person who may be anxious to ascertain its further results, may
easily follow it up himself. It will be seen that with the most
liberal allowances for all manner of expenses, casualties and
deteriorations, capital invested in this channel will yield the
first year an interest of 13½ per cent. besides
experiencing itself an increase of nearly 24 per cent.; that the
second year it will yield an interest of nearly 25 per cent.
besides experiencing itself a further increase of rather more
than 37½ per cent.; and that the third year it will yield
an interest of nearly 37 per cent. besides experiencing itself an
additional increase of about 42½ per cent. or, in other
words, money sunk in the rearing of sheep in this colony will,
besides paying an interest of about 75½ _per cent_.
in the _course_ of _three years_, _rather more than
double itself_. Here then is a mode of investing capital by
which the proprietor may insure himself not only an annual
interest, the ratio of which would augment every year in the most
astonishing progression, but by which the capital itself also
would experience an advance still more rapid and extraordinary.
Any person, therefore, who has the means of embarking in this
speculation, could not fail with common attention to realize a
large fortune in a few years. His chance of so doing would be
still greater if he should happen to be acquainted with the
management of sheep; but this is by no means an
_indispensable_ qualification; for such is the fineness of
the climate, both in the settlements in New Holland and Van
Diemen's Land, that all those precautions which are necessary to
be observed in this country, in order to shelter this animal from
the inclemency of the seasons, are there, quite superfluous:
sheds, indeed, are not only useless, but injurious; the flocks
never do so well as when they are continually exposed to the
weather. It is only necessary that the folds should be shifted
every other day, or if the sheep are kept by night in yards, to
take care that _these_ are daily swept out.
The extent to which capital might thus be invested is
boundless; since if the breeder did not possess as much land as
would feed the number of sheep that he might wish to keep, he
would only have to send his flocks beyond the limits of
colonization, and retire with them as the tide of population
approached. His hurdles, and the rude huts or tents of his
shepherds, might always be removed with very little difficulty
and expense; and if his and his neighbours' flocks should happen
to come into contact, such is the immensity of the wilderness
which would lie before him, that he might exclaim in the language
of Abram to Lot: "Let there be no strife I pray thee between me
and thee, and between my herdsmen and thy herds-men; for we be
brethren. Is not the whole land before us? Separate thyself I
pray thee from me. If thou wilt take the left hand, then I will
go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will
go to the left." Such, should any of these disputes occur, might
always be their amicable termination. There is, and will be for
ages to come, whatever may be the extent of emigration, more land
than can possibly be required. The speculation, therefore, of
growing wool can meet with no checks from the want of pasturage
in the colony, and it is equally improbable that it can be
impeded by the want of a market in this country. It is well known
that the Saxon wool cannot be sold under the present prices
without loss to the growers. The severity of the climate of
Saxony, renders it indispensable for the sheep-holders to take a
variety of precautions which are not only useless in this colony,
but would even prove highly detrimental to the constitution of
this valuable animal. In the former country, the flocks are kept
almost invariably in sheds of a very costly construction both by
day and night, and are fed almost wholly upon hay; in the latter,
they are always better when kept in the open air and fed on the
spontaneous herbage of the forest. The mildness of the seasons,
therefore, spares the colonists two immense sources of expence,
and will without doubt in the end, enable them to undersell and
ruin the Saxon wool growers; since the only point of superiority
these latter can pretend to is their greater contiguity to the
market, and this, in consequence of the extreme value of the
commodity, is of too trifling import to demand consideration. The
freight of wool from the colony, has already been reduced to
three pence per pound, which is very little more than is paid for
the transport of wool from Saxony; and all the other expences,
with the exception of insurance, as brokerage, store-room, etc.
are precisely the same. Upon these grounds, therefore, I am
contented to rest the support of my assertion, that the world
does not at present contain so advantageous, and I might also
add, so extensive an opening for the investment of capital as the
one in question.
With reference to the commercial prospects presented by this
colony, they are certainly much more limited, but still of very
considerable scope. The extraordinary fluctuations which are
incessantly taking place in the prices of all sorts of
merchandize, are evidently capable of being turned to great
account by a skilful and cool calculator. Any person of this
character possessed of sufficient capital to enable him to buy
goods when the market should happen to be in a state of
depression, and to keep them in his store till the glut should
pass by, could not fail to realize a rapid fortune. The only
event that could prevent his success, would be an imprudent
avidity. If he should be once tempted to go out of his depth, so
that he would be compelled to sell whether at gain or loss, in
order to make good his payments, he would most probably sink
never more to rise. But if he would never speculate beyond the
compass of his actual means, he might easily clear fifty per
cent. per annum on the amount of his trading capital.
Were I asked to particularize any avenue of industry not
strictly included in any of the foregoing general classes, in
which persons inclined to emigrate to this colony, might embark
with a fair chance of success, I should say that any one who had
the means of taking out a steam engine of six or
eight-horse-power with the requisite machinery for sawing boards,
would make it answer his purposes very well; that a timber
merchant also, possessing a capital of three or four thousand
pounds, might employ his funds very advantageously by
establishing a timber yard; and that a skilful brewer who could
command five thousand pounds and upwards, would succeed either at
Sydney or Hobart Town. It would be necessary, however, that he
should understand the process of making malt, since there are no
regular maltsters yet in the colony, and that he should also grow
his own hops.* Until, therefore, he had established a hop
plantation sufficient for his concern it would be requisite that
he should make arrangements to be supplied with hops from this
country. There are already several breweries in New South Wales,
but the beer which is made in them is so bad, that many thousand
pounds worth of porter and ale imported from this country, is
annually consumed in these settlements. This is in some measure
occasioned by the inferiority of the barley grown at Port
Jackson; but more, I am inclined to believe, by the want of skill
in the brewers. If the indifferent quality of the beer, however,
be attributable to the badness of the barley, this impediment to
success would be removed by emigrating to Van Diemen's Land;
since the barley raised in both the settlements in this island is
equal to the best produced in this country. I should also say,
that the skilful dairyman who could take out with him a capital
of from one to two thousand pounds, would do well in any of these
settlements, but more particularly in New South Wales. Butter, as
it has been already remarked, is still as high as 2s.
6d. per pound, notwithstanding the immense increase which
has taken place in the black cattle. The extreme dearness of this
article arises principally from the natural grasses not being
sufficiently nutritive to keep milch cattle in good heart, and
from the colonists not having yet got into the proper method of
providing artificial food. Any one, therefore, who would
introduce the dairy system practised in this country, could
hardly fail of finding his account in it.
[* The hop thrives very well at Port Jackson: there
are several flourishing plantations owned by the brewers. This
plant has not, I believe, yet been introduced into the southern
settlements; but as they bear a much greater affinity to this
country in point of climate than Port Jackson, no doubt can be
entertained that it might at least be cultivated there with equal
certainty of success.]
These various advantages which this colony and its
dependencies offer for emigration, have many points of
superiority over any to which the United States of America can
lay claim; if we even admit the truth of all that the most
enthusiastic admirers of that country have written, respecting
its flourishing condition. Mr. Birbeck*, whose "Letters," if not
"Notes," contain strong marks of an exaggerated anticipation of
their resources and capabilities, has not, though evidently under
the influence of feelings quite incompatible with a correct and
disinterested judgment, ventured to rate his imaginary maximum of
the profit to be derived from farming in the Illinois, (which
appears to be the principal magnet of attraction possessed by the
United States,) so high as I have proved by a calculation, to
which I defy any one to attach the character of hyperbolical,
that the investment of capital in the growth of fine wool in this
colony will infallibly produce. This too, although certainly the
most inviting and extensive channel of enterprize which it
contains, is not its only ground of preference: it has many
temptations besides for emigration, of which the United States
are wholly destitute: among these the following are perhaps the
most considerable.
