Sunday 22nd January, 1837

I note with regret that my anguish at the horror of Widow Harvey's breakfast debacle meant that I was derelict in failing to report an important development in the Colony's growth.

The Coromandel, (Cpt Wllm Chesser commander) arrived during the past weeks, the first ship to arrive since the Proclamation, bringing with it 150 or so new colonists. Most were young and most were labourers or in trade. But despite this I understand that many were of some quality. There were a handful of Lincolnshire sheperds also, no doubt on the lookout for eligible young ladies, or indeed, anything with two legs instead of four.

The ship dropped anchor in Nepean Bay on the island on 10th January and at Holdfast Bay two days later on the 12th. It brought with it two interesting items for the colony, one that stayed at Kingscote and the other that came to the Capital.

The first was a German gentleman, Johannes Menge, who rejoices in the title of "Geologist for the South Australian Company".

A "geologist"! Exactly is meant by that term I have no idea. It is, apparently, something to do with the new fangled science and was invented by some Scottish shower by name Lyell. I know my Greek and understand "geo" to mean "earth" and "logos" to mean "words". So I take "geologist" to mean someone who says words about the earth. Well, whenever I've stubbed my toe on a rock I've said a few words about the earth, so perhaps I am a geologist as well.

Despite not knowing exactly what Mr Menge does as "Geologist for the South Australian Company", I am glad that we have him, since once we discover what he does do we can set him to doing it and this will doubtless be a good thing. Though I must opine that I would be more at ease not knowing what an English geologist did, rather than a German one.

The second item to arrive was unloaded at Holdfast Bay and was in fact a bank. A pre-made bank building waiting to be assembled, complete with safes, strong boxes and - wonder of wonders - ten thousand pounds in crispy new bank notes.

Ten thousand pounds. In a building with wooden walls a half inch thick. Am I alone in seeing the flaw in this well made plan? It seems to me that anyone with a mask, a big bag with "swag" written on it, ten minutes and a hand saw can be off with the complete financial capital of the colony.

The bank building - which seems to have been made in Sweden - arrived packed flat and with a set of assembly instructions no-one could understand. The marines were given the job of putting the thing together. To date they have put it together three times, each time with some different set of components left over. I admit that the marines tend towards the dim-witted, drunken layabout end of the scale, but even so, until they do manage to get the thing properly assembled I am sleeping with ten thousand pounds under my bed.

I am informed that ten crew members of the Coromandel jumped ship while it was at anchor in Holdfast Bay and headed for the hills. Quite literally so it appears as they were seen heading up the bank of one of the streams that feeds the Holdfast bay lagoon. (The stream has been named, I am told, the Sturt River. I assume because, like Sturt, no-one has any idea where it might be going)

Well, good luck to them I say. I know William Chesser of old. A crashing bore and I am surprised only ten men deserted. That the ones who did prefer to risk life and limb in the uncharted wastelands of the Mount Lofty Hills rather than keep his company speaks volumes.

My concerns over the raising of a police force are shared with others it seems. Unbeknownst to me (and by the by, why am I always the last to know everything?) Tom Gilbert, in his role as Colonial Storekeeper, has appointed as a sort of private policeman William Williams and provided him with so many pistols and swords all of which he wears at once, so as to improve his authority, I surmise, with the result that he has been seen clanking around the town like an armed one man band.

Gilbert, of course, can't afford to pay a decent retainer for a policeman any more than I can, but at least he has appointed someone of some quality to the position. However, he has only been able to appoint him part time, so as long as thieves only go about their dreadful trade on Mondays and Thursdays  between the hours of 10.00am and 4.00pm we can all sleep safe in our beds.