History of New South Wales From the Records
VOLUME 1 - GOVERNOR PHILLIP 1783-1789

G. B. Barton - 1889

PART I

The Fleet at Sea

 

IT was on the 13th of May that Phillip, having hoisted his flag on board the Sirius as Commodore of the squadron, gave the signal to weigh anchor, and the ships under his command, one after another, spread their sails to the wind. They were accompanied by another man-of-war, the Hyæna, a frigate of twenty-four guns, which was under orders to see them clear of the Channel and bring back a final letter from Phillip. The navigation of the Channel was the most difficult part of the voyage; but good fortune was with them from the first, and the ships got into the Atlantic without any accident. It was a week, however, before Phillip could sit down and write his first despatch. The sea was running high, and his table was so unsteady that he could not write at ease; his despatch was therefore merely a short note, addressed to Nepean. The Commodore was evidently in good spirits; having cleared the Channel, "I look on all our difficulty as ended." The only matter that seemed to trouble him much was the "women's cloathing," which he had been compelled to leave behind.

As we are now nearly one hundred leagues clear of the Channel, the Hyæna leaves us this evening to return to Plymouth, but the sea runs too high to send on board the different transports to get any particular account of the state of the convicts. I have therefore only to repeat what I said in my last from the Motherbank, that a great part of the women's cloathing was not come down from London when we sailed, nor did I receive the letters for the Vice-King. The Provost-Marshal, who had not been seen for a considerable time before we sailed, is left behind, and as it will be very necessary to have such an officer on the spot, I have ordered Mr. Henry Brewer to act as such, and shall be glad if he is approved of. I enclose a copy of the last returns, and shall send you a more particular account from Teneriffe. At present our motion is such that I find it very difficult to sit at table; but the weather is good, and tho' the Charlotte and Lady Penrhyn sail very badly, the clearing of the Channel is one great point gained, and with which I look on all our difficulty as ended.

But one difficulty was no sooner ended than another presented itself in an unexpected shape:-

Since I sealed my letters I have received a report from the officers on board the Scarborough respecting the convicts, who, it is said, have formed a scheme for taking possession of the ship. I have order'd the ringleaders on board the Sirius, and should not mention the affair at this moment, as I have no time to enter into particulars, but that I suppose it will be mentioned in letters from that ship. I did intend to write to Lord Sydney, but it is late, and I wish the boats on board the different ships. You may assure his lordship of my respects, and tell him the reason that prevents my writing to him.

Two of the ringleaders in this conspiracy were flogged, and then removed into another ship. The sudden extinction of their scheme produced a wholesome effect on the minds of the convicts, for they seem to have remained quiet during the rest of the voyage. A different tale is told by the records in the Home Office of a similar conspiracy which took place a few years previously. The ship Mercury, bound to America with one hundred and seventy convicts on board, was seized by them; the captain and his officers were put in irons "after a very bloody resistance, in which many of the convicts were wounded;" but the men having brought the ship into Torbay, their career was very soon closed. "They hoisted out the boat, and about sixty went on shore, armed; a second attempt to land was made by the remainder next morning; but the captain and his people, having got free from their chains," and obtained assistance from a King's ship, immediately secured them.

It was not until the ship cast anchor in the harbour of Santa Cruz in the Isle of Teneriffe, on the 3rd June, that Phillip had an opportunity of seeing the whole of the people committed to his charge. He found them quiet and contented, but noticed some "compleat villains" among them. During their stay in port, they shared with the crews and marines the good things provided for them, in the shape of fresh meat, vegetables, and fruit, for the purpose of protecting them against attacks of scurvy. While here, Phillip wrote a letter to Lord Sydney, in which he mentioned the singular fact discovered after they had set sail, that the marines had been sent to sea without any supply of "musquet balls," or even paper for making "musquet cartridges." It was fortunate that the convicts did not make the same discovery while they were at sea.

I have the honor to inform your lordship that I anchored here the 3rd inst. with his Majesty's ship under my command, the Supply, tender, store-ships, and transports.

By the enclosed list your lordship will see that the convicts are not so sickly as when we sailed, and while we remain here the Commissary will be able to procure them fresh meat at a very moderate expense.

I understood when the marines who were to form the garrison were embarked that they would be furnished with ammunition, but since we sailed find that they were only supplyed with what was necessary for immediate service while in port, and we have neither musquet balls nor paper for musquet cartridges, nor have we any armourers' tools to keep small arms in repair.

