they mast make their social relations legitimate. Those who Bbrank from the last act of justice within their power, fonnd that the hand of Arthur eould fall heavily upon them. He made no distinctions, and not even blander dared to asperse his own character. He speedily encountered oppo- sition from the press. The IL*hart Town Gazette had been officially established, and was once subject to the censor- ship of the government ; but Sir Thomas Brisbane had released the press in both colonies from any other restraint timn that of the ordinary law. Arthur was discontented with the management of the Gazette, and after dis- putes with Bent, its com! actor, established another news- paper, to which the title of Gazette was given, and the irritated, if not injured. Bent saw* his own adventure decay. The Act 4 G-eo. IV. cap. 96 created a Supreme Court ia] Van Diemen's Land as well as in New^ South Wales, and in 1824 Mr, J. L. Pedder arrived as Chief Justice, with the charter of the Supreme Court. Mr. J, T. Gellihrand was Attorney-General, and Mr. Joseph Hone (brother of the author of the Day Book) was Master" of the Supreme Court. In the following year the tlirect dependence of the younger colony upon New South Wales came to an end. The 44th section of the Act (4 Cxeo. IV. cap. 96) enabled the Crown to establish Van Diemen's Land as a separate colony. General Darling visited Hobart Town on his way from Eng- land to assume oflice as Governor of New South Wales, and the separation of the local government from that of Sydney was formally announced. Up to that time the dependent settlement had been ruled by those who were addressed as
- His Honour." After Darling's visit xA^rthur became ** His
Excellency." Local Executive and Legislative Councils were duly appointed. The first contained Mr, PercivaU the Colonial Secretary ; Mr. Pedder, Chief Justice ; Messrs. Humphrey and Thomas. The Legislative Council was composed of Messrs* Pedder, Percival, Abbott, Hamilton » Humphrey, and Curr. All the appointments were made by the English Government, but correspondence with Colonel Arthur preceded them. Mr. Curr had gone to A'an Die- men's Land as secretary to the Van Diemen^s Land Com- pany. Like the Australian Agricultural Company, it was. founded after the resources of Austmlia. N^ex^ Vv-^'crax^ccv^
