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calculated for the advancement of made; of all which a proper efti

the general weal.

The time limited for receiving fubfcriptions to the loans propofed by the act, making provifion for the debt of the United States, having expired, statements from the proper department will, as foon as poffible, apprife you of the exact refult. Enough, however, is already known, to afford an affurance that the views of that act have been substantially fulfilled. The fubfcription in the domestic debt of the United States has embraced by far the greatest proportion of that debt; affording, at the fame time, proof of the general fatisfaction of the public creditors with the fyftem which has been propofed to their acceptance, and of the fpirit of accommodation to the convenience of the government with which they are actuated. The fubfcriptions in the debts of the respective States, as far as the provifions of the law have permitted, may be faid to be yet more general. The part of the debt of the United States which remains unfubfcribed will naturally engage your further deliberations.

It is particularly pleafing to me to be able to announce to you, that the revenues which have been establifhed promise to be adequate to their objects, and may be permitted, if no unforeseen exigency occurs, to fuperfede, for the prefent, the neceffity of any new burthens upon our conftituents.

An object which will claim your early attention, is a provifion for the current fervice of the enfuing year, together with such ascertained demands upon the treasury as require to be immediately difcharged, and fuch casualties as may have arifen in the execution of the public bufinefs, for which no fpecific appropriation may have vet been

mate will be laid before you.

Gentlemen of the Senate and of the House of Reprefentatives, I fhall content myself with a general reference to former communications for feveral objects, upon which the urgency of other affairs has hitherto poftponed any definitive refolution: - their importance will recal them to your attention; and I truft that the progrefs already made in the most arduous arrangements of the government will afford you leifure to refume them with advantage.

There are, however, fome of them, of which I cannot forbear a more particular mention-these are, the militia-the post-office and postroads-the mint-weights and meafures-a provifion for the fale of the vacant lands of the United States.

The firft is certainly an object of primary importance, whether viewed in reference to the national security, to the fatisfaction of the community, or to the prefervation of order. In connexion with this, the establishment of competent magazines and arfenals, and the fortification of fuch places as are pecu. liarly important and vulnerable, naturally prefent themselves to cunfideration. The fafety of the Unit ed States, under divine protection, ought to reft on the basis of fyftematic and folid arrangement, expofed as little as poffible to the hazards of fortuitous circumstances.

The importance of the poft-office and poft-roads, on a plan fufficiently liberal and comprehensive, as they refpect the expedition, fafety, and facility of communication, is increafed by the inftrumentality in diffufing a knowledge of the laws and proceedings of the government, which, while it contri

butes to the fecurity of the people, ferves, alfo, to guard them against the effects of mifreprefentation and mifconception. The eftablifhment of additional crofs pofts, efpecially to fome of the important points in the Western and Northern parts of the union, cannot fail to be of material utility.

The diforders in the exifting currency, and especially the fcarcity of fmall change, a fcarcity fo peculiar ly diftreffing to the poorer claffes, trongly recommend the carrying into immediate effect the refolution already entered into concerning the establishment of a mint. Mealures have been taken pursuant to that refolution for procuring fome of the most neceffary articles, together with the requifite apparatus.

An uniformity in the weights and measures of the country is among the important objects fubmitted to you by the conftitution; and if it can be derived from a ftandard at once invariable and univerfal, must be no less honourable to the public councils than conducive to the public convenience.

A provifion for the fale of the vacant lands of the United States is particularly urged, among other reafons, by the important confiderations that they are pledged as a fund for reimburfing the public debt that, if timely and judicious ly applied, they may fave the neceffity of burdening our citizens with new taxes for the extinguishment of the principal-and that, being free to difcharge the principal but in a limited proportion, no opportunity ought to be loft for availing the public of its rights.

G. WASHINGTON.

Letters from Arthur Phillip, Esquire,
Governor of New South Wales, to

Lord Sydney, laid before the House ef Commons, March 2, 1791.

NUMBER I.

Sydney Cove, Feb. 12, 1790.

When the Supply left Norfolk Island, the people were all very healthy, and they had vegetables in the greatest abundance. They get fish, when the weather permits the boat to go without the reef, and, at times, in fuch quantities, that fish is ferved to the people in lieu of falt provifions. They make their lines from the flax plant; but, unfortunately, we have not any person who underftands how to dress it.

Half a pod of cotton being found on the ifland (supposed to be brought there by a bird) and a cocoa nut which was perfectly found, and appeared to have been but a fhort time in the water, being thrown upon the beach, have given fome reafon to fuppofe that both these articles will be found in fome island at no great distance.

