whitespace; small checks; italics; poetry; dashes

A COMPLETE ACCOUNT OF THE SETTLEMENT AT PORT JACKSON

by Watkin Tench

PREFACE

When it is recollected how much has been written to describe the Settlementof New South Wales, it seems necessary if not to offer an apology, yet toassign a reason, for an additional publication. 

The Author embarked in the fleet which sailed to found the establishment atBotany Bay. He shortly after published a Narrative of the Proceedings andState of the Colony, brought up to the beginning of July, 1788, whichwas well received, and passed through three editions. This could notbut inspire both confidence and gratitude; but gratitude, would be badlymanifested were he on the presumption of former favour to lay claimto present indulgence. He resumes the subject in the humble hope ofcommunicating information, and increasing knowledge, of the country, whichhe describes. 

He resided at Port Jackson nearly four years: from the 20th of January, 1788, until the 18th of December, 1791. To an active and contemplativemind, a new country is an inexhaustible source of curiosity andspeculation. It was the author's custom not only to note daily occurrences, and to inspect and record the progression of improvement; but also, whennot prevented by military duties, to penetrate the surrounding country indifferent directions, in order to examine its nature, and ascertain itsrelative geographical situations. 

The greatest part of the work is inevitably composed of those materialswhich a journal supplies; but wherever reflections could be introducedwithout fastidiousness and parade, he has not scrupled to indulge them, incommon with every other deviation which the strictness of narrative wouldallow. 

When this publication was nearly ready for the press; and when many ofthe opinions which it records had been declared, fresh accounts from PortJackson were received. To the state of a country, where so many anxioustrying hours of his life have passed, the author cannot feel indifferent. If by any sudden revolution of the laws of nature; or by any fortunatediscovery of those on the spot, it has really become that fertile andprosperous land, which some represent it to be, he begs permission to addhis voice to the general congratulation. He rejoices at its success: butit is only justice to himself and those with whom he acted to declare, thatthey feel no cause of reproach that so complete and happy an alteration didnot take place at an earlier period. 

CHAPTER I. 

A Retrospect of the State of the Colony of Port Jackson, on the Date of myformer Narrative, in July, 1788. 

Previous to commencing any farther account of the subject, which I am aboutto treat, such a retrospection of the circumstances and situation of thesettlement, at the conclusion of my former Narrative, as shall lay itsstate before the reader, seems necessary, in order to connect the presentwith the past. 

The departure of the first fleet of ships for Europe, on the 14th of July, 1788, had been long impatiently expected; and had filled us with anxiety, to communicate to our friends an account of our situation; describing theprogress of improvement, and the probability of success, or failure, inour enterprise. That men should judge very oppositely on so doubtful andprecarious an event, will hardly surprise. 

Such relations could contain little besides the sanguineness of hope, andthe enumeration of hardships and difficulties, which former accounts hadnot led us to expect. Since our disembarkation in the preceding January, the efforts of every one had been unremittingly exerted, to deposit thepublic stores in a state of shelter and security, and to erect habitationsfor ourselves. We were eager to escape from tents, where a fold of canvas, only, interposed to check the vertic beams of the sun in summer, and thechilling blasts of the south in winter. A markee pitched, in our finestseason, on an English lawn; or a transient view of those gay camps, nearthe metropolis, which so many remember, naturally draws forth careless andunmeaning exclamations of rapture, which attach ideas of pleasure only, tothis part of a soldier's life. But an encampment amidst the rocks and wildsof a new country, aggravated by the miseries of bad diet, and incessanttoil, will find few admirers. 

Nor were our exertions less unsuccessful than they were laborious. Underwretched covers of thatch lay our provisions and stores, exposed todestruction from every flash of lightning, and every spark of fire. A fewof the convicts had got into huts; but almost all the officers, and thewhole of the soldiery, were still in tents. 

In such a situation, where knowledge of the mechanic arts afforded thesurest recommendation to notice, it may be easily conceived, that attentionto the parade duty of the troops, gradually diminished. Now were to beseen officers and soldiers not "trailing the puissant pike" but felling theponderous gum-tree, or breaking the stubborn clod. And though "the broadfalchion did not in a ploughshare end" the possession of a spade, awheelbarrow, or a dunghill, was more coveted than the most refulgent armsin which heroism ever dazzled. Those hours, which in other countries aredevoted to martial acquirements, were here consumed in the labours of thesawpit, the forge and the quarry*. 

[* "The Swedish prisoners, taken at the battle of Pultowa, were transportedby the Czar Peter to the most remote parts of Siberia, with a view tocivilize the natives of the country, and teach them the arts the Swedespossessed. In this hopeless situation, all traces of discipline andsubordination, between the different ranks, were quickly obliterated. Thesoldiers, who were husbandmen and artificers, found out their superiority, and assumed it: the officers became their servants. " VOLTAIRE. ]

Of the two ships of war, the 'Sirius' and 'Supply', the latter wasincessantly employed in transporting troops, convicts, and stores, toNorfolk Island; and the 'Sirius' in preparing for a voyage to some port, where provisions for our use might be purchased, the expected supply fromEngland not having arrived. It is but justice to the officers and men ofboth these ships to add, that, on all occasions, they fully shared everyhardship and fatigue with those on shore. 

On the convicts the burden fell yet heavier: necessity compelled us toallot to them the most slavish and laborious employments. Those operations, which in other countries are performed by the brute creation, were hereeffected by the exertions of men: but this ought not to be considereda grievance; because they had always been taught to expect it, as theinevitable consequence of their offences against society. Severity wasrarely exercised on them; and justice was administered without partialityor discrimination. Their ration of provisions, except in being debarredfrom an allowance of spirits, was equal to that which the marines received. Under these circumstances I record with pleasure, that they behaved betterthan had been predicted of them--to have expected sudden and completereformation of conduct, were romantic and chimerical. 

Our cultivation of the land was yet in its infancy. We had hitherto triedonly the country contiguous to Sydney. Here the governor had establisheda government-farm; at the head of which a competent person of his ownhousehold was placed, with convicts to work under him. Almost the whole ofthe officers likewise accepted of small tracts of ground, for the purposeof raising grain and vegetables: but experience proved to us, that the soilwould produce neither without manure; and as this was not to be procured, our vigour soon slackened; and most of the farms (among which was the onebelonging to government) were successively abandoned. 

With the natives we were very little more acquainted than on our arrivalin the country. Our intercourse with them was neither frequent or cordial. They seemed studiously to avoid us, either from fear, jealousy, or hatred. When they met with unarmed stragglers, they sometimes killed, and sometimeswounded them. I confess that, in common with many others, I was inclinedto attribute this conduct, to a spirit of malignant levity. But a fartheracquaintance with them, founded on several instances of their humanity andgenerosity, which shall be noticed in their proper places, has entirelyreversed my opinion; and led me to conclude, that the unprovoked outragescommitted upon them, by unprincipled individuals among us, caused theevils we had experienced. To prevent them from being plundered of theirfishing-tackle and weapons of war, a proclamation was issued, forbiddingtheir sale among us; but it was not attended with the good effect which washoped for from it. 

During this period, notwithstanding the want of fresh provisions andvegetables, and almost constant exposure to the vicissitudes of a variableclimate, disease rarely attacked us; and the number of deaths, was tooinconsiderable to deserve mention. 

Norfolk Island had been taken possession of, by a party detached for thatpurpose, early after our arrival. Few accounts of it had yet reached us. And here I beg leave to observe, that as I can speak of this island onlyfrom the relations of others, never having myself been there, I shall inevery part of this work mention it as sparingly as possible. And this moreespecially, as it seems probable, that some of those gentlemen, who fromaccurate knowledge, and long residence on it, are qualified to write itshistory, will oblige the world with such a publication. 

CHAPTER II. 

Transactions of the Colony from the sailing of the First Fleet in July, 1788, to the Close of that Year. 

It was impossible to behold without emotion the departure of the ships. Ontheir speedy arrival in England perhaps hinged our fate; by hastening oursupplies to us. 

On the 20th of July, the 'Supply' sailed for Norfolk Island, and returnedto us on the 26th of August; bringing no material news, except that thesoil was found to suit grain, and other seeds, which had been sown in it, and that a species of flax-plant was discovered to grow spontaneously onthe island. 

A survey of the harbour of Port Jackson was now undertaken, in order tocompute the number of canoes, and inhabitants, which it might contain:sixty-seven canoes, and 147 people were counted. No estimate, however, ofeven tolerable accuracy, can be drawn from so imperfect a datum; though itwas perhaps the best in our power to acquire. 

In July and August, we experienced more inclement tempestuous weatherthan had been observed at any former period of equal duration. And yetit deserves to be remarked, in honour of the climate, that, although ournumber of people exceeded 900, not a single death happened in the lattermonth. 

The dread of want in a country destitute of natural resource is everpeculiarly terrible. We had long turned our eyes with impatience towardsthe sea, cheered by the hope of seeing supplies from England approach. Butnone arriving, on the 2d of October the 'Sirius' sailed for the Cape ofGood Hope, with directions to purchase provisions there, for the use of ourgarrison. 

A new settlement, named by the governor Rose Hill, 16 miles inland, wasestablished on the 3d of November, the soil here being judged betterthan that around Sydney. A small redoubt was thrown up, and a captain'sdetachment posted in it, to protect the convicts who were employed tocultivate the ground. 

The two last of the transports left us for England on the 19th of November, intending to make their passage by Cape Horn. There now remained with usonly the 'Supply'. Sequestered and cut off as we were from the rest ofcivilized nature, their absence carried the effect of desolation. Aboutthis time a convict, of the name of Daly, was hanged, for a burglary:this culprit, who was a notorious thief and impostor, was the author of adiscovery of a gold mine, a few months before: a composition resemblingore mingled with earth, which he pretended to have brought from it, heproduced. After a number of attendant circumstances, too ludicrous andcontemptible to relate, which befell a party, who were sent under hisguidance to explore this second Peru, he at last confessed, that he hadbroken up an old pair of buckles, and mixed the pieces with sand and stone;and on assaying the composition, the brass was detected. The fate of thisfellow I should not deem worth recording, did it not lead to the followingobservation, that the utmost circumspection is necessary to preventimposition, in those who give accounts of what they see in unknowncountries. We found the convicts particularly happy in fertility ofinvention, and exaggerated descriptions. Hence large fresh water rivers, valuable ores, and quarries of limestone, chalk, and marble, were dailyproclaimed soon after we had landed. At first we hearkened with avidityto such accounts; but perpetual disappointments taught us to listen withcaution, and to believe from demonstration only. 

Unabated animosity continued to prevail between the natives and us:in addition to former losses, a soldier and several convicts suddenlydisappeared, and were never afterwards heard of. Three convicts were alsowounded, and one killed by them, near Botany Bay: similar to the vindictivespirit which Mr. Cook found to exist among their countrymen at EndeavourRiver, they more than once attempted to set fire to combustible matter, inorder to annoy us. Early on the morning of the 18th of December, word wasbrought that they were assembled in force, near the brick-kilns, whichstand but a mile from the town of Sydney. The terror of those who broughtthe first intelligence magnified the number to two thousand; a secondmessenger diminished it to four hundred. A detachment, under the commandof an officer was ordered to march immediately, and reconnoitre them. Theofficer soon returned, and reported, that about fifty Indians had appearedat the brick-kilns; but upon the convicts, who were at work there, pointingtheir spades and shovels at them, in the manner of guns, they had fled intothe woods. 

Tired of this state of petty warfare and endless uncertainty, the governorat length determined to adopt a decisive measure, by capturing some ofthem, and retaining them by force; which we supposed would either inflamethe rest to signal vengeance, in which case we should know the worst, andprovide accordingly: or else it would induce an intercourse, by the reportwhich our prisoners would make of the mildness and indulgence with which weused them. And farther, it promised to unveil the cause of their mysteriousconduct, by putting us in possession of their reasons for harassing anddestroying our people, in the manner I have related. Boats were accordinglyordered to be got ready, and every preparation made, which could lead tothe attainment of our object. 

But as this subject deserves to be particularly detailed, I shall, notwithstanding its being just within the period of time which this chapterprofesses to comprise, allot it a separate place, in the beginning of thenext. 

Nor can I close this part of my work without congratulating both the readerand the author. New matter now presents itself. A considerable part of theforegoing chapters had been related before, either by others or myself. I was however, unavoidably compelled to insert it, in order to preserveunbroken that chain of detail, and perspicuity of arrangement, at whichbooks professing to convey information should especially aim. 

CHAPTER III. 

Transactions of the Colony, from the Commencement of the Year 1789, untilthe End of March. 

Pursuant to his resolution, the governor on the 31st of December sent twoboats, under the command of Lieutenant Ball of the 'Supply', and LieutenantGeorge Johnston of the marines, down the harbour, with directions to thoseofficers to seize and carry off some of the natives. The boats proceeded toManly Cove, where several Indians were seen standing on the beach, whowere enticed by courteous behaviour and a few presents to enter intoconversation. A proper opportunity being presented, our people rushedin among them, and seized two men: the rest fled; but the cries of thecaptives soon brought them back, with many others, to their rescue: and sodesperate were their struggles, that, in spite of every effort on our side, only one of them was secured; the other effected his escape. The boats putoff without delay; and an attack from the shore instantly commenced: theythrew spears, stones, firebrands, and whatever else presented itself, atthe boats; nor did they retreat, agreeable to their former custom, untilmany musquets were fired over them. 

The prisoner was now fastened by ropes to the thwarts of the boat; and whenhe saw himself irretrievably disparted from his countrymen, set up themost piercing and lamentable cries of distress. His grief, however, soondiminished: he accepted and ate of some broiled fish which was given tohim, and sullenly submitted to his destiny. 

When the news of his arrival at Sydney was announced, I went with everyother person to see him: he appeared to be about thirty years old, not tall, but robustly made; and of a countenance which, under happiercircumstances, I thought would display manliness and sensibility; hisagitation was excessive, and the clamourous crowds who flocked aroundhim did not contribute to lessen it. Curiosity and observation seemed, nevertheless, not to have wholly deserted him; he shewed the effect ofnovelty upon ignorance; he wondered at all he saw: though broken andinterrupted with dismay, his voice was soft and musical, when its naturaltone could be heard; and he readily pronounced with tolerable accuracythe names of things which were taught him. To our ladies he quickly becameextraordinarily courteous, a sure sign that his terror was wearing off. 

Every blandishment was used to soothe him, and it had its effect. As hewas entering the governor's house, some one touched a small bell which hungover the door: he started with horror and astonishment; but in a momentafter was reconciled to the noise, and laughed at the cause of hisperturbation. When pictures were shown to him, he knew directly those whichrepresented the human figure: among others, a very large handsome print ofher royal highness the Dutchess of Cumberland being produced, he called out'woman', a name by which we had just before taught him to call the femaleconvicts. Plates of birds and beasts were also laid before him; and manypeople were led to believe, that such as he spoke about and pointed towere known to him. But this must have been an erroneous conjecture, for theelephant, rhinoceros, and several others, which we must have discovered didthey exist in the country, were of the number. Again, on the other hand, those he did not point out, were equally unknown to him. 

His curiosity here being satiated, we took him to a large brick house, which was building for the governor's residence: being about to enter, hecast up his eyes, and seeing some people leaning out of a window onthe first story, he exclaimed aloud, and testified the most extravagantsurprise. Nothing here was observed to fix his attention so strongly assome tame fowls, who were feeding near him: our dogs also he particularlynoticed; but seemed more fearful than fond of them. 

He dined at a side-table at the governor's; and ate heartily of fish andducks, which he first cooled. Bread and salt meat he smelled at, but wouldnot taste: all our liquors he treated in the same manner, and could drinknothing but water. On being shown that he was not to wipe his hands on thechair which he sat upon, he used a towel which was gave to him, with greatcleanliness and decency. 

In the afternoon his hair was closely cut, his head combed, and his beardshaved; but he would not submit to these operations until he had seen themperformed on another person, when he readily acquiesced. His hair, as mightbe supposed, was filled with vermin, whose destruction seemed to afford himgreat triumph; nay, either revenge, or pleasure, prompted him to eat them!but on our expressing disgust and abhorrence he left it off. 

To this succeeded his immersion in a tub of water and soap, where he wascompletely washed and scrubbed from head to foot; after which a shirt, a jacket, and a pair of trousers, were put upon him. Some part of thisablution I had the honour to perform, in order that I might ascertain thereal colour of the skin of these people. My observation then was (and ithas since been confirmed in a thousand other instances) that they are asblack as the lighter cast of the African negroes. 

Many unsuccessful attempts were made to learn his name; the governortherefore called him Manly, from the cove in which he was captured: thiscove had received its name from the manly undaunted behaviour of a party ofnatives seen there, on our taking possession of the country. 

To prevent his escape, a handcuff with a rope attached to it, was fastenedaround his left wrist, which at first highly delighted him; he called it'bengadee' (or ornament), but his delight changed to rage and hatred whenhe discovered its use. His supper he cooked himself: some fish were givento him for this purpose, which, without any previous preparation whatever, he threw carelessly on the fire, and when they became warm took them up, and first rubbed off the scales, peeled the outside with his teeth, and ateit; afterwards he gutted them, and laying them again on the fire, completedthe dressing, and ate them. 

A convict was selected to sleep with him, and to attend him wherever hemight go. When he went with his keeper into his apartment he appeared veryrestless and uneasy while a light was kept in; but on its extinction, heimmediately lay down and composed himself. 

Sullenness and dejection strongly marked his countenance on thefollowing morning; to amuse him, he was taken around the camp, and to theobservatory: casting his eyes to the opposite shore from the point wherehe stood, and seeing the smoke of fire lighted by his countrymen, he lookedearnestly at it, and sighing deeply two or three times, uttered the word'gweeun' (fire). 

His loss of spirits had not, however, the effect of impairing his appetite;eight fish, each weighing about a pound, constituted his breakfast, whichhe dressed as before. When he had finished his repast, he turned his backto the fire in a musing posture, and crept so close to it, that his shirtwas caught by the flame; luckily his keeper soon extinguished it; but hewas so terrified at the accident, that he was with difficulty persuaded toput on a second. 

1st. January, 1789. To-day being new-year's-day, most of the officers wereinvited to the governor's table: Manly dined heartily on fish and roastedpork; he was seated on a chest near a window, out of which, when he haddone eating, he would have thrown his plate, had he not been prevented:during dinner-time a band of music played in an adjoining apartment; andafter the cloth was removed, one of the company sang in a very softand superior style; but the powers of melody were lost on Manly, whichdisappointed our expectations, as he had before shown pleasure andreadiness in imitating our tunes. Stretched out on his chest, and puttinghis hat under his head, he fell asleep. 

To convince his countrymen that he had received no injury from us, thegovernor took him in a boat down the harbour, that they might see andconverse with him: when the boat arrived, and lay at a little distancefrom the beach, several Indians who had retired at her approach, on seeingManly, returned: he was greatly affected, and shed tears. At length theybegan to converse. Our ignorance of the language prevented us from knowingmuch of what passed; it was, however, easily understood that his friendsasked him why he did not jump overboard, and rejoin them. He only sighed, and pointed to the fetter on his leg, by which he was bound. 

In going down the harbour he had described the names by which theydistinguish its numerous creeks and headlands: he was now often heard torepeat that of 'Weerong' (Sydney Cove), which was doubtless to inform hiscountrymen of the place of his captivity; and perhaps invite them to rescuehim. By this time his gloom was chased away, and he parted from his friendswithout testifying reluctance. His vivacity and good humour continued allthe evening, and produced so good an effect on his appetite, that he atefor supper two kangaroo rats, each of the size of a moderate rabbit, and inaddition not less than three pounds of fish. 

Two days after he was taken on a similar excursion; but to our surprise thenatives kept aloof, and would neither approach the shore, or discourse withtheir countryman: we could get no explanation of this difficulty, whichseemed to affect us more than it did him. Uncourteous as they were, heperformed to them an act of attentive benevolence; seeing a basket madeof bark, used by them to carry water, he conveyed into it two hawks andanother bird, which the people in the boat had shot, and carefully coveringthem over, left them as a present to his old friends. But indeed thegentleness and humanity of his disposition frequently displayed themselves:when our children, stimulated by wanton curiosity, used to flock aroundhim, he never failed to fondle them, and, if he were eating at the time, constantly offered them the choicest part of his fare. 

February, 1789. His reserve, from want of confidence in us, continuedgradually to wear away: he told us his name, and Manly gave place toArabanoo. Bread he began to relish; and tea he drank with avidity:strong liquors he would never taste, turning from them with disgust andabhorrence. Our dogs and cats had ceased to be objects of fear, and werebecome his greatest pets, and constant companions at table. One of ourchief amusements, after the cloth was removed, was to make him repeat thenames of things in his language, which he never hesitated to do withthe utmost alacrity, correcting our pronunciation when erroneous. Muchinformation relating to the customs and manners of his country was alsogained from him: but as this subject will be separately and amply treated, I shall not anticipate myself by partially touching on it here. 

On the 2nd of February died Captain John Shea of the marines, after alingering illness: he was interred on the following day, with the customarymilitary honours, amidst the regret of all who knew him. In consequence ofhis decease, appointments for the promotion of the oldest officer ofeach subordinate rank were signed by the major commandant of the marinebattalion, until the pleasure of the lords of the admiralty should benotified. *

[*These appointments were confirmed by the admiralty. ]

On the 17th of February the 'Supply' again sailed for Norfolk Island. Thegovernor went down the harbour in her, and carried Arabanoo with him, whowas observed to go on board with distrust and reluctance; when he found shewas under sail, every effort was tried without success to exhilarate him;at length, an opportunity being presented, he plunged overboard, and struckout for the nearest shore: believing that those who were left behind wouldfire at him, he attempted to dive, at which he was known to be very expert:but this was attended with a difficulty which he had not foreseen: hisclothes proved so buoyant, that he was unable to get more than his headunder water: a boat was immediately dispatched after him, and picked himup, though not without struggles and resistance on his side. When broughton board, he appeared neither afraid or ashamed of what he had done, butsat apart, melancholy and dispirited, and continued so until he saw thegovernor and his other friends descend into a boat, and heard himselfcalled upon to accompany them: he sprang forward, and his cheerfulness andalacrity of temper immediately returned, and lasted during the remainder ofthe day. The dread of being carried away, on an element of whose boundaryhe could form no conception, joined to the uncertainty of our intentiontowards him, unquestionably caused him to act as he did. 

One of the principal effects which we had supposed the seizure andcaptivity of Arabanoo would produce, seemed yet at as great a distance asever; the natives neither manifested signs of increased hostility on hisaccount, or attempted to ask any explanation of our conduct through themedium of their countryman who was in our possession, and who they knew wastreated with no farther harshness than in being detained among us. Theirforbearance of open and determined attack upon can be accounted for onlyby recollecting their knowledge of our numbers, and their dread of ourfire-arms: that they wanted not sufficient provocation to do so, willappear from what I am about to relate. 

March, 1789. Sixteen convicts left their work at the brick-kilns withoutleave, and marched to Botany Bay, with a design to attack the natives, and to plunder them of their fishing-tackle and spears: they had armedthemselves with their working tools and large clubs. When they arrived nearthe bay, a body of Indians, who had probably seen them set out, and hadpenetrated their intention from experience, suddenly fell upon them. Ourheroes were immediately routed, and separately endeavoured to effect theirescape by any means which were left. In their flight one was killed, andseven were wounded, for the most part very severely: those who had thegood fortune to outstrip their comrades and arrive in camp, first gave thealarm; and a detachment of marines, under an officer, was ordered to marchto their relief. The officer arrived too late to repel the Indians; buthe brought in the body of the man that was killed, and put an end tothe pursuit. The governor was justly incensed at what had happened, andinstituted the most rigorous scrutiny into the cause which had produced it. At first the convicts were unanimous in affirming, that they were quietlypicking sweet-tea*, when they were without provocation assaulted by thenatives, with whom they had no wish to quarrel. Some of them, however, more irresolute than the rest, at last disclosed the purpose for which theexpedition had been undertaken; and the whole were ordered to be severelyflogged: Arabanoo was present at the infliction of the punishment; and wasmade to comprehend the cause and the necessity of it; but he displayed onthe occasion symptoms of disgust and terror only. 

[*A vegetable creeper found growing on the rocks, which yields, on infusionin hot water, a sweet astringent taste, whence it derives its name: toits virtues the healthy state of the soldiery and convicts must be greatlyattributed. It was drank universally. ]

On the 24th instant the 'Supply' arrived from Norfolk Island, and Lord HoweIsland, bringing from the latter place three turtles. 

An awful and terrible example of justice took place towards the close ofthis month, which I record with regret, but which it would be disingenuousto suppress. Six marines, the flower of our battalion, were hanged by thepublic executioner, on the sentence of a criminal court, composed entirelyof their own officers, for having at various times robbed the public storesof flour, meat, spirits, tobacco, and many other articles. 

CHAPTER IV. 

Transactions of the Colony in April and May, 1789. 

An extraordinary calamity was now observed among the natives. Repeatedaccounts brought by our boats of finding bodies of the Indians in all thecoves and inlets of the harbour, caused the gentlemen of our hospitalto procure some of them for the purposes of examination and anatomy. Oninspection, it appeared that all the parties had died a natural death:pustules, similar to those occasioned by the small pox, were thickly spreadon the bodies; but how a disease, to which our former observations had ledus to suppose them strangers, could at once have introduced itself, andhave spread so widely, seemed inexplicable. * Whatever might be the cause, the existence of the malady could no longer be doubted. Intelligencewas brought that an Indian family lay sick in a neighbouring cove: thegovernor, attended by Arabanoo, and a surgeon, went in a boat immediatelyto the spot. Here they found an old man stretched before a few lightedsticks, and a boy of nine or ten years old pouring water on his head, froma shell which he held in his hand: near them lay a female child dead, anda little farther off, its unfortunate mother: the body of the woman shewedthat famine, superadded to disease, had occasioned her death: eruptionscovered the poor boy from head to foot; and the old man was so reduced, that he was with difficulty got into the boat. Their situation renderedthem incapable of escape, and they quietly submitted to be led away. Arabanoo, contrary to his usual character, seemed at first unwilling torender them any assistance; but his shyness soon wore off, and he treatedthem with the kindest attention. Nor would he leave the place until he hadburied the corpse of the child: that of the woman he did not see from itssituation; and as his countrymen did not point it out, the governor orderedthat it should not be shown to him. He scooped a grave in the sand with hishands, of no peculiarity of shape, which he lined completely with grass, and put the body into it, covering it also with grass; and then he filledup the hole, and raised over it a small mound with the earth which hadbeen removed. Here the ceremony ended, unaccompanied by any invocation to asuperior being, or any attendant circumstance whence an inference of theirreligious opinions could be deduced. 

[*No solution of this difficulty had been given when I left the country, inDecember, 1791. I can, therefore, only propose queries for the ingenuity ofothers to exercise itself upon: is it a disease indigenous to the country?Did the French ships under Monsieur de Peyrouse introduce it? Let it beremembered that they had now been departed more than a year; and we hadnever heard of its existence on board of them. Had it travelled across thecontinent from its western shore, where Dampier and other European voyagershad formerly landed? Was it introduced by Mr. Cook? Did we give it birthhere? No person among us had been afflicted with the disorder since we hadquitted the Cape of Good Hope, seventeen months before. It is true, thatour surgeons had brought out variolous matter in bottles; but to inferthat it was produced from this cause were a supposition so wild as to beunworthy of consideration. ]

An uninhabited house, near the hospital, was allotted for their reception, and a cradle prepared for each of them. By the encouragement of Arabanoo, who assured them of protection, and the soothing behaviour of our medicalgentlemen, they became at once reconciled to us, and looked happy andgrateful at the change of their situation. Sickness and hunger had, however, so much exhausted the old man, that little hope was entertainedof his recovery. As he pointed frequently to his throat, at the instance ofArabanoo, he tried to wash it with a gargle which was given to him; butthe obstructed, tender state of the part rendered it impracticable. 'Bado, bado' (water), was his cry: when brought to him, he drank largely atintervals of it. He was equally importunate for fire, being seized withshivering fits; and one was kindled. Fish were produced, to tempt him toeat; but he turned away his head, with signs of loathing. Nanbaree (theboy), on the contrary, no sooner saw them than he leaped from his cradle, and eagerly seizing them, began to cook them. A warm bath being prepared, they were immersed in it; and after being thoroughly cleansed, they hadclean shirts put on them, and were again laid in bed. 

The old man lived but a few hours. He bore the pangs of dissolution withpatient composure; and though he was sensible to the last moment, expiredalmost without a groan. Nanbaree appeared quite unmoved at the event;and surveyed the corpse of his father without emotion, simply exclaiming, 'boee' (dead). This surprised us; as the tenderness and anxiety of the oldman about the boy had been very moving. Although barely able to raise hishead, while so much strength was left to him, he kept looking into hischild's cradle; he patted him gently on the bosom; and, with dying eyes, seemed to recommend him to our humanity and protection. Nanbaree wasadopted by Mr. White, surgeon-general of the settlement, and becamehenceforth one of his family. 

Arabanoo had no sooner heard of the death of his countryman, than hehastened to inter him. I was present at the ceremony, in company with thegovernor, captain Ball, and two or three other persons. It differed, bythe accounts of those who were present at the funeral of the girl, in norespect from what had passed there in the morning, except that the gravewas dug by a convict. But I was informed, that when intelligence of thedeath reached Arabanoo, he expressed himself with doubt whether he shouldbury, or burn the body; and seemed solicitous to ascertain which ceremonywould be most gratifying to the governor. 

Indeed, Arabanoo's behaviour, during the whole of the transactions ofthis day, was so strongly marked by affection to his countryman, and byconfidence in us, that the governor resolved to free him from all fartherrestraint, and at once to trust to his generosity, and the impression whichour treatment of him might have made, for his future residence among us:the fetter was accordingly taken off his leg. 

In the evening, captain Ball and I crossed the harbour, and buried thecorpse of the woman before mentioned. 

Distress continued to drive them in upon us. Two more natives, one of thema young man, and the other his sister, a girl of fourteen years old, were brought in by the governor's boat, in a most deplorable state ofwretchedness from the smallpox. The sympathy and affection of Arabanoo, which had appeared languid in the instance of Nanbaree and his father, heremanifested themselves immediately. We conjectured that a difference ofthe tribes to which they belonged might cause the preference; but nothingafterwards happened to strengthen or confirm such a supposition. The youngman died at the end of three days: the girl recovered, and was receivedas an inmate, with great kindness, in the family of Mrs Johnson, the clergyman's wife. Her name was Booron; but from our mistake ofpronunciation she acquired that of Abaroo, by which she was generallyknown, and by which she will always be called in this work. She shewed, atthe death of her brother more feeling than Nanbaree had witnessed for theloss of his father. When she found him dying, she crept to his side, andlay by him until forced by the cold to retire. No exclamation, or othersign of grief, however, escaped her for what had happened. 

May 1789. At sunset, on the evening of the 2d instant, the arrival the'Sirius', Captain Hunter, from the Cape of Good Hope, was proclaimed, anddiffused universal joy and congratulation. The day of famine was at leastprocrastinated by the supply of flour and salt provisions she brought us. 

The 'Sirius' had made her passage to the Cape of Good Hope, by the route ofCape Horn, in exactly thirteen weeks. Her highest latitude was 57 degrees10 minutes south, where the weather proved intolerably cold. Ice, in greatquantity, was seen for many days; and in the middle of December (which iscorrespondent to the middle of June, in our hemisphere), water froze inopen casks upon deck, in the moderate latitude of 44 degrees. 

They were very kindly treated by the Dutch governor, and amply supplied bythe merchants at the Cape, where they remained seven weeks. Their passageback was effected by Van Diemen's Land, near which, and close underTasman's Head, they were in the utmost peril of being wrecked. 

In this long run, which had extended round the circle, they had alwaysdetermined their longitude, to the greatest nicety, by distances takenbetween the sun and moon, or between the moon and a star. But it fallsto the lot of very few ships to possess such indefatigable and accurateobservers as Captain Hunter, and Mr. (now Captain) Bradley, the firstlieutenant of the 'Sirius'. 

I feel assured, that I have no reader who will not join in regretting thepremature loss of Arabanoo, who died of the smallpox on the 18th instant, after languishing in it six days. From some imperfect marks and indentson his face, we were inclined to believe that he had passed this dreadeddisorder. Even when the first symptoms of sickness seized him, we continuedwilling to hope that they proceeded from a different cause. But at lengththe disease burst forth with irresistible fury. It were superfluous to say, that nothing which medical skill and unremitting attention could perform, were left unexerted to mitigate his sufferings, and prolong a life, which humanity and affectionate concern towards his sick compatriots, unfortunately shortened. 

During his sickness he reposed entire confidence in us. Although a strangerto medicine, and nauseating the taste of it, he swallowed with patientsubmission innumerable drugs, * which the hope of relief induced us toadminister to him. The governor, who particularly regarded him, caused himto be buried in his own garden, and attended the funeral in person. 

[*Very different had been his conduct on a former occasion of a similarkind. Soon after he was brought among us he was seized with a diarrhoea, for which he could by no persuasion be induced to swallow any of ourprescriptions. After many ineffectual trials to deceive, or overcome him, it was at length determined to let him pursue his own course, and to watchif he should apply for relief to any of the productions of the country. Hewas in consequence observed to dig fern-root, and to chew it. Whether thedisorder had passed its crisis, or whether the fern-root effected a cure, Iknow not; but it is certain that he became speedily well. 

**The regard was reciprocal. His excellency had been ill but a short timebefore, when Arabanoo had testified the utmost solicitude for his case andrecovery. It is probable that he acquired, on this occasion, just notionsof the benefit to be derived from medical assistance. A doctor is, amongthem, a person of consequence. It is certain that he latterly estimated ourprofessional gentlemen very highly. ]

The character of Arabanoo, as far as we had developed it, was distinguishedby a portion of gravity and steadiness, which our subsequent acquaintancewith his countrymen by no means led us to conclude a nationalcharacteristic. In that daring, enterprising frame of mind, which, whencombined with genius, constitutes the leader of a horde of savages, or theruler of a people, boasting the power of discrimination and the resistanceof ambition, he was certainly surpassed by some of his successors, who afterwards lived among us. His countenance was thoughtful, but notanimated: his fidelity and gratitude, particularly to his friend thegovernor, were constant and undeviating, and deserve to be recorded. Although of a gentle and placable temper, we early discovered that he wasimpatient of indignity, and allowed of no superiority on our part. He knewthat he was in our power; but the independence of his mind never forsookhim. If the slightest insult were offered to him, he would return it withinterest. At retaliation of merriment he was often happy; and frequentlyturned the laugh against his antagonist. He did not want docility;but either from the difficulty of acquiring our language, from theunskillfulness of his teachers, or from some natural defect, his progressin learning it was not equal to what we had expected. For the last threeor four weeks of his life, hardly any restraint was laid upon hisinclinations: so that had he meditated escape, he might easily haveeffected it. He was, perhaps, the only native who was ever attached to usfrom choice; and who did not prefer a precarious subsistence among wildsand precipices, to the comforts of a civilized system. 

By his death, the scheme which had invited his capture was utterlydefeated. Of five natives who had been brought among us, three had perishedfrom a cause which, though unavoidable, it was impossible to explain to apeople, who would condescend to enter into no intercourse with us. The samesuspicious dread of our approach, and the same scenes of vengeance acted onunfortunate stragglers, continued to prevail. 

CHAPTER V. 

Transactions of the Colony until the Close of the Year 1789. 

The anniversary of his majesty's birth-day was celebrated, as heretofore, at the government-house, with loyal festivity. In the evening, the play of'The Recruiting Officer' was performed by a party of convicts, and honouredby the presence of his excellency, and the officers of the garrison. That every opportunity of escape from the dreariness and dejection ofour situation should be eagerly embraced, will not be wondered at. Theexhilarating effect of a splendid theatre is well known: and I am notashamed to confess, that the proper distribution of three or four yards ofstained paper, and a dozen farthing candles stuck around the mud walls of aconvict-hut, failed not to diffuse general complacency on the countenancesof sixty persons, of various descriptions, who were assembled to applaudthe representation. Some of the actors acquitted themselves with greatspirit, and received the praises of the audience: a prologue and anepilogue, written by one of the performers, were also spoken on theoccasion; which, although not worth inserting here, contained sometolerable allusions to the situation of the parties, and the novelty of astage-representation in New South Wales. 

Broken Bay, which was supposed to be completely explored, became again anobject of research. On the sixth instant, the governor, accompanied by alarge party in two boats, proceeded thither. Here they again wandered overpiles of mis-shapen desolation, contemplating scenes of wild solitude, whose unvarying appearance renders them incapable of affording eithernovelty or gratification. But when they had given over the hope offarther discovery, by pursuing the windings of an inlet, which, fromits appearance, was supposed to be a short creek, they suddenly foundthemselves at the entrance of a fresh water river, up which they proceededtwenty miles, in a westerly direction; and would have farther prosecutedtheir research, had not a failure of provisions obliged them to return. This river they described to be of considerable breadth, and of greatdepth; but its banks had hitherto presented nothing better than acounterpart of the rocks and precipices which surround Broken Bay. 

June, 1789. A second expedition, to ascertain its course, was undertakenby his excellency, who now penetrated (measuring by the bed of the river)between 60 and 70 miles, when the farther progress of the boats was stoppedby a fall. The water in every part was found to be fresh and good. Of theadjoining country, the opinions of those who had inspected it (of whichnumber I was not) were so various, that I shall decline to record them. Some saw a rich and beautiful country; and others were so unfortunate as todiscover little else than large tracts of low land, covered with reeds, andrank with the inundations of the stream, by which they had been recentlycovered. All parties, however, agreed, that the rocky, impenetrablecountry, seen on the first excursion, had ended nearly about the placewhence the boats had then turned back. Close to the fall stands a verybeautiful hill, which our adventurers mounted, and enjoyed from it anextensive prospect. Potatoes, maize, and garden seeds of various kindswere put into the earth, by the governor's order, on different partsof Richmond-hill, which was announced to be its name. The latitude ofRichmond-hill, as observed by captain Hunter, was settled at 33 degrees 36minutes south. 

