Please wait. Contacting image service... loading

Article text

Vasse.
The last of the American ships left the bay on the
12 h ult, and it is not expected that any more will
make their appearance this season. Altogether,
there have been seventeen vessels in Geographe Bay
during the summer, including a vessel with a cargo
of Timor ponies from Lombok, and bound for Hobart
Town. The name of this craft was the Lady Lee,
McFarlane, master, and she put in here for water,
hay, and corn, the latter of which were supplied by
Mr Heppingstone. The ponies had been on short
commons, and were very low in condition, a brig-
antine, with English colours, put into the Bay a
short time since, but the master would not suffer
any one to come on board; she remained one night,
and then cleared out. Had the place a proper go-
vernment establishment, this vessel would have been
boarded by the authorities, but there is no boat for
their disposal, and the whale-boat belonging to one
of the whalers in harbour was, as before stated, or-
dered off. The whale ship which sailed on the 12th
ult. was the Vesper, Hemstead, master; 500 barrels
oil, 7 months out, from New Bedford. She will re-
turn in the course of 8 months, the captain having
left his wife on shore. Two other vessels, the
Smyrna, Bliss, master, and the Massasoit, Handy,
master, put in for supplies, and left about a week
since. The former vessel had 350 barrels of oil, and
the latter 300 barrels. The Daphne was detained
here some time, being unable to round the Cape.
The supercargo, Mr Walton, proceeded to the Sound
overland. The masters of all the vessels complain
bitterly of the defective accommodation for watering
their ships, an evil which might be easily remedied,
and at no very great cost, either by carrying a tram-
road from the wells to the water's edge, or by laying
down pipes for the conveyance of water from the
wells to high water mark. The inhabitants of the
district are much dissatisfied with the Government,
in consequence of no steps having been taken to pro-
vide some public buildings necessary for the promo-
tion of trade and the punishment of crime, such as a
custom-house and bonded store, and a gaol. The
non-possession of a bonded store tends to encourage
smuggling, as persons possessed of sufficient capital
to purchase goods, and yet not prepared to pay the
duty, might allow their merchandize to remain a
short time in bond, but now they are compelled either
to forego the purchase or, if possible, to elude the
payment of duty. The only lock-up is a mile from
the townsite, and is too small for the purpose for
which it was designed. The consequence is, that
crime must other remain unpunished, or the culprit
be forwarded to the Bunbury gaol, distant 30 miles
from the townsite of Busselton. The settlers are in
a somewhat excited state in consequence of the mys-
terious disappearance of late of many head of cattle,
and suspicion has been directed to certain persons in
consequence of the skin of a slaughtered beast hav-
ing been found on the premises, so scorched that all
traces of the brand were entirely obliterated. It is
to be hoped that the police, whose duties hitherto
seem to have confined them to the sea beach, and to
have converted them into custom-house officers, will
now resume their more legitimate avocations, and
strive to discover the perpetrators of a crime so se-
rious in a pastoral district as the unauthorised driv-
ing off and slaughter of cattle. Assistant-Surveyor
Austin is now busily engaged surveying the townsite
of Wonnerup, preparatory to laying it out in blocks
of from five to ten acres. When this is done, the
whole will be open for public selection, and as the
land is generally of good quality, if the upset price
is reasonable, there is every prospect of a ready
sale.
For years past it had been reported that the re-
mains of a Dutch vessel were to be seen in that por-
of the Wonnerup Inlet termed the Dead Water, and
some persons had stated they saw the wreck. A
search was made a week or two since, for the purpose
of ascertaining the truth of the report, and, after a
diligent examination of the inlet, the party returned
unsuccessful, and convinced that, if there had ever
been such a wreck, it was now buried in the sand.
Some pieces of a ship's timbers, much eaten by the
teredo natalis, were found, but nothing to indicate
that they belonged to this, or, in fact, to any parti-
cular vessel.
The Columbus, American whaler, Taylor, master,
put in for water on the 15th ult, and was expected
to leave in the course of a few days.
$