BY JAMES BACKHOUSE WALKER. 



173 



and others who had cultivated small plots of ground had 

 peas, French beans, potatoes, and turnips. Vegetables 

 were plentiful, and it was fully expected that the cultiva- 

 tion of grain would be an equal success. Towards the 

 end of March, H.M.S. Buffalo again sailed for the Tamar, 

 carrying an additional military force, 50 prisoners — mostly 

 from Norfolk Island — 2 horses, 8 head of cattle, 135 sheep, 

 and a quantity of stores. This made the total strength 

 about 200 persons. Mrs. Paterson was a passenger by 

 the Buffalo, and the transference of head-quarters to 

 York Town was completed before the end of March. 



By this time Paterson had received a welcome addition 

 to his resources. Lord Hobart had, in 1803, directed 

 Governor King to enter into an arrangement with Camp- 

 bell & Co. of Sydney, to import cattle from India for the 

 use of Collins's Port Phillip settlement. When Collins 

 removed to the Derwent, King arranged with Campbell 

 & Co. to supply these cattle to one or other of the Van 

 Diemen's Land settlements. The directions as to the 

 their final destination were given in a way sufficiently 

 curious, and which illustrates the primitive methods in 

 use in those early days. The master of the vessel bring- 

 ing the stock, on his arrival at the entrance of Bass 

 Strait, was to send a boat ashore at Sea Elephant Bay, 

 King's Island, where he would find a shed, from the 

 rafters of which a bottle would be suspended, and in the 

 bottle he would find a letter with the Governor's direc- 

 tions as to the port at which the cattle were to be landed. 

 The contract price was to be £25 per head for the cows 

 landed, and £5 per head for the calves. 910 cows were 

 put on board the ship Sydney at Calcutta. Of these 

 "SHe died on the passage; the remaining 612, with 10 

 calves, being safely landed at Port Dalrymple at the end 

 of March. The cost to the Imperial Government of this 

 shipment was ,£15,350. 



As York Town did not afford sufficient pasture for 

 the stock, the Lieutenant-Governor had them landed at 

 Outer Cove, where Ensign Piper was placed in charge 

 ot them. The change of climate and food, however, 

 was so injurious to them that their numbers rapidly 

 diminished, and they were removed to the less exposed 

 western shore, where sheds were erected for their shelter. 

 In spite of all care and the labour of a large number of 

 nien in providing them with fodder, the winter reduced 

 them so much that the return of spring saw only 251 of 

 Bengal cows surviving. Paterson therefore had 



Sydney 



Gazette, 



24 Mar., 1805. 



Paterson 

 to King-, 

 5 April, 1805. 



Campbell 



to King, 



10 May, 1804. 



King to 

 Camden, 

 30 April, 1805. 



Paterson 

 to King, 

 14 Nov., 1805. 



Ibid., 



30 Dec, 1805. 



th 



them removed, first to Point Rapid and then to the 



