A C C O U N T O F TH E EN G L ISH C O L O N Y
H K n /
H i i i i l i
B
w a s a c co rd in g ly difp atched w ith flo u r and rice, and re turned fa fe ly , n o
attem p t h a v in g been made to flo p he r . I t w a s th en la id , th a t th e y
w e r e at a lo fs fo r a p e r fon to n a v ig a te h e r ; and that a depofit o f p o w der
and b a ll w a s made at a fa rm near th e b r ick - fie ld s ; w h e re h ow e v e r ,
o n fe a rch in g , n o th in g o f th e k in d w a s fou n d . V a r io u s o th e r rep or ts
w e r e w h ifp e red d u r in g th e m on th , w h ic h , w h e th e r fo u n d ed in truth o r
n o t, had this g o o d effedt, th a t e v e r y n e ce ifa ry p re caution w a s tak en to
p re v en t th e ir fu c ce ed in g in a n y attempt o f th a t k in d w h ic h th e y m ig h t
be defperate en o u g h to make.
M u c h a n x ie t y w a s e x c ited on a c coun t o f th e lo n g and un u fu al ab-
fen ce o f th e S u p p ly , w h ic h failed fo r N o r fo lk Ifland on the 22d d a y o f
M a r c h , and did n o t return to this harb ou r un til the 30th o f this m on th ,
w h ic h com p le ted ten w e e k s w i th in a d a y fin c e {he failed. C o n tra r y
w in d s and h e a v y gales h ad p re ven ted h e r a r r iv al at th e time {he m ig h t
h a v e be en re a fon a b ly exped ted . S h e w a s thre e w e e k s in h e r pafla ge
h ith e r , and w a s b low n o f f th e ifland fo r e le v en d ays.
C ap tain J o h n fto n , L ieu ten an ts C re fw e ll and R e f lo w , one ferjeant,
on e co rp o ra l, on e d rum m e r , and tw e n ty p riva te s o f th e m arin e deta
chm en t, ar riv ed in th e S u p p l y ; w i th tw o prifone r s , one a fold ier fo r
fom e ir r e g u la r ity o f cond ud t w h e n centin e l, th e o th e r a convid t.
T h e w e a th e r had been as d r y at N o r fo lk Ifland as it had been he re ;
w h ic h , w i th th e b l ig h t in g w in d s , h ad co n fid e ra b ly in ju red all the ga rd
en s , and p a r t icu la r ly fom e crop s o f p otatoes. O f th e grea t fe r t ility
o f th e fo il e v e r y a c cou n t b ro u g h t th e ftron g e ft c o n firm a tio n ; and b y
atten d in g to th e p ro p e r feal'on fo r fow in g , it w a s th e g enera l o p in io n
th a t tw o crop s o f c o rn p lig h t be g o t o f f in a ye a r.
T h e i r p ro v ifio n s , lik e ours, w e r e ag a in at fo lo w an ebb, that th e
lie u ten an t -g o v e rn o r h ad red uced th e ration. T h e w h o le n um b e r
v id tu a lled w h e n the S u p p ly failed amounted to f ix hun d red and tw e n ty -
n in e p e r fo n s ; and fo r th a t n um b e r there w e re in ftore at th e f u l l ra tion ,
flo u r and In d ian co rn fo r tw e n ty w e e k s , b e e f fo r e igh te en w e e k s , and
p o r k fo r tw e n ty -n in e w e ek s '; and th e fe , at th e ra tion then iflu ed , w o u ld
b e p ro lo n g e d , th e gra in to tw e n ty - fe v e n , th e b e e f to fo r ty - tw o , and th e
p o r k to tw e n ty -n in e week s.
It m u ft h ow e v e r be rem ark ed , th a t the- ra tion at N o r fo lk Ifland w a s
o ften un ce r ta in , b e in g regulated b y the p le n ty o r fc a r c ity o f th e M o u n t
Pitt
P it t birds. G r e a t numbers o f thefe birds had been k illed fo r fom e tim e
b e fo re th e S u p p ly failed th e n c e ; b u t th e y w e r e o bferved ab out th a t tim e
to be q u it tin g th e ifland.
O n board th e S u p p ly w e re fome p lan k s, and fu ch p a r t o f th e ftores
b e lo n g in g to th e Sir ius as the lieu ten an t-g o v e rn o r cou ld g e t o n board.
T h a t {hip had no t th en g o n e to pieces ; the fide o f h e r w h ic h was on
th e r e e f w as b ro k en in and m u ch in ju re d , b u t th e fid e n e x t th e fea (the
larboard fide) appeared frefti and perfe£t,
A t S y d n e y , b y an a c co u n t ta k en at th e la tter end o f th e m on th o f the
p ro v ifio n s th en rem a in in g in fto re , th e re appeared to be at th e ra tion
th en iflued o f
F lo u r and rice 40 w e e k s , a fu p p ly till 3 1 f t M a r ch 1 7 9 2 ;
g eef - 12 w e e k s , d itto , - 3 1 f t A u g u f t 1 7 9 1 ;
P qj-Jj _ 2 7 w e e k s , d itto , - 2 1 f t D e cem b e r 1 79* *
In this a c cou n t th e rice and flo u r w e r e ta k en to g e th e r as one ar tic le,
b u t th e ric e b o re b y fa r th e grea teft p rop o r tion .
I t w a s remarked b y m a n y in the fettlem ent, th a t bo th at S y d n e y and at
R o fe H i l l th e countenances o f th e la b o u r in g convidts ind icated th e ftiort-
nefs o f th e ration th e y r e c e iv e d ; this m ig h t be o ccafion ed b y th e ir
h a v in g fuffered fo m u ch be fo re from the fame caufe, from the e f fe a s
o f w h ic h th e y h ad fc a rc e ly b e en re ftored w h e n th e y w e re ag a in ca lled
u p o n to e xp e r ien c e th e h a rd fhip o f a red uced ra tion o f p ro v ifio n s . T h e
c o n v id s w h o ar r iv ed in Ju n e h ad no t re cov e red from th e fe v e r ity o f
th e ir p afla ge to th is co u n try .
I t h a v in g be en faid th a t James R u f e ,w h o in M a r c h laft had declared
h is a b ility to fu p p o r t h im fe lf in d ep end en t o f th e fto re , w a s fta rv in g , th e
g o v e rn o r to ld h im , th a t in confid e ra tion o f his h a v in g been u p on a
flior t allowan ce o f p ro v ifio n s d u r in g n e a r ly th e w h o le o f th e tim e h e
h ad been cu ltiv a t in g g ro u n d u p on h is o w n a c co u n t, th e ftorek eeper
ftiould be d i r e a e d to fu p p ly h im w i th tw e n ty p ou n d s o f fait p ro v ifio n s .
T h e man affured h is e x c e lle n c y that h e d id n o t ftand in need o f his
b o u n ty , h a v in g b y h im at th e tim e a fmall f lo c k o f p ro v ifio n s ; a qu an t
i t y o f Ind ian co rn , (w h ich h e fo u n d n o d ifficu lty in e x ch a n g in g fo r fait
meat,) and a ba g o f f lo u r ; all w h ic h enabled h im to d o fo w e ll, that h e
ab folu te ly b e g g ed p ermiflion to decline th e offer. S o v e r y c o n t r a d id o r y
w a s h is o w n ac count o f his fituation to that w h ic h had been repor ted.
y 2 T h e