"Extracts of a Letter from Governor Phillip to Lord Sydney, dated Government Houfe, Sydney Cove, April 11, 1790.

"THE quantity of flour brought from the Cape of Good Hope by the Sirius, was lefs than I expected-four months flour only for the fettlement, and a year's provifions for the fhip's company; and it was neceffary to give the ship a very confiderable repair before the could be fent to fea again, which was not completed before the middle of January, when I had reafon to expect fhips from England in the courfe of a few weeks. The fending to the islands would have anfwered as far as procuring live stock to breed from, but which was not immediately wanted; and what the Sirius could have brought for the confumption of fuch a number of people, would have been but a very fmall relief. Howe Iland had been tried feveral times, and only a very few turtle procured.

"The goodness of the foil on Norfolk Island, and the induftry of thofe employed there, rendered that island a resource, and the only one that offered, when, from the time which had paffed fince my letters might be fuppofed to have been received in England, there was reafon to fuppofe fome accident had happened to the ftore fhips fent out.

"I therefore ordered two companies of marines to be ready to embark with a number of convicts, by the 5th of March, if no fhip arrived before that time; and a proportion of what provifions and stores remained in this fettlement being put on board the Sirius and Supply, fixty-five officers and men, with five women and children from the detachment and civil department, one hundred and fixteen male and fixty-feven female convicts, with twenty feven children, embarked and failed the 6th of March.

"The advantage I expected by fending away fuch a number of people, was from the little garden ground they would leave, and which would affift thofe who remained, and the fish which might be caught in the winter would go the farther; at the fame time, thofe fent to Norfolk Islan! would have refources in the great abundance of vegetables raised there, and in fifh and birds, which this fettlement could not afford them; and it was my intention to have fent more convicts to that ifland, if there had not been this neceffity.

"The provifions fent, with what was on the island, and the wheat and Indian corn raifed there, more than would be neceffary for feed, was calculated to laft full as long as the provifions in this place; and at Norfolk lfland, from the richness of the foil, a man may fupport himself, with little affiftance from the ftore, after the timber is cleared away.

As

a

"As I wished to fend an officer to England who could give fuch information as cannot be conveyed by letters, and the detachment was now divided, I replaced the officer who was Superintendant and Commandant at Norfolk Island, by Major Rofs; the officer I have recalled having been two years on the island, is very capable of pointing out the advantages which may be expected from it, and I think it promises to answer very fully the end propofed by making the fettlement; it will be a place of fecurity for the convicts, where they will foon fupport themselves, and where they may be advantageously employed in cultivating the flax plant."

"Extracts from Inftructions given by Governor Phillip to the Lieutenant Governor, during his command at Norfolk Island, dated 2d March, 1790.

"YOU will caufe the convicts to be employed in the cultivation of the land, in fuch manner as fhall appear to you the best calculated to render that fettlement independent, as far as refpects the neceffaries of life, paying fuch attention. to the cultivation of the flax plant as your fituation will admit of, and which is to be the principal object, when the neceffaries of life are fecured to the fettlers.

"As from the great increafe of corn and other vegetable food, which may be expected from a common industry, and in fo fertile a foil, after a certain quantity of ground is cleared and in cultivation, as well as from the natural increase of fwine and other animals, it cannot be expedient that all the convicts should be employed in attending only to the ohject of provifions, you are to caufe the greateft poffible number of thefe people to be employed in cultivating and dreffing the flax plant, as a means of acquiring cloathing for themfelves and other perfons, who may become fettlers, as well as for a variety of maritime purposes, and for which its fuperior excellence renders it a defirable object in Europe.

"You will, at every opportunity, tranfmit to me all fuch remarks or obfervations as you may make refpecting the nature of the foil on the island, and point out fuch means as may appear to you the most likely to answer the views of Government in the cultivation of the flax plant, and in rendering that ifland independent for the neceffaries of life, and for the order and government of the fettlers thereon, that fuch information may from me be tranfmitted to His Majefty's Minjiters."

DESCRIP

DESCRIPTION of NORFOLK ISLAND.

Norfolk Island is fituated in the latitude 29° co', and in the longitude of 168° 00' eaft: its form is nearly an oblong, and contains from twelve to fourteen thousand acres.

The face of the country is hilly, and fome of the vallies are tolerably large for the fize of the island; many of the hills are very steep, and fome few fo very perpendicular, that they cannot be cultivated; but where fuch fituations are, they will do very well for fuel; on the tops of the hills are fome extenfive flats.

Mount Pitt is the only remarkable high hill in the island, and is about one hundred and fifty fathoms high. The clifts which furround the iflan are about forty fathoms high, and perpendicular; the bafis of the island is a hard firm clay. The whole island is covered with a thick wood, choaked up with underwood.

The ifland is well fupplied with many ftreams of very fine water; many of which are fufficiently large to turn any number of mills. Thefe fprings are full of very large eels.

