1851 CENSUS
George listed as unmarried Hotel Waiter,
born Glasgow, age 24 years,
living with James GOVAN & family, Inn Keeper
at 9 Clyde Place Gorbals Glasgow Lanark Scotland

George married Ellen SPEED
Jan 23 1857
in Derrinal Victoria Australia .

.... Only one other person was able to benefit from the high river level,
and that was George JAMIESON, the poundkeeper.

On 23 July 1854,
just as the winter stock traffic was reaching it's peak
for the third year in succession,
the Echuca bench of magistrates, which consists of three squatters,
William Collyer, Henry Jeffreys, and John Pearson Rowe
approved the establishment of a public pound
just south of the police barracks on the Campaspe River.

It was their hope that the stock pouring in from New South Wales
and destined for the gold diggings
would thereby be kept from poaching too freely
on the feed of the runs they traversed.

JAMIESON, as poundkeeper,
was authorised to seize stock found straying without permission
on any occupied land.

A description of the beasts,
giving colour, brand and other distinguishing marks
was then to be advertised,
chiefly in the Government Gazette,
and if the animals remained unclaimed after a specific number of days,
they were to be put up for auction.

If an animal were claimed, however,
the owner had to pay a sustenance fee for every day
it had remained in the pound,
in remuneration for the attention and forage
bestowed on it by the poundkeeper.

Tke sustenance rates ranged from fourpence a day for sheep;
and sixpence for goats;
to two shillings for cattle and four shillings for horses.

These fees became the poundkeeper's chief source of income,
the salary he received from the government being only minimal.

JAMIESON kept his pound in first-class order,
and as it was on a main stock route, he was kept fully occupied.

In 1860 his receipts were reported as being "very extensive indeed
- he had an immense quantity of cattle impoounded there".

To further supplement his income and to simplify procedures,
he took out an auctioneers licence
so that he could sell the unclaimed stock himself,
and thereby become entitled to an appropriate commission.

In 1857 Hopwood considered him such an excellent man of business
that he named him executor of his will.

Indeed, during it's first four years or so,
Echuca lived quite precariously,
channelling off whatever it could from the trade
which passed through on the river.

Hopwood and Jamieson lived comfortably enough to be sure,
but otherwise there was little room for enterprise.
In July 1857 there were not more than a dozen families living there.