62 



A US TRA LA SI A ILL US TRA TED. 



K; 



December, 1801 : "It is notorious that since Governor Phillip left this colony in 1792, 

 the utmost licentiousness has prevailed among this class (settlers who had been convicts), 

 although they have used the most laborious exertions in clearing land of timber. 

 Unfortunately, the produce went to a few monopolizing traders, who had their agents in 

 ever)' corner of the settlement, not failing to ruin those they marked for their prey by 

 the baneful lure of spirits. It can scarce be credited that, in a soil and climate equal 

 to the production of any plant or vegetable, out of four hundred and five settlers 

 scarce one grew either potato or cabbage. Growing wheat and maize, which are the 

 articles required by the public stores (and which were paid for in spirits), was their 

 only object ; and when that has been attained, it has often occurred that one night's 

 drinking at the house of one of those agents has eased them of all their labour had 

 acquired in the preceding year." Such were the evils which Hunter saw around him. 

 but vainly tried to remedy. 



In other directions, however, some progress was made. A small newspaper, the 

 Sydney Gazette, was established as the official organ of the Government ; a church 



was erected on the eastern side 

 of the Cove, and a wind-mill on 

 1' lag-staff Hill. A play-house was 

 also built, and opened with a 

 performance by some prisoners of 

 Farquhar's comedy, " The Recruit- 

 ing-officer," for which a prologue 

 was written by the notorious 

 George Harrington. A herd of 

 wild cattle, the progeny of the 



^ y, '// - ' - 1 ' 



two bulls and five cows lost in 



RELICS FROM THE LA PEROUSE EXPEDITION. j- I 1 



1 788, was discovered inland, a 



DISCOVERED ON THE VANIKORO REEFS. 



considerable distance beyond Parra- 



matta, at a place which was called the Cow-pastures. The first public meeting ever held 

 in the colony was in June, 1799, for the purpose of raising funds to build a more secure 

 gaol (a curious commentary on the administration . of the day), but subscriptions were 

 freely given both of money and materials, and the gaol was erected. 



THE INTRODUCTION OF WOOL. 



The most important event connected with Governor Hunter's term of office was the 

 inauguration of the great wool-growing industry, the pioneer of which was John 

 Macarthur, who arrived in the colony in the year 1791, as a captain of the New South 

 Wales Corps. He was a man of unusual sagacity, energy and perseverance, and was 

 well qualified to gain distinction in a much larger sphere than that presented to him 

 by Sydney at the end of the last century. His ambition was not to be satisfied by 

 the profits, large though they were, to be made out of the squalid rum traffic. He 

 saw the capabilities of the new country for grazing sheep and cattle, and having a few 

 head of both, he determined to utilize the advantages which free grants of land, free 

 labour, and the command of a market offered him in his new home. 



