436 SYDNEY'S LETTER TO THE TREASURY. 1786 Marinw. Ship-of-war and tender. Provisions for marines. Island women. Guards for transports. Two years' provisioD& Livestock and seed. Barter. pleased to give orders that an officer and proper assistants shall be appointed to superintend it, and that three companies of the Marine Corps shall be stationed there so long as it may be found necessary. The officers and marines will be embarked on board a ship-of-war and a tender, which the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty have been directed to provide for this service, the com- manders of which will be instructed to take under their protection the ships on board of which the convicts may be embarked, and to regulate their sailing to the place of destination. The crews of the ship-of-war and the tender, as well as the Marine Corps, will be victualled by the Naval Department during their passage ; but your lordships will please to take notice that the marines are to be provided for after their landing, cuid supplies of provisions, as well as implements for agriculture, should also be procured for their use. The number may amount to about one hundred and eighty, to which is to be added the staff establish- ment, consisting of fifteen, and perhaps two hundred females, which your lordships will see by a sketch of the plan for forming tliis new settlement, herewith transmitted^ are likely to be procured from places in its neighbourhood, as companions for the men. If the person who may contract for the passage of the convicts should be desirous of obtaining military assistance for their greater security, they may be accommodated with a part of the marines, who would otherwise be conveyed to the new settlement in the ship-of-war and the tender. According to the best opinions that can be obtained, it is sup- posed that a quantity of provisions, equal to two years' consumption should be provided, which must be issued from time to time according to the direction of the superintendent, .in the expendi- ture of which he will of course be guided by the proportion of food which the country €uid the labour of the new settlers may produce. From the length of the passage to New South Wales, the com- manding officer will most likely iind it necessary to call at the Cape de Verd Islands, as well as at the Cape of Good Hope, for the purpose of recruiting the water. At the latter of these places he will in all probability be enabled to obtain cattle and hogs, as well as seed grain, all of which must be procured for the new settlers with a view to their future subsistence ; and as expenses will thereby of course be increased, it will be necessary that your lordships should authorise the naval commander or the super- intendent to draw upon you for the amount, and that, in addition thereto, a quantity of merchandise should be put on board the ship-of-war or the tender previous to their sailing, sufficient to obtain supplies of live stock by means of barter with the in- habitants of the islands contiguous to the new intended settlement, from whence such supplies may at all times be obtained. Digitized by Google
