No. 7.
Woodbridge, near Guildford,
May 18th, 1833.
Sir,
With reference to your Note of the 9th instant, in which you express a wish to be informed as to the measures which it is proposed to adopt in regard to the settlement in Western Australia, I beg leave to say, that any information which it is in my power to afford you, or any other person, interested in the subject, is very much at your service; but it is necessary to observe, that as I am not in the exercise of any official authority in this country, any statement I may make on such matters must be considered as emanating from a private source.
The view which the colonial department takes of the colony in question, I believe to be this:—that, although it was originally entered upon with the intention of meeting the wishes of several individuals desirous of establishing themselves in that country, His Majesty's Government is not indisposed to afford the settlement every reasonable and proper degree of protection and countenance. It is therefore proposed to provide for it certain civil and military establishments, upon a scale inexpensive, but, in my opinion, sufficient for the administration of government and law, and for the protection of the settlers. The civil establishment will be more efficient, but not more costly than that which has existed hitherto; the military force will be doubled, or, at least, extended to two companies. The expense of supporting these institutions will be, for the present, supported by the Crown, but the continuance of this practice cannot be expected to extend beyond the period when the growing means of the settlement shall enable it to bear the charge of its own establishments.
Every description of expenditure unprovided for by vote of Parliament, or unconnected with the two branches of service aforesaid, will have to be borne by a colonial fund. To this, as a commencement, the Secretary o
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