Williams

town, it appeared that the prisoner ar

rived there on the same night, and

WIgged for a lodging in consequence of

the inclemency of the weather. He was

then mounted on the stolen horse, and

stated that he had ridden that day from

Geelong, having received a letter by the

steamer, stating that his wife and child

were dangerously ill. Hestated that the

horse was his own, having purchased it

from Mr Grant, overseer, of Mount Emu,

for twenty pounds but that he should, on

his arrival in town, be compelled to dis

pose of it, for the purpose of providing

for the wants of his family. On tile fol

lowing morning, the prisoner started,

being extremely particular in his en

quiries as to the road to Melbourne ; the

witness, however, remarked, that le took

the road to Solomon's. The prisoner here

stated, that on the night alluded to he

was drinking at Vinge's public house,

until twelve o'clock. William Radford,

of Geelong, stated that on Thursday week

last, the prisoner put up at his brother's

house,an inn at Geelong, atwhich time the

prisoner had in his possession the horse

said to have been stolen, and which he

was desirous of disposing of; witness ulti

mately made a " swop" with him, giving

him four pounds ten shillings in cash, and

a Timor pony, saddle and bridle; the

value of the Timor pony he did not knon,

but had been offered six pounds for it.

Subsequently thinking the horse was nol

" right;" lie informed the chief onstable

of Geelong of the circumstance, who

asked him to come to Melbourne respect.

ing it, and on arrival here discovered

that the horse had been stolen. Mr

Hawdon on being asked the value of the

horse said, that he should have refused

thirty pounds;for it. This gentleman's

servant not being in attendance, the

prisoner was remanded until Tuesday

next. He is a young man and manifests

great aversion to give any accountof him

THE ASSAULT AT THE RACES.-On

Friday a man named John Maher, was

apprehended by constable Sinclair upon

suspicion of being one of the three,

men who struck Mr Argyle, the butcher;

at the late March races. On being

brought up for cxamination on Saturday

the prosecutor identified him as being

the person who first assaulted him at the

Race Course; that at the time, the

prisoner rode a black horse, and was the

first who overtook him.; that he struck

him with the butt end of a whip.near

Main's Bridge, and left him senseless

Maher was remanded until to-morrow

and bail taken for his appearance, him

self in £100 and two sureties in £50

THE VIOLIN.-.A Mr Rivio has juri

arrived from South Australia, where hie

has been astonishing the natives as a fir$t

rate violinist-at least so say the papprs4

We learn that M r La Trobe, who scraples

in this line in a- very creditable manner,

can only play " second fiddle" ito :Mr

Ravac, who has expressed his inteniion

to show his.powers in a concert yet tolbe

THE ROBBERY AT THE '*PRINCEi O

WALES."-A clew. has been obtained as

to the " whereabouts" of the thief hlio,

on the night of the Bar Dinner to Judge

Therry, stole Mr Fawkner's dressingcdase.

for the recovery of which .a rewar~ of

THE " COURIER.'"-This journal'will

be resumed immediately, Iuder the ,Edli

torship of Mr Kerr. Ther, wole affair

was .a"ranged,.yaiterday at. lhet;iird

meeting of creditors, and " 'IRichardi i

SF.PARATION.-We are nuthorisedin

stating from nndoubted authority, that

the. -Iomo Government have arrived at

the very,, satisfactory determination of

conceding Separation to .Port; Phillip;

so soon as the necessary details can be:

reduced to'frm and pressure. His Ex

cellency. Sir George Gipps, in his late

despatches,, has, received this (to the

residents of Australia Felix.) cheering

PENTONVILLE EXILES.-We some time

since reported that a number of Pentonville

Exiles, arrived at I-Iobartoh. had not been

forwarded to Portland, contrary to a pronise

given by.Sir Eardley Wilmot. Weehave

since learned that the reason was, the

vessel in which they were -shipped from

England having been specially chartered

and. insured for Hobarton, and, therefore,

could not, without great risk, be sent on

to this port. So far an excuse for Sir

Eardley, but, on theother hand, we would

ask, why could they not have been for

warded in'one of the Government vessels ?

Unless some such means be adopted, the

same excuse will hold most probably for

ever, and, therefore, His Excellency's

promise will turn out in reality to be some

thing like fabled Echo, vox et preaterea

nihil, a voice and nothing beside. We

lave been tOld that " wherever there is a

will there is a way," and were the two

Governments really desirous of furnishing

Portland with a portion of this description

of labor, they could do so without either

much expense, risk, or difficulty.-Portland