1

butes to the fecurity of the people, ferves, alfo, to guard then against the effects of mifreprefentation and mifconception. The establishment of additional crofs pofts, efpecially to fome of the important points in the Weftern and Northern parts of the union, cannot fail to be of material utility.

The diforders in the exifting currency, and efpecially the fcarcity of fmall change, a fcarcity fo peculiar ly diftreffing to the poorer claffes, ftrongly recommend the carrying into immediate effect the refolution already entered into concerning the eftablishment of a mint. Measures have been taken purfuant to that refolution for procuring fome of the most neceffary articles, together with the requifite apparatus.

An uniformity in the weights and measures of the country is among the important objects fubmitted to you by the conftitution; and if it can be derived from a ftandard at once invariable and univerfal, must be no lefs honourable to the public councils than conducive to the public convenience.

A provifion for the fale of the vacant lands of the United States is particularly urged, among other reafons, by the important confiderations-that they are pledged as a fund for reimburfing the public debt- that, if timely and judiciouf ly applied, they may fave the neceffity of burdening our citizens with new taxes for the extinguifhment of the principal and that, being free to difcharge the principal but in a limited proportion, no opportunity ought to be loft for availing the public of its rights.

G..WASHINGTON.

Letters from Arthur Phillip, Elquire, Governor of New South Wales, to

Half a pod of cotton being found on the ifland (fuppofed to be brought there by a bird) and a cocoa nut which was perfectly found, and ap peared to have been but a fhort time in the water, being thrown upon the beach, have given fome reafon to fuppofe that both these articles will be found in fome ifland at no great diftance.

Lord Howe Island has been exámined; but no fresh water, or good anchorage, being found, it can be of no other advantage to this fettlement, than occasionally fupplying á few turtle.

I had the honour of informing your lordfhip, that a fettlement was intended to be made at a place I named Rofe Hill. At the head of this harbour there is a creek, which, at half flood, has water for large boats to go three miles up; and one mile higher the water is fresh, and the foil is good. A very induftrious man whom I brought from England, is employed there at prefent, and has under his direction one hundred convicts, who are employed in clearing and cultivating the ground. A barn, granary, and other neceffary buildings, are erected; and twenty(H 3)

feven

Leven acres in corn promise a good crop. The foil is good; and the country for twenty miles to the weftward, as far as I have examined it, lies well for cultivation: but then the labour of clearing the ground is very great; and I have feen none that can be cultivated without cutting down the timber, except fome few particular fpots, which, from their fituation (lying at a distance from either of the harbours) can be of no advantage to us at prefent: and, I prefume, the meadows mentioned in captain Cook's voyage, were feen from the high grounds, about Botany Bay, and from whence they appear well to the eye, but, when examined, are found to be marfhes, the draining of which would be waste of time, and not to be attempted by the first fettlers. The captain's guard, which, until lately did duty at Rofe Hill, is now reduced to a lieutenant and twelve privates, and intended merely as a guard to the ftore which contains the provifions, and which is the redoubt; for I am now fenfible there is nothing to be apprehended from the natives; and the little attend, ance which had been defired of the officers, more than what was immediately garrifon duty, when at Rofe Hill, is now no longer required.

At Sydney Cove all the officers are in good huts, and the men in barracks; and, although many unforefeen difficulties have been met with, I believe there is not an individual, from the governor to the private foldier, whofe fituation is not more eligible at this time, than he had any reason to expect it could be in the courfe of the three years ftation; and it is the fame with the convicts; and those who have been any ways industrious, have vegetables in plenty. The buildings now carrying on are of brick and ftone. The houfe intended for myself was

to confift of only three rooms; but, having a good foundation, has been enlarged, contains fix rooms, and is fo well built, that I prefume it will stand for a great number of years.

The ftores have been lately overrun with rats; and they are equally numerous in the gardens, where they do confiderable damage; and as the lofs in the ftores could only be known by removing all the pro vifions, that was ordered to be done; and many casks of flour and rice were found to be damaged, or totally deftroyed. The lofs, in thefe two articles, by the rats, fince landing, has been more than twelve thousand weight.

