Page:History of Australia, Rusden 1897.djvu/197

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GROSE DECLINES TO PAY NORFOLK Id. CORN BILLS. 1G9 In Nov. 1793 10,152 bushels of maize, 1602 bushels of wheat, and other products had been raised from about 260 acres. In April 1794 the second crop of maize at the island had been so abundant that King offered to send 5000 bushels to Sydney. In August, in conformity with the terms^ on which Phillip had settled them on the land, the settlers sold 11,000 bushels of maize to the govern- ment, taking bills from King. But there was no famine then in Sydney, where the maize crop had been good. Grose affected to think it was not within his power to keep the faith pledged by Phillip. He would not assume the responsibility of approving the bills, though he wrote at a later date to Secretary Dundas (Aug. 1794) that King had been "guided by Phillip's orders, and must ** certainly appear to have broken faith with the settlers" in case the bills should remain unpaid. He sent a notice for publica- tion in the island. The bills would be paid if the Secretary of State should so order; if not, grain equal to that received would be returned to the settlers. To Grose King wrote (Nov. 1794) : "I am in the most disagreeable situa- tion that ever an oflBcer was placed in. I have no other consolation than self-approval of my rectitude, and the consciousness of having acted to the best of my judgment for the good of His Majesty's service." The settlers were so indignant that King was obliged to imprison one man for ** seditious expressions." There were at the time other grounds for distrust between Grose and King, but they did not deter the latter fi*om loyally obeying his superior. He wrote, however, to the Secretary of State. He sent copies of all the orders he had received from Phillip and Grose. He hoped ** the goodness and humanity" of Dundas would "excuse any impropriety he might fall into in representing the distress" arising from "the corn bills not being ordered payment." The settlers were so dejected that in spite of King's dissuasion ten marines and two other settlers would not wait for news from England, but " sold, or rather gave away, their farms and stock," most of them enlisting in the New South Wales Corps. Grose did nothing to remedy the shock which his ^ Despatch. King to Secretary Dundas, 6th Nov. 1794,