Visits of Governors Grey and Robe

Capt. (afterwards Sir) George Grey was appointed Governor to supercede Lieut.-Colonel George Gawler, and arrived in the province on May 15, 1841. It was an unenviable task he had to perform ; he had to reduce the expenditure, yet make the province advance and the colonists contented and prosperous. In consequence of the first, his reception was far from cordial, yet when, he was transferred to New Zealand on October 25, 1845, he went with the best wishes of the colonists, having succeeded so well with the task he had undertaken.

It was during his regime that the first extension of legislative powers was granted, from a Governor with four official councillors to one of a Governor, three paid official members and four honorary and independent members, even if selected and appointed by the Governor. This council remained in existence until 1851, when the first partly elected Legislative Council was created.

By correspondence Governor Grey had intimate knowledge of the Peninsula ; the Tod Valley murders, the mysterious disappearance of Dutton and the consequent search all occurred during the early part of his term, otherwise he did not make a personal visit until the closing year of his governorship, and of the trip we have very little information. Through stormy weather the Governor could not get away as early as he desired. While awaiting for the storm to abate, he was carrying out his official duties, on the day of his departure (April 23, 1845) he wrote to the Government Resident at Port Lincoln saying that it was a fitting time to pardon and release Moullia and Moorpa, and the Protector of Aborigines was instructed to take them back to Port Lincoln.

The Protector left in the vessel Governor Gawler on the 26th, and reached Port Lincoln on the evening of the 28th. Apparently by the latter date the Jane and Emma with the Governor had not reached Port Lincoln. The Jane and Emma (afterwards the Lapwing, of 32 tons), had been purchased by the Government, so Capt. Grey, decided to try her out on a sea trip, extending over four to six weeks, visiting Kangaroo Island, Rivoli Bay, Port Lincoln, sundry islands and westward to Coffin's Bay.

An attempt to sail was made on April 19, 1845, but through rough weather the party did not get away until April 23. Capt. T. Lipson was in command of the boat. His Excellency was accompanied by R. R. Torrens (Collector of Customs); Godfrey Thomas and George French Angas (son of G. Fife Angas and brother to J. H. Angus.) The trip was of short duration : they were unable to reach Rivoli Bay through gales, then the trip had to be abandoned at Port Lincoln through the death of Mrs. Allan, the daughter of Capt. Lipson. The boat left Port Lincoln on the evening of May 2, and reached home on May 4, after an absence of 11 weeks.

George French Angas was left behind at Port Lin-coln, sketching the scenery in the district, and it is from his book "Savage life and scenes in Australia and New Zealand " (1847) we get what details are available of the trip. Reference to the pictures he (Angas) painted was recently made by Mr. H. W. Piercy in 'The Port Lincoln Times.' Angas died in England in November, 1886.

He was a most picturesque writer as can be seen from some of the extracts to be quoted. The initial sentence describing the trip begins : "it was late in the evening of a fine autumnal day that in company with His Excellency and a few friends I embarked . . . etc." The party went toward Rivoli Bay, but owing to gales they were unable to land and returned to Nepean Bay, where a few days were spent, and then Port Lincoln was made for. They anchored close to the Althorpes during the night, "where, the confused tumult arising from the screams of innumerable sea fowl uttering their wild harpy-like shrieks, was deafening to us, and is distinctly heard for miles. These strange discordant sounds contributed not a little to the dreary aspect of the seagirt rock, that rose darkly with its saddle back summit, against the light of the ascending moon."

Next morning Gambier Isles were passed. Thistle Island was seen on their left, an island affording good pasturage for sheep; two brothers, who had been Angas's shipmates from England, had settled on the "picturesque island." Nautilus shells were plentiful on the northern end of the island.

FLAG HOISTED

In good time Port Lincoln was reached and anchor cast in Boston Bay on May 1, 1845. Passing Boston Island gave Angas a chance to say "a solitary grave occupies a glen." Probably using Hailes's verse about 'The Island Grave' gave Angas a wrong conception, for by the time of Governor Grey's visit, Dr. Harvey also had been buried on the island.