Here also the river received the name of Hawkesbury, in honour of the noblelord who bears that title. 

Natives were found on the banks in several parts, many of whom werelabouring under the smallpox. They did not attempt to commit hostilitiesagainst the boats; but on the contrary shewed every sign of welcome andfriendship to the strangers. 

At this period, I was unluckily invested with the command of the outpost atRose Hill, which prevented me from being in the list of discoverers ofthe Hawkesbury. Stimulated, however, by a desire of acquiring a furtherknowledge of the country, on the 26th instant, accompanied by Mr. Arndell, assistant surgeon of the settlement, Mr. Lowes, surgeon's mate of the'Sirius', two marines, and a convict, I left the redoubt at day-break, pointing our march to a hill, distant five miles, in a westerly or inlanddirection, which commands a view of the great chain of mountains, calledCarmarthen hills, extending from north to south farther than the eye canreach. Here we paused, surveying "the wild abyss; pondering our voyage. "Before us lay the trackless immeasurable desert, in awful silence. Atlength, after consultation, we determined to steer west and by north, bycompass, the make of the land in that quarter indicating the existence of ariver. We continued to march all day through a country untrodden before byan European foot. Save that a melancholy crow now and then flew croakingover head, or a kangaroo was seen to bound at a distance, the picture ofsolitude was complete and undisturbed. At four o'clock in the afternoon wehalted near a small pond of water, where we took up our residence for thenight, lighted a fire, and prepared to cook our supper: that was, to broilover a couple of ramrods a few slices of salt pork, and a crow which we hadshot. 

At daylight we renewed our peregrination; and in an hour after we foundourselves on the banks of a river, nearly as broad as the Thames atPutney, and apparently of great depth, the current running very slowly in anortherly direction. Vast flocks of wild ducks were swimming in the stream;but after being once fired at, they grew so shy that we could not get nearthem a second time. Nothing is more certain than that the sound of a gunhad never before been heard within many miles of this spot. 

We proceeded upwards, by a slow pace, through reeds, thickets, and athousand other obstacles, which impeded our progress, over coarse sandyground, which had been recently inundated, though full forty feet above thepresent level of the river. Traces of the natives appeared at every step, sometimes in their hunting-huts, which consist of nothing more than alarge piece of bark, bent in the middle, and open at both ends, exactlyresembling two cards, set up to form an acute angle; sometimes in marks ontrees which they had climbed; or in squirrel-traps*; or, which surprised usmore, from being new, in decoys for the purpose of ensnaring birds. Theseare formed of underwood and reeds, long and narrow, shaped like a moundraised over a grave; with a small aperture at one end for admission ofthe prey; and a grate made of sticks at the other: the bird enters at theaperture, seeing before him the light of the grate, between the bars ofwhich, he vainly endeavours to thrust himself, until taken. Most of thesedecoys were full of feathers, chiefly those of quails, which shewed theirutility. We also met with two old damaged canoes hauled up on the beach, which differed in no wise from those found on the sea coast. 

[*A squirrel-trap is a cavity of considerable depth, formed by art, in thebody of a tree. When the Indians in their hunting parties set fire tothe surrounding country (which is a very common custom) the squirrels, opossums, and other animals, who live in trees, flee for refuge into theseholes, whence they are easily dislodged and taken. The natives always pitchon a part of a tree for this purpose, which has been perforated by a worm, which indicates that the wood is in an unsound state, and will readilyyield to their efforts. If the rudeness and imperfection of the tools withwhich they work be considered, it must be confessed to be an operation ofgreat toil and difficulty. ]

Having remained out three days, we returned to our quarters at Rose-hill, with the pleasing intelligence of our discovery. The country we had passedthrough we found tolerably plain, and little encumbered with underwood, except near the river side. It is entirely covered with the same sorts oftrees as grow near Sydney; and in some places grass springs up luxuriantly;other places are quite bare of it. The soil is various: in many parts astiff and clay, covered with small pebbles; in other places, of a softloamy nature: but invariably, in every part near the river, it is a coarsesterile sand. Our observations on it (particularly mine, from carryingthe compass by which we steered) were not so numerous as might have beenwished. But, certainly, if the qualities of it be such as to deserve futurecultivation, no impediment of surface, but that of cutting down and burningthe trees, exists, to prevent its being tilled. 

To this river the governor gave the name of Nepean. The distance of thepart of the river which we first hit upon from the sea coast, is about 39miles, in a direct line almost due west. 

A survey of Botany Bay took place in September. I was of the party, withseveral others officers. We continued nine days in the bay, during whichtime, the relative position of every part of it, to the extent of more thanthirty miles, following the windings of the shore, was ascertained, andlaid down on paper, by captain Hunter. 

So complete an opportunity of forming a judgment, enables me to speakdecisively of a place, which has often engaged conversation and excitedreflection. Variety of opinions here disappeared. I shall, therefore, transcribe literally what I wrote in my journal, on my return from theexpedition. "We were unanimously of opinion, that had not the nautical partof Mr. Cook's description, in which we include the latitude and longitudeof the bay, been so accurately laid down, there would exist the utmostreason to believe, that those who have described the contiguous country, had never seen it. On the sides of the harbour, a line of sea coastmore than thirty miles long, we did not find 200 acres which could becultivated. "

September, 1789. But all our attention was not directed to explore inlets, and toll for discovery. Our internal tranquillity was still more important. To repress the inroads of depredation; and to secure to honest industry thereward of its labour, had become matter of the most serious consideration;hardly a night passing without the commission of robbery. Many expedientswere devised; and the governor at length determined to select from theconvicts, a certain number of persons, who were meant to be of the fairestcharacter, for the purpose of being formed into a nightly-watch, forthe preservation of public and private property, under the followingregulations, which, as the first system of police in a colony, sopeculiarly constituted as ours, may perhaps prove not uninteresting. 

I. A night-watch, consisting of 12 persons, divided into four parties, isappointed, and fully authorized to patrol at all hours in the night; andto visit such places as may be deemed necessary, for the discovery of anyfelony, trespass, or misdemeanor; and for the apprehending and securingfor examination, any person or persons who may appear to them concernedtherein, either by entrance into any suspected hut or dwelling, or by suchother measure as may seem to them expedient. 

II. Those parts in which the convicts reside are to be divided andnumbered, in the following manner. The convict huts on the eastern side ofthe stream, and the public farm, are to be the first division. Those atthe brick-kilns, and the detached parties in the different private farms inthat district, are to be the second division. Those on the western side ofthe stream, as far as the line which separates the district of the womenfrom the men, to be the third division. The huts occupied from that line tothe hospital, and from there to the observatory, to be the fourth division. 

III. Each of these districts or divisions is to be under the particularinspection of one person, who may be judged qualified to inform himself ofthe actual residence of each individual in his district; as well as of hisbusiness, connections, and acquaintances. 

IV. Cognizance is to be taken of such convicts as may sell or barter theirslops or provisions; and also of such as are addicted to gaming for eitherof the aforesaid articles, who are to be reported to the judge advocate. 

V. Any soldier or seaman found straggling after the beating of the tattoo;or who may be found in a convict's hut, is to be detained; and informationof him immediately given to the nearest guard. 

VI. Any person who may be robbed during the night, is to give immediateinformation thereof to the watch of his district, who, on the instant ofapplication being made, shall use the most effectual means to trace outthe offender, or offenders, so that he, she, or they, may be brought tojustice. 

VII. The watch of each district is to be under the direction of one person, who will be named for that purpose. All the patrols are placed under theimmediate inspection of Herbert Keeling. They are never to receive anyfee, gratuity, or reward, from any individual whatever, to engage theirexertions in the execution of the above trust. Nor will they receive anystipulated encouragement for the conviction of any offender. But theirdiligence and good behaviour will be rewarded by the governor. And for thispurpose their conduct will be strictly attended to, by those who are placedin authority over them. 

VIII. The night-watch is to go out as soon as the tattoo ceases beating: toreturn to their huts when the working drum beats in the morning: and areto make their report to the judge advocate, through Herbert Keeling, of allrobberies and misdemeanors which may have been committed. Any assistancethe patrols may require, will be given to them, on applying to the officercommanding the nearest guard; and by the civil power, if necessary; forwhich last, application is to be made to the provost martial. 

IX. Any negligence on the part of those who shall be employed on this duty, will be punished with the utmost rigour of the law. 

X. The night-watch is to consist of 12 persons. 

Every political code, either from a defect of its constitution, or from thecorruptness of those who are entrusted to execute it, will be found lessperfect in practice than speculation had promised itself. It were, however, prejudice to deny, that for some time following the institution of thispatrol, nightly depredations became less frequent and alarming: the pettyvillains, at least, were restrained by it. And to keep even a gardenunravaged was now become a subject of the deepest concern. 

For in October our weekly allowance of provisions, which had hitherto beeneight pounds of flour, five pounds of salt pork, three pints of pease, sixounces of butter, was reduced to five pounds five ounces of flour, threepounds five ounces of pork, and two pints of pease. 

In order to lessen the consumption from the public stores, the 'Supply' wasordered to touch at Lord Howe Island, in her way from Norfolk Island, totry if turtle could be procured, for the purpose of being publicly servedin lieu of salt provisions. But she brought back only three turtles, whichwere distributed in the garrison. 

December, 1789. At the request of his excellency, lieutenant Dawes of themarines, accompanied by lieutenant Johnston and Mr. Lowes, about thistime undertook the attempt to cross the Nepean river, and to penetrate toCarmarthen mountains. Having discovered a ford in the river, they passedit, and proceeded in a westerly direction. But they found the country sorugged, and the difficulty of walking so excessive, that in three days theywere able to penetrate only fifteen miles, and were therefore obliged torelinquish their object. This party, at the time they turned back, werefarther inland than any other persons ever were before or since, beingfifty-four miles in a direct line from the sea coast when on the summitof mount Twiss, a hill so named by them, and which bounded theirperegrination. 

Intercourse with the natives, for the purpose of knowing whether or not thecountry possessed any resources, by which life might be prolonged*, aswell as on other accounts, becoming every day more desirable, the governorresolved to make prisoners of two more of them. 

[*One of the convicts, a negro, had twice eloped, with an intention ofestablishing himself in the society of the natives, with a wish to adopttheir customs and to live with them: but he was always repulsed by them;and compelled to return to us from hunger and wretchedness. ]

Boats properly provided, under the command of lieutenant Bradley of the'Sirius', were accordingly dispatched on this service; and completelysucceeded in trepanning and carrying off, without opposition, two fineyoung men, who were safely landed among us at Sydney. 

Nanbaree and Abaroo welcomed them on shore; calling them immediately bytheir names, Baneelon (Bennelong), and Colbee. But they seemed littledisposed to receive the congratulations, or repose confidence in theassurances of their friends. The same scenes of awkward wonder andimpatient constraint, which had attended the introduction of Arabanoo, succeeded. Baneelon we judged to be about twenty-six years old, of goodstature, and stoutly made, with a bold intrepid countenance, which bespokedefiance and revenge. Colbee was perhaps near thirty, of a less sullenaspect than his comrade, considerably shorter, and not so robustly framed, though better fitted for purposes of activity. They had both evidentlyhad the smallpox; indeed Colbee's face was very thickly imprinted with themarks of it. 

Positive orders were issued by the governor to treat them indulgently, andguard them strictly; notwithstanding which Colbee contrived to effect hisescape in about a week, with a small iron ring round his leg. Had thoseappointed to watch them been a moment later, his companion would havecontrived to accompany him. 

But Baneelon, though haughty, knew how to temporize. He quickly threwoff all reserve; and pretended, nay, at particular moments, perhaps feltsatisfaction in his new state. Unlike poor Arabanoo, he became at once fondof our viands, and would drink the strongest liquors, not simply withoutreluctance, but with eager marks of delight and enjoyment. He was the onlynative we ever knew who immediately shewed a fondness for spirits: Colbeewould not at first touch them. Nor was the effect of wine or brandy uponhim more perceptible than an equal quantity would have produced upon one ofus, although fermented liquor was new to him. 

In his eating, he was alike compliant. When a turtle was shown to Arabanoo, he would not allow it to be a fish, and could not be induced to eat of it. Baneelon also denied it to be a fish; but no common councilman in Europecould do more justice than he did to a very fine one, that the 'Supply' hadbrought from Lord Howe Island, and which was served up at the governor'stable on Christmas Day. 

His powers of mind were certainly far above mediocrity. He acquiredknowledge, both of our manners and language, faster than his predecessorhad done. He willingly communicated information; sang, danced, and capered, told us all the customs of his country, and all the details of his familyeconomy. Love and war seemed his favourite pursuits; in both of which hehad suffered severely. His head was disfigured by several scars; a spearhad passed through his arm, and another through his leg. Half of one of histhumbs was carried away; and the mark of a wound appeared on the back ofhis hand. The cause and attendant circumstances of all these disasters, except one, he related to us. 

"But the wound on the back of your hand, Baneelon! How did you get that?"

He laughed, and owned that it was received in carrying off a lady ofanother tribe by force. "I was dragging her away. She cried aloud, andstuck her teeth in me. "

"And what did you do then?"

"I knocked her down, and beat her till she was insensible, and covered withblood. Then. .. "

Whenever he recounted his battles, "poised his lance, and showed how fieldswere won", the most violent exclamations of rage and vengeance against hiscompetitors in arms, those of the tribe called Cameeragal in particular, would burst from him. And he never failed at such times to solicit thegovernor to accompany him, with a body of soldiers, in order that he mightexterminate this hated name. 

Although I call him only Baneelon, he had besides several appellations, andfor a while he chose to be distinguished by that of Wolarawaree. Again, asa mark of affection and respect to the governor, he conferred on him thename of Wolarawaree, and sometimes called him 'Beenena' (father), adoptingto himself the name of governor. This interchange we found is a constantsymbol of friendship among them*. In a word, his temper seemed pliant, andhis relish of our society so great, that hardly any one judged he wouldattempt to quit us, were the means of escape put within his reach. Nevertheless it was thought proper to continue a watch over him. 

[*It is observable that this custom prevails as a pledge of friendshipand kindness all over Asia, and has also been mentioned by Captain Cook toexist among the natives in the South Sea Islands. ]

CHAPTER VI. 

Transactions of the Colony, from the Beginning of the Year 1790 until theEnd of May following. 

Our impatience of news from Europe strongly marked the commencement of theyear. We had now been two years in the country, and thirty-two months fromEngland, in which long period no supplies, except what had been procured atthe Cape of Good Hope by the 'Sirius', had reached us. From intelligence ofour friends and connections we had been entirely cut off, no communicationwhatever having passed with our native country since the 13th of May 1787, the day of our departure from Portsmouth. Famine besides was approachingwith gigantic strides, and gloom and dejection overspread everycountenance. Men abandoned themselves to the most desponding reflections, and adopted the most extravagant conjectures. 

Still we were on the tiptoe of expectation. If thunder broke at a distance, or a fowling-piece of louder than ordinary report resounded in the woods, "a gun from a ship" was echoed on every side, and nothing but hurryand agitation prevailed. For eighteen months after we had landed in thecountry, a party of marines used to go weekly to Botany Bay, to see whetherany vessel, ignorant of our removal to Port Jackson, might be arrivedthere. But a better plan was now devised, on the suggestion of captainHunter. A party of seamen were fixed on a high bluff, called theSouth-head, at the entrance of the harbour, on which a flag was ordered tobe hoisted, whenever a ship might appear, which should serve as a directionto her, and as a signal of approach to us. Every officer stepped forwardto volunteer a service which promised to be so replete with beneficialconsequences. But the zeal and alacrity of captain Hunter, and our brethrenof the 'Sirius', rendered superfluous all assistance or co-operation. 

Here on the summit of the hill, every morning from daylight until the sunsunk, did we sweep the horizon, in hope of seeing a sail. At every fleetingspeck which arose from the bosom of the sea, the heart bounded, and thetelescope was lifted to the eye. If a ship appeared here, we knew she mustbe bound to us; for on the shores of this vast ocean (the largest in theworld) we were the only community which possessed the art of navigation, and languished for intercourse with civilized society. 

To say that we were disappointed and shocked, would very inadequatelydescribe our sensations. But the misery and horror of such a situationcannot be imparted, even by those who have suffered under it. 

March, 1790. Vigorous measures were become indispensable. The governortherefore, early in February, ordered the 'Sirius' to prepare for a voyageto China; and a farther retrenchment of our ration, we were given tounderstand, would take place on her sailing. 

But the 'Sirius' was destined not to reach China. Previously to herintended departure on that voyage, she was ordered, in concert with the'Supply', to convey Major Ross, with a large detachment of marines, andmore than two hundred convicts, to Norfolk Island, it being hoped thatsuch a division of our numbers would increase the means of subsistence, bydiversified exertions. She sailed on the 6th of March. And on the 27th ofthe same month, the following order was issued from headquarters. 

Parole--Honour. 

Counter sign--Example. 

The expected supply of provisions not having arrived, makes it necessaryto reduce the present ration. And the commissary is directed to issue, fromthe 1st of April, the under-mentioned allowance, to every person in thesettlement without distinction. 

Four pounds of flour, two pounds and a half of salt pork, and one pound anda half of rice, per week. 

On the 5th of April news was brought, that the flag on the South-head washoisted. Less emotion was created by the news than might be expected. Everyone coldly said to his neighbour, "the 'Sirius' and 'Supply' are returnedfrom Norfolk Island. " To satisfy myself that the flag was really flying, Iwent to the observatory, and looked for it through the large astronomicaltelescope, when I plainly saw it. But I was immediately convinced thatit was not to announce the arrival of ships from England; for I could seenobody near the flagstaff except one solitary being, who kept strollingaround, unmoved by what he saw. I well knew how different an effect thesight of strange ships would produce. 

April, 1790. The governor, however, determined to go down the harbour, andI begged permission to accompany him. Having turned a point about half waydown, we were surprised to see a boat, which was known to belong to the'Supply', rowing towards us. On nearer approach, I saw captain Ball makean extraordinary motion with his hand, which too plainly indicated thatsomething disastrous had happened; and I could not help turning to thegovernor, near whom I sat, and saying, "Sir, prepare yourself for badnews. " A few minutes changed doubt into certainty; and to our unspeakableconsternation we learned, that the 'Sirius' had been wrecked on NorfolkIsland, on the 19th of February. Happily, however, Captain Hunter, andevery other person belonging to her, were saved. 

Dismay was painted on every countenance, when the tidings were proclaimedat Sydney. The most distracting apprehensions were entertained All hopeswere now concentred in the little 'Supply'. 

At six o'clock in the evening, all the officers of the garrison, bothcivil and military, were summoned to meet the governor in council, whenthe nature of our situation was fully discussed and an account ofthe provisions yet remaining in store laid before the council by thecommissary. This account stated, that on the present ration* the publicstores contained salt meat sufficient to serve until the 2nd of July, flouruntil the 20th of August, and rice, or pease in lieu of it, until the 1stof October. 

[*See the ration of the 27th of March, a few pages back. ]

Several regulations for the more effectual preservation of gardens, and other private property, were proposed, and adopted and after someinterchange of opinion, the following ration was decreed to commenceimmediately, a vigorous exertion to prolong existence, or the chance ofrelief, being all now left to us. 

 Two pounds of pork, two pounds and a half of flour, two pounds of rice, or a quart of pease, per week, to every grown person, and to every child of more than eighteen months old. 

 To every child under eighteen months old, the same quantity of rice and flour, and one pound of pork. **

[**When the age of this provision is recollected, its inadequacy will morestrikingly appear. The pork and rice were brought with us from England. Thepork had been salted between three and four years, and every grain of ricewas a moving body, from the inhabitants lodged within it. We soon left offboiling the pork, as it had become so old and dry, that it shrunk one halfin its dimensions when so dressed. Our usual method of cooking it was tocut off the daily morsel, and toast it on a fork before the fire, catchingthe drops which fell on a slice of bread, or in a saucer of rice. Our flourwas the remnant of what was brought from the Cape, by the 'Sirius', and wasgood. Instead of baking it, the soldiers and convicts used to boil it upwith greens. ]

The immediate departure of the 'Supply', for Batavia, was also determined. 

Nor did our zeal stop here. The governor being resolved to employ allthe boats, public and private, in procuring fish--which was intended tobe served in lieu of salt meat--all the officers, civil and military, including the clergyman, and the surgeons of the hospital, made thevoluntary offer, in addition to their other duties, to go alternately everynight in these boats, in order to see that every exertion was made, andthat all the fish which might be caught was deposited with the commissary. 

The best marksmen of the marines and convicts were also selected, and putunder the command of a trusty sergeant, with directions to range thewoods in search of kangaroos, which were ordered, when brought in, to bedelivered to the commissary. 

And as it was judged that the inevitable fatigues of shooting and fishingcould not be supported on the common ration, a small additional quantityof flour and pork was appropriated to the use of the game-keepers; and eachfisherman, who had been out during the preceding night had, on his returnin the morning, a pound of uncleaned fish allowed for his breakfast. 

On the 17th instant, the 'Supply', captain Ball, sailed for Batavia. Wefollowed her with anxious eyes until she was no longer visible. Truly didwe say to her "In te omnis domus inclinata recumbit. " We were, however, consoled by reflecting, that every thing which zeal, fortitude, andseamanship, could produce, was concentred in her commander. 

Our bosoms consequently became less perturbed; and all our labour andattention were turned on one object--the procuring of food. "Pride, pomp, and circumstance of glorious war" were no more. 

The distress of the lower classes for clothes was almost equal to theirother wants. The stores had been long exhausted, and winter was athand. Nothing more ludicrous can be conceived than the expedients ofsubstituting, shifting, and patching, which ingenuity devised, to eke outwretchedness, and preserve the remains of decency. The superior dexterityof the women was particularly conspicuous. Many a guard have I seen mount, in which the number of soldiers without shoes exceeded that which had yetpreserved remnants of leather. 

Nor was another part of our domestic economy less whimsical. If a luckyman, who had knocked down a dinner with his gun, or caught a fishby angling from the rocks, invited a neighbour to dine with him, theinvitation always ran, "bring your own bread. " Even at the governor'stable, this custom was constantly observed. Every man when he sat downpulled his bread out of his pocket, and laid it by his plate. 

The insufficiency of our ration soon diminished our execution of labour. Both soldiers and convicts pleaded such loss of strength, as to findthemselves unable to perform their accustomed tasks. The hours of publicwork were accordingly shortened or, rather, every man was ordered to do asmuch as his strength would permit, and every other possible indulgence wasgranted. 

May, 1790. In proportion, however, as lenity and mitigation were extendedto inability and helplessness, inasmuch was the most rigorous justiceexecuted on disturbers of the public tranquillity. Persons detected inrobbing gardens, or pilfering provisions, were never screened because, asevery man could possess, by his utmost exertions, but a bare sufficiency topreserve life*, he who deprived his neighbour of that little, drove himto desperation. No new laws for the punishment of theft were enacted;but persons of all descriptions were publicly warned, that the severestpenalties, which the existing law in its greatest latitude would authorise, should be inflicted on offenders. The following sentence of a courtof justice, of which I was a member, on a convict detected in a gardenstealing potatoes, will illustrate the subject. He was ordered to receivethree hundred lashes immediately, to be chained for six months to two othercriminals, who were thus fettered for former offences, and to have hisallowance of flour stopped for six months. So that during the operation ofthe sentence, two pounds of pork, and two pounds of rice (or in lieu of thelatter, a quart of pease) per week, constituted his whole subsistence. Suchwas the melancholy length to which we were compelled to stretch our penalsystem. 

[*Its preservation in some cases was found impracticable. Three or fourinstances of persons who perished from want have been related to me. Oneonly, however, fell within my own observation. I was passing the provisionstore, when a man, with a wild haggard countenance, who had just receivedhis daily pittance to carry home, came out. His faltering gait, and eagerdevouring eye, led me to watch him, and he had not proceeded ten stepsbefore he fell. I ordered him to be carried to the hospital, where, whenhe arrived, he was found dead. On opening the body, the cause of death waspronounced to be inanition. ]

Farther to contribute to the detection of villainy, a proclamation, offering a reward of sixty pounds of flour, more tempting than the ore ofPeru or Potosi, was promised to any one who should apprehend, and bring tojustice, a robber of garden ground. 

Our friend Baneelon, during this season of scarcity, was as well taken careof as our desperate circumstances would allow. We knew not how to keephim, and yet were unwilling to part with him. Had he penetrated our state, perhaps he might have given his countrymen such a description of ourdiminished numbers, and diminished strength, as would have emboldenedthem to become more troublesome. Every expedient was used to keep him inignorance. His allowance was regularly received by the governor's servant, like that of any other person, but the ration of a week was insufficientto have kept him for a day. The deficiency was supplied by fish wheneverit could be procured, and a little Indian corn, which had been reservedwas ground and appropriated to his use. In spite of all these aids, want offood has been known to make him furious and often melancholy. 

There is reason to believe that he had long meditated his escape, which heeffected in the night of the 3rd instant. About two o'clock in the morning, he pretended illness, and awaking the servant who lay in the room with him, begged to go down stairs. The other attended him without suspicion of hisdesign; and Baneelon no sooner found himself in a backyard, than he nimblyleaped over a slight paling, and bade us adieu. 

The following public order was issued within the date of this chapter, andis too pleasing a proof that universal depravity did not prevail among theconvicts, to be omitted. 

The governor, in consequence of the unremitted good behaviour andmeritorious conduct of John Irving, is pleased to remit the remainder ofthe term for which he was sentenced to transportation. He is therefore tobe considered as restored to all those rights and privileges, which hadbeen suspended in consequence of the sentence of the law. And as such, he is hereby appointed to act as an assistant to the surgeon at NorfolkIsland. 

CHAPTER VII

Transactions of the Colony in June, July, and August, 1790. 

At length the clouds of misfortune began to separate, and on the eveningof the 3rd of June, the joyful cry of "the flag's up" resounded in everydirection. 

I was sitting in my hut, musing on our fate, when a confused clamour inthe street drew my attention. I opened my door, and saw several womenwith children in their arms running to and fro with distracted looks, congratulating each other, and kissing their infants with the mostpassionate and extravagant marks of fondness. I needed no more; butinstantly started out, and ran to a hill, where, by the assistance ofa pocket glass, my hopes were realized. My next door neighbour, abrother-officer, was with me, but we could not speak. We wrung each otherby the hand, with eyes and hearts overflowing. 

Finding that the governor intended to go immediately in his boat down theharbour, I begged to be of his party. 

As we proceeded, the object of our hopes soon appeared: a large ship, with English colours flying, working in, between the heads which form theentrance of the harbour. The tumultuous state of our minds representedher in danger; and we were in agony. Soon after, the governor, havingascertained what she was, left us, and stepped into a fishing boat toreturn to Sydney. The weather was wet and tempestuous but the body isdelicate only when the soul is at ease. We pushed through wind and rain, the anxiety of our sensations every moment redoubling. At last we read theword 'London' on her stern. "Pull away, my lads! She is from Old England! Afew strokes more, and we shall be aboard! Hurrah for a bellyfull, and newsfrom our friends!" Such were our exhortations to the boat's crew. 

A few minutes completed our wishes, and we found ourselves on boardthe 'Lady Juliana' transport, with two hundred and twenty-five of ourcountrywomen whom crime or misfortune had condemned to exile. We learnedthat they had been almost eleven months on their passage, having leftPlymouth, into which port they had put in July, 1789. We continued to aska thousand questions on a breath. Stimulated by curiosity, they inquired inturn; but the right of being first answered, we thought, lay on our side. "Letters, letters!" was the cry. They were produced, and torn open intrembling agitation. News burst upon us like meridian splendor on a blindman. We were overwhelmed with it: public, private, general, and particular. Nor was it until some days had elapsed, that we were able to methodise it, or reduce it into form. We now heard for the first time of our sovereign'sillness, and his happy restoration to health. The French revolution of1789, with all the attendant circumstances of that wonderful and unexpectedevent, succeeded to amaze us*. Now, too, the disaster which had befallenthe 'Guardian', and the liberal and enlarged plan on which she had beenstored and fitted out by government for our use, was promulged. It servedalso, in some measure, to account why we had not sooner heard from England. For had not the 'Guardian' struck on an island of ice, she would probablyhave reached us three months before, and in this case have prevented theloss of the 'Sirius', although she had sailed from England three monthsafter the 'Lady Juliana'. 

[*These words bring to my mind an anecdote, which, though rather out ofplace, I shall offer no apology for introducing. Among other inquiries, wewere anxious to learn whether M. De la Peyrouse, with the two ships underhis command, bound on a voyage of discovery, had arrived in France. Weheard with concern, that no accounts of them had been received, since theyhad left Botany Bay, in March, 1788. I remember when they were at thatplace, one day conversing with Monsieur de la Peyrouse, about the bestmethod of treating savage people, "Sir, " said he, "I have sometimes beencompelled to commit hostilities upon them, but never without suffering themost poignant regret; for, independent of my own feelings on the occasion, his Majesty's (Louis XVI) last words to me, de sa propre bouche, when Itook leave of him at Versailles, were: 'It is my express injunction, thatyou always treat the Indian nations with kindness and humanity. Gratifytheir wishes, and never, but in a case of the last necessity, whenself-defence requires it, shed human blood. ' Are these the sentiments of atyrant, of a sanguinary and perfidious man?"

A general thanksgiving to Almighty God, for his Majesty's recovery, andhappy restoration to his family and subjects, was ordered to be offered upon the following Wednesday, when all public labour was suspended; and everyperson in the settlement attended at church, where a sermon, suited to anoccasion, at once so full of gratitude and solemnity, was preached by theReverend Richard Johnson, chaplain of the colony. 

All the officers were afterwards entertained at dinner by the governor. Andin the evening, an address to his excellency, expressive of congratulationand loyalty, was agreed upon; and in two days after was presented, and verygraciously received. 

The following invitation to the non-commissioned officers and privatesoldiers of the marine battalion, was also about this time published. 

In consequence of the assurance that was given to the non-commissionedofficers and men belonging to the battalion of marines, on their embarkingfor the service of this country, that such of them as should behave well, would be allowed to quit the service, on their return to England; or bedischarged abroad, upon the relief taking place, and permitted to settlein the country--His Majesty has been graciously pleased to direct thefollowing encouragement to be held up to such non-commissioned officers andprivates, as may be disposed to become settlers in this country, or inany of the islands comprised within the government of the continent ofNew South Wales, on the arrival of the corps raised and intended for theservice of this colony, and for their relief, viz:

To every non-commissioned officer, an allotment of one hundred and thirtyacres of land, if single, and of one hundred and fifty acres, if married. To every private soldier, an allotment of eighty acres, if single, and ofone hundred acres if married; and also an allotment of ten acres for everychild, whether of a non-commissioned officer, or of a private soldier. These allotments will be free of all fines, taxes, quit-rents, and otheracknowledgments, for the space of ten years; but after the expiration ofthat period, will be subject to an annual quit-rent of one shilling forevery fifty acres. 

His Majesty has likewise been farther pleased to signify his royal will andpleasure, that a bounty of three pounds be offered to each non-commissionedofficer and soldier, who may be disposed to continue in this country, andenlist in the corps appointed for the service of New South Wales; with afarther assurance, that in case of a proper demeanour on their part, theyshall, after a farther service of five years, be entitled to double theformer portion of land, provided they then choose to become settlers in thecountry, free of all taxes, fines, and quit-rents, for the space of fifteenyears; but after that time, to be subject to the beforementioned annualquit-rent of one shilling for every fifty acres. 

And as a farther encouragement to those men who may be desirous to becomesettlers, and continue in the country, his Majesty has been likewisepleased to direct, that every man shall, on being discharged, receive outof the public store, a portion of clothing and provisions, sufficientfor his support for one year; together with a suitable quantity of seeds, grain, etc. For the tillage of the land; and a portion of tools andimplements of agriculture, proper for their use. And whenever any man, who may become a settler, can maintain, feed, and clothe, such number ofconvicts as may be judged necessary by the governor, for the time being, to assist him in clearing and cultivating the land, the service of suchconvicts shall be assigned to him. 

We were joyfully surprised on the 20th of the month to see another sailenter the harbour. She proved to be the Justinian transport, commanded byCaptain Maitland, and our rapture was doubled on finding that she wasladen entirely with provisions for our use. Full allowance, and generalcongratulation, immediately took place. This ship had left Falmouth onthe preceding 20th of January, and completed her passage exactly in fivemonths*. She had staid at Madeira one day, and four at Sao Tiago, fromwhich last place she had steered directly for New South Wales, neglectingRio de Janeiro on her right, and the Cape of Good Hope on her left; andnotwithstanding the immense tract of ocean she had passed, brought her crewwithout sickness into harbour. When the novelty and boldness of such anattempt shall be recollected, too much praise, on the spirit and activityof Mr. Maitland, cannot be bestowed. 

[*Accident only prevented her from making it in eighteen days less, for shewas then in sight of the harbour's mouth, when an unpropitious gale of windblew her off. Otherwise she would have reached us one day sooner than the'Lady Juliana'. It is a curious circumstance, that these two ships hadsailed together from the river Thames, one bound to Port Jackson, andthe other bound to Jamaica. The Justinian carried her cargo to the lastmentioned place, landed it; and loaded afresh with sugars, which shereturned with, and delivered in London. She was then hired as a transport, reladen, and sailed for New South Wales. Let it be remembered, that nomaterial accident had happened to either vessel. But what will not zeal anddiligence accomplish!]

Good fortune continued to befriend us. Before the end of the month, threemore transports, having on board two companies of the New South Walescorps, arrived to add to our society. These ships also brought out a largebody of convicts, whose state and sufferings will be best estimated by thefollowing return. 

 Names of No. Of people No. Of persons who died No. Landed sick Ships embarked on the passage at Port Jackson

 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Neptune 530 163 269

 Surprise 252 42 121

 Scarborough 256 68 96

 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1038 273 486

 -----------------------------------------------------------------

N. B. Of those landed sick, one hundred and twenty-four died in the hospitalat Sydney. 

On our passage from England, which had lasted more than eight months andwith nearly an equal number of persons, only twenty-four had died, andnot thirty were landed sick. The difference can be accounted for, only bycomparing the manner in which each fleet was fitted out and conducted. Withus the provisions, served on board, were laid in by a contractor, who senta deputy to serve them out; and it became a part of duty for the officersof the troops to inspect their quality, and to order that every onereceived his just proportion. Whereas, in the fleet now arrived, thedistribution of provisions rested entirely with the masters of themerchantmen, and the officers were expressly forbidden to interfere in anyshape farther about the convicts than to prevent their escape. 

Seventeen pounds, in full of all expense, was the sum paid by the publicfor the passage of each person. And this sum was certainly competent toafford fair profit to the merchant who contracted. But there is reasonto believe, that some of those who were employed to act for him, violatedevery principle of justice, and rioted on the spoils of misery, for want ofa controlling power to check their enormities. No doubt can be entertained, that a humane and liberal government will interpose its authority, toprevent the repetition of such flagitious conduct. 

Although the convicts had landed from these ships with every mark ofmeagre misery, yet it was soon seen, that a want of room, in which moreconveniences might have been stowed for their use, had not caused it. Several of the masters of the transports immediately opened stores, and exposed large quantities of goods to sale, which, though at mostextortionate prices, were eagerly bought up. 

Such was the weakly state of the new corners, that for several weeks littlereal benefit to the colony was derived from so great a nominal addition toour number. However, as fast as they recovered, employment was immediatelyassigned to them. The old hours of labour, which had been reduced in ourdistress, were re-established, and the most vigorous measures adopted togive prosperity to the settlement. New buildings were immediately planned, and large tracts of ground, at Rose-hill, ordered to be cleared, andprepared for cultivation. Some superintendents who had arrived in thefleet, and were hired by government for the purpose of overlooking anddirecting the convicts, were found extremely serviceable in acceleratingthe progress of improvement. 

July, 1790. This month was marked by nothing worth communication, excepta melancholy accident which befell a young gentleman of amiable character(one of the midshipmen lately belonging to the 'Sirius') and two marines. He was in a small boat, with three marines, in the harbour, when a whalewas seen near them. Sensible of their danger, they used every effort toavoid the cause of it, by rowing in a contrary direction from that whichthe fish seemed to take, but the monster suddenly arose close to them, andnearly filled the boat with water. By exerting themselves, they baled herout, and again steered from it. For some time it was not seen, and theyconceived themselves safe, when, rising immediately under the boat, itlifted her to the height of many yards on its back, whence slipping off, she dropped as from a precipice, and immediately filled and sunk. Themidshipman and one of the marines were sucked into the vortex which thewhale had made, and disappeared at once. The two other marines swam forthe nearest shore, but one only reached it, to recount the fate of hiscompanions. 

August, 1790. In the beginning of this month, in company with Mr. Dawes andMr. Worgan, late surgeon of the 'Sirius', I undertook an expedition tothe southward and westward of Rose Hill, where the country had never beenexplored. We remained out seven days, and penetrated to a considerabledistance in a S. S. W. Direction, bounding our course at a remarkable hill, to which, from its conical shape, we gave the name of Pyramid-hill. Exceptthe discovery of a river (which is unquestionably the Nepean near itssource) to which we gave the name of the Worgan, in honour of one of ourparty, nothing very interesting was remarked. 

Towards the end of the month, we made a second excursion to the north-westof Rose Hill, when we again fell in with the Nepean, and traced it tothe spot where it had been first discovered by the party of which I wasa member, fourteen months before, examining the country as we went along. Little doubt now subsisted that the Hawkesbury and Nepean were one river. 

We undertook a third expedition soon after to Broken Bay, which placewe found had not been exaggerated in description, whether its capaciousharbour, or its desolate incultivable shores, be considered. On all theseexcursions we brought away, in small bags, as many specimens of the soilof the country we had passed through, as could be conveniently carried, inorder that by analysis its qualities might be ascertained. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Transactions of the Colony in the Beginning of September, 1790. 

The tremendous monster who had occasioned the unhappy catastrophe justrecorded was fated to be the cause of farther mischief to us. 

