Early History of Port Jackson. 75 



The colonists had scarcely settled down after their arrival on, 

 as was speedily found, the anything but safe or fertile shores 

 of Botany Bay, ere they were removed to another harbour, 

 lying about seven miles further north, beautifully situate, and 

 fulfilling every requirement, which they named Port Jackson. 



The first free settlers did not make their appearance till 

 1794. The officers of the garrison were merchants also, and 

 trafficked in whatever merchandise they could find. Rum 

 especially was a chief article. A Government regulation re- 

 quired every ship which should put into Port Jackson, to deliver 

 a certain proportion of her spirits to the officers according to 

 their rank ! ! They also received a list of the merchandise 

 brought by each ship, from which they selected whatever 

 seemed most profitable, which they disposed of again at retail 

 to the soldiers, settlers, and convicts at an immense profit. 

 Further, the officers enjoyed the entire monopoly of importing 

 spirits, as also the exclusive privilege of selling them to the 

 retail merchants. By these devices many of them amassed 

 considerable fortunes by trade, and thus the repeated efforts 

 made by a succession of Governors to effect a reform in the 

 colony were rendered fruitless. During the administration of 

 Captain Bligh, so widely known in connection with the tragic 

 fate of the mutineers of the Bounty^ rum was the most valuable 

 article of exchange, and the colonists found by bitter experi- 

 ence that there were no other sellers of this destructive drink 

 than the privileged few. 



The utmost anarchy and violence reigned supreme through- 



