h e r Ihip s c om p a n y w e r e affifted w i th tw e lv e con v ic ts from the fettle-
m en t, and th e occafional u le o f fuch boats as cou ld be fpared to c o n v e y
th e b allaft to th e Ihip. T h e g o v e rn o r w a s an x io u s to learn th e Hate,
o f that d ep en d en c y , n o t h a v in g heard from it fince the return o f the
Q u e e n tranfp ort e a r ly in the laft D e cem b e r .
T h e m aize b e in g a ll g o t in , it w a s hoped that th e c o n v id s w o u ld
n o t find a n y n ew o b je d fo r th e ir d epred ations, and that ord er and
tran q u illity w o u ld fo r a tim e at leaft be reftored am o n g them. B u t
th e houfes o f in d iv id u a ls fo on b ecame th e ir p r e y , and three o r fo u r
d a r in g burglaries w e r e com m itted th is m on th : I fa y d ar in g b urg larie s,
as th e houfes w h ic h w e r e bro k en in to w e re eithe r w ith in the v iew o f
a centin e l, o r w ith in th e ro u n d o f a w a tchm an . T h is , h ow e v e r , m u ft
n o t be o th e rw ife un d e rfto od than as a p r o o f o f the p erfeverance and
cu n n in g o f thefe p e o p le ,, w h o could find means to elude a n y v ig ila n ce
th a t wa s . o pp ofed to th e ir defigns. A n attemp t to fteal fom e o f the
Iheep at Parramatta w a s alfo made b y tw o notorious o ffend ers, w h o ,
from b e in g deemed in c o r r ig ib le , w e re n o t in c lud ed in the pardon
w h ic h th e g o v e rn o r granted to th e wre tche s in irons, after his M a je f ty ’ s
b ir th -d a y , but w e r e ordered to be chained to g e th e r fo r fom e lo n g e r
time. B e in g fo r tu n a te ly o ve rh e a rd b y th e pe rfon w h o liv ed in the
in c lo fu re , and had th e care o f th e flo c k , h e fnapped a p iece at th em ,
an d , fin d in g it m ifs fire , g a v e an alarm to th e watch,' b y w h o fe ac-,
t i v i t y th e y w e r e app rehend ed tw o miles from th e place. T h e y w e r e
p ro v id e d w i th e v e r y th in g n e ce ffa ry fo r th e ir d e fign , fu ch as a tomah
aw k , an iro n k e ttle , k n iv e s , fp oon s , p latters, and a q u a n tity o f v e g
etables. I t w a s fo u n d , th a t w i th th e affiftance o f the tom ah aw k th e y .
h ad d iv id ed the ch a in th a t lin k ed them to g e th e r , and had fecured roun d
th e le g th e iro n th a t rem ained w ith each, fo as n o t to be heard w h en
th e y m ov ed .
T h e d iffe ren t fp e cie s o f ' p rov ifions w h ic h had been re c e iv e d from
C a lcu t ta w e r e n o t m u ch efteemed b y the p eop le. T h e flour: o r fo u je e ,
from o u r n o t k n o w in g the p rop e r m od e o f p rep a r in g it fo r bread, foon
became fo u r , p a r ticu la r ly i f no t affifted w i th fom e o th e r g r a in ; the
d h o ll, o r p e a fe , w e r e com plained o f as b o ilin g h ard , and no t bre a k in g ,
th o u g h k e p t on th e fire fo r a grea te r len g th o f tim e th an the impa tience
o f tho fe w h o w e r e to ufe it w o u ld in general a d m iu o f ; and the rice ,
th o u g h
th o u g h termed th e b e ft o f th e cargo,- w a s foun d to b e fu ll o f h u lk s , and
ill dreffed. S om e p o rk alfo, o f w h ich e igh t c a lk s .h ad been fent as an>
e x p e r im en t , w a s , o n b e in g iflued, found to be fo r the m o d p art
p u tr id , an d , in the lan guage o f fu rv e yo rs o f p ro v ifio n s , no t fit fo r
m en to eat. T h e fe circumftances, to ge th e r w i th th e e x trem e m in u te -
nefs o f the B en g a l breed o f cattle, e x c ited a g en e ra l h o p e , th a t thefe
fettlements w o u ld no t h a v e to depend u p on th a t c o u n t r y fo r fupplies.
T o the p arent co u n try e v e r y one a n x io u f ly lo o k e d fo r a fp e ed y and
fubftantial affiflance ; and d a y after d a y ufed to pafs in a fruitle fs h o p e
that the m o r row w o u ld com e a c com pan ied w i th th e lo n g w ifh e d - fo r
a r r iv al o f {hips. ^
T h e nativ es w h o liv e d am o n g us aflured us from time to tim e , th a t
th e rep or t fo rm e r ly p rop ag ated o f fhips h a v in g be en feen on th e coaft
h ad a fo u n d a tion in r e a l i t y ; and as e v e r y o n e rem em be red that the
J u ft in ian , after m a k in g th e heads o f P o rt J a ck fo n , had been k ep t at
fea fo r th re e w e e k s , a fo n d ho pe w a s ch e r ifh ed th a t th e fu n had Ih on e
u p on th e w h iten ed fails o f fome ap p roa ch in g v e fle l, w h ic h had been d if-
co v e red b y th e p ene tra tin g e y e s o f our fav a ge n e igh bou rs at B o ta n y B a y .
In th is a n x ie ty and e x p e d a t io n w e remained till th e 2 6 th , w h en the lo n g -
w ifh e d - fo r fign a l was made, and in a few hours after th e B r itan nia fio r e -
fh ip , M r . W illiam R a v en matter, an ch ored in th e c o v e , after a pafla ge o f
tw en ty - th r e e w e ek s from F a lm o u th, h a v in g failed from th en ce o n th e 1 5 th
o f laft F eb ru a ry , th e d a y after th e ar riv al o f th e P itt in th is -c ou n try .
T h e B r ita n n ia w a s th e firft o f three Ihips th a t w e r e to b e difp atched
h ith e r , h a v in g on board tw e lv e months c lo th in g fo r th e c o n v id s , fo u r
mon th s flo u r , and e ig h t mon th s b e e f and p o rk fo r e v e r y d e fcr iption o f
perfons in th e fettlements, at fu ll a llow an ce , ca lcu la tin g th e ir numbers at
fo u r thoufand f ix hundred and th ir ty -n in e , w h ic h it w a s at h om e fup po fed
th e y m ig h t amount to after th e a r r iv a l o f th e Pitt. I t w a s ftill a matter o f
u n ce r ta in ty in E n g lan d , e v en at th e departure o f th e B r itan n ia , w h e th e r
th e merchants o f C a lcutta h ad fup plied th is c o u n t r y w i th p ro v ifio n s ; and
u n d e r the idea that fome c ircum ftan ce m ig h t h a v e p re ven ted th em , this
fu p p ly w a s ordered to be fo rw a rd ed . T h e K i t t y tran fp o r t, on e o f th e
thre e Ihips w h ic h w e re to con tain the fe fu p p lie s , h ad failed from D e p tfo
rd , at th e tim e th e B r ita n n ia p alled th ro u g h th e D o w n s ; h e r arrival'
th e re fo re m ig h t be d a ily e x p e d e d— and in h e r , o r o n board o f th e o th e r
f t ip *