Hobart Town Courier (Tas. : 1827 - 1839), Saturday 27 September 1828, page 3


THE COUNTRY POST.

Macquarie River, Sep. 22. - The natives have been on my farm several times last month. As soon as the floods subside I anticipate a renewal of their

attacks. A report exists that Black Tom is at large, and is threatening to make white man pay for his imprisonment. The native who was captured at Campbell town has been liberated. Our Police Magistrate here, who I regret to say at present enjoys but indifferent health, is nevertheless indefatigable

in his duty, and has sworn in many of the respectable

settlers as special constables, in order that they may act with their own men if occasion present. This is certainly a most judicious measure. When the blacks commit an outrage, the whole neighbour-

hood must rise and capture the whole tribe, every individual of which is guilty in the eye of the law either as principals or accessories. The late Procla-mation places them under the protection of the laws of the country, and they must of course be made also amenable to them when they offend them. Every prudent man and considerate employer of servants in remote and exposed situations should never suffer himself or any other individual if he can, to be with-out firearms and a good supply of ready made charges, for on that greatly depends his personal safety:

Clarence Plains.-It is remarkable that while the atmospherical changes here are so sudden and so extensive, the human constitution, which in Europe is understood to depend so much thereupon, appears to be little, if at at all affected thereby. On Monday last at sun-set, after a very fine day, the thermometer which had been at 4 o'clock, p.m. at 72 Fahrenheit, suddenly fell to 60. The barometer which had been above 20 inches fell rapidly. Light streaks of Cir-rus appeared, in the south-west, which rapidly in-creasing, formed a map of Cirrus strati extending to the south-east, of the most remarkable character ; large spreading dense sheets covered the sky in that direction, and as the darkness increased, locks and dark coloured cumuli were sailing along at a most rapid rate. About midnight the rain began to fall. At day-break on Tuesday the barometer had fallen

to a line below 28. The thermometer was at 56. The barometer fell a line or two lower in the course of the day. The thermometer was extremely un-steady, varying from 60 to 76. On Wednesday about 2, the thermometer fell again to 63, at which it

remained steady until

fell to 56. The barometer since remained, with a li

quantity of. water which

determined for the want o

its effects, it must have be atmospherical phenomena in this

resting to the ordinary me the accomplished one they

so.

LOWER CLYDE, SEP. 21.—We have had the most

awful visitation from a mountain flood. On Monday the 15th, I was engaged in my wheat field, and heard about noon of that day a loud rumbling noise, it con-tinued for the space of half a minute and I heard no more of it. The rain fell incessantly all Monday night; on Tuesday morning early the water had much increased, covering some marsh land and fields. About noon the river began to rise rapidly, and was soon totally impassable, running at the rate of five knots per hour ; trees, fences, post rails, &c. now

began to move, and in a short space of time what had

been pretty the day before now became a complete wreck. I am afraid five acres of my best wheat are destroyed, and it will take 100ℓ. to repair the damage I have sustained, but nothing until next year can restore the lower part of my garden.

Richmond, SEP. 17; 1828.—Last night information arrived al the Police Office here, that Mr. Layman of the district of Melville, in the New -Norfolk Police district had been robbed on Monday night by four armed men, three of whom had their faces blackened, and the fourth had a black coloured veil over his face. When the robbers entered the house, Mr. Layman the younger being alone, they forced him to turn his face to the wall, and threatened to shoot him if he looked towards them. They took property to the amount of two hundred pounds. Mr. Layman's loss is much to be regretted, as he is a young man just commencing his career in the Colony, and expecting his wife and family to join him from England. The same day that Mr. Layman was rob-bed, a settler named Gemain was stopped by two footpads near Brighton, and severely beaten, and robbed of some money, but he gave no information to any of the Authorities. A party was this morning sent from Richmond to act in concert with any par-ties that may have been sent from New Norfolk in quest of the depredators. Should it appear that they are in this district, they will be as quickly handled as Bimson and Woolley were ; for our Police Magis-trate seems to act on the principle, that if but even one bushranger shews himself in the district, the whole force of the police and military is to be kept in hot pursuit after him until he 'is taken or driven inti» another district. He says it is better to make extra' exertion to catch one than to allow a band of robber» to form themselves. This is surely 'correct, and 1 , think that the measure» which led to jiie very speedy capture of the two last bushrangers were óf as much real service to the colony as was the captúre 'of Brad v and his associates! . Yet it does riot appear that nuV one has done justice to the.very praiseworthy conduct-or George Cooper, of the Richmond band of Field Police, to whose punctual. and prompt attention to' the orders be received, and.lo whose judicious conduct when circonistnnurs rendered it necessary to net from his ewn judçmcnUwe nre indebted in a great ima sur« for being, now able to sleep quietly in our lied«, and having Bimson and Woolley under Mr. Bis'uee's key in place of heading a gang, which might soon have become as formidable as. Brady's;If Cooper has' not received the meed, of your praise; J trust those who are best able ; to judge of his, conduct will not fail to bring it ander notice in a quarter where he niny meet with a morcsubatanfiul reward; : There ap-, pears to bean..unaccountable delay; somewhere' in appointing constables in this, district under the new regulation ; indeed I.have heard it said, that there is not at this moment a constable injhe:distiict','-except Mr. Stracey at Sorell, and the Field Police men. (This Í know, that their, authority ha«' in several in-

