Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 2.djvu/101

 PBOM ENGLAND. 81 necessary to clear the land before even a hut could be built '^'^ or a field sown. The convicts were at once to set about tilling the soil, and the colony was almost immediately to become self-supporting. In time the illusion was dispelled, but many a despatch had to be written from Sydney before the situation was realised. Nothing shows more strikingly The Home the profound ignorance of the Home Office. on the sub- ignomat of, °, "1.1 1 T condition of ject than the conditions which were laid down in Phillip's colony. Additional Instructions respecting the terms on which con- vict labour was to be granted to soldiers and settlers. These Instructions, which were received by Phillip with the despatch of 24th August, 1789, contained this clause : — "And whereas many of the non-commission officers and men of the marine detachment, or other persons who may become settlers upon Our said continent* of New South Wales, or the said islands dependant thereupon, may be desirous of availing them selves of the labour of part of the convicts now under your orders : It is Our Will and Pleasure, that in case there should be a prospect of their employing any of the said convicts to advan- tage, that you assign to each grantee the service of any number of them that you may judge sufficient to answer their purpose, on condition of their maintaining, feeding, and clothing such convicts in such manner as shall appear satisfactory to You, or to Our Governor of New South Wales for the time being. "t This condition might have been complied with by settlers An of the kind that Phillip wanted — men with means, who would condition. have been prepared to spend money for a few years in the hope of obtaining a return later on. But, unfortunately, no English settlers of any description had ofEerod themselves. A year or two later a few settlers were sent out, but they took up land on much more favourable conditions as to convict labour than those prescribed in the Instructions. The only The first persons available as settlers at the time were men belonging ^ to the marine detachment stationed in the colony, and it was officiallj described as a " continent" for the first time, t Historical Becords, toI. i, part 2, p* 258. VOL, II. — ^F
 * It ifi worthy of notice- that New South Wales is in these Instructions