to make the rum o f that country an effential part o f every cargo
which they fent upon fpeculation. And, though every neceffary
meafure was adopted to prevent all that arrived from being landed
yet, fuch was the avidity .with which it was fought after, that, i f
not permitted, it was generally got on fhore clandeftinely, and very
few Chips carried back any o f what they had brought down. To this
fource might be traced all the crimes which' difgraced, and all thé
difeafes that injured the colony.
Toward the latter end o f the month a party fet off on an excur-
fion to the cow pafture plains. On reaching mount Taurus“ a
diftinft herd o f the wild cattle, 67 in number, was feen. It was
conjectured, that this valuable collection o f cattle had fo confider-
ably increafed, as to find a convenience in dividing into different
herds, thereby preventing thofe quarrels which might frequently
happen among their males. This was confirmed by their falling-in
with, in another place, a herd, in which there could not have been
fewer than 170 o f thefe animals. A couple o f days were pleafantly
occupied in examining this part o f the country, which exhibited the
beautiful appearance o f a luxuriant and well-watered pafturage.
The latitude o f mount Taurus was found to be 340. 16'. S. and the
river Nepean was difcovered to take its courfe clofe round the fouth fide of this hill. Two gentlemen who were of this party having, at
their fetting out, propofed to walk from mount Taurus in as direft
a line as the country would admit, to the fea-coaft, a whale boat
was ordered to wait for them about fire leagues to the fouthward o f
Botany Bay. They expected to have reached the coaft in one day, but
they did not reckon on having full 25 miles o f a rugged and mountainous
road to crofs. Making their courfe a little to the fouthward
o f eaft, they fell in with the boat very conveniently, and Mr. Bafs,
one of the gentlemen, defcribed their route to have laid, the greateft
part o f the way, over nothing but high and fteep ridges o f hills,
the land becoming more rocky and barren as they drew near
the fea. coaft. In each o f the vallies formed by thefe hills they
found
S i'
found a run o f frelh water,.in fome places o f confiderable depth
and rapidity. The direction of thefe dreams or runs being to the
northward, they were fuppofed to fall into a harbour which lay
about five or fix miles to the fouthward o f Port Solander, and had
obtained the name of Port Hacking, the pilot o f that name having
had the honour of the difcovery *.
A church clock having been brought to the fettlement in the
Reliance when that fhip arrived from England, and no building
fit for its reception having been fince erefled, preparations were
now making for conftrudfing a tower fit for the purpofe ; to which
might be added a church, whenever at a future day the increafe of
labourers might enable the governor to diredt fuch an edifice to be
built.
. One mill not being fufficient to grind the flour required by the
inhabitants at Sydney, the ftone mafons were employed in breaking
out and preparing ftone for another at that place.
The blackfmith’s Ihop, begun in the laft month, was nearly completed
at the end o f this.
The weather was obferved to be growing warm. Toward the
middle o f J:he month ftrong foutherly winds, with rainy and unfettled
weather, prevailed, particularly at the change o f the moon.
* See the chart prefixed to this volume, where the route from Mount Taurus is laid
down.
H 2 CHAP.