priation which is not permitted elsewhere, this colony will be worse off for hired labour than Canada or New South Wales, and will fall into a very low place in my catalogue of beggarly new colonies. But you know my views on the subject as well as you know your alphabet; and I will therefore only request that you will find an opportunity of saying to the commission what my opinion has always been and still remains. I could, of course, address them in their official character, but prefer leaving it to you to make a statement, in the way you like best, of the total difference of opinion between us (if it exist) on this, by far the most important point in the whole affair. If, however, you have not wholly changed your mind on the subject, you must be almost as anxious as I am to see a much higher price adopted. In that case, I will take some other method of telling the commission that 12s. will not be considered as carrying into effect the plan which we put forth in 1829, and which we steadily supported, without allowing a single important change in it, up to the passing of the South Australian Act.
"You will, I hope, see my object in this distinction. If our connection had continued, I should have said: 'Speak out! battle for the truth; be no party to an ordinary new colony.' But supposing that you may have changed your mind, and reflecting that I can no longer support you in a controversy, I will not lead you into one which you might think likely to hurt your prospects, and therefore say: Do not mention the subject if you still agree with me, but state what my opinion was, and is, in case you agree in the proposal to make 12s. the lowest price; and at all events, let me know what you do.
"So far as concerns me and the new colonising principle. On your own account, I long to add some of the arguments by which, just this time six years ago, you were induced to abstain from going to ruin at the
