In November the Supply sailed for Norfolk Island, with some convicts, and returned, after being absent six weeks ; all the people in that island were well, and their crops, after all they had suffered from rats, birds, and a worm, which had done them considerable damage, so good that they had grain sufficient for six months, and bread for every one upon the island, reserving sufficient for their next year's crops.

Early January 1790, the Supply again sailed for Norfolk Island with more convicts ; and in her passage, left a small party on Lord Howe Island, to hunt turtle ; but in 15 days, only three were taken, so that no great advantages will at present accrue from thence. The island has fresh water, but no good anchoring ground.

Since the deaths mentioned in a former part of this letter, one woman has suffered for a robbery; 5 children have died, and 28 children have been born, making in all 77 deaths and 87 births.

Letter to Lord Sydney from Sidney Cove, February 13, 1790

The Hawkesbury, Richmond Hill, Nepean River

"In order to get a knowledge of the country round this settlement, frequent excursions have been made since the ships sailed, in Nov. 1788... After having been several times with the boats to Broken Bay, in order to examine the different branches of that harbour, a river was found; but the want of provisions obliged us to return without being able to trace its source, which has since been done; and in the 16 days we were then out, all those branches which had any depth of water were traced as far as the boats could proceed. The breadth of this river, named the Hawkesbury, is from 300 to 800 feet, and it appears navigable for the largest merchant-ships to the foot of Richmond Hill; but as the water near the head of the river sometimes rises, after very heavy rains, 30 feet above its common level, it would not be safe for ships to go so far up; but fifteen or twenty miles below Richmond Hill they would lie in fresh water, and perfectly safe...

The high and rocky country which forms Broken Bay, is lost as you proceed up the Hawkesbury, and the banks of the river are there covered with timber; the soil a light rich mould, and, judging from the little we saw of the country, I should suppose it good land to a very considerable extent. The other branches of fresh water are shoal, bur probably run many miles further up the country than we could trace them in our boats. On these rivers we saw great numbers of wild ducks and black swans; and on the banks of Hawkesbury, several decoys were made by the natives, to catch quail...

The great advantages of so noble a river, when a settlement can be made on its banks, will be obvious to your Lordship...

This river likewise, frequently rises thirty feet above its common level; it is, as far as I have seen it, from 300 to 400 feet in breadth; I named it the Nepean; and its source will be traced in the course of the winter; and from its banks, I hope to reach the mountain, which has been attempted by a party who crossed the river, but after the first day's journey, they met with such a constant succession of deep ravines, the sides of which were frequently inaccessible, that they returned, not having been able to proceed above fifteen miles in five days; when they turned back, they suppose themselves to be twelve miles from the foot of the mountains.

As the land for several miles to the southward, and twenty to the westward of Rose Hill, that is, to the banks of the Nepean, is as fine land for tillage as most in England... I suppose that tract of land for those settlers who may be sent out; and though they will be placed at some distance from each other, for the conveniency of water, (from one to three or four miles) they will have nothing to apprehend from the natives, who avoid those parts we most frequent, and always retire at the sight of two or three people, who are armed.​

Proposal to assign convicts to military / free settlers as farm labourers

​As the labour of clearing the ground of timber will be great, I think each settler should not have less than 20 men on his farm, which I suppose to be from 500 to 1000 acres; it will be necessary to give that number of convicts to those settlers who come out, and to support them for two years from the public stores; in that time, if they are any ways industrious, they will be in a situation to support themselves...

It may be necessary to grant lands to officers and soldiers, who, becoming settlers, will of course be entitled to every indulgence; but few of the officers now here have reaped any great advantage from being allowed convicts; and it is attended with unavoidable inconveniences from the convicts being left so much to themselves...

It may be found more to the advantage of the Crown and the officer likewise, if officers on duty in this settlement were allowed a certain quantity of grain to support their live stock, until they have a market to go to; and I make no doubt, but that in the third year from the time settlers arrive, there will be a market well supplied with grain, poultry, hogs, and goats, of all which there has been a great increase, but killed, from wanting corn to support them; and the natives so frequently setting fire to the country, which they do to catch the Opossum, Flying Squirrel, and other animals, has prevented swine from being turned out as was intended.

If this plan of distributing among the settlers those convicts who are not immediately necessary for carrying on the public works, is approved of, and which, I suppose, as appearing to me the most likely to render this settlement independent for the necessaries of life, in the shortest time possible, there are many regulations which will of course take place."