recommended themselves bo my-notice. •. I had now- 'performed
my. duty-. to the Honourable- Commissioner^ of rthe -"Transport
Hoard, who allowed me and rpy crew a.very,"handsome eoimpenr
sation, which,the..latter,received,; but I • did nOty^as.-Governor
King had*no,orders respecting.it--being given to itie:,--I w^s
therefore?left without cash in | a place -where4 if was absolutely
nec.essary.
The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty had beempleased,
previous*toA-myvsailing-from England, to appoint m&lLreufe-
nant to-his Majesty’s armed y®s®p|»t>upply ^ySfew^*South Wales*
On ,my arrival, I foundlier laid up as a hulk, and-unfit for sea. I
was.therefore,to make use of a sailors phrase,-ej}mptetely adrift.
The.thirstffor, discovery, which I was always; attaeRijd to, an;d;‘a
request off Governor-King’s to remain in tbp LadyfNelson, in-
dueed-. m e ,ta^ accept of lower pay than I was entitled.-tp as a
Lieutenant :in the Royal Navy; .mere particularly^,|s tas thfefe
W&s. not a person' in the Colony to be found sufficiently acquainted
«with-a vessel«of this construction. Besides,, I did-nOt
whlSthe,service to suffer from detpy:; and that h6-bla^q£phoul(l
be. attached, fo me, 1 agreedjfO" it with less emoluments, ;acj
cOrding to situation, than the other officers and§seaman-,-'jthey
being paid according to-the regular naval establishment: I had
Ropes .that any difference-or-loss I might sustain, would perhaps
be made up to’me on representation -to the -Right Honourable
His Majesty’s; -Secretary' of ‘State for the Colonies,^ which, I .am
happy.-tbsay, has smee been done: One ;circumstaaee: I did
nofcffiOch' like, which was the detaching ffiysblf from .the 'naval
service,? which put promotion in'that; line, -(though employed in
the service of my country,) ‘.out. my - reach; but' Governor
King, had promised that he Would take care-it should not interfere
with that; and I am sensible, of- his having- taken-some steps
to that effect.- jS
Matters
0 w * )
. Mattors^being thus I|^ e iv iê d . thé GovernorVapf
pointment tojsbh^qbmmand of bhewLadiÿ.Nfelsqn',on the’1st of
January .1801.{. ,^pph convicts as,-werê.,foë,e, .or^pthers who ap,-
pliéd-andf we-re-dèd‘ihA<hslPforthÿ, wore^^-teï.edv on board : pfothe
-yp$^k*Amd fos^éduE^eînent^eif^onditionally emancipated.
Two only of my old crew-chos&do* .enter th#,resbféfesin.g on
account qf â f e wages, which were small in comparison to what
th ^ R ^ h a n t vessels,) then in the harbour, and in want of hands^
ga$ef A-mbngsRthe/ijson victs that entered, I found some oftftf
mplh-dissatisfied, idle and.worthless, characters^1, who, came oij
purpose if o. avoid Government labour, -or» in hopés<|öfrgietting 'off
ff$qm it. ■' Maa-yRom’plaints were made bÿï.thêsèwretcljfeg'^the
Governor who failed no^Jo remoy© them-l; but* generally to-my
lo sg a s I was repeatedly robbed by .them. ï endeavoured by
i©Éery -means in my power to admonish ;and encourage .them) tp
do .well, but -finding^ impossible, I was ^obligedfe: punish a
fellow« for theffoby giving him twelve la%Èes.f So great was;the
fprekofi badifexàmpl:è£)that- one*of thèydürig men who'camé mut
with mé .was. guiltyvof the same crime, and was alspj punished)
I àm happy to think-this1 .'was -attended with thesRest effect,
thdüfgïh^ome insinuations were .preferred against me, by designing
people,i for what was indispensably npp^sdryf in kéepiûg
up a proper-authority on board, how9feye%reIuctant it.was to my
feelings. « $o* blame, fiaer or .to-'.attempt to, dessen -my. consequence
in th e eyes:of the crevribn.that, oppasioh, by slander,
reverts upon those who'were the cause, and.sjich as .listened-; to
it : and ..this will,. appear, the j more extraordinary, ;,as; they well
knew "the vessel was under martial 1 a w^the ?sameSas any other
in his Majesty’s serviq^ .To all who are-acquainted .with the
spirit of discipline and subordination, itfis needlessjo say, that
I felt .the baneful influence, more;,or less, during the time 1 commanded
the Lady Nelson-.-' The, having the vessel manned a t
i i