■ I IP showed that Dorsetshire led the way in meeting Phillip's wishes. Before he received instrnctioiia as to the quantity of land he mi;j;ht grant, Phillij) wrote (4th t>t., 1792) that he did not ohject to officers cultivating land, hut he had not convicts enough to assign lahour to them all, though alread}^ he had assigned fifty-one to Major Grose and those under his eommaiKL After Phillip*s departure, Grose was restrained hy no puhlic considerations in assigning convicts to officers, and while Philhp still held the reins, Grose mged (Oct., 1792, Dundas' instructions not having then arrived) that officers ought to have grants of land so that they might grow food. "' One half of the ground allotted a convict who hecomes a settler would he a matter of more acconimodation than ma}^ he supposed ;" hut the Governor was without instructions on the point. The same volume (Kecord Office) which contains Grose's urgency of Oct. comprises a previous letter from him lauding the colony as fm-nishmg ** vegetahles in great ahundance< ... I live in as good a house as I wisli for. I ara given the farm of my predecessor, which produces a sufficiency to supply my family with everytliing I have occasion for. • . . (There was wanting only one ship freighted with corn and black cattle, and) all difficulties would he over,'* Phillip had taken a wider view of the needs of the colony, and it may he well to cite one of the careful warnings with which he supphed the Secretary of State as to its general condition and re(|uirements. He wrote : — '*lljeg leave to obaerve (Feb , ITJX)} that if eettlers are aeiit oiitj and the conviota divided amongst thetn^ this Bettlemmit will very shortly maintain itself, without which iho country cannot he cidtivated to advantage. At present I have only one person, with al>out 100 con- victs under hh direction, who h employed cnltivaiing the ground for the puhlic benefit, and he has returned the quantity of corn above- inentioued into the pnhlic >!tore. The ottieers hitvc not raised suliicient to support the little stock they have. Home gronntl I liavc had in cultivation will return aljoiit 40 liushels of wheat into store, ao that the produce of the'labour of the convicts employed in cultivation has heen very short of what ndght huve heen expected. Thia 1 take the liberty of pointing out to your lordahip in this place, to show aa fully as poesihle the stfl.te of the colony, and the necesBity of the couvicts Ijeiug employed b}^ those who have an interest in their lal>our. The giving convicts to officera has been hitherto neceartnry,, bat it is attended with many inconvenieucea, for which the advantages arising to officers do not make amends. It will not, thefefntVf he c'ojitiuued after thia detachment ia relieved^ uuleas parti-
