Letter received by Banks from George Caley, 20 January 1807 (Series 18.065) - No. 0001

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Jan 20 1807

Sir

At length I wrote to you by the return of Gov. King.  It might be expected that I should have embraced the opportunity of returning with him, but I trust you will be informed by letters from me long before this comes to hand.  It is well I did not propose returning in the Buffalo, for the delay would have put me to great inconvenience & expence, besides the loss of time.  However, I should be very glad for to quit the colony by the first opportunity, for I can plainly see I shall be able to do but little more owing to the  present distressed state, & which is likely to continue.  It is well known Gov King, by being too saving brought on the scarcity; and as Gov Bligh seems to be for carrying on the saving plan still farther.  I give it to you as my opinion, that it is the wisdom of Government to adopt saving measures, but that it was never their meaning for it to being carried to such an extreme as to starve the people.  It is the encouragement of industry that must make the colony flourish, but this I have not yet seen made use of.  Nay, I will farther state, if it is not treason, that we are governed by a wrong description of people, for what knowledge can they have of tillage or providing the necessaries of life, when they are bred to a profession quite the reverse.  In fact, after having obtained situations like the present, they will then have to learn how they are to discharge the duty, and in which they must be beholden to others for advice, so that they are open to imposition on all sides.  If vigorous measures be carried to extremes, an industrious man will become indolent, this we learn not only from a knowledge of ourselves, but from history recording nations that have fell a prey to the like.

It was my intent to have gone a few journies more, in order to have gained a more clear idea of the country in general, but this I now altogether decline.  Though my health has much improved, yet I do not yield to this, but to the scarcity of the times.  Harvest is not long over, and the public stores only allow 3 pounds of wheat per man, which when cleaned of rubbish is little more than 2 neat.   Very little is put into government stores, as by far greater price is given by private persons.  About 25d per bushel is the present price; but if there is not a supply from India arrives ere long, it must considerably

Nov 9