[* See Mr. Cobbett's Letter to Mr. Birbeck on his
"Letters from the Illinois."]
First, Any person of respectability upon emigrating to this
colony, is given as much land as would cost him four hundred
pounds in the United States.
Secondly, He is allowed as many servants as he may require;
and the wages which he is bound to pay them, are not one third
the amount of the price of labour in America.
Thirdly, He, his family and servants, are victualled at the
expence of the government for six months.
These are three considerations of great importance to the
emigrant, and quite peculiar to this colony: added to which the
value of the produce of this gratuitous land and labour is three
times as great as in the Illinois, as will be seen by a
comparison of the prices of produce there as given by Messrs.
Birbeck and Fearon, and the prices of similar produce as stated
in the first part of this work. It is true that there is not the
same unlimited market as in America; but it must be evident,
that, if the price of labour were even equal, the colonist who
could dispose of one third of his crops, would be in a better
condition than if he were established in the Illinois, and could
find vent for the whole. The market, however, has never been
circumscribed to this degree in periods of the greatest
abundance; and the immense arrivals of convicts, that have been
daily taking place for the last three years, have increased the
consumptive powers of the colony so considerably, that there has
at most been but a very trifling surplus in the barns of the
farmers at the close of the year. On the other hand, all articles
of foreign growth and manufacture are in general much cheaper
than in the Illinois, and the other remote parts of the American
Union, provided the purchaser has ready money, and is not under
the necessity of having recourse to secondary agents for goods on
long credit.
Here, then, are many powerful reasons why persons bent on
emigration should prefer this colony to America. The only point
is whether the latter can throw any weightier arguments into the
opposite _scale_. What may be urged on the other side of the
question, may, I apprehend, be comprised under these two heads:
first, the greater contiguity of the United States to this
country, and the consequent ease and cheapness with which
emigration thither may be effected; and, secondly, the
superiority of their government.
The first of these points merits very little consideration,
except in the instance of those who have not the means of
choosing between the two countries. If a person only possess the
power of removing to that which is the more contiguous,
eligibility is out of the question: he is no longer a free agent.
But the difference in the cost of emigrating is far from being so
considerable as might be imagined on a mere view of their
comparative distances from this country. I understand that a
gentleman of great experience and respectability in the
commercial world, has presented a calculation to the committee of
the House of Commons, which is now occupied with an inquiry into
the state of this colony, from which it appears that a family,
consisting of a man, his wife and two children, with five tons
for their accommodation and for the reception of their baggage,
might emigrate to the colony for one hundred pounds, inclusive of
every contingent expense, provided a sufficient number of
families could be collected to freight a ship. The same gentleman
calculates that a single man might be taken out thither for
thirty pounds.* The difference, therefore, in the mere cost of
emigrating to the two places is so trifling, that the superior
locality of the one cannot be admitted as any sort of set off
against the superior advantages of the other. With respect,
however, to the last plea, that has been adduced in favour of
emigration to the United States, the superiority which they
possess in a free government, it must be admitted, that this is a
decisive ground of preference, and a blessing to which the
greatest pecuniary advantages cannot be considered a sufficient
counterpoise. And if it be imagined that the present arbitrary
system of government is not drawing to a conclusion; if it be
apprehended that it has not yet reached its climax of oppression
and iniquity, and that it will be enforced until all who are
within the sphere of its influence are reduced to a state of
moral degradation and infamy, and the colony becomes one vast
stye of abomination and depravity; the emigrant will do well to
discard from his mind every mercenary consideration, and to turn
away with disgust from all prospects of gain; so long as they are
only to be realized by entering into so contagious and
demoralizing an association. But if he believe that the hour is
at hand when the present system is to be abolished; when
oppression is to be hurled from the car in which it has driven
triumphantly over prostrate justice, virtue, and religion; and
when the dominion of right and morality is to be asserted and
established; then I have no hesitation in recommending him to
give a preference to this colony. In the agonies of approaching
dissolution, the efforts of tyranny will be feeble and impotent.
Moral corruption, though the inevitable result of a voluntary
submission to the will, is not the consequence of an indignant
and impatient sufferance of its rule for a season; and the chance
of personal injury would be still more precarious and uncertain.
Under the most arbitrary governments the vengeance of the despot
has seldom been known to extend beyond the circle of his court;
his victims have been among the ambitious candidates for power
and distinction. The retired pursuits of unobtrusive industry
have proved a sanctuary, which has remained inviolate in all
ages.
[* See a calculation in the Appendix made by an eminent merchant
in the city; from which it appears that a single man, on the
ration allowed sailors on board of a king's ship, might be
conveyed to the colony at a still cheaper rate.]
"The lifted axe, the agonizing wheel,
Luke's iron crown, and Damien's bed of steel,
To men remote from pow'r but rarely known,
Leave reason, faith, and conscience all our own."
APPENDIX.
Civil Establishment, and Public Institutions in the Territory
of New South Wales and its Dependencies.
Seat of Government, Sydney.
* * *
Captain General, Governor in Chief, Vice Admiral, and
Commander of the Forces, His Excellency Lachlan Macquarie, Esq.
Major General in the Army, and Lieutenant Colonel of the 73d
Regiment.
* * *
Lieutenant Governor--James Erskine, Esq. Lieutenant Colonel of
the 48th Regiment.
Aid-de-Camp to his Excellency the Governor, John Watts,
Lieutenant in the 46th Regiment.
Major of Brigade--Henry Colden Antill, Captain in the 73d
Regiment.
* * *
_High Court of Appeals_.
Judge--His Excellency the Governor in Chief.
Secretary--John Thomas Campbell, Esq.
Clerk--Michael Robinson, Gent.
Door-keeper--Serjeant Charles Whalan, of the 46th
Regiment.
* * *
_Court of Vice Admiralty_.
Judge--John Wylde, Esq. L. L. B.
Registrar--John Thomas Campbell, Esq.
Clerk to the Registrar--Mr. Michael Robinson.
Marshal--William Gore, Esq.
Cryer--Mr. Edward Quin.
* * *
_The Governor's Court_.
The Honorable the Judge Advocate and Premier Judge of this
Territory--John Wylde, Esq. L. L. B.
Members--Two Inhabitants of the Territory, specially appointed
by Precept from His Excellency the Governor and Commander of the
Forces.
Clerk, and Registrar of the Court--Joshua J. Moore, Gent.
Cryer--Mr. Edward Quin.
* * *
And it is to be noted, that this Court has cognizance of all
pleas, where the amount sued for does not exceed 501. sterling
(except such pleas as may arise between party and party, in Van
Diemen's Land); and from its decisions there is no appeal.
* * *
_The Supreme Court_.
The Honorable the Judge--Barron Field, Esq.
Members--Two Magistrates of the Territory, appointed by
Precept from His Excellency the Governor.
Clerk of the Supreme Court--Mr. John Gurner.
Cryer--Mr. Edward Quin.
Solicitors--Mr. Thomas Wylde; Mr. William Henry Moore; Mr.
Frederick Garling; Mr. T. S. Amos.
* * *
_Secretary's Office_.
Secretary--John Thomas Campbell, Esq.
Principal Clerk Michael Robinson, Gent.
