however, that all thefe thefts were for the procuring of provifions,
and that offences of any other tendency were very feldom heard of.
Some time in this month, James Rufe, the firft fettler in this country,
who had been upon his ground about fifteen months, having got
in his crop o f corn, declared himfelf defirous of relinquifhing his claim
to any further provifions from the ftore, and faid that he was able to
fupport himfelf by the produce of his farm. He had fhewn himfelf
an-induftrious man; and the governor, being fatisfied that he could
do without any further aid from the ftores, confented to his pro-
pofal, and informed him that he fhould be forthwith put in poffeffion
of an allotment of thirty acres of ground in the fituation he then occupied.
T o fecure our frefh water, which, though very low, might ftill be
denominated a run, the governor caufed a ditch to be dug on each
fide of it at fome diftance from the ftream, and employed fome people
to eredt a paling upon the bank, to keep out flock, and p roted the
fhrubs within from being deftroyed.
April.] The fupplies of provifions which had been received in the
laft year not warranting the continuing' any longer at the ration now
ifiued, the governor thought it expedient to make a reduction of flour,
rice, and fait provifions. Accordingly, on the firft Saturday in this
month each man, woman, and child above ten years of age, was
to receive,
3 pounds of flour, 1 pound being taken off;
3 pounds of rice, d itto ;
3 pounds of pork, ditto;
or when beef fhould be ferved,
44. pounds of beef, 2 4 pounds being taken off.
A fmall proportion was to be given to children under ten years o f age;
and this ration the commiffary was directed to ifiue until further orders.
Of this allowance the flc^ir was the beft article; the rice was found to
be full of weevils; the pork was ill-flavoured, ruftyj and fmoked;
and the beef was lean, and, by being cured with fpices, truly unpalatable.
Much o f both thefe articles when they came to be drefled
could not be ufed, and, being the beft that could be procured at
Batavia,
B a ta v ia , n o in c lin a tio n w a s e x c ited b y thefe fp ecimens to t r y th a t
m a rk e t again.
I t h a v in g been rep or ted to th e . g o v e rn o r , th a t B r y a n t had b e en fre q
u en t ly heard to exp re fs , w h a t was indeed th e g en e ra l fen tim en t o n
th e fubjedt am o n g the p eop le o f his d e fe r ip tion , that h e d id n o t c o n -
fid e r his marriage in this co u n t ry as b in d in g ; his e x c e lle n c y caufed
th e con v id ls to be in fo rm ed , th a t n o n e w o u ld be p e rmitted to q u it th e
c o lo n y w h o had w iv e s o r ch ild ren in cap ab le o f m a in ta in in g th em fe lv e s
and lik e ly to be com e b u rd en fom e to th e fe ttlem en t, u n til th e y h ad
fo u n d fuffic ient fe c u r ity fo r th e main ten an ce o f fu ch w iv e s o r ch ild ren
as lo n g as th e y m ig h t 'r em a in after th em . T h is ord er w a s d e fign ed
as a ch e ck u p on th e e r roneous o p in io n w h ic h w a s fo rm ed o f th e e ffic a c y
o f M r . J o h n fon ’ s n uptia l b e n e d ic t io n ; and i f B r y a n t h ad th o u g h t as
little o f it as h e w a s rep or ted to d o, his ta k in g his w ife w i th h im co u ld
o n ly be ac cou n ted fo r b y a dread o f h e r d e fe a tin g h is p lan b y d ife o v e r y
i f fh e w a s n o t made p e r fo n a lly interefted in his efcape.
T h is o rd e r w a s fh o r t ly a fte r fo llow e d b y an o th e r , lim it in g th e len g th
o f fu ch boats as fh ould be b u ilt b y in d iv id u a ls to fou r te en fe e t from
Item to i t em , that the fize o f fu ch boats m ig h t d e te r th e con v id ls f r om
attempts to take th em off. .
A b o u t this tim e fom e in fo rm a tion b e in g re c e iv e d , th a t it w a s in
ag ita tion to tak e aw a y th e fix te e ’n-oared b o a t b e lo n g in g to th e c o lo n y ,
o r fom e o n e o r tw o o f th e fmaller boats, a centin e t w a s p laced at n ig h t
o n each w h a r f ; an d th e officer o f th e g u a rd w a s to be fp o k en to b e fo re
a n y boat could le a v e th e co v e . In ad d ition to th is re g u la tion , it w a s
d iredted, th a t th e names o f all fu ch p eo p le as it m ig h t be n e ce fia ry to
em p lo y in boats after fu n - fe t fh o u ld be g iv e n in w r it in g to th e officer
o f th e gu a rd , to p re v en t a n y co n v id ls n o t b e lo n g in g to officers o r to
th e p u b lic boats from ta k in g th em from th e w h a r fs u n d e r p re ten ce o f
fifh in g o r o th e r "fervices.
M r . Schaffe r, w h o came ou t from E n g la n d as a fu p e r in ten d ant o f
con v id ts , fin d in g h im fe lf, from n o t fp e a k in g th e lan gu a g e , (b e in g a
G e rm a n ,) inadequate to th e ju f t d ifeh arge o f th a t d u ty , g a v e up h is
ap p oin tmen t as a fu p e rin ten d ant, and ac cep ted o f a g ran t o f la n d ; and
an a llotment o f one h u n d red and fo r ty acres w e r e m ark ed ou t fo r h im
o n th e fo u th fid e o f the cre e k le ad in g to R o fe H ill . O n the fame fid e
14 o f