»64 A C C O U N T O F TH E EN G L ISH C O L O N Y [ 1 7 9 1 .
T h e ba rrack s at R o fe H i l l , b e in g fo fa r com ple ted as to adm it o f
b e in g o c cu p ied , w e r e ta k en p offe ffion o f th is mon th b y th e N ew S o u th
W a le s co rp s .
S e v e ra l the fts o f p ro v ifio n s w e r e c om m it te d ; tw o , th a t w e r e o f
fom e co n feq u en c e , ap p eared as i f th e p ro v ifio n s h ad been co lle cted fo r
fom e p ar ticu lar p u rp o fe ; an d , i f fo , perhaps o n ly pafied §pbm th e p o f-
fe flion o f o n e th ie f to th a t o f an o th e r . W h i le a fta lk o f In d ian co rn
rem ain ed u p o n th e g ro u n d , th e co n v ic t s re fo lv ed to p lu n d e r it, and
fe v e ra l we re fe v e r e ly p u n i fh e d ; b u t it did no t appear that th e y w e r e
am end ed b y th e co r red lio n , n o r that others w e r e deterred b y the e x am
p le o f th e ir p u n ifhm en t. S o t r u ly in co r r ig ib le w e r e m a n y o f th e fe
p eo p le !
F in ifh in g th e c le rg ym an ’ s and fu r v e y o r ’ s h o u fe s ; b r in g in g in b r ick s
fo r o th e r b u i ld in g s ; p o lls and p a lin g fo r a fen c e ro u n d th e .r u n o f
w a t e r ; and m a k in g c lo a tb in g fo r th e p e o p le , o c cu p ied th e convidts at
S y d n e y .
J u n e .] T h e bad w e a th e r m e t w i th b y th e S u p p ly d u r in g h e r la te
v o y a g e to N o r fo lk Ifland had d one h e r fo m u ch in ju r y , th a t, on a
ca re fu l e x am in a tio n o f h e r d efed ls, it appeared th a t fh e cou ld n o t be
g o t r e a d y fo r fea in lefs th an th re e m onths. In ad d ition to o th e r rep
airs w h ic h w e r e in d ifp en fab le , h e r m ain m a il w a s fo u n d fo defed tiv e,
th a t a fte r cu ttin g oft' e igh te en fe e t from th e h ead o f it , and fin d in g
th e h e e l n ea r ly as b ad , th e ca rp enter w a s o f o p in io n that Ihe muft be
fu rn ifh ed w i th an en tire n ew m ad . T h is , w h e n the d ifficu lty o f findin
g tim b e r fo r h e r fo rem a ft (w h ic h , it m u ll be rem arked , bo re th e
h e a v y ga le s o f w in d fh e m e t w i th , as w e l l as could be defired e v en o f
w o o d th e fitteft fo r m a ils ) w a s recolledted, w a s an u n lu c k y and an ill -
tim ed w a n t ; fo r , fh o u ld it h ap p en th a t fup plies w e r e no t re c e iv ed from
E n g lan d b y th e m id d le o r end o f the m on th o f J u ly , th e fe rv ice s o f
th is v e fle l w o u ld b e ag a in required ; and, to fa v e th e c o lo n y , fh e m u ft
a t th a t tim e h a v e b e en difpatched to fom e fettlement in In d ia fo r prov
ifio n s . S h e w a s therefore fo r thw ith h au led a lon g -fid e th e ro ck s, and
p e o p le w e r e em p loy ed to lo o k fo r fo u n d timbe r fit fo r a m ail.
O n h is m a je fty ’ s b ir th -d a y an e x tra allow an ce o f p ro v ifio n s w a s
iffued to th e ga r r ifo n and fe tt lem e n ts ; each man re c e iv in g one p ou n d
o f fait m e at, and th e lik e q u a n tity o f r i c e ; e ach w om a n h a l f a p ou n d
o f