Up Came a Squatter by Black Maggie;

Author:Black, Maggie;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: University of New South Wales Press

Niel Black’s membership of the Glasgow Highland Society was acquired in March 1856, at the height of his wife-hunting quest, when he was living in a mansion on the Firth of Clyde.

Niel Black papers, Box 31, MS 8996, State Library of Victoria

Black also hated the idea of the new Victoria – where things were done ‘to please the caprice of a stark stare mad mobocracy’.43 He started to believe that his Australian life was over: ‘Everyone returns but me and all my friends here say I will never go back. I have not said this myself yet but doubtless my energies are every day relaxing.’44 The high prices cattle fetched as a result of increasing population, plus the unappealing changes in the colony, encouraged Niel to see himself as retired, with Archie as the active working partner. It was quite clear to everyone except himself that this was never going to work. Archie kept the partners in ignorance of his plans, and was whimsical and wilful. His uncle endlessly enumerated his faults as if this could improve matters, but only succeeded in further antagonising Archie and undermining Gladstone’s efforts to bring him to a more cooperative spirit.

The crisis came in 1856. In March, Archie bought another five sections on Terang adjoining those already purchased. All the land went at the upset price, but the outlay was £3230. He was forced to cut back on the cash sent home. Gladstone was furious. He enlisted Robert to write to Archie and explain their predicament. ‘The long and the short of it is that one must eat and drink and pay one’s Bills, and this cannot be done without money, and as your Uncle has all his capital in the Concern, and my Father and Mr Finlay a large portion of theirs, they naturally look to NB&Co as their mainstay, and if all the Proceeds are put into land every year, the Partners might as well have put their money into the Sea so far as the present is concerned. What they want now is for you not to buy a single acre more except what is absolutely necessary to consolidate our past purchases.’45 No further drafts on Gladstone & Serjeantson would be honoured.46 Archie fired off a rejoinder that he was ‘determined to make the cattle pay for it’. His uncle ridiculed him: ‘This is surely most absurd language. Can your determination fatten the cattle, or do you mean you will sell them whether fat or lean?’47

The final straw came when Archie wrote that John Thomson was selling Keilambete for £30 000 and that he intended to buy it.48 Such a purchase was way beyond any plan ever discussed. His uncle accused Archie of getting him into a scrape, although privately he would have loved to get his hands on Keilambete. His partners were appalled. Expenditure on such a scale was in direct opposition to their instructions. Niel wrote: ‘You say “You can have little idea of the anxiety that desire to become possessed of this place gives me.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.