Angas and Special Survey No. 2, Port Lincoln (2)

John Hill accompanied the Governor to Franklin Harbor, then crossed the gulf with Mr. Burr, the Deputy Surveyor-General, and rode thence to Adelaide. On arrival there he wrote an addendum to the joint report. This is interesting as it throws fresh light on the Governor's journey along the coast. He said:

"I am enabled to add to the above report information, which may be of decided advantage, regarding a considerable extent of country, to the north and north-west of Port Lincoln, having since that report was finished (viz : April 6, 1840— J.D.S) accompanied His Excellency the Governor in an expedition which he has made along the Gulf Spencer, nearly to Middleback Mount. The course pursued by His Excellency was generally along the coast and after leaving Point Bolingbroke we traversed a tract of scrubby land for some distance till we reached the plains described by me in the report (that is between Mount Liverpool and Tumby Bay— J.D.S.). After leaving these plains we entered another tract of barren heath and scrub, which extended, with but one exception of a few grassy hills of limited extent, to the lagoon seen from the masthead by Flinders. The lagoon we found to be a lake of about 24 miles in circumference, connected with the gulf by an inlet a mile in width with three fathoms water at the bar at low water and deep water inside forming a most excellent harbor, named by the Governor, Lake Flinders and Franklin Harbor. The country around is a dense scrub, extended as far as the eye could discern to the north and to the base of the range west. About eight miles west of the harbor there were a few grassy hills, the range of which Elbow Hill forms a prominent part, but the grass was very inferior and confined to a limited extent. Further westward of this range we ascended a range of considerable elevation 1,500 ft. above the sea, from which we obtained a very extensive view of the surrounding country. From the range we obtained bearings of hills seen by Mr. Eyre on his expedition to Streaky Bay and were thus enabled to connect the country seen by us with his discoveries. Our prospect from this mount was a most dreary one, in every direc tion the eye wandered over an expanse of barren and unprofitable country, high tableland intersected with a mass of scrubby hills, the only exception being a few grassy hills. About Elbow Hill there was no appearance of water, the only permanent water that we saw during our expedition being a chain of small waterholes in a watercourse which joins Lake Flinders."

"The result of this expedition places beyond all doubt the existence of an immense extent of barren country, comprising the Peninsula of Port Lincoln by a line extending from Mount Arden to Streaky Bay, and consequently every prospect of a failure to any settlement at Port Lincoln. The very limited tract of land available for sheep pasturage is barely if at all sufficient to support a small town at Boston, and a second settlement contemplated by your survey would undoubtedly be a certain failure."

The Governor's plan of the country shows they ascended Mount Olinthus, slightly to the north of Mount Parapet and from there took bearings to various places. The hills seen by Mr. Eyre and referred to by John Hill would probably be the Gawler Ranges as one of the bearings was to Mount Sturt an outlier to that range. McLaren saw the Governor and reported the result to E. J. Wheeler on May 16, 1840, as follows : —

"I had put the alternative on my application that we might be permitted to point out another district or increase the quantity in those already bought, intending that I should have the option. The Governor took the option, and refused the former branch, of the alternative, on the ground that it would be unjust to those who had orders for special surveys or who might have been on the outlook for them."

McLaren did not press the point considering, it would be more advantageous to the S.A. Coy. and Angas if their lands were conjoined. McLaren, later in the year, writing to Wheeler, August 8, 1840, anent special surveys, showed that he was not the only one to make an injudicious selection. He mentioned that the Port St. Vincent scheme had been abandoned and the sources of the Torrens chosen in its place. Port Victoria was a failure. The Meadows did not contain near 4,000 acres of good land. The sources of the Finniss were so inaccurately described that adjacent claimants for special surveys, Morphett and Davenport, cut into it so that it had to be abandoned, and then said "The case of Port Lincoln was grievous enough to me, it has been fully explained, it will I trust, be completely remedied."

He also said that he hoped arrangements could be made to effect exchange with some parties' interest in No. 1 special survey, Port Lincoln, should any of Angas's purchasers be determined to settle there. His final paragraph in that letter is of especial interest this year when the Centenary of the departure of Eyre on a trip northwards that eventually took him to King George's Sound, Western Australia, is to be celebrated. He was the first man to make a trip overland from Sydney to Swan River, even if in stages. It was, "I refer to the South Australian Register of today for an interesting report from Mr. Eyre, our enterprising exploratory traveller."

After commenting on the barren country, upon various ideas of the drainage system, finishes :— "The general opinion is that a better country will be found to the northward, I can only say I hope it will be so, I am less sanguine than some others, at least as to the land within the boundaries of South Australia. The most important results may, or rather must, arise from this interesting journey."

McLaren, in September, 1840, started adjusting for the abandoned Port Lincoln survey. In an amended letter to G. Sturt, Assistant Commissioner, on October 6, 1840, he applied for 2,117 acres by virtue of £1,000 paid in on July 19, 1839, and transferring £1,117 from Port Lincoln. Even at this date Angas had not finished receiving bills from the S.A. Coy. for expenses incurred at Port Lincoln for an October 10, 1840, Rowlands received a bill. The details being : — Sept. 12 — Moiety of expenses paid O'Halloran, Nixon & Co. a/c Port Lincoln survey, £91 14/10 ; Sept. 21 — moiety of expenses paid Jno. Hill for ditto, £31 10/-; total, £123 4/10. (This would be for the re-examination during the earlier part of the year).

Flaxman was returning to Adelaide and was arranging to meet Angas bills there, whereas Angas thought that they should be met before leaving England and in writing to H. Hughlings, of Halifax, October 19, 1840, said he had "got a transfer of five of the seven special surveys at Barossa and the 2,000 acres at Boston Bay were happily not taken in his name." Then Angas outlined a scheme for selling off some of the land and said, "Your large experience in these matters enabled you to give good advice in such a case and perhaps you might help me out in this affair." Hughlings looms up largely in the settlement between Angas and his clients of Boston Bay sales.

Angas was in a most strange position, largely due to himself, in not having a full representative in South Australia. He was trying to work his interests from England with quasi representation in Adelaide, who had no definite power. So with imperfect knowledge he wrote Hughlings on October 27, 1840, "With respect to the special surveys at Boston Bay, I am in total ignorance except so far as Mr. D. McLaren has written to the S.A. Coy. (London) which, amounts to this, that Port Lincoln will be little better than Kingscote which although a fine harbor will require several years to raise towns on their margins and Mr. McLaren thinks that lands nearer the city will be of much more value to the proprietors."

So he could come to no determination whatever, and would not give his consent without the approbation of the whole of the parties interested. By this time McLaren was selecting land elsewhere in lieu of Boston Bay.