Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 2.djvu/322

 «BW THE TSAFFiG ^^V^ that the end justified the means. The course pnrsned was An an unfortunate one. It prodnced serions evils, and estab- system. lished a yicions traffic in spirits, which was not effectually checked until Eling, ten years afterwards, had nearly worn himself out in the effort to put it down. Another phase of the liquor question which it is difficult to understand, was the toleration shown to settlers who PiBtuiatioii. by distillation converted their grain into spirit. Every bushel of wheat grown was wanted as food for the people, and yet the settlers were allowed to waste their produce by turning it into an article that was useless.'^ If Grose had chosen he could, have stopped the practice, but he did not interfere. It was prohibited by Hunter by Greneral Order in March, 1796, but in the meantime a great deal of mischief had been done. Unfortunately, the records of this period of our history, particularly the despatches of Lieutenant-Governor Grose, are almost silent concerning the effect of Grose's govern- Morals of the mcut upou the morals of the community. It was not until some years after Grose had returned to England that any mention was made in official papers of this aspect of the Macarthur'8 quostiou. In September, 1796, Captain Macarthur, writing to the Duke of Portland, alluded to the great cost of main- taining the settlement, and to the profligacy of the people —openly insinuating that Hunter was responsible for both evils. The Duke of Portland did not answer the letter, but sent it out to Hunter for his report. It was thus nearly two years after Macarthur made his charges before Hunter had an opportunity of replying to them. This he did in a despatch dated 27th July, 1798, with which he forwarded England, found it more adrantageoiM to draw an ardent diabolical apint from his wheat, than to send it to the store and receire ten shilling! per traahel from the Ccaamiaaarj. From one bushel of wheat he obtained nearij £▼0 quarto of ^rit, which he sold or paid in exchange for labour at Ar9 •and six shillings per qnaii."'-'GoUin8, rol. i, p. 827. Webb was not tiie onlj distiller. Other settlers followed his ezamplet,
 * " Webb, the lettler near Puramatta, having procured a amall sdll from