The Present Picture of New South Wales (1811)

by D. D. Mann

To facilitate the rise of New South Wales to a state of consequence and independence, its interests must be entrusted to a governor who has no private or mercenary views, and will seek after nothing but the welfare of the colony; who will thoroughly support the trust and honour reposed in him, as the representative of our most gracious Sovereign; who will not treat, nor suffer others to treat, the officers serving under him with indignity; who will not study the rapid rise of one man, and the sudden downfal of another, but will administer, and cause justice to be administered impartially to all descriptions of persons, and only shew his favour to those whose conduct is such as to merit his distinguished notice. Under such a man, the industrious settlers should receive the most liberal encouragement to induce them to pay every attention to the cultivation of their lands and to the rearing of stock; and I am of opinion, that when the price of grain has been reduced under ten shillings per bushel for wheat, five shillings for maize and barley, and four shillings and sixpence for oats, the grower has very frequently been a loser, without admitting that in the course of the season there had been any flood, blight, insect, or rust, to injure the growing crops. I speak this from the general knowledge I have of the country, having taken every settler's and other muster there for a number of years, and from the concurrent opinions of several of the first and most independent farmers throughout the settlement; nor can any man who is acquainted with the exorbitant wages demanded by every class of labourers, who are not prisoners assigned by the crown to their employers, in that part of the world, and the great difficulties attending the various occupations he has to encounter before his grain can be brought to the market, judge otherwise. The government stores should also be open at all times to receive the grain, which would not only enable the commissary to send the requisite supplies to the dependent settlements, but would also afford a powerful security against the fatal and frequent losses which are occasioned by the floods, so destructive to property of every description, but more particularly to the grain; and it would also set aside the necessity of issuing short allowance to those prisoners who are necessarily supported by the crown, by which means government labour is sometimes retarded, in consequence of the reduction of the hours of work in proportion to the diminution in the weekly ration.

If government were also to decline farming, it would excite a greater degree of perseverance in the settlers, and would, in my opinion, eventually disburden the crown of a very considerable expense, as those employed in agriculture, on the government account, are generally that description of persons who only care how little they work, and are equally as indifferent as to the manner in which their labour is performed; besides which, very few of these individuals are at all acquainted with the art of husbandry, particularly that system which ought to be adopted in a colony, the climate, soil, and produce of which, are so essentially different to those of the mother country; and those few, as soon as they have attained a knowledge of the regular method necessary there to be pursued, are generally taken away by some cause or other, or claim their freedom, from the original term of their transportation being expired, so that little better than a succession of new hands have to perform a task of which the chief part are totally ignorant.

By the opening of the stores, and the prevention of the losses before mentioned, the Southseamen, and other vessels touching at Port Jackson, might at all times receive ample supplies of such refreshments as they stood in need of, in exchange for articles more serviceable to the inhabitants than any recompense of a pecuniary nature; and, indeed, absolutely necessary to the comfort and prosperity of the colony. In case of a war in these seas, or in any part of India, this settlement would prove a very desirable depot, and place of rendezvous. Soldiers and seamen would at all times be healthy, without great fatigue, free from scorbutic complaints so prevalent after a long voyage, and would not suffer from a change of climate, which too frequently brings on dysentery, or other fatal diseases; these circumstances would naturally render them more fit to enter a field of battle, and better qualified, in every respect, to endure the wearisome fatigues and dangers of war.

Several ships which have touched at the settlement under the pressure of necessity, have been denied the requisitions which they have made for bread and other provisions; and, although the local circumstances of the colony rendered that denial absolutely necessary, yet, had the settler been guaranteed by any means against loss, or could he have received any sufficient security for his grain, every ship which had been in need, as well as every one touching there in future, would have been, and might be, amply provided for. The influx of American vessels, and ships from the East Indies, has recently suffered a very considerable diminution; the former, at one period, nearly supplied the colony with articles of almost every description, at very reasonable prices, but, from some cause or other, vessels from the United States seldom now arrive at the settlement with merchandize for sale; the Indian vessels have also ceased to arrive in the same numbers as formerly, and the supplies have consequently fallen off materially, which naturally injures all descriptions of persons, not only by preventing an immediate intercourse between those countries, but also by lessening very considerably the consumption of stock, grain, &c. so that the settler, in planting his land, has now no other views than to raise a sufficiency of grain for the consumption of his own family, and the liquidation of his debts. He has no longer a stimulus to labour; he calculates that the time and toil are wasted which are spent in raising an article for which he has no vent; his industrious disposition is consequently cramped; his present exertions are without hope of reward; and his prospects are divested of the supporting promise of future comfort or competence. Such a system as this evidently and rapidly tends to ruin; these symptoms are the obvious marks of a diseased economy; and, if decay appears in the present unripe state of the country, with what propriety--with what hope--on what grounds, can the mind calculate upon future prosperity?

The vessels of neutral powers ought to be encouraged, in my opinion, to trade to the settlement; they would serve the colony, by giving encouragement to the settlers; there would once again be a beneficial competition; there would be a channel for the carrying off the surplus produce of the country, and industry might again look forward with joyous expectation to the harvest of its toil. These vessels might be laden back with spermaceti or other oils, seal skins, coals, ship-timber, fustic, or any other articles the produce of the settlements and the Southern Seas; and thus a traffic might be established and carried on with reciprocal benefit, and the independence of New South Wales must be greatly aided in consequence of these beneficial regulations.