I am therefore to request that your lordship will be pleased to give orders that those articles may be sent out by the first ship, and for which, as well as for the women's cloathing that was left behind, we shall be much distressed. I hope the transports will be able to compleat their water by the 9th, and shall not lose an hour after that is done.

He wrote at the same time to Nepean:-

I have the pleasure of informing you that I anchored here the 3rd, late in the evening, and by the returns made to Lord Sydney you will see that the convicts are in a better state than when we sailed.

The procuring fresh meat being absolutely necessary, and wishing that it would be done with as little expense to Government as possible, I have ordered bread to be issued to the marines and convicts from the store-ships, for it could not be got here but at a very high price. The butter intended for the use of the garrison will be good for very little, and much wasted before we land from being in single firkins. A proportion of butter I have therefore ordered also to be served while we remain here, and by which means the marines and convicts will have fresh provisions at a less expense to Government (including the value of the biscuit and butter) than if they had continued on salt provisions.

As we have sailed without either musquet cartridges for the use of the garrison, or paper or ball to make them, we shall have none but what little the Sirius can supply. This I have mentioned in my letter to Lord Sydney. Nor have we any tools to keep the small arms in repair, the want of which will put us in many inconveniences.

In my letter by the Hyæna I mentioned the apprehensions the officers of the Scarborough were under, and tho' I did not think they had reason to be seriously alarmed, as some of the convicts had behaved very ill, two of the supposed ringleaders were ordered on board the Sirius, punished, and then sent on board the Prince of Wales, where they still remain. In general the convicts have behaved well. I saw them all yesterday for the first time; they are quiet and contented, tho' there are amongst them some compleat villains.

I shall sail the moment the transports have compleated their water, and hope that will be done by Saturday or Sunday. The Spanish packet that sails this afternoon gives me this opportunity of writing, and I shall leave duplicate to be forwarded by the next conveyance, as it will be a very considerable time after this before I shall have an opportunity of writing again.

As the store-ships cannot receive any more wine for the garrison, spirits will be procured for them at Rio de Janeiro.

The next port at which they touched was that of Rio de Janeiro, where they anchored on the 6th August and remained till the 4th September. The time was pleasantly spent by the English officers, the Viceroy insisting on showing his guests every possible mark of attention - Phillip being accorded the same honours as himself. He had not forgotten that Phillip had served for some time in the Portuguese navy during the war with Spain, and as the Englishman could speak the Portuguese language freely, their intercourse was free from the usual difficulties experienced by foreigners. The reception met with at Rio forms a striking contrast with the treatment to which Captain Cook was subjected during his stay in the same port, in November, 1768. No person on board his ship was allowed to land, except himself, and he was attended by an officer wherever he went - a distinction he would gladly have dispensed with (1).

The letters written at Rio say very little about the hospitalities shown by the Viceroy, but they give very minute details about matters connected with the fleet and the people on board. The first letter to Lord Sydney was a short one:-

Having sailed from Teneriffe the 10th of June, I anchored off this harbour the 5th of this month, of which I had the honor of informing your lordship by a ship that past us, and the 6th, in the evening, anchored in the harbour with the tender, store-ships, and transports.

I inclose returns of the detachment and of the convicts, who, as well as the officers and seamen belonging to the ships, continue very healthy.

In my letter to Mr. Nepean I have mentioned particulars respecting the provisions, spirits, &c., procured here, and I have the honor of assuring your lordship that every little assistance we have wanted in this port has been most readily granted by the Vice-King, and to whom I feel myself under particular obligations for the attention he has shown to me and the officers under my command.

The convicts have been very plentifully supplied with fresh provisions, and that at a small expense, 3¾d. a head per day, all expenses included. The allowance of meat to the convicts has been 20 oz. every day, and they are much healthier than when we left England. Only fifteen convicts and one marine's child have died since we left Spithead.

This was followed by a longer communication, chiefly remarkable for its reference to the purchase of rum at Rio. Even Phillip's sagacity did not enable him to forsee the dangerous consequences likely to follow from its use in the settlement, and made his purchase of "one hundred and fifteen pipes of rum" with as little suspicion as if it had been so much small beer. Captain Tench informs us that the Portuguese at Rio had not "learnt the art of making palatable rum," the quantity purchased being "very ill-flavoured."

