the knocking together a few nails, were fuch a ferious trial of the energics and resources of the nation? The Government of the colony, after enjoying fome little refpite from this kind of labour, has begun to turn its attention to the coarfest and most neceffary fpecies of manufactures, for which their wool appears to be extremely well adapted. The state of flock in the whole fettlement, in June 1801, was about 7000 fheep, 1300 head of cattle, 250 horfes, and good hogs. There were under cultivation at the fame time, between 9 and 10,000 acres of corn. Three years and a half before this, in December 1797, the numbers were as follows--Sheep, 2500; cattle, 350; horfes, co; hogs, 4300; acres of land in cultivation, 4000. The temptation to falt pork, and fell it for Government-itore, is probably the reafon why the breed of hogs has been fo much kept under. The increase of cultivated lands between the two periods, is prodigious. It appears (p. 319.), that the whole number of convicts imported between January 1788 and June 1801, (a period of thirteen years and a half), has been about 5000, of whom 1157 were females. The total amount of the population on the continent, as well as at Norfolk ifland, amounted, June 1801, to 6500 perfons: of thefe, 766 were children born at Port-Jackfon. In the returns from Norfolk ifland, children are not difcriminated from adults. Let us add to the imported population of 5000 convicts, 500 free people, which (if we confider that a regiment of foldiers has been kept up there) is certainly a very fmall allowance; then, in thirteen years and a half, the imported population has increafed only by two thirteenths. If we fuppofe that fomething more than a fifth of the free people were women, this will make the total of women 1270; of whom we may fairly prefume, that 300 were capable of child-bearing: and if we fuppofe the children of Norfolk ifland to bear the fame proportion to the adults as at PortJackson, their total number at both fettlements will be 913-a itate of infantine population which certainly does not justify the very high eulogiums which have been made on the fertility of the female fex in the climate of New Holland. The Governor, who appears on all occafions to be an extremely well-difpofed man, is not quite fo converfant in the beft writings on political economy as we could with; and indeed (though fuch knowledge would be extremely ferviceable to the interelts which this Romulus of the Southern Pole is fuperintending), it is rather unfair to exact from a fuperintendant of pick-pockets, that he should be a philofopher. In the 18th page, we have the following information refpecting the price of labour. Some reprefentations having been made to the Governor from the fettlers in different parts of the colony, purporting, that the wages demanded C 3 demanded by the free labouring people, whom they had occafion to hire, was fo exorbitant as to run away with the greatest part of the profit of their farms, it was recommended to them to appoint quarterly meetings among themfelves, to be held in each district, for the purpole of fettling the rate of wages to labourers in every different kind of work; that, to this end, a written agreement fhould be entered into, and fubfcribed by each fettler, a breach of which should be punished by a penalty, to be fixed by the general opinion, and made recoverable in a court of civil judicature. It was recommended to them, to apply this forteiture to the common benefit; and they were to transmit to the head-quarters a copy of their agreement, with the rate of wages which they fhould from time to time eftablish, for the Governor's information; holding their first meeting as early as poflible.' And again, at p. 24. the following arrangements on that lead are enacted: In pursuance of the order which was iffued in January laft, recommending the fettlers to appoint meetings, at which they should fix the rate of wages that it might be proper to pay to the different kinds of labour which their farms fhould require, the fettlers had met and submitted to the Governor the feveral refolutions that they had entered into; by which he was enabled to fix a rate that he conceived to be fair and equitable between the farmer and the labourer. The following prices of labour were now established, viz. £. s. d. do. Chipping fresh ground, do. I 10 I O 12 427 00 33 о 7 Thrashing do. per bushel, do. Pulling and hufking Indian corn, per bushel Splitting paling of feven feet long, per hundred Ditching per rod, three feet wide and three feet deep o Carriage of wheat, per bufhel, per mile Wages per week, with provifions, confifting of 4 lib. 10 6 0 A A day's wages, with board Do. without board A government-man allowed to officers or fettlers in their own time Price of an axe New feeling do. A new hoe A fickle Hire of a boat to carry grain, per day The fettlers were reminded, that, in order to prevent any kind of difpute between the mafter and fervant, when they fhould have cccafion to hire a man for any length of time, they would find it most convenient to engage him for a quarter, half a year, or year, and to make their agreement in writing; on which, fhould any dispute arife, an appeal to the magiftrates would settle it.' This is all very bad; and if the Governor had cherished the intention of destroying the colony, he could have done nothing more detrimental to its interefts. The high price of labour is the very corner-ftone on which the profperity of a new colony depends. It enables the poor man to live with ease; and is the strongest incitement to population, by rendering children rather a fource of riches than of poverty. If the fame difficulty of fubfiftence exifted in new countries as in old, it is plain that the progrefs of population would be equally flow in each. The very circumftance which caufes the difference, is, that, in the latter, there is a competition among the labourers to be employed; and in the former, a competition among the occupiers of land to obtain labourers. In the one, land is fearce, and men plenty; in the other, men are scarce, and the land is plenty. To difturb this natural order of things (a practice injurious at all times) must be particularly fo, where the predominant difpofition of the colonifts is an averfion to labour, produced by a long courfe of diffolute habits. In fuch cafe, the high prices of