1788 9 July. Barracks. of inhabitants would otherwise occasion hereafter. The hospital is a building that will stand for some years. It is clear of the town, and the situation is healthy. The barracks and huts now building for the officers and men will stand three or four years. If water could be found by sinking wells on the high ground between the town and the hospital, I proposed building the barracks on that spot, and surrounding them with such works as we may be able to make, and which I did intend beginning as soon as the transports were cleared and the men hutted; but I now find that without some additional workmen the progress must be so very slow that that design is laid aside, and the only building I shall attempt will be a store-house. That will be secure, store-house. those we have already built being not only in danger from fire, from being thatched, but of material that will not stand more than two years. The barracks, and all buildings in future, will be covered with shingles, which we now make from a tree like the pine-tree in appearance, the wood resembling the English oak. A substantial Murders by natives. not the The 30th of May two men employed collecting thatch at some distance from the camp were found dead; one of them had four spears in him, one of which had passed through his body; the other was found at some distance dead, but without any apparent injury. This was a very unfortunate circumstance, and the more, as it will be impossible to discover the people who committed The blacks the murder, and I am still persuaded the natives were not the aggressors. aggressors. These men had been seen with one of their canoes, but I was not informed of that circumstance for some days. Though I did not mean to punish any of the natives for killing these people, which, it is more than probable, they did in their own defence, or in defending their canoes, I wished to see them, and as they had carried away the rushcutters' tools, I thought they might be found out, and some explanation take place, for which purpose I went out with a small party the next day, and landed where the men were killed; but after traversing the country more than twenty miles we got to the north shore of Botany Bay without meeting any of the natives. There we saw about twenty canoes fishing. It was then sunset, and as we made our fires and slept on the beach I did not doubt but some of them would join us, but not one appeared; and the next morning, tho' fifty canoes were drawn up on the beach, we could not find a single person; but on our return, keeping for some time near the sea-coast, we came to a cove where a number of the natives were assembled, I believe more than what belonged to that particular spot. Though we were within ten yards when we first discovered each other, I had barely time to order the party to halt before numbers appeared in arms, and the foremost of them, as he advanced, made signs for us to retire, but upon my going up to him, making signs of friendship, he gave his spear to another, and in less than three But they decamp. Another band discovered. Phillip's courage. 1788 9 July. offered and the natives, minutes we were surrounded by two hundred and twelve men, numbers of women and children were at a small distance, and whether by their superiority of numbers, for we were only twelve, or from their not being accustomed to act with treachery, the moment the friendship I offered was accepted on their side they Friendship joined us, most of them laying down their spears and stone hatchets accepted. with the greatest confidence, and afterwards brought down some of their women to receive the little articles we had to give them. I saw nothing to induce me to believe these people had been concerned in the murther which had been committed. We parted on friendly terms, and I was now more than ever convinced of the necessity of placing a confidence in these people as the only means How to treat of avoiding a dispute. Had I gone up to them with all the party, though only twelve, or hesitated a moment, a lance would have been thrown, and it would have been impossible to have avoided a dispute. Here we saw the finest stream of fresh water I have seen in this A fine country, but the cove is open to the sea. When the natives saw water. we were going on towards the next cove, one of them, an old man, made signs to let him go first, and as soon as we were at the top of the hill he called out, holding up both his hands (a sign of friendship) to the people in the next cove, giving them to under- Friendly stand that we were friends; we did not go to that cove, but saw about forty men; so that, unless these people had assembled on some particular occasion, the inhabitants are still more numerous than I had imagined. I have before had the honor of observing to your Lordship that we had traced the natives thirty miles inland, and this morning, in crossing the hills between Botany Bay Inland and Port Jackson, we saw smoke on the top of Landsdowne Hills, so that I think there cannot be any doubt of there being inhabitants fifty miles inland. stream of natives. natives. His Majesty's birthday was observed with every possible mark The King's of attention our situation permitted. The three men that had birthday. been reprieved from death, in order to be exiled, were fully pardoned, and for the twenty-four hours I believe there was not one heavy heart in this part of his Majesty's dominions. If we had been unfortunate in our live stock in general, I had the satisfaction of seeing the cows and horses thrive; but the man who attended the former, having left them for a short time, they strayed and were lost.* The loss of four cows and two bulls will Cattle lost not easily be repaired. Pardon, my Lord, these tedious relations of robberies and losses; it is the only means I have of giving your Lordship a faint idea of the situation in which I am placed. the live stock purchased at the Cape, part died on the passage, and the greatest part of what remained since landing. Of The cattle made their way to the Cowpastures on the Nepean River, where they were found by Governor Hunter, 20th November, 1795. They had increased to upwards of 60 head. Collins, vol. I, p. 436. An Having reason to believe that one of the natives had been murthered and several wounded, which, it is probable, occasioned the attack on the rushcutter, I have promised to emancipate any convict that will discover the aggressors; it will, I hope, at least prevent anything of this kind in future. A convict who had committed a robbery, and absconded the 5th of June, returned the 24th, almost starved; he found it impossible to subsist in the woods. One of the natives gave him a fish, but then made signs for him to go away. He says he afterwards joined a party of the natives, who would have burned him, but that he got away from them, and that he saw the remains of a human body on the fire. In the woods he saw four of the natives who were dying, and who made signs for food. This man was tried, pleaded guilty, and suffered with another convict. He persisted in the story respecting the natives intending to burn him, and I now believe they find the procuring a subsistence very difficuit, for little fish is caught. 