SYDNEY, NSW. — Governor Arthur Phillip raised the British flag at Port Jackson on January 26, 1788. High hopes were held for the development of a self-sufficient colony in New South Wales. Problems arose very early, however.
Much of the grain that the British had brought on the First Fleet had either gone mouldy or had been eaten by rats, so little grain remained to be planted. The English tools were not strong enough to clear the tough vegetation or to break up the soil for ploughing and planting, and broke easily.
The convicts themselves were disinclined to work, a situation exacerbated by the hot, humid conditions. Very few of them had experience in farming. As a result, the colony faced near-starvation in its first two years, and Phillip had to bring in drastic measures to preserve the remaining food until supplies could be replenished.
Rations had to be meted out very carefully until farms could start producing crops. Many convicts were hungry enough to steal food, and punishment for theft was severe, ranging from lashing with a cat o’ nine tails, or even death by hanging.
On July 5, 1788, in a despatch to the under-secretary of state, Evan Nepean, Phillip detailed the weekly rations awarded to both working male convicts and the marines who guarded them. These men received “7 pounds of bread or in lieu thereof 7 pounds of flour, 7 pounds of beef or in lieu thereof pork, 3 tins of peas, 6 ounces of butter, 1 pound of flour or in lieu thereof 12 pounds of rice”.
Women were given two-thirds of this amount, whilst children received one-third.
Fortunately, thanks to Phillip’s forethought, Sydney was saved from complete starvation. The Norfolk Island colony, established soon after the arrival of the First Fleet, proved to be crucial, developing as a farm and supplying Sydney with grain and vegetables during the early years of the colony’s near-starvation.
