92 A COLONIAL AUTOCRACY. 



In the despatch of April, 1810, he had strongly recommended 

 the establishment of a distiller}'-. By this means a market 

 would be provided for the surplus grain of the Colony. Other- 

 wise there was not sufficient encouragement for the farmers. 

 When seasons were good and the crops heavy there was no 

 means of selling the surplus corn, the area of cultivation for 

 the next year was reduced and the food-supply in lean years 

 seriously threatened. 1 



The Committee on Transportation in 1812 adopted this 

 proposal. But they regarded it as an alternative to free im- 

 portation, and stated in their Report "that they are of the 

 opinion that an unlimited supply of spirits may be furnished 

 to the Colony in a manner much more conducive to its interests 

 than by a free importation ". They regretted " that the hos- 

 pital contract prevented the immediate establishment of a 

 distillery." 



Lord Bathurst refused to adopt the suggestion and stated 

 his views at large to Macquarie. 2 " By a reference to Mr. 

 Campbell's evidence," 3 he wrote, " it will appear, and indeed you 

 must be aware from your own experience, that the Colony does 

 not produce more than sufficient for its own consumption, and 

 consequently that whatsoever proportion of the corn crop were 

 now applied to distillation must be withdrawn from the sub- 

 sistence of the inhabitants. 4 . . . Whether the quality of the 

 spirit made in the Colony will be superior to that now imported 

 from Bengal or America is a point on which I possess no very 

 adequate means of deciding. 5 I confess myself in some degree 

 at a loss to comprehend the effect which the proposed measure 

 is intended to produce upon illicit distillation ; unless it is under- 

 stood that the distillation of spirits should henceforth be gener- 

 ally permitted without any restriction or limitation whatsoever ; 

 for if duties are to be imposed they will be met by the same 

 desire for evading them ; and if they are altogether withdrawn 



1 See also Chapter V. Z D. 13, 23rd November, 1812. R.O., MS. 



3 Before C. on T. Mr. Robert Campbell, not the Governor's Secretary, J. T. 

 Campbell. 



4 This is only partly true. The small encouragement to farmers kept the 

 area under cultivation at a low figure. 



5 This was one of Macquarie's arguments. H.R., VII., p. 335. D., 3oth April, 

 1810. 