stances been disputed ; the parties in «ticii cn'ses

insisting that they will not acknowledge any man as' constable .whose name has not appeared .as suhlt- in the.Gazette. 'Should Judge Pedder hold- this opinion some of our acting constables; would find themselves in the wrong box. : , :.'

RICHMOND, Sep. 17, 1828.—After a few days of fine weather which led us to hope that the floods were

over, and spring set in, a heavy fall of rain com-menced on Monday evening, and continued without

intermission until this morning about nine o'clock. The Coal river has risen nearly 15 feet above its usual level, and overflowed all the low grounds in the neighbourhood, sweeping large trees up by the roots, and carrying every thing before it. The mill dam was nearly all carried away yesterday before the flood had risen near its greatest height. In the course

of last night the water broke into the mill, and poor "Paddy the Miller" had to retreat to the upper story, where he passed a miserable night, expecting every moment to be swept away with all his premises. The violence of the flood tumbling his casks and boxes about the apartments below, the fowls scramb-ling on the top of the shingles, made such a noise as led him to expect that the house was falling about his ears, while the cats and rats forgetting their na-tural antipathy and fearless of his presence joining him in his forlorn retreat, served to heighten his des-

pair. At day light this morning, Mr. ??

to request that Mr. Lord would send his boat up in a cart to rescue Paddy from his dangerous situation. The constable who carried this message having re-turned, and expressed some doubt of Mr. Lord being

able to get at his boat, three of the constables ven-tured through the flood, and with some difficulty suc-ceeded in conveying a rope through the upper win-dow, and getting the old man out at the same aper-ture conveyed him safe to dry land, leaving the mill and its contents to the care of its four-footed inhabi-

tants. Mr. Lord arrived with his boat and all his men, just as Paddy and his deliverers had got out of danger. Those who ventured into the water found the current so impetuous that it would have been im-possible for a boat to have reached the mill. The numbers of persons of every age and sex who stood on the bank in trembling anxiety for the miller's safety, would have afforded a good comment on your late correspondent's description of the feelings by which the Richmond folks are animated towards their neighbours. Great fears were entertained for

the safety of the bridge, but it has sustained no in-jury; though the present flood has proved that it is none too large for the stream which it crosses, as some persons have thought who have only seen the Coal river in its summer's dress. A fence which was erected by Colonel Davey 12 years, ago, and never was touched by any flood until now, has been totally washed away for sixty yards. Mr: Gunning's or-chard and hop garden must have suffered serious in-jury, as must all the low arable lands front hence to

<[...]>ts of the damage have yet

<[...]> almost every rivulet on the <[...]> doubt a great breadth of <[...]>n a second time, which must

<[...]>gh price of that article. Many <[...]> procure seed, and it the Go-<[...]> present occasion exercise his <[...]>ce towards the distressed set-

<[...]>m seed, many a poor family will <[...]>rvest, and government in the in-<[...]> wheat will have to expend next year <[...]> sum which would now be sufficient to furnish seed for all who are in want.