On the 7th instant, Captain Nepean, of the New South Wales Corps, and Mr. White, accompanied by little Nanbaree, and a party of men, went in a boatto Manly Cove, intending to land there, and walk on to Broken Bay. Ondrawing near the shore, a dead whale, in the most disgusting state ofputrefaction, was seen lying on the beach, and at least two hundred Indianssurrounding it, broiling the flesh on different fires, and feasting onit with the most extravagant marks of greediness and rapture. As the boatcontinued to approach, they were observed to fall into confusion and topick up their spears, on which our people lay upon their oars and Nanbareestepping forward, harangued them for some time, assuring them that we werefriends. Mr. White now called for Baneelon who, on hearing his name, cameforth, and entered into conversation. He was greatly emaciated, and sofar disfigured by a long beard, that our people not without difficultyrecognized their old acquaintance. His answering in broken English, andinquiring for the governor, however, soon corrected their doubts. He seemedquite friendly. And soon after Colbee came up, pointing to his leg, to showthat he had freed himself from the fetter which was upon him, when he hadescaped from us. 

When Baneelon was told that the governor was not far off, he expressedgreat joy, and declared that he would immediately go in search of him, and if he found him not, would follow him to Sydney. "Have you brought anyhatchets with you?" cried he. Unluckily they had not any which they choseto spare; but two or three shirts, some handkerchiefs, knives, and othertrifles, were given to them, and seemed to satisfy. Baneelon, willingto instruct his countrymen, tried to put on a shirt, but managed it soawkwardly, that a man of the name of M'Entire, the governor's gamekeeper, was directed by Mr. White to assist him. This man, who was well known tohim, he positively forbade to approach, eyeing him ferociously, and withevery mark of horror and resentment. He was in consequence left to himself, and the conversation proceeded as before. The length of his beard seemedto annoy him much, and he expressed eager wishes to be shaved, askingrepeatedly for a razor. A pair of scissors was given to him, and he shewedhe had not forgotten how to use such an instrument, for he forthwith beganto clip his hair with it. 

During this time, the women and children, to the number of more than fifty, stood at a distance, and refused all invitations, which could be conveyedby signs and gestures, to approach nearer. "Which of them is your oldfavourite, Barangaroo, of whom you used to speak so often?"

"Oh, " said he, "she is become the wife of Colbee! But I have got 'bullamuree deein' (two large women) to compensate for her loss. "

It was observed that he had received two wounds, in addition to his formernumerous ones, since he had left us; one of them from a spear, which hadpassed through the fleshy part of his arm; and the other displayed itselfin a large scar above his left eye. They were both healed, and probablywere acquired in the conflict wherein he had asserted his pretensions tothe two ladies. 

Nanbaree, all this while, though he continued to interrogate hiscountrymen, and to interpret on both sides, shewed little desire to returnto their society, and stuck very close to his new friends. On being askedthe cause of their present meeting, Baneelon pointed to the whale, whichstunk immoderately, and Colbee made signals, that it was common among themto cat until the stomach was so overladen as to occasion sickness. 

Their demand of hatchets being re-iterated, notwithstanding our refusal, they were asked why they had not brought with them some of their own? Theyexcused themselves by saying, that on an occasion of the present sort, they always left them at home, and cut up the whale with the shell which isaffixed to the end of the throwing-stick. 

Our party now thought it time to proceed on their original expedition, andhaving taken leave of their sable friends, rowed to some distance, wherethey landed, and set out for Broken Bay, ordering the coxswain of the boat, in which they had come down, to go immediately and acquaint the governorof all that had passed. When the natives saw that the boat was about todepart, they crowded around her, and brought down, by way of present, threeor four great junks of the whale, and put them on board of her, the largestof which, Baneelon expressly requested might be offered, in his name, tothe governor. 

It happened that his excellency had this day gone to a landmark, which wasbuilding on the South-head, near the flag-staff, to serve as a direction toships at sea, and the boat met him on his return to Sydney. Immediately onreceiving the intelligence, he hastened back to the South-head, and havingprocured all the fire-arms which could be mustered there, consisting offour muskets and a pistol, set out, attended by Mr. Collins and LieutenantWaterhouse of the navy. 

When the boat reached Manly Cove, the natives were found still busilyemployed around the whale. As they expressed not any consternation onseeing us row to the beach, governor Phillip stepped out unarmed, andattended by one seaman only, and called for Baneelon, who appeared, but, notwithstanding his former eagerness, would not suffer the otherto approach him for several minutes. Gradually, however, he warmedinto friendship and frankness, and presently after Colbee came up. Theydiscoursed for some time, Baneelon expressing pleasure to see his oldacquaintance, and inquiring by name for every person whom he couldrecollect at Sydney; and among others for a French cook, one of thegovernor's servants, whom he had constantly made the butt of his ridicule, by mimicking his voice, gait, and other peculiarities, all of which heagain went through with his wonted exactness and drollery. He asked alsoparticularly for a lady from whom he had once ventured to snatch a kiss;and on being told that she was well, by way of proving that the token wasfresh in his remembrance, he kissed Lieutenant Waterhouse, and laughedaloud. On his wounds being noticed, he coldly said, that he had receivedthem at Botany Bay, but went no farther into their history. 

Hatchets still continued to be called for with redoubled eagerness, which rather surprised us, as formerly they had always been acceptedwith indifference. But Baneelon had probably demonstrated to them theirsuperiority over those of their own manufacturing. To appease theirimportunity, the governor gave them a knife, some bread, pork, and otherarticles, and promised that in two days he would return hither, and bringwith him hatchets to be distributed among them, which appeared to diffusegeneral satisfaction. 

Baneelon's love of wine has been mentioned; and the governor, to trywhether it still subsisted, uncorked a bottle, and poured out a glass ofit, which the other drank off with his former marks of relish and goodhumour, giving for a toast, as he had been taught, "The King. "

Our party now advanced from the beach but, perceiving many of the Indiansfiling off to the right and left, so as in some measure to surround them, they retreated gently to their old situation, which produced neither alarmor offence. The others by degrees also resumed their former position. Avery fine barbed spear of uncommon size being seen by the governor, heasked for it. But Baneelon, instead of complying with the request, tookit away, and laid it at some distance, and brought back a throwing-stick, which he presented to his excellency. 

Matters had proceeded in this friendly train for more than half an hour, when a native, with a spear in his hand, came forward, and stopped atthe distance of between twenty and thirty yards from the place where thegovernor, Mr. Collins, Lieutenant Waterhouse, and a seaman stood. Hisexcellency held out his hand, and called to him, advancing towards him atthe same time, Mr. Collins following close behind. He appeared to be aman of middle age, short of stature, sturdy, and well set, seemingly astranger, and but little acquainted with Baneelon and Colbee. The nearerthe governor approached, the greater became the terror and agitation of theIndian. To remove his fear, governor Phillip threw down a dirk, whichhe wore at his side. The other, alarmed at the rattle of the dirk, andprobably misconstruing the action, instantly fixed his lance in histhrowing-stick*. 

[*Such preparation is equal to what cocking a gun, and directing it at itsobject, would be with us. To launch the spear, or to touch the trigger, only remains. ]

To retreat, his excellency now thought would be more dangerous than toadvance. He therefore cried out to the man, Weeeree, Weeree, (bad; youare doing wrong) displaying at the same time, every token of amity andconfidence. The words had, however, hardly gone forth, when the Indian, stepping back with one foot, aimed his lance with such force and dexterity, that striking* the governor's right shoulder, just above the collar-bone, the point glancing downward, came out at his back, having made a wound ofmany inches long. The man was observed to keep his eye steadily fixed onthe lance until it struck its object, when he directly dashed into thewoods and was seen no more. 

[*His excellency described the shock to me as similar to a violent blow, with such energy was the weapon thrown. ]

Instant confusion on both sides took place. Baneelon and Colbee disappearedand several spears were thrown from different quarters, though withouteffect. Our party retreated as fast as they could, calling to thosewho were left in the boat, to hasten up with firearms. A situation moredistressing than that of the governor, during the time that this lasted, cannot readily be conceived: the pole of the spear, not less than tenfeet in length, sticking out before him, and impeding his flight, the buttfrequently striking the ground, and lacerating the wound. In vain did Mr. Waterhouse try to break it; and the barb, which appeared on the other side, forbade extraction, until that could be performed. At length it was broken, and his excellency reached the boat, by which time the seamen with themuskets had got up, and were endeavouring to fire them, but one only wouldgo off, and there is no room to believe that it was attended with anyexecution. 

When the governor got home, the wound was examined. It had bled a good dealin the boat, and it was doubtful whether the subclavian artery might notbe divided. On moving the spear, it was found, however, that it might besafely extracted, which was accordingly performed. 

Apprehension for the safety of the party who had gone to Broken Bay, nowtook place. Lieutenant Long, with a detachment of marines, was immediatelysent to escort them back, lest any ambush might be laid by the natives tocut them off. When Mr. Long reached Manly Cove, the sun had set; however, he pursued his way in the dark, scrambling over rocks and thickets, as wellas he could, until two o'clock on the following morning, when he overtookthem at a place where they had halted to sleep, about half-way between thetwo harbours. 

At day-break they all returned, and were surprised to find tracks in thesand of the feet of the Indians, almost the whole way from the place wherethey had slept to the Cove. By this it should seem as if these lasthad secretly followed them, probably with hostile intentions but, ondiscovering their strength, and that they were on their guard, hadabandoned their design. 

On reaching Manly Cove, three Indians were observed standing on a rock, with whom they entered into conversation. The Indians informed them, thatthe man who had wounded the governor belonged to a tribe residing at BrokenBay, and they seemed highly to condemn what he had done. Our gentlemenasked them for a spear, which they immediately gave. The boat's crew saidthat Baneelon and Colbee had just departed, after a friendly intercourse. Like the others, they had pretended highly to disapprove the conduct of theman who had thrown the spear, vowing to execute vengeance upon him. 

From this time, until the 14th, no communication passed between the nativesand us. On that day, the chaplain and lieutenant Dawes, having Abaroo withthem in a boat, learned from two Indians that Wileemarin was the name ofthe person who had wounded the governor. These two people inquired kindlyhow his excellency did, and seemed pleased to hear that he was likely torecover. They said that they were inhabitants of Rose Hill, and expressedgreat dissatisfaction at the number of white men who had settled in theirformer territories. In consequence of which declaration, the detachment atthat post was reinforced on the following day. 

A hazardous enterprise (but when liberty is the stake, what enterprise istoo hazardous for its attainment!) was undertaken in this month by fiveconvicts at Rose Hill, who, in the night, seized a small punt there, andproceeded in her to the South Head, whence they seized and carried off aboat, appropriated to the use of the lookout house, and put to sea inher, doubtless with a view of reaching any port they could arrive at, andasserting their freedom. They had all come out in the last fleet; and forsome time previous to their elopement, had been collecting fishing tackle, and hoarding up provisions, to enable them to put their scheme intoexecution*. 

[*They have never since been heard of. Before they went away, they tried invain to procure firearms. If they were not swallowed by the sea, probablythey were cut off by the natives, on some part of the coast where theirnecessities obliged them to land. ]

CHAPTER IX. 

Transactions of the Colony in part of September and October, 1790. 

From so unfavourable an omen as I have just related, who couldprognosticate that an intercourse with the natives was about to commence!That the foundation of what neither entreaty, munificence, or humanity, could induce, should be laid by a deed, which threatened to accumulatescenes of bloodshed and horror was a consequence which neither speculationcould predict, or hope expect to see accomplished. 

On the 15th a fire being seen on the north shore of the harbour, a partyof our people went thither, accompanied by Nanbaree and Abaroo. They foundthere Baneelon, and several other natives, and much civility passed, whichwas cemented by a mutual promise to meet in the afternoon at the sameplace. Both sides were punctual to their engagement, and no objection beingmade to our landing, a party of us went ashore to them unarmed. Severallittle presents, which had been purposely brought, were distributed amongthem; and to Baneelon were given a hatchet and a fish. At a distance stoodsome children, who, though at first timorous and unwilling to approach, were soon persuaded to advance, and join the men. 

A bottle of wine was produced, and Baneelon immediately prepared for thecharge. Bread and beef he called loudly for, which were given to him, andhe began to eat, offering a part of his fare to his countrymen, two of whomtasted the beef, but none of them would touch the bread. Having finishedhis repast, he made a motion to be shaved, and a barber being present, hisrequest was complied with, to the great admiration of his countrymen, wholaughed and exclaimed at the operation. They would not, however, consentto undergo it, but suffered their beards to be clipped with a pair ofscissors. 

On being asked where their women were, they pointed to the spot, but seemednot desirous that we should approach it. However, in a few minutes, afemale appeared not far off, and Abaroo was dispatched to her. Baneelonnow joined with Abaroo to persuade her to come to us, telling us she wasBarangaroo, and his wife, notwithstanding he had so lately pretended thatshe had left him for Colbee. At length she yielded, and Abaroo, havingfirst put a petticoat on her, brought her to us. But this was the pruderyof the wilderness, which her husband joined us to ridicule, and we soonlaughed her out of it. The petticoat was dropped with hesitation, andBarangaroo stood "armed cap-a-pee in nakedness. " At the request ofBaneelon, we combed and cut her hair, and she seemed pleased with theoperation. Wine she would not taste, but turned from it with disgust, though heartily invited to drink by the example and persuasion of Baneelon. In short, she behaved so well, and assumed the character of gentleness andtimidity to such advantage, that had our acquaintance ended here, a verymoderate share of the spirit of travelling would have sufficed to record, that amidst a horde of roaming savages, in the desert wastes of New SouthWales, might be found as much feminine innocence, softness, and modesty(allowing for inevitable difference of education), as the most finishedsystem could bestow, or the most polished circle produce. So little fittedare we to judge of human nature at once! And yet on such grounds havecountries been described, and nations characterized. Hence have arisenthose speculative and laborious compositions on the advantages andsuperiority of a state of nature. But to resume my subject. 

Supposing, that by a private conversation, she might be induced to visitSydney, which would be the means of drawing her husband and others thither, Abaroo was instructed to take her aside, and try if she could persuade herto comply with our wish. They wandered away together accordingly, but itwas soon seen, that Barangaroo's arguments to induce Abaroo to rejoin theirsociety, were more powerful than those of the latter, to prevail upon herto come among us; for it was not without manifest reluctance, and oftenrepeated injunctions, that Abaroo would quit her countrywomen; and when shehad done so, she sat in the boat, in sullen silence, evidently occupied byreflection on the scene she had left behind, and returning inclination toher former habits of life. 

Nor was a circumstance which had happened in the morning interview, perhaps, wholly unremembered by the girl. We had hinted to Baneelon toprovide a husband for her, who should be at liberty to pass and repass toand from Sydney, as he might choose. There was at the time, a slender finelooking youth in company, called Imeerawanyee, about sixteen years old. The lad, on being invited, came immediately up to her, and offered manyblandishments, which proved that he had assumed the 'toga virilis'. ButAbaroo disclaimed his advances, repeating the name of another person, who we knew was her favourite. The young lover was not, however, easilyrepulsed, but renewed his suit, on our return in the afternoon, with suchwarmth of solicitation, as to cause an evident alteration in the sentimentsof the lady. 

To heighten the good humour which pervaded both parties, we began toplay and romp with them. Feats of bodily strength were tried, and theirinferiority was glaring. One of our party lifted with ease two of them fromthe ground, in spite of their efforts to prevent him, whereas in return, noone of them could move him. They called him 'murree mulla' (a large strongman). Compared with our English labourers, their muscular power wouldappear very feeble and inadequate. 

Before we parted, Baneelon informed us that his countrymen had lately beenplundered of fish-gigs, spears, a sword, and many other articles, bysome of our people, and expressed a wish that they should be restored, promising, that if they were, the governor's dirk should be produced andreturned to us to-morrow, if we would meet him here. 

Accordingly on the following day we rowed to the spot, carrying with us thestolen property. We found here several natives, but not Baneelon. We askedfor him, and were told that he was gone down the harbour with Barangaroo tofish. Although disappointed at his breach of promise, we went on shore, andmingled without distrust among those we found, acquainting them that we hadbrought with us the articles of which they had been plundered. On hearingthis account, they expressed great joy, and Imeerawanyee darting forward, claimed the sword. It was given to him, and he had no sooner grasped it, than he hastened to convince his mistress, that his prowess in war, was notinferior to his skill in courtship. Singling out a yellow gum-tree for thefoe, he attacked it with great fierceness, calling to us to look on, andaccompanying his onset with all the gestures and vociferation which theyuse in battle. Having conquered his enemy, he laid aside his fighting face, and joined us with a countenance which carried in it every mark of youthand good nature. 

Whether Abaroo's coyness, and preference of another, had displeased him, orit was owing to natural fickleness, he paid her no farther attention, butseemed more delighted with us. He had no beard, but was highly gratified inbeing combed and having his hair clipped. 

All the stolen property being brought on shore, an old man came up, andclaimed one of the fish-gigs, singling it from the bundle, and taking onlyhis own; and this honesty, within the circle of their society, seemed tocharacterize them all. 

During this time, it was observed, that one of the Indians, instead ofmixing with the rest, stood aloof, in a musing posture, contemplating whatpassed. When we offered to approach him, he shunned us not, and willinglyshook hands with all who chose to do so. He seemed to be between 30 and 40years old, was jolly, and had a thoughtful countenance, much marked by thesmallpox. He wore a string of bits of dried reed round his neck, which Iasked him to exchange for a black stock. He smiled at the proposal, butmade no offer of what I wanted; which our young friend, Imeerawanyee, observing, flew to him, and taking off the necklace, directly fixed itabout my neck. I feared he would be enraged, but he bore it with serenity, and suffered a gentleman present to fasten his black stock upon him, withwhich he appeared to be pleased. To increase his satisfaction, some othertrifle was given to him. 

Having remained here an hour we went in quest of Baneelon, agreeably to thedirections which his companions pointed out. We found him and Barangarooshivering over a few lighted sticks, by which they were dressing smallfish, and their canoe hauled up on the beach near them. On first seeing theboat, they ran into the woods; but on being called by name, they came back, and consented to our landing. We carried on shore with us the remainingpart of the fish-gigs and spears which had been stolen, and restored themto Baneelon. Among other things, was a net full of fishing lines andother tackle, which Barangaroo said was her property and, immediately onreceiving it, she slung it around her neck. 

Baneelon inquired, with solicitude, about the state of the governor'swound, but he made no offer of restoring the dirk; and when he was askedfor it, he pretended to know nothing of it, changing the conversation withgreat art, and asking for wine, which was given to him. 

At parting, we pressed him to appoint a day on which he should come toSydney, assuring him, that he would be well received, and kindly treated. Doubtful, however, of being permitted to return, he evaded our request, anddeclared that the governor must first come and see him, which we promisedshould be done. 

The governor did not hesitate to execute the engagement which we hadcontracted for him. But Baneelon still resisted coming among us, andmatters continued in this fluctuating state until the 8th of October, whena fire, which they had agreed to light as a signal for us to visit them, was observed. The eager desire by which we were stimulated to carry ourpoint of effecting an intercourse had appeared. Various parties accordinglyset out to meet them, provided with different articles, which we thoughtwould prove acceptable to them. We found assembled, Baneelon, Barangaroo, and another young woman, and six men, all of whom received us with welcome, except the grave looking gentleman before mentioned, who stood aloof inhis former musing posture. When they saw that we had brought hatchets, andother articles with us, they produced spears, fish-gigs, and lines, forthe purpose of barter, * which immediately commenced, to the satisfactionof both parties. I had brought with me an old blunted spear, which wantedrepair. An Indian immediately undertook to perform the task, and carryingit to a fire, tore with his teeth a piece of bone from a fish-gig, which hefastened on the spear with yellow gum, rendered flexible by heat. 

[*It had long been our wish to establish a commerce of this sort. It is apainful consideration, that every previous addition to the cabinet of thevirtuosi, from this country, had wrung a tear from the plundered Indian. ]

October, 1790. Many of them now consented to be shaved by a barber whom wehad purposely brought over. As I thought he who could perform an operationof such importance must be deemed by them an eminent personage, I bade himask one of them for a fine barbed spear which he held in his hand; but allthe barber's eloquence was wasted on the Indian, who plainly gave him tounderstand that he meant not to part with his spear, without receiving anequivalent. Unfortunately, his price was a hatchet, and the only one whichI had brought with me was already disposed of to the man who had pointedmy spear. In vain did I tempt him with a knife, a handkerchief, and a hat;nothing but a hatchet seemed to be regarded. 'Bulla mogo parrabugo' (twohatchets to-morrow) I repeatedly cried; but having probably experienced ourinsincerity, he rejected the proposal with disdain. Finding him inflexible, and longing to possess the spear, I told him at length that I would goto Sydney and fetch what he required. This seemed to satisfy, and heaccompanied me to my boat, in which I went away, and as quickly as possibleprocured what was necessary to conclude the bargain. On my return, I wassurprised to see all our boats rowing towards home, and with them acanoe, in which sat two Indians paddling. I pulled to them, and found thatBaneelon, and another Indian, were in one of the boats, and that the wholeformed a party going over to visit the governor. I now learned, that duringmy absence, the governor had passed in a boat, on his return from RoseHill, near the place where they were standing; and that finding he wouldnot come to them, although they had called to him to do so, they had atonce determined to venture themselves unreservedly among us. One of the menin the canoe was the person to whom I was to give the hatchet I had beento fetch; and directly as he saw me, he held up his spear, and the exchangetook place, with which, and perhaps to reward me for the trouble I hadtaken, he was so delighted that he presented me with a throwing-stick'gratis'. 

Not seeing Barangaroo of the party, I asked for her, and was informed thatshe had violently opposed Baneelon's departure. When she found persuasionvain, she had recourse to tears, scolding, and threats, stamping theground, and tearing her hair. But Baneelon continuing determined, shesnatched up in her rage one of his fish-gigs, and dashed it with such furyon the rocks, that it broke. To quiet her apprehensions on the score of herhusband's safety, Mr. Johnson, attended by Abaroo, agreed to remain as ahostage until Baneelon should return. 

We landed our four friends opposite the hospital, and set out for thegovernor's house. On hearing of their arrival, such numbers flocked to viewthem that we were apprehensive the crowd of persons would alarm them, but they had left their fears behind, and marched on with boldness andunconcern. When we reached the governor's house, Baneelon expressedhonest joy to see his old friend, and appeared pleased to find that he hadrecovered of his wound. The governor asked for Wileemarin, and they saidhe was at Broken Bay. Some bread and beef were distributed among them butunluckily no fish was to be procured, which we were sorry for, as a promiseof it had been one of the leading temptations by which they had beenallured over. A hatchet apiece was, however, given to them, and a coupleof petticoats and some fishing tackle sent for Barangaroo, and the otherwoman. 

The ceremony of introduction being finished, Baneelon seemed to considerhimself quite at home, running from room to room with his companions, andintroducing them to his old friends, the domestics, in the most familiarmanner. Among these last, he particularly distinguished the governor'sorderly sergeant, whom he kissed with great affection, and a woman whoattended in the kitchen; but the gamekeeper, M'Entire*, he continued tohold in abhorrence, and would not suffer his approach. 

[*Look at the account of the governor being wounded, when his detestationof this man burst forth. ]

Nor was his importance to his countrymen less conspicuous in otherrespects. He undertook to explain the use and nature of those things whichwere new to them. Some of his explanations were whimsical enough. Seeing, for instance, a pair of snuffers, he told them that they were "Nuffer* forcandle, "--which the others not comprehending, he opened the snuffers, andholding up the fore-finger of his left hand, to represent a candle, madethe motion of snuffing it. Finding, that even this sagacious interpretationfailed, he threw down the snuffers in a rage, and reproaching theirstupidity, walked away. 

[*The S is a letter which they cannot pronounce, having no sound in theirlanguage similar to it. When bidden to pronounce sun, they always say tun;salt, talt, and so of all words wherein it occurs. ]

It was observed, that a soft gentle tone of voice, which we had taught himto use, was forgotten, and his native vociferation returned in full force. But the tenderness which (like Arabanoo) he had always manifested tochildren, he still retained; as appeared by his behaviour to those who werepresented to him. 

The first wish they expressed to return, was complied with, in order tobanish all appearance of constraint, the party who had conducted them toSydney returning with them. When we reached the opposite shore, wefound Abaroo and the other woman fishing in a canoe, and Mr. Johnsonand Barangaroo sitting at the fire, the latter employed in manufacturingfish-hooks. At a little distance, on an adjoining eminence, sat an Indian, with his spear in his hand, as if sentinel over the hostages, for thesecurity of his countrymen's return. During our absence, Barangaroohad never ceased whining, and reproaching her husband. Now that he wasreturned, she met him with unconcern, and seemed intent on her work only, but this state of repose did not long continue. Baneelon, eyeing the brokenfish-gig, cast at her a look of savage fury and began to interrogateher, and it seemed more than probable that the remaining part would bedemolished about her head had we not interposed to pacify him. Nor wouldwe quit the place until his forgiveness was complete, and his good humourrestored. No sooner, however, did she find her husband's rage subsided, than her hour of triumph commenced. The alarm and trepidation she hadmanifested disappeared. Elated at his condescension, and emboldened by ourpresence and the finery in which we had decked her, she in turn assumed ahaughty demeanour, refused to answer his caresses, and viewed him with areproaching eye. Although long absence from female society had somewhatblunted our recollection, the conduct of Barangaroo did not appear quitenovel to us, nor was our surprise very violent at finding that it succeededin subduing Baneelon who, when we parted, seemed anxious only to pleaseher. 

Thus ended a day, the events of which served to complete what an unhappyaccident had begun. From this time our intercourse with the natives, though partially interrupted, was never broken off. We gradually continued, henceforth, to gain knowledge of their customs and policy, the onlyknowledge which can lead to a just estimate of national character. 

CHAPTER X. 

The arrival of the 'Supply' from Batavia; the State of the Colony inNovember, 1790. 

Joy sparkled in every countenance to see our old friend the 'Supply' (Ihope no reader will be so captious as to quarrel with the phrase) enter theharbour from Batavia on the 19th of October. We had witnessed her departurewith tears; we hailed her return with transport. 

Captain Ball was rather more than six months in making this voyage, and isthe first person who ever circumnavigated the continent of New Holland. Onhis passage to Batavia, he had discovered several islands, which he gavenames to and, after fighting his way against adverse elements and throughunexplored dangers, safely reached his destined port. He had well storedhis little bark with every necessary and conveniency which he judgedwe should first want, leaving a cargo of rice and salt provisions to bebrought on by a Dutch snow, which he had hired and freighted for the use ofthe settlement. While at Batavia, the 'Supply' had lost many of her peopleby sickness, and left several others in the general hospital at that place. 

As the arrival of the 'Supply' naturally leads the attention from othersubjects to the state of the colony, I shall here take a review of it bytranscribing a statement drawn from actual observation soon after, exactlyas I find it written in my journal. 

Cultivation, on a public scale, has for some time past been given up here, (Sydney) the crop of last year being so miserable, as to deter from fartherexperiment, in consequence of which the government-farm is abandoned, and the people who were fixed on it have been removed. Necessary publicbuildings advance fast; an excellent storehouse of large dimensions, builtof bricks and covered with tiles, is just completed; and another plannedwhich will shortly be begun. Other buildings, among which I heard thegovernor mention an hospital and permanent barracks for the troops, mayalso be expected to arise soon. Works of this nature are more expeditiouslyperformed than heretofore, owing, I apprehend, to the superintendantslately arrived, who are placed over the convicts and compel them to labour. The first difficulties of a new country being subdued may also contributeto this comparative facility. 

Vegetables are scarce, although the summer is so far advanced, owing towant of rain. I do not think that all the showers of the last four monthsput together, would make twenty-four hours rain. Our farms, what with thisand a poor soil, are in wretched condition. My winter crop of potatoes, which I planted in days of despair (March and April last), turned out verybadly when I dug them about two months back. Wheat returned so poorly lastharvest, that very little, besides Indian corn, has been sown this year. The governor's wound is quite healed, and he feels no inconveniencywhatever from it. With the natives we are hand and glove. They throng thecamp every day, and sometimes by their clamour and importunity for breadand meat (of which they now all eat greedily) are become very troublesome. God knows, we have little enough for ourselves! Full allowance (if eightpounds of flour and either seven pounds of beef, or four pounds of pork, served alternately, per week, without either pease, oatmeal, spirits, butter, or cheese, can be called so) is yet kept up; but if the Dutch snowdoes not arrive soon it must be shortened, as the casks in the storehouse, I observed yesterday, are woefully decreased. 

The convicts continue to behave pretty well; three only have been hangedsince the arrival of the last fleet, in the latter end of June, all ofwhom were newcomers. The number of convicts here diminishes every day;our principal efforts being wisely made at Rose Hill, where the land isunquestionably better than about this place. Except building, sawing andbrickmaking, nothing of consequence is now carried on here. The accountwhich I received a few days ago from the brickmakers of their labours, wasas follows. Wheeler (one of the master brick-makers) with two tile stoolsand one brick stool, was tasked to make and burn ready for use 30000 tilesand bricks per month. He had twenty-one hands to assist him, who performedevery thing; cut wood, dug clay, etc. This continued (during the days ofdistress excepted, when they did what they could) until June last. FromJune, with one brick and two tile stools he has been tasked to make40000 bricks and tiles monthly (as many of each sort as may be), havingtwenty-two men and two boys to assist him, on the same terms of procuringmaterials as before. They fetch the clay of which tiles are made, twohundred yards; that for bricks is close at hand. He says that the bricksare such as would be called in England, moderately good, and he judges theywould have fetched about 24 shillings per thousand at Kingston-upon-Thames(where he resided) in the year 1784. Their greatest fault is being toobrittle. The tiles he thinks not so good as those made about London. The stuff has a rotten quality, and besides wants the advantage of beingground, in lieu of which they tread it. 

King (another master bricklayer) last year, with the assistance of sixteenmen and two boys, made 11, 000 bricks weekly, with two stools. During shortallowance did what he could. Resumed his old task when put again on fullallowance and had his number of assistants augmented to twenty men and twoboys, on account of the increased distance of carrying wood for the kilns. He worked at Hammersmith, for Mr. Scot, of that place. He thinks the bricksmade here as good as those made near London, and says that in the year1784, they would have sold for a guinea per thousand and to have picked thekiln at thirty shillings. '

Such is my Sydney detail dated the 12th of November, 1790. Four days afterI went to Rose Hill, and wrote there the subjoined remarks. 

November 16th. Got to Rose Hill in the evening. Next morning walked roundthe whole of the cleared and cultivated land, with the Rev. Mr. Johnson, who is the best farmer in the country. Edward Dod, one of the governor'shousehold, who conducts everything here in the agricultural line, accompanied us part of the way, and afforded all the information he could. He estimates the quantity of cleared and cultivated land at 200 acres. Ofthese fifty-five are in wheat, barley, and a little oats, thirty inmaize, and the remainder is either just cleared of wood, or is occupied bybuildings, gardens, etc. Four enclosures of twenty acres each, are plannedfor the reception of cattle, which may arrive in the colony, and two ofthese are already fenced in. In the centre of them is to be erected ahouse, for a person who will be fixed upon to take care of the cattle. All these enclosures are supplied with water; and only a part of the treeswhich grew in them being cut down, gives to them a very park-like andbeautiful appearance. 

Our survey commenced on the north side of the river. Dod says he expectsthis year's crop of wheat and barley from the fifty-five acres to yieldfull 400 bushels. Appearances hitherto hardly indicate so much. He says hefinds the beginning of May the best time to sow barley, * but that it maycontinue to be sown until August. That sown in May is reaped in December;that of August in January. He sowed his wheat, part in June and part inJuly. He thinks June the best time, and says that he invariably finds thatwhich is deepest sown, grows strongest and best, even as deep as threeinches he has put it in, and found it to answer. The wheat sown in Juneis now turning yellow; that of July is more backward. He has used only thebroad-cast husbandry, and sowed two bushels per acre. The plough has neveryet been tried here; all the ground is hoed, and (as Dod confesses) veryincompetently turned up. Each convict labourer was obliged to hoe sixteenrods a day, so that in some places the earth was but just scratched over. The ground was left open for some months, to receive benefit from the sunand air; and on that newly cleared the trees were burnt, and the ashes dugin. I do not find that a succession of crops has yet been attempted; surelyit would help to meliorate and improve the soil. Dod recommends stronglythe culture of potatoes, on a large scale, and says that were they plantedeven as late as January they would answer, but this I doubt. He is morethan ever of opinion that without a large supply of cattle nothing can bedone. They have not at this time either horse, cow, or sheep here. I askedhim how the stock they had was coming on. The fowls he said multipliedexceedingly, but the hogs neither thrived or increased in number, for wantof food. He pointed out to us his best wheat, which looks tolerable, andmay perhaps yield 13 or 14 bushels per acre**. Next came the oats which arein ear, though not more than six inches high: they will not return as muchseed as was sown. The barley, except one patch in a corner of a field, little better than the oats. Crossed the river and inspected the southside. Found the little patch of wheat at the bottom of the crescent verybad. Proceeded and examined the large field on the ascent to the westward:here are about twenty-five acres of wheat, which from its appearance weguessed would produce perhaps seven bushels an acre. The next patch to thisis in maize, which looks not unpromising; some of the stems are stout, andbeginning to throw out large broad leaves, the surest sign of vigour. Theview from the top of the wheat field takes in, except a narrow slip, thewhole of the cleared land at Rose Hill. From not having before seen anopening of such extent for the last three years, this struck us as grandand capacious. The beautiful diversity of the ground (gentle hill and dale)would certainly be reckoned pretty in any country. Continued our walk, andcrossed the old field, which is intended to form part of the main street ofthe projected town. The wheat in this field is rather better, but not much, than in the large field before mentioned. The next field is maize, inferiorto what we have seen, but not despicable. An acre of maize, at the bottomof the marine garden, is equal in luxuriancy of promise to any I ever sawin any country. 

[*The best crop of barley ever produced in New South Wales, was sown by aprivate individual, in February 1790, and reaped in the following October. ]

[**As all the trees on our cleared ground were cut down, and not grubbedup, the roots and stumps remain, on which account a tenth part of surfacein every acre must be deducted. This is slovenly husbandry; but in acountry where immediate subsistence is wanted, it is perhaps necessary. None of these stumps, when I left Port Jackson, showed any symptoms ofdecay, though some of the trees had been cut down four years. To thedifferent qualities of the wood of Norfolk Island and New South Wales, perhaps the difference of soil may in some measure be traced. That ofNorfolk Island is light and porous: it rots and turns into mould in twoyears. Besides its hardness that of Port Jackson abounds with red corrosivegum, which contributes its share of mischief. ]

The main street of the new town is already begun. It is to be a mile long, and of such breadth as will make Pall Mall and Portland Place "hide theirdiminished heads. " It contains at present thirty-two houses completed, oftwenty-four feet by twelve each, on a ground floor only, built of wattlesplastered with clay, and thatched. Each house is divided into two rooms, inone of which is a fire place and a brick chimney. These houses are designedfor men only; and ten is the number of inhabitants allotted to each;but some of them now contain twelve or fourteen, for want of betteraccommodation. More are building. In a cross street stand nine houses forunmarried women; and exclusive of all these are several small huts whereconvict families of good character are allowed to reside. Of publicbuildings, besides the old wooden barrack and store, there is a house oflath and plaster, forty-four feet long by sixteen wide, for the governor, on a ground floor only, with excellent out-houses and appurtenancesattached to it. A new brick store house, covered with tiles, 100 feet longby twenty-four wide, is nearly completed, and a house for the store-keeper. The first stone of a barrack, 100 feet long by twenty-four wide, to whichare intended to be added wings for the officers, was laid to-day. Thesituation of the barrack is judicious, being close to the store-house, andwithin a hundred and fifty yards of the wharf, where all boats from Sydneyunload. To what I have already enumerated, must be added an excellent barn, a granary, an inclosed yard to rear stock in, a commodious blacksmith'sshop, and a most wretched hospital, totally destitute of every conveniency. Luckily for the gentleman who superintends this hospital, and still moreluckily for those who are doomed in case of sickness to enter it, the airof Rose Hill has hitherto been generally healthy. A tendency to produceslight inflammatory disorders, from the rapid changes* of the temperatureof the air, is most to be dreaded. 

[*In the close of the year 1788, when this settlement was established, thethermometer has been known to stand at 50 degrees a little before sunrise, and between one and two o' clock in the afternoon at above 100 degrees. ]

'The hours of labour for the convicts are the same here as at Sydney. OnSaturdays after ten o'clock in the morning they are allowed to work intheir own gardens. These gardens are at present, from the long drought andother causes, in a most deplorable state. Potatoes, I think, thrive betterthan any other vegetable in them. For the public conveniency a baker isestablished here in a good bakehouse, who exchanges with every person breadfor flour, on stipulated terms; but no compulsion exists for any one totake his bread; it is left entirely to every body's own option to consumehis flour as he pleases. Divine service is performed here, morning andafternoon, one Sunday in every month, when all the convicts are obligedto attend church, under penalty of having a part of their allowance ofprovisions stopped, which is done by the chaplain, who is a justice of thepeace. 

'For the punishment of offenders, where a criminal court is not judgednecessary, two or more justices, occasionally assemble, and order theinfliction of slight corporal punishment, or short confinement in a strongroom built for this purpose. The military present here consists of twosubalterns, two sergeants, three corporals, a drummer, and twenty-oneprivates. These have been occasionally augmented and reduced, ascircumstances have been thought to render it necessary. 

Brick-kilns are now erected here, and bricks manufactured by a convictof the name of Becket, who came out in the last fleet, and has fifty-twopeople to work under him. He makes 25, 000 bricks weekly. He says that theyare very good, and would sell at Birmingham, where he worked about eighteenmonths ago, at more than 30 shillings per thousand. 

Nothing farther of public nature remaining to examine, I next visited ahumble adventurer, who is trying his fortune here. James Ruse, convict, wascast for seven years at Bodmin assizes, in August 1782. He lay five yearsin prison and on board the 'Dunkirk' hulk at Plymouth, and then was sentto this country. When his term of punishment expired, in August 1789, heclaimed his freedom, and was permitted by the governor, on promising tosettle in the country, to take in December following, an uncleaned piece ofground, with an assurance that if he would cultivate it, it should not betaken from him. Some assistance was given him, to fell the timber, and heaccordingly began. His present account to me was as follows. 

