m the fires drew all persons out of their
houses; and on going into the parching air, it was scarcely possible to
breathe; the heat was insupportable; vegetation seemed to suffer much,
the leaves of many culinary plants being reduced to a powder. The
thermometer in the shade rose above one hundred degrees. Some rain
falling toward evening, the excessive heat abated.

At Parramatta and Toongabbie also the heat was extreme; the country there
too was every where in flames. Mr. Arndell was a great sufferer by it. The
fire had spread to his farm; but by the efforts of his own people and the
neighbouring settlers it was got under, and its progress supposed to be
effectually checked, when an unlucky spark from a tree, which had been on
fire to the topmost branch, flying upon the thatch of the hut where his
people lived, it blazed out; the hut with all the out-buildings, and
thirty bushels of wheat just got into a stack, were in a few minutes
destroyed. The erecting of the hut and out-houses had cost L15 a short
time before.

The day preceding that of the excessive heat, James Castles, an
industrious and thriving settler at Prospect Hill, had his hut
accidentally burnt down, with all his comforts, and three bushels of
wheat which he had just reaped. The governor ordered his hut to be
rebuilt, and every assistance given which the stores afforded to repair
his loss.

There died between the 1st of January and 31st of December 1792, two of
the civil department, six soldiers, four hundred and eighteen male
convicts, eighteen female convicts, and twenty-nine children; one male
convict was executed; and three male convicts were lost in the woods;
making a decrease by death of four hundred and eighty-two persons.

The following were the prices of stock, grain, and other articles, as
they were sold at Sydney, and at Parramatta, at the close of the year:

AT SYDNEY

Maize per lb. 3d
Rice per lb 3d
Peas or dholl from 11/2d to 2d per lb.
Flour 9d per lb.
Potatoes 3d per lb.
Sheep L10 10s each.
Milch goats from L8 8s to L10 10s
Kids from L2 10s to L4
Breeding sows from L6 6s to L7 7s and L10 10s
Young ditto from L3 to L4
Laying hens 10s
Full grown fowls from 5s to 7s 6d
Chickens 1s 6d
Fresh pork per lb 1s
Prime salt pork from 6d to 8d
Salt beef 4d
Eggs per dozen from 2s to 3s
Moist sugar per lb 1s 6d
Tea from 8s to 16s
Soap 1s
Butter from 1s 6d to 2s
Cheese from 1s 6d to 2s
Hams from 1s 6d to 2s
Bacon from 1s 6d to 2s