it w a s b ro k en in to , to be fen t to Parramatta th e fo llow in g m ornin g .
T h e ' cafes w i th th e cam om ile and fu d o r ific p ow d e r (w h ic h perhaps
th e y h ad tak en fo r fu g a r o r flour) w e r e fo u n d at the b a ck o f th e h ill
b eh in d the h o fp i t a l ; an d , in ord er to d ifc o v e r th e perfons conce rned
in th is th e ft, (as w e l l as tho fe w h o maimed th e faw y e r , as b efore re lated,)
a p roc lama tion w a s p u b lilh ed , o ffe r in g to a n y pe rfon o r perfons1
g iv in g fu ch in fo rm a tion as fliou ld c o n v i f t th e p r in cip al o ffenders, a
fre e p ard on fo r e v e r y offence w h ic h h e , {he, o r th e y m ig h t h a v e com mitted
fin ce th e ir ar riv al in this c o u n t r y ; and th a t a fu ll ra tion o f
p ro v ifio n s fh o u ld b e iffued to fu ch p e rfon o r perfons d u r in g the re m
a in d e r o f th e ir refp ed tive terms o f tranfportation.
S e v e ra l p e o p le died at Parramatta, fom e o f w h om w e r e at la b ou r ,
ap p a ren tly in h e a lth , and dead in fo u r -a n d - tw en ty hours . A n e x tra o
rd in a r y c ircum ftan ce attended, th o u g h it w a s n o t th e caufe o f the
d e ath o f o n e p o o r c reature : w h ile d ra g g in g w ith others at a b r ick Cart
h e w a s le iz e d w i th a fa in tin g fit, and w h en h e 1 re cov e red w a s laid
d o w n u n d e r a ca r t w h ic h flo o d in th e ro ad , th a t h e m ig h t be in the
fliad e . B e in g w e a k and ill, h e fe ll afleep. O n w a k in g , and fe e lin g
fom e th in g t ig h t ab ou t h is n e ck , he p u t up h is han d , w h e n , to his
am a zem en t and h o r ro r , h e gra fped th e fo ld s o f a la rg e fnak e w h ic h had
tw in e d it fe lf ro u n d h is ne ck . In en d e a v o u r in g to - d ifen g a g e it, th e
an im a l b it h im b y th e lip , w h ic h became inffiantly tumid . T w o men,
p a flin g b y , to o k o f f th e fnak e and th r ew it o n th e g ro u n d , w h e n it
eredted it fe l f and f lew at one o f th em ; but th e y fo o n k illed it. T h e
m an w h o h ad fain ted at the cart died the n e x t m o rn in g , not, h ow e v e r ,
from a n y effedt o f th e b ite o f th e fn ak e , but from a g en e ra l d eb ility .
A t Parramatta th e p u b lic b akehou fe w a s bro k en in to , and robbed o f
a la rg e q u a n tity o f flo u r and bifcu it. T h e ro b b e r had made his w a y
d o w n th e c h im n e y o f th e houfe, an d , th o u g h a man and w om a n flep t
in th e p la c e , ca rried o f f his b o o ty u n d ifcov e red . '
T h e conv id ts h a v in g aflembled th e re at th e latter end o f the laft
m on th in an im p rop e r and tum u ltu ou s m anne r, th e g o v e rn o r n o w
th o u g h t p ro p e r to ilfue a p ro c lam a tio n , d ired tin g th a t “ in cafe o f a n y
“ r io t o r d ifturbance am o n g the con v id ts , e v e r y one w h o was feen out
“ o f h is h u t w o u ld ( i f fu ch r io t o r difturbance fhould hap pen in th e
“ n ig h t, o r d u r in g th e h o u r s o f reft from la b ou r , o r i f h e w e r e ab-
“ fent
« fent from h is labou r d u r in g th e hours o f w o rk ) b e d eemed to be
« a id in g and aflifting th e rio te rs, and be p unifhed a c c o rd in g ly .”
T h e convidts w e r e ftr id tly fo rb id d en e v e r to affemble. in num b e rs
u n d e r a n y p retence <o f fta ting a com p lain t, o r fo r a n y o th e r caufe
w h a te v e r , all complaints b e in g to be made th ro u g h th e med ium o f the
fup erintend ants o r overfeers.
A d ifobed ience to this p roc lama tion w a s to b e p u nifh ed w i th th e
u tm o ft f e v e r i t y ; and a n y p e r fo n w h o , k n o w in g o f a n y in ten d ed r io t
o r tum u ltu ou s and u n law fu l a ffem b ly am o n g th e con v id ts , did n o t take
th e firft o p p o r tu n ity o f in fo rm in g eithe r th e com m an d in g office r o f th e
m ilita r y o r on e o f th e fup erintend ants th e re o f, w o u ld be deemed and
p u n ifh e d as a p r in c ip a l in fu ch rio t. -
A n in ftan ce o f th e p ro flig a c y o f the co n v id ts w h ic h o ccurred at th is
tim e is d e fe rv in g o f n o t ic e : a w om a n w h o h ad be en entru fted to
c a r r y th e allow an ce o f flo u r b e lo n g in g .to tw o o th e r w om e n to th e
b a k eh ou fe , w h e r e fhe h ad ru n in debt fo r bread w h ic h fh e h ad ta k en
Up on th e ir a c co u n t, m ix e d w i th it a q u a n tity o f p ou n d ed fto n e , in
th e .p roportion., o f tw o -th ird s o f g r it , to one o f flour. F o r tu n a te ly ,
fhe w a s detedted b efore it had be en m ix e d w i th o th e r flo u r a t th e
b a k eh ou fe , and w a s ordered to w e a r an iro n co lla r fo r f ix mon th s as a
p u nifhm en t.
F e b ru a r y .] A cr im in al cou r t w a s h e ld at Pa rrama tta on th e 7 th o f
th is m on th fo r th e trial o f James C o llin g to n , w h o , as be fo re m en tion ed ,
had bro k en in to th e p u b lic b a k eh ou fe at th a t p lace b y g e t tin g d ow n
th e ch im n e y in th e n ig h t. I t -appeared that he had ta k en o f f 'about
fif t y pound s o f flo u r , w h ic h h e tied up in an ap ro n that h e fo u n d in
th e ro om , and th e le g o f a p a ir o f trow fe rs . H e d epofited th e p ro p
e r ty u n d e r a ro ck , and o c c a fio n a lly v ifited i t ; b u t it w a s fo on fe ized
b y fome o th e r nodturnal ad v en tu re r , and C o llin g to n then b ro k e in to
ano the r h u t, w h e re in e ig h t p eo p le w e r e fle e p in g , and to o k th e re o u t a
b o x con ta in in g w e a r in g apparel and p ro v ifio n s , w ith o u t d iftu rb in g
them , fo fo u n d ly did fa tig u e mak e th em fleep ; bu t h e w a s detedted in
a g a rd en w i th the p ro p e r ty , and fecured. B e in g fo u n d g u il ty , h e rece
iv ed fentence o f death, and w a s ex e cu ted e a r ly th e fo llo w in g m ornin
g . A t th e tree he addrefled th e convid ts, w a rn in g them to a vo id
th e p aths he h ad p urfued ; b u t fa id , th a t h e w a s in d u ced b y h u n g e r to
14. com m it