Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 1.djvu/204

 kings. 100 PHILLIP 1788-93 correct to say that Phillip "raised himself by his merit and his services to distinction and command/^ he cannot be well classed with Drake, Dampier, or Cook, seeing that he never had the opportunities for acquiring such distinc- tion as fell to their lot. They were men who achieved The sea- renown by exploits which have made their names historical, but Phillip's performances were of a much less ambitious type. Yet, placed in the position in which he found himself, it is difficult to see how he could have done more than he did. He accomplished his task successfully, so far as success was attainable with the limited means at his com- mand. Although he was not embarrassed with the bitter local questions which so often disturbed his successors' peace of mind, he had problems to solve which tried his temper and taxed his resources; and the fact that he succeeded in solving them one after another must be placed to his credit in estimating his character as a ruler. ^^The policy of the Government," in his day, consisted Theinain mainly in finding something to eat. At the distance of S?8time.*^ a hundred years, it is not easy to realise the situation in which he was so often placed when, by the non-arrival of expected supplies from England, the little settlement at Sydney Cove was absolutely in danger of starvation. Infant colonies had been left to perish from want of food in other parts of the world,* and on more than one occasion it seemed probable enough that Phillip's efforts to found & colony would have met with the same fate. Had he been improvident or neglectful in his administration, disastrous consequences might have happened ; but by the prudent handling of his resources from day to day, he contrived to avert each impending calamity, and the colony prospered. There is some satisfaction in relieving his memory from An unjust a charge which has been unjustly laid to it. He has been charge. j^^j^ responsible for the extreme severity with which crimi- nal offences of all kinds were punished during his term of • Post, p. 514. Digitized by VjOOQIC