Sunday, 26th November, 1837

Dear Lord All Mighty, Charles Mann has resigned as Advocate General!

He is a person of much promise and potential, but he is a firm believer in "the democratic spirit" which, it need hardly be said, puts him at enmity with me, the representative of the Monarch.

In February when there was much discussion regarding the site of the capital he took it into his head that I was vehemently opposed to Light's choice of location and the silly bugger gave numerous speeches in the Council twittering on about the rights of man and the need to stand against tyranny (by which he meant me) and declaring for Light and Fisher's right to represent the people and the company. 

All hogwash, of course. I had no objection to planting the city where it is now, but was simply trying to keep the peace at home, since Mrs Hindmarsh had made it clear that she wanted a more thrilling and picturesque site.

But having got it into his head that I was one of the dark forces of feudalism he has spent the rest of the time here in the colony opposing me at every turn and siding with Fisher, convinced that I was doing all I could to undermine the forward thinking principles of the Colony's founders as laid down in the Foundation Act.

Utter balderdash of course, but once Gouger was sacked and Brown dismissed he could read "mene mene teqel" on the wall and cut his losses. 

On Monday his letter of resignation was delivered to me and he is now no longer Advocate General of the Colony.

Fortunately Jeffcott has told me of the possibility of a very able replacement to be had in Van Dieman's land. Mr Alfred Stephen has recently resigned from his position as Attorney-General in that Colony following the death of his wife. Jeffcott told me that he would be a most suitable replacement for Mann and would add much to the Colony and, more importantly, side with me against Fisher.

I shall write immediately to Sir John Franklin in VDL and ask if he could not use his position as Lieutenant-Governor to influence Alfred Stephen to take up Mann's now vacant position. 

Speaking of Jeffcott, the man has scarpered.

Last week he sent me a letter explaining his difficulties. The Stephens murder case has continued to exercise his mind it seems. He seems to think that the question of whether the case can be tried in South Australia when we have no law governing crimes on the high seas is a real one. And since we do have a law that states that colonists in South Australia are not subject to the laws of any other Colony we cannot try them in Sydney or Hobart. 

Of course he is really running to the arms of the fair Miss Kermode who must either be "the extremely fair Miss Kermode" or be possessed of some other talents that mean that Jeffcott can not be removed from her side for longer than a month at a time. (and if she has such talents I suspect they are not culinary in nature)

Be that as it may, Jeffcott has folded up his tent and stolen away to meet with the Hartley which sails for Launceston from Kingscote within a few days. I have granted him leave and he has, as I suspected, suggested Jickling as a replacement. (Great laughter the other night when my daughter accidentally referred to the man as "Henry Trickling".) 

Young Johnny has decided to venture down to Encounter Bay with him, much to his mother's distress, but the boy the boy is seventeen and needs to spread his wings and stand on his own feet. By the time I was seventeen I had served in three different naval battles and Mrs Hindmarsh won't let our son go on a bit of a sea trip.

A set to when I called a Council meeting in order to officially appoint Jickling as Acting Judge. Fisher and Strangways were in attendance. I explained the situation: that Jeffcott had need to travel to Van Dieman's Land for consultation and since there were legal duties to be performed in the meantime it was imperative that an interim appointment be made.

Fisher promptly dug his heels in and said that he could agree to nothing without Jeffcott's correspondence being tabled and made available to the perusal of the Council members. Well, be damned to that! I don't need to be making letters addressed to me open to the sticky beak prying eyes of Mr Fisher! Of course Fisher put on a high tantrum and a sulk and declared Jickling "unfit and unqualified for the position", the which, if I was pressed, I would probably agree with,though I would never tell Fisher that. Besides, even if he is unfit and unqualified all others in the Colony are even more so and a poor choice is better than none at all.

Fortunately Strangways could be counted on to vote with me and so Henry Trickling Jickling was appointed as Acting Judge with Mr FIsher dissenting.  

There is, it goes without saying, a goodly chance that Jeffcott will fall prey to Miss Kermode's charms and not return, in which case we will apply to London for a more suitable replacement. But in the meantime Jickling it is.

The lump of dough that haunts Government House - I speak of Widow Harvey's baby - learned to walk about a month ago. Or so it was claimed. I have yet to see the brat move under her own sail, since she prefers to loll about and wait to be carried around either by her mother or by my wife and daughters. Strangely though, although I have yet to see her move, she seems to always have food about her. I suspect that she is actually remarkably speedy, moving in the blink of an eye to grab food and return to her favourite lolling spot in the few moments when everyone's back is turned. I believe that if no-one was looking she would be a sure fire thing in a foot race.