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ESTIMATE of the Expence of Ordnance Stores ordered to be sent to the intended Settlement at Botany Bay.

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1786

Estimate of ordnance stores.

...

6 standing carriages, 12 and 6 pdrs

2 travelling carriages, 12 pdrs.

Round shot and other stores necessary for the

above mntd. guns

500 tents for the convicts
160 tents for the marines
200 musquets for barter

200 cutlasses for barter

50 15 11

73 0 0

635 19 03
553 2 6
176 19 102
340 0 0

23 6 8

200 stand of arms for marines

340 0 0

£2,435 17 0

FIRST YEAR'S CIVIL SALARIES.

civil estab

ESTIMATE proposed for defraying the establishment in New South Estimate of Wales from the 10th of October, 1786, to the 10th of October, lishment. 1787:

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Sir,

CAPTAIN TEER TO UNDER SECRETARY NEPEAN.

Deptford, Dec. the 9th, 1786.

9 Dec

I am desired by Sir Charles Middleton* to acquaint you that the following arrangement is made by him, agreeable to your letter, and that an official one will be sent on Monday to the Treasury, and that the ships will be sent accordingly as soon as the charge of provisions and other necessarys can be made. Some spirits must be sent from the Lady Penrhyn to the Char- The lotte and Friendship, for the marines that were first intended for transports her now ordered to the two last. Therefore, as this is absolutely necessary now, you will take care to indemnifie the masters of

* Comptroller of the Navy; afterwards Rear-Admiral of the White.

D

1786

9 Dec.

these transports, who will act by my orders for the good of the service, from all harm, as no fraud is or shall be done by this change to the excise.

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UNDER SECRETARY NEPEAN TO SIR C. MIDDLETON.
December 9th, 1786.

Dear Sir,

Since I was favor'd with your letter yesterday I have received a note from Captain Teer, containing an arrangement which you have made for sending out the women, by which I observe that instead of embarking the whole hundred and fifty in the Lady Penrhyn, or, if that could not be done, to put on The women board of her a hundred and twenty-four, and to let the remaining

A mistake to divide them.

The Lady Penrhyn could ac

all.

twenty-six now on board the Dunkirk at Plymouth go out in one of the ships intended to take away the male convicts from thence, you have order'd the women to be divided on board of three ships. I ought not, to be sure, to presume to offer any opinion to you, as you must, for many reasons, be a better judge of these matters than I am, but it strikes me very forcibly that they should not, if possible, be divided.

From the tonnage of the Lady Penrhyn I should imagine that with scarce any alteration she could be made to contain the whole commodate of the women, tho' they might be a little crowded, with less inconvenience than most of the transports which are to contain the men, and would most likely be more healthy, as there would be no danger from the allowing the women to be constantly upon deck. However, this business must remain with you to determine, and I hope that you will forgive me for starting an opinion upon it.

Bonds for safe custody.

The marines.

I hope that it has occurr'd to you in your engagements for the transports that the owners, as well as the masters and mates, must enter into the bonds which the Acts of Parliament require for the safe custody of the convicts whilst on board the transports. If that has not been done new difficulties will arise, for the courts will not vest them with the custody of the convicts without it.

Perhaps some of the victuallers† might take a part of the marines. I am, &c.,

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Sir,

GOVERNOR PHILLIP TO SECRETARY STEPHENS.

[London] December 11, 1786.

1786

11 Dec.

You will please to inform the Right Honourable the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty that his Majesty's ship Sirius, Sirius. under my command, left her moorings at Deptford, and went down to Long Reach the 9th instant, where she now remains, to receive on board her guns and the remainder of her stores.

I enclose a weekly account, and have the honour to be,—

A. PHILLIP.

SIR C. MIDDLETON TO UNDER SECRETARY NEPEAN.

December 11, 1786.

alter plans.

Dear Sir, It is absolutely impracticable to arrange the transports in any other manner than we have done without unloading and Too late to new filling all the ships, and which would require at least three weeks from this time. The Lady Penryhn being intended for seventy women, the number we were ordered to provide for, was made a provision ship, and fitted accordingly for the women. The others, being for males, had the disposition of provisions, &c., suitable to that arrangement. I do not, however, see any force in the objection you have mentioned of putting male and female in the same ship, as it is done continually in all the African African and (Negro) cargoes that are carried to the West Indies. Each have West Indian precedents. their separate rooms, and, though both in the same vessell, have no communication with each other. It will be the same in the two ships who are to go to Plymouth, and who by a new arrangement of the marines will just carry the number of males and females intended to embark from that place, with this only difference, that a few supernumeraries will be carried out in them to the other ships. The women have separate rooms from the No com men, and no communication whatever with each other. This munication restriction must be strongly enforced to the officers who embark sexes. as the guard, and to ye agent who conducts them, and from the example which I have been a witness of for some weeks in a Guinea ship I see no reason for apprehension in this disposition.

between the

crowded

The women cannot be more crowded than they are, having Women only 1 ton allowed to each, and which is as little as possible for together. so long a voyage.*

On the subject of security I see a real difficulty, unless the Security. King's authority [is given] to supersede the usual practice of the courts in dispensing with it.