I was bred a husbandman, near Launcester in Cornwall. I cleared my land aswell as I could, with the help afforded me. The exact limit of what groundI am to have, I do not yet know; but a certain direction has been pointedout to me, in which I may proceed as fast as I can cultivate. I have nowan acre and a half in bearded wheat, half an acre in maize, and a smallkitchen garden. On my wheat land I sowed three bushels of seed, the produceof this country, broad cast. I expect to reap about twelve or thirteenbushels. I know nothing of the cultivation of maize, and cannot thereforeguess so well at what I am likely to gather. I sowed part of my wheatin May, and part in June. That sown in May has thrived best. My maize Iplanted in the latter end of August, and the beginning of September. Myland I prepared thus: having burnt the fallen timber off the ground, I dugin the ashes, and then hoed it up, never doing more than eight, or perhapsnine, rods in a day, by which means, it was not like the government farm, just scratched over, but properly done. Then I clod-moulded it, and dug inthe grass and weeds. This I think almost equal to ploughing. I then let itlie as long as I could, exposed to air and sun; and just before I sowed myseed, turned it all up afresh. When I shall have reaped my crop, I purposeto hoe it again, and harrow it fine, and then sow it with turnip-seed, which will mellow and prepare it for next year. My straw, I mean to bury inpits, and throw in with it every thing which I think will rot and turnto manure. I have no person to help me, at present, but my wife, whom Imarried in this country; she is industrious. The governor, for some time, gave me the help of a convict man, but he is taken away. Both my wifeand myself receive our provisions regularly at the store, like all otherpeople. My opinion of the soil of my farm, is, that it is middling, neithergood or bad. I will be bound to make it do with the aid of manure, butwithout cattle it will fail. The greatest check upon me is, the dishonestyof the convicts who, in spite of all my vigilance, rob me almost everynight. 

The annexed return will show the number of persons of all descriptionsat Rose Hill, at this period. On the morning of the 17th, I went down toSydney. 

Here terminates the transcription of my diary. It were vain to suppose, that it can prove either agreeable or interesting to a majority of readersbut as this work is intended not only for amusement, but information, Iconsidered it right to present this detail unaltered, either in its styleor arrangement. 

A return of the number of persons employed at Rose Hill, November 16th, 1790. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------How Employed | Troops | Civil dept | Troops | Convicts | | | |Wives | Children| Men | Women | Children|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------Storekeeper 1Surgeon 1Carpenters 24Blacksmiths 5Master Bricklayer 1Bricklayers 28Master Brickmaker 1Brickmakers 52Labourers 326*Assistants to theprovision store 4Assistants to thehospital 3Officers' servants 6Making Clothing 50Superintendants 4-------------------------------------------------------------------------------Total number ofpersons 552| 29 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 450 | 50 | 13 |-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[*Of these labourers, 16 are sawyers. The rest are variously employed inclearing fresh land; in dragging brick and timber carts; and a great numberin making a road of a mile long, through the main street, to the governor'shouse. ]

CHAPTER XI. 

Farther Transactions of the Colony in November, 1790. 

During the intervals of duty, our greatest source of entertainment nowlay in cultivating the acquaintance of our new friends, the natives. Everliberal of communication, no difficulty but of understanding each othersubsisted between us. Inexplicable contradictions arose to bewilder ourresearches which no ingenuity could unravel and no credulity reconcile. 

Baneelon, from being accustomed to our manners, and understanding a littleEnglish, was the person through whom we wished to prosecute inquiry, but hehad lately become a man of so much dignity and consequence, that it was notalways easy to obtain his company. Clothes had been given to him at varioustimes, but he did not always condescend to wear them. One day he wouldappear in them, and the next day he was to be seen carrying them in a netslung around his neck. Farther to please him, a brick house of twelve feetsquare was built for his use, and for that of such of his countrymen asmight choose to reside in it, on a point of land fixed upon by himself. Ashield, double cased with tin, to ward off the spears of his enemies, wasalso presented to him, by the governor. 

Elated by these marks of favour, and sensible that his importance with hiscountrymen arose in proportion to our patronage of him, he warmly attachedhimself to our society. But the gratitude of a savage is ever a precarioustenure. That of Baneelon was fated to suffer suspension, and had well nighbeen obliterated by the following singular circumstance. 

One day the natives were observed to assemble in more than an ordinarynumber at their house on the point, and to be full of bustle and agitation, repeatedly calling on the name of Baneelon, and that of 'deein' (a woman). Between twelve and one o'clock Baneelon, unattended, came to the governorat his house, and told him that he was going to put to death a womanimmediately, whom he had brought from Botany Bay. Having communicatedhis intention, he was preparing to go away, seeming not to wish that thegovernor should be present at the performance of the ceremony. But HisExcellency was so struck with the fierce gestures, and wild demeanour ofthe other, who held in his hand one of our hatchets and frequently triedthe sharpness of it, that he determined to accompany him, taking with himMr. Collins and his orderly sergeant. On the road, Baneelon continuedto talk wildly and incoherently of what he would do, and manifested suchextravagant marks of fury and revenge, that his hatchet was taken away fromhim, and a walking-stick substituted for it. 

When they reached the house, they found several natives, of both sexeslying promiscuously before the fire, and among them a young woman, notmore than sixteen years old, who at sight of Baneelon, started, and raisedherself half up. He no sooner saw her than, snatching a sword of thecountry, he ran at her, and gave her two severe wounds on the head and oneon the shoulder, before interference in behalf of the poor wretch couldbe made. Our people now rushed in and seized him; but the other Indianscontinued quiet spectators of what was passing, either awed by Baneelon'ssuperiority or deeming it a common case, unworthy of notice andinterposition. In vain did the governor by turns soothe and threaten him. In vain did the sergeant point his musquet at him. He seemed dead to everypassion but revenge; forgot his affection to his old friends and, insteadof complying with the request they made, furiously brandished his swordat the governor, and called aloud for his hatchet to dispatch the unhappyvictim of his barbarity. Matters now wore a serious aspect. The otherIndians appeared under the control of Baneelon and had begun to arm andprepare their spears, as if determined to support him in his violence. 

Farther delay might have been attended with danger. The 'Supply' wastherefore immediately hailed, and an armed boat ordered to be sent onshore. Luckily, those on board the ship had already observed the commotionand a boat was ready, into which captain Ball, with several of his peoplestepped, armed with musquets, and put off. It was reasonable to believethat so powerful a reinforcement would restore tranquillity, but Baneelonstood unintimidated at disparity of numbers and boldly demanded hisprisoner, whose life, he told the governor, he was determined to sacrifice, and afterwards to cut off her head. Everyone was eager to know what couldbe the cause of such inveterate inhumanity. Undaunted, he replied that herfather was his enemy, from whom he had received the wound in his foreheadbeforementioned; and that when he was down in battle, and under the lanceof his antagonist, this woman had contributed to assail him. "She is now, "added he, "my property: I have ravished her by force from her tribe: andI will part with her to no person whatever, until my vengeance shall beglutted. "

Farther remonstrance would have been wasted. His Excellency thereforeordered the woman to be taken to the hospital in order that her woundsmight be dressed. While this was doing, one of the natives, a young mannamed Boladeree, came up and supplicated to be taken into the boat also, saying that he was her husband, which she confirmed and begged that hemight be admitted. He was a fine well grown lad, of nineteen or twentyyears old, and was one of the persons who had been in the house in thescene just described, which he had in no wise endeavoured to prevent, or toafford assistance to the poor creature who had a right to his protection. 

All our people now quitted the place, leaving the exasperated Baneelon andhis associates to meditate farther schemes of vengeance. Before they partedhe gave them, however, to understand that he would follow the object of hisresentment to the hospital, and kill her there, a threat which the governorassured him if he offered to carry into execution he should be immediatelyshot. Even this menace he treated with disdain. 

To place the refugees in security, a sentinel was ordered to take postat the door of the house, in which they were lodged. Nevertheless theyattempted to get away in the night, either from fear that we were notable to protect them, or some apprehension of being restrained from futureliberty. When questioned where they proposed to find shelter, they saidthey would go to the Cameragal tribe, with whom they should be safe. On thefollowing morning, Imeerawanyee* joined them, and expressed strong fears ofBaneelon's resentment. Soon after a party of natives, known to consist ofBaneelon's chosen friends, with a man of the name of Bigon, at their head, boldly entered the hospital garden, and tried to carry off all three byforce. They were driven back and threatened, to which their leader onlyreplied by contemptuous insolence. 

[*This good-tempered lively lad, was become a great favourite with us, andalmost constantly lived at the governor's house. He had clothes made up forhim, and to amuse his mind, he was taught to wait at table. One day a lady, Mrs. McArthur, wife of an officer of the garrison, dined there, as didNanbaree. This latter, anxious that his countryman should appear toadvantage in his new office, gave him many instructions, strictly charginghim, among other things, to take away the lady's plate, whenever she shouldcross her knife and fork, and to give her a clean one. This Imeerawanyeeexecuted, not only to Mrs. McArthur, but to several of the other guests. At last Nanbaree crossed his knife and fork with great gravity, casting aglance at the other, who looked for a moment with cool indifference atwhat he had done, and then turned his head another way. Stung at thissupercilious treatment, he called in rage, to know why he was not attendedto, as well as the rest of the company. But Imeerawanyee only laughed; norcould all the anger and reproaches of the other prevail upon him to dothat for one of his countrymen, which he cheerfully continued to perform toevery other person. ]

Baneelon finding he could not succeed, withdrew himself for two days. Atlength he made his appearance, attended only by his wife. Unmindful of whathad so recently happened, he marched singly up to the governor's house, and on being refused admittance, though unarmed, attempted to force thesentinel. The soldier spared him, but the guard was instantly sent for, anddrawn up in front of the house; not that their co-operation was necessary, but that their appearance might terrify. His ardour now cooled, and heseemed willing, by submission, to atone for his misconduct. His intrepiddisregard of personal risk, nay of life, could not however, but gainadmiration; though it led us to predict, that this Baneelon, whomimagination had fondly pictured, like a second Omai, the gaze of a courtand the scrutiny of the curious, would perish untimely, the victim of hisown temerity. 

To encourage his present disposition of mind, and to try if feelings ofcompassion towards an enemy, could be exerted by an Indian warrior, thegovernor ordered him to be taken to the hospital, that he might see thevictim of his ferocity. He complied in sullen silence. When about to enterthe room in which she lay, he appeared to have a momentary struggle withhimself, which ended his resentment. He spoke to her with kindness, andprofessed sorrow for what he had done, and promised her future protection. Barangaroo, who had accompanied him, now took the alarm: and as in shunningone extreme we are ever likely to rush into another, she thought himperhaps too courteous and tender. Accordingly she began to revile them bothwith great bitterness, threw stones at the girl and attempted to beat herwith a club. 

Here terminated this curious history, which I leave to the reader'sspeculation. Whether human sacrifices of prisoners be common among themis a point which all our future inquiry never completely determined. It iscertain that no second instance of this sort was ever witnessed by us. 

CHAPTER XII. 

Transactions of the Colony in Part of December, 1790. 

On the 9th of the month, a sergeant of marines, with three convicts, amongwhom was McEntire, the governor's gamekeeper (the person of whom Baneelonhad, on former occasions, shown so much dread and hatred) went out on ashooting party. Having passed the north arm of Botany Bay, they proceededto a hut formed of boughs, which had been lately erected on this peninsula, for the accommodation of sportsmen who wished to continue by night in thewoods; for, as the kangaroos in the day-time, chiefly keep in the cover, itis customary on these parties to sleep until near sunset, and watch for thegame during the night, and in the early part of the morning. Accordingly, having lighted a fire, they lay down, without distrust or suspicion. 

About one o'clock, the sergeant was awakened by a rustling noise in thebushes near him, and supposing it to proceed from a kangaroo, called to hiscomrades, who instantly jumped up. On looking about more narrowly, they sawtwo natives with spears in their hands, creeping towards them, and threeothers a little farther behind. As this naturally created alarm, McEntiresaid, "don't be afraid, I know them, " and immediately laying down his gun, stepped forward, and spoke to them in their own language. The Indians, finding they were discovered, kept slowly retreating, and McEntireaccompanied them about a hundred yards, talking familiarly all the while. 

One of them now jumped on a fallen tree and, without giving the leastwarning of his intention, launched his spear at McEntire and lodged it inhis left side. The person who committed this wanton act was described as ayoung man with a speck or blemish on his left eye That he had been latelyamong us was evident from his being newly shaved. 

The wounded man immediately drew back and, joining his party, cried, "I ama dead man". While one broke off the end of the spear, the other two setout with their guns in pursuit of the natives; but their swiftness of footsoon convinced our people of the impossibility of reaching them. It was nowdetermined to attempt to carry McEntire home, as his death was apprehendedto be near, and he expressed a longing desire not to be left to expire inthe woods. Being an uncommonly robust muscular man, notwithstanding a greateffusion of blood, he was able, with the assistance of his comrades, tocreep slowly along, and reached Sydney about two o'clock the next morning. On the wound being examined by the surgeons, it was pronounced mortal. The poor wretch now began to utter the most dreadful exclamations, and toaccuse himself of the commission of crimes of the deepest dye, accompaniedwith such expressions of his despair of God's mercy, as are too terrible torepeat. 

In the course of the day, Colbee, and several more natives came in, andwere taken to the bed where the wounded man lay. Their behaviour indicatedthat they had already heard of the accident, as they repeated twice orthrice the name of the murderer Pimelwi, saying that he lived at BotanyBay. To gain knowledge of their treatment of similar wounds, one of thesurgeons made signs of extracting the spear, but this they violentlyopposed, and said, if it were done, death would instantly follow. 

On the 12th, the extraction of the spear was, however, judged practicable, and was accordingly performed. That part of it which had penetrated thebody measured seven inches and a half long, having on it a wooden barb, andseveral smaller ones of stone, fastened on with yellow gum, most of which, owing to the force necessary in extraction, were torn off and lodged in thepatient. The spear had passed between two ribs, and had wounded theleft lobe of the lungs. He lingered* until the 20th of January, andthen expired. On opening the corpse, it was found that the left lung hadperished from suppuration, its remains adhering to the ribs. Some pieces ofstone, which had dropped from the spear were seen, but no barb of wood. 

[*From the aversion uniformly shown by all the natives to this unhappyman, he had long been suspected by us of having in his excursions, shotand injured them. To gain information on this head from him, the momentof contrition was seized. On being questioned with great seriousness, he, however, declared that he had never fired but once on a native, and thenhad not killed, but severely wounded him and this in his own defence. Notwithstanding this death-bed confession, most people doubted the truth ofthe relation, from his general character and other circumstances. ]

The governor was at Rose-hill when this accident happened. On the day afterhe returned to Sydney, the following order was issued:

Several tribes of the natives still continuing to throw spears at anyman they meet unarmed, by which several have been killed, or dangerouslywounded, the governor, in order to deter the natives from such practicesin future, has ordered out a party to search for the man who woundedthe convict McEntire, in so dangerous a manner on Friday last, though nooffence was offered on his part, in order to make a signal example of thattribe. At the same time, the governor strictly forbids, under penalty ofthe severest punishment, any soldier or other person, not expressly orderedout for that purpose, ever to fire on any native except in his own defence;or to molest him in any shape, or to bring away any spears, or otherarticles which they may find belonging to those people. The natives will bemade severe examples of whenever any man is wounded by them; but thiswill be done in a manner which may satisfy them that it is a punishmentinflicted on them for their own bad conduct, and of which they cannot bemade sensible if they are not treated with kindness while they continuepeaceable and quiet. 

A party, consisting of two captains, two subalterns, and forty privates, with a proper number of non-commissioned officers from the garrison, withthree days provisions, etc. Are to be ready to march to-morrow morning atday-light, in order to bring in six of those natives who reside near thehead of Botany Bay; or, if that should be found impracticable, to put thatnumber to death. 

Just previous to this order being issued, the author of this publicationreceived a direction to attend the governor at head quarters immediately. Iwent, and his excellency informed me that he had pitched upon me to executethe foregoing command. He added that the two subalterns who were to bedrawn from the marine corps, should be chosen by myself; that the sergeantand the two convicts who were with McEntire, should attend as guides; thatwe were to proceed to the peninsula at the head of Botany Bay; and thence, or from any part of the north arm of the bay, we were, if practicable, tobring away two natives as prisoners; and to put to death ten; that wewere to destroy all weapons of war but nothing else; that no hut was tobe burned; that all women and children were to remain uninjured, not beingcomprehended within the scope of the order; that our operations were tobe directed either by surprise or open force; that after we had made anyprisoners, all communication, even with those natives with whom we werein habits of intercourse, was to be avoided, and none of them suffered toapproach us. That we were to cut off and bring in the heads of the slain;for which purpose hatchets and bags would be furnished. And finally, thatno signal of amity or invitation should be used in order to allure them tous; or if made on their part, to be answered by us: for that such conductwould be not only present treachery, but give them reason to distrust everyfuture mark of peace and friendship on our part. 

His excellency was now pleased to enter into the reasons which had inducedhim to adopt measures of such severity. He said that since our arrival inthe country, no less than seventeen of our people had either been killed orwounded by the natives; that he looked upon the tribe known by the name ofBideegal, living on the beforementioned peninsula, and chiefly on the northarm of Botany Bay, to be the principal aggressors; that against this tribehe was determined to strike a decisive blow, in order, at once to convincethem of our superiority and to infuse an universal terror, which mightoperate to prevent farther mischief. That his observations on the nativeshad led him to conclude that although they did not fear death individually, yet that the relative weight and importance of the different tribesappeared to be the highest object of their estimation, as each tribe deemedits strength and security to consist wholly in its powers, aggregatelyconsidered. That his motive for having so long delayed to use violentmeasures had arisen from believing, that in every former instance ofhostility, they had acted either from having received injury, or frommisapprehension. 

"To the latter of these causes, " added he, "I attribute my own wound, but in this business of McEntire, I am fully persuaded that they wereunprovoked, and the barbarity of their conduct admits of no extenuation;for I have separately examined the sergeant, of whose veracity I have thehighest opinion, and the two convicts; and their story is short, simple, and alike. I have in vain tried to stimulate Baneelon, Colbee, and theother natives who live among us, to bring in the aggressor. Yesterday, indeed, they promised me to do it, and actually went away as if bent onsuch a design; but Baneelon, instead of directing his steps to Botany Bay, crossed the harbour in his canoe, in order to draw the foreteeth of someof the young men; and Colbee, in the room of fulfilling his engagement, is loitering about the lookout house. Nay, so far from wishing even todescribe faithfully the person of the man who has thrown the spear, theypretended that he has a distorted foot, which is a palpable falsehood. Sothat we have our efforts only to depend upon; and I am resolved to executethe prisoners who may be brought in, in the most public and exemplarymanner, in the presence of as many of their countrymen as can be collected, after having explained the cause of such a punishment; and my fixeddetermination to repeat it, whenever any future breach of good conduct ontheir side shall render it necessary. "

Here the governor stopped, and addressing himself to me, said if I couldpropose any alteration of the orders under which I was to act, he wouldpatiently listen to me. Encouraged by this condescension, I begged leaveto offer for consideration whether, instead of destroying ten persons, the capture of six would not better answer all the purposes for which theexpedition was to be undertaken; as out of this number, a part might beset aside for retaliation; and the rest, at a proper time, liberated, afterhaving seen the fate of their comrades and being made sensible of the causeof their own detention. 

This scheme, his Excellency was pleased instantly to adopt, adding, "ifsix cannot be taken, let this number be shot. Should you, however, find itpracticable to take so many, I will hang two and send the rest to NorfolkIsland for a certain period, which will cause their countrymen to believethat we have dispatched them secretly. " The order was accordingly alteredto its present form; and I took my leave to prepare, after being againcautioned not to deceive by holding signals of amity. 

At four o'clock on the morning of the 14th we marched The detachmentconsisted, besides myself, of Captain Hill of the New South Wales Corps, Lieutenants Poulder and Dawes, of the marines, Mr. Worgan and Mr. Lowes, surgeons, three sergeants, three corporals, and forty private soldiers, provided with three days provisions, ropes to bind our prisoners with, andhatchets and bags to cut off and contain the heads of the slain. By nineo'clock this terrific procession reached the peninsula at the head ofBotany Bay, but after having walked in various directions until fouro'clock in the afternoon, without seeing a native, we halted for the night. 

At daylight on the following morning our search recommenced. We marched inan easterly direction, intending to fall in with the south-west arm of thebay, about three miles above its mouth, which we determined to scour, andthence passing along the head of the peninsula, to proceed to the northarm, and complete our Search. However, by a mistake of our guides, at halfpast seven o'clock instead of finding ourselves on the south-west arm, we came suddenly upon the sea shore, at the head of the peninsula, aboutmidway between the two arms. Here we saw five Indians on the beach, whom weattempted to surround; but they penetrated our design, and before we couldget near enough to effect our purpose, ran off. We pursued; but acontest between heavy-armed Europeans, fettered by ligatures, and nakedunencumbered Indians, was too unequal to last long. They darted into thewood and disappeared. 

The alarm being given, we were sensible that no hope of success remained, but by a rapid movement to a little village (if five huts deserve the name)which we knew stood on the nearest point of the north arm, where possiblysomeone unapprised of our approach, might yet be found. Thither wehastened; but before we could reach it three canoes, filled with Indians, were seen paddling over in the utmost hurry and trepidation, to theopposite shore, where universal alarm prevailed. All we could now do was tosearch the huts for weapons of war: but we found nothing except fish gigs, which we left untouched. 

On our return to our baggage (which we had left behind under a small guardnear the place where the pursuit had begun) we observed a native fishing inshallow water not higher than his waist, at the distance of 300 yards fromthe land. In such a situation it would not have been easily practicableeither to shoot, or seize him. I therefore determined to pass withoutnoticing him, as he seemed either from consciousness of his own security, or from some other cause, quite unintimidated at our appearance. At lengthhe called to several of us by name, and in spite of our formidable array, drew nearer with unbounded confidence. Surprised at his behaviour I ordereda halt, that he might overtake us, fully resolved, whoever he might be, that he should be suffered to come to us and leave us uninjured. Presentlywe found it to be our friend Colbee; and he joined us at once with hiswonted familiarity and unconcern. We asked him where Pimelwi was, and foundthat he perfectly comprehended the nature of our errand, for he describedhim to have fled to the southward; and to be at such a distance, as had weknown the account to be true, would have prevented our going in search ofhim, without a fresh supply of provisions. 

When we arrived at our baggage, Colbee sat down, ate, drank, and slept withus, from ten o'clock until past noon. We asked him several questions aboutSydney, which he had left on the preceding day*; and he told us he had beenpresent at an operation performed at the hospital, where Mr. White had cutoff a woman's leg. The agony and cries of the poor sufferer he depicted ina most lively manner. 

[*He had it seems visited the governor about noon, after having gainedinformation from Nanbaree of our march, and for what purpose it wasundertaken. This he did not scruple to tell to the governor; proclaimingat the same time, a resolution of going to Botany Bay, which his excellencyendeavoured to dissuade him from by every argument he could devise: ablanket, a hatchet, a jacket, or aught else he would ask for, was offeredto him in vain, if he would not go. At last it was determined to try to eathim down, by setting before him his favourite food, of which it was hopedhe would feed so voraciously, as to render him incapable of executing hisintention. A large dish of fish was accordingly set before him. But afterdevouring a light horseman, and at least five pounds of beef and bread, even until the sight of food became disgusting to him, he set out on hisjourney with such lightness and gaiety, as plainly shewed him to be astranger to the horrors of indigestion. ]

At one o'clock we renewed our march, and at three halted near a freshwaterswamp, where we resolved to remain until morning: that is, after a day ofsevere fatigue, to pass a night of restless inquietude, when weariness isdenied repose by swarms of mosquitoes and sandflies, which in the summermonths bite and sting the traveller, without measure or intermission. 

Next morning we bent our steps homeward; and, after wading breast-highthrough two arms of the sea, as broad as the Thames at Westminster, wereglad to find ourselves at Sydney, between one and two o'clock in theafternoon. 

The few remarks which I was able to make on the country through which wehad passed, were such as will not tempt adventurers to visit it on thescore of pleasure or advantage. The soil of every part of the peninsula, which we had traversed, is shallow and sandy, and its productions meagreand wretched. When forced to quit the sand, we were condemned to dragthrough morasses, or to clamber over rocks, unrefreshed by streams, andunmarked by diversity. Of the soil I brought away several specimens. 

Our first expedition having so totally failed, the governor resolved to trythe fate of a second; and the 'painful pre-eminence' again devolved on me. 

The orders under which I was commanded to act differing in no respectfrom the last, I resolved to try once more to surprise the villagebeforementioned. And in order to deceive the natives, and prevent themfrom again frustrating our design by promulgating it, we feigned that ourpreparations were directed against Broken Bay; and that the man whohad wounded the governor was the object of punishment. It was now alsodetermined, being full moon, that our operations should be carried on inthe night, both for the sake of secrecy, and for avoiding the extreme heatof the day. 

A little before sun-set on the evening of the 22nd, we marched. LieutenantAbbot, and ensign Prentice, of the New South Wales corps, were the twoofficers under my command, and with three sergeants, three corporals, andthirty privates, completed the detachment. 

We proceeded directly to the fords of the north arm of Botany Bay, which wehad crossed in our last expedition, on the banks of which we were compelledto wait until a quarter past two in the morning, for the ebb of the tide. As these passing-places consist only of narrow slips of ground, on eachside of which are dangerous holes; and as fording rivers in the night is atall times an unpleasant task, I determined before we entered the water, to disburthen the men as much as possible; that in case of stepping wrongevery one might be as ready, as circumstances would admit, to recoverhimself. The firelock and cartouche-box were all that we carried, thelatter tied fast on the top of the head, to prevent it from being wetted. The knapsacks, etc. I left in charge of a sergeant and six men, who fromtheir low stature and other causes, were most likely to impede our march, the success of which I knew hinged on our ability, by a rapid movement, tosurprise the village before daybreak. 

The two rivers were crossed without any material accident: and in pursuitof my resolution, I ordered the guides to conduct us by the nearest route, without heeding difficulty, or impediment of road. Having continued to pushalong the river-bank very briskly for three quarters of an hour, we weresuddenly stopped by a creek, about sixty yards wide, which extended to ourright, and appeared dry from the tide being out: I asked if it could bepassed, or whether it would be better to wheel round the head of it. Ourguides answered that it was bad to cross, but might be got over, whichwould save us more than a quarter of a mile. Knowing the value of time, Idirectly bade them to push through, and every one began to follow as wellas he could. They who were foremost had not, however, got above half overwhen the difficulty of progress was sensibly experienced. We were immersed, nearly to the waist in mud, so thick and tenacious, that it was not withoutthe most vigorous exertion of every muscle of the body, that the legs couldbe disengaged. When we had reached the middle, our distress became not onlymore pressing, but serious, and each succeeding step, buried us deeper. Atlength a sergeant of grenadiers stuck fast, and declared himself incapableof moving either forward or backward; and just after, Ensign Prentice andI felt ourselves in a similar predicament, close together. 'I find itimpossible to move; I am sinking;' resounded on every side. What to doI knew not: every moment brought increase of perplexity, and augmenteddanger, as those who could not proceed kept gradually subsiding. From ourmisfortunes, however, those in the rear profited. Warned by what they sawand heard, they inclined to the right towards the head of the creek, andthereby contrived to pass over. 

Our distress would have terminated fatally, had not a soldier cried outto those on shore to cut boughs of trees*, and throw them to us--a luckythought, which certainly saved many of us from perishing miserably; andeven with this assistance, had we been burdened by our knapsacks, we couldnot have emerged; for it employed us near half an hour to disentangle someof our number. The sergeant of grenadiers in particular, was sunk to hisbreast-bone, and so firmly fixed in that the efforts of many men wererequired to extricate him, which was effected in the moment after I hadordered one of the ropes, destined to bind the captive Indians, to befastened under his arms. 

[*I had often read of this contrivance to facilitate the passage of amorass. But I confess, that in my confusion I had entirely forgotten it, and probably should have continued to do so until too late to be of use. ]

Having congratulated each other on our escape from this 'Serbonian Bog, 'and wiped our arms (half of which were rendered unserviceable by the mud)we once more pushed forward to our object, within a few hundred yards ofwhich we found ourselves about half an hour before sunrise. Here I formedthe detachment into three divisions, and having enjoined the most perfectsilence, in order, if possible, to deceive Indian vigilance, each divisionwas directed to take a different route, so as to meet at the village at thesame moment. 

We rushed rapidly on, and nothing could succeed more exactly than thearrival of the several detachments. To our astonishment, however, we foundnot a single native at the huts; nor was a canoe to be seen on any part ofthe bay. I was at first inclined to attribute this to our arriving half anhour too late, from the numberless impediments we had encountered. Buton closer examination, there appeared room to believe, that many days hadelapsed since an Indian had been on the spot, as no mark of fresh fires, orfish bones, was to be found. 

Disappointed and fatigued, we would willingly have profited by theadvantage of being near water, and have halted to refresh. But onconsultation, it was found, that unless we reached in an hour the riverswe had so lately passed, it would be impossible, on account of the tide, to cross to our baggage, in which case we should be without food untilevening. We therefore pushed back, and by dint of alternately running andwalking, arrived at the fords, time enough to pass with ease and safety. So excessive, however, had been our efforts, and so laborious our progress, that several of the soldiers, in the course of the last two miles, gave up, and confessed themselves unable to proceed farther. All that I could do forthese poor fellows, was to order their comrades to carry their muskets, andto leave with them a small party of those men who were least exhausted, toassist them and hurry them on. In three quarters of an hour after wehad crossed the water, they arrived at it, just time enough to effect apassage. 

The necessity of repose, joined to the succeeding heat of the day, inducedus to prolong our halt until four o'clock in the afternoon, when werecommenced our operations on the opposite side of the north arm to thatwe had acted upon in the morning. Our march ended at sunset, withoutour seeing a single native. We had passed through the country which thediscoverers of Botany Bay extol as 'some of the finest meadows in theworld*. ' These meadows, instead of grass, are covered with high coarserushes, growing in a rotten spongy bog, into which we were plungedknee-deep at every step. 

[*The words which are quoted may be found in Mr. Cook's first voyage, andform part of his description of Botany Bay. It has often fallen to my lotto traverse these fabled plains; and many a bitter execration have I heardpoured on those travellers, who could so faithlessly relate what they saw. ]

Our final effort was made at half past one o'clock next morning; and afterfour hours toil, ended as those preceding it had done, in disappointmentand vexation. At nine o'clock we returned to Sydney, to report ourfruitless peregrination. 

But if we could not retaliate on the murderer of M'Entire, we found nodifficulty in punishing offences committed within our own observation. Twonatives, about this time, were detected in robbing a potato garden. Whenseen, they ran away, and a sergeant and a party of soldiers were dispatchedin pursuit of them. Unluckily it was dark when they overtook them, withsome women at a fire; and the ardour of the soldiers transported them sofar that, instead of capturing the offenders, they fired in among them. Thewomen were taken, but the two men escaped. 

On the following day, blood was traced from the fireplace to the sea-side, where it seemed probable that those who had lost it, had embarked. Thenatives were observed to become immediately shy; but an exact knowledge ofthe mischief which had been committed, was not gained until the end of twodays, when they said that a man of the name of Bangai (who was known tobe one of the pilferers) was wounded and dead. Imeerawanyee, however, whispered that though he was wounded, he was not dead. A hope now existedthat his life might be saved; and Mr. White, taking Imeerawanyee, Nanbaree, and a woman with him, set out for the spot where he was reported to be. Buton their reaching it, they were told by some people who were there that theman was dead, and that the corpse was deposited in a bay about a mileoff. Thither they accordingly repaired, and found it as described, covered--except one leg, which seemed to be designedly left bare--withgreen boughs and a fire burning near it. Those who had performed thefuneral obsequies seemed to have been particularly solicitous for theprotection of the face, which was covered with a thick branch, interwovenwith grass and fern so as to form a complete screen. Around the neck wasa strip of the bark of which they make fishing lines, and a young straitstick growing near was stripped of its bark and bent down so as to form anarch over the body, in which position it was confined by a forked branchstuck into the earth. 

On examining the corpse, it was found to be warm. Through the shoulder hadpassed a musquet ball, which had divided the subclavian artery and causeddeath by loss of blood. No mark of any remedy having been applied couldbe discovered. Possibly the nature of the wound, which even among us wouldbaffle cure without amputation of the arm at the shoulder, was deemed sofatal, that they despaired of success, and therefore left it to itself. HadMr. White found the man alive, there is little room to think that hecould have been of any use to him; for that an Indian would submit to soformidable and alarming an operation seems hardly probable. 

None of the natives who had come in the boat would touch the body, or evengo near it, saying, the mawn would come; that is literally, 'the spirit ofthe deceased would seize them'. Of the people who died among us, they hadexpressed no such apprehension. But how far the difference of a naturaldeath, and one effected by violence, may operate on their fears to inducesuperstition; and why those who had performed the rites of sepulture shouldnot experience similar fears and reluctance, I leave to be determined. Certain it is (as I shall insist upon more hereafter), that they believethe spirit of the dead not to be extinct with the body. 

Baneelon took an odd method of revenging the death of his countryman. Atthe head of several of his tribe, he robbed one of the private boats offish, threatening the people, who were unarmed, that in case they resistedhe would spear them. On being taxed by the governor with this outrage, heat first stoutly denied it; but on being confronted with the people whowere in the boat, he changed his language, and, without deigning even topalliate his offence, burst into fury and demanded who had killed Bangai. 

CHAPTER XIII. 

The Transactions of the Colony continued to the End of May, 1791. 

December, 1790. The Dutch snow from Batavia arrived on the 17th of themonth, after a passage of twelve weeks, in which she had lost sixteen ofher people. But death, to a man who has resided at Batavia, is too familiaran object to excite either terror or regret. All the people of the 'Supply'who were left there sick, except one midshipman, had also perished in thatfatal climate. 

The cargo of the snow consisted chiefly of rice, with a small quantity ofbeef, pork, and flour. 

A letter was received by this vessel, written by the Shebander at Batavia, to governor Phillip, acquainting him that war had commenced between Englandand Spain. As this letter was written in the Dutch language we did not findit easy of translation. It filled us, however, with anxious perturbation, and with wishes as impotent, as they were eager, in the cause of ourcountry. Though far beyond the din of arms, we longed to contribute to herglory, and to share in her triumphs. 

Placed out of the reach of attack, both by remoteness and insignificancy, our only dread lay lest those supplies intended for our consumption shouldbe captured. Not, however, to be found totally unprovided in case an enemyshould appear, a battery was planned near the entrance of Sydney Cove, andother formidable preparations set on foot. 

The commencement of the year 1791, though marked by no circumstancesparticularly favourable, beamed far less inauspicious than that of 1790 haddone. 

January, 1791. No circumstance, however apparently trivial, which cantend to throw light on a new country, either in respect of its presentsituation, or its future promise, should pass unregarded. On the 24th ofJanuary, two bunches of grapes were cut in the governor's garden, fromcuttings of vines brought three years before from the Cape of Good Hope. The bunches were handsome, the fruit of a moderate size, but well filledout and the flavour high and delicious. 

The first step after unloading the Dutch snow was to dispatch the 'Supply'to Norfolk Island for captain Hunter, and the crew of the 'Sirius' who hadremained there ever since the loss of that ship. It had always been thegovernor's wish to hire the Dutchman, for the purpose of transporting themto England. But the frantic extravagant behaviour of the master of her, fora long time frustrated the conclusion of a contract. He was so totallylost to a sense of reason and propriety, as to ask eleven pounds per ton, monthly, for her use, until she should arrive from England, at Batavia. This was treated with proper contempt; and he was at last induced to accepttwenty shillings a ton, per month (rating her at three hundred tons) untilshe should arrive in England--being about the twenty-fifth part of hisoriginal demand. And even at this price she was, perhaps, the dearestvessel ever hired on a similar service, being totally destitute of everyaccommodation and every good quality which could promise to render so longa voyage either comfortable or expeditious. 

February, 1791. On the 26th, Captain Hunter, his officers and ship'scompany joined us; and on the 28th of March the snow sailed with them forEngland, intending to make a northern passage by Timor and Batavia, theseason being too far advanced to render the southern route by Cape Hornpracticable*. 

[*They did not arrive in England until April, 1792. ]

Six days previous to the departure of captain Hunter, the indefatigable'Supply' again sailed for Norfolk Island, carrying thither captain Hilland a detachment of the New South Wales corps. A little native boy namedBondel, who had long particularly attached himself to captain Hill, accompanied him, at his own earnest request. His father had been killed inbattle and his mother bitten in two by a shark: so that he was an orphan, dependant on the humanity of his tribe for protection*. His disappearanceseemed to make no impression on the rest of his countrymen, who wereapprized of his resolution to go. On the return of the 'Supply' theyinquired eagerly for him, and on being told that the place he was goneto afforded plenty of birds and other good fare, innumerable volunteerspresented themselves to follow him, so great was their confidence in us andso little hold of them had the amor patriae. 

[*I am of opinion that such protection is always extended to children whomay be left destitute. ]

March, 1791. The snow had but just sailed, when a very daring manoeuvre wascarried into execution, with complete success, by a set of convicts, elevenin number, including a woman, wife of one of the party, and two littlechildren. They seized the governor's cutter and putting into her aseine, fishing-lines, and hooks, firearms, a quadrant, compass, and someprovisions, boldly pushed out to sea, determined to brave every danger andcombat every hardship, rather than remain longer in a captive state. Mostof these people had been brought out in the first fleet, and the terms oftransportation of some of them were expired. Among them were a fisherman, a carpenter, and some competent navigators, so that little doubt wasentertained that a scheme so admirably planned would be adequatelyexecuted*. When their elopement was discovered, a pursuit was orderedby the governor. But the fugitives had made too good an use of theintermediate time to be even seen by their pursuers. After the escape ofCaptain Bligh, which was well known to us, no length of passage or hazardof navigation seemed above human accomplishment. However to prevent futureattempts of a like nature, the governor directed that boats only of stateddimensions should be built. Indeed an order of this sort had been issuedon the escape of the first party, and it was now repeated with additionalrestrictions. 

