1S13,] New South Wales, 4$ 



is much straightened by the restrictions in favour of the East 

 India Coinpany. The stock of sheep is not yet sufficiently large 

 to make wool an article of large exportation. The culture of 

 hemp has been less attended to than might have been expected; 

 a profitable trade in sandal wood has at times been, though 

 illegally, carried on with the South Sea Islands and China; 

 woollen manufactories, potteries, and breweries, have been esta- 

 blished, but not with any great success. The commercial regu- 

 lations of the colony liave in many instances been so impolitic as 

 much to discourage mercantile speculation ; tor many years a 

 maximum price was imposed by the Governor upon ail imported 

 merchandize; and at this price, often too low to aiTord a fair 

 profit to the trader, tlie whole cargo was distributed amongst the 

 civil and military officers of the settlement, who alone had. 

 liberty to purchase; and articles of the first necessity were after- 

 wards retailed by them, at an enormous profit, to the poorer 

 settlers. Part of these abuses were corrected in the year 1800; 

 but in the traffic of spirituous liquors, they continued to a very- 

 late periodj and it is therefore with the greatest satisfaction that 

 your committee have learnt that measures have been enforced, 

 as well by the government here as in the colony, to put an end 

 to these practices. It is stated in a dispatch from Governor 

 Macquarie, dated April 30, 1810, that every care will be taken 

 to prevent the officers of the 73d regiment, now in New South 

 Wales, from resortins: to any low or unmilitary occupations', 

 either mercantile or agricultural, for additional m.eans of support; 

 and he justly adds, that such pursuits and avocations are sub- 

 versive of all military disciphne, and incompatible with the rank 

 and character of officers in his Majesty's service. And it is to be 

 hoped that means will also have been devised to restrain the civil 

 officers from making, as has been too often the case, the au- 

 thority of their stations the means of promoting their own mer- 

 cenary views. It will be for the executive government to con- 

 sider hov^^ far the memorial of the officers praying for an increase 

 of pay, in consequence of the deprivation of these emoluments, 

 is to be attended to. But it does not appear to your committee 

 that the military officer is in New South Wales exposed to such 

 hardship, or obliged to incur such expense, as to entitle him to 

 benefits ooi general bestowed upon officers of the British army. 

 Your (?omi/iitt: 3 hai C also learned with satisfaction, that many of 

 the improper restrictions, by which commercial speculation has 

 been thwarted in the colony, have been put an end to. The 

 imposition of a maximum price upon all imported articles of 

 merchandise has been discontinued. The maximum on the 

 price of grain and butcl/crs^ meat is no longer in existence ; and 

 though a similar limit to tlie price of labour was formerly fre- 

 quently attempted, it has been, as might be expected, always 



