On 7 March 1831 the King George Sound and colony was made part of the Swan River Colony and a free settlement. Albany was officially named by Governor Stirling at the beginning of 1832, at the time that political authority passed to the Swan River colony. The construction of a road from Albany to Perth began soon thereafter, but only had been completed by 1833. Due to this slow progress, the settlers of Albany petitioned England to supply convicts to work on the road. At the time the government in Perth derided the proposal, and Western Australia would not become a penal colony until 1849.