feel justified in consenting to the foundation of any new colony at present, unless the revenues of the Mother Country could be thus protected from all expenses incidental to it.
"Mr. Stanley perceives that, without some provisional sanction of this scheme on his part, it would be almost impossible to ascertain the disposition of the public with respect to it, but he thinks that even such provisional sanction ought not to be given, unless he should be furnished with good grounds for believing that these points could be ascertained before a formal application should be made to Parliament on the subject.
"Upon the several foregoing points, therefore, Mr. Stanley would be glad to see Mr. Whitmore, yourself, and any other three gentlemen of the committee who might think proper to accompany you on Friday the 18th instant, at 1 o'clock.
"I have the honour to be, sir, &c.,
"John Lefevre.
"To George Grote, Esq., M.P., &c., &c."
"April 25th.—Grote called to ask if we could not have a meeting this evening at the House of Commons, to talk over the question of the minimum price of land; accordingly, R. Hill, Grote, Clay, Scrope, Hutt, Torrens, and Hanson, met me at the House, and continued there till 11 o'clock. After a great deal of irrelevant conversation, Grote, Clay, and Scrope, appeared to decide upon fifteen shillings per acre, while Torrens, Hanson, Hill, and Hutt, united with me in opposing so low a price. At the end of the palaver I told Grote 1 hoped that as soon as he saw that ample funds were ready for the purchase of land in our colony, at a high price when compared with New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land, that he would move that the price of other colonial land should be raised. This he caught at eagerly, and said it ought clearly to be done.
