Captain Birnie to Governor Macquarie.

The brig Perseverance being now ready to proceed on a voyage to the islands of New Zealand, with persons on board on whom reliance can be placed, for the purpose of ascertaining whether the flax plant is sufficiently abundant on those islands, so as to warrant a greater undertaking, for the purpose of collecting that useful article, I beg leave to request your Excellency will be pleased to grant me liberty to do so as well as to import the said commodity into this colony.

As it is highly essential in an undertaking of this kind that a person qualified to manufacture that article should accompany the voyage, I most respectfully request your Excellency will be pleased to allow Robert Williams, a prisoner who came to this colony in the ship Ann, Captn. Clarke, to proceed on the said brig. Sufficient security shall be given for his return to this port; as it is not intended that any persons shall be left at the islands this voyage, nor that the vessel shall be absent from this port more than two months.