By my letters of the 5th and 10th of June from Santa Cruz, I had the honor of informing you of the impossibility of receiving any wine on board for the use of the garrison, that the marines and convicts received six days' fresh provisions, and that the Commissary had drawn for £76 1s. 9d., the expenses at that port. I likewise mentioned the slops for the women not being sent down before we sailed, and the want of musquet balls and paper cartridges for the use of the garrison, as likewise tools to keep the small arms in repair; those articles will, I hope, be sent out in the ship that goes for the bread-fruit.

The Provost-Martial having remained in England, I recommended Mr. Henry Brewer as a proper person to fill that post, and I shall order him to do the duty till I receive instructions on that head.

With respect to the women's cloathing, it was made of very slight materials, much too small, and in general came to pieces in a few weeks. If materials are sent out, it will be much cheaper to Government, and the cloathes will be better made.

As few vegetables could be procured at Santa Cruz, I should have stopped for twenty-four hours at Port Praya (2), but when off that port light airs of wind and a strong current making it probable some of the ships might not get in, I did not think it prudent to attempt it.

We anchored off Rio Janeiro the 5th of this month, of which I had an opportunity of informing you by a ship that passed us, and the 6th, in the evening, got into the harbour with the Supply tender, store-ships, and transports.

I have the pleasure of saying that every assistance we have wanted in this port has been most readily granted.

One hundred and fifteen pipes of rum has been purchased for the use of the garrison, when landed, and for the use of the detachment at this port.

The marines and convicts have had fresh provisions since in port, and as I found at Teneriffe that ¾ lb. of beef was not sufficient for a convict for the day, and that no butter or cheese could be procured here, the beef being exceedingly good and very cheap, I ordered each person victualled by the Commissary 1¼ lb. of beef and 1 lb. of rice, and to the children of the marines and convicts ¾lb. of meat and 1 lb. of rice, with vegetables each day.

The marines and their wives have had the usual quantity of spirits. The allowance for the convicts when at sea being so small was the reason I ordered them, while in port, the same allowance as the officers and men belonging to the garrison, spirits excepted. The victualling all these, who are under the inspection of the Commissary, including fixing and every other expense, amounts to no more than 3¾ d. a head per day.

Wine is not to be bought at present but from those who retail it, there being none in store, consequently is dearer than in general, and the rum on our coming in, there being little in the place, rose more than 25 per cent.

One hundred sacks of casava (3) have been purchased, which will be issued to the convicts when the bread is expended, and will be cheaper to Government; it costs only 5s. 8 7/8 d., and the sacks, being of strong Russia, will be used hereafter in cloathing the convicts, many of whom are nearly naked.

As the Vice-King offered anything the King's stores furnished that might be wanted, ten thousand musquet balls have been purchased from the arsenal, the Sirius not being able to supply the garrison with a sufficient quantity to serve till ball might be sent from England.

Before we sailed from Portsmouth two medicene-chests were fitted for the transports that had none, and at Teneriffe soap was bought to repay what the convicts had received before we sailed from England from the marines. These articles and some few others were too trifling to draw for on the Treasury, and were paid by me.

Some expenses have now attended the procuring seeds and plants that could not be purchased, and it will be necessary to satisfy those people whose store we have occupied with some tents that have been damaged and sent on shore to air, and where we have had officers and men since we have been here, with the timekeeper and the necessary instruments to determine its rate of going; as likewise the captain of the port, with his boat's crew, who, the day we came in, attended to give any assistance the transports might want, we then having only a light air of wind, and this I do, having refused the paying the customary fees which are paid by their own merchants' ships as well as strangers. It is £3 12s. on coming in, the same on going out, and 5s. 6d. a day while they remain at anchor in the port. This was demanded for the transports, but never insisted on after I had said it could not be paid, as the ships had King's stores on board. And as these articles are such as do not permit vouchers, I have not thought it right to order the Commissary to pay them, but have drawn on the Treasury for £135, which will be sufficient for the whole. It is little more than half the sum which must have been paid for the store, had it been hired.

With respect to the convicts, they have been all allowed the liberty of the deck in the day, and many of them during the night, which has kept them much healthier than could have been expected.

It has been necessary, that the store-ships might receive the spirits, to move part of the provisions from them into the transports, and I am sorry to say that, what with some of the provisions being in very slight casks, and very little attention having been paid to the stowage, we have had much trouble in moving the casks, and some tents and slops that were only in wrappers were damaged. I fear many articles will be destroyed before they are landed, and which it is not now possible to prevent.

I have been able to procure all such fruit and plants as I think likely to thrive on the coast of New South Wales, particularly the coffee, indigo, cotton, and cochineal.

