grants of land to those who raised crops on their land akeady m occupation* One phase of the misgovernment of Grose "^as the reversal of Phillip's policy of preventing convicts from ohtaining spirituous liquors. Under the plea of facilitating the farming operations of the officers Grose allowed them to pay for convict lahour with spirits, and the evil effects were immediately manifested, and entailed a lasting curse upon the comiunnity. His friends boasted that his policy extracted more labour than could otherwise have been obtained. Others protested against it, and the chaplain, the lev, E. Johnson, encountered Grose's animosity on account of his ineffectual ernleavours to stem the tide of immorality^ Before the departure of Philhp, Johnson had remon- strated (March 17fJ2) against the neglect of the spiritual concerns of the people. The foundation of a clnirch had been laid at Parramatta, but " before it was finished it was converted into a gaol or loelt-up, find now it is converted into a gi'anary." In Sept, 179B Johnson applied for re- imbursement of the expense of erecting under his own superintendence a place of worship in Sydney at the cost of i59 18s. in money and W in value of provisions. It was to hold 500 persons. Grose told the Secretary of State that lie could ** not at all connteiiaiice the application** for reimbursement, and that Johnson was a *' troublesome, discontented character/ *^*^ Johnson requested that the iiccounts might be sent to the Secretary of State, with a letter explaining his reasons for building the church. The Secretary of State received various proofs under Grose's own hand that instead of promoting morality and the permanent welfare of the comuiunity be was, whether "^norantly or otherwise, subordinathig all interests to the ill-regulated desires of his corps* Phillip had hardly
- MSS. Record Office, New South Walea, Vol. v, Grose said: *' He
is one of the people oatlefl Methodists." It ap|>ears, however, that Johnson, though a Vk»ravi»Ti» was a Cambridge mtin, and was described by the Rev. T. F. Palinor as a *' moat diitifid member of the rhurch of England/' The '* HiBtorienl Reeorda of KS.^V.,'* Vol 2 (p. im)^ publish a letter from a eonvict who wrote in April 1890: **l believe few of the sick would recover if it was not for the kindness of the Rev, Mr Johnson, whose assistance out of hia own stores makes him the phyBician both of BouJ and bod v. "