"No sooner was the flag hoisted," said Angas, " than all the inhabitants were drawn up on the beach to receive His Excellency. It was extremely amusing to observe the contrast between the half-a-dozen soldiers who presented arms upon the beach the moment of our landing, and the group of savages rushing down from their 'wirlies' and running naked along the sand. All work was suspended, and the occasion was celebrated by a general holiday throughout the settlement. Several hundred natives had assembled belonging chiefly to the 'Parnkalla,' the 'Nauo' and the 'Battara' tribes in expectation of having a supply of flour served out to them as a present on the arrival of the Governor, in which they were not disappointed."

The Protector of Aborigines rather shattered Angas's "several hundred natives" for he said that on May 1, 1845, "His Excellency had all the natives assembled and flour distributed to them, there were present 26 men, 17 women and 27 children."

To continue Angas's account: "During the evening they were all gathered together in front of the barracks and desired to sit down ; which they did, the men forming one large semi-circle, and the women and children sitting apart, at a distance of some yards. They each received the flour in their dirty kangaroo skins, and then set to making 'dampers.' It was very amusing to see them attempting to knead their flour and form their cakes after the fashion of the European ; some mixed their allowance with water into a paste on their skin cloak, and ate it immediately ; while others, who had more patience baked their 'dampers' in the ashes of the neighbouring fires."

Probably through the unsatisfactory nature of the trip, the Governor made no report of it to the British Government.

MAJOR ROBE'S VISIT

Major (afterwards Lieut.-Colonel Robe assumed his duties as Lieutenant-Governor in South Australia the same day as Governor Grey left — October 25, 1845— and continued in that position until August 2, 1848, when he voluntarily retired. His rule was noticeable for his introduction of State aid to churches, in 1846 (repealed in 1850 and never reintroduced), and for the introduction of a tax on royalty on minerals won from the earth ; that is, that a purchaser did not gain the fee simple of land he bought. It was on the occasion of the latter Bill being introduced, that the four independent members seeing they could not, by voting, prevent the passage of the Bill, got up and wal ed out of the council chamber, leaving the council without a quorum.

Lieutenant-Governor Robe's association with the Peninsula is very slight, even less than Captain Grey's, and he did not even have an Angas to record any of the events of the trip.

A company had taken up a block of 20,000 acres of land, subsequently known as the Mount Remarkable Special Survey (a different scheme from the special survey in force when Port Lincoln was laid out), so the Governor, accompanied by Lieut. Bewes in the Lapwing (Captain Lipson, R.N.) sailed from Port Adelaide on Saturday, November 14, 1846, to inspect the coast line to ascertain a favorable shipping port for the produce of the newly opened up country. Port Germein, founded a few years before, was found to be suited for the purpose.

The party returned down the western side of the Gulf and Port Adelaide was reached on December 3, 1846. The Lieutenant-Governor's views of the trip were published in the "Adelaide Observer'' on December 12. From this account we glean that, on the western side of the head of Spencer's Gulf, the hills are of a red sandstone, with nearly horizontal strata. It was said that in other parts of the world coal was frequently found associated with similar formation. He said that Franklin Harbour was a secure anchorage, completely land locked with Points Victoria and Germein, marking the entrance. There were 21 fathoms of water on the bar, and in the narrows behind Point Germein, 10 fathoms were to be found.

Native fires were seen on the side of Mount Olinthus about 15 miles north west of Franklin Harbour. Mr. Burr, who previously had visited the mount, described it as granite and primary rocks, and supplied with good water. At Lipson's Cove the rocks seen were gneiss and hornblende schist, nearly vertical, trending north and south. It was said that, in other countries similar formation was rich in metallic ores. At Port Lincoln, the Gambier Isles and Althorpe Islands, he said, the rock formation was stratified limestone of recent formation, horizontal, resting immediately on granite. No details of anything done at Port Lincoln have been found.

[The next article will deal with Lieutenant-Governor Sir Henry Edward Fox Young.]