Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 2.djvu/33

 THE FAHIKE OF 1789-90. 17 rats after the stores had been landed. Towards the close 1780-90 of 1789 no further supplies had been received from England^ Failure and the stock in hand had fallen so low that it became necessary to materially reduce the ration. Foreseeing some such difKculty^ Phillip, soon after he had established the settlement at Sydney Cove, despatched the Sirius to the Cape of Good Hope for provisions, but the quantity she was able to bring — she returned in May, 1789 — was less than was anticipated^ being but four months' supply of flour for ^^"^ the settlement and one yearns supply of provisions for her own company.* As the ships which were expected from England did not arrive, Phillip assumed that some disaster had overtaken one or more of them, and he decided that the time had come for economising the food in store. His fears as to the safety of the ships were soon afterwards justified by the intelligence that reached Sydney of the accident to the Guardian, and the loss of the greater part of the provisions she was bringing for the settlement. A reduction of one-third was accordinerly made, on the The ration ° "^ reduced. 1st November, 1789, in the ration which had been served every Saturday to soldiers and male convicts, and which had originally been as f ollowsf : — 7 5). of bread or 7 Bb. of flour. 7 lb. of beef or 4 H>. of pork. 3 pints of pease. 6 oz. of butter. ^ lb. of rice or 1 fi). of flour. The reduction of one-third therefore left : — 4 lb, 10| oz. of bread or flour. 4 fi). 10| oz. of beef or 2 fi>. lOf oz. of pork. 2 pints of pease. 5J oz. of rice or 10§ oz. of flour. The butter had been exhausted two months before. t HiBtorical Secordi, toL i, part 2, p. 143. CoUinB states (yoI. i, p. 43) that 1ft. of floor had been deducted from those receiying full rations, and two- thirds of a fl>. from those receiying two-thirds allowance, on the da/ the Sirius •aUed, Tiz., 2nd October, 1788. YOL. II. — ^B
 * Hifliorical Becords, toI. i, part 2, p. 824 ; toI. ii, p. 693 (note).