Second ditto--Mr. Charles Reid.
Assistant Clerks--Mr. James Sumpter; Mr. Thomas Ryan.
* * *
_Commissariat Staff_.
Deputy Commissary General--David Allan, Esq.
Assistant Commissary General--John Palmer, Esq.
Parramatta;
Acting Assistant Commissary General--W. Broughton, Esq. Hobart
Town;
Deputy Assistant Commissary General--P. G. Hogan, Esq.
Acting Ditto--Thomas Archer, Esq. Port Dalrymple.
Clerks on the Commissariat Staff--Mr. E. Hobson, Parramatta;
Mr. A. Allan, Sydney; Mr. R. Fitzgerald, Windsor; Mr. George
Johnston, Sydney.
Principal Assistant Clerk--Mr. T. W. Middleton.
Storekeepers--Mr. W. Scott, Sydney; Mr. S. Larken, Parramatta;
Mr. John Tucker, Newcastle; Mr. R. Dry, Port Dalrymple; Mr. John
Gowen, Liverpool; Mr. John Rayner, Hobart Town.
Assistant Clerks--Mr. John Flood, Mr. E. J. Yates, Mr. John
Rickards, Mr. J. Hankinson, Mr. George Smith, Mr. C. Sommers, Mr.
N. Edgworth, Mr. C. Bridges, Mr. W. Todhunter, Mr. Richard
Walker, Mr. Todd Watson--at Sydney.
Mr. J. Obee, at Parramatta--Mr. B. Rix, at Windsor--Mr. W.
Kitchener, Port Dal.--Mr. John Gregory, Hobart Town--Mr. W.
Turner, Hobart Town.
Messenger--Thomas Parsons.
Store Assistant--T. Jennings.
Cooper--Edward Hewen.
* * *
_Provost Marshall's Department_.
Provost Marshall--William Gore, Esq.
Clerk--Mr. Henry Hart;
Bailiff and Officer at Sydney--Mr. W. Evans;
Ditto at Windsor, etc.--Mr. Richard Ridge.
* * *
_Church Establishment_.
Principal Chaplain of the Territory--The Rev. Samuel Marsden,
Parramatta;
Assistant Chaplain at Sydney--Rev. Wm. Cowper;
Assistant Chaplain at Windsor--Rev. Robert Cartwright;
Assistant Chaplain at Castlereagh--Rev. Henry Fulton;
Assistant Chaplain for Port Dalrymple, but now officiating at
Liverpool--Rev. John Youl.
Assistant Chaplain appointed for Liverpool--Rev. Ben. Vale,
returned to Europe on leave of absence.
Parish Clerk of St. Philip's, Sydney--Mr. Thomas Taber;
Ditto of St. John's, Parramatta--Mr. John Eyre;
Ditto of the Chapel at Windsor--Mr. Joseph Harpur.
* * *
Magistrates.
The Principal Magistrate of the Territory, and Chairman of the
Bench of Magistrates at Sydney--The Honorable the Judge
Advocate.
_Magistrates of the Territory and its Dependencies_.
D'Arcy Wentworth, Esq.
John Thomas Campbell, Esquire.
_Magistrates of the various Settlements of the
Territory_.
At Sydney--W. Broughton, Esq. absent at Hobart Town; Simeon
Lord, Esq. Richard Brooks, Esq.
Clerk to the Bench of Magistrates--Joshua John Moore,
Gent.
Assistant Clerk--Mr. Ezekiel Wood.
At Parramatta--The Rev. Samuel Marsden; Hannibal M'Arthur,
Esq.
At Windsor--William Cox, Esq.
At Wilberforce--Rev. Robert Cartwright;
At Castlereagh--James Mileham, Esq. Rev. Henry Fulton;
At Liverpool--Thomas Moore, Esq.
At Bringelly--Robert Lowe, Esq.
At Hobart Town--Rev. Robert Knopwood, A. M. A. W. H. Humphrey,
Esq. James Gordon, Esq. Francis Williams, Esq. A. F. Kemp,
Esq.
At Port Dalrymple--Brevet Major James Stewart, 46th Regiment;
Thomas Archer, Esq.
* * *
_Medical Staff_.
Principal Surgeon--D'Arcy Wentworth, Esq.
First Assistant ditto--Mr. James Mileham, at Windsor.
Second ditto ditto--Mr. William Redfern, at Sydney;
Acting ditto ditto--Mr. Wm. Evans, at Newcastle;
Acting ditto ditto--Mr. Major West, at Parramatta;
Acting ditto ditto--Mr. R. W. Owen, at Sydney;
Acting ditto ditto at the Lunatic Asylum, Castle: Hill, Mr.
Thomas Parmeter.
Assistant at General Hospital--Mr. Henry Cowper.
* * *
_Surveyors of Crown Lands_.
Surveyor General--John Oxley, Esq.
Deputy Surveyor--Mr. James Meehan.
Ditto at Hobart Town--Mr. G. W. Evans.
* * *
Collector of Quit-Rents, Mr. James Meehan.
* * *
_Naval Officer's Department_.
Naval Officer--John Piper, Esq.
Assistant to the Naval Officer--Mr. Alfred Thrupp.
Wharfingers--Mr. William Hutchinson; Mr. James Stewart.
* * *
Acting Engineer, and Artillery Officer, and Inspector of
Government Works--Captain John Gill, 46th Regiment.
Civil Architect--Mr. F. H. Greenway.
* * *
Barrack Master--Charles M'Intosh, Esq.
* * *
_His Majesty's Dock Yard_.
Master Boat Builder--Mr. William Cossar.
Book-keeper--Mr. John Fowler.
* * *
Harbour Master--Mr. Stephen Milton.
* * *
_Superintendents_.
Of Government Stock--Mr. Rowland Hassall;
Assistant Superintendent of ditto--Mr. Sam. Hassall;
Of the Lunatic Asylum at Castle Hill--Mr. George Sutter;
Of Government Labourers and Cattle, and of Public Works at
Windsor--Mr. Richard Fitzgerald;
Of Public Labourers, etc. at Sydney--Mr. William
Hutchinson;
Of Carpenters at Parramatta--Mr. Richard Rouse;
Of Bricklayers--Mr. Thomas Legg;
Of Government Mills--Mr. Abraham Hutchinson.
* * *
_Principal Overseers of Government Stock, under the Orders
of the Superintendent_.
Mr. Thomas Arkell, and Mr. William Chalker.
* * *
_Trustees and Commissioners of Turnpike Roads and
Highways_.
For the Roads from Sydney to Hawkesbury--D'Arcy Wentworth,
Simeon Lord, and James Mileham, Esquires;
For the Roads to and from Liverpool, branching out at any of
the above--Thomas Moore, Esq.
* * *
Inspector of Highways and Bridges--Mr. James Meehan.
* * *
_Female Orphan Institution_.
Patron--His Excellency the Governor.
Patronesses--Mrs. Macquarie; Mrs. Wylde; Mrs. Hannibal
M'Arthur.
Committee for the Orphan Fund.
His Honor Lieutenant Governor Erskine;
The Honorable Mr. Judge Advocate Wylde;
The Reverend Samuel Marsden, Principal Chaplain;
The Reverend Wm. Cowper, Assistant Chaplain;
Hannibal M'Arthur, Esq.
Treasurer--Reverend Samuel Marsden;
Master of the School--Mr. William Hosking;
Matron--Mrs. Hosking.
_Institution for the Civilization, Care, and Education of
the Aborigines or Black Natives of New South Wales_.
