George Fletcher Moore

“ Our colonists are becoming fonder of law every day. Besides the excitement of litigation, three houses have been destroyed by fire. As they were constructed of inflammable materials, every thing which they contained of furniture and clothes was totally consumed.
During the progress of the conflagration, the Swan River natives had a row among themselves, and speared two of their own women and one man very severely. ”

“ My wheat is good, and yields well. I wanted to hire a boy also, but his former master would not give him a certificate, because he had left him without previous warning: this is a wholesome check, which was resolved on at an agricultural meeting, greatly to the annoyance of some of the servants of the colony. While I was at breakfast, the messenger of the Civil Court at Perth came with affidavits, &c., to support an application for a writ against the captain of a vessel, who is about to leave the colony, while there are some unsettled questions of law affecting him. ”

“ I shall start for Fremantle to-morrow, to ascertain if the articles mentioned in your letter are on board, and if they can be exchanged for sheep, of which the Merope has brought 358; but I know not if they be for sale. She has also imported eleven horses, fifteen head of black cattle, twenty goats, fifty tons of potatoes, twenty-five tons of flour, and 200 bushels of seed-wheat; and the other vessel is freighted with forty tons of flour, and some potatoes ”

“ I immediately joined them, and found our runaway among the number: he declared his intention of remaining some time on a visit with them, and then going by land to King George's Sound: as they were numerous, well armed and powerful, yet good-humoured-looking men, we deemed it prudent to proceed without them. If he should reach his tribe in safety, the circumstance may be of great service to us, as he may be the means of opening a friendly intercourse between us and the natives of this district. Whales frequent King George's Sound. ”

“ This appeared so strange that I determined to ride down and inquire for myself—True enough—not a single letter, parcel, or package has she brought—nothing but her own freight of cattle, flour, and potatoes. There is some mystery which we cannot as yet develope ”