Settlement of Port Lincoln

In this week's instalment of his account of the settlement of Port Lincoln, Mr. Somerville tells of the completion of plans for the special survey and of the hoisting of the Union Jack at Happy Valley, close to the foreshore on the spot now set apart as a reserve. Among the pioneers mentioned are Capt. H. C. Hawson, whose brother Frank was speared by blacks, and Mr. Matthew Smith, a special magistrate, who was one of the first barristers to practise in Adelaide upon his retirement from the Bench here. Mr. Smith was the grandfather Misses Jane Isabella and Margaret Amelia Smith, of Malvern, who have many friends among older residents of Port Lincoln.

While plans for the acquisition by the public of land in Port Lincoln were being made in Adelaide, Mr. McLaren was making his examination at Port Lincoln and no doubt feeling sure that the land would soon be in the South Australian Company's hand.

On one of the hills overlooking Boston Bay, he left in a bottle a memento of his trip. Subsequently it was found by Mr. Winter, the association's surveyor. The inscription was : — " 26 February, 1839 — David McLaren, Henry Mildred, Gilbert Mutchison (master, schooner Victoria), Mc-Namara (seaman, schooner Victoria)."

On Mr. McLaren's return to Adelaide an application on behalf of the company was lodged on March 2, 1839 and doubtless desired the same area around Boston Bay. The Governor, who was also the Resident Commissioner was placed in an awkward predicament. The — shall we say — proletariat had lodged a prior application to the influential company, whose financial assistance had rendered the settlement of South Australia possible. Instead of cutting out one of the applications, the Commissioner decided to alter the definition of the association's application and make the company conform to the altered conditions. The location of the association survey was altered by adding after Port Lincoln, " extending generally southward and westward" and the company definition to read " from the centre of Boston Bay, extending generally to the northward and west ward and including that part of Boston Island which lies to the north ward of a line drawn from Kirton Point in a north-easterly direction or thereabouts."

FUTILE ARRANGEMENT

In connection with these special surveys the first applicant had the prior right, and it appears that there was no justification for the Governor making the association alter its definition. Such an arrangement was futile. There was not sufficient quantity of good land available to warrant the two surveys or to allow sufficient land for each to lay out the secondary town of the dimensions contemplated. So the company fades from the picture as a separate entity, and in common with other subscribers, who were unfortunate enough not to participate in the primary shares, had to buy from those subscribers who had a surplus holding. Charles Smith transferred to the company his interest in 400 acres.

Some time afterwards the Governor permitted the company to withdraw its application and allow the money deposited to be utilised in making an application for a special survey elsewhere.

Events moved quickly. On March 11, 1839, Captain Hawson in the Abeoni sailed for Port Lincoln and arrived on March 19, with a large party, including Messrs. Tod and Winter, the latter being the surveyor who had been engaged to lay out the town on behalf of the association and the country sections for the Government. Mr. Tod in a very informative report said, " We landed on a mountain in front of a beautiful vale, which we named Happy Valley, and hoisted the British flag, under a salute from the vessel."

The salute was very disastrous to the sailor who was acting gunner, for through imprudent management on his part one of his eyes was blown out, the other severely wounded, and he lost a finger. This necessitated the immediate return of the Abeona to Adelaide with the injured man. On March 20, Messrs. Winter, Fenn, Stephen and Tod, made a reconnaissance of the country as far as Little Swamp returning to Boston Bay by some low land, that is probably down the Duck Ponds and around North Side Hill.

COUNTRY EXPLORED

Three days later Mr. Tod led an other party consisting of Messrs. Austin, Crouch, Fenn, Phillipson, Stephens and Williams, northward, and discovered and named the River Tod, Mount Gawler, Cowan Vale Cowan Lagoon. While these newcomers were busy exploring the country and locating the site of the new settlement, Charles Smith — by the way, his right name was Percival Wood Smith — was busy getting away the second contingent from Port Adelaide in the brig Dorset, said to have had one hundred passengers on board, among them being Charles Smith, Matthew Smith and Charles Christian Dutton and about the same time Mr. Porter had gone to Port Lincoln in his boat the Porter.

Mr. Porter had been appointed a ' Magistrate of the Province.' The Dorset made a quick passage to Port Lincoln, having left Adelaide on March 26 and arriving before the 30th, and found the Abeona and Porter in Boston Bay. The meeting of the passengers off these three boats was memorable, and the opportunity was taken of ' swearing in of the first Magistrate at the new settlement,' probably March 28 or 29, at Happy Valley. Mr. Matthew Smith administered the oaths to Captain Porter, who in his reply asserted ' his determination to repress, to the utmost of his ability, any outrage that might be committed, and to be equally open to the complaints of the poor as to the rich, to the weak as to the strong.' With cheers for the Queen, the new Magistrate, Mr. Smith, and the appointment of two persons as con stables the proceedings closed.

Shortly after this Mr. C. C. Dutton, in company with captain Hawson, Messrs. T. Hawson, Mitchell, R. Stevens, Dennis, Thos. Wybell and Thos. Harrison, made an exploration of the southern portion of the peninsula, naming Mount Dutton and Hawson's Range (now known as Marble Range). From this range a circuituous course was made across the Peninsula, that brought them to Mount Gawler and thence to Port Lincoln. By March 30, 83½ acres had been laid out for the water frontage of the projected town and 366½ acres had been allocated for the remainder of the township on the ' promontory terminated by Kirton Point ' and 50 acres at Happy Valley. (To Be Continued.)