MABIKES AS SETTLERS. 337 George Johnston, were unable to make up their minds on 1788 the matter; one Serjeant and one private were willing to 28Sept stay as soldiers. Altogether, there were only nine men in the detachment who had any thought of remaining in the colony even for a few years. The rest, with Major Ross at their head, were unanimous in their desire to leave. Evi- No desire dently, therefore, they had seen very little in the country seitien. to attract them, or to create any desire to make their homes in it. But at this time nothing had been officially settled with respect to '^ the encouragement offered by Government to settlers; nor was the matter settled until the special Instructions on the subject, signed at Whitehall on the 24th August, 1789, reached the colony. In the absence of thia information, there was no inducement to the soldiers no to offer themselves as settlers ; a fact which may possibly o^^T"* account for the state of the return sent in by Major Ross.* The barracks, officers' houses, hospital, store-houses for the use of the detachment and for the public stores, are buildings that JJ"^'® will stand for some years, as they will hereafter be walled up with brick or stone, if limestone can be found in the country, or if sent out as ballast in the transports. The detachment is now enclosing ground for their gardens, and Soldiers' we have about six acres of wheat, eight of barley, and six acres of other grain, all which, as well as such garden seeds as were not spoiled, promised well ; and though the soil is in general a light sandy soil, it is, I believe, as good as what is commonly found near the sesHioast in other parts of the world. The great inconvenience we £nd is from the rocks and the labour of clearing away the woods which surround us, and which are mostly gum-trees of a very Bocks and ^targe siae, and which are only useful as firewood, though I think s^""^***^- that when we can cut them down in the winter and give them time to season, they may be made useful in building, f
- Tench mentionB, nnder date December, 1791 » that in conseauence of the
offers made to the non-commissioned officers and privatea of the marine battalion to remain in the country as settlers, or to enter into the New Sooth Wales corps, three corporals, one drummer, and tifty-nine privates, iccepted of grants of land, to settle at Norfolk Island and Rose Hill. — Complete Account, p. 139. t Some idea of the size of the gum-trees which surrounded the settlement at the time may he gathered from Surgeon White's statement, that he had y' Digitized by Google
