In the year 1815, the promises of Governor Macquarie to Deputy-Surveyor-General G. W. Evans bore fruit. On the 18th July of that year the Governor signed three grants in favour of Evan as follows:— A town allotment at the corner of Argyle and Collins Streets, Hobart Town, containing one acre and eight perches, this is the site of the warehouse of K. Lewis and Son afterwards used during the war for a soldiers' hostel. The exact tenure of this area was a lease for 21 years, quit rent £1/8/6 per year. Before the 21 years had passed, however, the land was granted in the fee simple to A. F. Kemp. Evans was also granted on the same date, 370 acres at Herdsman's Cove, now known as Old Beach; also on the same date 3000 acres on the Coal River. No other grants appear to have been issued in this year.
On the 8th June, 1818, Evans received another Crown grant, of 3 roods and 30 perches in Bathurst Street, Hobart Town, between Murray and Harrington Streets. From these records it will be seen that Evans was well paid in land, even if his salary was not a large one, but it is evident that he, like many others, found that the ownership of land brought with it obligations and worries, land without capital in those days was an unprofitable asset, and despite the opposition of Governors and officials, was very frequently turned into what little cash it was possible to obtain for it from those who, even in those early days, had begun to accumulate flocks and herds. In this way, no doubt, Evans, Knopwood, and scores of others who brought to this new colony expensive tastes, quickly sold their landed estate, and passed out of the records of landed proprietors, but if they grew poor, others grew wealthy. Ingle and the Lords, both Edward and James, began about this period to blossom out as landed proprietors. If they did not have money they had the worth of it in flocks and herds and fertile land that would maintain them and their progeny. Evans did not obtain his grant for the services which he rendered to Governor Sorell by going to Macquarie Harbour and making a full report on its usefulness as a safe place of detention for prisoners without a lot of trouble.
It appears from the records that Governor Sorell gave him 27 acres on New Town Bay, near the Zinc Company works, but he had not received his grant deed on 5th May, 1834, when we find him making a strong appeal for it, no doubt being somewhat discouraged by long delay. He finally sold his claim to it to Edward Abbott, whose claim ultimately admitted on 25th January, 1838, and the grant deed issued in due course.
The land adjoined the property of Mr, J. T. Gellibrand, who was at one time Attorney-General, and Surveyor-General Frankland attributes the delay in his report to the unhappy disappearance of Mr. J. T. Gellibrand, who was drowned under most distressing circumstances.
There is on record in the Lands office, Hobart, an application from Thomas Priest, the younger, dated 23rd March 1828, for an additional grant. In it he states -
I received 80 acres of land by grant from Governor Macquarie, and having no stock, and and receiving it as an indulgence on account of coming from Norfolk Island, I accordingly sold it to Mr. David Lord, who I have reason to believe has fulfilled the conditions of cultivation thereon.
This letter illustrates the point of view of the average Norfolk Islander, transplanted to Van Diemens Land, and it was no doubt not very expensive for the far seeing gatherers to collect the land grants of the sufferers. The experiences which the various Governments of this State has had every time that large batches of immigrants arrived, has been most unfortunate. The optimists and enthusiasts have always said, give each immigrant a grant of land, and all will be well, but all has never been well with the immigrants, the Norfolk Islanders, the batches of veterans sent here in the early fifties, and the Anglo Indians in the late sixties, all had a tendency to mop up a lot of valuable land and to give in exchange a great of deal of ... and anxiety. The fact is, land is of little use to mankind unless he can turn it to profitable account, and there are not too many who are willing to try and turn the wilderness into a land flowing with milk and honey at the expense of many years of ... hard labour and discomfort. 1
- 1Some Historic Land Grants - Critic (Hobart, Tas. : 1907 - 1924) 1 June 1923: p2