The Water Supply of Sydney. 87 



1789, "were examined with all possible expedition, and the 

 preference was given to one which had the finest spring of water. 



This cove is about half a mile in length, and a quarter 



of a mile across at the entrance. In honour of Lord Sydney, 

 the Governor distinguished it by the name of Sydney Cove." 

 In " Collins's New South Wales," published in 1798, it is said 

 that " the spot chosen [for the settlement] was at the head of 

 the cove, near the run of fresh water which stole silently along 

 through a very thick wood, the stillness of which had then for 

 the first time since the creation been interrupted by the rude 

 sound of the labourer's axe, and the downfall of its ancient 

 inhabitants." In this judiciously selected spot, abounding in 

 natural beauty, and possessing many of the features (though by 

 no means all) that ought to mark the site of a great city, the 

 fleet was brought from Botany Bay on the 26th of January. 

 The whole of the people were landed by the 6th of February, 

 and were found to number 1080. Thus was planted the germ, 

 not, it must be allowed, a healthy or promising one, but still not 

 devoid of irrepressible British vigour, which through many 

 vicissitudes and varying fortunes has grown and expanded until 

 in eighty years it has overspread a great portion of this island 

 continent with nearly a million and a half of energetic, self- 

 governing, English-speaking people. At the head of Sydney Cove, 

 and on the banks of the clear running stream, the tents and huts 

 of the infant settlement were erected. It was not long before 

 the supply of water became a source of anxiety, for the stream 

 was scanty, and doubtless sometimes stopped running, but we 

 are told that the people soon began to dig wells, and were suc- 

 cessful in finding springs. 



By a notice m the Sydney Gazette of date October 19th, 1811, 

 it appears that when the settlement was only in its second year, 

 it fell into great straits for want of water. " From the best 

 information we can collect," says the Gazette, " so intense a 

 drought at this time of the year has not been witnessed since the 

 year 1789, when the new colonists suffered a parching thirst for 

 several months, the springs from which they had been before 

 supplied either failing totally, or yielding scarcely a sufficiency 

 to supply nature." 



As^the town increased, wells were'multiplied, and the rivulets 

 falling into other parts of the harbour were laid under contribu- 

 tion, particularly the copious stream running into Blackwattle 

 Swamp ; but for a number of years the Tank Stream was the 

 main dependence, and strenuous efforts were made from time to 

 time to husband the supply and preserve its purity. Three 

 reservoirs or " tanks" were excavated in the rock near the mouth 

 of the stream, close to the point where Hunter-street and Pitt- 

 street now intersect. I have not discovered the exact date of 



