36
From 10 to 5 years 10
From 5 to 3 4
From 3 to 1 26
From 1 year to 6 months 60
---
Total 136

of which number fifty-seven were assigned to settlers and others, on
condition of being maintained by them; the rest were occupied as
hereafter stated; from which it will be obvious, that no progress in
cultivation for the crown could be made, as not more than thirty men were
employed in cultivating ground for the public advantage, and even these
were much interrupted by incidental work, and by attending the artificers
in carrying on the different buildings which were indispensable.

STATE OF CULTIVATION

The island contains about eleven thousand acres of ground. In the level
parts where the earth cannot be washed away by the heavy rains, the soil
varies from a rich brown mould to a light red earth, without any
intermixture of sand. These are again varied by some extensive pieces of
light black mould and fine gravel, which are found to produce the best
wheat. The rains which fall during the winter months wash the mould from
the sides of the steep hills into the bottoms, leaving a grey marly
substance, which will not admit of cultivation in that state. This,
however, is the case only among the very steep hills that are cleared of
timber, and have been four or five years in cultivation. Those of an easy
ascent preserve their depth of soil, and many of them have borne six
successive crops of wheat. From the quantity of soil thus washed away from
the sides of the steep hills into the bottom (some of which were only a
water-way between the hills), there were level spots of ground covered to
a great depth with the richest mould. Of the eleven thousand acres of
ground in this island, there are not two hundred that might not be
cultivated to the greatest advantage, if cleared of timber, and allowed a
sufficiency of labourers, of cattle, and of ploughs.

APPROPRIATION OF THE LAND

The ground cleared of timber for the public use, and that marked out for
the settlers lots, comprised one half of the island, and was distributed
in the following manner:

Acres
Number cleared of
of Acres Timber

Ground allotted to settlers on grant or lease 3,239 920
Ground allotted to