262 ACCOUNT OF THE ENGLISH COLONY [April, 



The permiflion given to officers to hold lands had operated power- 

 fully in favour of the colony, which was, in the opinion of mod 

 people, now making rapid ftrides toward that independence fo long, 

 and hitherto fo vainly, wifli'ed for. Thefe gentlemen were liberal in 

 their employment of people ; and fuch had been their exertions, that 

 it appeared by a furvey taken in the laft month, that nine hundred 

 and eighty-two acres had been cleared by them fince that permiflion 

 had been received ; and it further appeared, that there had been 

 cleared fince Governor Phillip's departure in December 1792, two 

 thoufand nine hundred and fixty-two acres, h muff here be remem- 

 bered, that the colony had been fupplied with no other grain than 

 that railed within itfelf from the 1 6th day of December 1793. 



Some natives, who had obferved the increafing number of the 

 fettlers on the|banks of the Hawkcfbury, and had learned that they 

 were folicitous to difcover other frefh-water rivers, for the purpofe of 

 forming fettlements, allured them, that at no very great difbnce from 

 Botany Bay, there was a river of frefh water which ran into the 

 fea. As this was thought not to be improbable, two men of the mi- 

 litary, who were deemed of fuflicient judgment and difcretion for the 

 purpofe, were fent out well armed and furnifhed with provifions for 

 a week. They fet off from the fouth fhore, and were accompanied by 

 a native, as a guide, who profefled a knowledge of the country, and 

 named the place where the frefh water would be found to run. 

 Great expectations were formed of this excurfion, from the confidence 

 with which the native repeatedly aflerted the exigence of a frefh water 

 river. On the 20th, however, the party returned, with an account, 

 that the native had very foon walked beyond his own knowledge of the 

 country, and trufted to them to bring him fafe back ; that having 

 penetrated about twenty miles to the fouthward of Botany Bay, they 

 came to a large inlet of the fea, which formed a fmall harbour. The 

 head of this they rounded, without difcovering any river of frefh, 

 water near it. The country they defcribed as high and rocky in the 



neigh- 



