168 



THE DISCOVERY OF PORT DALRYMPLE. 



Paterson 

 to King, 

 26 Nov., 1804 



Ibid. 



put m charge of the live stock. His duties were not 

 onerous, for only a horse, four head of cattle, three sheep, 

 and lo swine had survived the storms of the passage. 

 I here was no chaplain, and as Paterson was at a loss for 

 a person to perform Divine service, he induced Captain 

 Kent to discharge from the Buffalo a Mr. Edward 

 Main, who, we may presume, had some qualifications 

 for the office, and who was thereupon installed to attend 

 to the spiritual wants of the little community The 

 prisoners were set to work to erect temporary huts for 

 themselves, which were plaeed clear of the camp on the 

 opposite side of the creek, to prevent as far as possible 

 communication with the troops. The prisoners worked 

 hard and cheerfully from daylight to dark every dav, and 

 m a fortnight from the time of landing the huts" were 

 completed. 



The Governor's next care was to begin cultivation, for 

 with a salt meat diet, a plentiful supply of vegetables was 

 most important to the health of his people. " A gano- of 

 men was therefore set to work to break up ground The 

 means at hand for cultivation were limited ; hardly 

 any agricultural implements had been provided The 

 seeds had nearly all been destroyed by rats on the passage 

 down, and most of the plants sent had died, though a few 

 fruit trees and strawberry and hop plants had been saved 

 ihe Governor had to buy potatoes for seed from the 

 master of the Integrity, as the authorities had not thought 

 it worth-while to send any for the use of the colony 

 Patei-son's despatches show that in fitting out the ex- 

 pedition there had been the same extraordinary want of 

 care and foresight in providing necessary thino-g which 

 seems to have been characteristic of official preparations 

 for all these early settlements. He complains to Governor 

 King that the prisoners were wholly destitute of shoes 

 and that he had been compelled to ask the purser of the' 

 Buffalo to let him have 100 pairs from the vessel's 

 stock ; while in such a vital matter as the supply of pro 

 visions, the quantity sent was so inadequate, in view of 

 the difficulty and uncertainty of obtaining timely aid 

 from head quarters that he had thought it necessary to 

 supplement his stock with salt meat from the Buffalo' i 

 stores. •' / 



The Lieut-Governor had already made some short 

 excursions from Outer Cove, and Captain Kent, of the 

 Buffalo, had examined Western Arm, where he had 

 found good streams of water, land fit for cultivation, and 

 good timber; and from his rep , rt Paterson thought 



