,38
B a ll ar r iv ed at B a ta v ia on th e 6 th o f J u ly la ft, w h e re h e h ired a v e ffe l,
a D u tc h fn o w , w h ic h w a s to fail fh o r t ly after h im w i th th e p ro v ilio n s
th a t h e had p urch a fed fo r th e c o lo n y . W h i le th e S u p p ly la y at B a ta v ia
th e fe a fon w a s m ore u n h e a lth y th an h ad e v e r be en k n ow n b e fo r e ;
e v e r y h o fp ital w a s fu ll , and fe v e ra l hun d red s o f th e inhabitants had
died. L ie u ten an t B a ll, at th is g ra v e o f E u rop ean s , buried L ie u ten an t
N ew to n E ow e ll, M r . R o fs th e g u n n e r , and fe v e ral o f his feamen.
H e tr ied fo r fom e d a y s to to u c h at N o r fo lk Iflan d , bu t in e ffe c tu a lly ,
b e in g p re ven ted b y e a f te r ly w in d s . M r . K in g and M r . M il le r (the
late com m iffa ry ) had failed on th e 4 th o f laft A u g u f t in a D u tc h p acke t
fo r E u ro p e .
B y th e re tu rn o f th is v e ffe l fe v e ra l com fo r ts w e r e in trod u c ed in to
the fe t t lem e n t ; h e r com m an d e r , w i th th a t atten tion to th e w a n ts o f
th e d iffe ren t officers w h ic h a lw a y s charaCterifed h im , h a v in g p rocu red
and ta k en on board th e ir refpeCtive inv e ftm en ts .
In h is p a ffa g e to B a ta v ia , L ieu ten an t B a ll faw fom e ifland's, t o
w h ic h , cp n jeC tu r in g , from n o t fin d in g th em in a n y charts w h ic h h e
had o n b o a rd , th a t h e m ig h t c la im b e in g the d ifc o v e re r o f th em , h e
g a v e names a c co rd in g ly . A l th o u g h an x io u s to m ak e an e x p ed itiou s
p affa ge , h e h ad th e m o r tification to be baffled b y c o n t ra ry w in d s
b o th to and from B a t a v ia ; and at th a t fe ttlem en t, inftead o f fin d in g
th e g o v e rn o r -g en e ra l (to w h om in h is orders h e w a s direc ted t o a p p ly
fo r p e rm iffion to p u rch a fe p ro v ifio n s , and fo r a fh ip to b r in g th em )
r e a d y to fo rw a rd th e fe rv ice h e came o n , w h ic h h e rep refented a s
re q u ir in g th e u tm o ft e x p e d it io n , h e w a s referred to th e Saban dha ar,
M r . N . E n g e lh a rd , w h o , a fte r m u ch d e la y and p retence o f d ifficu lty
in p ro cu r in g a v e ffe l, p rod u c ed o n e , a fn ow , w h ic h th e y eftimatred a t
th re e hun d red and f i f t y tons b u r th en , and demanded to be p aid fo r a t
th e ra te o f e ig h ty r ix d o lla rs fo r e v e r y ton fr e ig h t , am o u n tin g to g e th e r
to tw e n ty - e ig h t th o u fan d r ix dollars, each r ix d o lla r b e in g c om p u te d
at fo r ty -e ig h t D u tc h pennies ; and the fre ig h t w a s to b e p a id a lth o u g h
th e v e ffe l fh ould be lo ft on th e paffage.
A s i t w a s impoflible to h ire a n y v e ffe l th e r e u p on ch eape r terms,
L ie u ten an t B a lt w a s com pe lled to en g a g e fo r th e W a ak fam h e y (^ ( th a t-
b e in g h e r nam e , w h ic h , en g lifh e d , fign ified “ G o o d lo o k ou t” ) u p o n
the te rms t h e y p rop ofed ,. O f the: p ro v ifio n s w h ic h h e w a s inftruCtedto
to
p ro cu re , th e w h o le q u a n tity o f flo u r , tw o hun d red th ou fan d p ou n d s ,
w a s n o t to be h ad , h e b e in g able o n ly to p urcha fe tw e n ty th o u fan d
an d tw e n ty -o n e p ou n d s , fo r w h ic h th e y ch a rged ten ftive rs p ar p o u n d ,
and an ad d ition o f ab out on e -th ird o f a p e n n y p e r p ou n d w a s ch a rg ed
fo r g r in d in g it * . Inftead o f th e flou r L ie u ten an t B a ll purcha fed tw o
h u n d red thoufand pound s o f r ic e , at one r ix dolla r and fo r ty - fo u r ftivers
p e r h u n d red w e ig h t, o v e r and ab ov e th e fe v e n ty th ou fan d p ou n d s h e
w a s d ire c ted to p rocure . T h e fait p ro v ifio n s w e r e p a id fo r at th e rate
o f fe v en ftivers p e r p ou n d , and th e am o u n t o f the w h o le c a rg o , in c lu d in
g th e c a lk s fo r .th e flo u r , w o o d fo r d u n n a g e , h ire o f co o le y s , and o f
c r a ft fo r ih ip p in g th e p ro v ifio n s , was' th ir ty th ou fan d fo u r hun d red and
fo r ty -o n e r ix d ollars and th ir ty - th re e f t iv e r s ; w h ic h added to the
f r e ig h t ( tw e n ty -e ig h t th ou fan d r ix dollars) mad e a total o f f ifty -e ig h t
th o u fan d fo u r h und red and fo r ty -o n e r ix d ollars an d th ir ty - th re e
ftiv e r s , o r 1 1 ,6881. 6 s. 9 d . fte r lin g .
M r . O rm lb y , a m id fh ipm an from th e S ir iu s , w a s le ft to com e on
w i th th e fn ow , w h ic h it w a s h o p ed w o u ld fail in a few w e e k s after
th e S u p p ly .
T h e cr im in al cou r t w a s tw ic e affembled d u r in g this m on th . A t th e
firft a fo ld ie r w a s tr ied fo r a fe lo n y , b u t acquitted . A t th e fe con d
W il liam H a r r is and E dw a rd W ild b lo o d w e r e tr ied fo r e n te r in g a h u t
a t Parramatta, in w h ic h w a s o n ly one m an , and th a t a f ic k p e r -
fo n , w h om th e y k n o ck e d d ow n , and th en robbed th e h u t . T h e y w e r e
c le a r ly co n v ic te d o f th e offen ce , and , b e in g m o ft d a r in g and fla grant
offend e rs , w e r e e x e cu ted at R o fe H i l l , near the h u t w h ic h th e y had
robbed. T h e fe p eop le h ad g iv e n a grea t deal o f trou b le be fo re th e y
com m itted th e offen ce fo r w h ic h th e y fu ffe red . A t th e latter end o f
th e la ft mon th th e y to o k to the w o o d s , h a v in g more th an o n ce o r tw ic e
robbed th e ir com pan ion s at R o fe H i l l . A s th e y w e r e w e l l k n ow n , th e
w a tch fo on b ro u g h t tfiem in to th e fettlement at S y d n e y . T h e y co n -
fe ffed , th a t th e n ig h t before th e y w e r e ap p rehend ed th e y k illed a g o a t
b e lo n g in g to M r . W h ite . T h e g o v e rn o r d ire c ted th em im m ed ia te ly to
* The flour, without the freight, including one hundred and ten rix dollars which
were charged for twenty-two half leagers in which it was contained, amounted as nearly
as poflible to ten-pence three farthings per pound.
T 2 b e