98 PHILUP The task before him. 1788-98 the still greater difficulties which beset his path from day to day. He stood in a wilderness, of which he knew nothing, but which he was called upon to subdue with the aid of the most unpromising materials that could have been placed in his hands. He had to lay the foundation of a colony which^ as he felt, would in the future prove to be the foundation of an empire ;* to establish the machinery of a civil govern- ment; to provide for the administration of justice; to explore the territory inland and along the coast; to discover and develop its native resources; to secure friendly relations with the aboriginals by whom he was surrounded ; and to govern a community largely composed of the worst elements of society. Such were his functions as Governor of the territory ; but he had a still harder task to perform. He had to face the results of the cruel negligence which left the settlement without any regular supply of provisions for long intervals of time, during which the people under his charge were threatened with a lingering death. That was The task ac- by far the most trying as well as the most important of his many duties ; but it was done, and neither in that nor in any other instance did he seek any credit for his work. oomplished. despatches. It would be absurd to claim anything like genius for Phillip, for there is nothing to indicate that he possessed Letters and any of the higher forms of intellectual power. His letters and despatches show him to have been a man of ordinary education, and without any pretension to scientific or
- None of hia officers seemed to share his predictions as to the future
of the settlement. Tench wrote : — " Speculators who may feel inclined to try their fortunes here will do well to weigh what I have said. If golden dreams of commerce and wealth flatter their imaginations, disappointment will follow ; the remoteness of situation, productions of the country, and want of connection with other parts of the world, justifyme in the assertion." — Narrative, p. 138. Collins did not permit himself to indulge in any dreams of a brilliant future. " As to its utility, besides the circumstance of its freeing the mother country from the depraved branches of her offspring, it may prove a valuable nursery to our East India possessions for soldiers and seamen." — Preface, p. ix. Hunter did not commit himself to any expression of opinion, beyond saying that if the Government should determine to persevere in establishing a settlement upon an exten- sive plan, it would be attended with considerable expense to the nation. It would be necessary to stock the country with cattle, and to find people Digitized by Google
