members of the company, such as Wakefield, Hutt, Chapman, and Croker Streets. Throughout the month gales of astonishing severity, with heavy falls of rain, raged continuously, and heaped additional suffering on the anxious people. They now saw in reality what colonising work entailed, and recognised that there was much to do before they could expect to obtain results. The town site stretched for some distance along the banks of the estuary. A storeroom was the principal building erected, and was forty feet long by twenty feet wide. It was completed in June, and was used as a storeroom, dining room, and sleeping apartment through the stormy weather. Around on the inclines of a slope leading from the water's edge were the buildings of officers and members of the establishment. A flood gum tree projected its branches over most of these. A few scattered weather-worn old stones are all that survive of this embryo city of good intentions.
Some settlers erected abodes for themselves. The number of men actually attached to the establishment was small, and it was not long before emigrants began to drift beyond Australind boundaries to neighbouring districts, and to Swan River.
From the first, disappointment attended the efforts of Mr. Clifton and his people. The influence of the misreports in London, and the doubts which assailed the minds of the Australind settlers seemed to fatalise whatever attempts they made at development. A blight had fallen upon them, and despondency too often pervaded their actions. There was drunkenness among a class of labourers, bickering between the surveyors and the men, and insubordination to the orders of Mr. Clifton, the Chief Commissioner.
That gentleman did what he could to withstand the tide of misfortune. He, his sons, and the surveyors worked zealously day after day. Wet or dry, they attended to their duties, and Mr. Clifton himself laboured in the garden, or helped to cut timber and split posts in the woods. His time was fully occupied for some months in supervising the surveys of his officers, and the work of his men. Carpenters, blacksmiths, sawyers, lime burners, gardeners, and ordinary labourers had all to be attended to. Vegetables were sown in the ground in front of his quarters; bridges were begun, canals were surveyed, and roads were aligned to Koombanah Bay, Brunswick River, Picton, and to various parts of the property. Sites were chosen for piers, markets, and public gardens; fruit trees were planted, and on 29th September the first sod was turned with a plough, drawn by several oxen. A cemetery was prepared, which ultimately proved to be the last resting-place of Mr. Clifton himself. A literary and scientific society was projected, and preliminary meetings held, and visits were received from the gentry of Augusta, Vasse, and Swan River. Mr. M. W. Clifton was early gazetted a Justice of the Peace, and a commissioner of the court for the recovery of small debts. Maps were carefully drawn of the site of the town and rural allotments, and forwarded to Governor Hutt and to the Board of Directors in London.
The settlement possessed a whale boat, dingy, and cutter. The natives thieved from the store at Point Casuarina, and removed casks of flour and meat. They were arrested, committed, and sent to Perth to stand their trial. Mails were brought by sea when any vessel happened to be calling at Bunbury, but more often Mr. Clifton was compelled to send to Pinjarra for them. Mr. Knight was the postmaster at Bunbury. Dr. Carpenter passed his time in attending people attached to Australind or to neighbouring settlers, and in making careful researches in natural history. He acquired a splendid botanical collection, and enjoyed the regard of all the residents of the district. The Rev. Wollaston had migrated to Bunbury, and officiated as clergyman at Picton and also at Bunbury and Australind.
Mr. Clifton and his sons, Messrs Robert and Pearce made several excursions into surrounding country. The first of these was in September, when some attractive-looking scenery was surveyed, but the land was considered to be very patchy. Mr. Clifton decided that there were some excellent areas of soil in the company's immense property, yet parts of it were poor and unfit for high culture. Generally, he was pleased with the Australind land, and laboured energetically to bring portions under cultivation. But he contended with depressing odds. No more settlers and emigrants reached the settlement in 1841, but in London the annual meeting of shareholders of the company passed off successfully. The various and voluminous despatches of Mr. Clifton were considered, and appeared to inspire more confidence in the prospects of Australind. At any rate, a vessel was chartered to convey additional settlers and emigrants to the settlement.
Accustomed to thorough and immediate obedience in his high official positions, Mr. Clifton did not succeed with some of his officers at Australind, and complaints were made of his autocratic supervision. Before the end of 1841 a serious disagreement took place between him and the chief surveyor, Mr. James Austin. The latter was dismissed, and brought an action against Mr. Clifton for salary due. By the terms of the original agreement in London, the surveyors were engaged for three years, but Mr. Austin's insubordination was such that Mr. Clifton discharged him before a year was expired. The case was heard before Mr. Mackie, when Mr. Austin was awarded a verdict for £200. Mr. Clifton appealed—the first appeal case in the colony—to the highest court on 22nd February, 1842. The court consisted of His Excellency the Governor (president), the Hons. Major Irwin, P. Brown, and J. S. Roe. After a lengthy deliberation the appeal was dismissed.
But before this, Mr. Clifton made a trip to the Port Grey country. The manner in which the Western Australian Company had advertised the attractions of that place, based on the descriptions of Captain Grey, was ridiculed in Western Australia, and it was inferred that this had been done purposely and deliberately, and not in ignorance, as was the case. Mr. Clifton watched for an opportunity to proceed to Port Grey to prove what truth there was in Captain Grey's statements. Late in 1841 the Beagle was at anchor in Koombanah Bay, and to decide the nature of Port Grey as a harbour, and to correct the contradictory impressions which existed, Captain Stokes agreed to conduct Mr. Clifton there. Port Grey was believed to coincide with Champion Bay, discovered the year before, and if so it did not possess the high recommendations claimed for it by Captain Grey.
In December, 1841, the Beagle sailed up to Port Grey with Mr. Clifton on board. Captain Stokes decided that the port was not the perfect haven pictured by Captain Grey, and that while it provided a good summer anchorage it had no protection from the prevailing gales of winter. Captain Stokes, Mr. Clifton, and a party of forty men, landed and examined the surrounding country. They remained for two days on land, and traversed a barren belt of sand plains and hills, exhibiting a scrubby growth of desolate-looking trees. Strange to say, although they went scores of miles, they saw no fine country, and they returned to the ship overburdened with the sombreness around them. Today it is well