[*It was my fate to fall in again with part of this little band ofadventurers. In March 1792, when I arrived in the Gorgon, at the Cape ofGood Hope, six of these people, including the woman and one child, were puton board of us to be carried to England. Four had died, and one had jumpedoverboard at Batavia. The particulars of their voyage were briefly asfollows. They coasted the shore of New Holland, putting occasionally intodifferent harbours which they found in going along. One of these harbours, in the latitude of 30 degrees south, they described to be of superiorexcellence and capacity. Here they hauled their bark ashore, paid her seamswith tallow, and repaired her. But it was with difficulty they could keepoff the attacks of the Indians. These people continued to harras them somuch that they quitted the mainland and retreated to a small island inthe harbour, where they completed their design. Between the latitude of 26degrees and 27 degrees, they were driven by a current 30 leagues from theshore, among some islands, where they found plenty of large turtles. Soonafter they closed again with the continent, when the boat got entangled inthe surf and was driven on shore, and they had all well nigh perished. Theypassed rough the straits of Endeavour and, beyond the gulf of Carpentaria, found a large freshwater river, which they entered, and filled from ittheir empty casks. 

Until they reached the gulf of Carpentaria, they saw no natives or canoesdiffering from those about Port Jackson. But now they were chased by largecanoes, jitted with sails and fighting stages, and capable of holdingthirty men each. They escaped by dint of rowing to windward. On the 5thof June 1791 they reached Timor, and pretended that they had belonged to aship which, on her passage from Port Jackson to India, had foundered;and that they only had escaped. The Dutch received them with kindnessand treated them with hospitality. But their behaviour giving rise tosuspicion, they were watched; and one of them at last, in a moment ofintoxication, betrayed the secret. They were immediately secured andcommitted to prison. Soon after Captain Edwards of the Pandora, who hadbeen wrecked near Endeavour straits, arrived at Timor, and they weredelivered up to him, by which means they became passengers in the Gorgon. 

I confess that I never looked at these people without pity andastonishment. They had miscarried in a heroic struggle for liberty afterhaving combated every hardship and conquered every difficulty. 

The woman, and one of the men, had gone out to Port Jackson in the shipwhich had transported me thither. They had both of them been alwaysdistinguished for good behaviour. And I could not but reflect withadmiration at the strange combination of circumstances which had againbrought us together, to baffle human foresight and confound humanspeculation. ]

April, 1791. Notwithstanding the supplies which had recently arrived fromBatavia, short allowance was again proclaimed on the 2nd of April, on whichday we were reduced to the following ration:

Three pounds of rice, three pounds of flour and three pounds of pork perweek. 

It was singularly unfortunate that these retrenchments should always happenwhen the gardens were most destitute of vegetables. A long drought hadnearly exhausted them. The hardships which we in consequence suffered weregreat, but not comparable to what had been formerly experienced. Besides, now we made sure of ships arriving soon to dispel our distress. Whereas, heretofore, from having never heard from England, the hearts of men sunkand many had begun to doubt whether it had not been resolved to try howlong misery might be endured with resignation. 

Notwithstanding the incompetency of so diminished a pittance, the dailytask of the soldier and convict continued unaltered. I never contemplatedthe labours of these men without finding abundant cause of reflection onthe miseries which our nature can overcome. Let me for a moment quit thecold track of narrative. Let me not fritter away by servile adaptationthose reflections and the feelings they gave birth to. Let me transcribethem fresh as they arose, ardent and generous, though hopeless andromantic. I every day see wretches pale with disease and wasted withfamine, struggle against the horror's of their situation. How striking isthe effect of subordination; how dreadful is the fear of punishment! Theallotted task is still performed, even on the present reduced subsistence. The blacksmith sweats at the sultry forge, the sawyer labours pent-up inhis pit and the husbandman turns up the sterile glebe. Shall I again heararguments multiplied to violate truth, and insult humanity! Shall I againbe told that the sufferings of the wretched Africans are indispensablefor the culture of our sugar colonies; that white men are incapable ofsustaining the heat of the climate! I have been in the West Indies. Ihave lived there. I know that it is a rare instance for the mercury in thethermometer to mount there above 90 degrees; and here I scarcely pass aweek in summer without seeing it rise to 100 degrees; sometimes to 105;nay, beyond even that burning altitude. 

But toil cannot be long supported without adequate refreshment. The firststep in every community which wishes to preserve honesty should be to setthe people above want. The throes of hunger will ever prove toopowerful for integrity to withstand. Hence arose a repetition of pettydelinquencies, which no vigilance could detect, and no justice reach. Gardens were plundered, provisions pilfered, and the Indian corn stolenfrom the fields where it grew for public use. Various were the measuresadopted to check this depredatory spirit. Criminal courts, either from thetediousness of their process, or from the frequent escape of culprits fromtheir decision, were seldomer convened than formerly. The governor orderedconvict offenders either to be chained together or to wear singly a largeiron collar with two spikes projecting from it, which effectually hinderedthe party from concealing it under his shirt; and thus shackled, they werecompelled to perform their quota of work. 

May, 1791. Had their marauding career terminated here, humanity wouldhave been anxious to plead in their defence; but the natives continued tocomplain of being robbed of spears and fishing tackle. A convict was atlength taken in the fact of stealing fishing-tackle from Daringa, the wifeof Colbee. The governor ordered that he should be severely flogged in thepresence of as many natives as could be assembled, to whom the cause ofpunishment should be explained. Many of them, of both sexes, accordinglyattended. Arabanoo's aversion to a similar sight has been noticed; and ifthe behaviour of those now collected be found to correspond with it, itis, I think, fair to conclude that these people are not of a sanguinaryand implacable temper. Quick indeed of resentment, but not unforgiving ofinjury. There was not one of them that did not testify strong abhorrenceof the punishment and equal sympathy with the sufferer. The women wereparticularly affected; Daringa shed tears, and Barangaroo, kindling intoanger, snatched a stick and menaced the executioner. The conduct of thesewomen, on this occasion, was exactly descriptive of their characters. Theformer was ever meek and feminine, the latter fierce and unsubmissive. 

On the first of May, many allotments of ground were parcelled out by thegovernor to convicts whose periods of transportation were expired, and whovoluntarily offered to become settlers in the country. The terms on whichthey settled, and their progress in agriculture, will be hereafter setforth. 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Travelling Diaries in New South Wales. 

From among my numerous travelling journals into the interior parts ofthe country, I select the following to present to the reader, as equallyimportant in their object, and more amusing in their detail, than anyother. 

In April 1791 an expedition was undertaken, in order to ascertain whetheror not the Hawkesbury and the Nepean, were the same river. With this view, we proposed to fall in a little above Richmond Hill*, and trace down to it;and if the weather should prove fine to cross at the ford, and go a shortdistance westward, then to repass the river and trace it upward until weshould either arrive at some spot which we knew to be the Nepean, or shoulddetermine by its course that the Hawkesbury was a different stream. 

[*Look at the map for the situation of this place (Unfortunately, there isno map accompanying this etext. Ed. )]

Our party was strong and numerous. It consisted of twenty-one persons, viz. The governor, Mr. Collins and his servant, Mr. White, Mr. Dawes, theauthor, three gamekeepers, two sergeants, eight privates, and our friendsColbee and Boladeree. These two last were volunteers on the occasion, onbeing assured that we should not stay out many days and that we shouldcarry plenty of provisions. Baneelon wished to go, but his wife would notpermit it. Colbee on the other hand, would listen to no objections. He onlystipulated (with great care and consideration) that, during his absence, his wife and child should remain at Sydney under our protection, and besupplied with provisions. 

But before we set out, let me describe our equipment, and try to conveyto those who have rolled along on turnpike roads only, an account of thosepreparations which are required in traversing the wilderness. Everyman (the governor excepted) carried his own knapsack, which containedprovisions for ten days. If to this be added a gun, a blanket, and acanteen, the weight will fall nothing short of forty pounds. Slung to theknapsack are the cooking kettle and the hatchet, with which the wood tokindle the nightly fire and build the nightly hut is to be cut down. Garbedto drag through morasses, tear through thickets, ford rivers and scalerocks, our autumnal heroes, who annually seek the hills in pursuit ofgrouse and black game, afford but an imperfect representation of thepicture. 

Thus encumbered, the march begins at sunrise, and with occasional haltscontinues until about an hour and a half before sunset. It is necessary tostop thus early to prepare for passing the night, for toil here ends notwith the march. Instead of the cheering blaze, the welcoming landlord, andthe long bill of fare, the traveller has now to collect his fuel, to erecthis wigwam, to fetch water, and to broil his morsel of salt pork. Let himthen lie down, and if it be summer, try whether the effect of fatigue issufficiently powerful to overcome the bites and stings of the myriads ofsandflies and mosquitoes which buzz around him. 

Monday, April 11, 1791. At twenty minutes before seven o'clock, we startedfrom the governor's house at Rose Hill and steered* for a short time nearlyin a north-east direction, after which we turned to north 34 degrees west, and steadily pursued that course until a quarter before four o'clock, whenwe halted for the night. The country for the first two miles, while wewalked to the northeast, was good, full of grass and without rock orunderwood. 

Afterwards it grew very bad, being full of steep, barren rocks, over whichwe were compelled to clamber for seven miles, when it changed to a plaincountry apparently very sterile, and with very little grass in it, whichrendered walking easy. Our fatigue in the morning had, however, been sooppressive that one of the party knocked up. And had not a soldier, asstrong as a pack-horse, undertaken to carry his knapsack in addition to hisown, we must either have sent him back, or have stopped at a place for thenight which did not afford water. Our two natives carried each his pack, but its weight was inconsiderable, most of their provisions being in theknapsacks of the soldiers and gamekeepers. We expected to have derived fromthem much information relating to the country, as no one doubted that theywere acquainted with every part of it between the sea coast and the riverHawkesbury. We hoped also to have witnessed their manner of living inthe woods, and the resources they rely upon in their journeys. Nothing, however, of this sort had yet occurred, except their examining sometrees to see if they could discover on the bark any marks of the claws ofsquirrels and opossums, which they said would show whether any of thoseanimals were hidden among the leaves and branches. They walked stoutly, appeared but little fatigued, and maintained their spirits admirably, laughing to excess when any of us either tripped or stumbled, misfortuneswhich much seldomer fell to their lot than to ours. 

[*Our method, on these expeditions, was to steer by compass, noting thedifferent courses as we proceeded; and counting the number of paces, ofwhich two thousand two hundred, on good ground, were allowed to be a mile. At night when we halted, all these courses were separately cast up, andworked by a traverse table, in the manner a ship's reckoning is kept, sothat by observing this precaution, we always knew exactly where we were, and how far from home; an unspeakable advantage in a new country, where onehill, and one tree, is so like another that fatal wanderings would ensuewithout it. This arduous task was always allotted to Mr. Dawes who, from habit and superior skill, performed it almost without a stop, or aninterruption of conversation: to any other man, on such terms, it wouldhave been impracticable. ]

At a very short distance from Rose Hill, we found that they were in acountry unknown to them, so that the farther they went the more dependenton us they became, being absolute strangers inland. To convey to theirunderstandings the intention of our journey was impossible. For, perhaps, no words could unfold to an Indian the motives of curiosity which inducemen to encounter labour, fatigue and pain, when they might remain in reposeat home, with a sufficiency of food. We asked Colbee the name of the peoplewho live inland, and he called them Boorooberongal; and said they were bad, whence we conjectured that they sometimes war with those on the sea coast, by whom they were undoubtedly driven up the country from the fishingground, that it might not be overstocked; the weaker here, as in everyother country, giving way to the stronger. 

We asked how they lived. He said, on birds and animals, having no fish. Their laziness appeared strongly when we halted, for they refused to drawwater or to cleave wood to make a fire; but as soon as it was kindled(having first well stuffed themselves), they lay down before it and fellasleep. About an hour after sunset, as we were chatting by the fire sideand preparing to go to rest, we heard voices at a little distance in thewood. Our natives caught the sound instantaneously and, bidding us besilent, listened attentively to the quarter whence it had proceeded. In afew minutes we heard the voices plainly; and, wishing exceedingly to opena communication with this tribe, we begged our natives to call to them, and bid them to come to us, to assure them of good treatment, and that theyshould have something given them to eat. Colbee no longer hesitated, but gave them the signal of invitation, in a loud hollow cry. After somewhooping and shouting on both sides, a man with a lighted stick in his handadvanced near enough to converse with us. The first words which we coulddistinctly understand were, 'I am Colbee, of the tribe of Cadigal. 'The stranger replied, 'I am Bereewan, of the tribe of Boorooberongal. 'Boladeree informed him also of his name and that we were white men andfriends, who would give him something to eat. Still he seemed irresolute. Colbee therefore advanced to him, took him by the hand and led him to us. By the light of the moon, we were introduced to this gentleman, all ournames being repeated in form by our two masters of the ceremonies, who saidthat we were Englishmen and 'budyeeree' (good), that we came from the seacoast, and that we were travelling inland. 

Bereewan seemed to be a man about thirty years old, differing in no respectfrom his countrymen with whom we were acquainted. He came to us unarmed, having left his spears at a little distance. After a long conversation withhis countrymen, and having received some provisions, he departed highlysatisfied. 

Tuesday, April 12th, 1791. Started this morning at half past six o'clock, and in two hours reached the river. The whole of the country we passedwas poor, and the soil within a mile of the river changed to a coarse deepsand, which I have invariably found to compose its banks in every partwithout exception that I ever saw. The stream at this place is about 350feet wide; the water pure and excellent to the taste. The banks are abouttwenty feet high and covered with trees, many of which had been evidentlybent by the force of the current in the direction which it runs, andsome of them contained rubbish and drift wood in their branches at leastforty-five feet above the level of the stream. We saw many ducks, andkilled one, which Colbee swam for. No new production among the shrubsgrowing here was found. We were acquainted with them all. Our natives hadevidently never seen this river before. They stared at it with surprise, and talked to each other. Their total ignorance of the country, and of thedirection in which they had walked, appeared when they were asked whichway Rose Hill lay; for they pointed almost oppositely to it. Of our compassthey had taken early notice, and had talked much to each other about it. They comprehended its use, and called it 'naamoro, ' literally, "to see theway"; a more significant or expressive term cannot be found. 

Supposing ourselves to be higher on the stream than Richmond Hill, weagreed to trace downward, or to the right hand. In tracing, we kept asclose to the bank of the river as the innumerable impediments to walkingwhich grow upon it would allow. We found the country low and swampy; cameto a native fireplace, at which were some small fish-bones; soon after wesaw a native, but he ran away immediately. Having walked nearly three mileswe were stopped by a creek which we could neither ford, or fall a treeacross. We were therefore obliged to coast it, in hope to find a passingplace or to reach its head. At four o'clock we halted for the night onthe bank of the creek. Our natives continued to hold out stoutly. Thehindrances to walking by the river side which plagued and entangled us somuch, seemed not to be heeded by them, and they wound through them withcase; but to us they were intolerably tiresome. Our perplexities affordedthem an inexhaustible fund of merriment and derision: Did the sufferer, stung at once with nettles and ridicule, and shaken nigh to death by hisfall, use any angry expression to them, they retorted in a moment, bycalling him by every opprobrious name* which their language affords. 

Boladeree destroyed a native hut today very wantonly before we couldprevent him. On being asked why he did so, he answered that the inhabitantsinland were bad; though no longer since than last night, when Bereewanhad departed, they were loud in their praise. But now they had reverted totheir first opinion; so fickle and transient are their motives of love andhatred. 

[*Their general favourite term of reproach is 'goninpatta', which signifies'an eater of human excrement'. Our language would admit a very concise andfamiliar translation. They have, besides this, innumerable others whichthey often salute their enemies with. ]

Wednesday, April 13th, 1791. We did not set out this morning until pastseven o'clock, when we continued to trace the creek. The country which wepassed through yesterday was good and desirable to what was now presentedto us. It was in general high and universally rocky. 'Toiling our uncouthway', we mounted a hill, and surveyed the contiguous country. To thenorthward and eastward, the ground was still higher than that we were upon;but in a south-west direction we saw about four miles. The view consistedof nothing but trees growing on precipices; not an acre of it could becultivated. Saw a tree on fire here, and several other vestiges of thenatives. To comprehend the reasons which induce an Indian to perform manyof the offices of life is difficult; to pronounce that which could lead himto wander amidst these dreary wilds baffles penetration. About two o'clockwe reached the head of the creek, passed it and scrambled with infinitetoil and difficulty to the top of a neighbouring mountain, whence we sawthe adjacent country in almost every direction, for many miles. I recordwith regret that this extended view presented not a single gleam of changewhich could encourage hope or stimulate industry, to attempt its culture. We had, however, the satisfaction to discover plainly the object of ourpursuit, Richmond Hill, distant about eight miles, in a contrary directionfrom what we had been proceeding upon. It was readily known to those whohad been up the Hawkesbury in the boats, by a remarkable cleft or notchwhich distinguishes it. It was now determined that we should go back to thehead of the creek and pass the night there; and in the morning cutacross the country to that part of the river which we had first hitupon yesterday, and thence to trace upward, or to the left. But before Idescend, I must not forget to relate that to this pile of desolation onwhich, like the fallen angel on the top of Niphates, we stood contemplatingour nether Eden, His Excellency was pleased to give the name of Tench'sProspect Mount. 

Our fatigue to-day had been excessive; but our two sable companions seemedrather enlivened than exhausted by it. We had no sooner halted and giventhem something to eat than they began to play ten thousand tricks andgambols. They imitated the leaping of the kangaroo; sang, danced, poisedthe spear and met in mock encounter. But their principal source ofmerriment was again derived from our misfortunes, in tumbling amidstnettles, and sliding down precipices, which they mimicked with inimitabledrollery. They had become, however, very urgent in their inquiries aboutthe time of our return, and we pacified them as well as we could by sayingit would be soon, but avoided naming how many days. 

Their method of testifying dislike to any place is singular: they point tothe spot they are upon, and all around it, crying 'weeree, weeree' (bad)and immediately after mention the name of any other place to which theyare attached (Rose Hill or Sydney for instance), adding to it 'budyeree, budyeree' (good). Nor was their preference in the present case theresult of caprice, for they assigned very substantial reasons for suchpredilection: "At Rose Hill, " said they, "are potatoes, cabbages, pumpkins, turnips, fish and wine; here are nothing but rocks and water. " Thesecomparisons constantly ended with the question of "Where's Rose Hill?Where?" on which they would throw up their hands and utter a sound todenote distance, which it is impossible to convey an idea of upon paper. 

Thursday, April 14th, 1791. We started early and reached the river in abouttwo hours and a half. The intermediate country, except for the last halfmile, was a continued bed of stones, which were in some places so thick andclose together that they looked like a pavement formed by art. When we gotoff the stones, we came upon the coarse river sand beforementioned. 

Here we began to trace upward. We had not proceeded far when we saw severalcanoes on the river. Our natives made us immediately lie down among thereeds, while they gave their countrymen the signal of approach. After muchcalling, finding that they did not come, we continued our progress untilit was again interrupted by a creek, over which we threw a tree and passedupon it. While this was doing, a native, from his canoe, entered intoconversation with us, and immediately after paddled to us with a franknessand confidence which surprised every one. He was a man of middle age, withan open cheerful countenance, marked with the small pox, and distinguishedby a nose of uncommon magnitude and dignity. He seemed to be neitherastonished or terrified at our appearance and number. Two stone hatchets, and two spears he took from his canoe, and presented to the governor, whoin return for his courteous generosity, gave him two of our hatchets andsome bread, which was new to him, for he knew not its use, but keptlooking at it, until Colbee shewed him what to do, when he eat itwithout hesitation. We pursued our course, and to accommodate us, our newacquaintance pointed out a path and walked at the head of us. A canoe, also with a man and a boy in it, kept gently paddling up abreast of us. We halted for the night at our usual hour, on the bank of the river. Immediately that we had stopped, our friend (who had already told us hisname) Gombeeree, introduced the man and the boy from the canoe to us. Theformer was named Yellomundee, the latter Deeimba. The ease with which thesepeople behaved among strangers was as conspicuous, as unexpected. Theyseated themselves at our fire, partook of our biscuit and pork, drank fromour canteens, and heard our guns going off around them without betrayingany symptom of fear, distrust or surprise. On the opposite bank of theriver they had left their wives and several children, with whom theyfrequently discoursed; and we observed that these last manifested neithersuspicion or uneasiness of our designs towards their friends. 

Having refreshed ourselves, we found leisure to enter into conversationwith them. It could not be expected that they should differ materially fromthe tribes with whom we were acquainted. The same manners and pursuits, thesame amusements, the same levity and fickleness, undoubtedly characterisedthem. What we were able to learn from them was that they depend but littleon fish, as the river yields only mullets, and that their principal supportis derived from small animals which they kill, and some roots (a species ofwild yam chiefly) which they dig out of the earth. If we rightly understoodthem, each man possesses two wives. Whence can arise this superabundance offemales? Neither of the men had suffered the extraction of a front tooth. We were eager to know whether or not this custom obtained among them. Butneither Colbee nor Boladeree would put the question for us; and on thecontrary, showed every desire to wave the subject. The uneasiness whichthey testified, whenever we renewed it, rather served to confirm asuspicion which we had long entertained, that this is a mark of subjectionimposed by the tribe of Cameragal, (who are certainly the most powerfulcommunity in the country) on the weaker tribes around them. Whether thewomen cut off a joint of one of the little fingers, like those on the seacoast, we had no opportunity of observing. These are petty remarks. Butone variety struck us more forcibly. Although our natives and the strangersconversed on a par and understood each other perfectly, yet they spokedifferent dialects of the same language; many of the most common andnecessary words used in life bearing no similitude, and others beingslightly different. 

 ------------------------------------------------------------ English Name on the sea coast Name at the Hawkesbury ------------------------------------------------------------

 The Moon Yeneeda Condoen The Ear Gooree Benna The Forehead Nullo Narran The Belly Barang Bindee The Navel Muneero Boombong The Buttocks Boong Baylee The Neck Calang Ganga The Thigh Tara Dara The Hair Deewara Keewara -------------------------------------------------------------

That these diversities arise from want of intercourse with the peopleon the coast can hardly be imagined, as the distance inland is butthirty-eight miles; and from Rose Hill not more than twenty, where thedialect of the sea coast is spoken. It deserves notice that all thedifferent terms seemed to be familiar to both parties, though each inspeaking preferred its own*. 

[*How easily people, unused to speak the same language, mistake each other, everyone knows. We had lived almost three years at Port Jackson (for morethan half of which period natives had resided with us) before we knew thatthe word 'beeal', signified 'no', and not 'good', in which latter sense wehad always used it without suspecting that we were wrong; and even withoutbeing corrected by those with whom we talked daily. The cause of our errorwas this. The epithet 'weeree', signifying 'bad', we knew; and as theuse of this word and its opposite afford the most simple form of denotingconsent or disapprobation to uninstructed Indians, in order to find outtheir word for 'good', when Arabanoo was first brought among us, we usedjokingly to say that any thing, which he liked was 'weeree', in order toprovoke him to tell us that it was good. When we said 'weeree', he answered'beeal', which we translated and adopted for 'good'; whereas he meant nomore than simply to deny our inference, and say 'no'--it is not bad. After this, it cannot be thought extraordinary that the little vocabularyinserted in Mr. Cook's account of this part of the world should appeardefective--even were we not to take in the great probability of thedialects at Endeavour River and Van Diemen's land differing from thatspoken at Port Jackson. And it remains to be proved that the animal calledhere 'patagaram' is not there called 'kangaroo'. ]

Stretched out at ease before our fire, all sides continued to chat andentertain each other. Gombeeree shewed us the mark of a wound which he hadreceived in his side from a spear. It was large, appeared to have passed toa considerable depth, and must certainly have been attended with imminentdanger. By whom it had been inflicted, and on what occasion, he explainedto Colbee; and afterwards (as we understood) he entered into a detail ofthe wars, and, as effects lead to causes, probably of the gallantries ofthe district, for the word which signifies a woman was often repeated. Colbee, in return for his communication, informed him who we were; of ournumbers at Sydney and Rose Hill, of the stores we possessed and, above all, of the good things which were to be found among us, enumerating potatoes, cabbages, turnips, pumpkins, and many other names which were perfectlyunintelligible to the person who heard them, but which he neverthelesslistened to with profound attention. 

Perhaps the relation given by Gombeeree, of the cure of his wound, nowgave rise to the following superstitious ceremony. While they were talking, Colbee turned suddenly round and asked for some water. I gave him a cupful, which he presented with great seriousness to Yellomundee, as I supposed todrink. This last indeed took the cup and filled his mouth with water, butinstead of swallowing it, threw his head into Colbee's bosom, spit thewater upon him and, immediately after, began to suck strongly at hisbreast, just below the nipple. I concluded that the man was sick; andcalled to the governor to observe the strange place which he had chosen toexonerate his stomach. The silent attention observed by the othernatives, however, soon convinced us that something more than merelythe accommodation of Yellomundee, was intended. The ceremony was againperformed; and, after having sucked the part for a considerable time, theoperator pretended to receive something in his mouth, which was drawn fromthe breast. With this he retired a few paces, put his hand to his lips andthrew into the river a stone, which I had observed him to pick up slily, and secrete. When he returned to the fireside, Colbee assured us thathe had received signal benefit from the operation; and that this secondMachaon had extracted from his breast two splinters of a spear by whichhe had been formerly wounded. We examined the part, but it was smooth andwhole, so that to the force of imagination alone must be imputed both thewound and its cure. Colbee himself seemed nevertheless firmly persuadedthat he had received relief, and assured us that Yellomundee was a'caradyee', or 'Doctor of renown'. And Boladeree added that not only he butall the rest of his tribe were 'caradyee' of especial note and skill. 

The Doctors remained with us all night, sleeping before the fire in thefullness of good faith and security. The little boy slept in his father'sarms, and we observed that whenever the man was inclined to shift hisposition, he first put over the child, with great care, and then turnedround to him. 

Friday, April 15th, 1791. The return of light aroused us to the repetitionof toil. Our friends breakfasted with us, and previous to startingGombeeree gave a specimen of their manner of climbing trees in quest ofanimals. He asked for a hatchet and one of ours was offered to him, but hepreferred one of their own making. With this tool he cut a small notch inthe tree he intended to climb, about two feet and a half above the ground, in which he fixed the great toe of his left foot, and sprung upwards, atthe same time embracing the tree with his left arm. In an instant he hadcut a second notch for his right toe on the other side of the tree intowhich he sprung, and thus, alternately cutting on each side, he mounted tothe height of twenty feet in nearly as short a space as if he had ascendedby a ladder, although the bark of the tree was quite smooth and slipperyand the trunk four feet in diameter and perfectly strait. To us it was amatter of astonishment, but to him it was sport; for while employed thus hekept talking to those below and laughing immoderately. He descended withas much ease and agility as he had raised himself. Even our natives allowedthat he was a capital performer, against whom they dared not to enterthe lists; for as they subsist chiefly by fishing they are less expert atclimbing on the coast than those who daily practice it. 

Soon after they bade us adieu, in unabated friendship and good humour. Colbee and Boladeree parted from them with a slight nod of the head, theusual salutation of the country; and we shook them by the hand, which theyreturned lustily. 

At the time we started the tide was flowing up the river, a decisive proofthat we were below Richmond Hill. We had continued our march but ashort time when we were again stopped by a creek, which baffled all ourendeavours to cross it, and seemed to predict that the object of ourattainment, though but a very few miles distant, would take us yet aconsiderable time to reach, which threw a damp on our hopes. We traced thecreek until four o'clock, when we halted for the night. The country, onboth sides, we thought in general unpromising; but it is certainly verysuperior to that which we had seen on the former creek. In many placesit might be cultivated, provided the inundations of the stream can berepelled. 

In passing along we shot some ducks, which Boladeree refused to swim forwhen requested, and told us in a surly tone that they swam for what waskilled, and had the trouble of fetching it ashore, only for the white mento eat it. This reproof was, I fear, too justly founded; for of the fewducks we had been so fortunate as to procure, little had fallen to theirshare except the offals, and now and then a half-picked bone. True, indeed, all the crows and hawks which had been shot were given to them; butthey plainly told us that the taste of ducks was more agreeable to theirpalates, and begged they might hereafter partake of them. We observedthat they were thoroughly sick of the journey, and wished heartily for itsconclusion: the exclamation of "Where's Rose Hill, where?" was incessantlyrepeated, with many inquiries about when we should return to it. 

Saturday April 16th, 1791. It was this morning resolved to abandon ourpursuit and to return home; at hearing of which our natives expressed greatjoy. We started early; and reached Rose Hill about three o'clock, just asa boat was about to be sent down to Sydney. Colbee and Boladeree wouldnot wait for us until the following morning, but insisted on going downimmediately to communicate to Baneelon and the rest of their countrymen thenovelties they had seen. 

The country we passed through was, for the most part, very indifferent, according to our universal opinion. It is in general badly watered. Foreight miles and a half on one line we did not find a drop of water. 

RICHMOND HILL

Having eluded our last search, Mr. Dawes and myself, accompanied by asergeant of marines and a private soldier, determined on another attempt, to ascertain whether it lay on the Hawkesbury or Nepean. We set out on thisexpedition on the 24th of May, 1791; and having reached the opposite sideof the mouth of the creek which had in our last journey prevented ourprogress, we proceeded from there up to Richmond Hill by the river side;mounted it; slept at its foot; and on the following day penetrated somemiles westward or inland of it until we were stopped by a mountainouscountry, which our scarcity of provisions, joined to the terror of a riverat our back, whose sudden rising is almost beyond computation, hinderedus from exploring. To the elevation which bounded our research we gavethe name of Knight Hill, in honour of the trusty sergeant who had been thefaithful indefatigable companion of all our travels. 

This excursion completely settled the long contested point about theHawkesbury and Nepean. We found them to be one river. Without knowing it, Mr. Dawes and myself had passed Richmond Hill almost a year before (inAugust 1790), and from there walked on the bank of the river to the spotwhere my discovery of the Nepean happened, in June 1789. Our ignorancearose from having never before seen the hill, and from the erroneousposition assigned to it by those who had been in the boats up the river. 

Except the behaviour of some natives whom we met on the river, which itwould be ingratitude to pass in silence, nothing particularly worthy ofnotice occurred on this expedition. 

When we had reached within two miles of Richmond Hill, we heard a nativecall. We directly answered him and conversed across the river for sometime. At length he launched his canoe and crossed to us without distrustor hesitation. We had never seen him before; but he appeared to know ourfriend Gombeeree, of whom he often spoke. He said his name was Deedora. Hepresented us with two spears and a throwing-stick, and in return we gavehim some bread and beef. Finding that our route lay up the river, heoffered to accompany us and, getting into his canoe, paddled up abreastof us. When we arrived at Richmond Hill it became necessary to crossthe river; but the question was, how this should be effected? Deedoraimmediately offered his canoe. We accepted of it and, Mr. Dawes and thesoldier putting their clothes into it, pushed it before them, and byalternately wading and swimming, soon passed. On the opposite shore satseveral natives, to whom Deedora called, by which precaution the arrival ofthe strangers produced no alarm. On the contrary, they received them withevery mark of benevolence. Deedora, in the meanwhile, sat talking with thesergeant and me. Soon after, another native, named Morunga, brought backthe canoe, and now came our turn to cross. The sergeant (from a foolishtrick which had been played upon him when he was a boy) was excessivelytimorous of water, and could not swim. Morunga offered to conduct him, andthey got into the canoe together; but, his fears returning, he jumped outand refused to proceed. I endeavoured to animate him, and Morunga ridiculedhis apprehensions, making signs of the ease and dispatch with which hewould land him; but he resolved to paddle over by himself, which, by dintof good management and keeping his position very steadily, he performed. It was now become necessary to bring over the canoe a third time for myaccommodation, which was instantly done, and I entered it with Deedora. But, like the sergeant, I was so disordered at seeing the water within ahair's breadth of the level of our skiff (which brought to my remembrancea former disaster I had experienced on this river) that I jumped out, aboutknee-deep, and determined to swim over, which I effected. My clothes, halfour knapsacks, and three of our guns yet remained to be transported across. These I recommended to the care of our grim ferrymen, who instantaneouslyloaded their boat with them and delivered them on the opposite bank, without damage or diminution. 

During this long trial of their patience and courtesy--in the latter partof which I was entirely in their power, from their having possession ofour arms--they had manifested no ungenerous sign of taking advantage of thehelplessness and dependance of our situation; no rude curiosity to pry intothe packages with which they were entrusted; or no sordid desire to possessthe contents of them; although among them were articles exposed to view, ofwhich it afterwards appeared they knew the use, and longed for the benefit. Let the banks of those rivers, "known to song", let him whose travels havelain among polished nations produce me a brighter example of disinterestedurbanity than was shown by these denizens of a barbarous clime to a set ofdestitute wanderers on the side of the Hawkesbury. 

On the top of Richmond Hill we shot a hawk, which fell in a tree. Deedoraoffered to climb for it and we lent him a hatchet, the effect of whichdelighted him so much that he begged for it. As it was required to chopwood for our evening fire, it could not be conveniently spared; but wepromised him that if he would visit us on the following morning, it shouldbe given to him. Not a murmur was heard; no suspicion of our insincerity;no mention of benefits conferred; no reproach of ingratitude. His goodhumour and cheerfulness were not clouded for a moment. Punctual to ourappointment, he came to us at daylight next morning and the hatchet wasgiven to him, the only token of gratitude and respect in our power tobestow. Neither of these men had lost his front tooth. 

THE LAST EXPEDITION

Which I ever undertook in the country I am describing was in July 1791, when Mr. Dawes and myself went in search of a large river which was saidto exist a few miles to the southward of Rose Hill. We went to the placedescribed, and found this second Nile or Ganges to be nothing but asaltwater creek communicating with Botany Bay, on whose banks we passed amiserable night from want of a drop of water to quench our thirst, for aswe believed that we were going to a river we thought it needless to marchwith full canteens. 

On this expedition we carried with us a thermometer which (in unison withour feelings) shewed so extraordinary a degree of cold for the latitude ofthe place that I think myself bound to transcribe it. 

Monday, 18th July 1791. The sun arose in unclouded splendor and presentedto our sight a novel and picturesque view. The contiguous country as whiteas if covered with snow, contrasted with the foliage of trees flourishingin the verdure of tropical luxuriancy*. Even the exhalation which steamedfrom the lake beneath contributed to heighten the beauty of the scene. Wind SSW. Thermorneter at sunrise 25 degrees. The following night was stillcolder. At sunset the thermometer stood at 45 degrees; at a quarter beforefour in the morning, it was at 26 degrees; at a quarter before six at 24degrees; at a quarter before seven, at 23 degrees; at seven o'clock, 22. 7degrees; at sunrise, 23 degrees, after which it continued gradually tomount, and between one and two o'clock, stood at 59. 6 degrees in the shade. Wind SSW. The horizon perfectly clear all day, not the smallest speck tobe seen. Nothing but demonstration could have convinced me that so severea degree of cold ever existed in this low latitude. Drops of water on atin pot, not altogether out of the influence of the fire, were frozen intosolid ice in less than twelve minutes. Part of a leg of kangaroo which wehad roasted for supper was frozen quite hard, all the juices of it beingconverted into ice. On those ponds which were near the surface of theearth, the covering of ice was very thick; but on those which were lowerdown it was found to be less so, in proportion to their depression; andwherever the water was twelve feet below the surface (which happened to bethe case close to us) it was uncongealed. It remains to be observed thatthe cold of both these nights, at Rose Hill and Sydney, was judged to begreater than had ever before been felt. 

[*All the trees of New South Wales, may I apprehend, be termed evergreen. For after such weather as this journal records, I did not observe eitherthat the leaves had dropped off, or that they had assumed that sicklyautumnal tint, which marks English trees in corresponding circumstances. ]

CHAPTER XV. 

Transactions of the Colony to the end of November, 1791. 

The extreme dryness of the preceding summer has been noticed. It hadoperated so far in the beginning of June that we dreaded a want of waterfor common consumption most of the little reservoirs in the neighbourhoodof Sydney being dried up. The small stream near the town was so nearlyexhausted (being only the drain of a morass) that a ship could not havewatered at it, and the 'Supply' was preparing to sink casks in a swamp whenrain fell and banished our apprehensions. 

June, 1791. On the second instant, the name of the settlement, at the headof the harbour (Rose Hill) was changed, by order of the governor, to thatof Parramatta, the native name of it. As Rose Hill has, however, occurredso often in this book, I beg leave, to avoid confusion, still to continuethe appellation in all future mention of it. 

Our travelling friend Boladeree, who makes so conspicuous a figure in thelast chapter, about this time committed an offence which we were obligedto notice. He threw a spear at a convict in the woods, and wounded him. Thetruth was, some mischievous person belonging to us had wantonly destroyedhis canoe, and he revenged the injury on the first of our people whom hemet unarmed. He now seemed to think the matter adjusted; and probably suchis the custom they observe in their own society in similar cases. Hearing, however, that an order was issued to seize him, or in case that could notbe effected, to shoot him, he prudently dropped all connection with us andwas for a long time not seen. 

But if they sometimes injured us, to compensate they were often of signalbenefit to those who needed their assistance: two instances of which hadrecently occurred. A boat was overset in the harbour Baneelon and someother natives, who saw the accident happen, immediately plunged in, andsaved all the people. When they had brought them on shore, they undressedthem, kindled a fire and dried their clothes, gave them fish to eat andconducted them to Sydney. 

