1787 pendant. the 1st March, and your observations upon your instructions,* that it is not thought advisable under the present circumstances of 20 April. the service that you should wear any distinguishing pendant; No disbut during the absence of the Sirius from the seat of government, tinguishing or upon her return to Europe, proper instructions will be given to the commander of the tender, or of any other ship or vessel which may arrive at the settlement, junior to you in rank, to obey such orders and directions as they may from time to time receive from you for their future proceedings. appoint officers. Upon the death or suspension of any civil officers of the Government you are at liberty to appoint any proper person for the Power to execution of the duties of such office until his Majesty's pleasure be known, and to send such suspended officer to England by the first convenient opportunity which may offer, with your reasons for such suspension; and also to exchange marines from the garrison and the Sirius, or Supply, tender, if you should judge it for the good of the service so to do. settlement. There can be no objection to your establishing any part of the Choice of territory or islands upon the coast of New South Wales, in the neighbourhood of Botany Bay, which you may consider as more advantageously situated for the principal settlement; but at the same time you must understand that you are not allowed to delay the disembarkation of the establishment upon your arrival on the coast upon the pretence of searching after a more eligible place than Botany Bay. Governor's It will be proposed to Parliament in a few days to fix your The salary as Governor at £1,000 per annum nett, which, with the pay salary. of the Sirius, is judged to be a proper allowance for the support of the stations you are appointed to fill. You will also be allowed a contingent charge of 5/- per diem for the pay of a secretary, and £20 per annum for stationery. With regard to the compensation you solicit by way of table No tablemoney, I am to inform you that no allowance whatever of that money. sort can be granted to you. transports. You will receive herewith a copy of a letter from the Secretary The of the Treasury with respect to the dispatch of the transport ships after their arrival at Botany Bay, the purport of which you will use your utmost endeavour to comply with. I am, &c., SYDNEY. MAJOR ROSS TO UNDER SECRETARY NEPEAN.† My Dear Sir, 22 April. Portsmouth, 22nd April, 1787. I understand from Captain Phillip that I am appointed a Judge in the Vice-Admiralty Court for our new settlement. I have to return you my best thanks for this appointment; but I, his friend. Ross and 1787 at the same time, cannot but sincerely lament that something 22 April. could not have been hit upon in all the late appointments for James Campbell.* An appeal. Honour, not gain. The late honour confer'd upon me would have been well bestow'd upon him, and tho' I have not a wish to resigne it on any other terms than the puting him in possession of something, tho' without emolument, that would show his friends he was not totally neglected in this business. I would in that case wish it done. I am sure his abilities and length of service intitle him to a share in such things as are to be given in a new settlement, where it is probable his judgement may be of the greatest use. If the above cannot possibly be done for him, do, for God's sake, endeavour at something else for him. You know Capt. Gould's appointment in Nova Scotia, and is not such an appointment absolutely for us? If it is, is there no such thing as getting him something of the same kind? An addition to his present income is not, I am convinced, his principle object. What I myself wish for him, and what is I am sure his own only wish, is some kind of appointment that would give him some little consequence in himself, as well as in the eyes of his brother-officers going with him, all of whom with respect to length of service are but of yesterday. You, my dear sir, have no idea how much I am interested in this affair, nor how very severely I shall feel myself mortified if something or other cannot be done for him before we quit this country. I am, &c., R. Ross. 25 April PHILLIP'S INSTRUCTIONS. At the Court at St. James's, the 25th April, 1787. WHEREAS there was this day read at the Board a report from the Right Honorable the Lords of the Committee of Council, appointed for the consideration of all matters relating to Trade and Foreign Plantations, upon the draught of instructions for Captain Arthur Phillip, whom his Majesty has been pleased to appoint Captain-General and Governor-in-Chief of the territory of New South Wales. His Majesty taking the said report and draught of instructions into consideration, was pleased, with the advice of his Privy Council, to approve of the said draught of instructions, and to order, as it is hereby ordered, that the * Captain of Marines in Major Ross's detachment Right Honorable Lord Sydney, one of his Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State, do cause the said draught of instructions, which are herewith annexed, to be prepared for his Majesty's signature. 1787 25 April, G.R. INSTRUCTIONS for our trusty and well-beloved Arthur Phillip, Esq., our Captain-General and Governor-in-Chief in and over our territory of New South Wales and its dependencies, or to the Lieutenant-Governor or Commander-in-Chief of the said territory for the time being. Given at our Court at St. James's, the 25th day of April, 1787, in the twenty-seventh year of our reign. WITH these our instructions you will receive our commission* Commission under our Great Seal constituting and appointing you to be our as Governor. Captain-General and Governor-in-Chief of our territory called New South Wales, extending from the northern cape or extremity of the coast, called Cape York, in latitude of ten degrees thirtyseven minutes south, to the southern extremity of the said territory of New South Wales or South Cape, in the latitude of forty-three degrees thirty-nine minutes south, and of all the country inland to the westward, as far as the one hundred and Territory, thirty-fifth degree of east longitude, reckoning from the meridian of Greenwich, including all the islands adjacent in the Pacific Ocean, within the latitudes aforesaid, 10° 37′ south and 43° 39′ south; and of all towns, garrisons, castles, forts, and all other fortifications or other military works which may be hereafter erected upon the said territory, or any of the said islands, with directions to obey such orders and instructions as shall from time Instructo time be given to you, under our signet and sign manual, or tions. by our order in our Privy Council. You are, therefore, to fit yourself with all convenient speed, and to hold yourself in readiness to repair to your said command, and being arrived, to take upon you the execution of the trust we have reposed in you, as soon as conveniently may be, with all due solemnity to cause our said Commission under our Great Seal of Commission Great Britain constituting you our Governor and Commander-inChief as aforesaid to be read and published. to be read in public. And whereas we have ordered that about 600 male and 180 Order for female convicts now under sentence or order of transportation tion. transporta whose names are contained in the list hereunto annexed should be removed out of the gaols and other places of confinement in this our kingdom, and be put on board of the several transport ships which have been taken up for their reception, it is our royal will and pleasure that as soon as the said convicts, the several persons composing the civil establishments, and the *Ante, p. 61. 