Lord Howe Island has been examined; but no fresh water, or good anchorage, being found, it can be of no other advantage to this fettlement, than occafionally fupplying a few turtle.

I had the honour of informing your lordship, that a fettlement was intended to be made at a place I named Rofe Hill. At the head of this harbour there is a creek, which, at half flood, has water for large boats to go three miles up; and one mile higher the water is fresh, and the foil is good. A very induftrious man whom I brought from England, is employed there at prefent, and has under his direction one hundred convicts, who are employed in clearing and cultivating the ground. A barn, granary, and other necessary buildings, are efected; and twenty(H 3)

feven

seven acres in corn promife a good crop. The foil is good; and the country for twenty miles to the weftward, as far as I have examined it, lies well for cultivation: but then the labour of clearing the ground is very great; and I have fen none that can be cultivated without cutting down the timber, except fome few particular fpots, which, from their fituation (lying at a distance from either of the harbours) can be of no advantage to us at prefent: and, I prefume, the meadows mentioned in captain Cook's voyage, were feen from the high groundis, about Botany Bay, and from whence they appear well to the eye, but, when examined, are found to be marthes, the draining of which would be waste of time, and not to be attempted by the first fettlers. The captain's guard, which, until lately did duty at Rofe Hill, is now reduced to a lieutenant and twelve privates, and intended merely as a guard to the store which contains the provifions, and which is the redoubt; for I am now fenfible there is nothing to be apprehended from the natives; and the little attendance which had been defired of the officers, more than what was immediately garrifon duty, when at Rofe Hill, is now no longer required.

At Sydney Cove all the officers are in good huts, and the men in barracks; and, although many unforefeen difficulties have been met with, I believe there is not an individual, from the governor to the private foldier, whofe fituation is not more eligible at this time, than he had any reason to expect it could be in the courfe of the three years ftation; and it is the fame with the convicts; and thofe who have been any ways induftrious, have vegetables in plenty. The buildings now carrying on are of brick and ftone. The houfe intended for myfelf was

to conûft of only three rooms; but, having a good foundation, has been enlarged, contains fix rooms, and is fo well built, that I prefume it will stand for a great number of years.

The ftores have been lately overrun with rats; and they are equally numerous in the gardens, where they do confiderable damage; and as the lofs in the ftores cou d only be known by removing all the provifions, that was ordered to be done; and many catks of flour and rice were found to be damaged, or totally deftroyed. The lofs, in these two articles by the rats, fince landing, has been more than twelve thousand weight.

Vegetables and provifions having been frequently ftolen in the night, from convicts, and others; twelve convicts were choten as a night watch, and they have actually antwered the end propofed, no robbery having been committed for feveral months; and the convicts, in general, have behaved better than I ever expected. Only two convicts have fuffered death in the last year. Four were executed the first year.

As near two years have now paffed, fince we firft landed in this country, fome judgment may be formed of the climate; and I believe a finer, or more healthy climate, is not to be found in any part of the world. Of one thousand and thirty people, who were landed, many of whom were worn out by old age, the fcurvy, and various diforders, only feventy-two have died in twenty-one months: and by the furgeon's return it appears, that twenty-x of those died from diforders of long ftanding; and which, it is more than probable, would have carried them off much fooner in England. Fifty-nine children have been born in the above time.

In December the corn at
Rofe

for Norfolk Island, with fome convicts, and returned, after being abfent fix weeks. All the people in that ifland were well; and their crops,i after all they had fuffered from rats, birds, and a worm, which had done them confiderable damage, fo good, that they had grain fufficient for fix, months (and bread for every one upon the island) referving fufficient for their next year's crops.

Rofe Hill was got in. The corn was exceedingly good; about two hundred bushels of wheat, and fixty of barley, with a small quantity of flax, Indian corn, and oats; all which is preferved for feed. Here I beg leave to obferve to your lordfhip, that, if fettlers are fent out, and the convicts divided among them, this fettlement will very fhortly maintain itself; but without which, this country cannot be cultivated to any advantage. At prefent I have only one perfon (who has about one hundred convicts under his direction) who is employed in cultivating the ground for the public benefit, and he has returned the quantity of corn above mentioned into the public ftore. The officers have not raifed fufficient to fupport the little stock they have. Some ground I have had in cultivation, will return about forty bufhels of wheat into store; fo that the produce of the labour of the convicts employed in cultivation, has been very fhort of what might have been expected, and which I take the liberty of pointing out to your lordship in this place; to fhew as fully as poffible, the ftate of this colony, and the neceffity of the convicts being employed by thofe who have an interest in their labour. The giving convicts to the officers has been hitherto neceffary, but it is attended with many inconveniences, for which the advantages arifing to the officers do not make amends it will not therefore be continued after this detachment is relieved, unlefs particularly directed. The numbers employed in cultivation, will, of courfe, be increased, as the neceffary buildings are finished, but which will be a work of time, for there are numbers in this fettlement who do nothing towards their own fupport, except thofe employed for the public.