Vegetables and provifions having been frequently stolen in the night, from convicts, and others; twelve convicts were chofen as a night watch, and they have actually antwered the end propofed, no robbery having been committed for several months; and the convicts, in general, have behaved better than I ever expected. Only two convicts have fuffered death in the last year. Four wore executed the firft year.

As near two years have now paffed, fince we first landed in this country, fome judgment may be formed of the climate; and I believe a finer, or more healthy chimate, is not to be found in any part of the world. Of one thousand and thirty people, who were landed, many of whom were worn out by old age, the fcurvy, and various diforders, only feventy-two have died in twenty-one months: and by the furgeon's return it appears, that twenty-fix of those died from disorders of long standing; and which, it is more than probable, would have carried them off much fooner in England. Fifty-nine children have been born in the above time. In December the corn at

Rofe

Rofe Hill was got in. The corn was exceedingly good about two hundred bushels of wheat, and fixty of barley, with a small quantity of fax, Indian corn, and oats; all which is preferved for feed. Here I beg leave to obferve to your lord hip, that, if fettlers are fent out, and the convicts divided among them, this fettlement will very fhortly maintain itself; but without which, this country cannot be cultivated to any advantage. At prefent I have only one perfon (who has about one hundred convicts under his direction) who is employed in cultivating the ground for the public benefit, and he has returned the quantity of corn above mentioned into the public ftore. The officers have not raifed fufficient to fupport the little stock they have. Some ground I have had in cultivation,, will return about forty bushels of wheat into ftore; fo that the produce of the labour of the convicts employed in cultivation, has been very fhort of what might have been expected, and which I take the liberty of pointing out to your lordship in this place; to fhew as fully as poffible, the ftate of this colony, and the neceffity, of the convicts being employed by thofe who have an interest In their labour... The giving con. victs to the officers has been hitherto neceffary, but it is attended with many inconveniences, for which the advantages arifing to the officers do not make amends it will not there fore be continued after this detachment is relieved, unless particularly directed. The numbers employed in cultivation, will, of course, be increafed, as the neceffary buildings are finished, but which will be a work of time, for there are numbers in this fettlement who do nothing towards their own fupport, except thofe employed for the public.

V

.د

In November the Supply failed

NUMBER II.

Sydney Cove, Feb. 13, 1790. In order to get a knowledge of the country round the fettlement, frequent excurfions have been made fince the hips failed in November, 1788; foon after which I went to Botany Bay, and the five days spent in that harbour confirmed me in the opinion I had firft formed of it, that it afforded no eligible fituation for fixing the fettlement, and was a bad harbour, not affording good fecurity for fhips against the caiterly winds, which frequently blow very hard in the winter, and which has been further proved by captain Hunter, and the first lieutenant of the Sirius, who, went there to furvey the Bay.

After having been feveral times (H4) with

with the boats to Broken Bay, in or der to examine the different branches in that harbour, a river was found; but the want of provifions obliged us to return without being able to trace its fource, which has fince been done; and in the fixteen days we were then out, all thofe branches, which had any depth of water, were traced as far as the boats could proceed.

The breadth of this river, named, the Hawkesbury, is from three hundred to eight hundred feet; and it appears, from the foundings we had, to be navigable, for the largest merchant fhips, to the foot of Richmond Hill; but as the water, near the head of the river, fometimes rifes, after very heavy rains, thirty feet above its common level, it would not be fafe for fhips to go far up; but fifteen or twenty miles below Richmond Hill they would lie in fresh water, and perfectly fafe. I fpeak of Richmond Hill as being the head of the river, it there growing. very fhallow, and dividing into two branches.

