The Regular Lines Intersecting
Each Other At Right Angles, In Which It Is Laid Out, Will, Nevertheless,
Afford But Little Gratification To An Englishman, Who Has Been Used To
Contemplate The Natural Style Which Distinguishes The Pleasure Grounds
Of His Own Country.
At the head of the centre walks stands a menagerie,
on which, as well as the garden, many pompous
Eulogiums have been passed,
though in my own judgment, considering the local advantages possessed
by the Company, it is poorly furnished both with animals and birds; a tyger,
a zebra, some fine ostriches, a cassowary, and the lovely crown-fowl,
are among the most remarkable.
The table land, which stands at the back of the town, is a black dreary looking
mountain, apparently flat at top, and of more than eleven hundred yards
in height. The gusts of wind which blow from it are violent to an excess, and
have a very unpleasant effect, by raising the dust in such clouds, as to render
stirring out of doors next to impossible. Nor can any precaution prevent
the inhabitants from being annoyed by it, as much within doors as without.
At length the wished-for day, on which the next effort for reaching the place
of our destination was to be made, appeared. The morning was calm,
but the land wind getting up about noon, on the 12th of November we
weighed anchor, and soon left far behind every scene of civilization
and humanized manners, to explore a remote and barbarous land; and plant in it
those happy arts, which alone constitute the pre-eminence and dignity
of other countries.
The live animals we took on board on the public account from the Cape,
for stocking our projected colony, were, two bulls, three cows, three horses,
forty-four sheep, and thirty-two hogs, besides goats, and a very large quantity
of poultry of every kind. A considerable addition to this was made by
the private stocks of the officers, who were, however, under a necessity
of circumscribing their original intentions on this head very much,
from the excessive dearness of many of the articles. It will readily
be believed, that few of the military found it convenient to purchase sheep,
when hay to feed them costs sixteen shillings a hundred weight.
The boarding-houses on shore, to which strangers have recourse,
are more reasonable than might be expected. For a dollar and a half per day
we were well lodged, and partook of a table tolerably supplied in the
French style. Should a traveller's stock of tea run short, it is a thousand
chances to one that he will be able to replenish it here at a cheaper rate
than in England. He may procure plenty of arrack and white wine; also raisins,
and dried fruits of other sorts. If he dislikes to live at a boarding-house,
he will find the markets well stored, and the price of butcher's meat
and vegetables far from excessive.
Just before the signal for weighing was made, a ship, under American colours,
entered the road, bound from Boston, from whence she had sailed
one hundred and forty days, on a trading voyage to the East Indies.
In her route, she had been lucky enough to pick up several of the inferior
officers and crew of the Harcourt East-Indiaman, which ship had been wrecked
on one of the Cape de Verd Islands. The master, who appeared to be a man
of some information, on being told the destination of our fleet, gave it
as his opinion, that if a reception could be secured, emigrations
would take place to New South Wales, not only from the old continent,
but the new one, where the spirit of adventure and thirst for novelty
were excessive.
CHAPTER VII.
The Passage from the Cape of Good Hope to Botany Bay.
We had hardly cleared the land when a south-east wind set in, and, except
at short intervals, continued to blow until the 19th of the month;
when we were in the latitude of 37 deg 40 min south, and by the time-keeper,
in longitude 11 deg 30 min east, so that our distance from Botany Bay
had increased nearly an hundred leagues since leaving the Cape.
As no appearance of a change in our favour seemed likely to take place,
Governor Phillip at this time signified his intention of shifting his pennant
from the Sirius to the 'Supply', and proceeding on his voyage without waiting
for the rest of the fleet, which was formed in two divisions. The first
consisting of three transports, known to be the best sailors, was put under
the command of a Lieutenant of the navy; and the remaining three,
with the victuallers, left in charge of Captain Hunter, of his Majesty's ship
Sirius. In the last division was the vessel, in which the author
of this narrative served. Various causes prevented the separation from
taking place until the 25th, when several sawyers, carpenters, blacksmiths,
and other mechanics, were shifted from different ships into the 'Supply',
in order to facilitate his Excellency's intention of forwarding the necessary
buildings to be erected at Botany Bay, by the time the rest of the fleet
might be expected to arrive. Lieutenant Governor Ross, and the Staff
of the marine battalion, also removed from the Sirius into the
Scarborough transport, one of the ships of the first division, in order
to afford every assistance which the public service might receive,
by their being early on the spot on which our future operations
were to be conducted.
From this time a succession of fair winds and pleasant weather corresponded
to our eager desires, and on the 7th of January, 1788, the long wished for
shore of Van Diemen gratified our sight. We made the land at two o'clock
in the afternoon, the very hour we expected to see it from the
lunar observations of Captain Hunter, whose accuracy, as an astronomer,
and conduct as an officer, had inspired us with equal gratitude and admiration.
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