ONLY ONE FARMER. 351 Another despatcli to Sydney, written on the 80th October, 1788 was occupied principally with a recapitulation of matters » October, dealt with on former occasions. The only event of any importance which he had to communicate was the depar- ture of the Sirius on her voyage to the Cape. By his Majesty's ship Sirius I had the honor of informing your lordship of my reasons for sending that ship to the Cape of Good Hope : The loss of all the seed-wheat and the greatest part of the other grains and seeds brought from England, which had loss of seed, been heated in the long passage, and very little of which, when sown, ever vegetated. All the seed-wheat put on board the Supply at the Cape of Good Hope had likewise been destroyed by the weevil; and after sowing the ground a second time with what seed had been brought from Rio de Janeiro and the Cape of Good Hope, there did not remain sufficient to sow a single acre ; and the crops in the ground are exposed to various accidents in our present situation. The Sirius sailed the 2nd instant to go round the South Cape, sirius sent and Captain Hunter has directions to purchase for the use of the ** ^^ ^^' garrison what flour the ship can receive, aft«r having compleated his own provisions. The quantity will not be very considerable — at present we have eighteen months' bread in store. Necessaries for the hospital were likewise ordered to be purchased, none of any kind being sent out either for the detachment or convicts. Your lordship will see by my former letters the little progress we have been able to make in cultivating the lands, and, I pre- sume, the necessity of a few proper peraons being sent out to superintend the convicts, as well as settlers who have been used to cultivation, for at present this settlement only affords one person* that I can employ in cultivating the lands on the public account only one Most of the officers have cultivated a little ground, but it is merely '»""«'• for their own conveniency, and none more than a single acre except the Lieutenant-Governor, who has about three acres. I have sixteen, at a small farm on the pubHc account It must, my lord, be settlers, with the assistance of the convicts, settien that will put this country in a situation for supporting its inhabi- ^'^*^-
- The peiBon referred to was hrought out hy Phillip as a servant, and
had been employed in superintending the cultivation at Farm Cove, from which he was transferred to Rose HiU ; ante, p. 142. There was only one man among the convicts who understood farmmg ; Collins, pp. 03, 158. Digitized by Google