labour which the Governor was fo defirous of abating, bid fair, not only to increase the agricultural profperity, but to effect the moral reformation of the colony. We obferve the fame unfortunate ignorance of the elementary principles of commerce, in the attempts of the Governor to reduce the prices of the European commodities, by bulletins and authoritative interference, as if there were any other mode of lowering the price of an article (while the demand continues the fame) but by increasing its quantity. The avaricious love of gain, which is fo feelingly deplored, appears to us a principle which, in able hands, might be guided to the moft falutary purposes. The object is to encourage the love of labour, which is beft encouraged by the love of money. We have very great doubts on the policy of referving the best timber on the eftates as government-timber. Such a refervation would probably operate as a check upon the clearing of lands, without attaining the object defired; for the timber, inftead of being immediately cleared, would be flowly destroyed, by the neglect or malice of the fettlers whose lands it incumbered. Timber is fuch a drug in new countries, that it is at any time to be purchased for little more than the labour of cutting. To fecure a fupply of it by vexatious and invidious laws, is furely a work of fupererogation and danger. The greatest evil which the government has yet had to contend with, is the inordinate ufe of fpirituous liquors; a paffion which puts the interests of agriculture at variance with thofe of morals: for, a dram drinker will confume as much corn in the form of alcohol, in one day, as would fupply him with bread for three; and thus, by his vices, opens an admirable market to the industry of a new fettlement. The only mode, we believe, of encountering this evil, is by deriving from it fuch a revenue as will not admit of fmuggling. Beyond this, it is almost invincible by authority; and is probably to be cured only by the progreffive refinement of manners. To evince the increafing commerce of the fettlement, a lift is fubjoined of one hundred and forty fhips which have arrived there fince its first foundation; forty only of which were from England. The colony at Norfolk Ifland is reprefented to be in a very deplorable fituation, and will most probably be abandoned for one about to be formed on Van Diemen's Land *, though the capital defect of the former fettlement has been partly obviated, by the discovery of a harbour for small craft. The most important and curious information contained in this volume, is the difcovery of ftraits which separate Van Diemen's Land (hitherto confidered as its fouthern extremity) from New Holland. For this discovery, we are indebted to Mr Bass, a furgeon, after whom the ftraits have been named, and who was led to a fufpicion of their existence by a prodigious fwell which he obferved to fet in from the weftward, at the mouth of the opening which he had reached on a voyage of difcovery, profecuted in a common whale-boat. To verify this fufpicion, he proceeded, afterwards in a veffel of 25 tons, accompanied by Mr Flinders, a naval *It is fingular that Government are not more defirous of pufhing their fettlements rather to the north, than the fouth of Port-Jackfon. The foil and climate would probably improve, in the latitude nearer the equator; and fettlements in that pofition would be more contiguous to our Indian colonies. naval gentleman; and, entering the ftraits between the latitudes of 39 and 40' fouth, actually circumnavigated Van Diemen's Land. Mr Bafs's ideas of the importance of this difcovery, we shall give from his narrative, as reported by Mr Collins. The most prominent advantage which feemed likely to accrue to the fettlement from this difcovery was, the expediting of the paffage from the Cape of Good Hope to Port-Jackfon; for, although a line drawn from the Cape to 44° of fouth latitude, and to the longitude of the South Cape of Van Diemen's Land, would not fenfibly differ from one drawn to the latitude of 40°, to the fame longitude; yet it mult be allowed, that a fhip will be four degrees nearer to Port-Jackfon in the latter fituation, than it would be in the former. But there is, perhaps, a greater advantage to be gained by making a paffage through the trait, than the mere faving of four degrees of latitude along the coaft. The major part of the thips that have arrived at Port-Jack fon have met with N. E. winds, on opening the fea round the South Cape, and Cape Pillar, and have been fo much retarded by them, that a fourteen-days paffage to the port is reckoned to be a fair one, although the difference of latitude is but ten degrees, and the most prevailing winds at the latter place are from S. E. to S. in fummer, and from W. S. W. to S. in winter. If, by going through Bafs Strait, thefe N. E. winds can be avoided, which in many cafes would probably be the cafe, there is no doubt but a week or more would be gained by it; and the expence, with the wear and tear of a fhip for one week, are objects to moft owners, more efpecially when freighted with convicts by the run. This ftrait likewife prefents another advantage. From the preva lence of the N. E. and easterly winds off the South Cape, many fuppofe that a paffage may be made from thence to the weftward, either to the Cape of Good Hope, or to India; but the fear of the great unknown bight between the South Cape and the S. W. Cape of Lewen's Land, lying in about 35° fouth and 113° eaft, has hitherto prevented the trial being made. Now, the trait removes a part of this danger, by prefenting a certain place of retreat, fhould a gale oppofe itself to the ship in the first part of the effay; and, fhould the wind come at S. W., the need not fear making a good firetch to the W. N. W., which courfe, if made good, is within a few degrees of going clear of all. There is, befides, King George the Third's Sound, difcovered by Captain Vancouver, fituate in the latitude of 35° 03' fouth, and longitude 118° 12' eaft; and it is to be hoped, that a few years will difclofe many others upon the coaft, as well as the confirmation or futility of the conjecture, that a ftill larger than Bafs Strait difmembers New Holland.' p. 192-193. We learn from a note fubjoined to this paffage, that, in order to verify or refute this conjecture, of the exiftence of other im portant |