I have never been employed in sending out convicts till now, Legal forms. and of course have made no enquiry into the law forms, and which should have been conveyed to us in the original order. I must, however, observe that, as far as I remember concerning this business, those who formerly carried out convicts had not only

See Phillip's letters to Nepean, post pp. 46, 77.

The

1786

11 Dec.

an allowance pr. head, but an interest in them after they were embarked. This makes a wide difference, and will account for ye security, which, under present circumstances, cannot be expected from owners of ships, who have no other advantage but the freight of contract, and victualling, and take the risk of their ships (which, by the bye, is no small one) upon themselves.

conditions

State of the ships.

Taken by surprise.

12 Dec.

Guns for the Supply.

15 Dec.

I send Captain Teer with this, who will explain to you more particularly by word of mouth than I can by letter of the present state of the ships and the difficulties that will attend any further alteration in them.

I trust and hope that when any business of this kind is agitated again that I may have some notice of it before it is sent officially. This was the practice in the last war, and prevented all difficulties, and saved much expence to ye public. We must now do as well as we can, and I shall be very [particular] in following every mode that can be pointed out for putting an end to this disagreeable and troublesome business; being with much regard, Yours, &c., CHAS. MIDDLETON. P.S.-I write in great haste, having a great load of business before me.

Gent'n,

SECRETARY STEPHENS TO THE NAVY BOARD.

Admiralty, 12th Decr, 1786. My Lords Commissioners of the Adm'ty having received a letter from Lieut. Ball, commander of his Majesty's arm'd tender the Supply, representing that he is of opinion four-pounder guns will be too heavy for her, and desiring that they may be exchanged for three-pounders, I am commanded by their Lordships to send you the said letter enclosed for your consideration and opinion whether it may be proper to comply therewith. I am, &c.,

P.S.-You will please to return the enclos'd with

SECOND CAPTAIN OF THE SIRIUS.

P.S.*

your ans'r.

At the Court at St. James's, the 15th of December, 1786.

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WHEREAS there was this day read at the Board a memorial from the Right Honorable the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, dated the 14th of this instant, in the words following, viz.:

"Lord Sydney, one of your Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State, having, in his letter of the 31st of August last, signified to

Philip Stephens. Copied from the letter-book at the Admiralty, in which only the initials of the name are given.

1786

us your Majesty's pleasure that one of your ships of war should proceed with the transport vessels appointed to convey convicts to 15 Dec. Botany Bay, on the coast of New South Wales, with a view to form War ship for a settlement at that place; and it appearing by the staff of the Botany Bay. intended settlement, which accompanied his Lordship's said letter, that it is your royal intention to appoint the captain of your Majesty's ship employed upon this service to be Governor or Super- Governor. intendant-General of the said settlement, we beg leave to represent to your Majesty that, as it will probably be found expedient for the ships to proceed to some other parts of the coast, or to some of the islands in the Pacific Ocean, while the residence of the captain, in the quality of Governor or Superintendant, may be requisite on shore, for the better forming and maintaining the settlement, we are of opinion it will be for the advantage of your Majesty's service that an officer of superior rank to a lieutenant should upon such occasions, and at all times in the absence of the captain, have the charge and command of the said ship, and we do therefore humbly propose that your Majesty will be pleased, by your Order-in-Council, to authorize us to appoint an additional officer to the said ship, under the denomination of second captain, Second with the rank of post-captain, and with power to command her in Captain. the absence of the principal captain, subject, nevertheless, to his control, and to such orders and directions as he may, from time to time, think fit for the regulation of his proceedings; that the pay of the second captain be equal to the pay of a captain of a sixth-rate, and that he be allowed four servants."

Council.

His Majesty, taking the said memorial into consideration, was pleased, with the advice of his Privy Council, to approve of what is therein proposed, and to order, as it is hereby ordered, that the Order-inLords Commissioners of the Admiralty do appoint an additional officer to the man-of-war that shall proceed with the transport vessels appointed to convey the convicts to Botany Bay, under the denomination of second captain, with the rank of postcaptain, and with the power to command the said ship in the absence of the principal captain, subject nevertheless to his control, and to such orders and directions as he may, from time to time, think fit to give him for the regulation of his proceedings; that the pay of the said second captain be equal to the pay of a captain of a sixth-rate, and that he be allowed four servants.*

21 Dec.

LIEUT.-COLONEL STIRLING TO UNDER SECRETARY NEPEAN. Dear Sir, 27, Church-street, Soho, Dec. 21st, 1786. Should the accompanying letter and plan meet your appro- Letter and bation, you will do me a favour by laying them before Lord Sydney. plan.

The vessel chosen was the Sirius, and the appointment of second captain was given to Captain John Hunter, afterwards Governor of New South Wales-1795-1800.

Marlborough Parsons Stirling, Captain of 36th Foot, July 8th, 1773; Major, Feb. 19th,

1783; local rank of Lieut.-Colonel in the East Indies.

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