The other instance was of a soldier lost in the woods, when he met a partyof natives. He at first knew not whether to flee from them, or to imploretheir assistance. Seeing among them one whom he knew, he determined tocommunicate his distress to him and to rely on his generosity. The Indiantold him that he had wandered a long way from home, but that he wouldconduct him thither, on the single condition of his delivering up a gunwhich he held in his hand, promising to carry it for him and to restoreit to him at parting. The soldier felt little inclination to surrenderhis arms, by which he would be put entirely in their power. But seeing noalternative, he at last consented; on which the whole party laid down theirspears and faithfully escorted him to the nearest part of the settlement, where the gun was given up, and they took their leave without asking forany remuneration, or even seeming to expect it. 

The distressful state of the colony for provisions continued gradually toaugment until the 9th of July, when the Mary Anne transport arrived fromEngland. This ship had sailed from the Downs so lately as the 25th ofFebruary, having been only four months and twelve days on her passage. Shebrought out convicts, by contract, at a specific sum for each person. Butto demonstrate the effect of humanity and justice, of 144 female convictsembarked on board only three had died, and the rest were landed in perfecthealth, all loud in praise of their conductor. The master's name was Munro;and his ship, after fulfilling her engagement with government, was bound onthe southern fishery. The reader must not conclude that I sacrifice todull detail, when he finds such benevolent conduct minutely narrated. The advocates of humanity are not yet become too numerous: but thosewho practise its divine precepts, however humble and unnoticed be theirstation, ought not to sink into obscurity, unrecorded and unpraised, withthe vile monsters who deride misery and fatten on calamity. 

July, 1791. If, however, the good people of this ship delighted us withtheir benevolence, here gratification ended. I was of a party who had rowedin a boat six miles out to sea, beyond the harbour's mouth, to meet them;and what was our disappointment, on getting aboard, to find that they hadnot brought a letter (a few official ones for the governor excepted) to anyperson in the colony! Nor had they a single newspaper or magazine in theirpossession; nor could they conceive that any person wished to hear news;being as ignorant of everything which had passed in Europe for the lasttwo years as ourselves, at the distance of half the circle. "No war--thefleet's dismantled, " was the whole that we could learn. When I askedwhether a new parliament had been called, they stared at me in stupidwonder, not seeming to comprehend that such a body either sufferedrenovation or needed it. 

"Have the French settled their government?"

"As to that matter I can't say; I never heard; but, damn them, they wereready enough to join the Spaniards against us. "

"Are Russia and Turkey at peace?"

"That you see does not lie in my way; I have heard talk about it, but don'tremember what passed. "

"For heaven's sake, why did you not bring out a bundle of newspapers? Youmight have procured a file at any coffee house, which would have amusedyou, and instructed us?"

"Why, really, I never thought about the matter until we were off the Capeof Good Hope, when we spoke a man of war, who asked us the same question, and then I wished I had. "

To have prosecuted inquiry farther would have only served to increasedisappointment and chagrin. We therefore quitted the ship, wondering andlamenting that so large a portion of plain undisguised honesty should be sototally unconnected with a common share of intelligence, and acquaintancewith the feelings and habits of other men. 

By the governor's letters we learned that a large fleet of transports, withconvicts on board, and His Majesty's ship Gorgon, (Captain Parker)might soon be expected to arrive. The following intelligence which theycontained, was also made public. 

That such convicts as had served their period of transportation, were notto be compelled to remain in the colony; but that no temptation should beoffered to induce them to quit it, as there existed but too much reason tobelieve, that they would return to former practices; that those who mightchoose to settle in the country should have portions of land, subject tostipulated restrictions, and a portion of provisions assigned to themon signifying their inclinations; and that it was expected, that thoseconvicts who might be possessed of means to transport themselves from thecountry, would leave it free of all incumbrances of a public nature. 

The rest of the fleet continued to drop in, in this and the two succeedingmonths. The state of the convicts whom they brought out, thoughinfinitely preferable to what the fleet of last year had landed, was notunexceptionable. Three of the ships had naval agents on board to controlthem. Consequently, if complaint had existed there, it would have beenimmediately redressed. Exclusive of these, the 'Salamander', (CaptainNichols) who, of 155 men lost only five; and the 'William and Anne'(Captain Buncker) who of 187 men lost only seven, I find most worthy ofhonourable mention. In the list of convicts brought out was Barrington, offamous memory. 

Two of these ships also added to our geographic knowledge of the country. The 'Atlantic', under the direction of Lieutenant Bowen, a naval agent, raninto a harbour between Van Diemen's land, and Port Jackson, in latitude 35degrees 12 minutes south, longitude 151 degrees east, to which, in honourof Sir John Jervis, Knight of the Bath, Mr. Bowen gave the name of PortJervis. Here was found good anchoring ground with a fine depth of water, within a harbour about a mile and a quarter broad at its entrance, whichafterwards opens into a basin five miles wide and of considerable length. They found no fresh water, but as their want of this article was noturgent, they did not make sufficient researches to pronounce that noneexisted there. * They saw, during the short time they stayed, two kangaroosand many traces of inhabitants. The country at a little distance to thesouthward of the harbour is hilly, but that contiguous to the sea is flat. On comparing what they had found here afterwards, with the native produceof Port Jackson, they saw no reason to think that they differed in anyrespect. 

[*Just before I left the country, word was brought by a ship which had putinto Port Jervis, that a large fresh water brook was found there. ]

The second discovery was made by Captain Wetherhead, of the 'Matilda'transport, which was obligingly described to me, as follows, by thatgentleman, on my putting to him the underwritten questions. 

"When did you make your discovery?"

"On the 27th of July, 1791. "

"In what latitude and longitude does it lie?"

"In 42 degrees 15 minutes south by observation, and in 148 1/2 east byreckoning"

"Is it on the mainland or is it an island?"

"It is an island, distant from the mainland about eight miles. "

"Did you anchor?"

"Yes; and found good anchorage in a bay open about six points. "

"Did you see any other harbour or bay in the island?"

"None. "

"Does the channel between the island and the main appear to afford goodshelter for shipping?"

"Yes, like Spithead. "

"Did you find any water on the island?"

"Yes, in plenty. "

"Of what size does the island appear to be?"

"It is narrow and long; I cannot say how long. Its breadth isinconsiderable. "

"Did you make any observations on the soil?"

"It is sandy; and many places are full of craggy rocks. "

"Do you judge the productions which you saw on the island to be similar tothose around Port Jackson?"

"I do not think they differ in any respect. "

"Did you see any animals?"

"I saw three kangaroos. "

"Did you see any natives, or any marks of them?"

"I saw no natives, but I saw a fire, and several huts like those at PortJackson, in one of which lay a spear. "

"What name did you give to your discovery?"

"I called it, in honour of my ship, Matilda Bay. "

November, 1791. A very extraordinary instance of folly stimulated todesperation occurred in the beginning of this month among the convicts atRose Hill. Twenty men and a pregnant woman, part of those who had arrivedin the last fleet, suddenly disappeared with their clothes, working tools, bedding, and their provisions, for the ensuing week, which had been justissued to them. The first intelligence heard of them, was from some convictsettlers, who said they had seen them pass, and had enquired whitherthey were bound. To which they had received for answer, "to China. " Theextravagance and infatuation of such an attempt was explained to them bythe settlers; but neither derision, nor demonstration could avert them frompursuing their purpose. It was observed by those who brought in the accountthat they had general idea enough of the point of the compass in whichChina lies from Port Jackson, to keep in a northerly direction. 

An officer with a detachment of troops, was sent in pursuit of them; butafter a harassing march returned without success. In the course of a weekthe greatest part of them were either brought back by different parties whohad fallen in with them, or were driven in by famine. Upon being questionedabout the cause of their elopement, those whom hunger had forced back, did not hesitate to confess that they had been so grossly deceived as tobelieve that China might easily be reached, being not more than 100 milesdistant, and separated only by a river. The others, however, ashamed of themerriment excited at their expense, said that their reason for runningaway was on account of being overworked and harshly treated, and that theypreferred a solitary and precarious existence in the woods to a returnto the misery they were compelled to undergo. One or two of the partyhad certainly perished by the hands of the natives, who had also woundedseveral others. 

I trust that no man would feel more reluctant than myself to cast anilliberal national reflection, particularly on a people whom I regard in anaggregate sense as brethren and fellow-citizens; and among whom, I have thehonour to number many of the most cordial and endearing intimacies whicha life passed on service could generate. But it is certain that all thesepeople were Irish. 

CHAPTER XVI

Transactions of the colony until 18th of December 1791, when I quitted it, with an Account of its state at that time. 

The Gorgon had arrived on the 21st of September, and the hour of departureto England, for the marine battalion, drew nigh. If I be allowed to speakfrom my own feelings on the occasion, I will not say that we contemplatedits approach with mingled sensations: we hailed it with rapture andexultation. 

The 'Supply', ever the harbinger of welcome and glad tidings, proclaimedby her own departure, that ours was at hand. On the 26th of Novembershe sailed for England. It was impossible to view our separation withinsensibility: the little ship which had so often agitated our hopes andfears, which from long acquaintance we had learned to regard as part ofourselves, whose doors of hospitality had been ever thrown open to relieveour accumulated wants, and chase our solitary gloom!

In consequence of the offers made to the non-commissioned officers andprivates of the marine battalion to remain in the country as settlers or toenter into the New South Wales corps, three corporals, one drummer and 59privates accepted of grants of land, to settle at Norfolk Island and RoseHill. Of these men, several were undoubtedly possessed of sufficient skilland industry, by the assistance of the pay which was due to them from thedate of their embarkation, in the beginning of the year 1787, to the day onwhich they were discharged, to set out with reasonable hopes of beingable to procure a maintenance. But the only apparent reason to which thebehaviour of a majority of them could be ascribed was from infatuatedaffection to female convicts, whose characters and habits of life, I amsorry to say, promise from a connection neither honour nor tranquillity. 

The narrative part of this work will, I conceive, be best brought to atermination by a description of the existing state of the colony, as takenby myself a few days previous to my embarkation in the Gorgon, to sail forEngland. 

December 2nd, 1791. Went up to Rose Hill. Public buildings here have notgreatly multiplied since my last survey. The storehouse and barrack havebeen long completed; also apartments for the chaplain of the regiment, andfor the judge-advocate, in which last, criminal courts, when necessary, areheld; but these are petty erections. In a colony which contains only a fewhundred hovels built of twigs and mud, we feel consequential enough alreadyto talk of a treasury, an admiralty, a public library and many othersimilar edifices, which are to form part of a magnificent square. The greatroad from near the landing place to the governor's house is finished, and avery noble one it is, being of great breadth, and a mile long, in a straitline. In many places it is carried over gullies of considerable depth, which have been filled up with trunks of trees covered with earth. Allthe sawyers, carpenters and blacksmiths will soon be concentred under thedirection of a very adequate person of the governor's household. This planis already so far advanced as to contain nine covered sawpits, which changeof weather cannot disturb the operations of, an excellent workshed for thecarpenters and a large new shop for the blacksmiths. It certainly promisesto be of great public benefit. A new hospital has been talked of for thelast two years, but is not yet begun. Two long sheds, built in the formof a tent and thatched, are however finished, and capable of holding 200patients. The sick list of today contains 382 names. Rose Hill is lesshealthy than it used to be. The prevailing disorder is a dysentery, whichoften terminates fatally. There was lately one very violent putrid feverwhich, by timely removal of the patient, was prevented from spreading. Twenty-five men and two children died here in the month of November. 

When at the hospital I saw and conversed with some of the 'Chinesetravellers'; four of them lay here, wounded by the natives. I asked thesemen if they really supposed it possible to reach China. They answeredthat they were certainly made to believe (they knew not how) that at aconsiderable distance to northward existed a large river, which separatedthis country from the back part of China; and that when it should becrossed (which was practicable) they would find themselves among acopper-coloured people, who would receive and treat them kindly. Theyadded, that on the third day of their elopement, one of the party diedof fatigue; another they saw butchered by the natives who, finding themunarmed, attacked them and put them to flight. This happened near BrokenBay, which harbour stopped their progress to the northward and forced themto turn to the right hand, by which means they soon after found themselveson the sea shore, where they wandered about in a destitute condition, picking up shellfish to allay hunger. Deeming the farther prosecution oftheir scheme impracticable, several of them agreed to return to Rose Hill, which with difficulty they accomplished, arriving almost famished. On theirroad back they met six fresh adventurers sallying forth to join them, towhom they related what had passed and persuaded them to relinquish theirintention. There are at this time not less than thirty-eight convict menmissing, who live in the woods by day, and at night enter the differentfarms and plunder for subsistence. 

December 3rd, 1791. Began my survey of the cultivated land belonging to thepublic. The harvest has commenced. They are reaping both wheat and barley. The field between the barrack and the governor's house contains wheat andmaize, both very bad, but the former particularly so. In passing throughthe main street I was pleased to observe the gardens of the convicts lookbetter than I had expected to find them. The vegetables in general are butmean, but the stalks of maize, with which they are interspersed, appeargreen and flourishing. The semicircular hill, which sweeps from theoverseer of the cattle's house to the governor's house, is planted withmaize, which, I am told, is the best here. It certainly looks in mostparts very good--stout thick stalks with large spreading leaves--but I amsurprised to find it so backward. It is at least a month later than thatin the gardens at Sydney. Behind the maize is a field of wheat, which lookstolerably for this part of the world. It will, I reckon, yield about twelvebushels an acre. Continued my walk and looked at a little patch of wheatin the governor's garden, which was sown in drills, the ground being firstmixed with a clay which its discoverers pretended was marle. Whatever itbe, this experiment bespeaks not much in favour of its enriching qualities;for the corn looks miserably, and is far exceeded by some neighbouringspots on which no such advantage has been bestowed. Went round thecrescent at the bottom of the garden, which certainly in beauty of form andsituation is unrivalled in New South Wales. Here are eight thousand vinesplanted, all of which in another season are expected to bear grapes. Besides the vines are several small fruit trees, which were brought inthe Gorgon from the Cape, and look lively; on one of them are half a dozenapples as big as nutmegs. Although the soil of the crescent be poor, itsaspect and circular figure, so advantageous for receiving and retaining therays of the sun, eminently fit it for a vineyard. Passed the rivuletand looked at the corn land on its northern side. On the western side ofClarke's* house the wheat and maize are bad, but on the eastern side is afield supposed to be the best in the colony. I thought it of good height, and the ears well filled, but it is far from thick. 

[*Dod, who is mentioned in my former journal of this place, had diedsome months ago. And Mr. Clarke, who was put in his room, is one of thesuperintendants, sent out by government, on a salary of forty pounds perannum. He was bred to husbandry, under his father at Lewes in Sussex;and is, I conceive, competent to his office of principal conductor of theagriculture of Rose Hill. ]

While I was looking at it, Clarke came up. I told him I thought he wouldreap fifteen or sixteen bushels an acre; he seemed to think seventeen oreighteen. I have now inspected all the European corn. A man of so littleexperience of these matters as myself cannot speak with much confidence. Perhaps the produce may average ten bushels an acre, or twelve at theoutside. Allowance should, however, be made in estimating the quality ofthe soil, for the space occupied by roots of trees, for inadequate culture, and in some measure to want of rain. Less has fallen than was wished, butthis spring was by no means so dry as the last. I find that the wheat grownat Rose Hill last year weighed fifty-seven pounds and a half per bushel. Mynext visit was to the cattle, which consists of two stallions, six mares, and two colts; besides sixteen cows, two cow-calves, and one bull-calf, which were brought out by the Gorgon. Two bulls which were on board diedon the passage, so that on the young gentleman just mentioned depends thestocking of the colony. 

The period of the inhabitants of New South Wales being supplied with animalfood of their own raising is too remote for a prudent man to calculate. The cattle look in good condition, and I was surprised to hear that neithercorn nor fodder is given to them. The enclosures in which they are confinedfurnish hardly a blade of grass at present. There are people appointed totend them who have been used to this way of life, and who seem to executeit very well. 

Sunday, December 4th, 1791. Divine service is now performed here everySunday, either by the chaplain of the settlement or the chaplain of theregiment. I went to church today. Several hundred convicts were present, the majority of whom I thought looked the most miserable beings in theshape of humanity I ever beheld. They appeared to be worn down withfatigue. 

December, 5th. Made excursions this day to view the public settlements. Reached the first, which is about a mile in a north-west direction from thegovernor's house. This settlement contains, by admeasurement, 134 acres, a part of which is planted with maize, very backward, but in generaltolerably good, and beautifully green. Thirteen large huts, built in theform of a tent, are erected for the convicts who work here; but I could notlearn the number of these last, being unable to find a superintendant orany person who could give me information. Ponds of water here sufficient tosupply a thousand persons. 

Walked on to the second settlement, about two miles farther, throughan uncleared country. Here met Daveney, the person who planned and nowsuperintends all the operations carried on here. He told me that heestimated the quantity of cleared ground here at 300 acres. He certainlyover-rates it one-third, by the judgment of every other person. Six weeksago this was a forest. It has been cleared, and the wood nearly burnt offthe ground by 500 men, in the before-mentioned period, or rather in thirtydays, for only that number have the convicts worked. He said it was toolate to plant maize, and therefore he should sow turnips, which would helpto meliorate and prepare it for next year. On examining the soil, I thoughtit in general light, though in some places loamy to the touch. He means totry the Rose Hill 'marle' upon it, with which he thinks it will incorporatewell. I hope it will succeed better than the experiment in the governor'sgarden. I wished to know whether he had chosen this ground simply from theconveniency of its situation to Rose Hill, and its easy form for tillage, and having water, or from any marks which he had thought indicated goodsoil. He said that what I had mentioned no doubt weighed with him, and thathe judged the soil to be good, from the limbs of many of the trees growingon it being covered with moss. 

"Are, " said I, "your 500 men still complete?"

"No; this day's muster gave only 460. The rest are either sick and removedto the hospital, or are run away in the woods. "

"How much is each labourer's daily task?"

"Seven rods. It was eight, but on their representing to the governor thatit was beyond their strength to execute, he took off one. "

Thirteen large huts, similar to those beforementioned, contain all thepeople here. To every hut are appointed two men, as hutkeepers, whose onlyemployment is to watch the huts in working hours to prevent them frombeing robbed. This has somewhat checked depredations, and those endlesscomplaints of the convicts that they could not work because they hadnothing to eat, their allowance being stolen. The working hours at thisseason (summer) are from five o'clock in the morning until ten; rest fromten to two; return to work at two; and continue till sunset. This surelycannot be called very severe toil; but on the other hand must be rememberedthe inadequacy of a ration of salt provisions, with few vegetables, andunassisted by any liquor but water. 

Here finished my remarks on every thing of a public nature at Rose Hill. But having sufficient time, I determined to visit all the private settlersto inspect their labours, and learn from them their schemes, their hopesand expectations. 

In pursuance of my resolution, I crossed the country to Prospect Hill, atthe bottom of which live the following thirteen convicts, who have acceptedallotments of ground, and are become settlers. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------Men's names. | Trades. | Number of | Number of acres | | acres in each | in cultivation. | | allotment. |------------------------------------------------------------------------------John Silverthorne Weaver 40 1 3/4Thomas Martin " 40 1 1/2John Nichols Gardener 40 2William Butler*, and his wife Seaman 50 )---- Lisk* Watchmaker 40 ) 4William Parish, wife, and a child Seaman 60 2 3/4William Kilby, and his wife Husbandman 60 1 1/4Edward Pugh, wife, and two children Carpenter 70 2 1/2Samuel GriffithJohn Herbertt**James CastleJoseph Marlow***John Williams, and his wife------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[*In partnership. [Butler and Lisk]

[**Not out of his time; but allowed to work here at his leisure hours, ashe has declared his intention of settling. ]

[***In a similar predicament with Herbert. ]

The terms on which these allotments have been granted are: that the estatesshall be fully ceded for ever to all who shall continue to cultivate forfive years, or more; that they shall be free of all taxes for the first tenyears; but after that period to pay an annual quit-rent of one shilling. The penalty on non-performance of any of these articles is forfeiture ofthe estate, and all the labour which may have been bestowed upon it. These people are to receive provisions, (the same quantity as the workingconvicts), clothes, and medicinal assistance, for eighteen months from theday on which they settled. 

To clear and cultivate the land, a hatchet, a tomahawk, two hoes, a spadeand a shovel, are given to each person, whether man or woman; and a certainnumber of cross-cut saws among the whole. To stock their farms, two sowpigs were promised to each settler, but they almost all say they have notyet received any, of which they complain loudly. They all received grainto sow and plant for the first year. They settled here in July and Augustlast. Most of them were obliged to build their own houses; and wretchedhovels three-fourths of them are. Should any of them fall sick, the restare bound to assist the sick person two days in a month, provided thesickness lasts not longer than two months; four days labour in each year, from every person, being all that he is entitled to. To give protection tothis settlement, a corporal and two soldiers are encamped in the centre ofthe farms, as the natives once attacked the settlers and burnt one of theirhouses. These guards are, however, inevitably at such a distance fromsome of the farms as to be unable to afford them any assistance in case ofanother attack. 

With all these people I conversed and inspected their labours. Some I foundtranquil and determined to persevere, provided encouragement should begiven. Others were in a state of despondency, and predicted that theyshould starve unless the period of eighteen months during which they are tobe clothed and fed, should be extended to three years. Their cultivation isyet in its infancy, and therefore opinions should not be hastily formedof what it may arrive at, with moderate skill and industry. They haveat present little in the ground besides maize, and that looks not verypromising. Some small patches of wheat which I saw are miserable indeed. The greatest part of the land I think but indifferent, being light andstoney. Of the thirteen farms ten are unprovided with water; and at some ofthem they are obliged to fetch this necessary article from the distanceof a mile and a half. All the settlers complain sadly of being frequentlyrobbed by the runaway convicts, who plunder them incessantly. 

December 6th. Visited the settlements to the northward of the rivulet. Thenearest of them lies about a mile due north of Mr. Clarke's house. Here areonly the undernamed five settlers. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------Men's names. | Trades. | Number of | Number of acres | | acres in each | in cultivation. | | allotment. |------------------------------------------------------------------------------Thomas Brown*, wife, and child --- 60 )William Bradbury* --- 30 ) 3 1/2William Mold* --- 30 )Simon Burne, and wife Hosier 50 3----Parr, and wife Merchant's clerk 50 3 1/2------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[*These three cultivate in partnership. (Brown, Bradbury, Mold. )]

These settlers are placed on the same footing in every respect whichconcerns their tenure and the assistance to be granted to them as thoseat Prospect Hill. Near them is water. Parr and Burne are men of greatindustry. They have both good houses which they hired people to build forthem. Parr told me that he had expended thirteen guineas on his land, whichnevertheless he does not seem pleased with. Of the three poor fellows whowork in partnership, one (Bradbury) is run away. This man had beenallowed to settle, on a belief, from his own assurance, that his term oftransportation was expired; but it was afterwards discovered that he hadbeen cast for life. Hereupon he grew desperate, and declared he wouldrather perish at once than remain as a convict. He disappeared a week agoand has never since been heard of. Were I compelled to settle in New SouthWales, I should fix my residence here, both from the appearance of thesoil, and its proximity to Rose Hill. A corporal and two privates areencamped here to guard this settlement, as at Prospect. 

Proceeded to the settlement called the Ponds, a name which I suppose itderived from several ponds of water which are near the farms. Here residethe fourteen following settlers. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------Men's names. | Trades. | Number of | Number of acres | | acres in each | in cultivation. | | allotment. |------------------------------------------------------------------------------Thomas Kelly Servant 30 1 1/2William Hubbard, and wife Plasterer 50 2 1/4Curtis Brand, and wife Carpenter 50 3John Ramsay, and wife Seaman 50 3 1/2William Field --- 30 2 1/2John Richards* Stone-cutter 30 ) 4 1/2John Summers* Husbandman 30 )----Varnell --- 30 1Anthony Rope**, and wife, andtwo children Bricklayer 70 1Joseph Bishop, and wife None 50 1 1/2Mathew Everingham, and wife Attorney's clerk 50 2John Anderson, and wife --- 50 2Edward Elliot*** Husbandman 30 ) 2Joseph Marshall*** Weaver 30 )------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[*They (Richards and Summers) cultivate in partnership. ] [**A convictwho means to settle here; and is permitted to work in his leisure hours. ][***They (Elliot and Marshall) cultivate in partnership. ]

The Prospect Hill terms of settlement extend to this place. My privateremarks were not many. Some spots which I passed over I thought desirable, particularly Ramsay's farm; and he deserves a good spot, for he is a civil, sober, industrious man. Besides his corn land, he has a well laid outlittle garden, in which I found him and his wife busily at work. He praisedher industry to me; and said he did not doubt of succeeding. It is notoften seen that sailors make good farmers; but this man I think bids fairto contradict the observation. The gentleman of no trade (his own words tome) will, I apprehend, at the conclusion of the time when victualling fromthe store is to cease, have the honour of returning to drag a timber orbrick cart for his maintenance. The little maize he has planted is done inso slovenly a style as to promise a very poor crop. He who looks forwardto eat grapes from his own vine, and to sit under the shade of his ownfig-tree, must labour in every country. He must exert more than ordinaryactivity. The attorney's clerk I also thought out of his province. I darebelieve that he finds cultivating his own land not half so easy a taskas he formerly found that of stringing together volumes of tautologyto encumber, or convey away, that of his neighbour. Hubbard's farm, andKelly's also, deserve regard, from being better managed than most of theothers. The people here complain sadly of a destructive grub which destroysthe young plants of maize. Many of the settlers have been obliged toplant twice, nay thrice, on the same land, from the depredations of thesereptiles. There is the same guard here as at the other settlements. 

Nothing now remains for inspection but the farms on the river side. 

December 7th. Went to Scheffer's farm. I found him at home, conversed withhim, and walked with him over all his cultivated ground. He had 140 acresgranted to him, fourteen of which are in cultivation, twelve in maize, onein wheat and one in vines and tobacco. He has besides twenty-three acreson which the trees are cut down but not burnt off the land. He resigned hisappointment and began his farm last May, and had at first five convicts toassist him; he has now four. All his maize, except three acres, is mean. This he thinks may be attributed to three causes: a middling soil; too drya spring; and from the ground not being sufficiently pulverized before theseed was put into it. The wheat is thin and poor: he does not reckon itsproduce at more than eight or nine bushels. His vines, 900 in number, are flourishing, and will, he supposes, bear fruit next year. His tobaccoplants are not very luxuriant: to these two last articles he meansprincipally to direct his exertions. He says (and truly) that they willalways be saleable and profitable. On one of the boundaries of his land isplenty of water. A very good brick house is nearly completed for his use, by the governor; and in the meantime he lives in a very decent one, which was built for him on his settling here. He is to be supplied withprovisions from the public store, and with medical assistance for eighteenmonths, reckoning from last May. At the expiration of this period he isbound to support himself and the four convicts are to be withdrawn. But ifhe shall then, or at any future period, declare himself able to maintain amoderate number of these people for their labour, they will be assigned tohim. 

Mr. Scheffer is a man of industry and respectable character. He came out tothis country as superintendant of convicts, at a salary of forty pounds perannum, and brought with him a daughter of twelve years old. He is by birtha Hessian, and served in America, in a corps of Yaghers, with the rank oflieutenant. He never was professionally, in any part of life, a farmer, buthe told me, that his father owned a small estate on the banks of the Rhine, on which he resided, and that he had always been fond of looking at andassisting in his labours, particularly in the vineyard. In walking along, he more than once shook his head and made some mortifying observationson the soil of his present domain, compared with the banks of his nativestream. He assured me that (exclusive of the sacrifice of his salary) hehas expended more than forty pounds in advancing his ground to the state inwhich I saw it. Of the probability of success in his undertaking, he spokewith moderation and good sense. Sometimes he said he had almost despaired, and had often balanced about relinquishing it; but had as often beenchecked by recollecting that hardly any difficulty can arise which vigourand perseverance will not overcome. I asked him what was the tenure onwhich he held his estate. He offered to show the written document, sayingthat it was exactly the same as Ruse's. I therefore declined to troublehim, and took my leave with wishes for his success and prosperity. 

Near Mr. Scheffer's farm is a small patch of land cleared by LieutenantTownson of the New South Wales corps, about two acres of which are in maizeand wheat, both looking very bad. 

Proceeded to the farm of Mr. Arndell, one of the assistant surgeons. Thisgentleman has six acres in cultivation as follows: rather more than four inmaize, one in wheat, and the remainder in oats and barley. The wheat lookstolerably good, rather thin but of a good height, and the ears well filled. His farming servant guesses the produce will be twelve bushels, * and I donot think he over-rates it. The maize he guesses at thirty bushels, whichfrom appearances it may yield, but not more. The oats and barley are notcontemptible. This ground has been turned up but once The aspect of it isnearly south, on a declivity of the river, or arm of the sea, on which RoseHill stands. It was cleared of wood about nine months ago, and sown thisyear for the first time. 

[*I have received a letter from Port Jackson, dated in April 1792, whichstates that the crop of wheat turned out fifteen bushels, and the maizerather more than forty bushels. ]

December 8th. Went this morning to the farm of Christopher Magee, a convictsettler, nearly opposite to that of Mr. Scheffen. The situation of thisfarm is very eligible, provided the river in floods does not inundate it, which I think doubtful. This man was bred to husbandry, and lived eightyears in America; he has no less than eight acres in cultivation, fiveand a half in maize, one in wheat, and one and a half in tobacco. Fromthe wheat he does not expect more than ten bushels, but he is extravagantenough to rate the produce of maize at 100 bushels (perhaps he may getfifty); on tobacco he means to go largely hereafter. He began to clear thisground in April, but did not settle until last July. I asked by what meanshe had been able to accomplish so much? He answered, "By industry, and byhiring all the convicts I could get to work in their leisure hours, besidessome little assistance which the governor has occasionally thrown in. " Hisgreatest impediment is want of water, being obliged to fetch all he usesmore than half a mile. He sunk a well, and found water, but it was brackishand not fit to drink. If this man shall continue in habits of industry andsobriety, I think him sure of succeeding. 

Reached Ruse's farm, * and begged to look at his grant, the material part ofwhich runs thus: "A lot of thirty acres, to be called Experiment Farm; thesaid lot to be holden, free of all taxes, quit-rents, &c. For ten years, provided that the occupier, his heirs or assigns, shall reside within thesame, and proceed to the improvement thereof; reserving, however, for theuse of the crown, all timber now growing, or which hereafter shall grow, fit for naval purposes. At the expiration of ten years, an annual quit-rentof one shilling shall be paid by the occupier in acknowledgment. "

[*See the state of this farm in my former Rose Hill journal of November1790, thirteen months before. ]

Ruse now lives in a comfortable brick house, built for him by the governor. He has eleven acres and a half in cultivation, and several more which havebeen cleared by convicts in their leisure hours, on condition of receivingthe first year's crop. He means to cultivate little besides maize; wheatis so much less productive. Of the culture of vineyards and tobacco he isignorant; and, with great good sense, he declared that he would not quitthe path he knew, for an uncertainty. His livestock consists of fourbreeding sows and thirty fowls. He has been taken from the store (that is, has supplied himself with provisions) for some months past; and his wifeis to be taken off at Christmas, at which time, if he deems himself able tomaintain a convict labourer, one is to be given to him. 

Crossed the river in a boat to Robert Webb's farm. This man was one ofthe seamen of the 'Sirius', and has taken, in conjunction with his brother(also a seaman of the same ship) a grant of sixty acres, on the same termsas Ruse, save that the annual quit-rent is to commence at the expiration offive years, instead of ten. The brother is gone to England to receive thewages due to them both for their services, which money is to be expendedby him in whatever he judges will be most conducive to the success of theirplan. Webb expects to do well; talks as a man should talk who has just setout on a doubtful enterprise which he is bound to pursue. He is sanguinein hope, and looks only at the bright side of the prospect. He has receivedgreat encouragement and assistance from the governor. He has five acrescleared and planted with maize, which looks thriving, and promises to yielda decent crop. His house and a small one adjoining for pigs and poultrywere built for him by the governor, who also gave him two sows and sevenfowls, to which he adds a little stock of his own acquiring. 

Near Webb is placed William Read, another seaman of the 'Sirius', on thesame terms, and to whom equal encouragement has been granted. 

My survey of Rose Hill is now closed. I have inspected every piece ofground in cultivation here, both public and private, and have written fromactual examination only. 

But before I bade adieu to Rose Hill, in all probability for the lasttime of my life, it struck me that there yet remained one object ofconsideration not to be slighted: Barrington had been in the settlementbetween two and three months, and I had not seen him. 

I saw him with curiosity. He is tall, approaching to six feet, slender, andhis gait and manner, bespeak liveliness and activity. Of that elegance andfashion, with which my imagination had decked him (I know not why), Icould distinguish no trace. Great allowance should, however, be made fordepression and unavoidable deficiency of dress. His face is thoughtful andintelligent; to a strong cast of countenance he adds a penetrating eye, anda prominent forehead. His whole demeanour is humble, not servile. Both onhis passage from England, and since his arrival here, his conduct has beenirreproachable. He is appointed high-constable of the settlement of RoseHill, a post of some respectability, and certainly one of importance tothose who live here. His knowledge of men, particularly of that part ofthem into whose morals, manners and behaviour he is ordered especially toinspect, eminently fit him for the office. 

I cannot quit him without bearing my testimony that his talents promise tobe directed in future to make reparation to society for the offences he hasheretofore committed against it. 

The number of persons of all descriptions at Rose Hill at this period willbe seen in the following return. 

A return of the number of persons at Rose Hill, 3rd of December 1791

------------------------------------------------------------------------------Quality. |Men. |Women. | Children | | | of 10 years | of 2 years | under 2 years------------------------------------------------------------------------------Convicts* 1336 133 0 9 17Troops 94 9 1 5 2Civil Department 7 0 0 0 0Seamen Settlers 3 0 0 0 0Free Persons 0 7 2 1 2Total number ofpersons 1440 149 3 15 21------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[*The convicts who are become settlers, are included in this number. ]

Of my Sydney journal, I find no part sufficiently interesting to be worthextraction. This place had long been considered only as a depot for stores. It exhibited nothing but a few old scattered huts and some sterile gardens. Cultivation of the ground was abandoned, and all our strength transferredto Rose Hill. Sydney, nevertheless, continued to be the place of thegovernor's residence, and consequently the headquarters of the colony. Nopublic building of note, except a storehouse, had been erected since mylast statement. The barracks, so long talked of, so long promised, for theaccommodation and discipline of the troops, were not even begun when I leftthe country; and instead of a new hospital, the old one was patched up and, with the assistance of one brought ready-framed from England, served tocontain the sick. 

The employment of the male convicts here, as at Rose Hill, was the publiclabour. Of the women, the majority were compelled to make shirts, trousersand other necessary parts of dress for the men, from materials deliveredto them from the stores, into which they returned every Saturday night theproduce of their labour, a stipulated weekly task being assigned to them. In a more early stage, government sent out all articles of clothing readymade; but, by adopting the present judicious plan, not only a public savingis effected, but employment of a suitable nature created for those whowould otherwise consume leisure in idle pursuits only. 

On the 26th of November 1791, the number of persons, of all descriptions, at Sydney, was 1259, to which, if 1628 at Rose Hill and 1172 at NorfolkIsland be added, the total number of persons in New South Wales and itsdependency will be found to amount to 4059. *

[*A very considerable addition to this number has been made since I quittedthe settlement, by fresh troops and convicts sent thither from England. ]

On the 13th of December 1791, the marine battalion embarked on board HisMajesty's ship Gorgon, and on the 18th sailed for England. 

CHAPTER XVII. 

Miscellaneous Remarks on the country. On its vegetable productions. On itsclimate. On its animal productions. On its natives, etc. 

The journals contained in the body of this publication, illustrated by themap which accompanies it (unfortunately, there is no map accompanying thisetext), are, I conceive, so descriptive of every part of the country knownto us, that little remains to be added beyond a few general observations. 

The first impression made on a stranger is certainly favourable. He seesgently swelling hills connected by vales which possess every beauty thatverdure of trees, and form, simply considered in itself, can produce; buthe looks in vain for those murmuring rills and refreshing springs whichfructify and embellish more happy lands. Nothing like those tributarystreams which feed rivers in other countries are here seen; for when Ispeak of the stream at Sydney, I mean only the drain of a morass; and theriver at Rose Hill is a creek of the harbour, which above high water markwould not in England be called even a brook. Whence the Hawkesbury, theonly fresh water river known to exist in the country, derives its supplies, would puzzle a transient observer. He sees nothing but torpid unmeaningponds (often stagnant and always still, unless agitated by heavy rains)which communicate with it. Doubtless the springs which arise in Carmarthenmountains may be said to constitute its source. To cultivate its bankswithin many miles of the bed of the stream (except on some elevateddetached spots) will be found impracticable, unless some method be devisedof erecting a mound, sufficient to repel the encroachments of a torrentwhich sometimes rises fifty feet above its ordinary level, inundating thesurrounding country in every direction. 

The country between the Hawkesbury and Rose Hill is that which I havehitherto spoken of. When the river is crossed, this prospect soon givesplace to a very different one. The green vales and moderate hills disappearat the distance of about three miles from the river side, and from KnightHill, and Mount Twiss, * the limits which terminate our researches, nothingbut precipices, wilds and deserts, are to be seen. Even these steeps failto produce streams. The difficulty of penetrating this country, joined tothe dread of a sudden rise of the Hawkesbury, forbidding all return, hashitherto prevented our reaching Carmarthen mountains. 

[*Look at the Map. (There is no map accompanying this etext)]

Let the reader now cast his eye on the relative situation of Port Jackson. He will see it cut off from communication with the northward by Broken Bay, and with the southward by Botany Bay; and what is worse, the whole spaceof intervening country yet explored, (except a narrow strip called theKangaroo Ground) in both directions, is so bad as to preclude cultivation. 

The course of the Hawkesbury will next attract his attention. To thesouthward of every part of Botany Bay we have traced this river; but howmuch farther in that line it extends we know not. Hence its channel takes anortherly direction, and finishes its course in Broken Bay, running atthe back of Port Jackson in such a manner as to form the latter into apeninsula. 

