marshes, the draining of which would be a work 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 in the redoubt, for I am now fenfible there is nothing to be apprehended from the natives; and the little attention which had been defired of the officers, more than what was immediately garrison duty, when at Refe Hill, is now no longer required.

"At Sydney Cove, all the officers are in good huts, and the men in barracks; and, although many unforeseen 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 course of the three years station. And it is the fame with the convicts; and those who have been any ways induftricus, have vegetables in plenty. The buildings now carrying on are of brick and ftone. The houfe intended for myfelf 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 ftand for a great number of years.

"The flores have been lately over-run 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 provisions, that was ordered to be done, and many cafks of flour and rice were found to be damaged or totally deftroyed. The lofs in those two articles by the rats, fince landing, has been more than twelve thousand weight.

"Vegetables and provifions having been frequently ftolen in the night from convicts and others, twelve convicts were chofen as a night watch; and they have actually answered the end propofed, no robbery having ben committed for feveral months, and the convicts in general have lately behaved better than I ever expected. Only two convicts have suffered death in the lait year. Four were executed the first

year.

"As near two years have now paffed fince we first landed in this country, fome judgement may be formed of the climate, and I believe a finer or more healthy climate 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 scurvy, and various disorders, only feventy-two have died in one-and-twenty months; and by the Surgeon's returns, it appears that twenty-fix of thofe died from diforders of long ftanding, and which it is more than probable

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 Hill was got in: the corn was exceeding good; about two hundred bufhels of wheat, and fixty of barley, with a fmall quantity of flax, Indian corn, and oats, all which is preferved for feed. Here I beg leave to obferve to your Lordship, that if fettlers are sent out, and the convicts divided amongst them, this fettlement will very fhortly maintain itfelf; but without which, this country cannot be cultivated to any advantage. At prefent I have only one perfon (who has about an 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 flock. they have. Some ground I have had in cultivation will return about forty bushels of wheat into flore; fo that the produce of the labour of the convicts employed in cultivation. has been very short 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 intereft in their labour. The giving convicts to the officers has been hitherto neceffary, but it is at tended with many inconveniences, for which the advantages. arifing to the officers do not make amends. It will not, therefore, be continued after this detachment is relieved, unlefs particularly directed. The numbers employed in cultivation will of course be increafed, as the neceffary buildings are finifhed, but which will be a work of time; for the numbers in this fettlement who do nothing towards their own fupport, exceed thofe employed for the Public.

"In November, the Supply failed for Norfolk Island with fome convicts, and returned after being abfent fix weeks.All the people in that island were well, and their crops, after all they had fuffered from rats, birds, and a worm which had done them confiderable damage, fo good, that they had grain fufficient for fix months bread for every one upon the iland, referving fufficient for their next year's crops.

"Early in January, 1790, the Supply again failed for Norfolk Island, with more convicts; and in her paffage left a fmall party on Lord Howe Island, to turn turtle; but in fifteen days only three were taken; fo that no great advantages will accrue at prefent from thence. The ifland has fresh water, but no good anchoring ground.

"Since the deaths mentioned in a former part of this letter, one woman has suffered for a robbery, five children have

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died,

died, and twenty-eight children have been born; making in all eventy-feven deaths, and eighty-feven births.

"Extract of a Letter from Governor Phillip to the Right Honourable Lord Sydney, dated Sydney Cove, 13th February, 1790.

"IN order to get a knowledge of the country round this fettlement, frequent excurfions have been made fince the thips failed in Novemher, 1788; foon after which I went to Botany Bay, and the five days fpent in that harbour confirmed me in the opinion I had first 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 eafterly winds, which frequently blow very hard in the winter, and which has been farther proved by Captain Hunter, and the First Lieutenant of the Sirius, when there to furvey the bay.

"After having been feveral times with the boats to Broken Bay, in order 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 it to its fource, which has fince been done; and in the fixteen days we were then out, all those 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 300 to 800 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 ships to go fo far up; but fifteen or twenty miles below Richmond Hill, they would lay 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 light mould; and judging from the little we faw of the country, I should fuppofe it good land to a very confiderable extent; the other branches of fresh water are fhoal, but probably run many miles farther into the country than we could trace them with our boats. On these rivers we faw great numbers of wild ducks, and fome black fwans; and on the banks of the Hawkesbury, feveral decoys made by the natives to catch the quail.

"Richmond Hill (near the foot of which a fall of water prevented our proceeding farther with the boats) is the fouthem extremity of a range of hills, which, running to the northward, most probably join the mountains which lay nearly parallel to the coaft, from fifty to fixty miles inland. The foil of Richmond Hill is good, and it lies well for cultivation. Cur profpect from the hill was very extenfive to the fouthward and eattward; the country appearing, from the height at which we were, to be a level covered with timber: there is a flat of fix or feven miles between Richmond Hill and a break in the mountains, which feparates Lantdown and Carmarthen Hills; and in this flat, I fuppofe, the Hawkefbury continues its courfe, but which could not he feen for the timber, that, with very few exceptions, covers the country wherever the foil is good.

"The great advantages 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, near the head of the harbour (Rofe Hill) very fully anfwers my expectations; the foil is exceeding good, lies well for cultivation, and is well watered. Six miles to the fouthward, there is a fmall fresh-water river, and 20 miles to the weftward, there is a more confiderable river, the fource of which I fuppofe to be at the foot of the mountains. The banks of this river, which most probably empties itself into the Hawkefbury, are high; the for a good light mould, and covered with trees; the wood of fome of these trees is very light; they are about the fize of large walnut trees, which they refemble; they fhed their leaves, and bear a finall fruit, which is faid to be very wholefome. This river likewife frequently rifes thirty feet above its common level; it is, as far as I have feen it, from 300 to 400 feet in breadth. I named it the Nepean, and its fource will be traced in the courfe of the winter; and 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, not having been able to proceed above fifteen miles in five days; when they turned back, they supposed themselves to be 12 miles from the foot of the mountains. "As the land for feveral miles to the fouthward, and twenty miles to the weftward of Rofe Hill, that is, to the banks of the Nepean, is as fine land for tillage as most in. England, (fome few particular spots excepted, the foil of which is poor, but bears a very fmall proportion to the good land) I propofe that tract of land for thofe fettlers which may be fent out; and though they will be placed at fome distance

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diftance from each other, for the conveniency of water, (from one to three or four miles) they will have nothing to apprehend from the natives, who avoid thofe parts we most 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 less than twenty men on his farm, which I fuppofe to be from five hundred to one thousand acres : it will be necessary to give that number of convicts to thofe fettlers who come out, and to fup'port them for two years from the public ftores; in that time, if they are any ways induftrious, they will be in a fituation to fupport themselves, 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 would want no farther affiftance from Govern

ment.

"It may be neceffary to grant lands to officers and foldiers, who becoming fettlers, will of course be entitled to every indulgence; but few of the officers now here have reaped any great advantage from being allowed convicts; and it is attended with unavoidable inconveniences, from those convicts being left fo much to themselves, and from their mixing with the foldiers. It may be found more to the advantage of the Crown and the officer likewife, if officers on duty in this fettlement were allowed a certain quantity of grain to fupport their live flock, 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 supplied with grain, poultry; hogs, and goats, of all which there has been a great increafe, but killed, from wanting corn to sapport 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 ft the fettlers thofe convicts who are not immediately neceflary for carrying on the public works, is approved of, and which I propose, as appearing to me the most likely to render this fettlement independent for the neceflaries of life, in the fhortest time poffible, there are many regulations which will of courfe take place."

"Extracts