8 A COLONIAL AUTOCRACY. 



and gradually cast aside the chains of military government, 

 that the full force of these restrictions came to be felt. 



There was a second twofold division of an economic rather 

 than social nature crossing that of convicts and free, the division, 

 namely, between those who received rations from the Govern- 

 ment stores and those who did not between the "victualled" 

 and the "not-victualled ". To those who were "on the store," 

 a ration of meat and grain varying with the harvests and the 

 frequency of home supplies, was served out each week, and in 

 1811 Government provided 4,227 full rations. 1 As these in- 

 cluded the half rations for women and quarter rations for child- 

 ren, the total number of persons for whose food-supply the 

 Government was responsible was considerably over 4,000. The 

 "victualled" included the civil department, the military and 

 police forces with their families, 2 1,347 convicts in Government 

 employ, 80 land proprietors, the families of 40 of them and 90 of 

 their convict servants. Rations constituted a great part of the 

 remuneration of the small employees of Government, and in the 

 lower ranks of the police force food and clothing formed the 

 only wages. For the farmers the supply of rations was part of 

 the system of land grants and " indulgences " to free and convict 

 settlers. 3 



The establishment of these Government stores issuing 

 rations to about half the population influenced strongly the 

 agricultural development of the Colony. Government not only 

 granted land and assigned convict servants, but was also the 

 chief purchaser of the produce of farmer and grazier, and the 

 Government price ruled the market. 4 Socially the stores in 

 Sydney and in the townships were the chief rallying points 

 for settlers and traders, who would come thither and loiter 

 about, discussing the prospects of rain, and the laziness of 

 convict servants, the findings of the Criminal Court and the 

 stru ggle against Napoleon, the depredations of the natives on 

 their peach trees, and the eternal glories of George III. and the 



1 In 1810 there were fewer rations served out, but it is impossible to find the 

 exact increase. 



* In a few cases the families were not " on the store ". 



3 See later in this Chapter. 



4 In 1810 Government purchased three-fifths of the wheat grown in the 

 colony. C. on T. 



