Page:Extracts from the letters and journals of George Fletcher Moore.djvu/170

 144 trick of supposing that from throwing seed into the ground we can ensure a crop without any other trouble; whereas our culture, and all our operations, are most laborious: my two men have been now nearly a month looking for thatch and putting it on two houses, which are not near finished yet. As to breaking ground, it is easy when you have cattle; but, generally speaking, we are not so provided. It occupies a man twenty days to break up an acre with a hoe, from its wild state, though this could be done easily with cattle. But, as I have already observed, we have few of them, and the neighbouring colonies will not send them, either from jealousy or fear; and individually we cannot afford to charter vessels and import them, and we are not yet strong enough to form a company. What can we then do?—two or three hundred head of cattle, and two or three thousand sheep, would be purchased by us, if they were sent by Government at a fair rate; and this would establish the colony.

Last night the weather was so calm and warm that I left the windows open on going to bed; but, after some time there sprang up such a cool and strong breeze that I was obliged to close them; one excellence of our climate is, that there is none of that enervating heat at night which exhausts the constitution in India.

9th.—I have had two court days: twenty cases for trial.

13th.—I sent a few lines to you by Hobart