Old Convict Days In Australia.

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume I, Issue 32, 5 December 1905, Page 4

Old Convict Days In Australia.

(By Charles white.)

Author oi " Australian Bushranging The Story of the Blacks," etc., etc.

CHAPTER IV-7HE VOYAGE OF THE FIRST i'LEET.—

, FAII Rights Reserved] .

Continued.

Several events ,of interest transpired during the stay of the fleet m Rio Janerio harbour. An exchange of visits took place between the Viceroy and Governor Phillip, the former showing marked civilty to the English captain and his officers, and extending great hospitality to them. Divine service was held twice on each Sunday on two of the transports by the Rev R. Johnson, the chaplain who accompanied the voyagers to Botany Bay, and who was the only clergyman m the settlement for several years. An observatory was erected by Lieutenant Dawes on the Island of Enchadus ; and Captain Phillip sent despatches home by a whaler which was returning to England and had put into Rio for repairs, many of those on the fleet also seizing the opportunity to send letters 11 home " to their friends and relatives. But the most interesting^ event that transpired was the shipment of plants and seeds from the port for the new settlement, the following being taken on board : Coffee, plant and seed; cocoa seed, m the nut; cotton seeds, jalap, three sorts of ipecacuhana, tamarind, banana plants oranges of various kinds, both seeds and plants ; lime and lemon seeds and plants, guava seeds, prickly pear, with the cochineal seeds upon it; grape vines, tobacco plants, rice for seed, and pommerose or eugonia, a plant bearing an apple-like fruit and having the flavour and odour of a rose. Besides fresh provisions there were purchased 100 casks of cassada or caffava jatropha, the root of a shrub, which after being deprived of its noxious qualities, formed palatable and nutritious food for bread. There was not much wine to be got at \hat season, but a hundred pipes> of a spirit called aquadente, drawn by the Portuguese from their sugar canes, was purchased at a low figure for the garrison. This liquor was the earliest " colonial rum," which played so conspicuous a part m the commet cc of the new colony, and to which extended reference wsl be made further on. The deficiency m the military stores was also made good from the Portuguese arsenal. The first birth on the voyage took place when the fleet was near Rio Sugar Loaf, a female convict named Mary Broard giving birth to a fine girl. 1 his was on the Bth September. Nine days afterwards (the weather having been very wet and unpleasant) a shark six feet long was caught, and served to break the monotony m the mess on board the transports; On October 4th thirty of the convicts were reported as afflicted with scurvy, and on the sixth four seamen were punished for having conspired to release some offhe exiles when the fleet reached the Cape. In a despatch written about this time Governor Phillip says : — " With respect to the convicts, they have heen all allowed the liberty of the deck m the day, and many of them during the night, which has kept them much healthier than could have been expected. . . . Only fifteen con-

victs and one marine's child have died since we left England."

On the night of the 13th the fleet v came to anchor m Table Bay, and Captain Phillip and the Commissary at once went ashore and made a formal request of the Governor of

the settlement to purchase provisions, especially flour and corn, of which - the fleet stood greatly m need. The Governor replied that be feared the request could not be complied with, as the colony had recently suffered

from a severe drought, resulting m distress bordering upon famine, and that consequently such provisions were scarce. He promised, however, to refer the matter to the Cape Council, and this he did, but it was only through persistently urging the extremity of the voyagers that Captain "Phillip could induce the Councillors to grant permission to contractors to furnish the much-needed supplies. A contract was then entered into with Messrs De Witt and Caston to supply the fleet with live stock, corn, and other necessities, and after a little delay the provisions were emharked.

The live stock here secured formed a foundation of that pastoral industry which to-day is the pride and profit of the Australasian colonies. Captain Phillip had received orders from the Admiralty to select as much stock at the Cape as could be conveniently stored on tbe ships, and he carried out his instructions as far as permitted by the scarcity caused by the preceding drought and the holding capacity of the vessels under his command. During the month of the fleet's stay m port, he transferred from the land to the ships 500 birds- and animals, stalls having been erected for their accommodation. The stock era

On November 13 the fleet weighed anchor and made sail direct for Botany Bay. With the intent of running ahead of the rest of the fleet and selecting and preparing a good position for the foundation of the new colony. Captain Phillip shifted his pennant from the Sirius to the Supply. On the 25th of November he changed his quarters, bein tj accompanied by Lieutenants King and Uawes, and several carpenters, blacksmiths, • sawyers, and other mechanics also embarked on board the Supply, the object being to erect some storehouses at Botany Bay for the temporary convenience of the new settlers. On January 3, 1788, the advance ship sighted Van Diemen's Land, and at 2 p.m on the 18th the Supply anchored m Botany Bay, close to the spot where anchored Captain Cook's ship, the Endeavour, 18 years before. Three other ships of the fleet sailed into the Bay at about the same hour next day, and the remainder followed the day after.