1 The 22nd of this month (June) we had a slight shock of an carthquake. earthquake; it did not last more than two or three seconds. I felt the ground shake under me, and heard a noise that came from the southward, which I at first took for the report of guns fired at a great distance. Ships sail. .* Four ships are now clear, and preparing to sail the first week preparing to in July ;* a fifth will be clear in a few days, if the heavy rains we have had these two days will cease, and will sail with them. The store-ship that has the spirits on board must remain some time longer. I hope to send her away by the middle of August. A fine climate. Tho' we have had heavy rains at the change of the moon, this cannot be called a rainy season. The climate is a very fine one, and the country will, I make no doubt, when the woods are cleared away, be as healthy as any in the world, but is, I believe, subject to violent storms of thunder and lightning. Soon after we landed, several trees were fired by the lightning, and several sheep and hogs killed in the camp. Of the convicts, 36 men and 4 women died on the passage, 20 men and 8 women since landing-eleven men and one woman absconded; four have been executed, and three killed by the natives. The number of convicts now employed in erecting the The people necessary buildings and cultivating the lands only amounts to 320-and the whole number of people victualled amounts to 966 -consequently we have only the labour of a part to provide for the whole. counted. Your Lordship will doubtless see the necessity of employing a considerable force in the country, and I presume an addition of *The greater part of this despatch appears to have been written before the date it bears. five hundred men will be absolutely requisite to enable me to detach three or four companys to the more open country near the head of the harbour. 1788 9 July. encourag I could have wished to have given your Lordship a more The outlook pleasing account of our present situation; and am persuaded I ing. shall have that satisfaction hereafter; nor do I doubt but that this country will prove the most valuable acquisition Great Britain ever made; at the same time no country offers less assistance to the first settlers than this does; nor do I think any country could be more disadvantageously placed with respect to support from the mother country, on which for a few years we must entirely depend. The heavy rains have prevented the provisions and stores being Heavy rain. landed so soon as I expected. It is now the 9th July, and the ships sail the 12th. Duplicates and triplicates of my despatches to your Lordship go by these ships, and I have the honor of enclosing your Lordship the returns of the detachment and of the sick; the necessary demands for the hospital, &c., are sent to the Under Secretaries of State. I have, &c., [Enclosure.] A. PHILLIP. AN Account of Live Stock in the Settlement, May 1st, 1788. Since the 1st of May, three sheep dead, and the cows and bulls lost. GOVERNOR PHILLIP TO UNDER SECRETARY NEPEAN.* My Dear Sir, Sydney Cove, July the 9th, 1788. You will see by my letters to Lord Sydney that this colony must for some years depend on supplies from England. The Sirius will be sent to the northward for live stock as The Sirius to soon as we can spare her carpenters; and from what Monsieur go for live * A private letter. A great deal of the information it contains is given in Phillip's despatch to Lord Sydney of the same date. stock. 1788 9 July. Land in cultivation. Thunder and La Perouse said to Captain Hunter, one of the Iles des Navigateurs is the most likely to furnish us with what we want. But though these islands supply two or three ships very abundantly, they will afford but very little towards the support of this colony, the situation of which I have particularly pointed out in my letter to Lord Sydney, and which I shall recapitulate in this, as the ship by which I now write may arrive before either of those that have my despatches on board. The Lieutenant-Governor has about four acres of land in cultivation. I have from eight to ten in wheat and barley. The officers will be able to raise sufficient to support the little live stock they have, and which is all that can be expected from them. All the corn raised this year and the next will be saved for seed, and if necessity should oblige us to use it it would be only a few days' support for the colony; and from the rats and other vermin the crops are very uncertain. This country is subject to very heavy storms of thunder and lightning. lightning, several trees having been set on fire and some sheep and dogs killed in the camp since we landed. Unsafe storage. Losses of live'stock. Difficulty in getting supplies. All the provisions we have to depend on until supplies arrive from England are in two wooden buildings, which are thatched. I am sensible of the risk, but have no remedy. The greatest part of the stock brought from the Cape is dead, and from the inattention of the men who had the care of the cattle, those belonging to Government and two cows belonging to myself are lost. As they have been missing three weeks, it is probable they are killed by the natives. All my sheep are dead, and a few only remain of those purchased for Government. The loss of four cows and two bulls falls very heavy. The horses do very well. With respect to any resources that the Cape of Good Hope might afford, I have only to observe that the strong westerly winds that prevailed all the year between that Cape and the southern extremity of this country would render a passage to the Cape very tedious if attempted to the southward, and little less so if ships go to the northward. Batavia and our own settlements are at a great distance, and when the transports are sailed I shall have only the Sirius to employ on a service of this kind; and as I should not think myself at liberty to send either to the Cape or the East Indies unless in a case of the greatest necessity, it would in all probability then be too late. I mention these circumstances just to show the real situation of the colony, and I make no doubt but that supplies will arrive in time, and on which alone I depend. The provisions sent to support this colony for two years being A great risk. put on board three ships was running a very great risk, for had they separated and afterwards been lost the consequence is obvious, for this country at present does not furnish the smallest resource |