From the coaft to the fuminit of Mount Pitt, is a continuation of the richest and deepest foil in the world, which varies from a rich black mould to a fat red earth; we have dug down forty feet, and found the fame foil; the air is very wholefome, and the climate may be called a very healthy one; there has been no fickness fince I first landed on the ifland.

There are five kinds of trees on the island, which are good timber, viz. the pine, live oak, a yellow wood, a hard black wood, and a wood not unlike the English beech. The pine trees are of a great fize, many of which are from 180 to 220 feet in height, and from fix to nine feet in diameter. Those trees which are from 100 to 180 feet in height, are in general found; from the root to the lower branches, there is from 80 to 90 feet of found timber, the reft is too hard and knotty for ufe; it fometimes happens, that after cutting off twenty feet from the butt, it becomes rotten or shakey, for which reafon no dependance can be put in it for large mafts or yards. The timber of the pine is very useful in building, and is very plentiful along the coaft; its difperfed fituation in the interior parts of the island, is well calculated for erecting fuch buildings as may be neceffary. From what I have feen of this wood, I think it is very durable. Two boats have been built of it, and have answered the purpofe fully. The live oak, yellow wood, black wood, and beech, are all of a close grain, and are a durable wood, VOL. XXIX. N

The

The flax plant of New Zealand grows fpontaneously in many parts of the island, but mostly abounds on the fea coaft, where there is a very great quantity of it; the leaves of which the flax is made, are, when full grown, fix feet long and fix inches wide; each plant contains feven of those leaves; a ftrong woody ftalk rifes from the centre, which bears the flowers; it feeds annually, and the old leaves are forced out by young ones every year. Every method has been tried to work it, but I much fear that until a native of New Zealand can be carried to Norfolk Island, that the method of dreffing that valuable coinmodity will not be known; and could that be obtained, I have no doubt but Norfolk Island would very foon clothe the inhabitants of New South Wales.

There are a great quantity of pigeons, parrots, hawks, and other smaller birds, which are now in a wild state.

The ground is much infetted with different kinds of the grub worm, which are very destructive to the growth of vegetables; they are moftly troublefome about the fpring. It is to be hoped that when more ground is cleared away, that this evil will cease.

There is no quadrupede on the island, except the rat, which is much fmaller than the Norway rat: these vermin were very troublesome when firft we landed, but at prefent there are but very few.

The coafts of the island abound with very fine fish. No opportunities were ever loft of fending the boat out, which enabled us to make a faving of two pounds of meat, each man, a week.

The coafts of the island are in general steep too, and, excepting at Sydney, Anfon, Ball, and Cascade Bays, they are inacceffible, being furrounded by fteep perpendicular clifts rifing from the fea. Some rocks are scattered about close to the shore.

Sydney Bay, on the fouth fide of the ifland, is where the fettlement is made. Landing at this place entirely depends on the wind and the weather; I have feen as good landing as in the Thames, for a fortnight or three weeks together, and I have often seen it impracticable to land for ten or twelve days fucceffively; but it is much oftener good landing than bad.

Anfon Bay is a fmall bay with a fandy beach, where landing is in general good, with an off-fhore wind and moderate weather; but as the interior parts of the ifland are so difficult of access from thence, no fhip's boats have ever landed there.

Ball Bay is on the south-east fide of the ifland; the beach is a large loose stone; when landing is bad in Sydney Bay, it is very good here, as it alfo is in Cascade Bay, on the north fide of the island.

During the winter months, viz. from April to August, the general winds are the fouth and fouth west, with heavy gales at times. In the fummer, the fouth-east wind blows almoft conftant.

The spring is visible in Auguft, but the native trees, and many plants in the ifland, are in a conftant ftate of flowering: the fummer is warm, and fometimes the droughts are yery great; all the grain and European plants feeded in December: from February to Auguft may be called the rainy season, not that I think there is any ftated times for rains in these months, as it is fometimes very fine weather for a fortnight together, but when the rain does fall, it is in torrents. I do not remember above three claps of thunder during the time I was on the island. The winter is very pleafant, and it never freezes.

The proper time for fowing wheat and barley is from May to Auguft, and is got in in December; that which has been fowed has produced twenty-five fold, and I think the increase may be greater. Two bufhels of barley, fowed in 1789, produced twenty-four bufhels of a found full grain.

The Indian corn produces well, and is, in my opinion, the best grain to cultivate in any quantity, on account of the little trouble attending its growth, and manufacturing for eating.

The Rio Janeiro fugar cane grows very well, and is thriving.

Vines and oranges are very thriving; of the former there will be a great quantity in a few years.

Potatoes thrive remarkably well, and yield a very great increase; I think two crops a year of that article may be got with great ease.

Every kind of garden vegetable thrives well, and comes to great perfection.

The quantity of ground cleared, and in cultivation, belonging to the Public, was, on the 13th March, 1790, from twenty-eight to thirty-two acres, and about eighteen cleared by free people and convicts for their gardens.

London, January 10th, 1791.

PHILIP GIDLEY KING.