Patron, the Governor; Patroness, Mrs. Macquarie.
* * *
Committee.
1. His Honor Lieutenant Governor Erskine, President. 2. The
Honorable Mr. Judge Advocate Wylde;--3. J. T. Campbell, Esq.--4.
D. Wentworth, Esq.--5. William Redfern, Esq.--6. H. M'Arthur,
Esq.--7. The Rev. Wm. Cowper;--8. The Rev. Hen. Fulton;--9. Mr.
Rowland Hassall.
Secretary and Treasurer of the Institution--John Thomas
Campbell, Esq.
Schoolmaster--
* * *
_Masters of the Public Schools throughout the
Territory_.
At Sydney--Mr. Thomas Bowden;
At Liverpool--Mr. Robert Keeves;
At Parramatta--Mr. John Eyre;
At Windsor--Mr. Joseph Harpur;
At Richmond--Mr. Matthew Hughes;
At Kissing Point--Mr. James Cooper;
At Wilberforce--Mr. M. P. Thompson;
At Newcastle--Mr. H. Rainsforth.
* * *
_Police Establishment at Sydney_.
_Committee of the Police Fund_.
The Lieutenant Governor; the Judge Advocate.
Treasurer--D'Arcy Wentworth, Esq.
Superintendent of Police--D'Arcy Wentworth, Esq.
Assistant to the Superintendent--Mr. Robert Jones.
Principal Clerk in the Police Office . . .
Assistant Clerk--Mr. Ezekiel Wood.
Six District Constables, and 50 Constables in Ordinary;
Chief Constable at Sydney--Mr. John Redman;
Ditto ditto at Parramatta--Mr. Francis Oakes;
Ditto ditto at Windsor--Mr. John Howe.
Keeper of the County Gaol at Sydney--Mr. John Jaques.
Clerk to ditto--George Jubb.
* * *
Coroner--Mr. J. W. Lewin.
Ditto for Windsor, and the Districts on the Banks of the
Hawkesbury--Mr. Thomas Hobby.
* * *
_Bank of New South Wales_.
President--J. T. Campbell, Esq.
Directors--D'Arcy Wentworth, Esq.--John Harris, Esq.--Thomas
Wylde, Esq.--William Redfern, Esq.--William Gore, Esq.--Robert
Jenkins, Esq.
Secretary and Cashier--Mr. E. S. Hall.
Principal Accountant--Mr. R. Campbell, junior.
* * *
_Printing Office_.
Government Printer--Mr. George Howe.
* * *
_Post Office_.
Post Master--Mr. Isaac Nichols.
Deputy at Hobart Town--Mr. James Mitchell.
* * *
_Licensed Auctioneers and Appraisers_.
At Sydney--Mr. Simeon Lord; Mr. David Bevan.
At Parramatta--Mr. Richard Rouse; Mr. Francis Oakes.
At Windsor--Mr. John Howe.
Clerk of the Market at Sydney--Mr. Miles Fieldgate.
Clerk of the Market and Fair at Parramatta--Mr. Francis
Oakes.
N. B. These Fairs are held half-yearly; viz. the second
Thursday in March, and the first Thursday in October
* * *
Marine Establishment.
His Majesty's Colonial Cutter Mermaid, employed in surveying
the Coast, Lieutenant Philip Parker King, R. N. Commander.
His Majesty's Colonial Brig Elizabeth Henrietta--Mr. Thomas
Whyte, Master.
His Majesty's Colonial Brig Lady Nelson, at present undergoing
repair--Mr. David Smith, Master.
* * *
_Harbour Pilots_.
At Port Jackson--Mr. Robert Mason; Mr. Robert Murray.
At Hunter's River--Robert Whitmore.
* * *
_Newcastle_.
Commandant--Captain Wallis, of the 46th Regt.
Acting Assistant Surgeon--Mr. William Evans.
Store-keeper--Mr. John Tucker.
* * *
_Civil Establishment at Hobart Town_.
Lieutenant Governor of the Settlements on Van Diemen's
Land--Lieutenant Colonel William Sorrell;
Deputy Judge Advocate--Edward Abbott, Esq.
Chaplain--Reverend R. Knopwood, A. M.
Surgeon--Mr. Edward Luttrell;
Assistant Surgeon--Mr. H. St. John Younge;
Acting Assist. Commissary General--W. Broughton, Esq.
Provost Marshal--Mr. Martin Tims;
Surveyor of Lands--Mr. G. W. Evans;
Inspector of Public Works--Captain Nairn, 46th Regt.;
Naval Officer--Mr. John Beamont;
Store-keeper--Mr. Rayner;
Auctioneer--Mr. Richard Lewis;
Harbour Pilot--Mr. Michael Mansfield;
Two Superintendents, and two Overseers.
_Magistrates at Hobart Town_.
Reverend R. Knopwood, A. M; Acting Assistant Commissary
General Broughton; James Gordon, Esq.; A. W. H. Humphrey, Esq.;
Francis Williams, Esq.; A. F. Kemp, Esq.
* * *
_The Lieutenant Governor's Court, Van Diemen's Land_.
Deputy Judge Advocate--Edward Abbott, Esq.;
And two resident Inhabitants, appointed as Members by His
Honor the Lieutenant Governor.
Clerk to the Deputy Judge Advocate--Mr. N. Ayres.
* * *
And it is by Charter provided, that the present and all future
Governors, Lieutenant Governors, the Judge Advocate, Judge of the
Supreme Court, and Deputy Judge Advocate, shall be Justices of
the Peace throughout the Territory and its Dependencies; and all
Places and Settlements therein, with all the Powers possessed by
Justices of the Peace in England, within their respective
Jurisdiction.
* * *
_Civil Establishment at Port Dalrymple_.
Commandant--Brevet Major James Stewart, 46th Regt.
Assistant Chaplain, now doing duty at Head Quarters, Reverend
John Youl;
Surgeon--Mr. Jacob Mountgarret;
Assistant Surgeon--Mr. John Smith;
Superintendent of the Government Herds--David Rose, Esq.
Inspector of Government Public Works--Mr. William Elliot
Leith;
Store-keeper--Mr. R. Dry.
Harbour Master.
Master of the Public School--Mr. Thomas M'Queen;
Acting Master Carpenter--Mr. Richard Sydes.
* * *
_Magistrates_--Brevet Major James Stewart, 46th Regt.
Thomas Archer, Esq.
* * *
Fees and Dues in the Various Offices.
* * *
SECRETARY'S OFFICE.--GOVERNOR'S FEES.
For the great seal to every grant, not exceeding 1000 acres 0 5 0
For all grants exceeding 1000 acres, for every 1000 each
grant contains 0 2 6
For a license of occupation 0 5 0
Secretary's Fees.
For every grant, and passing the seal of the province,
if under 100 acres 0 5 0
Between 100 and 500 acres 0 10 0
All above 0 15 0
In grants of land, where the number of proprietors shall
exceed 20, each right 0 2 6
In ditto, where the number of proprietors shall not exceed
20--the same as for grants in proportion to the quantity of land
For license of occupation of land 0 2 6
For every grant of land from 1000 to 20,000 acres, take for the
first 1000 acres 15s. and for every 1000 acres more, 2s. 6d.
