They Have Both Good Houses Which They Hired People
To Build For Them.
Parr told me that he had expended thirteen guineas
on his land, which nevertheless he does not seem pleased
With.
Of the three poor fellows who work in partnership, one (Bradbury) is run away.
This man had been allowed to settle, on a belief, from his own assurance,
that his term of transportation was expired; but it was afterwards discovered
that he had been cast for life. Hereupon he grew desperate, and declared
he would rather perish at once than remain as a convict. He disappeared
a week ago and has never since been heard of. Were I compelled to settle
in New South Wales, I should fix my residence here, both from the appearance
of the soil, and its proximity to Rose Hill. A corporal and two privates
are encamped here to guard this settlement, as at Prospect.
Proceeded to the settlement called the Ponds, a name which I suppose
it derived from several ponds of water which are near the farms.
Here reside the fourteen following settlers.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Men's names. | Trades. | Number of | Number of acres
| | acres in each | in cultivation.
| | allotment. |
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Thomas Kelly Servant 30 1 1/2
William Hubbard, and wife Plasterer 50 2 1/4
Curtis Brand, and wife Carpenter 50 3
John Ramsay, and wife Seaman 50 3 1/2
William Field - - 30 2 1/2
John Richards* Stone-cutter 30 ) 4 1/2
John Summers* Husbandman 30 )
- - Varnell - - 30 1
Anthony Rope**, and wife, and
two children Bricklayer 70 1
Joseph Bishop, and wife None 50 1 1/2
Mathew Everingham, and wife Attorney's clerk 50 2
John Anderson, and wife - - 50 2
Edward Elliot*** Husbandman 30 ) 2
Joseph Marshall*** Weaver 30 )
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[*They (Richards and Summers) cultivate in partnership.]
[**A convict who means to settle here; and is permitted to work
in his leisure hours.]
[***They (Elliot and Marshall) cultivate in partnership.]
The Prospect Hill terms of settlement extend to this place. My private
remarks were not many. Some spots which I passed over I thought desirable,
particularly Ramsay's farm; and he deserves a good spot, for he is a civil,
sober, industrious man. Besides his corn land, he has a well laid out
little garden, in which I found him and his wife busily at work.
He praised her industry to me; and said he did not doubt of succeeding.
It is not often seen that sailors make good farmers; but this man I think
bids fair to contradict the observation. The gentleman of no trade
(his own words to me) will, I apprehend, at the conclusion of the time
when victualling from the store is to cease, have the honour of returning
to drag a timber or brick cart for his maintenance. The little maize
he has planted is done in so slovenly a style as to promise a very poor crop.
He who looks forward to eat grapes from his own vine, and to sit
under the shade of his own fig-tree, must labour in every country.
He must exert more than ordinary activity. The attorney's clerk
I also thought out of his province. I dare believe that he finds cultivating
his own land not half so easy a task as he formerly found that of
stringing together volumes of tautology to encumber, or convey away,
that of his neighbour. Hubbard's farm, and Kelly's also, deserve regard,
from being better managed than most of the others. The people here
complain sadly of a destructive grub which destroys the young plants of maize.
Many of the settlers have been obliged to plant twice, nay thrice,
on the same land, from the depredations of these reptiles. There is
the same guard here as at the other settlements.
Nothing now remains for inspection but the farms on the river side.
December 7th. Went to Scheffer's farm. I found him at home, conversed
with him, and walked with him over all his cultivated ground. He had
140 acres granted to him, fourteen of which are in cultivation,
twelve in maize, one in wheat and one in vines and tobacco. He has besides
twenty-three acres on which the trees are cut down but not burnt off the land.
He resigned his appointment and began his farm last May, and had at first
five convicts to assist him; he has now four. All his maize,
except three acres, is mean. This he thinks may be attributed to three causes:
a middling soil; too dry a spring; and from the ground not being
sufficiently pulverized before the seed was put into it. The wheat is thin
and poor: he does not reckon its produce at more than eight or nine bushels.
His vines, 900 in number, are flourishing, and will, he supposes, bear fruit
next year. His tobacco plants are not very luxuriant: to these two
last articles he means principally to direct his exertions. He says
(and truly) that they will always be saleable and profitable. On one
of the boundaries of his land is plenty of water. A very good brick house
is nearly completed for his use, by the governor; and in the meantime
he lives in a very decent one, which was built for him on his settling here.
He is to be supplied with provisions from the public store, and with
medical assistance for eighteen months, reckoning from last May.
At the expiration of this period he is bound to support himself
and the four convicts are to be withdrawn. But if he shall then,
or at any future period, declare himself able to maintain a moderate number
of these people for their labour, they will be assigned to him.
Mr. Scheffer is a man of industry and respectable character. He came out
to this country as superintendant of convicts, at a salary of forty pounds
per annum, and brought with him a daughter of twelve years old. He is
by birth a Hessian, and served in America, in a corps of Yaghers,
with the rank of lieutenant.
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