somewhat more cleanly in their persons, and less coarse in their manners; and he seemed absolutely offended at some little indelicacies which he observed in his sister Car-rang-arrang, who came in such haste from Botany Bay, with a little nephew on her back, to visit him, that she left her habiliments behind her. Ben-nit-long had certainly not been an inattentive observer of the manners of the people among whom he had lived: he conducted himself with great propriety at table, particularly in the observance of those attentions which are chiefly requisite in the presence of women. His dress appeared to be an object of no small concern with him; and every one who knew him before he left the country, and who saw him on his return, pronounced without hesitation, that Ben-nil-long had not any desire to renounce the habits and comforts of the civilized life which he appeared so readily and so successfully to adopt. His inquiries were directed, immediately on his arrival, after his wife Go-roo-bar-roo-bool-lo; and her he found with Caruey. On producing a very fashionable rose-coloured petticoat and jacket made of a coarse stuff, accompanied with a gypsy bonnet of the same colour, she deserted her lover, and followed her former husband. In a few days, however, to the surprise of every one, the lady was seen walking unineumbered with clothing of any kind, and Ben-nil-long was missing. Caruey was sought for; and it was then discovered that he had been severely beaten by Ben-nil-long; who retained so much of English customs, that he made use of his fists instead of the weapons of his country, to the great annoyance of Caruey, who would have preferred meeting his rival fairly in the field armed with the spear and the club. Caruey being much the younger man, the lady, every inch a woman, followed her inclination, and Ben-nil-long was compelled to yield her without any further opposition. He seemed to have been satisfied with the beating that he had given Caruey, and hinted, that, resting for the present without a wife, he should look about him, and at some future period make a better choice. His absence from the Governor's house now became frequent, and little attended to. When he went out he usually left his clothes behind, carefully resuming them on his return, before he made his visit to the Governor. During November, one man and a woman, attempting to cross a creek at the Hawkesbury by a tree which had been thrown over, fell in and were drowned; and one man had died there, of the bite of a snake. Three male convicts died at Sydney. The harvest was begun early in December; when the Cape wheat (a bearded kind of grain, differing much from the English) was found universally to have failed, and was pronounced not worth the labour of sowing. A quantity of useful timber having been for some time past indiscriminately cut down upon the banks of the river Hawkesbury, and the creeks running from it, which had been wasted, or applied to purposes for which timber of less value would have answered equally well, the Governor, among other colonial regulations, thought it necessary to direct, that no timber whatever should be cut down on any ground which was not marked out on either the banks or creeks of that river: and, in order to preserve as much as possible such timber; as might be of use either for building or for naval purposes, he ordered the king's mark to be immediately put on all such timber; after which any persons offending against the order were to be prosecuted. This order extended only to grounds not granted to individuals, there being a clause in all grants from the crown, expressly reserving, under pain of forfeiture, for the use thereof, "such timber as might be growing or to grow hereafter upon the land so granted, which should be deemed fit for naval purposes." The Governor, who had been afraid, from the existence of the cattle being established, that some of the vagabond convicts might be tempted to find them out, and satisfy their hunger by killing them from time to time, as they might find : opportunity, was not surprised to hear that two of them had been destroyed. A very strict inquiry into the report, however, convinced him that it had been raised only for the purpose of trying how such a circumstance would be regarded. His Excellency thought it necessary, therefore, to state in public orders, that "Having heard it reported, that some person or persons, who had been permitted to carry arms for the protection of themselves and property, had lately employed that indulgence in an attempt to destroy the cattle belonging to government, which were at large in the woods, he declared that if it should be discovered that any person whatever should use any measure to destroy or otherwise annoy them, they would be prosecuted with the utmost severity of the law." A reward was also held out to any person giving information. The harvest having commenced, the Governor signified to the settlers, that " although it had hitherto been the intention and the practice of Government to give them every possible encouragement, as well as others who had employed them. selves in growing corn, by taking off their hands all their surplus grain at such prices as had from time to time been thought fair and reasonable, it was not, however, to be expected, as the colony advanced in the means of supplying itself with bread, that such a heavy expence could be continued. He, therefore, recommended to them to consider what reduction in the price of wheat and Indian corn they could at present submit to, as their offers in that respect would determine him how far it might be necessary in future to cultivate on the part of Government, instead of taking or purchasing a quantity from individuals at so great a price. This proposal, he thought, could not be considered otherwise than as fair and reasonable, when it was recollected that the means by which individuals had so far improved their farms, had arisen from the very liberal manner in which government had given up the labour of so great a number of its own servants, to assist the industry of others. He further said, that if this representation should fail of the effect which he hoped |