_Fees to be taken by the Surveyor General of Lands._
For each grant, not exceeding 40 acres 0 7 6
Ditto 90 ditto 0 10 0
Ditto 190 ditto 0 15 0
Ditto 250 ditto 1 0 0
Ditto 350 ditto 1 10 0
Ditto 400 ditto 2 0 0
Ditto 750 ditto 2 12 6
Ditto 1000 ditto 3 5 0
Ditto, on town leases, per foot on street front 0 0 1
And on all grants exceeding 1000 acres for each 100 acres
so exceeding 0 4 0
Auditor's Fees.
For the auditing of every grant 0 3 4
Registrar's Fees.
For recording a grant of land, for or under 500 acres 0 1 3
For ditto from 500 to 1000 acres 0 2 6
For every 100 acres to the amount of 20,000 0 10 6
For recording a grant of a township 1 0 0
To be received in the Secretary's Office.
On all colonial appointments, and commissions of whatever kind,
where the official seal is affixed 5 5 0
On all special licenses for marriages 4 4 0
On the registering of vessels exceeding 40 tons per ton; 0 1 0
And to the Principal Clerk 0 10 0
For all vessels not exceeding 40 ton's 2 0 0
And to the Principal Clerk 0 10 0
On affixing official seal to the clearances of vessels of
foreign voyages, or fishing, per ton 0 0 6
For every person leaving the colony, whereof ls. goes to
the Principal Clerk 0 2 6
Transcripts of all papers, per folio of 72 words ls. and
transcribing Clerk, per ditto, 3d. 0 1 3
Licenses for colonial vessels coastwise to the Coal River,
Hawkesbury, or elsewhere, not extending to Van Diemen's Land
or Bass's Straits, as heretofore to Coal River 0 5 0
Fees to the Principal Clerk
On free or conditional pardons, each 0 5 6
Certificates and tickets of leave, each 0 2 8
N. B.--Six-pence of the free and conditional pardons,
and two-pence on certificates and tickets of leave, are to be
paid to the Government Printer, as a remuneration for the
paper and printing.
On receiving Appeals.
If for the sum of £50, or under, as heretofore 1 1 0
Upwards of £50, and not exceeding £100 2 2 0
Upwards of £100, and not exceeding 300 3 3 0
Any sum exceeding £300 5 5 0
On all Appeals To the Principal Clerk 0 10 0
To the Door-keeper 0 5 0
Affixing colonial seal to appeals to the King in Council 5 5 0
Principal Clerk 1 0 0
Transcripts of all papers, per folio of 72 words ls.
and transcribing Clerk per ditto, 3d. 0 1 3
Naval Office.
Entry for a ship with articles for sale, and in Government
service 0 15 0
Ditto, ditto, and not in Government service 1 10 0
Ditto with no articles, ditto ditto 0 15 0
Ditto for all foreign vessels 3 0 0
Permission to wood and water, for every vessel not exceeding
100 tons per register 1 0 0
For every vessel upwards of 100, and not exceeding 200 tons 2 0 0
For every vessel upwards of 200, and not exceeding 300 ditto 3 0 0
For every vessel upwards of 300, and not exceeding 400 ditto 4 0 0
For every vessel upwards of 400, and not exceeding 500 ditto 5 0 0
For every vessel upwards of 500 tons 6 0 0
Ditto to trade 1 1 0
Dues of each bond 0 10 6
Ditto of port clearance 0 5 0
Ditto ditto to the Naval Officer's Clerk 0 2 6
Ditto to Naval Officer's Clerk, for each permit to land
spirits or wine, per cask 0 0 6
For Colonial Vessels
Deeds of entry and clearance to the Hawkesbury 0 4 0
Ditto ditto to Newcastle 0 10 0
Ditto to the fishery or settlements at the southward 0 10 0
Ditto to Naval Officer's Clerk 0 2 0
King's Dues for Orphans
For each ton of coals for home consumption 0 2 6
Ditto ditto exported 0 5 0
For each 1000 square feet of timber for home consumption 3 0 0
Ditto ditto exported 6 0 0
Duties
Ships from any part of the world importing cargoes
(the manufactures of Great Britain excepted) to pay a duty of
5 per cent. _ad valorem_ on the amount of their respective
invoices.
On every gallon of spirits landed 0 10 0
Ditto wine ditto 0 0 9
n every pound of tobacco 0 0 6
Wharfage on each bale, cask, or package 0 0 6
The Naval Office to receive 5 per cent. on all duties collected
at this port.
Wharfinger's Fees.
On each bale, cask, or package, landed or shipped 0 0 3
Metage per ton on coals 0 2 6
Measure of timber, per 1000 feet 0 2 0
The following duties to be levied and collected by the Naval
Officer on the articles hereunder named, upon their arrival and
landing, whether for colonial consumption or re-shipment.
On each ton of sandal wood 2 10 0
On each ton of pearl shells 2 10 0
On each ton of beech-le-mer 5 0 0
On each ton of sperm oil (252 gallons) 2 10 0
On each ton of black whale or other oil 2 0 0
On each fur seal skin 0 0 1½
On each hair ditto 0 0 0½
On each kangaroo ditto 0 0 0½
On cedar, or other timber, from Shoal Haven, or any other
part of the coast or harbours of New South Wales (Newcastle
excepted, as the duties are already prescribed there),
when not supplied by government labourers, for each solid foot 0 1 0
For every 20 spars from N. Zealand or elsewhere 1 0 0
On timber, in log or plank, from New Zealand or elsewhere,
for each solid foot 0 1 0
Gaoler's Fees.
From every debtor on his discharge from each action 1 0 0
From every sailor confined for being disorderly, for the
first night thereof 0 2 6
For every following night 0 1 0
From every free person thereof, and person having a ticket of
leave, taken up and confined for being disorderly, on the
discharge of the same, each 0 3 0
From every person receiving a certificate of his or her term
of transportation being expired (reference being always had to
the black book in his possession) 0 0 6
Fees to be received by the Chief Constable
On the apprehending and lodging in gaol any sailor who may be
found riotous or disorderly, of constables assisting in the
apprehension 0 2 6
For each night that sailors so apprehended may be confined;
which is to be directed as the foregoing 0 2 6
For the apprehending of deserters or runaway sailors, to be
divided equally among apprehending constables and himself 2 0 0
For serving summonses from the Judge Advocate's Office, for debts
under 40s. each summons 0 1 0
For the seizure of stills, or other articles prohibited by the
Colonial Regulations, and ordered for distribution among the
seizing Constables, the Chief Constable is to receive an equal
proportion with them.
Surplice Fees.
Marriages by License, Clergyman 3 3 0
Clerk 0 10 6
Sexton 0 5 0
Ditto by Banns, free persons Clergyman 0 10 6
Clerk banns 0 2 0
Clerk marriage 0 3 0
Sexton marriage 0 10 6
Christenings, for registering Clerk 0 1 0
Churching, free persons only Clergyman 0 1 0
Clerk 0 0 6
Sexton 0 0 6
Funerals, free persons--Clergyman 0 3 0
Clerk 0 1 0
Bell 0 0 6
Grave digger 0 2 6
Post Office Charges
Every letter, English or Foreign 0 0 8
Every parcel not exceeding 20lbs. 0 1 6
Every ditto if exceeding 20lbs. 0 3 0
Every colonial letter from any part of the territory 0 0 4
Soldiers' letters, or those addressed to their wives 0 0 1
_Market Duties at Sydney_.--Grain, etc. lodged in the
store to be paid for as follows; viz. wheat or barley 3d. per
bushel; maize or oats 2d. per ditto; potatoes 3d. per cwt. and if
not sold the same day shall pay store-room rent every succeeding
market day the articles continue there, to the clerk, who is not
to deliver up such articles until the same be paid.
