Extract of a Letter from Governor PHILIPS, to the Right Hon. Lord SYDNEY, dated Sidney Cove, Feb. 13, 1790.
"In order to get a knowledge of the country round this settlement, frequent excursions have been made since the ships sailed, in Nov. 1788, soon after which I went to Botany Bay, and the five days spent in that harbour convinced me in the opinion I had first formed of it, that it afforded no [indecipherable] situation for fixing the settlement; and was a bad harbour, not affording good security for ships against the easterly winds, which frequently blow very hard in the winter; and which has been further proved by Capt. Hunter, and the First Lieutenant of the Sirius, who went there to survey the Bay.
"After having been several times with the boats to Broken Bay, in order to examine the different branches of that harbour, a river was found; but the want of provisions obliged us to return without being able to trace its source, which has since been done; and in the 16 days we were then out, all those branches which had any depth of water were traced as far as the boats could proceed.
"The breadth of this river, named the Hawkesbury, is from 300 to 800 feet, and it appears navigable for the largest merchant-ships to the foot of Richmond Hill; but as the water near the head of the river sometimes rises, after very heavy rains, 30 feet above its common level, it would not be safe for ships to go so far up; but fifteen or twenty miles below Richmond Hill they would lie in fresh water, and perfectly safe. I speak of Richmond Hill, as being the head of the river, it there growing very shallow, and dividing into two branches.
"The high and rocky country which forms Broken Bay, is lost as you proceed up the Hawkesbury, and the banks of the river are there covered with timber; the soil a ligh rich mould, and, judging from the little we saw of the country, I should suppose it good land to a very considerable extent. The other branches of fresh water are shoal, bur probably run many miles further up the country than we could trace them in our boats. - On these rivers we saw great numbers of wild ducks and black swans; and on the banks of Hawkesbury, several decoys were made by the natives, to catch quail.
"Richmond Hill, (near the foot of which, a fall of water prevented our proceeding further with the boats) is the southern extremity of a range of hills, which, running to the northward, most probably join the mountains nearly parallel to the coast from fifty to sixty miles inland. The soil of Richmond Hill is good, and it lies well for cultivation. Our prospect from the hill was very extensive to the southward and eastward; and the country appeared from the height, at which we were, a level covered with timer. There is a flat between six and seven miles between Richmond Hill, and a break in the mountains, which separates Lansdown and Carmarthen Hills; and in this flat, I suppose the Hawkesbury continues its course; but which could not be seen for the timber, that, with very few exceptions, covers the country wherever the soil is good.
"The great advantages of so noble a river, when a settlement can be made on its banks, will be obvious to your Lordship.
"The settlement made at Port Jackson near the head of the harbour, (Rose Hill) very fully answers my expectation; the soil is exceeding good, lies well for cultivation, and is well watered. Six miles to the southward, there is a small fresh water river, and 20 to the westward, there is a more considerable river, the source of which, I suppose to be at the foot of the mountains. The banks of this river, which most probably empties itself in the Hawkesbury, are high; the soil, a good light mould, and covered with trees; the wood of some of those trees is very light; they are about the size of a large walnut-tree which they resemble; they shed their leaves and bear a small fruit, which is said to be very wholesome.
"This river, likewise, frequently rises thirty feet above its common level; it is, as far as I have seen it, from 300 to 400 feet in breadth; I named it the Nepean; and its source will be traced in the course of the winter; and from its banks, I hope to reach the mountain, which has been attempted by a party who crossed the river, but after the first day's journey, they met with such a constant succession of deep ravines, the sides of which were frequently inaccessible, that they returned, not having been able to proceed above fifteen miles in five days; when they turned back, they suppose themselves to be twelve miles from the foot of the mountains.
"As the land for several miles to the southward, and twenty to the westward of Rose Hill, that is, to the banks of the Nepean, is as fine land for tillage as most in England, (some few spots excepted, the soil of which is poor, but bear a very small proportion to the good land) I suppose that tract of land for those settlers who may be sent out; and though they will be placed at some distance from eath other, for the conveniency of water, (from one to three or four miles) they will have nothing to apprehend from the natives, who avoid those parts we most frequent, and always retire at the sight of two or three people, who are armed.
"As the labour of clearing the ground of timber will be great, I think each settler should not have less than 20 men on his farm, which I suppose to be from 500 to 1000 acres; it will be necessary to give that number of convicts to those settlers who come out, and to support them for two years from the pablic stores; in that time, if they are any ways industrious, they will be in a situation to support themselves; and I do not think they would be able to do it in less time. At the expiration of two years, they may return half the convicts they have ben allowed, and would want no further assistance from Government.
"It may be necessary to grant lands to officers and soldiers, who, becoming settlers, will of course be entitled to every indulgence; but few of the officers now here have reaped any great advantage from being allowed convicts; and it is attended with unavoidable inconveniences from the convicts being left so much to themselves, and from their mixing with the soldiers. It may be found more to the advantage of the Crown and the officer likewise, if officers on duty in this settlement were allowed a certain quantity of grain to support their live stock, until they have a market to go to; and I make no doubt, but that in the third year from the time settlers arrive, there will be a market well supplied with grain, poultry, hogs, and goats, of all which there has been a great increase, but killed, from wanting corn to support them; and the natives so frequently setting fire to the country, which they do to catch the Opossum, Flying Squirrel, and other animals, has prevented swine from being turned out as was intended.
"If this plan of distributing among the settlers those convicts who are not immediately necessary for carrying on the public works, is approved of, and which, I suppose, as appearing to me the most likely to render this settlement independent for the necessaries of life, in the shortest time possible, there are many regulations which will of course take place."