had never given themselves the
trouble of looking forwards to the necessity of raising a supply of food
for themselves. Meanwhile, although farming operations were going on but
slowly, and not very successfully, the stores were being lessened at a
rapid rate, not only by the ordinary issue of provisions, but likewise
by rats and pilferers. Six soldiers, and an accomplice who turned king's
evidence, were discovered, after eight months of impunity, by means of a
key which was left by one of them in the lock, upon his being disturbed
by the patrol; and these men, having betrayed their trust as sentinels,
and carried on a regular system of plunder for the purpose of indulging
themselves in vice and drunkenness, were all executed. In April 1789 the
_Sirius_ returned, bringing the first cargo of provisions received by
the colony, which was, however, only equal to four months' supply at
full rations. But full rations were not to continue much longer in the
infant settlement. In November, 1789, very nearly two years after the
arrival of the colonists, it was found needful to reduce the allowance
to two-thirds of every sort of provisions, spirits alone excepted. No
alteration was made in the allowance of the women, who were already
upon two-thirds of the full ratio of a man; and it was eagerly and
confidently expected that, after having waited so long, it would be but
a short period more before an ample supply of all that was necessary
would be received from the mother country.

In November, which is one of the summer months of the Australian
calendar, the little harvest of the colony was got in. At Rose Hill,
(or Paramatta, as it is now called,) where the best land had been found,
upwards of two hundred bushels of wheat, about thirty-five bushels of
barley, besides a small quantity of oats and Indian corn, were
harvested; and the whole of this produce was intended to be kept for
seed. At Sydney, the spot of cleared ground called the Governor's Farm
had produced about twenty-five bushels of barley. But the evil spirit of
thieving was still as rife as ever among the convicts, and the young
crops of wheat were the objects of plunder (especially after the
reduction of the allowance,) notwithstanding the immense importance of
preserving seed sufficient to crop a larger breadth of land for the
following year. In the very beginning of 1790 the provisions brought
from England wholly failed, having just about lasted during the two
year