_Market and Fair Duties at Parramatta_.
For each horse, mare, gelding, or foal, if sold 0 1 6
Ditto ditto, ditto, if not sold 0 0 6
For each bull, cow, ox, or calf, if sold 0 1 0
Ditto ditto, ditto, if not sold 0 0 4
Sheep, lambs, or pigs, per score, if sold 0 2 0
Ditto, ditto, ditto, if not sold 0 0 8
And any number of sheep, lambs, or pigs, under a score,
for each sold 0 0 1½
Ditto, ditto, ditto, if not sold 0 0 0½
_Ferry_ across the River Hawkesbury, called _Nowland's Ferry:_
Tolls for each foot passenger 0 0 3
A saddle horse 0 1 6
A foal 0 0 6
A horse and chaise 0 2 6
A cart with 1 horse or two bullocks 0 2 6
A ditto with 2 horses or 3 bullocks 0 3 0
A waggon with 4 horses or 6 bullocks 0 4 0
For horned cattle 1s. per head
For do. if more than 1, and not exceeding 20, 9d. per ditto
For ditto, if upwards of twenty, 6d. per ditto
For sheep 2s. per score, or 7s. 6d. per hundred
For hogs and goats 2d. each, or 2s. per score
Passengers to pass and repass the same day for one payment.
Toll Gates between Sydney and Parramatta:
For each head of horned cattle 0 0 2
For each score of sheep or swine 0 0 10
For every single horse 0 0 3
For every cart drawn by a single horse or bullock 0 0 4
For every cart drawn by 2 horses or bullocks 0 0 6
For every cart drawn by 3 horses or bullocks 0 0 9
For every cart drawn by 4 horses or bullocks 0 0 10
For every waggon drawn by 2 horses or bullocks 0 0 10
For every waggon drawn by 3 horses or bullocks 0 1 0
For every waggon drawn by 4 horses or bullocks, or more 0 1 2
For every single horse chaise 0 1 0
For every curricle with two horses 0 1 6
For a four-wheel carriage drawn by 2 horses 0 2 0
For the same drawn by three horses 0 2 6
For the same drawn by four horses 0 3 0
N. B. The tolls between Parramatta and Windsor are exactly the
same as those between Sydney and Parramatta, only at the former a
cart drawn by 4 horses or bullocks is 10d.
_Tolls at the New Bridge over the South Creek at Windsor, called Howe Bridge_.
For each foot passenger 0 0 2
Ditto ditto single horse 0 0 6
Ditto ditto ditto, or bullock in draft 0 1 0
A cart, with 2 horses or bullocks 0 1 2
For each horse or bullock above that number 0 0 2
Waggons, or four wheeled carriages with two horses or bullocks 0 1 6
For each head of cattle not in draft, under a score 0 0 6
For every score 0 5 0
Ditto ditto per hundred 1 0 0
Ditto ditto sheep, goat, or pig, under a score 0 0 1
Ditto ditto a score 0 1 0
The Governor and Family, the Lieutenant Governor, and all
persons on public duty to pass free.
_Tolls to be taken at the Ferry across the River Hawkesbury_.
(This is Mr. Howe's Ferry).
For each foot passenger 0 0 3
A single horse 0 1 0
A single horse chaise 0 1 6
A chaise with 2 or more horses 0 2 6
A cart with 1 horse or bullock 0 2 6
Each additional horse or bullock 0 0 3
Waggons, or 4 wheeled carriages, with 3 horses or bullocks 0 2 0
Each horse or bullock 0 0 3
Each head of cattle not in draft, under 6 0 0 9
Ditto ditto under 20 0 0 6
Every score 0 7 6
Every sheep, goat, or pig, under a score 0 0 1
Ditto ditto per score 0 1 0
Ditto ditto per hundred 0 4 0
The unweaned young of every kind, half price.
_Tolls to be taken at the Bridge over the Chain of Ponds, near Windsor_.
For a single horse 0 0 3
A cart and horse, or two bullocks 0 0 6
Ditto with more than two 0 0 9
A waggon with 3 horses or 4 bullocks 0 1 0
Ditto with more 0 1 3
A single horse chaise 0 1 0
A four-wheel carriage 0 1 6
Horned cattle, each 0 0 2
Sheep and pigs, per score 0 1 0
The Colonial Garden.
Potatoes.
For a general winter crop in field or garden, should be
planted from the end of January to the end of February, or even
the beginning of March, rather than lose the planting; and they
will come into use in winter, when cabbages and other vegetables
run to seed. The ground should if possible be prepared a month
before the planting, and a preference given by the country
gardener to new ground, or dry wheat stubble, where the soil is
light. The town gardener should keep his ground in a good state
by frequent light manuring.
The sets made choice of should be the produce of the last
winter crop; and when planted should have a covering of light
manure; without which the ground will be impoverished; but with
such assistance be improved.
The best potatoes to preserve for sets are of a middle size,
as well for profit as security; for if the largest are made use
of, there must be a considerable waste; and those of the dwarf
kind should be rejected, from their degeneracy and weakness.
An experienced gardener, who has been a settler here more than
twenty years, plants his seed potatoes uncut for the winter crop;
his reason for which is, that if they are cut they are likely to
perish in the ground, from the rains of March; which will not be
the case if put in whole.
In July the ground should be prepared for the summer crop, at
which time the winter crop will be fit for digging; in which
process every care should be taken to prevent their being
bruised; and if possible they should be dug in cloudy weather, to
avoid exposure to the sun, which would rot them; whereas if
carefully preserved they will keep sound for a length of time;
which will be the more desirable, as at this season vegetables
are mostly scarce and dear.
In August the planting should be made, or even in September,
if necessary; and at the end of the latter, or in October, they
will require to be hilled and earthed, and well cleansed from
weeds, which must also now and then be done as weeds make their
appearance. In the choice of seed for this crop, a middle sized
potatoe should be preferred, without any objection to their being
cut, as is the customary mode of planting.
_Manure_.--Fresh stable dung, and litter, or decayed
thatch, answers better for manure than that which is very rotten;
but if the ground be fresh and light, they will want no manure,
and the potatoes be of a better quality, though probably less
plentiful.
In October you may also plant potatoes for a latter crop; and
this, though perhaps less abundant than that sown in August or
the beginning of September, will nevertheless be sufficiently
productive to pay well the expence and labour of planting.
The potatoe is so essential and desirable an article of food,
that too much care cannot be bestowed in their culture and
preservation; for should other crops fall short, this will afford
the grower a certain means of supporting his family.
Carrots and Parsnips
For a general crop, may be best sown in December and January.
The ground should be dug deep, and broke up very fine. If the
soil be light, the seed should be sown on a calm day, and trod
in.
_Carrots_ and _Parsnips_ may also be planted in
July, and also in November. They thrive best in an open
situation, or a light sandy soil; and after they come up, should
be thinned and set out with a small two inch garden hoe.
Cabbages
For a constant supply may be sown in January, April, May,
July, August, October, and early in November, at a time when the
ground is in a moist state. The plants sown in April will not run
to seed. Care should be taken to set out the plants in a richer
and stronger ground than the bed they are taken from; otherwise
the crop will be poor. Their first bed should now and then be
weeded with the hand, in dry weather, and the freshest and
strongest plants removed first. In setting them out, a passage
should be allowed between the rows of at least two feet, and in
the rows the plants kept eighteen or twenty inches distant from
each other, which will allow them a free circulation of air. As
they grow up, they should occasionally be earthed up a little,
and carefully weeded, as nothing has a more negligent and
slovenly appearance than a foul bed of cabbage. In very dry hot
weather, their first bed should be watered now and then; after
rain they should be set out, but not during its continuance, as
it would wash the mould from the roots, and numbers decay without
taking root at all in the new bed. Cabbages run to seed in August
and September.
