Part Twenty-two

Before passing on to the grants issued by Sir Thomas Brisbane, it desirable to pause and cast a comprehensive glance at Lieut.-Governor Sorell, who was striving with all his might to master the problems that confronted him. The Commandant who governed Port Dalrymple, gave offence to Sorell by taking on himself the power to locating town lots, and there is a despatch from the Lieut.-Governor dated 30/5/20, objecting to Cimitiere locating town lots at Launceston, and requiring all applications to be referred to Hobart for approval. It was during Sorell's reign that a controversy arose as to whether immigrants would be wiser to settle in Van Diemens Land or New South Wales. The advocates of the Island dependency were numerous, and it is said were actually led by the Lieut.-Governor himself, who had a great opinion of the dependency over which he presided, and if an immigrant ship touched at the Derwent, many of the settlers were coaxed to remain, though they intended originally to make for Sydney. The consequence was that there were too many settlers for the amount of land available, and the resources of the Island were severely taxed to find land enough for them all. In addition to the settlers, the emancipists had to live somewhere, and so they were given small grants of land in close proximity to the settlements, and this process used up a considerable area of the Crown estate.

That the early settlers began settle down and work hard during Sorell's reign, is borne out by the following narrative of Jane Yates, the widow and relict of the late James Yates, in support of her application for a grant of land.

That in the year 1820, applicant arrived in this colony (free) to join her husband, the late Edward Yates, who had been in this country three year, under sentence of transportation for life, and he, having been brought up as an engineer, he was employed by his Majesty's Colonial Government in building a water mill, and for his services received emancipation. During the period that he was thus employed, he lost his eye in blowing up or exploding the the rocks which then impeded the course of the water to the race course of the mill, and after receiving this indulgence, Yates was employed in superintending the said mill at a salary of £50 per annum, with an allowance of double rations and two men on the stores, and continued in that situation about two years and nine months. During this period Yates erected a brick dwelling house of two stories in Elizabeth Street, Hobart Town, at an expense of £500; he subsequently erected a water mill in Liverpool Street, in which be expended upwards of £1000. He afterwards came over to reside on this side of the Island in the year 1821, and purchased a small grant of land at an expense of £90, upon which he erected a water mill, at an expense of nearly £1600, and which was the first water mill ever built on this side of the island. The mill commenced grinding in the year 1822, and ground for his Majesty's Colonial Government for about five years, and Yates conveyed the wheat from town to the mill, and also conveyed the flour back to Launceston. In conveying the wheat and flour, Yates lost two bullocks, at that time worth £60. His Majesty's Colonial Government was pleased to grant Yates 60 acres of land, of which 20 acres are cleared and cultivated at an expense of £6 per acre, amounting to £100, and he subsequently purchased two other farms at an expense of £300 on the hanks of the river which forms the front boundary of the farm. Yates erected three bridges over the river, two of them which cost £200, were carried away by the floods, the third and present bridge cost £150. The great and essential service of this bridge is well known, and in the winter season affords the only safe passage of communication between the eastern side of the river in that district and the town of Launceston. Applicant has now 60 acres cropped and 20 acres in a state of fallow. On the 7th September last, Yates died, leaving applicant a widow with five children. The eldest son is 26 years of age, the second 18, the third son is 14,; the eldest daughter 20 years of age, the youngest six years of age. Applicant is thus left a widow with five children, none of whom have ever received any indulgence of land from his Majesty's Colonial Government, and applicant humbly hopes that the Honorable the Commissioners of the Board of Lands will be pleased to give her case a favourable consideration, and extend to her a grant of land.

The accuracy of the above is certified to by Alexander Rose, at Corra Lynn, on December 28, 1S29, but it is not clear whether her application was successful. 1

Locations