The principal question then remaining is, what is the distance between thehead of Botany Bay and the part of the Hawkesbury nearest to it? And is theintermediate country a good one, or does it lead to one which appearancesindicate to be good? To future adventurers who shall meet with moreencouragement to persevere and discover than I and my fellow wanderer[s]did, I resign the answer. In the meantime the reader is desired to lookat the remarks on the map (there is no map accompanying this etext), whichwere made in the beginning of August 1790, from Pyramid Hill, which boundedour progress on the southern expedition; when, and when only, this part ofthe country has been seen. 

It then follows that from Rose Hill to within such a distance of theHawkesbury as is protected from its inundations, is the only tract of landwe yet know of, in which cultivation can be carried on for many yearsto come. To aim at forming a computation of the distance of time, of thelabour and of the expense, which would attend forming distinct convictsettlements, beyond the bounds I have delineated; or of the difficultywhich would attend a system of communication between such establishmentsand Port Jackson, is not intended here. 

Until that period shall arrive, the progress of cultivation, when it shallhave once passed Prospect Hill, will probably steal along to the southward, in preference to the northward, from the superior nature of the country inthat direction, as the remarks inserted in the map will testify. 

Such is my statement of a plan which I deem inevitably entailed on thesettlement at Port Jackson. In sketching this outline of it let it not beobjected that I suppose the reader as well acquainted with the respectivenames and boundaries of the country as long residence and unweariedjourneying among them, have made the author. To have subjoined perpetualexplanations would have been tedious and disgusting. Familiarity with therelative positions of a country can neither be imparted, or acquired, butby constant recurrence to geographic delineations. 

On the policy of settling, with convicts only, a country at once soremote and extensive, I shall offer no remarks. Whenever I have heard thisquestion agitated, since my return to England, the cry of, "What can we dowith them! Where else can they be sent!" has always silenced me. 

Of the soil, opinions have not differed widely. A spot eminentlyfruitful has never been discovered. That there are many spots cursed witheverlasting and unconquerable sterility no one who has seen the countrywill deny. At the same time I am decidedly of opinion that many largetracts of land between Rose Hill and the Hawkesbury, even now, are of anature sufficiently favourable to produce moderate crops of whatever maybe sown in them. And provided a sufficient number of cattle* be imported toafford manure for dressing the ground, no doubt can exist that subsistencefor a limited number of inhabitants may be drawn from it. To imperfecthusbandry, and dry seasons, must indubitably be attributed part of thedeficiency of former years. Hitherto all our endeavours to derive advantagefrom mixing the different soils have proved fruitless, though possibly onlyfrom want of skill on our side. 

[*In my former narrative I have particularly noticed the suddendisappearance of the cattle, which we had brought with us into the country. Not a trace of them has ever since been observed. Their fate is a riddle, so difficult of solution that I shall not attempt it. Surely had theystrayed inland, in some of our numerous excursions, marks of them must havebeen found. It is equally impossible to believe that either the convicts ornatives killed and ate them, without some sign of detection ensuing. ]

The spontaneous productions of the soil will be soon recounted. Every partof the country is a forest: of the quality of the wood take the followinginstance. The 'Supply' wanted wood for a mast, and more than forty of thechoicest young trees were cut down before as much wood as would make itcould be procured, the trees being either rotten at the heart or riven bythe gum which abounds in them. This gum runs not always in a longitudinaldirection in the body of the tree, but is found in it in circles, like ascroll. There is however, a species of light wood which is found excellentfor boat building, but it is scarce and hardly ever found of large size. 

To find limestone many of our researches were directed. But after repeatedassays with fire and chemical preparations on all the different sorts ofstone to be picked up, it is still a desideratum. Nor did my experimentswith a magnet induce me to think that any of the stones I tried containediron. I have, however, heard other people report very differently on thishead. 

The list of esculent vegetables, and wild fruits is too contemptibleto deserve notice, if the 'sweet tea' whose virtues have been alreadyrecorded, and the common orchis root be excepted. That species of palm treewhich produces the mountain cabbage is also found in most of the freshwaterswamps, within six or seven miles of the coast. But is rarely seen fartherinland. Even the banks of the Hawkesbury are unprovided with it. The innerpart of the trunk of this tree was greedily eaten by our hogs, andformed their principal support. The grass, as has been remarked in formerpublications, does not overspread the land in a continued sward, but arisesin small detached tufts, growing every way about three inches apart, theintermediate space being bare; though the heads of the grass are often soluxuriant as to hide all deficiency on the surface. The rare and beautifulflowering shrubs, which abound in every part, deserve the highestadmiration and panegyric. 

Of the vegetable productions transplanted from other climes, maizeflourishes beyond any other grain. And as it affords a strong and nutritivearticle of food, its propagation will, I think, altogether supersede thatof wheat and barley. 

Horticulture has been attended in some places with tolerable success. AtRose Hill I have seen gardens which, without the assistance of manure, havecontinued for a short time to produce well grown vegetables. But at Sydney, without constantly dressing the ground, it was in vain to expect them; andwith it a supply of common vegetables might be procured by diligence inall seasons. Vines of every sort seem to flourish. Melons, cucumbers andpumpkins run with unbounded luxuriancy, and I am convinced that the grapesof New South Wales will, in a few years, equal those of any other country. 'That their juice will probably hereafter furnish an indispensable articleof luxury at European tables', has already been predicted in the vehemenceof speculation. Other fruits are yet in their infancy; but oranges, lemonsand figs, (of which last indeed I have eaten very good ones) will, I darebelieve, in a few years become plentiful. Apples and the fruits of colderclimes also promise to gratify expectation. The banana-tree has beenintroduced from Norfolk Island, where it grows spontaneously. 

Nor will this surprise, if the genial influence of the climate beconsidered. Placed in a latitude where the beams of the sun in thedreariest season are sufficiently powerful for many hours of the day todispense warmth and nutrition, the progress of vegetation never is at astand. The different temperatures of Rose Hill and Sydney in winter, thoughonly twelve miles apart, afford, however, curious matter of speculation. Of a well attested instance of ice being seen at the latter place, I neverheard. At the former place its production is common, and once a few flakesof snow fell. The difference can be accounted for only by supposing thatthe woods stop the warm vapours of the sea from reaching Rose Hill, whichis at the distance of sixteen miles inland; whereas Sydney is but four. *Again, the heats of summer are more violent at the former place than at thelatter, and the variations incomparably quicker. The thermometer has beenknown to alter at Rose Hill, in the course of nine hours, more than 50degrees; standing a little before sunrise at 50 degrees, and between oneand two at more than 100 degrees. To convey an idea of the climate insummer, I shall transcribe from my meteorological journal, accounts of twoparticular days which were the hottest we ever suffered under at Sydney. 

[*Look at the journal which describes the expedition in search of theriver, said to exist to the southward of Rose Hill. At the time we feltthat extraordinary degree of cold were not more than six miles south westof Rose Hill, and about nineteen miles from the the sea coast. When Imentioned this circumstance to colonel Gordon, at the Cape of Good Hope, hewondered at it; and owned, that, in his excursions into the interior partsof Africa, he had never experienced anything to match it: he attributedits production to large beds of nitre, which he said must exist in theneighbourhood. ]

December 27th 1790. Wind NNW; it felt like the blast of a heated oven, andin proportion as it increased the heat was found to be more intense, thesky hazy, the sun gleaming through at intervals. 

 At 9 a. M. 85 degrees At noon 104 Half past twelve 107 1/2 From one p. M. Until 20 minutes past two 108 1/2 At 20 minutes past two 109 At Sunset 89 At 11 p. M. 78 1/2

[By a large Thermometer made by Ramsden, and graduated on Fahrenheit'sscale. ]

 December 28th. 

 At 8 a. M. 86 10 a. M. 93 11 a. M. 101 At noon 103 1/2 Half an hour past noon 104 1/2 At one p. M. 102 At 5 p. M. 73 At sunset 69 1/2

[At a quarter past one, it stood at only 89 degrees, having, from a suddenshift of wind, fallen 13 degrees in 15 minutes. ]

My observations on this extreme heat, succeeded by so rapid a change, werethat of all animals, man seemed to bear it best. Our dogs, pigs and fowls, lay panting in the shade, or were rushing into the water. I remarked that ahen belonging to me, which had sat for a fortnight, frequently quittedher eggs, and shewed great uneasiness, but never remained from them manyminutes at one absence; taught by instinct that the wonderful power in theanimal body of generating cold in air heated beyond a certain degree, was best calculated for the production of her young. The gardens sufferedconsiderably. All the plants which had not taken deep root were withered bythe power of the sun. No lasting ill effects, however, arose to thehuman constitution. A temporary sickness at the stomach, accompanied withlassitude and headache, attacked many, but they were removed generally intwenty-four hours by an emetic, followed by an anodyne. During the time itlasted, we invariably found that the house was cooler than the open air, and that in proportion as the wind was excluded, was comfort augmented. 

But even this heat was judged to be far exceeded in the latter end of thefollowing February, when the north-west wind again set in, and blew withgreat violence for three days. At Sydney, it fell short by one degreeof what I have just recorded: but at Rose Hill, it was allowed, by everyperson, to surpass all that they had before felt, either there or in anyother part of the world. Unluckily they had no thermometer to ascertain itsprecise height. It must, however, have been intense, from the effects itproduced. An immense flight of bats driven before the wind, covered all thetrees around the settlement, whence they every moment dropped dead or in adying state, unable longer to endure the burning state of the atmosphere. Nor did the 'perroquettes', though tropical birds, bear it better. Theground was strewn with them in the same condition as the bats. 

Were I asked the cause of this intolerable heat, I should not hesitate topronounce that it was occasioned by the wind blowing over immense deserts, which, I doubt not, exist in a north-west direction from Port Jackson, andnot from fires kindled by the natives. This remark I feel necessary, asthere were methods used by some persons in the colony, both for estimatingthe degree of heat and for ascertaining the cause of its production, whichI deem equally unfair and unphilosophical. The thermometer, whence myobservations were constantly made, was hung in the open air in a southernaspect, never reached by the rays of the sun, at the distance of severalfeet above the ground. 

My other remarks on the climate will be short. It is changeable beyond anyother I ever heard of; but no phenomena sufficiently accurate to reckonupon, are found to indicate the approach of alteration. Indeed, for thefirst eighteen months that we lived in the country, changes were supposedto take place more commonly at the quartering of the moon than at othertimes. But lunar empire afterwards lost its credit. For the last two yearsand a half of our residing at Port Jackson, its influence was unperceived. Three days together seldom passed without a necessity occurring forlighting a fire in an evening. A 'habit d'ete', or a 'habit de demisaison', would be in the highest degree absurd. Clouds, storms and sunshinepass in rapid succession. Of rain, we found in general not a sufficiency, but torrents of water sometimes fall. Thunder storms, in summer, are commonand very tremendous, but they have ceased to alarm, from rarely causingmischief. Sometimes they happen in winter. I have often seen largehailstones fall. Frequent strong breezes from the westward purge the air. These are almost invariably attended with a hard clear sky. The easterlywinds, by setting in from the sea, bring thick weather and rain, exceptin summer, when they become regular sea-breezes. The 'aurora australis' issometimes seen, but is not distinguished by superior brilliancy. 

To sum up: notwithstanding the inconveniences which I have enumerated, Iwill venture to assert in few words, that no climate hitherto known is moregenerally salubrious*, or affords more days on which those pleasures whichdepend on the state of the atmosphere can be enjoyed, than that of NewSouth Wales. The winter season is particularly delightful. 

[*To this cause, I ascribe the great number of births which happened, considering the age and other circumstances, of many of the mothers. Womenwho certainly would never have bred in any other climate here produced asfine children as ever were born. ]

The leading animal production is well known to be the kangaroo. The naturalhistory of this animal will, probably, be written from observations madeupon it in England, as several living ones of both sexes, have been broughthome. Until such an account shall appear, probably the following desultoryobservation may prove acceptable. 

The genus in which the kangaroo is to be classed I leave to betternaturalists than myself to determine. How it copulates, those who pretendto have seen disagree in their accounts: nor do we know how long the periodof gestation lasts. Prolific it cannot be termed, bringing forth only oneat a birth, which the dam carries in her pouch wherever she goes until theyoung one be enabled to provide for itself; and even then, in the momentof alarm, she will stop to receive and protect it. We have killedshe-kangaroos whose pouches contained young ones completely covered withfur and of more than fifteen pounds weight, which had ceased to suck andafterwards were reared by us. In what space of time it reaches such agrowth as to be abandoned entirely by the mother, we are ignorant. It isborn blind, totally bald, the orifice of the ear closed and only just thecentre of the mouth open, but a black score, denoting what is hereafter toform the dimension of the mouth, is marked very distinctly on each sideof the opening. At its birth, the kangaroo (notwithstanding it weighs whenfull grown 200 pounds) is not so large as a half-grown mouse. I broughtsome with me to England even less, which I took from the pouches of the oldones. This phenomenon is so striking and so contrary to the general laws ofnature, that an opinion has been started that the animal is brought forthnot by the pudenda, but descends from the belly into the pouch by one ofthe teats, which are there deposited. On this difficulty as I can throwno light, I shall hazard no conjecture. It may, however, be necessaryto observe that the teats are several inches long and capable of greatdilatation. And here I beg leave to correct an error which crept into myformer publication wherein I asserted that, "the teats of the kangaroonever exceed two in number. " They sometimes, though rarely, amount to four. There is great reason to believe that they are slow of growth and live manyyears. This animal has a clavicle, or collar-bone, similar to that of thehuman body. The general colour of the kangaroo is very like that of theass, but varieties exist. Its shape and figure are well known by theplates which have been given of it. The elegance of the ear is particularlydeserving of admiration. This far exceeds the ear of the hare in quicknessof sense and is so flexible as to admit of being turned by the animalnearly quite round the head, doubtless for the purpose of informing thecreature of the approach of its enemies, as it is of a timid nature, andpoorly furnished with means of defence; though when compelled to resist, ittears furiously with its forepaws, and strikes forward very hard withits hind legs. Notwithstanding its unfavourable conformation for such apurpose, its swims strongly; but never takes to the water unless so hardpressed by its pursuers as to be left without all other refuge. The noisethey make is a faint bleat, querulous, but not easy to describe. They aresociable animals and unite in droves, sometimes to the number of fiftyor sixty together; when they are seen playful and feeding on grass, whichalone forms their food. At such time they move gently about like all otherquadrupeds, on all fours; but at the slightest noise they spring up ontheir hind legs and sit erect, listening to what it may proceed from, andif it increases they bound off on those legs only, the fore ones at thesame time being carried close to the breast like the paws of a monkey;and the tail stretched out, acts as a rudder on a ship. In drinking, thekangaroo laps. It is remarkable that they are never found in a fat state, being invariably lean. Of the flesh we always eat with avidity, but inEurope it would not be reckoned a delicacy. A rank flavour forms theprincipal objection to it. The tail is accounted the most delicious part, when stewed. 

Hitherto I have spoken only of the large, or grey kangaroo, to whichthe natives give the name of 'patagaran'. * But there are (besides thekangaroo-rat) two other sorts. One of them we called the red kangaroo, from the colour of its fur, which is like that of a hare, and sometimes ismingled with a large portion of black: the natives call it 'bagaray'. Itrarely attains to more than forty pounds weight. The third sort isvery rare, and in the formation of its head resembles the opossum. Thekangaroo-rat is a small animal, never reaching, at its utmost growth, morethan fourteen or fifteen pounds, and its usual size is not above sevenor eight pounds. It joins to the head and bristles of a rat the leadingdistinctions of a kangaroo, by running when pursued on its hind legs only, and the female having a pouch. Unlike the kangaroo, who appears to have nofixed place of residence, this little animal constructs for itself anest of grass, on the ground, of a circular figure, about ten inches indiameter, with a hole on one side for the creature to enter at; the insidebeing lined with a finer sort of grass, very soft and downy. But its mannerof carrying the materials with which it builds the nest is the greatestcuriosity: by entwining its tail (which, like that of all the kangarootribe, is long, flexible and muscular) around whatever it wants to remove, and thus dragging along the load behind it. This animal is good to eat; butwhether it be more prolific at a birth than the kangaroo, I know not. 

[*kangaroo was a name unknown to them for any animal, until we introducedit. When I showed Colbee the cows brought out in the Gorgon, he asked me ifthey were kangaroos. ]

The Indians sometimes kill the kangaroo; but their greatest destroyer isthe wild dog, * who feeds on them. Immediately on hearing or seeing thisformidable enemy, the kangaroo flies to the thickest cover, in which, ifhe can involve himself, he generally escapes. In running to the cover, theyalways, if possible, keep in paths of their own forming, to avoid the highgrass and stumps of trees which might be sticking up among it to wound themand impede their course. 

[*I once found in the woods the greatest part of a kangaroo just killed bythe dogs, which afforded to three of us a most welcome repast. Marks of itsturns and struggles on the ground were very visible. This happened in theevening, and the dogs probably had seen us approach and had run away. Atdaylight next morning they saluted us with most dreadful howling for theloss of their prey. ]

Our methods of killing them were but two; either we shot them, or huntedthem with greyhounds. We were never able to ensnare them. Those sportsmenwho relied on the gun seldom met with success, unless they slept nearcovers, into which the kangaroos were wont to retire at night, and watchedwith great caution and vigilance when the game, in the morning, salliedforth to feed. They were, however, sometimes stolen in upon in the day-timeand that fascination of the eye, which has been by some authors so muchinsisted upon, so far acts on the kangaroo that if he fixes his eye uponany one, and no other object move at the same time, he will often continuemotionless, in stupid gaze, while the sportsman advances with measuredstep, towards him, until within reach of his gun. The greyhounds for a longtime were incapable of taking them; but with a brace of dogs, if not nearcover a kangaroo almost always falls, since the greyhounds have acquiredby practice the proper method of fastening upon them. Nevertheless the dogsare often miserably torn by them. The rough wiry greyhound suffers least inthe conflict, and is most prized by the hunters. 

Other quadrupeds, besides the wild dog, consist only of the flyingsquirrel, of three kinds of opossums and some minute animals, usuallymarked by the distinction which so peculiarly characterizes the opossumtribe. The rats, soon after our landing, became not only numerous butformidable, from the destruction they occasioned in the stores. Latterlythey had almost disappeared, though to account for their absence were noteasy. The first time Colbee saw a monkey, he called 'wurra' (a rat); but onexamining its paws he exclaimed with astonishment and affright, 'mulla' (aman). 

At the head of the birds the cassowary or emu, stands conspicuous. Theprint of it which has already been given to the public is so accurate forthe most part, that it would be malignant criticism in a work of this kindto point out a few trifling defects. 

Here again naturalists must look forward to that information which longerand more intimate knowledge of the feathered tribe than I can supply, shallappear. I have nevertheless had the good fortune to see what was never seenbut once, in the country I am describing, by Europeans--a hatch, or flock, of young cassowaries with the old bird. I counted ten, but others saidthere were twelve. We came suddenly upon them, and they ran up a hillexactly like a flock of turkeys, but so fast that we could not get a shotat them. The largest cassowary ever killed in the settlement, weighedninety-four pounds. Three young ones, which had been by accident separatedfrom the dam, were once taken and presented to the governor. They were notlarger than so many pullets, although at first sight they appeared to beso from the length of their necks and legs. They were very beautifullystriped, and from their tender state were judged to be not more than threeor four days old. They lived only a few days. 

A single egg, the production of a cassowary, was picked up in a desertplace, dropped on the sand, without covering or protection of any kind. Its form was nearly a perfect ellipsis; and the colour of the shell a darkgreen, full of little indents on its surface. It measured eleven inches anda half in circumference, five inches and a quarter in height, and weighed apound and a quarter. Afterwards we had the good fortune to take a nest. Itwas found by a soldier in a sequestered solitary situation, made in a patchof lofty fern about three feet in diameter, rather of an oblong shape andcomposed of dry leaves and tops of fern stalks, very inartificially puttogether. The hollow in which lay the eggs, twelve in number, seemed madesolely by the pressure of the bird. The eggs were regularly placed in thefollowing position. 

 O O O O O O O O O O O O

The soldier, instead of greedily plundering his prize, communicated thediscovery to an officer, who immediately set out for the spot. When theyhad arrived there they continued for a long time to search in vain fortheir object, and the soldier was just about to be stigmatized withignorance, credulity or imposture, when suddenly up started the old birdand the treasure was found at their feet. 

The food of the cassowary is either grass, or a yellow bell-flower growingin the swamps. It deserves remark, that the natives deny the cassowary tobe a bird, because it does not fly. 

Of other birds the varieties are very numerous. Of the parrot tribe aloneI could, while I am writing, count up from memory fourteen different sorts. Hawks are very numerous, so are quails. A single snipe has been shot. Ducks, geese and other aquatic birds are often seen in large flocks, butare universally so shy, that it is found difficult to shoot them. Someof the smaller birds are very beautiful, but they are not remarkable foreither sweetness, or variety of notes. To one of them, not bigger thana tomtit, we have given the name of coach-whip, from its note exactlyresembling the smack of a whip. The country, I am of opinion, would aboundwith birds did not the natives, by perpetually setting fire to the grassand bushes, destroy the greater part of the nests; a cause which alsocontributes to render small quadrupeds scarce. They are besides ravenouslyfond of eggs and eat them wherever they find them. They call the roe of afish and a bird's egg by one name. 

So much has been said of the abundance in which fish are found in theharbours of New South Wales that it looks like detraction to oppose acontradiction. Some share of knowledge may, however, be supposed to belongto experience. Many a night have I toiled (in the times of distress) on thepublic service, from four o'clock in the afternoon until eight o'clock nextmorning, hauling the seine in every part of the harbour of Port Jackson:and after a circuit of many miles and between twenty and thirty hauls, seldom more than a hundred pounds of fish were taken. However, itsometimes happens that a glut enters the harbour, and for a few days theysufficiently abound. But the universal voice of all professed fishermenis that they never fished in a country where success was so precarious anduncertain. 

I shall not pretend to enumerate the variety of fish which are found. Theyare seen from a whale to a gudgeon. In the intermediate classes may bereckoned sharks of a monstrous size, skait, rock-cod, grey-mullet, bream, horse-mackarel, now and then a sole and john dory, and innumerable othersunknown in Europe, many of which are extremely delicious, and many highlybeautiful. At the top of the list, as an article of food, stands a fish, which we named light-horseman. The relish of this excellent fish wasincreased by our natives, who pointed out to us its delicacies. No epicurein England could pick a head with more glee and dexterity than they do thatof a light-horseman. 

Reptiles in the swamps and covers are numerous. Of snakes there are twoor three sorts: but whether the bite of any of them be mortal, or evenvenomous, is somewhat doubtful. I know but of one well attested instanceof a bite being received from a snake. A soldier was bitten so as to drawblood, and the wound healed as a simple incision usually does withoutshewing any symptom of malignity. A dog was reported to be bitten by asnake, and the animal swelled and died in great agony. But I will by nomeans affirm that the cause of his death was fairly ascertained. It is, however, certain that the natives show, on all occasions, the utmost horrorof the snake, and will not eat it, although they esteem lizards, goannas, and many other reptiles delicious fare. On this occasion they alwaysobserve that if the snake bites them, they become lame, but whether by thisthey mean temporary or lasting lameness I do not pretend to determine. I have often eaten snakes and always found them palatable and nutritive, though it was difficult to stew them to a tender state. 

Summer here, as in all other countries, brings with it a long list ofinsects. In the neighborhood of rivers and morasses, mosquitoes andsandflies are never wanting at any season, but at Sydney they are seldomnumerous or troublesome. The most nauseous and destructive of all theinsects is a fly which blows not eggs but large living maggots, and ifthe body of the fly be opened it is found full of them. Of ants there areseveral sorts, one of which bites very severely. The white ant issometimes seen. Spiders are large and numerous. Their webs are not only thestrongest, but the finest, and most silky I ever felt. I have often thoughttheir labour might be turned to advantage. It has, I believe, been provedthat spiders, were it not for their quarrelsome disposition which irritatesthem to attack and destroy each other, might be employed more profitablythan silk-worms. 

The hardiness of some of the insects deserves to be mentioned. A beetle wasimmersed in proof spirits for four hours, and when taken out crawled awayalmost immediately. It was a second time immersed, and continued in a glassof rum for a day and a night, at the expiration of which period it stillshowed symptoms of life. Perhaps, however, what I from ignorance deemwonderful is common. 

*****

The last but the most important production yet remains to be considered. Whether plodding in London, reeking with human blood in Paris or wanderingamidst the solitary wilds of New South Wales--Man is ever an object ofinterest, curiosity and reflection. 

The natives around Port Jackson are in person rather more diminutive andslighter made, especially about the thighs and legs, than the Europeans. Itis doubtful whether their society contained a person of six feet high. Thetallest I ever measured, reached five feet eleven inches, and men of hisheight were rarely seen. Baneelon, who towered above the majority of hiscountrymen, stood barely five feet eight inches high. His other principaldimensions were as follows:

 Girth of the Chest. 2 feet 10 inches Girth of the Belly. 2 feet 6 1/2 inches Girth of the Thigh. 18 1/8 inches Girth of the Leg at the Calf. 12 1/8 inches Girth of the Leg at the Small. 10 inches Girth of arm half way between the shoulder and elbow. 9 inches

Instances of natural deformity are scarce, nor did we ever see one of themleft-handed. They are, indeed, nearly ambidexter; but the sword, the spearand the fish-gig are always used with the right hand. Their muscular forceis not great; but the pliancy of their limbs renders them very active. "Give to civilized man all his machines, and he is superior to the savage;but without these, how inferior is he found on opposition, even more sothan the savage in the first instance. " These are the words of Rousseau, and like many more of his positions must be received with limitation. Werean unarmed Englishman and an unarmed New Hollander to engage, the latter, Ithink, would fall. 

Mr. Cook seems inclined to believe the covering of their heads to be wool. But this is erroneous. It is certainly hair, which when regularly combedbecomes soon nearly as flexible and docile as our own. Their teeth are notso white and good as those generally found in Indian nations, except in thechildren, but the inferiority originates in themselves. They bite sticks, stones, shells and all other hard substances, indiscriminately with them, which quickly destroys the enamel and gives them a jagged and unevenappearance. A high forehead, with prominent overhanging eyebrows, istheir leading characteristic, and when it does not operate to destroy allopenness of countenance gives an air of resolute dignity to the aspect, which recommends, in spite of a true negro nose, thick lips, and a widemouth. The prominent shin bone, so invariably found in the Africans, isnot, however, seen. But in another particular they are more alike. Therank offensive smell which disgusts so much in the negro, prevails stronglyamong them when they are in their native state, but it wears off in thosewho have resided with us and have been taught habits of cleanliness. Theirhands and feet are small*, especially the former. 

[*I mentioned this, among other circumstances, to colonel Gordon when Iwas at the Cape, and he told me that it indicated poverty and inadequacyof living. He instanced to me the Hottentots and Caffres. The former farepoorly, and have small hands and feet. The Caffres, their neighbours, liveplenteously and have very large ones. This remark cannot be applied tocivilized nations, where so many factitious causes operate. ]

Their eyes are full, black and piercing, but the almost perpetual strain inwhich the optic nerve is kept, by looking out for prey, renders their sightweak at an earlier age than we in general find ours affected. These largeblack eyes are universally shaded by the long thick sweepy eyelash, so muchprized in appreciating beauty, that, perhaps hardly any face is so homelywhich this aid cannot in some degree render interesting; and hardly any solovely which, without it, bears not some trace of insipidity. Their toneof voice is loud, but not harsh. I have in some of them found it verypleasing. 

Longevity, I think, is seldom attained by them. Unceasing agitation wearsout the animal frame and is unfriendly to length of days. We have seen themgrey with age, but not old; perhaps never beyond sixty years. But it may besaid, the American Indian, in his undebauched state, lives to an advancedperiod. True, but he has his seasons of repose. He reaps his little harvestof maize and continues in idleness while it lasts. He kills the roebuck orthe moose-deer, which maintains him and his family for many days, duringwhich cessation the muscles regain their spring and fit him for freshtoils. Whereas every sun awakes the native of New South Wales (unlessa whale be thrown upon the coast) to a renewal of labour, to providesubsistence for the present day. 

The women are proportionally smaller than the men. I never measured but twoof them, who were both, I think, about the medium height. One of them, asister of Baneelon, stood exactly five feet two inches high. The other, named Gooreedeeana, was shorter by a quarter of an inch. 

But I cannot break from Gooreedeeana so abruptly. She belonged to the tribeof Cameragal, and rarely came among us. One day, however, she entered myhouse to complain of hunger. She excelled in beauty all their femalesI ever saw. Her age about eighteen, the firmness, the symmetry and theluxuriancy of her bosom might have tempted painting to copy its charms. Her mouth was small and her teeth, though exposed to all the destructivepurposes to which they apply them, were white, sound and unbroken. Hercountenance, though marked by some of the characteristics of her nativeland, was distinguished by a softness and sensibility unequalled in therest of her countrywomen, and I was willing to believe that these traitsindicated the disposition of her mind. I had never before seen this eleganttimid female, of whom I had often heard; but the interest I took in herled me to question her about her husband and family. She answered meby repeating a name which I have now forgotten, and told me she had nochildren. I was seized with a strong propensity to learn whether theattractions of Gooreedeeana were sufficiently powerful to secure her fromthe brutal violence with which the women are treated, and as I found myquestion either ill understood or reluctantly answered, I proceeded toexamine her head, the part on which the husband's vengeance generallyalights. With grief I found it covered by contusions and mangled by scars. The poor creature, grown by this time more confident from perceiving that Ipitied her, pointed out a wound just above her left knee which she told mewas received from a spear, thrown at her by a man who had lately draggedher by force from her home to gratify his lust. I afterwards observed thatthis wound had caused a slight lameness and that she limped in walking. Icould only compassionate her wrongs and sympathize in her misfortunes. Toalleviate her present sense of them, when she took her leave I gave her, however, all the bread and salt pork which my little stock afforded. 

After this I never saw her but once, when I happened to be near theharbour's mouth in a boat, with captain Ball. We met her in a canoe withseveral more of her sex. She was painted for a ball, with broad stripes ofwhite earth, from head to foot, so that she no longer looked like the sameGooreedeeana. We offered her several presents, all of which she readilyaccepted; but finding our eagerness and solicitude to inspect her, shemanaged her canoe with such address as to elude our too near approach, andacted the coquet to admiration. 

To return from this digression to my subject, I have only farther toobserve that the estimation of female beauty among the natives (the men atleast) is in this country the same as in most others. Were a New Hollanderto portray his mistress, he would draw her the 'Venus aux belles fesses'. Whenever Baneelon described to us his favourite fair, he always painted herin this, and another particular, as eminently luxuriant. 

Unsatisfied, however, with natural beauty (like the people of allother countries) they strive by adscititious embellishments to heightenattraction, and often with as little success. Hence the naked savage of NewSouth Wales pierces the septum of his nose, through which he runs astick or a bone, and scarifies his body, the charms of which increasein proportion to the number and magnitude of seams by which it isdistinguished. The operation is performed by making two longitudinalincisions with a sharpened shell, and afterwards pinching up with thenails the intermediate space of skin and flesh, which thereby becomesconsiderably elevated and forms a prominence as thick as a man's finger. No doubt but pain must be severely felt until the wound be healed. But thelove of ornament defies weaker considerations, and no English beau can bearmore stoutly the extraction of his teeth to make room for a fresh set froma chimney sweeper, or a fair one suffer her tender ears to be perforated, with more heroism than the grisly nymphs on the banks of Port Jackson, submit their sable shoulders to the remorseless lancet. 

That these scarifications are intended solely to increase personalallurement I will not, however, positively affirm. Similar, perhaps, to thecause of an excision of part of the little finger of the left hand inthe women, and of a front tooth in the men;* or probably after all ourconjectures, superstitious ceremonies by which they hope either to avertevil or to propagate good, are intended. The colours with which theybesmear the bodies of both sexes possibly date from the same common origin. White paint is strictly appropriate to the dance. Red seems to be used onnumberless occasions, and is considered as a colour of less consequence. It may be remarked that they translate the epithet white when they speak ofus, not by the name which they assign to this white earth, but by that withwhich they distinguish the palms of their hands. 

[*It is to be observed that neither of these ceremonies is universal, butnearly so. Why there should exist exemptions I cannot resolve. The mannerof executing them is as follows. The finger is taken off by means of aligature (generally a sinew of a kangaroo) tied so tight as to stop thecirculation of the blood, which induces mortification and the part dropsoff. I remember to have seen Colbee's child, when about a month old, onwhom this operation had been just performed by her mother. The littlewretch seemed in pain, and her hand was greatly swelled. But this wasdeemed too trifling a consideration to deserve regard in a case of so muchimportance. 

The tooth intended to be taken out is loosened by the gum being scarifiedon both sides with a sharp shell. The end of a stick is then applied to thetooth, which is struck gently several times with a stone, until it becomeseasily moveable, when the 'coup de grace' is given by a smart stroke. Notwithstanding these precautions, I have seen a considerable degree ofswelling and inflammation follow the extraction. Imeerawanyee, I remember, suffered severely. But he boasted the firmness and hardihood with which hehad endured it. It is seldom performed on those who are under sixteen yearsold. ]

As this leads to an important subject I shall at once discuss it. "Havethese people any religion: any knowledge of, or belief in a deity?--anyconception of the immortality of the soul?" are questions which have beenoften put to me since my arrival in England: I shall endeavour to answerthem with candour and seriousness. 

Until belief be enlightened by revelation and chastened by reason, religion and superstition, are terms of equal import. One of our earliestimpressions is the consciousness of a superior power. The various formsunder which this impression has manifested itself are objects of the mostcurious speculation. 

The native of New South Wales believes that particular aspects andappearances of the heavenly bodies predict good or evil consequences tohimself and his friends. He oftentimes calls the sun and moon 'weeree, 'that is, malignant, pernicious. Should he see the leading fixed stars (manyof which he can call by name) obscured by vapours, he sometimes disregardsthe omen, and sometimes draws from it the most dreary conclusions. Iremember Abaroo running into a room where a company was assembled, anduttering frightful exclamations of impending mischiefs about to light onher and her countrymen. When questioned on the cause of such agitation shewent to the door and pointed to the skies, saying that whenever the starswore that appearance, misfortunes to the natives always followed. The nightwas cloudy and the air disturbed by meteors. I have heard many more of themtestify similar apprehensions. 

However involved in darkness and disfigured by error such a belief be, noone will, I presume, deny that it conveys a direct implication of superioragency; of a power independent of and uncontrolled by those who are theobjects of its vengeance. But proof stops not here. When they hear thethunder roll and view the livid glare, they flee them not, but rush out anddeprecate destruction. They have a dance and a song appropriated to thisawful occasion, which consist of the wildest and most uncouth noises andgestures. Would they act such a ceremony did they not conceive that eitherthe thunder itself, or he who directs the thunder, might be propitiated byits performance? That a living intellectual principle exists, capable ofcomprehending their petition and of either granting or denying it? Theynever address prayers to bodies which they know to be inanimate, eitherto implore their protection or avert their wrath. When the gum-tree in atempest nods over them; or the rock overhanging the cavern in which theysleep threatens by its fall to crush them, they calculate (as far as theirknowledge extends) on physical principles, like other men, the nearness andmagnitude of the danger, and flee it accordingly. And yet there is reasonto believe that from accidents of this nature they suffer more than fromlightning. Baneelon once showed us a cave, the top of which had fallen inand buried under its ruins, seven people who were sleeping under it. 

To descend; is not even the ridiculous superstition of Colbee related inone of our journies to the Hawkesbury? And again the following instance. Abaroo was sick. To cure her, one of her own sex slightly cut her on theforehead, in a perpendicular direction with an oyster shell, so as just tofetch blood. She then put one end of a string to the wound and, beginningto sing, held the other end to her own gums, which she rubbed until theybled copiously. This blood she contended was the blood of the patient, flowing through the string, and that she would thereby soon recover. Abaroobecame well, and firmly believed that she owed her cure to the treatmentshe had received. Are not these, I say, links, subordinate ones indeed, of the same golden chain? He who believes in magic confesses supernaturalagency, and a belief of this sort extends farther in many persons than theyare willing to allow. There have lived men so inconsistent with their ownprinciples as to deny the existence of a God, who have nevertheless turnedpale at the tricks of a mountebank. 

But not to multiply arguments on a subject where demonstration (at least tome) is incontestable, I shall close by expressing my firm belief that theIndians of New South Wales acknowledge the existence of a superintendingdeity. Of their ideas of the origin and duration of his existence; ofhis power and capacity; of his benignity or maleficence; or of their ownemanation from him, I pretend not to speak. I have often, in common withothers, tried to gain information from them on this head; but we werealways repulsed by obstacles which we could neither pass by or surmount. Mr. Dawes attempted to teach Abaroo some of our notions of religion, andhoped that she would thereby be induced to communicate hers in return. But her levity and love of play in a great measure defeated his efforts, although every thing he did learn from her served to confirm what is hereadvanced. It may be remarked, that when they attended at church with us(which was a common practice) they always preserved profound silence anddecency, as if conscious that some religious ceremony on our side wasperforming. 

The question of, whether they believe in the immortality of the soulwill take up very little time to answer. They are universally fearfulof spirits. * They call a spirit 'mawn'. They often scruple to approach acorpse, saying that the 'mawn' will seize them and that it fastens uponthem in the night when asleep. ** When asked where their deceased friendsare they always point to the skies. To believe in after existence is toconfess the immortality of some part of being. To enquire whether theyassign a 'limited' period to such future state would be superfluous. Thisis one of the subtleties of speculation which a savage may be supposednot to have considered, without impeachment either of his sagacity orhappiness. 

[* "It is remarkable, " says Cicero, "that there is no nation, whetherbarbarous or civilized, that does not believe in the existence ofspirits". ]

[**As they often eat to satiety, even to produce sickness, may not this bethe effect of an overloaded stomach: the nightmare?]

Their manner of interring the dead has been amply described. It is certainthat instead of burying they sometimes burn the corpse; but the cause ofdistinction we know not. A dead body, covered by a canoe, at whose sidea sword and shield were placed in state, was once discovered. All that wecould learn about this important personage was that he was a 'Gweeagal'(one of the tribe of Gweea) and a celebrated warrior. 