In a letter written at Rio to Nepean, Phillip referred to an official reception at the Viceroy's palace, but made no attempt to describe the ceremonies:-

The 21st being the Prince of Portugal's birthday, and the Vice-King receiving the compliments of all the officers, I waited on him with those I had presented to him on our arrival. The Sirius fired twenty-one guns, having the flag of Portugal hoisted at the fore-topmast, and the Union at the mizen. He seemed much pleased with this compliment, and we part perfectly satisfied with each other.

Three slight shocks of an earthquake have been felt at Trinidad, where the Portuguese still keep a small garrison.

Surgeon White has left us a graphic account of a reception at the palace, on the occasion of Phillip's final visit (4):-

On our landing, the same officer who had attended us upon every other public occasion conducted us to the presence-chamber. As we passed, every military and public honour was paid to the Commodore; the colours were laid at his feet, as they hitherto had been whenever he landed in his public character; a token of respect that is never bestowed on any person but the Governor himself. When we arrived at the palace, an officer of the household, who was waiting to receive us, conducted us through a most delightful recess, hung round with bird-cages, whose inhabitants seemed to vie with each other both in the melody of their notes and the beauty of their plumage. The passage we walked through was adorned on each side with odoriferous flowers and aromatic shrubs; which, while they charmed the eye, spread a delightful fragrance around. This passage led to a private room, on the outside of the door of which we were received by the Viceroy, who stood uncovered, and noticed each person separately in the most friendly and polite manner. His Excellency preceded us into the room, and having requested all of us to be seated, placed himself by the Commodore in a position that fronted us. In return for our thanks, he said, "it gave him infinite pleasure and satisfaction to find that the place had afforded us the supplies we stood in need of." To this he added that "the attention of the inhabitants, which we were good enough to notice, was much short of his wishes." We then arose and took our leave; but not before his Excellency had expressed a desire of hearing from the Commodore, with an account of his success in the establishment of the new colony.

A final letter was written to Nepean on the 3rd September - the day before the fleet set sail from Rio. Phillip had every reason to be satisfied with the attentions paid to him and his officers during their stay there, which evidently formed a very pleasant break in the long voyage. Everything had gone well so far; but his letters show the extreme anxiety with which he scrutinised every detail connected with the health of his people.

I have been prevented sailing this morning from the accounts being not yet finally settled - that is, the vouchers not yet sent off. I sail to-morrow, and at the Cape shall have more time, for here, as the only one that understands the language, I have been obliged to be linguist and commissary. By the master of the Sirius you will have some private as well as public letters, and by a ship going to Lisbon you will receive this and copies of my public letters sent by the master; who, as he met with his accident in doing his duty on board the ship, will, I hope, get some little provision.

I have told you in one of my letters how far the Vice-King (the same who was here when I past for India) has carried his politeness, and that tho' I desired much to be received here as the captain of the Sirius only, and for which I had particular reason, he refused my request, and gave it out in orders that I received the same honor as himself, that is, as Captain-General. This has prevented my having any house on shore, and that for obvious reasons.

I have endeavoured to explain th Mr. Rose why I have drawn on the Treasury for £135. The little matters paid by me when the ships were at Portsmouth, and the expenses here in procuring seeds and plants that are not publicly sold, could not be paid for by the Commissary. To have hired a store and the island would have been more than the whole sum. The things have been granted as favours, but returns expected, and I made them first at my own expense, till I found I was £100 out of pocket, and then thought that Government had not been so liberal to me as to make it necessary to pay such a compliment.

If I can preserve the seeds and plants procured here, I shall be very indifferent about those articles at the Cape. Sir Joseph Banks will receive from the master a small box that contains some plants he was very anxious to procure.

The rams are in good health, and my breeding sows, as well as the ladies, seem well calculated for the end proposed.

I intend making a very short stay at the Cape, as the ships are now in much better order than when they left England.

The last letter written on the voyage out was addressed to Nepean from the Cape of Good Hope, undated. The fleet had anchored in Table Bay on the 13th October, and remained there till the 12th of the following month. Mynheer Von Graaffe, the Dutch Governor of the Cape, did not pay such attentions to his visitors as the Viceroy of the Brazils had done; but they were supplied with provisions for the fleet, as well as the plants and live stock required for the colony.

