Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 1.djvu/558

 434 HEADS OF A PLAN. 1786 After the arrival of the ships which are intended to convey the convicts, the ship-of-war and tender may be employed in obtaining Further live stock from the Cape, or from the Molucca Islands, a sufficient supplies. quantity of which may be brought from either of those places to the new settlement, in two or three trips ; or the tender, if it should be thought most advisable, may be employed in conveying to the new settlement a further number of women from the Island Friendly Islands, New Caledonia, (S^c, which are contiguous women. thereto, and from whence any number may be procured without difficulty ; and without a sufficient proportion of that sex it is well known that it would be impossible to preserve the settle- ment from gross iiTegularities and disorders. Goveniment The whole regulation and management of the settlement should colony. ^® committed to the care of a discreet officer, and provision should be made in all cases, both civil and military, by special instructions under the Great Seal, or otherwise, as may be thought proper. Upon the whole, it may be observed with great force and truth. Difference that the difference of expense (whatever method of carrying the no objection, convicts thither may be adopted) between this mode of disposing of them, and that of the usual ineffectual one, is too trivial to be a consideration with Government, at least in comparison with the great object to be obtained by it, especially now the evil is in- creased to such an alarming degree, from the inadequacy of all other expedients that have hitherto been tried or suggested. It may not be amiss to remark in favour of this plan that con- siderable advantage will arise from the cultivation of the New Fii^K* Zealand hemp or flax plant in the new intended settlement, the supply of which would be of great consequence to us as a naval power, as our manufacturers are of opinion that canvas made of it would be superior in strength and beauty to any canvas made of the European material, and that a cable of the circumference of ten inches, made from the fonner, would be superior in strength to one of eighteen inches made of the latter. The threads or fila- ments of this New Zealand plant are formed by nature with the most exquisite delicacy, and may be so minutely divided as to be manufactured into the finest linens. Most of the Asiatic productions may also, without doubt, be Tropical Cultivated in the new settlement, and in a few years may render products. Q^j, recourse to our European neighbours for those productions unnecessary. It may also be proper to attend to the possibility of procuring J*>^°^'^nd from New Zealand any quantity of mast and ship timber for the use of our fleet in India, as the distance between the two countries is not greater than between Great Britain and America. It grows close to the water's edge, is of size and quality superior to any hithei-to known, and may be obtained without difficulty. Digitized by Google