and certainly it would be a very considerable saving to Government if the hay and barley was laid in in England, and more than half the expence saved. The hay should be pressed in casks, and the barley also stowed in cask; a proportion of good bran or pollard would also be necessary, and eight or ten convicts accustomed to cattle. I think, with those precautions, every cow and sheep put on board at the Cape would in eight weeks be grazing at Parramatta. 1791 27 Oct. Island wants. I hope you will not think the above observation improper, as it is only an idea of my own, founded on a conviction of its being attended with success from what I observed in the Gorgon, nor do I think a fitter man could be found for the purpose than Parker. I hope that everything which Governor Phillip has mentioned Norfolk respecting Norfolk Island will be attended to and taken into consideration. I need not urge you any more respecting the very great necessity there is of some form of justice being established in that island, nor is there a less necessity for a clergyman, as the numbers now on that island are about 1,800, and neither law nor gospel to punish or direct them. Might not a court on that island be established, consisting of Court of the Lt.-Governor as Judge and five officers. The precept must, justice. of course, come from the Governor-in-Chief, and no sentence of death should be put into execution untill the Governor-in-Chief approves or disapproves of the sentence. You will, I hope, excuse my pointing out those things; but as I may hereafter be in certain situations that may make me wish for some regular mode of justice, I hope you will pardon any impropriety in thus mentioning things which ought to come through Gov'r Phillip. settlers The accounts from Norfolk Island are such that upwards of 30 marines are going there as settlers, and as they are all good Marines as characters I hope everything will be conducted in the manner that I wish, and which I have no doubt will be highly satisfactory to his Majesty's Ministers; at least, no pains or assiduity shall be wanting on my part to gain their approbation of my conduct. I think it would be a great object if transports and King's ships bound to this colony, and that touched at Teneriffe, to bring a quantity of quearns from thence. They are small hand mill- Millstones. stones, which will last a number of years, "till windmills can be erected," and are bought for 3s. 6d. a pair. A breed of asses from thence would also be very usefull, as none can be got at the Cape. I beg my best respects to Mrs. Nepean, and am, &c., PHILIP GIDLEY KING. Cape, July 26, '91; stock, &c., Capt. King, on Gorgon :Bought: 3 males, 25 females, black cattle; 4 males, 62 females, The live sheep; 1 male, 10 females, swine; 8 males, 8 females, rabbits; 10 males, 10 females, pigeons. stock. 1791 27 Oct. 5 Nov. Power to remit sentences. Stores. of convicts a year. Remain, P. Jacks., Sep. 23, '91: 1 male, 17 females, black cattle; 3 males, 56 females, sheep; 1 male, 4 females, swine; 10 male, 10 females, pigeons. My Lord, GOVERNOR PHILLIP TO LORD GRENVILLE.* Sydney, New South Wales, By the Mary Ann transport, which arrived here the 9th of July, I had the honor of receiving your Lordship's letter, marked No. 10, in triplicate, and dated the 19th of February, with inclosures numbered from 1 to 22. The letter marked No. 7, and dated the 13th of November, 1790, with the commission for remitting the whole or any part of the time for which felons or other offenders may be sentenced,† and No. 8, dated the 15th of the same month, with the royal instructions on that head, and the warrant for using the seal of this territory,§ were received with the seal by his Majesty's ship Gorgon the 22nd of September. No. 9, dated the 16th of November, 1790, containing an inclosure, specifying the quantity and quality of the stores sent out, the circular letter, with his Majesty's most gracious speech, and your Lordship's separate letter of the 19th of February, 1791, were received by the Albemarle the. 13th of October. All the transports were arrived by the 16th, as mentioned in the inclosed list. The system to be adopted of sending out the convicts in two Two batches embarkations in the course of each year, as mentioned by your Lordship,¶ must be attended with many advantages to the colony; and from the reports made by the masters of the different ships have reason to hope that a whale fishery may be established on this coast. The master of the Britannia has assured me that he saw more spermaceti whales between the South Cape and this harbour than he saw on the Brazil coast in six years; and three of the whalers are now on the coast. Probably one or more of them may return before my dispatches are closed, which may enable me to give your Lordship further information on this subject. A whale fishery. No grain from