You will please to inform the Right Hon. the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty that I sailed from Rio Janeiro the 4th of September and anchored here the 13th of October with the ships under my command. Having immediately on my arrival requested permission to procure refreshments and such provisions as were wanted for her Majesty's ship Sirius and Supply tender, I was informed that, the crops of corn having failed the year before last, the inhabitants had been reduced to the greatest distress, and that I could not be permitted to purchase any flour or bread. I, however, obtained an order for three days' bread for all the ships; and as I found on inquiry that the last year's crops had been very good, I requested, by letter to the Governor and Council, permission to purchase what provisions were wanted for the Sirius and Supply, as likewise corn for seed, and what was necessary for the live stock intended to be embarked at this place. The three days granted for the bread being expired, leave was given for three days longer, and which permission was afterwards continued till the 23rd, when I received an answer from the Council, who had taken that time to deliberate on my letter of the 15th, granting permission to receive bread daily for the use of the ships while we remained in this port, and the same evening I received a letter from the Governor granting all my demands.

Our passage from Rio de Janeiro was very favourable. The number of sick on our arrival here was twenty marines and ninety-three convicts. The Sirius and Supply had only eight sick on board, and all the ships were very amply supplied with soft bread, vegeatbles, and fresh meat, I did not think it necessary to land any of the sick. Their lordships will see by the returns that there are very few sick at present.

We are now ready for sea. What live cattle the ships can stow are now getting on board, with such grain and seeds as was wanted, and I shall sail immediately. The remaining so long before I could obtain leave to procure the necessaries we wanted has detained me longer in this port than I wished, but it will, I hope, be the means of keeping the people in health for the rest of the passage.

While at the Cape, Phillip availed himself of every opportunity for the purpose of procuring the plants and seed required for his farming operations. "As it was earnestly wished to introduce the fruits of the Cape into the new settlement, Captain Phillip was ably assisted in his endeavours to procure the rarest and the best of every species, both in plant and seed, by the King's botanist (5)." The collection made, both at the Cape and at Rio, included almost every kind of useful plant considered likely to thrive in the new country. With most of them Phillip's expectations were fully realised from the first; but it took time and experience to learn that coffee, cocoa, cotton, and banana plants, collected at Rio, required a rather more tropical climate than that of Botany Bay. Nor were the ipecacuanha and jalap plants, laid in at Rio, destined to take any place in the list of exports from the colony; but the orange, lime, and lemon trees obtained there made ample ammends for failure in other directions (6). The selections made at the Cape proved an unqualified success; the plants included the vine, quince, apple, pear, and strawberry, with the oak, myrtle, and fig trees, the bamboo and the sugar-cane, as well as grain seed of every kind.

Sheep, cattle, and horses were also obtained at the Cape, but the selection was not made with anything like the care devoted to the plants. All the stock taken on board on public account were - one stallion, three mares, three colts, two bulls, six cows, forty-four sheep, four goats, and twenty-eight hogs (7). Phillip and the officers of the marines made private purchases on their own account, but, as Captain Tench informs us, their original intentions on this head were materially affected by the prices they were asked to pay. This consideration probably deterred Phillip from making a larger investment than he did; but the list of his purchases seems painfully economical when compared with the extent and nature of the territory for which the stock were intended. With all his confidence in the future of the colony, no idea of its capabilities for stock-raising ever entered his mind. The one fact which ultimately more than satisfied all his predictions never even occurred to him; and hence it was that he sailed away from the Cape to the greatest pastoral country in the world with a few head of cattle and sheep, barely sufficient to stock the farm of an ordinary settler.

 

NOTES:

(1) "As soon as I took leave of his Excellency, I found an officer who had orders to attend me wherever I went; of this I desired an explanation, and was told that it was meant as a compliment; I earnestly desired to be excused from accepting such an honor, but the good Viceroy would by no means suffer it to be dispensed with." - Hawkesworth, vol. 11, p. 20.

(2) In the Island of St. Jago, one of the Cape de Verde group. Captain Cook touched at it during his second expedition in August, 1772, and describes the place in the account of his voyage.

(3) Casava, or cassada, is the root of a shrub, in its crude state highly poisonous; but by washing, pressure, and evaporation, it was deprived of its harmful qualities, and when made into cakes, became a good substitute for bread. It was largely used in the tropical islands. - Phillip's Voyage, p. 33.

(4) Journal, p. 55.

(5) Collins, p. xxvii.

(6) Bennett, Gatherings of a Naturalist, p. 306 - "The Orange-tree in Australia."

(7) Hunter, p. 31; Collins, p. xxvii; Tench, p. 38. Phillip purchased upwards of seventy sheep on his own and on Government account, of which one only was alive when he wrote his despatch on the 28th September, 1788; post, p. 343.

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25/04/2004

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