Opinion Divided Over Best Site for Capital

This week's instalment of a new series of articles from the pen of Mr. J. D. Somerville deals with. Capt. Mitchell's famous declaration advancing the suitability of Port Lincoln as the site for the capital of the province, in opposition to the opinion of the Surveyor-General (William Light).

Although Adelaide had been definitely decided upon as the capital and the allocation of town acres had taken place, the feeling still rankled in the mind of many that Light had erred. Possibly it was one way to vent their spleen against the Colonisation Commissioners and Light for the peculiar division of authority. It certainly was a peculiar situation ; it was unthinkable that the Governor of the province should have to bow to the dictates of the Surveyor-General. The representative of the British Government in South Australia had no authority over the representatives of the commissioners.

Each of these had their particular followers. George Stevenson took the side of the Governor. It was Stevenson who held the proxies for the major part of the votes cast against Light at the meeting on February 10, 1837. Among his multifarious duties, Stevenson was editor of the 'S.A. Gazette and Colonial Register,' and in such capacity, he was responsible for a fantastic article which appeared in that paper of July 8, 1837.

According to Light, words were put into Mitchell's statement that were never uttered, and other words that were uttered were misconstrued. The statement may have been a newspaper interview, or it may have been only a friendly chat between three or four settlers and a newly arrived ship's captain. It was afterwards admitted that Stevenson wrote the statement— called a declaration — which was made by Mitchell in the presence of Governor Hindmarsh, Capt. Crozier and George Stevenson. It is said it was read over to Mitchell and signed by him.

The 'South Australian Register' the successor of the 'S.A. Gazette and Colonial Register,' admits (June 29, 1839) one or two minor errors but asserts " that account has over and over again been proved to be substantially correct."

LIGHT'S CRITICISM

The article was headed ' Boston Bay ' and said, " We have been favoured with a copy of the following declaration made by Captain Mitchell before one of the Magistrates of the Province . . . . We have no hesitation in vouching for the correctness of Captain Mitchell's statement as regards the place."

Before giving a resume of the alleged declaration, it is worthwhile to consider some of Light's criticism and remarks. He says that Capt Mitchell, after the publication stated he mentioned Port Lincoln in common conversation only to Mr. Stevenson and one or two others, and the inference is that Mr. Stevenson, being a magistrate, must have written the article and statement himself. This was admitted after Light's journal was published. Capt. Mitchell said the whole was exaggerated. Light said he differed very much in opinion as to the description of Port Lincoln and Boston Bay, and that time would prove whose judgment was best ; as their judgment differed, so might their eyes, which were the guiding stars to that judgment. Light believed that Mitchell, at the time the statement was made, had never seen Port Adelaide harbor, and knew nothing of Adelaide beyond what could have been gleaned in a visit on an hour or two in one evening. Almost the concluding words in Light's criticism were : " I believe the whole to be garbled up by the editor to suit his own malicious views .... The reader may draw his own inference from this."

As this may be the last time in these articles that reference will be made to Light's selection of Adelaide as against Port Lincoln, I would like to quote some views of Light's which will throw a little light on some of his severe utterances. In one instance he said "I constantly received hints that I lacked ability for the performance of my duty " and again when some of the public were complaining of the delay in completing the survey of Adelaide, he said "the disgrace heaped upon me again became very warm." So we cannot wonder at the severe criticism.

TEXT OF DECLARATION

The following is from the article and the declaration : —

"Phillip Mitchell, master of the barque Tam O'Shanter, at present lying in the creek in St. Vincent's 'Gulph' declared that he had arrived about the 23 of January last off Kangaroo Island, in search of the said ship, for the purpose of taking the command of her."

He could find no settlement at Nepean Bay, and the master of the sloop Mary Anne recommended a visit to Port Lincoln in an endeavor to find his (Mitchell's) vessel. As a result of the search the article gees on to say : —

" Declarant proceeded to Port Lincoln, in Spencer's Gulf, to endeavour to find his vessel, as that was the port he was authorised to proceed to. That declarant examined the harbour of Port Lincoln completely ; went into every bay and landed in various places on the northern shore.