1787 stores, provisions, &c., provided for their use, shall be put on 25 April, board the Supply, tender, and the transport ships named in the margin,* and be in readiness to depart, that you do take them under your protection and proceed in the Sirius with the said tender and transports to the port on the coast of New South Wales, situated in the latitude of 33° 41', called by the name of Botany Bay. Botany Bay, agreeably to the instructions with which you will be furnished by the Commissioners of our Admiralty, in pursuance of our royal commands already signified to them. taken on board. And whereas it may happen upon your passage to New South Wales that you may find it necessary and expedient to call with the ships and vessels under your convoy at the island of Teneriffe, at the Rio de Janeiro, and also at the Cape of Good Hope, for supplies of water and other refreshments for the voyage, it is our further will and pleasure that you do upon your arrival at the Wine to be former of those places take on board any of the ships of the convoy which you may think proper such quantities of wine as may be requisite for the supply of the said settlement, according to the instructions with which the Commissary of Stores and Provisions will be furnished by the Commissioners of our Treasury, taking care that the quantities purchased do not exceed the proportions to be issued to the several persons composing the said settlement entitled thereto, agreeably to the said instructions, for the time to which they have confined the supply of that article; and for the amount of such purchases you will direct the Commissary to draw bills of exchange upon them properly certified by you, or our Lieut.-Governor of the said intended settlement, with the other usual attestations that the same has been obtained at the most reasonable rates, transmitting at the same time an account thereof to them, in order that you may be released from any imprest which such purchases might occa Bills to be drawn. sion. Notwithstanding there is already a considerable quantity of corn and other seed-grain put on board the ships of the convoy, probably more than may be immediately necessary for raising supplies for the settlement, we are disposed to guard as much as possible against accidents which may happen, or injuries which these articles might sustain during the passage: It is, therefore, our further will and pleasure that you, upon your arrival at any of the places you may have occasion to touch at, endeavour to Seed-grain, obtain such further quantities of seed-grain as you may think sheep, &c.' requisite for the tillage of the land at the place of your destination: And also that you do take on board any number of black cattle, sheep, goats, or hogs which you can procure, and the ships of the convoy can contain, in order to propagate the breed of these animals for the general benefit of the intended settlement, causing the Commissary of Stores and Provisions to draw black cattle, * Alexander, Charlotte, Scarborough, Friendship, Prince of Wales, Lady Penrhyn, bills for the same as is before directed for such supplies, as well as for any fresh provisions which it may be requisite to procure for the use of the marines or convicts at those places, and transmitting information to the Commissioners of our Treasury of such proceedings. 1787 25 April. bound to unloaded. And whereas it is intended that several of the transport ships Transports and victuallers which are to accompany you to New South Wales China should be employed in bringing home cargoes of tea and other merchandize, from China, for the use of the East India Company, provided they can arrive at Canton in due time, whereby a very considerable saving would arise to the public in the freight of these vessels: It is our royal will and pleasure that upon your arrival at Botany Bay, on the said coast of New South Wales, you do cause every possible exertion to be made for disembarking to be the officers and men composing the civil and military establish- promptly ments, together with the convicts, stores, provisions, &c., and having so done, you are to discharge all the said transports or victuallers, in order that such of them as may be engaged by the East India Company may proceed to China, and that the rest may return home. You will, however, take care, before the said transport ships are discharged, to obtain an assignment to you or Assignment the Governor-in-Chief for the time being, from the masters of them, of the servitude of the several convicts for the remainder Governor. of the times or terms specified in their several sentences or orders of transportation. of servitude to the According to the best information which we have obtained, Botany Bay appears to be the most eligible situation upon the Botany Bay. said coast for the first establishment, possessing a commodious harbour and other advantages which no part of the coast hitherto discovered affords. It is therefore our will and pleasure that you do immediately upon your landing, after taking measures for securing yourself and the people who accompany you as much as possible from any attacks or interruptions of the natives of that country, as well as for the preservation and safety of the public stores, proceed to the cultivation of the land, distributing Cultivation the convicts for that purpose in such manner, and under such of the land. inspectors or overseers, and under such regulations as may appear to you to be necessary and best calculated for procuring supplies of grain and ground provisions. The assortment of tools Tools and and utensils which have been provided for the use of the convicts utensils. and other persons who are to compose the intended settlement are to be distributed according to your discretion, and according to the employment assigned to the several persons. In the distribution, however, you will use every proper degree of economy, and be Economy. careful that the Commissary so transmit an account of the issues from time to time to the Commissioners of our Treasury, to enable them to judge of the propriety or expediency of granting further |