importance to the north of Sweden that Gottenburg is of to the south; and Gustavus the Third, who never forgot Norway, would hardly have founded the new town of Oesterby in Jämteland without some particular view. But these dangers to Drontheim are now past, at least from the part of Sweden.

Report of a Select Committee of the House of Commons on Transportation.

hope that this neglect will be carrected by the orders lately, seat out from this country. The troops are about 1,100 in number, and the remainder are tree persons. la addition to these, are the settlements of Port Dalrymple and Ho bart's Town, in Van Diemen's Land, about five degrees to the south of Sydney; containing 1,321 inhabitants; and at the date of the last returns, 177 persons were liv. ing in Norfolk Island, but orders have been since sent out for its total abandonment. The settle

1812.)

The Committee appointed to inquire into the manner in which Sentences of Transportation are executed, and the Effects which have been produced by that mode of punishment; and who were empowered to report their Observations, and the Minutes of Evidence taken before them, to the House; have agreed upon the following Report.

The principal settlement on the eastern coast of New South Wales, was formed in 1788. It is situated in latitude 33 south, longitude 170 east. The most considerable district is that of Sydney, containing, by the return dated the 1st of March, 1810, 0.158 inhabitants, Paramatta contains 1,807: Hawkes bury, 2,389; and Newcastle, 100. Of the total number 10,454, 5,513 are inen, 2,226 women, and 2,721 children. Of these, from one quarter to one-fifth are convicts; but the returns of their number have been so irregular, that your committee have not been able precisely to ascertain it. But they

bounded on the north west and south by a ridge of hills, knowa by the name of the Blue Mountains, beyond which, no one has yet been able to penetrate the country; some have with difficulty been as far as 100 miles in the interior; but beyond 60 miles, it appears to be no where practicable for agricultural purposes; and, in many places, the diameter of the habitable country is much less: in length, it extends from port Stephens to port Jervis, comprising from north to south about four degrees; beyond these, it is stated, that the colony will not be capaole of extension; and of the land within these boundaries, about onehalf is said to be absolutely barren. The ground actually in cultivation, amounts to rather more than 21,000 acres, and 74,000 acres are held in pasture. The stock appears to be conside: able; by the return in 1810, the amount, was,-borses, 521; mares, 593; bulls, 193; cows, 6,351; oxen, 4,732; sheep, 33,818, goats, 1,732; hogs, 8,992. Of these, a small proportion is kept by government; of which, part is killed for the supply of the public

store,

store, and the remainder is made use of to stock the farms of new settlers. It appears from the evidence, that the colony has for some years, except when the crops have failed, from inundations or other accidental causes, been able wholly to supply itself with corn; but that it is still necessary to continue, to a certain extent, the importation of salted provisions. The soil and climate are described to be extremely fine, healthy, and productive; diseases, with the exception of such as arise from intemperance or accident, are little known; and fresh fruits and vegetables are produced from the beginning to the end of the year. The river Hawkesbury is however occasionally subjeet to violent and sudden floods, which have in some instances totally destroyed the produce of the farms in its vicinity, upon which the colony principally depends for its subsistence. Great difficulties have in consequence at times occurred; and though precautions are now taken to remove the crops as soon as possible from the low grounds in the neighbourhood of the river, no perfect security is yet obtained against the recurrence of these disasters. The out-settle ments of Port Dalrymple and Hobart's Town in Van Diemen's Land, are represented as enjoying a purer climate and more generally productive soil than New South Wales, and to be otherwise prosperous and thriving. Yet your committee must concur in the opinion already expressed by his Majesty's government, that more benefit to the colony will be derived from the cultivation and improvement of the settlements that are already formed, than from the for

mation of new and distant establishments, whatever may be the encouragement that a fertile soif or an advantageous situation may appear to hold out.

The currency of the colony consists principally of government paper and copper money, but from its scarcity, many of the transaċtions which in other countries would be accomplished by money, are here carried on by barter; thus the labourer is not paid in money but in kind: he demands from his employer such articles as he is most in need of, and they are delivered to him at the prices which they bear in the market. At times indeed wheat and cattle have in the courts of justice been considered as legal tender in payment of debts. To remedy these inconveniencies, a supply of silver coin, to the amount of 10,0COL. has lately been sent to the colony; but whilst the necessity of large importations continues, with the restraints upon exportation, it is not likely that this coin will long remain there in circulation. The exportations from the colony have hitherto principally consisted of oil, seal-skins, coals, and wool; the fisheries appear to have been much neglected; and the iron ore, of which there is abundance, and of very fine quality, has not yet been worked. The trade in skins and coals is the most thriving, but is much straitened by the restrictions in favour of the East India Company. The stock of sheep is not yet sufficiently large to make wool an article of large exportation. The culture of herap has been less attended to than might have been expected; a profitable trade in sandal wood has at times

been,

been, though illegally, carried on with the South Sea Islands and China; woollen manufactories, pot teries, and breweries, have been established, but not with any great success. The commercial regulations of the colony have in many instances been so impolitic as much to discourage mercantile speculation; for many years a maximum, price was imposed by the Governor upon all imported merchandize; and at this price, often too low to afford a fair profit to the trader, the whole cargo was distributed amongst the civil and military officers of the settlement, who alone had liberty to purchase; and articles of the first necessity were afterwards retailed by them, at an enormous profit, to the poorer settlers. Part of these abuses were corrected in the year 1800; but in the traffic of spirituous liquors, they continued to a very late period, and it is therefore with the greatest satisfaction that your cominittee have learnt that measures have been enforced, as well by the government here as in the colony, to put an end to these practices. It is stated in a dispatch from Governor Macquarie, dated April 30, 1810, that every care will be taken to prevent the officers of the 73d regiment, now in New South Wales, from resorting to any low or unnilitary occupations, either, mercantile or agricultural, for additional means of support; and he justly adds, that such pursuits and avocations are subversive of all military discipline, and incompatible, with the rank and character of officers in his Majesty's service. And it is to be hoped that means will also have been devised to restrain the civil officers from mak

ing, as has been too often the case, the authority of their stations the means of promoting their own mer ceuary views. It will be for the executive government to consider how far the memorial of the offcers praying for an increase of pay, in consequence of the deprivation of these emoluments, is to be attended to. But it does not appear to your committee that the mili tary officer is in New South Wales exposed to such hardship, or obliged to incor such expense, as to entitle him to benefits not ge nerally bestowed upon officers of the British army. Your committee have also learned with satisfaction, that many of the improper restrictions, by which commercial speculation, has been thwarted in the colony, have been put an end to. The imposition of a maximum price upon all imported articles of merchandise has been discontinued. The maximum on the price of grain and butchers' meat is no longer in existence; and though a similar limit to the price of labour was for merly frequently attempted, it has been, as might be expected, always either evaded or disregarded. One commercial regulation appears. however to be still in full force, which, in the opinion of your com mittee, ought immediately to be rescinded; it is that by which no ship is allowed to dispose of any merchandise, in Van Diemen's Land, unless it shall have previously touched at Fort Jackson. By this restriction all mercantile enterprize is at once put an end to in the dependant settlements; and supplies, absolutely essential to the support of its inhabitants, may in their greatest necessity be delayedto them. The impolicy and injus