ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE. MOUNT ELIZA AND SNAPPER'S POINT. To the Editor of the Argus.
The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1956) Thursday 27 December 1855 p 7 Article
... of coming progress in a Bri- tish colony-that is, according to Chateau- briand, a public house, has ... c Mahen, Liardet and Carr. The Bay frontage of Mount Eliza forms the pr ... 1098 words

The above letter caused a family tree circles member to think there was a hotel called the Chateau-briand.

This is the relevant part of the letter,which will be reproduced in full in WILLIAM VALE AND MORNINGTON TOWNSHIP.

Next we note Hunter's pre-emptive. We come on to a pretty hill, having some fine views on which the proprietor has expended a considerable sum in fencing and building a cottage, looking down, we note the pretty valley which forms the suburban lots to Snappers Point-a spot likely to become the Ramsgate of Victoria, and certainly the rival of Queenscliffe. Its advantages are, easy access, and a spendid natural harbor, secure from most of the prevailing winds , and last, it is free entirely from those frequent annoyers of our summers in town, hot winds. At the point where the land has been sold, about twelve months since, there are some dozen settlers, and the first sign of coming progress in a British colony-that is, according to Chateau- briand, a public house, has made its appearance, and that second, a church, is likely soon to appear, or at least its forerunner,-a minister. I am informed that the Church of England are making arrangements to extend religious ordinances to this rapidly-progressing district.

William Vale was obviously displaying how well-read he was (as well as persuading people to settle in the parish of Moorooduc) by quoting a French author, Chateaubriand. This was not the name of a hotel but a quote from the author relating to the establishment of a hotel being one of the first signs of the progress of an area.

Fran?ois-Ren? de Chateaubriand
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fran?ois-Ren? de Chateaubriand by Anne-Louis Girodet de Roucy Trioson.jpg (Painting.)
Born 4 September 1768 Saint-Malo, France Died 4 July 1848 (aged 79) Paris, France
Occupation Politician, diplomat, writer, historian Genres Romanticism
Not,able work(s) Atala G?nie du christianisme, Ren?, M?moires d'Outre-Tombe

Fran?ois-Ren?, vicomte de Chateaubriand (French pronunciation: ​[fʁɑ̃swa ʁəne də ʃatobʁijɑ̃]; 4 September 1768 ? 4 July 1848) was a French writer, politician, diplomat and historian. He is considered the founder of Romanticism in French literature. Descended from an old Breton aristocratic family, Chateaubriand was a royalist by political disposition and in an age when a significant part of the intelligentsia was turning against the Church, authored the G?nie du christianisme in defence of the Catholic faith.

Chateaubriand might have formed his opinion about hotels and their significance in British colonies during 1791 or the next few years. He spent 1791 in America, being worried about the coming French Revolution, but returning in 1792 and after being wounded fighting for the Royalists,he spent time in Suffolk, devouring English literature. (Biog. in Wikipedia.)

What then was the hotel in Snapper's Point as Vale called it?

I entered "hotel, snapper point" limiting the search to 1854. Land was advertised for sale at Snapper Point but there was no mention of a hotel there. This advertisement may indicate the the TOWN OF MORNINGTON was originally called GRAVESEND rather than SCHNAPPER POINT!

THIS DAY.land, Land, Land, In the new township of Gravesend, Snapper Point,near Mount Eliza.
R BYRNE will sell by public auction, at his rooms, Bay street, Sandridge, on Friday, 24th inst, at twelve o'clock,203 quarter acre allotments in the new township of Gravesend.(P.3, Argus, 24-11-1854.)

Being forearmed,having written much of this before, only to see it disappear, I moved the search to 1855.The second article was about the Tanti hotel but I had to search all of them to be sure there was no other hotel was started in 1855.Many of the articles were the advertisement below.

Country Lands.
496 aores, 1 rood, 10 perches, parish of Moorooduc, at the margin of the Bay, within three-quarters of a mile of the beach at Snapper Point, adjoining Mr. Hunter's property, bounded by a creek ; good soil for cultivation, excellent grazing land, having abundanoe of fine timber, and an extensive frontage to the main Government Road, will be sold or let for a term of years. (P.8, Argus, 1-8-1855.)
This was crown allotment 15,no section, of 496 acres, 1rood and 16 perches granted to Peter Davis on 25-9-1854, bounded by Pt Nepean Rd, Cobb Rd, Grant Rd and Oakbank Rd (Melway 105 C9.)

Having read all 73 responses, I can state that the second one was the only mention of a hotel in present-day mornington, the TANTI HOTEL.

DISTRICT COURT.
The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1956) Wednesday 5 September 1855 p 4 Article
...ectable - Granted; Wm. Edwards, the Tanti, Snapper Point. ? Mr. Thomas stated that the hou ... lication which was granted. Denis Delaney, Royal Hotel, Wattlegrove. It was stated that the hou ... bsp; it was immediately opposite the Mechanics' Institution and close to a large hotel and a ... 775 words

With the same seeming desire to be obscure as in his 1888 biography in VICTORIA AND ITS METROPOLIS, William Edwards was calling the TANTI , the FRANKSTON HOTEL in 1856. (There was no reference to the Tanti Hotel!)

DISTRICT LICENSING MEETING.
The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1956) Wednesday 16 April 1856 p 6 Article
... Chas. Embden, Spread Eagle, Richmond. Granted. Wm. Edwards, Frankston Hotel, Snapper Point. Granted. ... Bridge. Granted. Patrick O'Shanassy, Kew Hotel, Kew. Granted. Samuel Packham, Frankston Hotel, Frank- ... Granted. Patrick Bourke, Travellers' Home, Darebin Creek. Granted. Jeremiah Bowles, Military Hotel, ... 1307 words