The road to Kangaroo point was almost impassable for loaded carts before the late rains, and if it is not repaired during the ensuing summer, it will be easier to convey produce from Jericho, than from Richmond to Hobart town next winter. The Secretary to the Richmond Association has stated, that government have agreed to furnish certain assistance, the ex-

tent of which will be made known as soon as the in-habitants have communicated to the government to what extent they will contribute their aid. It would have been better if the authorities had first caused the roads to be surveyed, and communicated to the inha-bitants the nature and extent of the proposed repairs, together with the proportion and description of as-sistance which the settlers are required or expected to furnish. Or, what would be a great improvement on the present system, the authorities might have di-rected the inhabitants to appoint a committee of their number, to ascertain what repairs are immediately necessary? What extent of assistance will be re-quired from government to complete the requisite repairs? with the assistance which will be furnished by the district in carting materials. By following the latter course, and placing the road party with a competent overseer, in some measure under the con-trol of the committee, as road contractors in Britain are under the control of the road trustees, govern-ment would have the work well done, and much cheaper than it can be executed under the present system.

The settlers who have been applied to for assist-ance have stated, 'that they will not pledge them-selves to any thing antil they know how their assist-ance is to be applied, for it is known to all the people in the district, that the last road party which was employed on this road little better than it was

before.

We have been fer many weeks expecting some of the surveyors to lay out the cross roads in this dis-trict, and much disappointment and serious inconve-nience have been felt in consequence of no one having appeared amongst us for this purpose. We could sono find persons amongst ourselves who could settle the matter to our satisfaction, but a man armed with authority might please to alter our lines, disconcert the plans of individual settlers, and render their im-provements useless, by running the road through their fences and corn fields. Our market is at present at a stand, waiting the answer to an application which the Secretary has made to the Principal Superinten-dent of convicts, for a pair of sawyers in place of two

of the labourers which the Governor had ordered on loan to the committee, there being no timber in the neighbourhood fit for splitting, for the fence around the yards.

SIR,—It seems I had received a wrong impression of the intentions of the government, when I addressed you respecting the Monthly Sunday Muster; as I learn that no exemptions are extended either to our shepherd or stock keeper, but only to our house-servant; it assumes therefore quite a new feature, and I have no hesitation in saying the thing is wholly impracticable, and one of two events must be the re-sult, either the settler must give up the employment of men so circumstanced in such occupations, or the authorities must give up the muster; for how is it possible the flocks of all the country can be left un-tended on the same day, for 12 times in a year? Throughout the whole of my neighbourhood, (for the fences that have been hitherto erected have engrossed mere home paddocks for cultivation, and have not extended to our side lines) when a partial intermix-ture of two flocks occurs, as it will sometimes with

every precaution, no shepherd can leave the rest of his flock to collect those that have strayed, without giving notice to his neighbour's shepherds, right and left, to keep a sharp look out, as he will of necessity be absent from his sheep two or three hours on such a day; pray therefore on this general muster day, who is to prevent a general muster of the sheep also? to the total destruction of those who are studying to im-prove their fleece, to the annihilation in fact of keep-ing sheep with government men at all, for in the lambing season a separation of 3 or 4 flocks so jum-bled together is perfectly impossible—& were the side lines fenced, (a consummati on devoutly to be wish-ed) and our flocks all kept in inclosures, who is to pre-vent on this well known day of absence my gate be-ing thrown open, and any person so disposed helping himself? say for instance this occurs on the Saturday night, it is certain not to meet with observation 'till the Monday morning.

Who also is to milk my cows, and tend my herd of cattle on this day of muster? with every respect for the observance of the Sabbath day, these offices must be performed. I like also to see my farm servants clean and creditable about the premises, like labour-

ers on farms in England on a Sunday, and although

it is a day of rest, I may happen to want one or two of them; suppose for example, a friend should call unexpectedly on horseback, after fording the river up to the saddle flaps, I should prefer a servant rub-bing his horse down to doing it myself, or setting my visitor about it; but there will be no alternative for us if all my men, except the cook, are gone to

muster.

I am enlarging however on these points further than there can be any necessity, for the mere per-sonal inconveniences of this new regulation I could endure in silence, and nothing less than the appre-

hension of all my good servants metamorphosed into worthless ones, would induce me again to address you; for I dislike amazingly the very sound of oppo-sition to any measures of the government, as I in-variably believe some good to be conceived to spring

from all its ordinances, or they would not be adopted. But I feel confident should the gentlemen holding the situation of Police Magistrates in the interior, whose residence amongst us we consider so much to our advantage, from the local knowledge the govern-

ment thus obtains of the real situation and interests of the grazier and agriculturist; should these gentle-men I say, take the trouble of inquiring among such

of the settlers as they consider competent to form an opinion, I feel convinced my statements of the disad-

vantages of this measure, both to the master and the servant, will be found not only not exaggerated, but

on the contrary rather lightly coloured.

TRISMEGISTUS.