The high rocky country which forms Broken Bay, is loft as you proceed up the Hawkesbury; and the banks of the river are there covered with timber; the foil a rich fight mould; and, judging from the little we faw of the country, I fhould fuppofe it good land to a very confiderable extent. The other branches of fresh water are fhoal, but probably run many miles further into the country than we could trace them in our boats. On thefe rivers we faw great numbers of wild ducks, and fome black fwens; and on the banks of the Hawkesbury feveral decoys were fet by the natives, to catch quails

Richmond Hill (near the foot of which a fall of water prevented our proceeding further with the boats)

is the fouthern extremity of a range of hills, which running to the northward, most probably join the moun taims that lie nearly parallel to the coaft, from fifty to fixty miles inland. The foil of Richmond Hill is good, and it lies well for cultivation. Our profpect from the hill was very extenfive to the fouthward and eastward; the country appearing, from the height on which we were, a level · covered with timber. There is a flat of fix or seven miles between Richmond Hill and a break in the mountains, which feparates Lanfdown and Carmarthen Hills; and in this flat I fuppofe the Hawkesbury continues its courfe, but which could not be feen for the timber, that, with very few exceptions, covers the country, wherever the foil is good.

The great advantage of fo noble a river, when a fettlement can be made on its banks, will be obvious to your Lordship.

The fettlement made at Port Jackfon, and near the head of the harbour (Rofe Hill) very fully an fwers my expectations; the foil is exceedingly good, lies well for culti vation, and is well watered. Six miles to the fouthward there is a small T. fresh river; and twenty to the fouth,!: ward there is a more confiderable river, the fource of which I fuppofe to be at the foot of the mountain, The banks of this river, which most probably empties itfelf into the Hawkefbury, are high, the foil an good light mould, and covered with trees. The wood of fome of the 1 trees is very light they are about the fize of large walnut-trees, which w they refemble: they fhed their leaves, and bear a fmall fruit, which is faid to be very wholefome. This river. likewife rifes thirty feet above its common level. It is, as far as I have feen it, from three hundred to...

four

four hundred feet in breadth. I named it the Nepean; and its fource will be traced in the courfe of the winter. From its banks I hope to reach the mountains, which has been' attempted by a party, who croffed the river; but, after the first day's journey, they met with fuch a conftant fucceffion of deep ravines, the fides of which were frequently inacceffible, that they returned, nor having been able to proceed above fifteen miles in five days. When they turned back, they fuppofed them felves to be twelve miles from the

foot of the mountains.

As the land, for several miles to the fouthward, and twenty miles to the eastward, of Rofe Hill, (that is to the banks of the Nepean) is as fine land for tillage as moft in Eng. land (fome few ipots excepted, the foil of which is poor, and bears a very small proportion to the good land), I propofe that tract of land for thofe fettlers who may be fent out, and though they will be placed at fome diftance from each other, for the convenience of water, from one to three or four miles, they will have nothing to apprehend from the natives, who avoid those parts we moft frequent, and always retire at the fight of two or three people who are armed.

As the labour of clearing the ground of timber will be great, I think each fettler fhould not have lefs than twenty men on his own farm, which I fuppofe to be from five hundred to one thoufand acres. It will be neceffary to give that number of convicts to thofe fettlers who come out, and to fupport them for two years from the public ftores. In that time, if they are at all induftrious, they will be in a situation to fupport themfelves; and I do not think they would be able to do it in lefs time At the expiration of the

two years, they may return half the convicts they have been allowed, and want no further affiftance from government.

It may be neceffary to grant lands, to officers and foldiers, who, becoming fettlers, will of courfe be entitled to every indulgence: but few of the officers now here have reaped any good advantage from being allowed convicts; and it is attended with unavoidable inconveniences, from the convicts being left fo much to themfelves, and from their mixing with the foldiers. It may be found more to the advantage of the crown, and the officers likewife, if officers, on duty in this fettlement, were allowed a certain quantity of grain to fupport their live ftock, until they have a market to go to; and I make no doubt but that, in the third year from the time fettlers arrive, there will be a market, well fupplied with grain, poultry, hogs and goats, of all which there has been a great increafe, but killed from wanting corn to fupport them and the natives fo frequently fetting fire to the country, which they do to catch the opoffum, flying fquirrel, and other animals, has prevented fwine from being turned out, as was intended.

If this plan, of diftributing among the fettlers, thofe convicts who are not ima ediately neceffary for carrying on the public works, is approved of, and which I fuppofe will, as appearing to me moft likely to render this fettlement independent for the neceffaries of life in the fhorteft time poffible, there are many regulations which will of courfe take place.

NUMBER III.

Sydney Cove, April 11, 1790. The quantity of flour brought from the Cape of Good Hope, by

the