Norfolk Island. With respect to the supplies of wheat and other grain which it was supposed this settlement might have received from Norfolk Island, your Lordship will observe from the numbers sent there during Lieutenant-Governor King's absence, that what he calculated as likely to be sent off the island will now be consumed by its inhabitants; and although I am sensible that great inconveniency attends having so many people on that island while no punishment can be inflicted beyond what a magistrate may feel *Phillip now addresses Lord Grenville by his proper title. See note, ante, p. 465. ↑ Ante, p. 413. Not recorded. The transports were the Active, Atlantic, Queen, Albemarle, Britannia Admiral Barrington, William and Ann, Salamander, Matilda, Mary Anne. Ante, p. 458. 1791 5 Nov. desirable. Calcutta, himself authorised to direct (a circumstance which I presume will be taken into consideration), still I think the numbers sent will be for the general good. The sooner the whole island is in cultiva- More tion the better; as great a number of people as that spot can cultivation support will undoubtedly be supported much better there than they could be if they remained here and drew their support from thence, which could only be done at an expense and risque; and at Norfolk Island the labour of the convicts is most to the advantage of the colony, for there the soil makes the best return. In proceeding with my answer to your Lordship's letter, which mentions the resources of this settlement, I am led to assign a reason for having sent the Atlantic* to Calcutta, in order to pro- Sending to cure a supply of flour and pease, as my letter of the 17th of July, 1790, No. 10†, gives reason to suppose two years from that period would put the colony in such a state that a further supply of flour would not be necessary, if no unforeseen accident happened. Our crops of last year greatly failed us from a long drought, very Failure of little rain falling from the beginning of July, 1790, to August, crops. 1791; and the crops now in the ground, although they promise to be much better than we had reason to expect, have suffered very much from the seed having lain so long in the ground before it vegetated. The great want of a proper person to be charged with the cultivation of the ground has been mentioned in my former letters, and from the consequence the person sent out for that purpose will be of to this colony, I am induced to trespass on your Lordship's patience by repeating what has been already observed in former letters. That it will require not only the good practical farmer, but a man who is calculated for the situation in A farmer which he will be placed; he will have to direct the labour of a dent. great body of convicts, at present about fifteen hundred (very few of whom will feel themselves any ways interested in the success of their labours, or who will ever do more, or better, than what they find absolutely necessary to avoid punishment from the overseers under whose eyes they work; and very few of those overseers will be found men on whom much dependence can be placed); he will be charged with the grain and pulse to be raised for the support of several thousand people, and with all the public live stock, from which, nor from enforcing the labour of the convicts, is he to find any private advantage. I shall be pardoned for this digression. When the provisions brought out with the convicts, and what has been received of the Guardian's cargo, and the surplus of the Gorgon's provisions, were added to what we have in the colony, it only gave us five months' flour, ten months' beef Insufficient and pork, twelve days' pease, and twenty-three days' oatmeal, for provisions. the colony, reckoning from the 12th day of October; I therefore thought it prudent to take the Atlantic transport into his Majesty's employ, and send her under the direction of Lieutenant superinten The 1791 5 Nov. Waaksam heyd. Richard Bowen (who came out in that ship as naval agent) to Calcutta, in order to purchase flour and pease for the use of the colony. His orders and instructions are inclosed.* I see by your Lordship's letter that it was thought the snowf which brought the provisions from Batavia, and which has been hired to carry home the officers and men after the loss of the Sirius, would be purchased; but she was not calculated for the service of this colony, nor could I have found officers to put in her had she been purchased. The transport mentioned by your Lordship, as to be expected from the north-west coast of America, shall be employed as directed; but I much fear some bad consequences may attend employing such vessels for any length of time in this country, where there are several hundred men, many of whom are seamen, Absconding who would at any hour risque their lives, if they saw the least probability of escaping. Two boats have