Thus ended the voyage of the first fleet, concerning which Captain Collins says, that before it was entered upon "the mind hardly dared venture to contemplate, and on which it was impossible to reflect without some apprehension as to its termination." That the whole cf the fleet should cross so large an expanse of comparatively unknown water without accident is m itself a marvellous thing, the time occupied m the voyage being a little over eight months ; but more marvellous still is the fact that so few of the voyagers died during the journey, and that the number on the sick list was so small, for we are told that many of the convicts were m bad health when they embarked, and long and close confinement, bad diet, scant clothing, and the absence of absolute necessities on a voyage of that kind, were not calculated to promote health either m the individual or the mass. Speaking of the remarkable success of the voyage, Captain Tench says : — " To what cause are we to attribute this un-hoped-for success? I wish 1 could answer the liberal manner m which the Government supplied the expedition. But when the reader is told that some of the necessary articles allowed to ships on a common passage to the West Indies were withheld from vs — that portable soup, wheat and pickled vegetables were not allowed, and that an inadequate quantity of essence of salt was the only antiscorbutic supplied, his surprise will redouble at the result of the voyage." Proceedings were at once commenced for landing the stores and the people, and men were set to work to clear a piece of land on the the south side of the bay, within a mile of the entrance, and near the spot where Captain Cook had first landed. But Captain Phillip did not like the place, which was very different from the beauteous spot described by Cook, and no time was lost m making an examination of the surrounding country, m search of a more suitable site for settlement. The first place to wh'ch attention was directed was the harbour which Cook had described as existing a few miles northwards of Botany Bay, and which lie had called Port Jackson, it is thought after the seaman who had first sighted it from the masthead of the : good ship Endeavour. Four days after entering the bay Captain ; Phillip proceeded to examine this ; harbour,, and he was so taken with its appearance that he at once decided to remove the settlement. The official histoty which he published contains the following sentence bearing upon the discovery and the decision attendant thereupon : —

: Here all regret arising from the former :dissapointm?nt9 was at once obliterated ; and Governor Phillip, had the satisfaction to 'flud one of the finest harbours m the world, : in which a thousand sail of the line might lide m perfect security. The different e^ves of this harbour were examined with all poss;ible expedition, and the preference was given Uo one which had the fluent spring of water, T and m which ships can anchor so close to the ishore that at a very small expense quays may ;be constructed where the largest vessels may ;unload. This cove is about half a mile jacross the entrance.. In honour of Lord " Sydney, the Governor distinguished it by the name of " Sydney Cove." . . . On the 24th of January Governor Philip having : sufficiently, explored Port Jackson, and i ; found it m all respects highly calculated to receive, such a settlement as he was appointed to establish, returned to Botany Bay. On hi 3 arrival there the reports made to him, both of the ground which the people were clearing and of the upper part 3of the bay, which m this interval had been more particularly examined, wero m the grsatest degree unfavourable. It was imposiible after this to hesitate concerning the choice of a situation, andoidirs were accordingly issued for the removal of tha whole fleet to Port Jack3on.* That Botany Bay sb>u'd have appeared to Captain Cook m a more advantageous light than to Governor Philip is no 5 by any means extraordinary. . . . The appearance of the place is picturesque and pleasing, and the ample harvest it afforded of the botanical acquisitions made it interes ing to the philosophical gentlemen engaged m that exped tioj ; but something more than beauty of appearance, and more necessary than philosophical riches, must ba sought m a place where the, permanent residence of multitudes is to ba established."

barked on the public account comprised three mares, each having a three months old colt at foot, one btallion, six cows with a calf, twohulls, 44 sheep, four goats, 82 hogs,

This was on January 26th, tiie day always observed throughout New South Wales as Anniversary Pay.

and a very large quantity of poultry of various breeds. Most of these were placed on board the Sirius, and the remainder on board the storeships; but m addition to the public stock, the officers on board tho transports speculated on their own account, and purchased live poultry and other stock for food on the voyage ar.d lcr farming purposes when they reached the end of their journey. Cape fruits, seeds and plants were also received on board the fleet, and thus there were introduced to New South Wales with the convicts the quince, apple, pear, mulberry, bamboo, fig, oak, and myrtle trees, besides vines of various kinds, Spanishreeds, sugar-cane, and strawberry plants. From the commander of the Dutch troops and the King's botanist the intending settlers received full instructions concerning the propagation and culture of these useful fruits.

(To be continued).