1814. 19 Jan. Failure of 9. In the foregoing Paragraph, I expressed the Apprehension of the Approach of a Season of Scarcity, and I now feel under the painful Necessity of explaining more fully to Your Lordship wheat harvest My Fears on that Head For several Months; during What is through drought. Naturally our Wet Season, in the Winter and Spring of the last Year, No Rain Whatever having fallen to refresh the Earth, it became so parched and burned up, that almost all Vegetation Ceased, and a great part of the Wheat and other Grain, which had been Sown, perished in the Ground, and the small Portion, which did grow, Came up so blighted by the Heat and Drought together, that the Produce will not probably, throughout the Colony, average 8 Bushels to the Acre, which is not more than the third part of what is the Usual Encrease. Another most unfortunate Circumstance has attended this extraordinary Drought. The Ponds and even the Rivers, which in other Failure of Seasons have supplied Water enough for the Use of the Cattle, rivers. totally failed on this occasion, and the Consequence has been that an alarming Mortality has taken place, not only in the Herds Mortality belonging to the Crown, but also among those of the Settlers amongst cattle. at large. These Calamities at length seemed to give way in a Certain Degree by a few days of Rain, which much relieved the Temporary almost famished Cattle, and gave some Hope of a good Harvest drought. of Maize or Indian Corn, on which our principal Dependence against Famine now rested, the Wheat Harvest having, as already stated, almost totally failed. In this prospect of Relief ponds and break in of drought. I am now, My Lord, left almost without a Hope, for a Second Recurrence Drought followed so quick upon the former, that now, in the Height of Summer, we have been for several weeks with scarcely a single Shower of Rain, and all Vegetation is again at a Stand, The Ponds and Streams again Exhausted, and the Cattle once more Sickening and dying from Actual Want of Food and Water. This total Inversion of the Natural Order of the Seasons has necessarily excited much Alarm, as the Consequences, if not Consequences of averted by a Speedy Resort to external Supplies, must at least the drought. terminate in the heavy Calamity of very great Scarcity, both of Animal Food and of Grain, if not in an actual Famine. To guard against this Evil, I considered it my duty to write to the Government of Bengal, under date of the 12th October last, requesting it to ship off Two Hundred and fifty Tons of Wheat Wheat to be with the greatest Expedition for the Use of this Government, and imported from I trust that this Supply will arrive within the Course of Five or Six Months. This Grain will probably cost much less in price to the Crown than that which the Colony itself produces, but this Advantage is Counter balanced by the Consideration that our own Grain is of much superior Quality to it. For the Bengal. 1814. 19 Jan. Increase in price of grain. Anticipated further advances. Fosbrook ordered to present, in Consequence of these distressing Occurrences, I have been obliged to advance the Price of Grain (which in the former abundant Season I had reduced to 8 Shillings per Bushel) to the former Standard of ten Shillings per Bushel, and even at this advance I find it so very difficult to procure the Quantity requisite for the necessary Demands of Government itself, that I am Strongly Apprehensive that I shall be under the Necessity of making a further Considerable Advance in the price, in order to the Inducing the Settlers to dispose of any part of their present scanty Supply; in fact, such is the Deficiency, both in the Quantity and Quality of the Grain and Animal Food that until Supplies shall arrive from India, and the Season take a more favorable Turn, I shall be obliged to advance the Price in proportion to the general Scarcity. 10. Mr. Fosbrook, the Deputy Commissary at Hobart Town, Sydney for trial. being Charged with having Committed Peculations in his Department, I some time ago sent Mr. Hogan, a new Officer in the Commissariat of this Country to relieve and supersede him, and I sent orders to the Lieut't Governor to send Mr. Fosbrook by the Earliest opportunity to Head Quarters here, in order to his being brought to Trial on the Charges preferred against him. On his arrival, which is now daily expected, I shall order a General Court Martial to Investigate his Conduct. Queries submitted to Fitz. G. W. Evans sent on exploring tour. 11. The Commissioners of Audit having lately sent out to me a Form of Queries to be put to Mr. Fitz, the late Deputy Commissary at this place, I accordingly lost no time in transmitting them to him for his Answers, but he has not yet rendered them. He promises, however, to furnish me with them at an early Day. 12. The Drought and Consequent Deficiency in Grass and Water for the Cattle, which I have already been obliged to State to Your Lordship in some of the foregoing passages, led me to make an Effort at the discovering of some Track of Country where possibly Nature might be more bountiful than in the present Circumscribed Limits of this Colony; and in furtherance of this object, I some Weeks ago gave Instructions* to Mr. Evans, one of the Deputy Surveyors of Land, attended by a few men and provided with the Necessary Accommodations for a two Months' Tour, to proceed in the Attempt of Effecting a Passage over the great Range of Mountains, Called here "The blue Mountains," and to discover what Description of Country lay to the Westward of them. The Consequence, I am most happy to Inform Your Lordship, has been that at a distance of 150 Miles Mr. Evans has discovered a beautiful and Champain Country and Macquarie of very Considerable Extent and great Fertility, thro' which a River of large Size, abounding in large and very fine Fish, takes Discovery of Bathurst plains river. * Note 15. 1814. 