Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 2.djvu/187

ON THE SOIL. 167 rob me almost every night." Buse mentioned that he ^'^ had been "bred a husbandman, near Launcester (mc), in Hia early V -'^ youth. Cornwall."* Although only an acre and a half of cleared land were placed at his disposal, instead of two acres, he was in an independent position by the 25th February, 1791, "when he declined receiving any further support, being then able to maintain himself." In the meantime he had taken a wife. An independent and a child had been born to him, both of whom, Phillip spint. reported, "he wishes to take off the store next Christmas."t Buse had fairly earned his reward,J and on the 22nd |^^-y February, 1790, Phillip signed the first land grant executed ^*^^ in Australia, making Buse the proprietor of thirty acres of ^ignA land. The allotment, which was situated on the south of the " Ponds," at Parramatta, was named " Experiment Farm " mfSiten." in the grant, which thus became a record of the success which had attended Phillip's first effort in land settlement. The boundaries of the grant can still be traced. The farm faced a small tributary to the Parramatta Biver, known as Clay Cliff Creek. It now forms a part of Ander- son Ward, in the Borouffh of Parramatta, and lies about its . ° situation. twelve chains in a southerly direction from the public wharf at the foot of George-street : it is bounded on the west side by Harris-street, on the south by Brisbane-street, and on the east by Elizabeth-street. The land was sold by Buse to Dr. Harris, of the New South Wales Corps, by whom, a cottage, which still stands, was built upon it, and called • Tench, Complete Account, p. 80. t ** Sometime in this month [March^ 1791], James Buse, the first settler in this countrj, who had been upon his ground about fifteen months, haying got in his crop of corn, declared himself desirous of relinquishing his claim to any further provisions from the store, and said that he was able to support himself by the' produce of bis farm. He had shown himself an industrious man ; and the Goyernor, being satisfied that he could do without any further aid ihnom the stores, consented to his proposal, and informed him that he should be forthwith put in possession of an allotment of thirty acres of ground in the situation he then occupied." — Collins, vol. i, p. 158. t Buse was rewarded in another way. His wife, who, like himself, was a convict, was emancipated in July, 1792.— lb., p 225.