It may perhaps be argued, that the indiscriminate admission of the trade of neutral vessels might tend to injure the British ships trading to this colony; but such a consequence, I think, may easily be averted, since the governor has power to prevent those ships from selling any such articles as he may deem it expedient to prohibit; and no injury could consequently be sustained, while it would hold out the necessity of selling the European goods at a reasonable rate, or the wants of the colony might be supplied from another market. The arrival of neutral ships with merchandize would also tend to prevent the too frequent monopolies which take place in this quarter, of the nature of which and their mischievous effects upon the general prosperity of the colony, I have spoken in a former part of this chapter; and I feel a great regret that circumstances at this moment prevent me from enlarging upon so destructive a subject, and exposing the very root of so pernicious an evil, which has latterly been fostered by those whom nothing more than suspicion could ever have attached to, but by recent events; and I am anxious that a full exposition of the plans which had been adopted to facilitate the rapid rise of a mercenary and powerful few, to the serious injury and almost inevitable downfal of the country, will be held up to the public view of every impartial man; by which means the grand promoters of so nefarious a practice will bring upon their own heads that disgrace, dishonour, and infamy, which their vile projects had formed for others to bear the burthen of. It has been truly said, that by means of those ships a great quantity of spirits have been introduced into the settlement of Port Jackson, and on this plea the prohibition of their sales, it is said, has taken place, but which I do not strictly believe: However, the landing of those noxious cargoes might easily be prevented; or they might be suffered to be brought on shore, and lodged in one of his majesty's store-houses, under a bond, so that, whenever the vessel was about to sail from the port, she might receive it again, having some trusty and vigilant person placed on board, to see that no smuggling transactions were carried on, and where he should be ordered to remain until the ship quits the Heads. By these means, which would be no expense to the crown, the dry goods, &c. which had been brought to the market, might be readily disposed of, without any risk being incurred of the introduction of too much of that maddening liquor, generally brought by these vessels, to be distributed amongst the inhabitants of the colony.

It must be obvious to every man of reason, that the early days of a colony require as much attention and assistance as human infancy, and that a course of improper and unskilful treatment at the outset must undoubtedly lay the foundation of future imbecility and ultimate destruction. Much evil has already been done in the settlement, but it is not yet too late to apply the remedy; the malady which threatens the existence of the colony has not yet attained to an incurable height, and if the proper measures are adopted, prosperity and happiness may yet be seen, where adversity and apprehension are at present discovered; and the seeds of a new and powerful nation may not be doomed to perish, before they have scarcely broken the ground which was intended for the scene of their growth and expansion. I shall, however, without farther digression, endeavour to point out other means of improving the settlement than such as relate to its agriculture.

The establishment of a post-office for the receipt of all letters and parcels for private individuals, and for the dispatch of those which are transmitted from the colony, would be productive of essential service to the general interests, and could be entrusted to some person of respectability, whose remuneration might arise from a certain tax or postage: Such an institution would prevent a number of letters from being lost, delivered to wrong persons, or illegally obtained by such for the purpose of sending to the friends of the person for whom they were intended, with a view to obtain money or other property. It has frequently occurred that boxes, &c. have been gained under false pretensions, from on board ships which had arrived in the port, and the contents of which have been worth a very considerable value: The persons guilty of this crime, by some means obtain the information as to the packages which are on board, and then personate, or cause some of their connexions to personate, those to whom the packages are addressed, on which they obtain the property by only signing a receipt to the officer on board. An office of this description would effectually prevent the recurrence of such fraudulent practices, and would give a security for the regular delivery or transmission, as well as the security, of the letters, &c. which were entrusted to its care. An oath might be administered to the superintendent.

The unfit clothing sent out for the convicts has been a subject of sincere complaint, as being dispatched without any regard to quality or comfort. I am therefore of opinion, that it would be highly expedient to send out a considerable portion of wearing apparel unmade, so that there would be an absolute saving of the cost of making; for the wearers would feel much greater satisfaction from being allowed to receive it in the piece, that they might suit it to their respective wants, as well as consult their own comforts: Those who might have less leisure than their fellow-prisoners, could have their clothing made by the tailors of the different settlements, while the others would be happy to make their own. If this plan were to be carried into execution, it might be necessary to find a person properly qualified to take the superintendence of this mechanical department; and such an one might readily be found in the mother country, whose disposition, owing to adverse circumstances, might lead him to accept this situation in the colony; thus a proper quantity of work would be completed, and economy would be much promoted.

The indiscriminate distribution of the clothing sent over is also another evil which requires a remedy, and this might easily be provided, by supplying the prisoners only with such articles as were necessary to them; since those who had received superfluous garments have been in the habit of resorting with them to gaming, or sell them, being unable to apply them to any purpose of wear, as their scanty make will not allow of a change; this, however, would not be the case if the clothing was given to them unmade, since every man would find himself enabled to turn it to some beneficial purpose. The clothing has materially fallen off, in point of quality and suitableness for the climate, of late years; but the evil complained of would, in my opinion, cease to exist, if articles similar to those originally distributed in the time of Governor Phillip (of which I have seen several suits) were now to be issued annually. Many of the females indeed are the slaves of vanity and pride, and being in the custom of cohabiting with persons in affluent circumstances, never appear in the dress originally given them by the crown; from such as these the issue is now withheld, and they are struck off the victualling list. The consequence of these regulations would be the obtainment of more comfortable clothing to the convicts, and a considerable diminution in the sick list, which has been filled as much from this as from any other cause; and a degree of content and carefulness would be instilled into the minds of the prisoners, in lieu of the negligence, slovenliness, and discontent, which have recently prevailed amongst them on that account.