miferable com p an ion s. E v e r y ftep w a s tak en that could be d ev ifed to
fa v e th em ; a fifh e r y w a s eftablifhed at th e S ou th -h ead , e x c lu f iv e ly fo r
th e u fe o f th e fic k , u n d e r th e d ire c tio n o f o n e B a r ton , w h o had be en
fo rm e r ly a p ilo t, and w h o , in ad d ition to this d u ty , w a s to board all
Ihips com in g in to th e h a rb ou r and p ilo t th em to th e fettlement. T h e
d ifferent p eo p le w h o w e r e em p lo y e d b y in d iv id u a ls to k ill game w e r e
g iv e n u p fo r th e ufe o f th e h o fp it a l; and to ftimu late th em to e x e r tio n ,
tw o p ou n d s o f flo u r in ad d ition to th e ra tion w e r e o rd e red fo r e v e r y
k an g o o ro o that th e y fh o u ld b r in g , befid e th e h ead , one fo re -q u a r te r , an d
th e p lu c k o f th e animal.
T h e w e a k e ft o f th e co n v ic t s w e r e e x cu fe d from a n y k in d o f hard
la b o u r ; b u t it w a s n o t hard la b o u r th a t d e ftroy ed th em ; it was an
en tir e w a n t o f ftren g th in th e co n ftitu tion to re c e iv e n o u r ifhm en t, to
th r o w o f f th e d e b ility th a t p ervad ed th e ir w h o le fy ftem , o r to p e r form
a n y fo r t o f la b o u r w h a te v e r .
T h is d readful m o r ta lity w a s ch ie fly confined to th e convidts w h o
h ad ar r iv ed in th e la d y e a r ; o f o n e h u n d red and tw e n ty - tw o male
co n v id ts w h o cam e ou t in th e Q u e e n tran fp or t from Ire land , f if ty o n ly
w e r e liv in g at the b e g in n in g o f th is m on th . T h e different ro bberies
w h ic h w e r e com m itted w e r e alfo con fin ed to th is clafs o f th e co n v
id ts , and th e w re tch e s w h o w e r e conce rned in the com m iflion o f
th em w e r e in g en e ra l to o w e a k to re c e iv e a p u nifhm en t adequate to
th e ir cr imes. T h e i r u n iv e r fa l p lea w a s h u n g e r ; but it was a p le a th a t
in th e th en fituation o f th e c o lo n y co u ld n o t be fo m u ch attended to
as it c e r ta in ly w o u ld h a v e be en in a c o u n t r y o f g rea ter p len ty .
T h e q u a n tity o f In d ian c o rn fto len and d e ftroy ed this fe a fon was n o t '
a fce rtain ed , but w a s fu p p o fed to h a v e been a t leaf! one fix th o f w h a t
w a s railed . T h e p eo p le em p lo y ed in b r in g in g it in d a i ly repor ted th a t
th e y fo u n d im m en fe piles o f the. h u lk s and ftalks concealed in th e
m id ft o f w h a t w a s Handing, h a v in g been th e re Ihelled and tak en off- at
d ifferent times. T h is w a s a v e r y ferious lofs, and became ah o b je f t o f
im m ed ia te confid era tion in fu ch a fc a r c ity as th e c o lo n y th en e x p e r ienced
; m o l l a n x io u fly it expeCted fup plies from E n g lan d , w h ic h did
n o t a r r iv e , th o u g h the time had elapfed in w h ic h th e y fhould h a v e appeared
h ad th e ir departure ta k en place at th e p e r iod mentioned b y th e
fe c re ta ry o f ftate (the au tum n o f la ft y e a r ) . H i s e x ce llen cy th e re fo re
14 th o u g h t
th o u g h t it p ru d en t ftill fa r th e r to ab rid ge the ration o f flo u r w h ic h w a s
th en iffued ; and o n th e 9 th o f th e month diredted th e c om m iffa ry to
fe rv e w e e k ly , u n til fu r th e r orders, one p ou n d and an h a l f o f flour w i th
fo u r p oun d s o f m aize to each man ; and one p oun d and an h a l f o f flou r
w i th th re e pound s o f m aize to each w om an , and to e v e r y ch ild ten
y e a rs o f a g e ; but made n o alteration in th e ra tion o f fait p rov ifio n s .
T h is ration w a s to take place on S a tu rd a y th e 12 th ; and as m a iz e
o r Ind ian co rn w a s n o w n e ce ffa r ily b e c om e th e p r in c ip a l p a r t o f each
p e r fon ’ s fu b fiften ce , h an d -m ills and querns w e r e fe t to w o r k to g r in d
it coarfe fo r e v e r y p e r fo n b o th a t S y d n e y and a t P a r ram a tta ; and at
th is latter p la c e , w o o d en mor tars, w i th a le v e r and a p e ftle , w e r e alfo
u fed to b re a k th e c o rn , and th e fe p ou n d ed it m u ch finer th an it
co u ld be g ro u n d b y th e h a n d -m ills ; bu t it w a s effected w i th grea t
la b o u r .
O n com p a r in g th is ra tion w i th th a t iffued in th e mon th o f A p r il 1 7 9 0 ,
i t w i ll appear th a t th e allow an ce th en re c e iv ed from th e p u b lic ftore
w a s in m o ft refpeCts better than th a t n o w ordered. W e th en re c e iv ed ,
in addition to tw o p ou n d s and a h a l f o f flou r , tw o p ou n d s o f r ic e ,
w h ic h tak en to g e th e r y ie ld e d more n u tr itiv e fubftance than th e fo u r
p ou n d s o f m a iz e and one p ou n d and a h a l f o f flou r ; fo r th e m a iz e w h e n
perfecftly g ro u n d , fifted , and div e fted o f th e u nw h o le fom e and un p ro fitable
p a r t, th e h u lk , w o u ld n o t g iv e m ore th an th re e p ou n d s o f g o od
m e ala and th e r ic e w a s ufed b y th e conv id ts in a m u ch grea te r v a r ie ty
o f modes than i t w a s p ofiib le to p repa re th e m a iz e in.
A s at this p eriod th e flo u r in fto re w a s red uced to a v e r y in con fid e r -
a b le q u a n tity , tw e n ty - fo u r d a y s at th e n ew ra tion , (one p ou n d and i.
h a l f p e r w e e k ,) and th e fait p ro v ifio n s at th e p re fen t ra tion no t afford^
in g a fu p p ly fo r a lo n g e r time than th re e m on th s, it b ecame a melanc
h o ly , alth o u gh natural re fle c tion , th a t h ad n o t fu ch numbers d ied ,
b o th in th e paffage and fin c e th e la n d in g o f th o fe w h o fu rv iv e d th e
V o y a g e , w e fhould no t at this m om en t h a v e h ad a n y th in g to re c e iv e
from th e p ublic ftores ; th us f tr a n g e ly d id w e d e r iv e a b en e fit f r o m t h e
mife rie s o f our fe llow -c rea tu re s ! •
, S e v e ra l o f the fettlers w h o had farms at o r n ea r Parramatta, n o tw ith -
ftan d in g th e ex trem e d ro u g h t o f th e feafon p re ced in g th e fa v in g o f
th e ir c o rn , h ad fu ch crops th a t 1 th e y found' th em fe lv e s enabled to ta k e
E E 2 o f f