Elliot, had received a ewe sheep from the late
Governor Phillip before his departure in the year 1792. He had resisted
many temptations to sell it, and at the time this inquiry took place was
found possessing a stock of twenty-two sheep, males and females. He had
been fortunate in not meeting with any loss, but had not added to his
stock by any purchase. This was a proof that industry did not go without
its reward in this country. Other instances were found to corroborate
this observation.']

There were nine hundred and three goats, three hundred and thirty-two
sheep, and about four hundred hogs, in this district, the settlers of
which were one hundred and four in number.

It has been shown, that the cultivated ground in the district of the
principal settlement was far less than in either that of the river, or
Parramatta. At each of these, the soil was greatly superior, and had
therefore been more desired by settlers; it must moreover be observed,
that most of the farms in the neighbourhood of Sydney were taken before
much knowledge had been obtained of the superior richness of the soil in
the interior, over that near the coast. The greatest quantity of ground
in cultivation by any individual was thirty-three acres. Their stock of
sheep amounted only to thirty-eight, of goats to two hundred and
ninety-two; and there were remaining among them about three hundred and
sixty hogs. The number of settlers was seventy-one. In this statement,
the farms and stock of the officers of the civil and military department,
and of some of the free settlers, were not included.

This certainly was not an unpromising view of the agricultural part of
the settlement. Much might be expected from the exertions of three
hundred and fifty-five people, and the greatest advantage would have been
derived from their labours had they been less prone to dissipation and
useless traffic--a traffic which most of them entered into solely with a
view to indulging themselves in their favourite propensity of drinking.

Independent of the wild herd of cattle to the westward, the live stock
belonging to the Crown, and to individuals, was annually increasing to a
great amount; but it was not yet sufficiently numerous to admit of
supplying the colony with animal food. To begin too early to apply it to
that use, would only have retarded the time when the colony would be
independent of any other country for provisions; and none but superfluous
males were ever