Dr. Holmes was sending a mob of cattle over the mountains, and Mr. Tyers ordered his troopers to travel with them, arranging to meet them at the head of the Glengarry river.  He avoided this time all the obstacles he had formerly encountered by making a sea voyage, and he landed at Port Albert on the 13th day of January, 1844.

GIPPSLAND UNDER THE LAW.

As soon as it was known at the Old Port that a Commissioner of Crown Lands had arrived, Davy, the pilot, hoisted a flag on his signal staff, and welcomed the representative of law and order with one discharge from the nine-pounder.  He wanted to be patriotic, as became a free-born Briton.  But he was very sorry afterwards; he said he had made a mistake.  The proper course would have been to hoist the flag at half-mast, and to fire minute guns, in token of the grief of the pioneers for the death of freedom.

Mr. Tyers rode away with a guide, found his troopers at the head of the Glengarry, and returned with them over Tom’s Cap.  He camped on the Tarra, near the present Brewery Bridge, and his black men at night caught a number of blackfish, which were found to be most excellent.

Next day the commissioner entered on his official duties, and began to put down irregularities.  He rode to the Old Port, and halted his men in front of the company’s store.  All the inhabitants soon gathered around him.  He said to the storekeeper: 

“My name is Tyers.  I am the Commissioner of Crown Lands.  I want to see your license for this store.”

“This store belongs to the Port Albert Company,” replied John Campbell.  “We have no license, and never knew one was required in such a place as this.”

“You are, then, in illegal occupation of Crown lands, and unless you pay me twenty pounds for a license I am sorry to say it will be my duty to destroy your store,” said Mr. Tyers.

There were two other stores, and a similar demand was made at each of them for the 20 pounds license fee, which was paid after some demur, and the licenses were signed and handed to the storekeepers.

Davy’s hut was the next visited.

“Who owns this building?” asked Mr. Tyers.

“I do,” said Davy.  “I put it up myself.”

“Have you a license?”

“No, I have not.  Never was asked for one since I came here, and I don’t see why I should be asked for one now.”

“Well, I ask you now.  You are in illegal occupation of Crown lands, and you must pay me twenty pounds, or I shall have to destroy your hut.”

“I hav’nt got the twenty pounds,” Davy said:  “never had as much money in my life; and I wouldn’t pay it to you if I had it.  I would like to know what right the Government, or anybody else, has to ask me for twenty pounds for putting up a hut on this sandbank?  I have been here with my family pretty nigh on to three years; sometimes nearly starved to death, living a good deal