been carried away; and as there is a probability that one of those boats may get to a Dutch settlement, the names and descriptions of the people are inclosed. The getting back any of those men is much to be desired. feared. necessary. As boats capable of going along the coast, and which I should gladly have employed, have been laid up for many months, and my only security in going betwixt Sydney and Parramatta, before the Gorgon's arrival, depended on the boat I used being unfit to go out of the harbour, your Lordship will judge if a ship, with Men of war only one King's officer on board, can be under that discipline which a ship should be under that is to be employed on this station The colony should never be without two ships; and I feel it my duty to say that I think no ships can with safety be employed on this station unless they are King's ships, that is, ships having commission, warrant, and petty officers on board them; and I think that more than one commissioned officer should be on board such ship. Settlers. Discharged prisoners. Of those convicts whose sentences are expired, some who are seamen or carpenters will be carried away by the transports; but by far the greatest part of those people must remain, discontented and desirous of seizing the first opportunity which offers of escaping. Amongst the many great advantages which would attend settlers coming out who had some property of their own, their finding employment for this class of people would be one, for such settlers would separate them from the convicts, which cannot well be done while they are employed by the Crown, and probably most of them would soon be reconciled to remain in the country. Of the convicts whose terms of transportation are expired, or who, from their very meritorious behaviour, have been emancipated, there is one whose time is expired, and whom, in consideration of his remaining here a few months longer, I have *Not recorded. The Dutch vessel Waaksamheyd. The Dædalus. promised to send home by the next ships. He is the only carpenter at this place who is capable of acting as a master carpenter, and while he remains here I have promised to allow him one shilling per diem. 1791 5 Nov. The master carpenter, who is mentioned in my letter No. 4, is Master to return to Norfolk Island, where stores and other buildings are carpenter. wanted. surgeon. The first convict who was emancipated had been bred to A convict surgery, and merited from his exemplary conduct what has been done for him; he acts as an assistant to the surgeons, who find him a very useful man. He is inclined to remain in the country. For him some allowance will be necessary, and for which he was recommended when the inconveniences which the superintendents and others laboured under, from there not being any money in the colony, was represented to your Lordship. The second convict who was emancipated had well earned his Another emancipist. emancipation by his good conduct, and the pains he had taken to teach others the business of a bricklayer; this man has likewise my promise to be sent home before I leave the country; and as he continues to carry on the public works with great diligence will expect some little allowance. The time for which he was sentenced will be expired before he returns to England. The third convict was emancipated on the recommendation A third. of the Lieutenant-Governor, for extinguishing the fire on board the Sirius after that ship went on shore. This man went to Calcutta in the Atlantic, and it now appears that his term of transportation had expired prior to his emancipation. One woman has been emancipated on her marrying a superin- Emancipatendent. tion and marriage. behaved The distinction directed to be made with regard to those con- Wellvicts who have behaved well before they became settlers has been convicts. attended to; and I hope the necessity there has been of deviating from the royal instructions respecting settlers will appear to have been sufficient to justify what I have done on that head. My letter to Mr. Nepean undoubtedly gave little reason to suppose that many of the marines would be inclined to remain when the relief took place, and the opinion I formed when that letter was written was drawn from the great anxiety so many expressed of quitting a country which was said to be incapable of furnishing even the common necessaries of life; the people who were to be- Obstacles to come settlers were men who had not been in the habit of judging for themselves, and the fears and apprehensions of some to whom they had been accustomed to look up with respect, had their effect, and there was some difficulty in persuading any man on whose judgment some dependence might be placed to think for himself; but I have now the pleasure of informing your Lordship that most of those fears and apprehensions are done away, and settlement. |