A gardener of long experience in the Colony has favored us
with the following remarks on the culture of the cabbage:
"Although cabbage seed may be here sown with advantage at several
times of the year, yet I have of late years confined myself to
two sowings only; namely, in January, and as near the middle of
May as I could find the weather most favorable, for two general
crops. That sown in January comes well in for a winter supply;
but must be taken great care of, or will come to nothing; for as
January is one of our hottest months, they will require to be
shaded from the sun's excessive heat by boughs, which if closely
twined together will continue their shelter even after the leaves
are withered; and also, to be watered at least once in every two
or three days, until they get pretty strong in the ground. The
other crop, sown in May, will come into use early in summer; and
do not require any care more than they usually receive."
Turnips
The ground should be prepared in February; and at the latter
end of the month some may be planted; for which purpose gentle
showery weather is most favourable.
Turnips for a general crop should be sown early in March, and
they will be ready for food for sheep in the beginning of May.
During their growth they require hoeing once or twice, to thin
and keep them clean, if the land be foul.
Turnips for table use may be sown at any time between March
and September, or the beginning of November, when absolutely
necessary.
_Turnips for Sheep_.--The ground should be prepared in
January and February, by the plough or hoe, harrowing, manuring,
and totally cleansing it from all weeds whatever, so that it be
brought into the best state possible.
_The Seed_.--To raise turnip seed properly is an object
worthy of the strictest attention. To do this, the bed should be
examined carefully when the turnips have attained about a third
of their size, and the largest, smoothest, and most healthy taken
up and transplanted into a richer bed, in rows a foot wide, and
about six inches between the plants that are in the same
row.--The seed will be fit to cut the latter end of November.
Cauliflower.
The seed may be sown at any time between November and
February; but best in December. Some sow about the middle of May
for a summer crop, and this practice is found to answer.
Asparagus.
The seed should be sown in October, in drills, four drills in
a bed four feet wide, the ground being first well prepared, and
richly manured. At the latter end of April, or beginning of May,
the haulm should be cut down within two inches of the bed (though
some cut it nearly level), and constantly kept from weeds. The
ground should be dug with a three pronged fork, and not with a
spade, as the latter will cut the crown of the roots, and destroy
the plants. A professed gardener of twenty-three years practice
in the colony assures us, that he has now a bed of twenty years
standing, which constantly yielded a good crop until the year
before last, the failure of which he attributed to the ground
being worn out, and therefore set out a fresh bed. In this
country it requires a cool soil, and that the beds should not be
laid too high, four or five inches being a sufficient height.
Onions.
In March prepare the ground, by breaking it up well, and
richly manuring it. At the end of the month, and beginning of
April, sow for a light crop of onions for immediate use.
In April prepare for a general crop, which should be sown at
the latter end of the month, or beginning of May, to keep them
from going to seed. When they grow to a proper size, which will
be from the latter end of October to the beginning of November,
they should be carefully laid down, so as not to break the tops;
for should the tops be broke, and the wet penetrate, the onions
will inevitably spoil. When fit to draw, they should be gathered
on a fine dry day, and lain under cover, so as not to be at all
exposed to the sun.
Pease and Beans of all kinds.
The ground should be prepared in March, by well working and
manuring; and at the end of the month, and in April, they may be
sown for a spring crop. Some sow from the beginning of March till
the middle of June, as occasion may require.
Prepare in August for a latter crop; and
French beans may be as well sown in October as at any other
time.
Cucumbers, Pumpkins, and Melons.
The ground should be got ready for these in August, and they
should be sown in September.
Radishes.
May be sown when turnips are sown.
Lettuces and Small Sallad
Are sown every month, for a constant supply; but lettuces are
best sown in April and November, and small sallads in May, and
the latter end of November.
Grass and Clover.
Turnip ground, on which either is intended to be sown, should
be cleared, cleaned, and broke up in August, great care being
taken to leave no weeds or large clods.
Spinage
Is best sown in March and September.
Brocoli, brown and white
Should be sown the beginning of January, and treated as
cabbage sown at that time. Some observe the practice of sowing
from November until February, but this is a vague method, and not
to be depended on.
Strawberries.
March is the proper season for planting this fruit. The
runners and leaves should be all cut close away before they are
set, which will strengthen them greatly, and before winter they
will have new leaves. If planted in clumps, the fruit will be
larger than if suffered to run over the bed; but by the latter
method they preserve a more delicate appearance, and are
certainly less likely to contract filth.
As soon as planted, a sprinkling of fresh earth should be
thrown over the beds, which should be plentifully watered twice
or thrice a week, if the season turn out dry; and as the plants
require much air, they should be thinned, in order to preserve a
free circulation.
When sown in beds, the following mode of treatment should be
observed:--When the bed is well prepared, plant the rows of the
large kinds, such as the Chili and Carolina, two feet apart, and
allow one foot between each of the plants in the same row. The
smaller kinds do not require so much space; eighteen inches
between the rows, and eighteen between the plants will be
sufficient; but as much greater space may be given as the ground
will admit of.
In April all strawberry beds should be well dressed and
cleaned, in order to prevent the lodging of insects; and in July
they should be gone well over, and have their spring dressing; in
doing which the runners must be taken off from the plants, and
the weeds cleared away. The ground will then also require to be
loosened, and would be much benefited by a layer of fine manure
and fresh earth between the rows, as this treatment will
strengthen the plants, and produce the largest and finest
fruit.
Raspberries
Should also be dressed and cleaned in July.
Grapes.
Begin in April to pinch and prune the vines, which must be
cleaned from all cankered and unhealthy leaves or other
substances, to preserve them from insects. In July they should
also be gone over, and pruned and nailed, where requisite. All
walls and stakes should then be attentively examined, to prevent
the harbouring of insects, which will otherwise destroy the young
wood and fruit.
Pine Apples.
In the management of Pinery, should gentlemen incline their
attention thitherward, the following observances will be useful.
In May let them be unplunged, and lain down on their sides, till
all their leaves be free from water. Take off all yellow leaves,
and suckers, and let these suckers be plunged into fresh pots of
earth, and in a fresh bed of heat, by means whereof the Pinery
will always be kept full. The spider is their chief enemy, and
therefore should not be permitted to harbour near them, as the
smallest of the tribe will kill the crown, and destroy the
fruit.
Trees of all Kinds
In JANUARY and FEBRUARY should be BUDDED. A competent judge
will best inform himself of the proper time for this operation by
the ripe appearance of the buds themselves. For this use the
practical gardener chooses a small instrument which may be made
of bone, with wrappers of worsted, which being elastic, is better
than bark, or any other substitute. The tops of the budded stocks
are by some left uncut until the August or September following;
but a gardener of much experience in the Colony makes it a rule
to cut his tops off immediately, as the buds strike much sooner
with this practice.
PEACHES and PLUMS are best budded upon their own stocks.
APRICOTS may be budded upon peach stocks.
The ENGLISH MULBERRY upon the cherry; or Cape; and ORANGES
will succeed best upon lemons; and all tender trees are better to
be budded in summer than in spring.