In November the Supply failed

i

Early in January, 1790, the Sup ply again failed for Norfolk Island with more convicts; and in her paf fage left a fmall party on Lord Howe Ifland, to hunt turtle; but in fifteen, days only three were taken, fo that no great advantages will at prefent accrue from thence. The island has fresh water, but no good anchoringground.

Since the deaths mentioned in a former part of this letter, one woman has fuffered for a robbery; five children have died, and twenty-eight children have been born; making in all, feventy-feven deaths, and eightyfeven births.

NUMBER II.

Sydney Cove, Feb. 13, 1790, In order to get a knowledge of the country round the fettlement, frequent excurfions have been made fince the fhips failed in November, 1788; foon after which I went to Botany Bay, and the five days fpent in that harbour confirmed me in the opinion I had first formed of it, that it afforded no eligible fituation for fixing the fettlement, and was a baḍ harbour, not affording good fecurity for fhips against the cafte ly winds, which frequently blow very hard in the winter, and which has been further proved by captain Hunter, and the first lieutenant of the Sirius, who, went there to furvey the Bay.

After having been feveral times. (H4) with

with the boats to Broken Bay, in order to examine the different branches in that harbour, a river was found; but the want of provifions obliged us to return without being able to trace its fource, which has fince been done; and in the fixteen days we were then out, all those branches, which had any depth of water, were traced as far as the boats could proceed.

The breadth of this river, named the Hawkesbury, is from three hundred to eight hundred feet; and it appears, from the foundings we had, to be navigable, for the largest merchant fhips, to the foot of Richmond Hill; but as the water, near the head of the river, fometimes rifes, after very heavy rains, thirty feet above its common level, it would not be fafe for fhips to go far up; but fifteen or twenty miles below Richmond Hill they would lie in fresh water, and perfectly fafe. I fpeak of Richmond Hill as being the head of the river, it there growing very fhallow, and dividing into two branches.

The high rocky country which forms Broken Bay, is loft as you proceed up the Hawkefbury; and the banks of the river are there covered with timber; the foil a rich light mould; and, judging from the little we faw of the country, I fhould fuppofe it good land to a very confiderable extent. The other branches of fresh water are fhoal, but probably run many miles further into the country than we could trace them in our boats. On these rivers we saw great numbers of wild ducks, and fome black fwans: and on the banks of the Hawkesbury feveral decoys were fet by the natives, to catch quails.

Richmond Hill (near the foot of which a fall of water prevented our proceeding further with the boats)

is the fouthern extremity of a range of hills, which running to the northward, moft probably join the mountains that lie nearly parallel to the coaft, from fifty to fixty miles inland. The foil of Richmond Hill is good, and it lies well for cultivation. Our profpect from the hill was very extenfive to the fouthward and eastward; the country appearing, from the height on which we were, a level covered with timber. There is a flat of fix or seven miles between Richmond Hill and a break in the mountains, which feparates Lansdown and Carmarthen Hills; and in this flat I fuppofe the Hawkesbury continues its courfe, but which could not be feen for the timber, that, with very few exceptions, covers the country, wherever the foil is good.

The great advantage of fo noble a river, when a fettlement can be made on its banks, will be obvious to your Lordship.

The fettlement made at Port Jackfon, and near the head of the harbour (Rofe Hill) very fully anfwers my expectations; the foil is exceedingly good, lies well for cultivation, and is well watered. Six miles to the southward there is a small fresh river; and twenty to the fouthward there is a more confiderable river, the fource of which I fuppose to be at the foot of the mountain, The banks of this river, which most probably empties itfelf into the Hawkesbury, are high, the foil a good light mould, and covered with trees. The wood of fome of the trees is very light they are about the fize of large walnut-trees, which they refemble: they fhed their leaves, and bear a small fruit, which is faid to be very wholesome. This river likewife rifes thirty feet above its common level. It is, as far as I have feen it, from three hundred to

four

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