To appreciate their general powers of mind is difficult. Ignorance, prejudice, the force of habit, continually interfere to preventdispassionate judgment. I have heard men so unreasonable as to exclaim atthe stupidity of these people for not comprehending what a small shareof reflection would have taught them they ought not to have expected. Andothers again I have heard so sanguine in their admiration as to extol forproofs of elevated genius what the commonest abilities were capable ofexecuting. 

If they be considered as a nation whose general advancement andacquisitions are to be weighed, they certainly rank very low, even in thescale of savages. They may perhaps dispute the right of precedence with theHottentots or the shivering tribes who inhabit the shores of Magellan. But how inferior do they show when compared with the subtle African; thepatient watchful American; or the elegant timid islander of the SouthSeas. Though suffering from the vicissitudes of their climate, strangersto clothing, though feeling the sharpness of hunger and knowing theprecariousness of supply from that element on whose stores they principallydepend, ignorant of cultivating the earth--a less enlightened state weshall exclaim can hardly exist. 

But if from general view we descend to particular inspection, and examineindividually the persons who compose this community, they will certainlyrise in estimation. In the narrative part of this work, I have endeavouredrather to detail information than to deduce conclusions, leaving to thereader the exercise of his own judgment. The behaviour of Arabanoo, ofBaneelon, of Colbee and many others is copiously described, and assuredlyhe who shall make just allowance for uninstructed nature will hardly accuseany of those persons of stupidity or deficiency of apprehension. 

To offer my own opinion on the subject, I do not hesitate to declare thatthe natives of New South Wales possess a considerable portion of thatacumen, or sharpness of intellect, which bespeaks genius. All savages hatetoil and place happiness in inaction, and neither the arts of civilizedlife can be practised or the advantages of it felt without application andlabour. Hence they resist knowledge and the adoption of manners and customsdiffering from their own. The progress of reason is not only slow, butmechanical. "De toutes les Instructions propres a l'homme, celle qu'ilacquiert le plus tard, et le plus difficilement, est la raison meme. " Thetranquil indifference and uninquiring eye with which they surveyed ourworks of art have often, in my hearing, been stigmatized as proofs ofstupidity, and want of reflection. But surely we should discriminatebetween ignorance and defect of understanding. The truth was, they oftenneither comprehended the design nor conceived the utility of such works, but on subjects in any degree familiarised to their ideas, they generallytestified not only acuteness of discernment but a large portion of goodsense. I have always thought that the distinctions they shewed in theirestimate of us, on first entering into our society, strongly displayed thelatter quality: when they were led into our respective houses, at once tobe astonished and awed by our superiority, their attention was directlyturned to objects with which they were acquainted. They passed withoutrapture or emotion our numerous artifices and contrivances, but when theysaw a collection of weapons of war or of the skins of animals and birds, they never failed to exclaim, and to confer with each other on the subject. The master of that house became the object of their regard, as theyconcluded he must be either a renowned warrior, or an expert hunter. Oursurgeons grew into their esteem from a like cause. In a very early stage ofintercourse, several natives were present at the amputation of a leg. Whenthey first penetrated the intention of the operator, they were confounded, not believing it possible that such an operation could be performed withoutloss of life, and they called aloud to him to desist; but when they saw thetorrent of blood stopped, the vessels taken up and the stump dressed, their horror and alarm yielded to astonishment and admiration, which theyexpressed by the loudest tokens. If these instances bespeak not nature andgood sense, I have yet to learn the meaning of the terms. 

If it be asked why the same intelligent spirit which led them tocontemplate and applaud the success of the sportsman and the skill of thesurgeon, did not equally excite them to meditate on the labours of thebuilder and the ploughman, I can only answer that what we see in its remotecause is always more feebly felt than that which presents to our immediategrasp both its origin and effect. 

Their leading good and bad qualities I shall concisely touch upon. Oftheir intrepidity no doubt can exist. Their levity, their fickleness, theirpassionate extravagance of character, cannot be defended. They are indeedsudden and quick in quarrel; but if their resentment be easily roused, their thirst of revenge is not implacable. Their honesty, when temptedby novelty, is not unimpeachable, but in their own society there is goodreason to believe that few breaches of it occur. It were well if similarpraise could be given to their veracity: but truth they neither prize norpractice. When they wish to deceive they scruple not to utter the grossestand most hardened lies. * Their attachment and gratitude to those among uswhom they have professed to love have always remained inviolable, unlesseffaced by resentment, from sudden provocation: then, like all otherIndians, the impulse of the moment is alone regarded by them. 

[*This may serve to account for the contradictions of many of theiraccounts to us. ]

Some of their manufactures display ingenuity, when the rude tools withwhich they work, and their celerity of execution are considered. Thecanoes, fish-gigs, swords, shields, spears, throwing sticks, clubs, and hatchets, are made by the men. To the women are committed thefishing-lines, hooks and nets. As very ample collections of all thesearticles are to be found in many museums in England, I shall only brieflydescribe the way in which the most remarkable of them are made. Thefish-gigs and spears are commonly (but not universally) made of the longspiral shoot which arises from the top of the yellow gum-tree, and bearsthe flower. The former have several prongs, barbed with the bone ofkangaroo. The latter are sometimes barbed with the same substance, or withthe prickle of the sting-ray, or with stone or hardened gum, and sometimessimply pointed. Dexterity in throwing and parrying the spear is consideredas the highest acquirement. The children of both sexes practice from thetime that they are able to throw a rush; their first essay. It forms theirconstant recreation. They afterwards heave at each other with pointedtwigs. He who acts on the defensive holds a piece of new soft bark in theleft hand, to represent a shield, in which he receives the darts of theassailant, the points sticking in it. Now commences his turn. He extractsthe twigs and darts them back at the first thrower, who catches themsimilarly. In warding off the spear they never present their front, butalways turn their side, their head at the same time just clear of theshield, to watch the flight of the weapon; and the body covered. If a speardrop from them when thus engaged, they do not stoop to pick it up, but hookit between the toes and so lift it until it meet the hand. Thus the eye isnever diverted from its object, the foe. If they wish to break a spear orany wooden substance, they lay it not across the thigh or the body, butupon the head, and press down the ends until it snap. Their shields areof two sorts. That called 'illemon' is nothing but a piece of bark witha handle fixed in the inside of it. The other, dug out of solid wood, iscalled 'aragoon', and is made as follows, with great labour. On the barkof a tree they mark the size of the shield, then dig the outline as deepas possible in the wood with hatchets, and lastly flake it off as thick asthey can, by driving in wedges. The sword is a large heavy piece of wood, shaped like a sabre, and capable of inflicting a mortal wound. In usingit they do not strike with the convex side, but with the concave one, andstrive to hook in their antagonists so as to have them under their blows. The fishing-lines are made of the bark of a shrub. The women roll shredsof this on the inside of the thigh, so as to twist it together, carefullyinserting the ends of every fresh piece into the last made. They are notas strong as lines of equal size formed of hemp. The fish-hooks are choppedwith a stone out of a particular shell, and afterwards rubbed until theybecome smooth. They are very much curved, and not barbed. Considering thequickness with which they are finished, the excellence of the work, if itbe inspected, is admirable. In all these manufactures the sole of the footis used both by men and women as a work-board. They chop a piece of wood, or aught else upon it, even with an iron tool, without hurting themselves. It is indeed nearly as hard as the hoof of an ox. 

Their method of procuring fire is this. They take a reed and shave one sideof the surface flat. In this they make a small incision to reach the pith, and introducing a stick, purposely blunted at the end, into it, turn itround between the hands (as chocolate is milled) as swiftly as possible, until flame be produced. As this operation is not only laborious, but theeffect tedious, they frequently relieve each other at the exercise. And toavoid being often reduced to the necessity of putting it in practice, theyalways, if possible, carry a lighted stick with them, whether in theircanoes or moving from place to place on land. 

Their treatment of wounds must not be omitted. A doctor is, with them, aperson of importance and esteem, but his province seems rather tocharm away occult diseases than to act the surgeon's part, which, as asubordinate science, is exercised indiscriminately. Their excellent habitof body*, the effect of drinking water only, speedily heals wounds withoutan exterior application which with us would take weeks or months to close. They are, nevertheless, sadly tormented by a cutaneous eruption, but wenever found it contagious. After receiving a contusion, if the partswell they fasten a ligature very tightly above it, so as to stop allcirculation. Whether to this application, or to their undebauched habit, itbe attributable, I know not, but it is certain that a disabled limb amongthem is rarely seen, although violent inflammations from bruises, which inus would bring on a gangrene, daily happen. If they get burned, either fromrolling into the fire when asleep, or from the flame catching the grasson which they lie (both of which are common accidents) they cover the partwith a thin paste of kneaded clay, which excludes the air and adheres tothe wound until it be cured, and the eschar falls off. 

[*Their native hardiness of constitution is great. I saw a woman on the dayshe was brought to bed, carry her new-born infant from Botany Bay to PortJackson, a distance of six miles, and afterwards light a fire and dressfish. ]

Their form of government, and the detail of domestic life, yet remainuntold. The former cannot occupy much space. Without distinctions of rank, except those which youth and vigour confer, theirs is strictly a system of'equality' attended with only one inconvenience--the strong triumph overthe weak. Whether any laws exist among them for the punishment of offencescommitted against society; or whether the injured party in all cases seeksfor relief in private revenge, I will not positively affirm; though I amstrongly inclined to believe that only the latter method prevails. I havealready said that they are divided into tribes; but what constitutes theright of being enrolled in a tribe, or where exclusion begins and ends, I am ignorant. The tribe of Cameragal is of all the most numerous andpowerful. Their superiority probably arose from possessing the best fishingground, and perhaps from their having suffered less from the ravages of thesmallpox. 

In the domestic detail there may be novelty, but variety is unattainable. One day must be very like another in the life of a savage. Summoned bythe calls of hunger and the returning light, he starts from his belovedindolence, and snatching up the remaining brand of his fire, hastens withhis wife to the strand to commence their daily task. In general the canoeis assigned to her, into which she puts the fire and pushes off into deepwater, to fish with hook and line, this being the province of the women. If she have a child at the breast, she takes it with her. And thus in herskiff, a piece of bark tied at both ends with vines, and the edge of itbut just above the surface of the water, she pushes out regardless ofthe elements, if they be but commonly agitated. While she paddles tothe fishing-bank, and while employed there, the child is placed on hershoulders, entwining its little legs around her neck and closely graspingher hair with its hands. To its first cries she remains insensible, as shebelieves them to arise only from the inconvenience of a situation, to whichshe knows it must be inured. But if its plaints continue, and she supposesit to be in want of food, she ceases her fishing and clasps it to herbreast. An European spectator is struck with horror and astonishment attheir perilous situation, but accidents seldom happen. The management ofthe canoe alone appears a work of unsurmountable difficulty, its breadth isso inadequate to its length. The Indians, aware of its ticklish formation, practise from infancy to move in it without risk. Use only could reconcilethem to the painful position in which they sit in it. They drop in themiddle of the canoe upon their knees, and resting the buttocks on theheels, extend the knees to the sides, against which they press strongly, so as to form a poise sufficient to retain the body in its situation, andrelieve the weight which would otherwise fall wholly upon the toes. Eitherin this position or cautiously moving in the centre of the vessel, themother tends her child, keeps up her fire (which is laid on a smallpatch of earth), paddles her boat, broils fish and provides in part thesubsistence of the day. Their favourite bait for fish is a cockle. 

The husband in the mean time warily moves to some rock, over which he canpeep into unruffled water to look for fish. For this purpose he alwayschooses a weather shore, and the various windings of the numerous creeksand indents always afford one. Silent and watchful, he chews a cockle andspits it into the water. Allured by the bait, the fish appear from beneaththe rock. He prepares his fish-gig, and pointing it downward, moves itgently towards the object, always trying to approach it as near aspossible to the fish before the stroke be given. At last he deems himselfsufficiently advanced and plunges it at his prey. If he has hit his mark, he continues his efforts and endeavours to transpierce it or so to entanglethe barbs in the flesh as to prevent its escape. When he finds it securehe drops the instrument, and the fish, fastened on the prongs, rises to thesurface, floated by the buoyancy of the staff. Nothing now remains to bedone but to haul it to him, with either a long stick or another fish-gig(for an Indian, if he can help it, never goes into the water on theseoccasions) to disengage it, and to look out for fresh sport. 

But sometimes the fish have either deserted the rocks for deeper water, orare too shy to suffer approach. He then launches his canoe, and leaving theshore behind, watches the rise of prey out of the water, and darts his gigat them to the distance of many yards. Large fish he seldom procures bythis method; but among shoals of mullets, which are either pursued byenemies, or leap at objects on the surface, he is often successful. Baneelon has been seen to kill more than twenty fish by this method in anafternoon. The women sometimes use the gig, and always carry one in eachcanoe to strike large fish which may be hooked and thereby facilitate thecapture. But generally speaking, this instrument is appropriate to the men, who are never seen fishing with the line, and would indeed consider it as adegradation of their pre-eminence. 

When prevented by tempestuous weather or any other cause, from fishing, these people suffer severely. They have then no resource but to pick upshellfish, which may happen to cling to the rocks, and be cast on thebeach, to hunt particular reptiles and small animals, which are scarce, to dig fern root in the swamps or to gather a few berries, destitute offlavour and nutrition, which the woods afford. To alleviate the sensationof hunger, they tie a ligature tightly around the belly, as I have oftenseen our soldiers do from the same cause. 

Let us, however, suppose them successful in procuring fish. The wifereturns to land with her booty, and the husband quitting the rock joinshis stock to hers; and they repair either to some neighbouring cavern orto their hut. This last is composed of pieces of bark, very rudely piledtogether, in shape as like a soldier's tent as any known image to which Ican compare it: too low to admit the lord of it to stand upright, butlong and wide enough to admit three or four persons to lie under it. "Here shelters himself a being, born with all those powers which educationexpands, and all those sensations which culture refines. " With a lightedstick brought from the canoe they now kindle a small fire at the mouth ofthe hut and prepare to dress their meal. They begin by throwing the fishexactly in the state in which it came from the water, on the fire. When ithas become a little warmed they take it off, rub away the scales, and thenpeal off with their teeth the surface, which they find done and eat. Now, and not before, they gut it; but if the fish be a mullet or any other whichhas a fatty substance about the intestines, they carefully guard that partand esteem it a delicacy. The cooking is now completed by the remainingpart being laid on the fire until it be sufficiently done. A bird, alizard, a rat, or any other animal, they treat in the same manner. Thefeathers of the one and the fur of the other, they thus get rid of. *

[*They broil indiscriminately all substances which they eat. Though theyboil water in small quantities in oyster shells for particular purposes, they never conceived it possible until shown by us, to dress meat by thismethod, having no vessel capable of containing a fish or a bird which wouldstand fire. Two of them once stole twelve pounds of rice and carried itoff. They knew how we cooked it, and by way of putting it in practice theyspread the rice on the ground before a fire, and as it grew hot continuedto throw water on it. Their ingenuity was however very ill rewarded, forthe rice became so mingled with the dirt and sand on which it was laid, that even they could not eat it, and the whole was spoiled. ]

Unless summoned away by irresistable necessity, sleep always follows therepast. They would gladly prolong it until the following day; but thecanoe wants repair, the fish-gig must be barbed afresh, new lines must betwisted, and new hooks chopped out. They depart to their respective tasks, which end only with the light. 

Such is the general life of an Indian. But even he has his hours ofrelaxation, in seasons of success, when fish abounds. Wanton with plenty, he now meditates an attack upon the chastity of some neighbouring fair one;and watching his opportunity he seizes her and drags her away to completehis purpose. The signal of war is lighted; her lover, her father, herbrothers, her tribe, assemble, and vow revenge on the spoiler. He tellshis story to his tribe. They judge the case to be a common one and agree tosupport him. Battle ensues; they discharge their spears at each other, andlegs and arms are transpierced. When the spears are expended the combatantsclose and every species of violence is practiced. They seize theirantagonist and snap like enraged dogs, they wield the sword and club, the bone shatters beneath their fall and they drop the prey of unsparingvengeance. 

Too justly, as my observations teach me has Hobbes defined a state ofnature to be a state of war. In the method of waging it among these people, one thing should not, however, escape notice. Unlike all other Indians, they never carry on operations in the night, or seek to destroy by ambushand surprise. Their ardent fearless character, seeks fair and open combatonly. 

But enmity has its moments of pause. Then they assemble to sing and dance. We always found their songs disagreeable from their monotony. They arenumerous, and vary both in measure and time. They have songs of war, ofhunting, of fishing, for the rise and set of the sun, for rain, for thunderand for many other occasions. One of these songs, which may be termeda speaking pantomime, recites the courtship between the sexes and isaccompanied with acting highly expressive. I once heard and saw Nanbareeand Abaroo perform it. After a few preparatory motions she gently sunk onthe ground, as if in a fainting fit. Nanbaree applying his mouth to herear, began to whisper in it, and baring her bosom, breathed on it severaltimes. At length, the period of the swoon having expired, with returninganimation she gradually raised herself. She now began to relate what shehad seen in her vision, mentioning several of her countrymen by name, whomwe knew to be dead; mixed with other strange incoherent matter, equally newand inexplicable, though all tending to one leading point--the sacrifice ofher charms to her lover. 

At their dances I have often been present; but I confess myself unable toconvey in description an accurate account of them. Like their songs, theyare conceived to represent the progress of the passions and the occupationsof life. Full of seeming confusion, yet regular and systematic, their wildgesticulations, and frantic distortions of body are calculated rather toterrify, than delight, a spectator. These dances consist of short parts, or acts, accompanied with frequent vociferations, and a kind of hissing, or whizzing noise. They commonly end with a loud rapid shout, and after ashort respite are renewed. While the dance lasts, one of them (usuallya person of note and estimation) beats time with a stick on a woodeninstrument held in the left hand, accompanying the music with his voice;and the dancers sometimes sing in concert. 

I have already mentioned that white is the colour appropriated to thedance, but the style of painting is left to every one's fancy. Some arestreaked with waving lines from head to foot; others marked by broadcross-bars, on the breast, back, and thighs, or encircled with spirallines, or regularly striped like a zebra. Of these ornaments, the facenever wants its share, and it is hard to conceive any thing in the shapeof humanity more hideous and terrific than they appear to a stranger--seen, perhaps, through the livid gleam of a fire, the eyes surrounded by largewhite circles, in contrast with the black ground, the hair stuck full ofpieces of bone and in the hand a grasped club, which they occasionallybrandish with the greatest fierceness and agility. Some dances areperformed by men only, some by women only, and in others the sexes mingle. In one of them I have seen the men drop on their hands and knees andkiss the earth with the greatest fervor, between the kisses looking up toHeaven. They also frequently throw up their arms, exactly in the manner inwhich the dancers of the Friendly Islands are depicted in one of the platesof Mr. Cook's last voyage. 

Courtship here, as in other countries, is generally promoted by thisexercise, where every one tries to recommend himself to attention andapplause. Dancing not only proves an incentive, but offers an opportunityin its intervals. The first advances are made by the men, who striveto render themselves agreeable to their favourites by presents offishing-tackle and other articles which they know will prove acceptable. Generally speaking, a man has but one wife, but infidelity on the side ofthe husband, with the unmarried girls, is very frequent. For the most part, perhaps, they intermarry in their respective tribes. This rule is not, however, constantly observed, and there is reason to think that a morethan ordinary share of courtship and presents, on the part of the man, is required in this case. Such difficulty seldom operates to extinguishdesire, and nothing is more common than for the unsuccessful suitor toravish by force that which he cannot accomplish by entreaty. I do notbelieve that very near connections by blood ever cohabit. We knew of noinstance of it. 

But indeed the women are in all respects treated with savage barbarityCondemned not only to carry the children but all other burthens, they meetin return for submission only with blows, kicks and every other mark ofbrutality. When an Indian is provoked by a woman, he either spears heror knocks her down on the spot. On this occasion he always strikes on thehead, using indiscriminately a hatchet, a club or any other weaponwhich may chance to be in his hand. The heads of the women are alwaysconsequently seen in the state which I found that of Gooreedeeana. Colbee, who was certainly, in other respects a good tempered merry fellow, made noscruple of treating Daringa, who was a gentle creature, thus. Baneelon didthe same to Barangaroo, but she was a scold and a vixen, and nobody pitiedher. It must nevertheless be confessed that the women often artfully studyto irritate and inflame the passions of the men, although sensible that theconsequence will alight on themselves. 

Many a matrimonial scene of this sort have I witnessed. Lady Mary WortleyMontague, in her sprightly letters from Turkey, longs for some of theadvocates for passive obedience and unconditional submission then existingin England to be present at the sights exhibited in a despotic government. A thousand times, in like manner, have I wished that those Europeanphilosophers whose closet speculations exalt a state of nature abovea state of civilization, could survey the phantom which their heatedimaginations have raised. Possibly they might then learn that a state ofnature is, of all others, least adapted to promote the happiness of abeing capable of sublime research and unending ratiocination. That a savageroaming for prey amidst his native deserts is a creature deformed by allthose passions which afflict and degrade our nature, unsoftened by theinfluence of religion, philosophy and legal restriction: and that the moremen unite their talents, the more closely the bands of society are drawnand civilization advanced, inasmuch is human felicity augmented, and manfitted for his unalienable station in the universe. 

Of the language of New South Wales I once hoped to have subjoined to thiswork such an exposition as should have attracted public notice, andhave excited public esteem. But the abrupt departure of Mr. Dawes, who, stimulated equally by curiosity and philanthropy, had hardly set foot onhis native country when he again quitted it to encounter new perils in theservice of the Sierra Leona company, precludes me from executing this partof my original intention, in which he had promised to co-operate withme; and in which he had advanced his researches beyond the reach ofcompetition. The few remarks which I can offer shall be concisely detailed. 

We were at first inclined to stigmatised this language as harsh andbarbarous in its sounds. Their combinations of words in the manner theyutter them, frequently convey such an effect. But if not only their propernames of men and places, but many of their phrases and a majority of theirwords, be simply and unconnectedly considered, they will be found to aboundwith vowels and to produce sounds sometimes mellifluous and sometimessonorous. What ear can object to the names of Colbee, (pronounced exactlyas Colby is with us) Bereewan, Bondel, Imeerawanyee, Deedora, Wolarawaree, or Baneelon, among the men; or to Wereeweea, Gooreedeeana, Milba*, orMatilba, among the women. Parramatta, Gweea, Cameera, Cadi, and Memel, arenames of places. The tribes derive their appellations from the places theyinhabit. Thus Cemeeragal, means the men who reside in the bay of Cameera;Cedigal, those who reside in the bay of Cadi; and so of the others. Thewomen of the tribe are denoted by adding 'eean' to any of the foregoingwords. A Cadigaleean imports a woman living at Cadi, or of the tribe ofCadigal. These words, as the reader will observe, are accented either onthe first syllable or the penultima. In general, however, they are partialto the emphasis being laid as near the beginning of the word as possible. 

[*Mrs. Johnson, wife of the chaplain of the settlement, was so pleased withthis name that she christened her little girl, born in Port Jackson, MilbaMaria Johnson. ]

Of compound words they seem fond. Two very striking ones appear in thejournal to the Hawkesbury. Their translations of our words into theirlanguage are always apposite, comprehensive, and drawn from images familiarto them. A gun, for instance, they call 'gooroobeera', that is, a stick offire. Sometimes also, by a licence of language, they call those whocarry guns by the same name. But the appellation by which they generallydistinguished us was that of 'bereewolgal', meaning men come from afar. When they salute any one they call him 'dameeli', or namesake, a term whichnot only implies courtesy and good-will, but a certain degree of affectionin the speaker. An interchange of names with any one is also a symbol offriendship. Each person has several names; one of which, there is reason tobelieve, is always derived from the first fish or animal which the child, in accompanying its father to the chase or a fishing, may chance to kill. 

Not only their combinations, but some of their simple sounds, weredifficult of pronunciation to mouths purely English. Diphthongs oftenoccur. One of the most common is that of 'ae', or perhaps, 'ai', pronouncednot unlike those letters in the French verb 'hair', to hate. The letter 'y'frequently follows 'd' in the same syllable. Thus the word which signifiesa woman is 'dyin'; although the structure of our language requires us tospell it 'deein'. 

But if they sometimes put us to difficulty, many of our words were to themunutterable. The letters 's' and 'v' they never could pronounce. The latterbecame invariably 'w', and the former mocked all their efforts, which inthe instance of Baneelon has been noticed; and a more unfortunate defect inlearning our language could not easily be pointed out. 

They use the ellipsis in speaking very freely; always omitting as manywords as they possibly can, consistent with being understood. They inflectboth their nouns and verbs regularly; and denote the cases of the formerand the tenses of the latter, not like the English by auxiliary words, butlike the Latins by change of termination. Their nouns, whether substantiveor adjective, seem to admit of no plural. I have heard Mr. Dawes hint hisbelief of their using a dual number, similar to the Greeks, but I confessthat I never could remark aught to confirm it. The method by which theyanswer a question that they cannot resolve is similar to what wesometimes use. Let for example the following question be put: 'Waw Colbeeyagoono?'--Where is Colbee to-day? 'Waw, baw!'--Where, indeed! would be thereply. They use a direct and positive negative, but express the affirmativeby a nod of the head or an inclination of the body. 

Opinions have greatly differed, whether or not their language be copious. In one particular it is notoriously defective. They cannot count withprecision more than four. However as far as ten, by holding up the fingers, they can both comprehend others and explain themselves. Beyond four everynumber is called great; and should it happen to be very large, great great, which is an Italian idiom also. This occasions their computations of timeand space to be very confused and incorrect. Of the former they have nomeasure but the visible diurnal motion of the sun or the monthly revolutionof the moon. 

To conclude the history of a people for whom I cannot but feel some shareof affection. Let those who have been born in more favoured lands and whohave profited by more enlightened systems, compassionate, but not despisetheir destitute and obscure situation. Children of the same omniscientpaternal care, let them recollect that by the fortuitous advantage of birthalone they possess superiority: that untaught, unaccommodated man is thesame in Pall Mall as in the wilderness of New South Wales. And ultimatelylet them hope and trust that the progress of reason and the splendorof revelation will in their proper and allotted season be permitted toillumine and transfuse into these desert regions, knowledge, virtue andhappiness. 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

Observations on the Convicts. 

A short account of that class of men for whose disposal and advantage thecolony was principally, if not totally, founded, seems necessary. 

If it be recollected how large a body of these people are now congregatedin the settlement of Port Jackson and at Norfolk Island, it will, I think, not only excite surprise but afford satisfaction, to learn, that in aperiod of four years few crimes of a deep dye or of a hardened naturehave been perpetrated. Murder and unnatural sins rank not hitherto in thecatalogue of their enormities, and one suicide only has been committed. 

To the honour of the female part of our community let it be recorded thatonly one woman has suffered capital punishment. On her condemnation shepleaded pregnancy, and a jury of venerable matrons was impanneled on thespot, to examine and pronounce her state, which the forewoman, a gravepersonage between sixty and seventy years old, did, by this short addressto the court; 'Gentlemen! she is as much with child as I am. ' Sentence wasaccordingly passed, and she was executed. 

Besides the instance of Irving, two other male convicts, WilliamBloodsworth, of Kingston upon Thames, and John Arscott, of Truro, inCornwall, were both emancipated for their good conduct, in the years1790 and 1791. Several men whose terms of transportation had expired, andagainst whom no legal impediment existed to prevent their departure, havebeen permitted to enter in merchant ships wanting hands: and as my RoseHill journals testify, many others have had grants of land assigned tothem, and are become settlers in the country. 

In so numerous a community many persons of perverted genius and ofmechanical ingenuity could not but be assembled. Let me produce thefollowing example. Frazer was an iron manufacturer, bred at Sheffield, ofwhose abilities as a workman we had witnessed many proofs. The governor hadwritten to England for a set of locks to be sent out for the security ofthe public stores, which were to be so constructed as to be incapable ofbeing picked. On their arrival his excellency sent for Frazer and bade himexamine them telling him at the same time that they could not be picked. Frazer laughed and asked for a crooked nail only, to open them all. A nailwas brought, and in an instant he verified his assertion. Astonished at hisdexterity, a gentleman present determined to put it to farther proof. Hewas sent for in a hurry, some days after, to the hospital, where a lock ofstill superior intricacy and expense to the others had been provided. He was told that the key was lost and that the lock must be immediatelypicked. He examined it attentively, remarked that it was the production ofa workman, and demanded ten minutes to make an instrument 'to speak withit. ' Without carrying the lock with him, he went directly to his shop, andat the expiration of his term returned, applied his instrument, and openflew the lock. But it was not only in this part of his business that heexcelled: he executed every branch of it in superior style. Had not hisvillainy been still more notorious than his skill, he would have proved aninvaluable possession to a new country. He had passed through innumerablescenes in life, and had played many parts. When too lazy to work at histrade he had turned thief in fifty different shapes, was a receiver ofstolen goods, a soldier and a travelling conjurer. He once confessed to methat he had made a set of tools, for a gang of coiners, every man of whomwas hanged. 

Were the nature of the subject worthy of farther illustration, many similarproofs of misapplied talents might be adduced. 

Their love of the marvellous has been recorded in an early part of thiswork. The imposture of the gold finder, however prominent and glaring, nevertheless contributed to awaken attention and to create merriment. He enjoyed the reputation of a discoverer, until experiment detected theimposition. But others were less successful to acquire even momentaryadmiration. The execution of forgery seems to demand at least neatness ofimitation and dexterity of address. On arrival of the first fleet of shipsfrom England, several convicts brought out recommendatory letters fromdifferent friends. Of these some were genuine, and many owed their birthto the ingenuity of the bearers. But these last were all such bunglingperformances as to produce only instant detection and succeeding contempt. One of them addressed to the governor, with the name of Baron Hothamaffixed to it, began 'Honored Sir!'

A leading distinction, which marked the convicts on their outset in thecolony, was an use of what is called the 'flash', or 'kiddy' language. Insome of our early courts of justice an interpreter was frequently necessaryto translate the deposition of the witness and the defence of the prisoner. This language has many dialects. The sly dexterity of the pickpocket, thebrutal ferocity of the footpad, the more elevated career of the highwaymanand the deadly purpose of the midnight ruffian is each strictly appropriatein the terms which distinguish and characterize it. I have ever been ofopinion that an abolition of this unnatural jargon would open the path toreformation. And my observations on these people have constantly instructedme that indulgence in this infatuating cant is more deeply associated withdepravity and continuance in vice than is generally supposed. I recollecthardly one instance of a return to honest pursuits, and habits of industry, where this miserable perversion of our noblest and peculiar faculty was notpreviously conquered. 

Those persons to whom the inspection and management of our numerous andextensive prisons in England are committed will perform a service tosociety by attending to the foregoing observation. Let us always keepin view, that punishment, when not directed to promote reformation, isarbitrary, and unauthorised. 

CHAPTER XIX. 

Facts relating to the probability of establishing a whale fishery on thecoast of New South Wales, with Thoughts on the same. 

In every former part of this publication I have studiously avoidedmentioning a whale fishery, as the information relating to it will, Iconceive, be more acceptably received in this form, by those to whom it isaddressed, than if mingled with other matter. 

Previous to entering on this detail, it must be observed that several ofthe last fleet of ships which had arrived from England with convicts, werefitted out with implements for whale fishing, and were intended to sail forthe coast of Brazil to pursue the fishery, immediately on having landed theconvicts. 

On the 14th of October, 1791, the 'Britannia', Captain Melville, one ofthese ships, arrived at Sydney. In her passage between Van Diemen's Landand Port Jackson, the master reported that he had seen a large shoal ofspermaceti whales. His words were, 'I saw more whales at one time aroundmy ship than in the whole of six years which I have fished on the coast ofBrazil. '

This intelligence was no sooner communicated than all the whalers wereeager to push to sea. Melville himself was among the most early; and on the10th of November, returned to Port Jackson, more confident of success thanbefore. He assured me that in the fourteen days which he had been out, hehad seen more spermaced whales than in all his former life. They amounted, he said to many thousands, most of them of enormous magnitude; and had henot met with bad weather he could have killed as many as he pleased. Sevenhe did kill, but owing to the stormy agitated state of the water, he couldnot get any of them aboard. In one however, which in a momentary intervalof calm, was killed and secured by a ship in company, he shared. The oiland head matter of this fish, he extolled as of an extraordinary finequality. He was of opinion the former would fetch ten pounds per ton morein London than that procured on the Brazil coast. He had not gone farthersouth than 37 degrees; and described the latitude of 35 degrees to be theplace where the whales most abounded, just on the edge of soundings, whichhere extends about fifteen leagues from the shore; though perhaps, on otherparts of the coast the bank will be found to run hardly so far off. 

On the following day (November 11th) the 'Mary Anne', Captain Munro, another of the whalers, returned into port, after having been out sixteendays. She had gone as far south as 41 degrees but saw not a whale, and hadmet with tremendously bad weather, in which she had shipped a sea that hadset her boiling coppers afloat and had nearly carried them overboard. 

November 22d. The 'William and Anne', Captain Buncker, returned afterhaving been more than three weeks out, and putting into Broken Bay. This isthe ship that had killed the fish in which Melville shared. Buncker had metwith no farther success, owing, he said, entirely, to gales of wind; forhe had seen several immense shoals and was of opinion that he should havesecured fifty tons of oil, had the weather been tolerably moderate. I askedhim whether he thought the whales he had seen were fish of passage. "No, "he answered, "they were going on every point of the compass, and wereevidently on feeding ground, which I saw no reason to doubt that theyfrequent. " Melville afterwards confirmed to me this observation. December3rd, the 'Mary Anne' and 'Matilda' again returned. The former had gone tothe southward, and off Port Jervis had fallen in with two shoals of whales, nine of which were killed, but owing to bad weather, part of five only weregot on board. As much, the master computed, as would yield thirty barrelsof oil. He said the whales were the least shy of any he had ever seen, "nothaving been cut up". The latter had gone to the northward, and had seen nowhales but a few fin-backs. 

On the 5th of December, both these ships sailed again; and on the 16th and17th of the month (just before the author sailed for England) they and the'Britannia' and 'William and Anne' returned to Port Jackson without successhaving experienced a continuation of the bad weather and seen very fewfish. They all said that their intention was to give the coast one moretrial, and if it miscarried to quit it and steer to the northward in searchof less tempestuous seas. 

The only remark which I have to offer to adventurers on the above subject, is not to suffer discouragement by concluding that bad weather only is tobe found on the coast of New South Wales, where the whales have hithertobeen seen. Tempests happen sometimes there, as in other seas, but let themfeel assured that there are in every month of the year many days in whichthe whale fishery may be safely carried on. The evidence of the abundancein which spermaceti whales are sometimes seen is incontrovertible: thatwhich speaks to their being 'not fish of passage' is at least respectableand hitherto uncontradicted. The prospect merits attention--may itstimulate to enterprise. 

The two discoveries of Port Jervis and Matilda Bay (which are to be foundin the foregoing sheets) may yet be wanting in the maps of the coast. My account of their geographic situation, except possibly in the exactlongitude of the latter (a point not very material) may be safely dependedupon. A knowledge of Oyster Bay, discovered and laid down by the 'Mercury'store-ship, in the year 1789, would also be desirable. But this I amincapable of furnishing. 

Here terminates my subject. Content with the humble province of detailingfacts and connecting events by undisturbed narration, I leave to othersthe task of anticipating glorious, or gloomy, consequences, fromthe establishment of a colony, which unquestionably demands seriousinvestigation, ere either its prosecution or abandonment be determined. 

But doubtless not only those who planned, but those who have been delegatedto execute, an enterprise of such magnitude, have deeply revolved, that"great national expense does not imply the necessity of national suffering. While revenue is employed with success to some valuable end, the profits ofevery adventure being more than sufficient to repay its costs, the publicshould gain, and its resources should continue to multiply. But an expensewhether sustained at home or abroad; whether a waste of the present, or ananticipation of the future, revenue, if it bring no adequate return, is tobe reckoned among the causes of national ruin. "*

[*Ferguson's Essay on the History of Civil Society. ]

A list of the Civil and Military Establishments in New South Wales

Governor and Commander in Chief, His Excellency Arthur Phillip, Esq. 

Lieutenant Governor, Robert Ross, Esq. 

Judge of the Admiralty Court, Robert Ross, Esq. 

Chaplain of the Settlement, the Rev. Richard Johnson. 

Judge Advocate of the Settlement, David Collins, Esq. 

Secretary to the Governor, David Collins, Esq. 

Surveyor General, Augustus Alt, Esq. 

Commissary of Stores and Provisions, Andrew Miller, Esq. 

Assistant Commissary, Mr. Zechariah Clarke. 

Provost Martial, who acts as Sheriff of Cumberland County, Mr. HenryBrewer. 

Peace Officer, Mr. James Smith. 

MILITARY ESTABLISHMENT. 

His Majesty's Ship 'Sirius', John Hunter, Esq. Commander. Lieutenants, Bradley, King, Maxwell. 

His Majesty's armed Brig, 'Supply', Lieutenant Henry Lidgbird Ball, Commander. 

FOUR COMPANIES OF MARINES

Major Robert Ross, Commandant. 

CAPTAINS COMMANDING COMPANIES

James Campbell, John Shea, Captain Lieutenants, James Meredith, WatkinTench. 

FIRST LIEUTENANTS

George Johnson, John Johnson, John Creswell, James Maltland Shairp, RobertNellow, Thomas Davey, James Furzer, Thomas Timins, John Poulden. 

SECOND LIEUTENANTS

Ralph Clarke, John Long, William Dawes, William Feddy. 

Adjutant, John Long. 

Quarter Master, James Furzer. 

Aide de Camp to the Governor, George Johnson. 

Officer of Engineers and Artillery, William Dawes. 

HOSPITAL ESTABLISHMENT. 

Surgeon General of the Settlement, John White, Esq. 

First Assistant, Mr. Dennis Considen. 

Second Assistant, Mr. Thomas Arndell. 

Third Assistant, Mr. William Balmain.