LAND, LABOUR AND COMMERCE. 125 



1819 and 1820 had placed a severe strain on the colonial 

 resources, for their rations had to be provided from the time 

 of their disembarkation. Bigge urged that the old practice of 

 sending salt-meat provisions sufficient to supply each batch of 

 convicts for six months should be reverted to. 1 In 1810 the 

 cattle, sheep and pigs in the settlement numbered 57,ooo. 2 In 



1820 they numbered 178,000. The pasture lands in 1810 had 

 covered 75,000 acres, and in 1820 they covered 334,000 acres. 

 The increase was of course great, but the land was less heavily 

 stocked than it had been, and Bigge's precautionary advice was 

 probably needed. 



So far comparatively few settlers had turned their attention 

 to wool-growing. In fact for practical purposes Macarthur may 

 be said to be the representative of the whole wool-trade of the 

 Colony. It was he who first brought New South Wales wool 

 to England, and it was on account of this wool that he received 

 his grant of 5,000 acres in the Cow Pastures with a promise of 

 5,000 more when his flocks had so increased as to require them. 

 Above all it was his triumphant success that stirred others to 

 follow in his footsteps. 



The first notice of New South Wales wool sold in England 

 appeared in the Sydney Gazette in i8i3- 3 "Ten or twelve 

 packs " had been sold and had averaged 53. a Ib. The duty 

 was then 75. I id. per cwt. 4 From that time each year some 

 wool was exported. In 1818 it amounted to 71,299 Ib., in 1819 

 to 112,616 Ib. and in 1820 to 175,433 Ib. The price in 1820 

 ranged from ios. 4d. a Ib. for one especially fine bale to is. 2^d. 

 per Ib. for coarse wool. The duty was then increased to id. a 

 Ib. and the freight varied from 3d. to 4|d. a Ib. 5 



In 1819 Riley stated that the settlers in general wished to 

 cultivate wool, but the Government offered them no assistance. 6 

 Both Macquarie and Lord Bathurst, in discouraging large estates, 

 effectually discouraged sheep-farming. Macarthur, for example, 

 had not received his additional 5,000 acres, and although in 1821 

 he had altogether 9,600 acres, it was not all in one place, and 



1 Macquarie to Bathurst at suggestion of Bigge, D. n, 3rd July, 1821. R.O., 

 MS. 



2 In round numbers. 3 S.G., i7th April, 1813. 

 4 S.G., loth September, 1814. 5 Bigge's Report, III. 



6 Riley, C. on G., 1819. 



