Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 1.djvu/652

 628 JUDGE-ADVOCATE 17a8 Matters to be iDoiiired into No boat- building. Supplies. Convict labour, andoonduct Religion. No inter- course with shipping. to be accounted for, you are to keep an exact account of the increase, and you will in future receive directions for the disposal thereoi You are to inform yourself of the nature of tlie soil, what pro- portion of land you find proper for the cultivation of com, flax, and cotton, as likewise what quantity of cattle may be bred on the island, and the numl)er of people you judge necessary for the above purposes. You will likewise observe what are the prevailing winds in the different seasons of the year, the best anchon^^ according to the season, the rise and fiall of the tides, likewise when the dry and rainy seasons begin and end. You will be furnished with a four-oared boat, and you are not on any consideration to build, or to permit the building of, any vessel or boat whatever that is decked, or of any boat or vessel that is not decked, whose length of keel exceeds twenty feet ; and if by any accident any vessel or boat be driven on the island, you are immediately to cause such boat or vessel to be scuttled, or otherwise rendered' unserviceable, letting her remain in that state until you receive further directions from me. You will be furnished with provisions for six months, within which time you will receive an additional supply ; but as you will be able to procure fish and vegetables, you are to endeavour to make the provisions you receive serve as long as possible. The convicte being the servants of the Crown till the time for which they are sentenced is expired, their labour is for the public, and you are to take particular notice of their general good or bad behaviour, that they may hereafter be employed or rewarded according to their different merita You are to cause the prayers of the Church of England to be read with all due solemnity every Sunday, and you are to enforce a due observance of religion and good onier, transmitting to me as often as opportunity offers a full account of your particular situation and transactions. You are not to permit any intercourse or trade with any ships or vessels that may stop at the island, whether English or of any other nation, unless such ships or vessels are in distress, in which case you are to afford them such assistance as may be in your power. Given under my hand at head-quarters in Port Jackson, New South Wales, this 12th day of February, 1788. A. Phillip. JUDGE-ADVOCATE COLLINS. " Colonel David Collins was the eldest son of General Arthur Tooker Collins and Harriet Frazer, of Pack, in the King's County, Ireland, and grandson of Arthur Collins, author of the ' Peerage Digitized by Google