" Declarant considers Port Lincoln one of the finest harbours in the world, and the safest and easiest of access he has ever been into. The largest ship in the navy could easily beat in at any time, and under any circumstances and anchor in fifty different places with safety from all winds.

" Declares that after searching and examining the harbour to its head, and not finding the barque, returned down by Boston Island, on which three people were landed from the schooner, the Abeona, in which vessel declarant was a passenger, for the purpose of cutting grass for the stock on board, and in a day they cut two tons, or thereabouts, of what is called kangaroo grass, of which the horses, cattle and sheep on board were very fond, and which they ate in preference to the hay on board the schooner.

WATER PLENTIFUL

" Declarant then proceeded through Boston Bay to the northern shore thereof on the mainland, in search of a watering place, known to a gentleman on board of the name of Dempster, who is now a settler at Swan River, which he found immediately, and it proved to be a spring that enabled us to ill twenty tons of water, and getting it all on board the schooner in one day. With a stronger party one hundred tons could have been as easily produced.

" Declares that any depth of water, for anchorage, can be chosen and that with a warp's length from the shore the schooner lay in about three fathoms, and hauled the water casks on board. The water is excellent, and this land is a beautiful black mould, intermixed with limestone, apparently capable of producing every sort of crop. The timber is sufficiently plentiful both for ornamental and building purposes, and about a mile from the beach it is much more abundant.

" That declarant remained in Boston Bay for three or four days, during which time he was much on shore, examining the country and the impression of the declarant is, that the land is all fine, and that after passing the first belt of trees, there is a great extent of excellent land fit for pasturage or grazing. From all appearances there seems to be plenty of water, as there are numerous flocks of wild geese, and herds of kangaroos.

" Declares that there is a reef which runs from the north eastern point of Boston Island to the mainland, covered at high water and separating Boston Bay into two excellent harbours, the westernmost, however, being the largest and best, having its entrance from the westward, rounding Boston Island.

'BOSTON BAY SUPERIOR'

" Declarant saw no natives ; but fires on the land at some distance were numerous. Declares that he has been at Sydney, Van Diemen's Land, King George's Sound, and examined the land in these places, and that compared to all else in these places, as well as the present location at Glenelg, the creek, and Adelaide, in South Australia, the declarant prefers Boston Bay, as well for commercial as agricultural purposes. Declares, that as far as his judgment goes, there can be no doubt of the superiority in every respect, of Boston Bay over the other places he has examined and in declarant's belief it would only require to be seen by any settler to decide him to fix his location there ; and declares all this to be truth."

I have not been able to trace whether the Abeona that Mitchell travelled in was Hawson's Abeona. Rodney Cockbum said the Hawsons left Newfoundland in 1834 in the brigantine Abeona (Capt. Henry C. Hawson) possibly for Western Australia. The boat then traded between Timor and Western Australia, and visited Sydney, Hobart and Mauritius. After a residence of 18 months in the Albany district, the family went to Sydney, and finally to Port Adelaide in 1837. Cockbum gives the tonnage of the boat as 100.

Elsewhere it is recorded that a schooner Abeona (Captain Horsen) arrived at Port Adelaide from Mauritius on July 29, 1837. Subsequent arrivals in Adelaide were 22/10/37 ; 15/3/38 ; 29/5/38 ; September, '38 ; and 25/10/38, the last date from Hobart. Sometimes other captains were in charge, but H. C. Hawson was captain on the last trip mentioned. Some time afterwards Hawson sold the boat, which was in later years wrecked on King's Island, Bass Strait.

Light was very severe when reviewing the article, and the newspaper, properly points out that Mitchell was discussing Boston Bay from a personal knowledge, whereas Light did not land, nor make any examination beyond what he could see from the boat when endeavoring to enter Spalding Cove, when he stated " . . . . having in two or three reaches gone sufficiently far into Boston Bay to see that nothing there was so good as at the Port." I assumed the 'Port ' referred to was Port Adelaide, but the S.A. Register considers it was Port Lincoln (Proper Bay) with which the comparison was made. It has been frequently referred to The South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register by subsequent writers, when discussing the possibilities of Port Lincoln.