96 A COLONIAL AUTOCRACY. 



In 1804 licenses for beer only were issued at a lower rate 

 than spirit licenses, but appeared to have been discontinued 

 before 1810. 



Macquarie found that in spite of these regulations there 

 were numbers of unlicensed houses in Sydney, and a great 

 many more licensed ones than were at all necessary. 1 Taverns 

 were found thickly clustered, especially in the wildest and 

 wickedest part of the town, known as " The Rocks ". The spirits 

 sold, the Bengal and Jamaica rum, were of a particularly fiery 

 kind, though probably not as deleterious as the gin which had 

 wrought such havoc in England. Macquarie sought at once 

 to bring the trade within reasonable limits. The cost of the 

 license was raised to 20 and the number of houses reduced to 

 thirty-one for the whole settlement. Twenty only remained 

 in Sydney. The penalty for unlicensed vending was raised to 

 20, half of which together with half the stock was to go to 

 the informer. 2 



The illicit trade continued, and probably the drastic reduc- 

 tion in the number of licenses tended to encourage it. In June 

 the Governor gave notice that he was "resolved to prosecute 

 such persons " (the unlicensed publicans) " with the utmost rigour 

 of the law, and to have them most severely punished for so 

 daring a breach of the Orders and Regulations of Govern- 

 ment." 3 The gains of illicit dealing, however, far out-balanced 

 the fines imposed. 



In the same year the question of beer licenses was again 

 brought forward. When the grant of separate licenses had 

 been discontinued those houses and those houses only which 

 were licensed for wine and spirit could retail beer. The reduc- 

 tion in their number curtailed the brewers' market, and a re- 

 vival of beer licenses was suggested as profitable for them and 

 also for those publicans whose houses had been closed by the 

 reduction in the numbers of licenses. Some of the latter peti- 

 tioned the magistrates on the 22nd June, praying for licenses 

 to retail beer and ale. As they were " reputable housekeepers " 

 the Bench recommended nearly fifty of them to the Governor. 4 



1 In 1809 there were 101 unlicensed houses. 



2 G.G.O., tyth February, 1810. 3 G.G.O., gth June, 1810. 

 *S.G., 23rd June, 1810. 



