Volume 71: Macarthur family papers relating to wool and sheep, 1820-1936: No. 296
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[Page 296]
[Second page of address]
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Captain Waterhouse landed more than half of his, whereas Captain Kent is said to have lost all. From these small beginnings, supplemented by a few other importations, arose the great sheep industry of Australia. The gradual evolution of our great flocks from such a small and modest commencement is one of the romances of the age.
The rapid increase of sheep in the early days is shown by the following figures - the quantity of wool shipped from Australia during the year 1807 was 245 lbs. In 1835 it was 3,776,191 lbs. In 1788 the number of sheep in Australia was 29 - 100 years later, in 1888, it was 97,983,960.
In his dispatch on the 28th September 1788 Governor Phillip wrote as follows -- "One sheep only remains of upwards of 70 which I purchased at the Cape. It is the rank grass under the trees which has destroyed them."Thus it was early recognised that the moist coastal area was not suitable to the merino. This no doubt induced Marsden's nephews Betts, and also Cox, who bought Captain Waterhouse's flock, to move them to Molong and Mudgee respectively.