:

be built, most of them covered their tents with thatch, or erected for themselves temporary clay huts. The barracks were begun early in March; but much difficulty was found in providing proper materials, the timber being in general shakey and rotten. They were to consist of four buildings, and were placed at a convenient distance from each other for the benefit of air and cleanliness, and with a space in the centre for a parade.

On or about the 10th of March, the French ships sailed from Botany Bay, bound, as they said, to the northward, and carrying with them the most unfavourable ideas of this country and its native inhabitants; the officers having declared, that in their whole voyage they nowhere found so poor a country, nor such a miserable people.

A wharf for the convenience of landing stores was begun, under the direction of the surveyor-general: the ordnance, consisting of two brass six-pounders on travelling carriages, four iron twelve-pounders, and two iron six-pounders, were landed; the transports, which were chartered for China, were cleared; the long-boats of the ships in the Cove were employed in bringing cabbage-tree from the lower part of the harbour, where it grew in great abundance, and was found, when cut into proper lengths, very fit for the purpose of erecting temporary huts; the posts and plates of which, being made of the pine of the country, and the sides and ends filled with lengths of the cabbage-tree, plastered over with clay, formed a very good hovel. The roofs were generally thatched with the grass of the gum-rush; some were covered with clay, but several of these failed, the weight of the clay and heavy rain soon destroying them.

It being now April, and the winter of this hemisphere approaching, it became necessary to expedite the buildings intended for the detachment. Every carpenter that could be procured among the convicts was sent to assist, and as many as could be hired from the transports were employed at the

4

hospital and storehouse. The long-boats still continued to bring up the cabbage-tree from the lower part of the harbour, and a range of huts was begun on the west side for some of the female convicts.

The little camp now began to wear the aspect of distress, from the great number of scorbutic patients that were daily seen creeping to and from the hospital tent; and the principal surgeon suggested the expediency of a supply of turtle from Lord Howe Island; but it was generally thought that the season was too far advanced, and that the utmost which could have been procured would have made but a very trifling and temporary change in the diet of those afflicted with the disorder.

About this time one of the convicts who, in searching for vegetables, had gone a considerable way from the camp, returned very dangerously wounded in the back. He said, that another man who had gone out for the same purpose, had been carried off by the natives in his sight, after having been wounded in the head. A shirt and hat were afterwards found, both pierced with spears, in one of the huts of the natives; but no intelligence of the man could be gained. There could be little doubt that the convicts had been the aggressors, though the man who returned strongly denied having given any kind of provocation.

On the thirtieth of May, two men who had been employed in collecting rushes for thatch at some distance from the camp, were found dead. One of them had four spears in his body, one of which had pierced entirely through it: the other had not any marks of violence upon him. In this case it was clearly proved that the first injury had been offered by the unfortunate men, who paid so dearly for their dishonesty and disobedience of orders; for they had been seen with a canoe, which they had taken from one of the fishing places. These events were much regretted by Governor Phillip, as tending entirely to the frustration of the plan he had so much at heart, of conciliating the affections of the natives, and establishing a friendly intercourse with them.

come.

No very good fortune had hitherto attended the live stock belonging to the settlement, but the heaviest blow was yet to About this time the two bulls and four cows, belonging to government, and to the governor, having been left for a time by the man who was appointed to attend them, strayed into the woods, and though they were traced to some distance, never could be recovered. This was a loss for some time irreparable.

Exemplary punishments seemed about this period to be growing daily more necessary. Stock was often killed, huts and tents broke open, and provision constantly stolen, particularly about the latter end of the week; as many of those unthrifty people, taking no care to husband their provisions through the seven days that they were intended to last them, had consumed the whole by the end of the third or fourth day. One of this description made his week's allowance of flour (eight pounds) into cakes, which he devoured at one meal; he was soon after taken speechless and senseless, and died the following day, a loathsome putrid object. James Bennett, a youth of seventeen years of age, was executed for breaking open and robbing a tent. An elderly woman, a convict, having been detected in stealing a flat iron, hung herself to the ridge-pole of her tent, but was fortunately discovered in time to preserve her life. What feeling could tempt her to this rash action it would be difficult to guess, as her being a convict too plainly proved that she could survive the loss of character.

From the nature of the materials with which most of the huts occupied by the convicts were covered in, several accidents happened by fire, whereby the labour of many people was lost; they again were obliged to seek a shelter for themselves, and had in general to complain of the destruction of provisions and clothing. To prevent this, an order was issued, prohibiting the building of chimnies, in future, in such huts as were thatched.

Thefts still continued to be committed by and among the convicts. Wine was stolen from the hospital, and several persons were tried upon suspicion, but for want of sufficient evidence were acquitted. There was such a tenderness in these people to each other's guilt, such an acquaintance with vice and the different degrees of it, that, unless detected in the fact, it was next to impossible to bring an offence home to them.

CHAP. VI.

King's Birth-day-Supply returns to Norfolk Island-Heavy RainsSirius sent to the Cape of Good Hope-A Convict murdered-Settlement at Rose-hill-A Native taken-New Year's Day-Employment of the Convicts-The Supply sails for Norfolk Island-Convicts killed-Stores robbed-State of Norfolk Island-Mortality of the Small-pox among the Natives.

THE fourth of June was not suffered to pass without due celebration. It was a day of remission from labour, and of general festivity throughout the settlement. At sun-rise the Sirius and Supply fired each a salute of twenty-one guns, and again at one o'clock, when the marines on shore also saluted with three vollies. At sun-set the same honours were a third time repeated from the ships; large bonfires were lighted, and the whole camp afforded a scene of joy. That there might not be any exception to the happiness of this day, four convicts who had been reprieved from death, and banished to an island in the middle of the harbour, received a full pardon, and were sent for to bear their part in the general exultation. The Governor, in his letters, with that humanity which so strongly distinguishes his character, says, he trusts that on this day there was not a single heavy heart in this part

E

of his Majesty's dominions. His own house was the centre of conviviality to all who could be admitted to that society, nor was any thing neglected which in such a situation could mark a day of celebrity, consistently with propriety and good order. Perhaps no birth-day was ever celebrated in more places, or more remote from each other, than that of his Majesty on this day.

On the 20th the Supply sailed with stores and provisions for Norfolk Island. Only two transports remained of the fleet that came out from England, the Golden Grove and Fishburn; and preparations were making for clearing and discharging them from Government service, by constructing a cellar on the west side for receiving the spirits, and depositing the provisions in the large store-house.

During the beginning of August much heavy rain fell, and not only prevented the carrying on of labour, but rendered the work of much time fruitless by its effects; the brick kiln fell in more than once, and bricks to a large amount were destroyed; the roads about the settlement were rendered impassable; and some of the huts were so far injured as to require nearly as much time to repair them as to build them anew. It was not until the 14th of the month, when the weather eleared up, that the people were again able to work. There were at this time in hand barracks for the marine detachment, an observatory, the houses erecting for the governor and lieutenant-governor, and the shingling of the hospital.

September commenced, and the seed-wheat which had been sown here not turning out well, there was reason to apprehend a failure of seed for the next year. The Governor therefore, early in this month, signified his intention of sending the Sirius to the Cape of Good Hope, to procure a sufficient quantity of grain for that purpose; together with as much flour for the settlement as she could stow, after laying in a twelvemonth's provisions for her ship's company.

On the 30th one midshipman and two seamen from the Sirius, one serjeant, one corporal, and five private marines,