Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 2.djvu/32

 16 THE FAMINE OF 1789-90. 1789-90 The summer of 1789-90 was a time of dreary monotony, h^eu aggravated by the keenest anxiety. No tidings had been received of the ships that were expected from England as early as September, 1788,* with supplies of provisions and clothing; and nothing of importance at the settlement occurred to divert attention from the miseries of the moment and the fears of impending famine. Even the discord among the military had subsided. The pressure of StttuSe^ the circumstances must have been keenly felt by Phillip, but it was characteristic of the man that he never allowed a despondent word to creep into his despatches, nor did he sit down waiting for something to happen. With unceasing activity he devoted the resources at his command to the cultivation of the soil. He put the convicts to work at Rose Hill, and did his best to obtain good returns from their labour. But the results were not encouraging. Foremost amongst the obstacles that stood in his way was the scarcity of^ooS^ of food, which so reduced the strength of the men that they were only able to work a few hours a day. They were altogether unequal to the heavy labour involved in clearing the land and tilling the virgin soil. In 1790 the question of supplies had become urgent. The First Fleet sailed from EngUmjd in May, 1787, with provisions for two years, but no allowance had been made for accidents or oontingenciea. Fortunately, the storeships, with the exception of the. Guardian, arrived at Sydney Cove in safety, but a portion of the provisions was damaged during the voyage, and a large quantity was destroyed by
 * Historical Becords, toL i, part 2, p. 188.