19 Jan. of the new a Westward Course. Mr. Evans has brought with him some Specimens of the Timbers, Stones and Minerals, which he happened to fall in with, but I am not yet enabled to state what Productions Importance may be attached to them, tho' I am inclined to think country. that some of them may prove of very great value. Neither am I enabled from the very recent return of Mr. Evans to give Your Lordship at this time a more minute account of the Success which has attended this Tour of Discovery. I am however fully Probable persuaded that this hitherto unexplored Region will at no distant the discovery. period prove a Source of Infinite Benefit to this Colony. In my next Despatch I shall do myself the Honor to transmit Your Lordship a Copy of Mr. Evans's Journal with every other Circumstance attending the Discovery that may come to my Knowledge and be worthy of Your Lordship's Consideration. advantages of transmitted As this Despatch goes by the Ship Earl Spencer, viâ Ceylon, Despatch it is not improbable that my next, by the Ship James Hay, will by the Earl reach Your Lordship before it, but I have Considered it my Duty Spencer. to embrace even this Circuitous Route to make the present Communications, to which I request Your Lordship's favourable Consideration. I have, &c., Sir, [Enclosure No. 1.] L. MACQUARIE. LIEUTENANT JEFFREYS TO GOVERNOR MACQUArie. H.M. Brig Kangaroo, Sydney Cove, 10th Jany., 1814. brig Kangaroo. I have the Honor to inform you that His Majesty's Brig Arrival of the under my command has just arrived in this port after a tedious passage of Seven Months and eight Days from Portsmouth, having met with Calms and heavy Gales, etc. I beg leave to send you an account of our Stoppages during the Account of above Voyage, as also my reasons for so doing. stoppages. At Madeira, from the 21st June to 3rd July, in consequence At Madeira. of H.M.S. Inconstant, under whose orders I was, having gone there. Janeiro. At Rio de Janeiro, from 20th Augt. to 20th September, put in At Rio de for refreshments and to get the Brig caulked in every part of her upperworks, they having proved leaky in consequence of her having been built of Green Wood. Good Hope. At the Cape of Good Hope, from 3d to 13th Novr., for filling At the Cape of Water and getting refreshments, which the Women Passengers stood in great need of, and to refit our rigging which had been stranded and carried away in several parts owing to the heavy Gales of Wind met with during 45 days passage to that place. I have the happiness to add that we only met with two Deaths, Deaths on both Children not 18 Months Old. Voyage. 1814. 19 Jan. Embarkation return of detachment of troops on the Earl Spencer. And also that His Majesty's Brig will be perfectly ready for Sea in a few days to perform any Service you may think proper, provided it will not exceed three Months. I have, &c., C. JEFFREYS, Lieut. and Comm'r. Compared:-JNO. THOS. CAMPBELL, Secy. [Enclosure No. 2.] EMBARKATION RETURN of a Detachment of the 1st Batl'n 73d Island of Ceylon Earl Spencer. 1 2 5 1 15 5 15 311 1 49 77 482 On board what Ship. do. do. do. do. do. do. do. do. do. 3 Feb. Arrival of lieutenant Lundin with despatches. G. A. GORDON, Major 73d Regt. A True Copy:-H. C. ANTILL, Major of Brigade. [Enclosure No. 3.1 [A copy of the list of bills drawn will be found in a volume in series II.] EARL BATHURST TO GOVERNOR MACQUARIE. (Despatch No. 24, per ship Broxbornebury; acknowledged by Governor Macquarie, 7th October, 1814.) Sir, Downing Street, 3rd February, 1814. 1. Lieut. Lundin, after suffering a variety of hardships, has at length arrived in England with your Dispatches, Nos. 1 to 8 of the year 1812, The Isabella, in which he had taken his passage from Port Jackson having been wrecked on the Falkland Islands* after weathering Cape Horn. • Note 16. 1814. 3 Feb. Satisfactory 2. I have laid these Dispatches before H.R.H. The Prince Regent, and I have it in Command to express to you the Satisfaction with which His Royal Highness has received the account, reports received. therein contained, of the continued Tranquillity of all the Settlements under your Government, and of their improved and still increasing Prosperity. 3. Altho' this flourishing Condition of the Colony may in some Prosperity due to Macquarie's degree be attributed to the Circumstance of there having been no government. Floods in the Hawkesbury River for three years past, yet His Royal Highness is fully sensible that the increased Industry of the Settlers and the great Improvement of the general Morals and Conduct is principally to be attributed to the wise Regulations, which you have established, and To the Encouragement you have given to the deserving Settlers. 4. His Royal Highness has also observed with Pleasure the Prospects of the colony in very favourable Report which you have made of Van Dieman's Tasmania. Land. The superior fertility of the Soil, combined with its other natural Advantages, will at no distant period render it a Colony of considerable importance, and it becomes a question, on which I should be glad of your Opinion, how far it may not be adviseable henceforth to give further Encouragement, than has hitherto been given, to Persons willing to proceed thither as Settlers. headquarters at 5. His Royal Highness entirely approves, as the first Step Removal of towards the improvement of the Settlement, the Removal of Port Dalrymple. George Town* at Port Dalrymple from its present Situation to York Cove, and I have only to suggest to you in the Execution of this Measure that as there is no necessity for carrying it into immediate effect, so the Interests of the Settlers may be equally, if not more advanced, and the amount of the Expence may be probably diminished by a gradual Removal to the Situation which you have chosen. military posts Hobart and 6. The Propriety of establishing a Chain of Military Posts* Proposed between Hobart's Town and Port Dalrymple will depend upon between the Necessity, which exists of maintaining a frequent Com- Launceston. munication between the two Settlements. In their present infant State, I confess that this Necessity is not to me so evident, and I feel disposed to postpone it, until the more extended Cultivation and Settlement of Van Dieman's Land shall afford greater facilities of maintaining detached Bodies of Troops, and thus diminish the Expence to which the Establishment of such Posts must lead. 7. In the New Charter for making alterations in the Courts of Civil Judicature, which is now passing the Great Seal, a Court * Note 17. |