■ were, h ow e v e r , am o n g the con v id ls fom e w h o w e r e fo u n th in k in g , or
fo d ep ra v ed , as w a n to n ly to d e ilr o y a canoe b e lon g in g to a fine y o u n g
m a n , a n a tiv e , w h o had le ft it at fom e little d iftance from th e fettle-
m en t, and as h e h o p ed ou t o f th e w a y o f o bfe rv ation , w h ile h e w e n t
w i th fome filh to th e huts* H is ra g e at fin d in g his canoe d e ftroy ed
w a s in c o n c e iv a b le ; and h e threatened to take h is o w n re v en g e , and in
h is ow n w a y , u p on all w h ite p eop le . T h r e e o f the f ix p e o p le w h o
h ad d o ne h im th e in ju r y , h ow e v e r , w e r e fo w e ll defcribed b y fom e
o n e w h o h ad feen th em , th a t, b e in g c lo fe ly fo llow e d , th e y w e r e tak en
and p u n ifh ed , as w e r e th e rem ain d e r in a few d ay s after.
T h e in ftan t e fie c t o f all this w a s , that th e nativ es d ifcontinued to
b r in g up f i l h ; and B a l- lo o -d e r - ry , w h o le canoe had been d e ftroy ed ,
a lth o u g h h e h ad be en ta u g h t to be lie v e that one o f the f ix conv id ts had
b e en h an g e d fo r th e o ffen ce , m e e tin g a few day s afterw ard s w i th a
p o o r w r e tc h w h o h ad ftra y ed from Parramatta as far as th e Flats, he
w o u n d e d h im in tw o places w i th a fpear. T h is a f t o f B a llo o d e r ry ’s
w a s fo llow e d b y th e g o v e rn o r ’ s f t r i a l y fo rb id d in g h im to appear ag a in
a t a n y o f the fettlem en ts ; th e o th e r n a tiv e s, his friend s, b e in g alarmed,
P a rram a tta w a s fe ld om v ifited b y a n y o f th em , and all com m e rce w i th
th em w a s d e ftroy ed . H o w m u ch grea te r c laim to th e ap p ella tion o f
fa v a g e s h ad the w re tch e s w h o w e r e th e caufe o f th is , th an th e n ativ e
w h o w a s th e fu ffe re r ?
D u r in g th is m on th fom e ra in h ad fa llen , w h ic h had encouraged the
fo w in g o f th e p u b lic gro u n d s , and one h und red and fix te en bulhels o f
w h e a t w e r e fo w n at Parramatta. U n t il thefe rains fe ll, th e g ro u n d was
fo d r y , h a rd , and lite r a lly bu rn t u p , th a t it w a s almoft im po ffib le to
b re a k it w i th a h o e , and un til th is time there had been n o h o p e o r
p ro b a b ility o f th e g ra in v e g e ta tin g .
In th e b e g in n in g o f th e m on th , th e fto n e -m a fo n , w i th th e p eop le
u n d e r h is d ire c tio n , h ad b egu n w o r k in g at th e w e f t p o in t o f th e co v e ,
w h e r e th e g o v e rn o r p u rp o fed con ftru d tin g o u t o f th e r o c k a fp ot
w h e r e o n to p lace th e gu n s b e lo n g in g to the ie ttlem en t, w h ic h w a s to
w e a r th e appearance o f a work. T h e fla g - fta ff w as to be placed in th e
fame fituation . T h e hou fe fo r th e p r in cip al fu rg e o n w a s g o t u p and
c o v e r e d in d u r in g th is m on th .
A m o n g
A m o n g the co n v ic ts w h o died ab out this time , w a s — — F ra ze r , a
man w h o came ou t in th e firft fleet, and w h o , fin c e his la n d in g , h ad
be en em p lo y ed as a b la ck fm ith . H e was an e x c e llen t w o rkm a n , and
w a s fup po fed to h a v e b ro u g h t on an u n tim e ly end b y hard d r in k in g ,
as h e fe ld om chofe to accept o f a n y a r tic le b u t fpirits in p a ym en t fo r
w o r k d one in his e x tra hours.
J u ly .] T o guard a g ain ft a recurrence o f th e ac cid ent w h ic h h ap p
ened to o u r cattle fo on after w e h ad a r r iv e d , th e g o v e rn o r h ad fo r
fome tim e p aft em p lo y ed a ce r ta in n um b e r o f c o n v ic l3 at Parramatta in
fo rm in g in c lo fu r e s ; and at th e com m enc em en t o f th is mon th n o t lefs
th an o n e hu n d red and fo r ty acres w e r e th in n ed o f the tim b e r , fu r -
rou n d ed b y a d itch , and gua rd ed b y a p rop e r fence.
In ad d ition to the q u a n tity o f g ro u n d fow n w i th w h e a t, a la rg e p ro p
o r t io n w a s cleared to be fow n th is fea fon w i th In d ian c o r n ; and th e
c o u n t r y about Paramatta, as w e l l as th e tow n itfe lf, w h e re e ig h t huts,
w e r e n o w b u ilt, w o r e a v e r y p rom ifin g appearance.
A t S y d n e y , th e little g ro u n d th a t w a s in cu ltiv a t io n b e lon g ed to in d
iv id u als ; the w h o le labou r o f the co n v ic ts em p lo y e d in c le a r in g
grou n d b e in g ex e r ted at Parramatta, w h e re th e fo il, th o u g h n o t th e
beft fo r th e p urpofes o f a g r icu ltu re , (a c co rd in g to th e o p in io n o f e v e r y
man w h o p rofefled a n y kn ow le d g e o f fa rm in g ,) w a s ftill better th an
th e fand ab out S y d n e y , w h e r e , to raife e v e n a cab ba ge after th e firft
c r o p , m an ure w a s ab folu te ly requifite.
O n th e m o rn in g o f the n in th , the fign a l fo r a fail w a s mad e at
th e S o u th -h e ad ; and b e fo re n ig h t it w a s mad e k n o w n th a t th e M a r y
A n n tranfp ort w a s ar riv ed from E n g lan d , w i th one hu n d red and fo r ty -
o n e female convidts on b o ard, f ix ch ild ren , and one fre e w om a n , fom e
c lo th in g , and the fo llow in g fm a ll q u a n tity o f p ro v ifio n s : one h und red
and th ir ty - tw o barrels o f f lo u r ; f ix ty - o n e tierces o f p o r k ; and th ir ty -
tw o tierces o f beef.
T h is fhip failed a lo n e ; b u t w e w e r e in fo rm ed that fhe w a s to be
fo llow e d b y nine fail o f tranfports, on b oard o f w h ic h w e r e em bark ed ,
( in c lu d in g one h und red and fifty w om e n , th e n um b e r p u t in to the
M a r y A n n , ) tw o th ou fan d and f ifty male and female c o n v id t s ; th e
w h o le o f w h ic h we re to be expedted in th e co u r fe o f f ix w e ek s o r tw o
m on th s, to g e th e r w i th his M a je f t y ’ s Ihip G o rg o n .
14 W e