n am e s , w i th th e p recife circum ftan ce s atten d in g th e ir treatment o f h im ,
and it was ho p ed that th e y w o u ld h a v e liv e d to return, and re c e iv e th e
rew a rd o f th e ir c r im e ; but one o f th e ir com pan ion s w h o fu rv iv e d th em
b ro u g h t in an ac co u n t o f th e ir h a v in g ended a w ic k e d and miferable
e x iften c e in th e w o o d s .
D ep r ed a tion s b e in g n ig h t ly com m itted at th e (k ir ts o f th e tow n ,
and at th e officers’ farms , b y fome o f the fe v ag ran ts , w h o w e r e fu p -
p ofed to lu r k b e tw e en th is place and Parramatta, it w a s th o u g h t n e -
ce ffary to fend armed parties o u t a t n ig h t fo r a certain d iftance rou n d
th e fe ttlem en t, w i th orders to fe iz e , o r fire o n , all perfons fo u n d
d r a g g lin g ; and fe v e ral w e r e detected b y th em in th e a£t o f ro b b in g th e
gard ens at th e d ifferent farms. In d e ed n e ith e r th e p ro p e r ty n o r th e
p e r fon s o f in d iv id u a ls w e r e fafe fo r fom e tim e . T w o v illa in s came to
a h u t w h ic h w a s o c cu p ied b y one W illiam s a faw y e r , and w h ic h h e
h ad ereCted at a fp ot at fom e d iftance from the tow n w h e r e h e could
h a v e a little g a rd en g ro u n d , and attempted to ro b him ; but the ow n e r
fu rp r ifed th em , an d , in en d e a v o u r in g to fe cu re th em , was w o u n d ed
fo fe v e r e ly in th e arm w i th a tom a h aw k , th a t th e tend on w a s d iv id ed ;
and it w a s fu p p o fed th a t h e n e v e r w o u ld re c o v e r the p erfedt ufe o f th e
lim b . T h e y e v en ca rried th e ir a u d a c ity fo fa r , as to be fe c re tly med ita
tin g an attempt u p on th e b a rrack and fto rehoufe at P a r ram a tta ; at
le a ft, in fo rm a tion o f fu ch a p lan w a s g iv e n b y fom e o f th e c o n v id t s ;
and as th e re h ad be en feen am o n g th em p e o p le f il ly en o u g h to und erta
k e to w a lk to th e o th e r fid e o f th is e x ten fiv e con tin ent, exp ed tin g
th a t C h in a w o u ld be fo u n d th e re , it w a s n o t at all improbable
th a t fom e m ig h t be mad en o u g h to perfuade others th a t it w o u ld be
an e a fy matter to attem p t and c a r r y the barracks and (lores there. B u t
no o th e r u fe w a s made o f the rep or t than the e x e r tio n o f d ouble v ig ilance
in th e g u a rd s , w h ic h w a s d o ne w i th o u t m a k in g p u b lic th e true
m o t iv e . T o th e cred it o f th e conv id ts w h o came out in the firft fleet
it m u ft b e rem a rk ed , that n o n e o f th em w e r e conce rned in thefe
o f fe n c e s ; and o f th em it w a s faid th e n ew comers flo o d fo m uch in
d read, th a t th e y n e ve r w e re admitted to a n y (hare in th e ir confidence.
A s th e In d ian co rn began to r ip en th e convid ts re com m en ced th e ir
depredations, and m a n y w e r e p u n ilh ed w ith a fe v e r ity fe em in g ly calcu
lated to deter o th e rs , b u t ad tu a lly w ith o u t effedt. T h e y appeared
to
to be a p e o p le w h o l ly regardlefs o f th e fu tu r e , and no t d re a d in g a n y
th in g th a t w a s n o t im m e d ia te ly p refent to th e ir ow n fe e ling s. It w a s
w e l l k n ow n th a t p u n ilhm en t w o u ld fo llo w th e d e te ft io n o f a c r im e ;
b u t th e ir conftant reliance was on ;a hope o f e fc ap in g th a t d e ted tio n ;
and th e y w e r e v e r y ra re ly k n ow n to ftand fo rw a rd in b r in g in g offen d e is
to p u n ilhm en t, alth ough fu ch rewards w e r e h e ld ou t as o n e w o u ld
im a g in e w e r e fuffici.ent to in d u ce th em . It b e in g n e ce ffa ry to fe cure
fo u r d angerous p e o p le , w h o , a fte r c om m itt in g offen ce s , h ad w i th d
raw n in to th e w o o d s ; a rew a rd o f f i f t y p ou n d s o f flo u r w a s offered
fo r th e ap p reh enfion o f eithe r o f th em , b u t o n ly one w a s tak en .
T h e e a fy com m u n ica tio n b e tw e en S y d n e y and Parramatta had been
fo u n d to be a v e r y grea t e v il from th e tim e th e p ath w a s firft
mad e ; b u t fince th e n um b e rs h ad been fo m u ch au gmen ted at P a rram
a tta , it became ab fo lu te ly n e ce ffa ry to p u t a fto p to th e in te r co u r fe .
T h e d iftan ce w a s ab out fix te e n m i le s ; an d , unlefs in fo rm a t io n w a s
p r e v io u f ly g iv e n , a p e r fon w o u ld v if it S y d n e y and re tu rn w i th o u t
b e in g m iffe d : and as fto len p r o p e r ty w a s ..transferred from o n e p la c e
to an o th e r b y means o f th is q u ic k co n v e y a n c e , orders w e r e g iv e n ca lcu
lated to cu t o f f all u n lic en fed in te r co u r fe .
A rep or t h a v in g been fa lfe ly p rop a g a ted a t P a rram a tta , th a t it w a s
in ten d ed b y th e g o v e rn o r to ta k e the co rn o f in d iv id u a ls o n th e p u b lic
a c cou n t, th e fettlers and c o n v if t s w h o h ad ra ifed m a iz e or o th e r g ram ,
and w h o w e r e n o t p ro v id ed w i th p ro p e r places to fe cure it in , w e r e
in fo rm ed , th a t th e y m ig h t fen d it to th e p u b lic fto re , and d raw it
from th en c e as th e ir o c c a fion s r e q u i r e d ; and far th e r , th a t th e y w e r e
at lib e r ty to d ifp ofe o f fu ch liv e fto c k , c o rn , g ra in , o r v e g e ta b le s ,
w h ic h they, m ig h t ra ife , as. th e y fo u n d c o n v en ien t to th em fe lv e s , th e
p ro p e r ty o f e v e r y in d iv id u a l b e in g eq u a lly fe cu red to h im , and b y th e
fam e law , w h e th e r b e lo n g in g to a fre e man o r a c o n v ia . S u c h o f
th e ab ov e articles as th e y cou ld no t o th e rw ife d ifp ofe o f, th e y w e r e
to ld , w o u ld b e purcha fed b y th e c om m iffa ry on th e p u b lic a c co u n t at
a fa ir m ark et-pr ice.
T o w a r d th e latter end o f the m on th fom e v illa in s b ro k e in to th e
d ifp en fa ry at th e h o fp ita l, and d o le tw o cafes o f p ortab le fo u p , on e
cafe o f cam om ile flow e rs , and one 'c a fe co n ta in in g fu d o r ific p ow d e r .
T h e fe articles had been placed in the d ifp en fa ry on th e v e r y e v en in g
It