The Britannia too was eight months absent.  From all this it was to be inferred, that there should not only be always provisions in the stores for twelve months beforehand; but that, to guard against accidents, whenever the provisions in the colony were reduced to that quantity and no more, then would be the time to dispatch a ship for supplies.

The difficulty of introducing cattle into the colony had been rendered evident by the miscarriage of the different attempts made by this and other ships.  In this particular we had indeed been singularly unfortunate; for we had not only lost the greatest part of what had been purchased and embarked for the colony, as will appear by the following statement; but we had at the beginning, as will be remembered, lost the few that did survive the passage.  Of these it never was known with any certainty what had been the fate.  Some of the natives who resided among us did, in observing some that had been landed, declare that they had seen them destroyed by their own people; and even offered to lead any one to the place where some of their bones might be found; but, from the distance of the supposed spot, and our more important concerns, this had never been sought after.  It was very probable that they had been so destroyed; if not, and that they had met with no other accident, their increase at this time must have been very considerable.

Account of Black Cattle purchased for, lost in the passage to, and landed in New South Wales.

Purchased Lost in Landed
Passage
(B=Bull Cw=Cow Cf=Calf) B Cw Cf B Cw Cf B Cw Cf
Embarked in 1787 on board the Sirius and one of the transports 1 7 1 — 2 — 1 5 1 Embarked in 1789 on board the Guardian 2 16 — 2 16 — — — — Embarked in 1791 on board the Gorgon,
Admiral Barrington, and calved
on the passage 3 24 1 3 7 — — 17 1 Bull
Embarked on board the Atlantic
in 1792, at Calcutta 2 2 1 — 1 1 2 1 —
Embarked on board the Pitt — 2 — — 1 — — 1 — Embarked on board the Royal Admiral — 1 — — — — — — 0 Embarked on board the Shah Hormuzear
in 1792, in India 1 24 2 1 23 — — 1 2
Embarked on board the Daedalus 6 12 — 6 12 — — — — Embarked on board the Britannia — 31 1 — 29 — — 2 1

Total Purchased 15 bulls, 119 cows, 6 calves;
Total Lost in the passage 12 bulls, 91 cows, 1 calf;
Total Landed 3 bulls, 28 cows, 5 calves.

Of the three bulls which were landed two only were living at this period, beside the bull calf produced on board the Gorgon.  Of the twenty-eight cows only twenty, and of the five calves only two were living; but the cows which arrived in the Gorgon had produced three cow and two bull calves; and one small cow must be added to the number in the colony, which had been presented by the Spanish commodore to the lieutenant-governor.