fliip , it was- im a g in e d that fifte en fam ilie s o f Q u a k e r s , w h o h ad made
p rop o fals to g o v e rnm en t to b e r e c e iv e d in this co u n t ry as fettlers, w e r e
„to ta k e th e ir paflage.
I t w a s w i th grea t pleafure h e ard in th e c o lo n y , th a t fom e fteps had
b e en taken tow ard p ro fe cu tin g D o n a ld T r a i l, the matter o f the N ep tu n e
tranfp ort, fo r h is treatment o f th e co n v ic t s w i th w h ic h he failed from
E n g lan d fo r th is fettlement in th e y e a r 1 7 9 0 . T h e fickne fs and morta
lity w h ic h p re v a iled am o n g th em e x c ited a fu fp ic io n th a t th e y had-
be en im p ro p e r ly t r e a te d ; and in fo rm a tion u p on oath w a s fo on procu
red o f m an y a ft s o f n e g le f t , ill u fa g e , and c ru e lty tow a rd them .
In con feq u en c e o f th e ar riv al o f the B r itan n ia , th e com m ilfa ry w a s
o n th e fo llow in g d a y directed to ifiu e , u n til fu r th e r orders, th e fo llow in
g w e e k ly r a t io n ; v iz .
T o ..each m an 4 p oun d s o f m aize ,
3 p ou n d s o f fo u je e ,
7 p oun d s o f b e e f, o r in lie u th e r e o f 4 lbs. o f p o rk ,
3 p in ts o f p e aie o r d h o ll, and
i a p ou n d o f r ic e i
T w o thirds o f th e m an ’ s ra tion w a s direc ted to be iflued to each w om an
an d to e v e r y ch ild ab ov e ten y e a rs o f a g e ; one h a l f o f th e m an ’ s ration
to each ch ild ab ov e tw o , and und er ten y e a rs o f ag e ; and one fo u r th
o f th e man’ s ra tion to each ch ild u n d e r tw o y e a rs o f age.
T h u s h a p p i ly w a s th e c o lo n y o n ce m ore p u t u p on fom e th in g lik e a
fu ll ra tion o f p rov ifio n s ; a ch an ge in ou r fituation that ga ve ' u n iv e r fal
fa tis fa ft io n , as at th e h o u r o f the ar riv al o f th e B r itannia th e re w e r e in
th e p u b lic fto re o n ly tw e n ty - fo u r d ay s fait p rov ifion s fo r th e fettlement
a t th e ra tion th en iflu ed . A d e la y o f a m on th in h e r voya ge- w o u ld
h a v e placed the c o lo n y * in a ftate th a t m u tt h a v e e x c ited the com m i-
fe ra tion o f its g rea te ft en em ie s ; a v a ft body, o f h a rd -w o r k in g p eop le
d ep en d in g fo r th e ir fu p p o r t upon on e p ou n d and a h a l f o f fo u je e , o r
bad B en g a l flo u r , fo u r pound s o f m aize , one p ou n d o f r ic e , and one
q u a r t o f peafe fo r o n e man p e r w e e k , w ith o u t one, o u n ce o f m e a t ! B u t
w i th th is n ew ra tio n a l l entertained n ew h o p e s , and t r a ile d that th e ir
fu tu r e labours w o u ld be c row n e d w i th fuc cefs, and th a t the n e c e flity
o f fen d in g o u t fup plies from th e m oth e r co u n t ry u n til th e c o lo n y could
fu p p o r t it fe lf w ith o u t afiittance w o u ld , h a v e be com e fo e v id en t from the
i freq u en c y
fr e q u e n c y o f ou r diftreflfes and th e r ed u ftion o f th e ra tion , th a t th e
jo u rn a lift w o u ld -n o lo n g e r h a v e occafion to fill h is p a g e w i th com p a r i-
fons b e tw e en w h a t w e m ig h t h a v e been and w h a t w e w e r e ; to lam ent
th e n on-a r r iv a l o f fu p p lie s ; n o r to paint the miferies and wre tchedn e fs
w h ic h e n fu e d ; b u t m ig h t adopt a lan guage to w h ic h h e m ig h t t r u ly
be faid to h a v e been h ith e rto a ftrange r, and p ain t th e g lo w in g p ro -
fp e ft s o f a g o ld en harv eft, th e tr ium p h o f a w e ll- fille d fto rë , and th e
in c re a fin g and con fequen t p ro fp e r ity o f th e fettlements.
H is e x c e llen c y th is m on th th o u g h t fit to e x e r c ife th e p ow e r v e tted
in h im b y a f t o f p ar liam en t, and b y his M a je f ty ’ s com m iflion u n d e r
th e grea t feal, o f rem ittin g e ith e r w h o l ly , o r in p a r t, th e te rm fo r
w h ic h fe lon s m ig h t be tran fp orted , b y g ra n tin g an ab lolute rem iflion
o f th e te rm fo r w h ic h E liza b e th P e r r y h ad be en fentenced . T h is
w om a n came o u t in the N ep tu n e in 1 7 9 0 , and had married James R u fe
a fettler. T h e g o od c o n d u it o f th e w i fe , and th e in d u ftr y o f th e h u f-
b an d , w h o had fo r fome time fup po rted h im fe lf, his w i fe , a ch ild , and
tw o e o n v ift s , in d ep end ent o f th e p u b lic fto re , w e re the rea fons afligned
in th e in ftrumen t w h ic h reftored h e r to h e r righ ts and p r iv ile g e s as a
fre e w om a n , fo r e x te n d in g to h e r th e hand o f fo rg iv en e fs .
T h is p ow e r , fo p le a fin g to the fe e ling s o f its p o flc lfo r , h ad h ith e r to
b e en v e r y fp a r in g ly e x e r c i fe d ; and th o fe pe rfon s w h o had fe lt its in fluen
ce w e r e n o t fo u n d to h a v e b e en u n d e fe rv in g . I fp eak o n ly o f fu ch
e o n v ift s as had been d eemed p ro p e r o b je fts o f this fa v o u r b y th e g o v
e rn o r h im f e l f ; th e e o n v ift s , h ow e v e r , w h o came o u t in th e G u a rd ia n
w e r e emancipated b y th e K in g ’ s com m an d , and o f th e fe b y fa r th e
g rea ter part co n d u fte d th em fe lv e s w i th p ro p r ie ty .
P rep ar in g roofs fo r n ew ba rracks, b r in g in g in b r ick s to th e fp ot app
oin ted fo r th e ir co n ft ru ftio n , and d ifeh a rg in g th e A tla n tic and th e
B r itan nia, w e re th e p r in c ip a l w o rk s in hand at S y d n e y d u r in g the
m on th .— A t th e fettlements b e y o n d Parramatta (w h ic h had la te ly obtained
and w e re in fu tu re to be diftinguifhe'd b y th e name o f T o o n -
g a b -b e ) the e o n v ift s w e r e em p lo y ed in p re p a r in g th e g ro u n d fo r th e
reception o f n e x t y e a r ’ s crop o f maize. A t and n ea r Parramatta, the
c h ie f bufinefs was e refting- tw o houfes on a llotments o f land w h ic h
be lon g ed to M r . A rn d e ll th e afliftant fu rg e o n , and to J o h n I r v in g , (one
o f tho fe p erfons w h o fe e x em p la r y co n d u ft and meritorious b eh a v io u r
g o . b o th