Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 2.djvu/62

 46 THE WRECK OP 1780 Piovisions saved from thewnck. Their disposal ofUtUe benefit to the colony. Wales during his five years' tenure of office were of in- calculable value, but the words of mild approval which he received in the official despatches were very meagre. The valuable cargo with which the Guardian was freighted, though greatly damaged, was not entirely lost. The salt provisions, with the exception of a few casks, were perfectly sound. About two hundred casks of flour, which had been stowed on the lower deck, were saved ; but all the clothing, naval stores, medicines, &c., had either been thrown over- board to lighten the vessel, or were more or less damaged. There was, unfortunately, no opportunity of sending more than a small part of the undamaged cargo to Sydney ; and dlEter being kept in store-houses, specially hired for the purpose, for a considerable time, the bulk of it was divided among the men-of-war which happened to put in at the Cape. Captain Blankett, who was in command of two men- of-war, the Leopard and the Thames, completed his provi- sions from the Guardian (October, 1790), thus avoiding the purchase of stores at the Cape, where everything was '^raised to an extravagant price.^'* As the Gorgon, from England to Port Jackson, was expected to arrive soon at the Cape, a portion of the stores was reserved for her use, and the rest left in the hands of agents for sale. The Gorgon did not arrive until the 22nd June, 1791, and in the interval the Govern- ment had been paying at the rate of 30 rix dollars each per month for the hire of two store-houses. The Chatham, Discovery, and Minerva, at different times, took portions of the stores, and the Gorgon having been supplied with what she wanted, the remainder, which was of little value, was sold by auction. What the Gorgon took on board was of some advantage, but on the whole the settlement profited very little from the valuable cargo sent by the Guardian ; the vessel, so far as the material wants of the colony were concerned, might as well have gone down at sea with everything on board.
 * Historical Records, toI. i, part 2, pp. 408-409.