It may be here proper to observe, for the better information
of those who have not given themselves the trouble of dividing
the year into seasons, and which it would indeed be difficult to
do by a comparison with those to which in Europe we were
accustomed, that the spring months are, _September,
October_, and _November_; the summer months, _December,
January_, and _February_; the autumn months, _March,
April_, and _May_; and the winter months, _June,
July_, and _August_. Hence it is observable, that our
wheat harvesting begins in the last of the spring months,
November, and is entirely over before the end of summer.
In March, all fruit trees should be examined, and the broken
or decayed limbs taken off.
In May, all fruit trees should be pruned, except evergreens,
and such branches as are necessary to be taken off cut close to
the tree, that the wound may heal the sooner, and thus prevent
the tree from injury by rain or dew.
In May, orange trees may be safely transplanted, as well as
in
June; which is the general season for transplanting fruit
trees: in doing which, the roots should be carefully taken up,
and planted as near to the surface as possible, taking care at
the same time that the whole be covered, being first spread out
like an open hand; after which the covering may be thickened with
a little rich manure; and when the hole is filled, the earth
about the root should be trodden gently, so as to fix the
position of the plant.
June is also the best time for making layers, and planting
cuttings from hardy trees.
In July, such fruit trees as were not transplanted in June
should be removed, and stocks to bud and graft upon
transplanted.
In August, evergreens may be transplanted, in which great care
must be observed, as they are very tender; and as their roots
will not bear exposure to the sun, they must be so carefully dug
round as to admit their being taken up with as large a ball of
earth clinging to the root as can be done, in which exact state
they always should be fresh planted.
In August, also, the nursery will require to be well gone over
and cleaned, and young trees prepared for grafting. Wall fruit
and shrubs must be now particularly attended to, in divesting
them of every foul or decayed substance.
In this month, also, all gardens should be cleaned and
dressed. The gardener ought to be particularly attentive in
keeping off weeds and insects, as grubs frequently make their
appearance at this time, which very much injure all vegetable
productions.
This month also the nursery wants cleaning, and the young
trees must be prepared for grafting: the weeds preparatory to
which, must be cut down and destroyed, or they will afterwards
give much trouble. Decayed branches should likewise be taken from
fruit trees; and such trees as appear stunted should have the
ground opened about the roots.
SEPTEMBER is a good month for grafting fruit trees, the scions
intended for grafts being cut off a fortnight or three weeks
before, and the ends which are cut stuck in the ground until
wanted for use.
Trees budded at the beginning of the year must now be cut down
within about two inches of the bud; this space above the bud
being left to tie the young shoots to, to prevent their being
broken off by the wind. No shoots should be suffered to grow but
the eye that was budded, and all others should be rubbed off as
soon as they appear.
OCTOBER.--Young trees that were grafted in September should
now be examined, and all the young shoots broken off, but one or
two, both from the grafts and stocks:--The clay must be taken
off, and the bandages loosened. The ground between the rows of
all young trees should also be kept clear of weeds, or they will
deprive the trees of a great part of their nourishment.
Apricot and peach trees should be examined this month, and
where the fruit appears to be set too thick, which will be mostly
the case in prolific seasons, they must be reduced to a moderate
quantity. This must nevertheless be done with care, and only such
of the fruit as is proper to remain left upon the tree.
In this month the garden should be cleaned all through, and
walls and fruit trees well examined, to prevent insects from
lodging.
In NOVEMBER such trees as were inoculated the previous summer
will want the young shoots tying, either to the top of the stock,
or to have a stake driven in near them to tie the shoot to, that
they may not be broken off by the wind. All budded and grafted
trees will in November want constant attention. All shoots that
do not grow from the eye of the bud, or from the graft, must be
taken off, that the graft or bud may receive all the nourishment
the stock can afford.
In November evergreens may be propagated by layers, from the
young shoots of the summer's growth.
In December the same observance is to be attended to with
respect to evergreens; and peach trees should now be thinned of
their fruit, where it appears too thick.
_Observations on some particular Fruit Trees_.
The Orange.
In pruning, the knife should be as little used as possible, if
you wish them to bear. The southerly winds are very unfavorable
to their growth, and parts opened by the knife admit the air, and
kill the bloom. This tree is perhaps more infested by ants than
any other; and the black contracted appearance of the leaves is
much attributed to this insect. From this persuasion, which is
pretty general, various methods have been tried to keep them off.
Human ordure laid round the boll of the tree will prevent their
appearing so long as it retains moisture, but not longer; tar has
been applied round both the trunk and branches, and only answered
while moist; yet a cure, if the ant be really inimical, is
certain to be found, with little trouble, and without expence, in
common suds from a wash tub, in which ley has been used. This
wash should be laid well about the roots in the evening, when the
ants have left the tree, which will be mostly the case, and in
wet weather always so, and there need be little apprehension of
their return next morning; a woollen bandage, dipped in oil, will
also be found a preventative to their ascending the tree. This
application, whenever ants appear, will have the desired effect;
but whether these insects are injurious to the tree or not, is to
be doubted upon this principle, namely, that the ant, being
excessively carnivorous, is instinctively led to the orange tree
in quest of the eggs, exuviae, larvae, etc. of some very minute
insect, whose eggs are attached to the leaves by a glutinous
substance, emitted by themselves in such quantity as to discolour
the leaf, the pores of which being thus stopped, it becomes hard
and tusky, and gradually closes. It seems impossible that this
change should be produced by the ant: for if it even attacked or
destroyed the blossom, this would not affect the leaves when the
tree is not in bloom; and therefore it is rational to conclude
that their changed appearance proceeds from some other cause,
perhaps from some other insect, perhaps from the assaults of the
weather, or some peculiarity in its soil or situation, or from a
combination of these and other causes; in exemplification whereof
it is worthy to be remarked, that a gardener in the Brickfields
planted a number of seed sixteen years ago, all from the same
tree; of which forty-four came up, and were all treated with
equal care. None shewed fruit until about seven years since; when
one produced about two-hundred oranges, and four or five others
had from thirty down to ten or a dozen each. The following year
the same trees were full; and afterwards others began to bear.
This very great disparity in their time of bearing, keeping in
mind at the same time that the seeds were from the same tree, all
sown at once, and all equally well attended to, would be
sufficient to excite astonishment, were we not to make allowance
for the various causes that might have tended to accelerate or
retard their growth.
The gardener himself says, that the chief of the defaulters
were a good deal shaded from the sun by a range of peach trees,
which depriving them of a great proportion of the warmth
necessary to a fruit which thrives best in the hottest climates,
he considers sufficient to occasion all the difference spoken
of.
The Apple
Has a great enemy in a minute insect called the Cochineal,
owing more, perhaps, to its being nearly of the same colour, than
from any resemblance to the Spanish insect of that name. A
gentleman who had eight trees that had for several years borne a
delicious apple, had the mortification to find the whole of his
trees at once infested by those insects in excessive number;
after which they left off bearing, and after failing in many
experiments to relieve them, he came unwillingly to the
resolution of cutting down the trees. These insects are of a dark
red, approaching to a purple, and combine in such numbers on the
roots as well as branches, as to shew in protuberated clusters,
exhibiting a downy whiteness on the surface. A gardener of the
colony, who has attended a good deal to this matter, affirms that
a weed called the Churnwort presents a perfect remedy to the
disaster; with this weed, the roots, cleared of the earth, and
the branches also, he advises to be thoroughly well rubbed.
[TABLE: VICTUALLING ONE MESS OF FIVE MEN.]
[Table not included in this text version--see html version. Ed.]
The End