Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 1.djvu/248

 144 PHILLIP 1788 in the colony and cultivate lands to be granted by tbe Crown. August Subsequently, however, it was developed into a very different arrangement, under which the services of convicts might be Anignment obtained by anyone who could feed and clothe them j and tinned*. it remained in force until the great abuses to which it naturally gave rise ultimately led to its extinction in 1838. Expiomtion Another excursion was made on the 22nd August in em coast, the samo year, when Phillip, who was accompanied by Lieu- tenants Johnston and Cresswell, Surgeon White, and six soldiers, set out to examine the coast between the North Head and Broken Bay. They landed at Manly Cove and proceeded northward along the coast for about six miles, when they were forced to halt until the tide had run out of a lagoon, so that they could ford it. The next day they reached the south branch of Broken Bay ; but finding the country rather too rugged for them, they returned to the sea-shore, in order to examine the south part of the entrance into the bay. All along the shore they met parties of the Friendly natives, with whom they exchanged civilities. On the fol- lowing day they returned to the branch of the bay which they had seen, making their way to it by means of a native path. At the head of it they found a freshwater river, which took its rise, a little above, out of a swamp. They made no discovery of any importance, but the trip served to in- crease their knowledge of the country in that direction, and enabled Mr. White to obtain several specimens of its natural history. To remove all doubt as to the capability of Botany Bay for the purposes of settlement, and also to extend his ]^^y Bay knowledge of its branches, Phillip sailed round with a small examined, party in boats, leaving Sydney on the 11th December, and remaining out for five days. During that time he ex- amined the different branches of the bay, now known as Cook^s Eiver, George's River, and Woronora River. Ho left no account of his trip, and consequently we have no knowledge of the opinion he formed with respect to the Digitized by Google