Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 2.djvu/262

 220 STATE OF THE ^'^^ Hundred and seventy-seven deatlis were recorded; of these, much the greater number took place during the first half of the year.* While the mortality was at its height it seems to have Dying from occurred to someone that the men who were dyinff from exhaustion. ... . exhaustion might possibly be saved if the meagre ration could be supplemented with fresh animal food and vege- tables. Special efforts were made to procure game and fish for the sick, for whom also a good supply of vegetables was obtained. These efforts met with success, and the increase of fresh wholesome food speedily reduced the death- rate. The settlement, however, still continued in a most critical condition. If any accident had happened to the relief vessels, calamity would have overtaken the settle- ment; even prolonged delay in their arrival would have Arrival of ^^^^ disastrous. Fortunately they both arrived in safety v^»!i8. — ^^® Atlantic from Calcutta, and the Britannia from England — before the colony had been reduced to extremity. On the 6th June ^^ there was only a sufficiency of flour in store to serve till the 2nd of July, and salt provisions till the 6th of August following, at the ration then issued; and neither the Atlantic, storeship, from Calcutta, nor the expected supplies from England, had arrived."t The ^iwtic The Atlantic anchored in Sydney Cove with a cargo of rice, soujee, and dholl on the 20th June.f These stores were anything but satisfactory. The soujee, an inferior sort of flour, § would not have been accepted by any but starving men, while the dholl (Indian peas) was scarcely fit for con- sumption. No animal food was brought by this vessel, • Collins, vol. i, pp. 204, 209, 210, 216, 268. f lb., p. 216. X One-third was sent to Norfolk Island. § " It appearing that the flour of Bengal, unless it was dressed for the pur- pose, which would have taken a great deal of time, was not of a qualitj to keep even for the voyage from Calcutta to this countiy, a large proportion of rice, of that sort which was said to be the fittest for preservation, was par- chased. A small quantity of flour, too, was put on board, but merely for the purpose of experiment. It was called soujee by the natives, but was much inferior in quality to the flour prepared in Europe, and more difficult to make into bread." — Collins, vol. i, p. 217.