Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 2.djvu/332

 2S2 BELiaiOUS UTBTEXTCTIOK ^'^^ assistant (the Bey. Sambel Marsden)^ in which his atten- tion had been drawn to the imp{»rtance--^in a settlement like New South Wales— of the clerical station and character being treated with respect. Grose was careful to declare AnxioQs that BO far as he was concerned it had been his wish to make to maKo ooSortobie. ^^® clergyman as comfortable as possible. If Johnson's letters can be relied npon^ he was singularly nnsnccessfnl. The Chaplain had other grounds for dissatisfaction. After referring to his quarrel with Grose, he complained that the treatment he had afterwards met with was " very uncivil and severe/' He described the incivility and severily at Jghnwn'* some length.* The chief complaint was that, while the oompWnt civil and military officers were allowed ten or more convict labourers to help them to cultivate their ground, he could only obtain the services of two. He was therefore obliged to pay men at the rate ef forty shillings per week, aad his com was " exposed to perpetual depredsitions for want of proper assistance to protect it.'* It appears from Johnson's statement that Phillip shortly before he sailed for England had^ in obedience to instruct Church tions,t Set apart four hundred acres as church land, which Johnson had commenced to clear with the aid of two or three convicts. Finding that ten -convicts, were allowed to the officers as farm labourers, he applied for seven more, but could only obtain them on condition of giving up the four Convict hundred acres and takinir in lieu thereof the area allowed labourers ° johSiwn*^ to the officers — ^namely, one hundred acres* This he did in March, 1 793. In the following November all his farm labour- ers except two were taken from him without a moments notice; but no diminution was made in the number allowed to the officers. No reason is assigned for this arbitrary act on the part of Grose in substituting one hundred for four hundred acres of land. It is possible that Grose • See hiB letter to Bnndai, 8th April, 1^4.— Hiatodiml BecDadi» -ral. n, p. 201. t Historical Beoords, toL i, puet ja, p. 259.