NEW SOUTH WALES. " 9 advantages so forcibly urged by those gentlemen; the 1783-8 whole project had apparently dwindled down to a plan for ridding the country of its surplus criminals. Matra's idea was that the colony might be settled by the unfortu- RoUevingr nate loyalists scattered throughout the American colonies, who were at that time looking out for new homes. As it turned out, none of them emigrated to New South Wales ; the expedition to Botany Bay was composed exclusively of convicts, with the military and civil officials required to govern them. The official instructions to Governor Phillip embodied two or three of Matra's suggestions — ^the cultiva- tion of the New Zealand flax plant, and the despatch of a ship to the islands for the purpose of procuring women ; FJ^?**** but curiously enough, these suggestions were the only points vromen. of his project which proved impracticable. The flax plant was never cultivated in any part of New South Wales, and never realised the anticipations formed of it, even in Nor- folk Island. Nor did Phillip make any attempt to bring women from the islands, knowing that '^ it would answer no other purpose than that of bringing them to pine away in ^ misery." The proposal was a worse than thoughtless one. But although the schemes elaborated by Matra and Sir George Young were not officially adopted by the Govern- The official ment, they appear to have been subjected to further revision at the hands of officials, the result being seen in the shape of a paper, without name or date, entitled — ^' Heads of a Plan for effectually disposing of convicts, by the establish- ment of a colony in New South Wales."* In this plan we find the details of the expedition to Botany Bay fore- shadowed with remarkable precision. All mention of free settlers has disappeared, and from first to last the project is confined to a proposal for effectually disposing of con- Diapoeai victs." That these "heads of a plan" were drawn up by some one in the confidence of the Government is shown by the fact that, in his letter to the Treasury of the 18th • Poet, p. 432. Digitized byCjOOQlC
