Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 2.djvu/264

 222 STiuTE GE THB I'M The inferior cargo brought by the Atlantie gave Indian Inferior provisions a bad name in the settlement^ but it was soon ^m India, discovered that stores of good quality could be obtained from Calcutta and Bombay. Early in 1793 the Shah Hormuzear^ sent from Calcutta with a cargo of provisions as a speculation^ arrived at Sydney^ and supplier being still low^ her cargo was purchased and added to the public stock. Before this was done the provisions were examined by the Commissary, who reported that, with the exception of the salted meat, all the articles were superior in quality to any A second that had previously reached the colony. Grose's opinion of more the Salted meat was that, although inferior to Irish-cured 8ati8lftctory« ® provisions, it was '^ not so bad but it might be eaten.'* On the other hand, every article brought by the Atlantic was unfit to be served as a ration except to people who were unable to obtain food of any sort. Finding how vast was the difference between the Atlantic's cargo and that sent as a speculation by the Shah Hormuzear, Grose, adopting the advice of Lord Comwallis,* would have preferred to await the arrival of another private shipment, rather than order a cargo from India ; but the small quantity of stores The in hand obliged him, in 1798, to send the Britannia to dmrtered by Calcutta f or provisions, and he suggested to Lord Com- wallis that a survey of them should be made before they were accepted, recommending, at the same time, that the master of the vessel, who had had long experience in the Navy, should be one of the examiners. There was now (July, 1792) comparative plenty in the unwhoie- settlement, but the food was coarse and unpalatable ; for the sick convicts whom Phillip was trying to rescue from death nothing could have been more unsuitable. One of the items of the ''established ration" was butter, but this article had not been supplied for a long time. That sent out in the first ships was rancid when issued from the store. Whether the cause was the length of the voyage or • Grose to Dirndas, 19tli April, 1793. — Historical Becords, Tol. ii, p. 2L