and meat (of which they now all eat greedily) are become very troublesome.
God knows, we have little enough for ourselves! Full allowance (if eight
pounds of flour and either seven pounds of beef, or four pounds of pork,
served alternately, per week, without either pease, oatmeal, spirits,
butter, or cheese, can be called so) is yet kept up; but if the Dutch snow
does not arrive soon it must be shortened, as the casks in the storehouse,
I observed yesterday, are woefully decreased.

The convicts continue to behave pretty well; three only have been hanged
since the arrival of the last fleet, in the latter end of June, all of
whom were newcomers. The number of convicts here diminishes every day;
our principal efforts being wisely made at Rose Hill, where the land is
unquestionably better than about this place. Except building, sawing and
brickmaking, nothing of consequence is now carried on here. The account
which I received a few days ago from the brickmakers of their labours, was
as follows. Wheeler (one of the master brick-makers) with two tile stools
and one brick stool, was tasked to make and burn ready for use 30000 tiles
and bricks per month. He had twenty-one hands to assist him, who performed
every thing; cut wood, dug clay, etc. This continued (during the days of
distress excepted, when they did what they could) until June last. From
June, with one brick and two tile stools he has been tasked to make
40000 bricks and tiles monthly (as many of each sort as may be), having
twenty-two men and two boys to assist him, on the same terms of procuring
materials as before. They fetch the clay of which tiles are made, two
hundred yards; that for bricks is close at hand. He says that the bricks
are such as would be called in England, moderately good, and he judges they
would have fetched about 24 shillings per thousand at Kingston-upon-Thames
(where he resided) in the year 1784. Their greatest fault is being too
brittle. The tiles he thinks not so good as those made about London.
The stuff has a rotten quality, and besides wants the advantage of being
ground, in lieu of which they tread it.

King (another master bricklayer) last year, with the assistance of sixteen
men and two boys, made 11,000 bricks weekly, with two stools. During short
allowance did what he could. Resumed his old task when put again on full
allowance and had his number of assistants augmented to twenty men and two
boys, on account of the increased dist