d h o ll, p eafe, fo u je e , w h e a t, and rum , w h ic h w a s to be p aid fo r by-
g o v e rnm en t, am ounted to th e fum o f 7 5 3 8 L 14 s . Ad.
T h i s e a rg o m ig h t be termed an e x p e r im en t , to w h ic h it w a s true
w e w e r e d r iv en b y n e c e f f i t y ; and it had b e com e th e un iv e rfal and
earneft w i ih that no caufe m ig h t e v e r ag ain in d u ce u s to t r y it.
T h e m a iz e b e in g e x p en d ed , e x c e p t a ce rtain p ro p o r tio n w h ic h w a s
re fe rv ed fo r fe ed , fe v en p ou n d s o f fo u je e w e r e iffued p e r w e e k to each
m a n ; b u t as the q u an tity o f th is article w h ic h h ad been re ce ived from
In d ia w a s b u t fmall ( fifty - fe v en tons) compa red w ith - th e rice and d h o ll,
tow a rd the latter en d o f th e m on th it became n e ce ffa ry to mak e u p a
n ew ra tion com pou n d ed o f th e v a r io u s gra in w h ic h had been introduced
from C a lcu tta , and th e different articles o f fo od w h ic h h ad
b e en re c e iv ed from E n g lan d .
- O n e th ird o f th e p ro v ifio n s re ce ived from B en g a l b y th e A t la n tic ,
an d th e lik e p ro p o r tio n o f th e ftores and p ro v ifio n s w h ic h had been
lan d ed from th e B r ita n n ia , h a v in g be en p u t on board the fo rm e r o f
th o fe fh ip s, fh e failed on th e ig t h fo r N o r fo lk Ifland , h a v in g alfo on
b o ard tw o fettlers from th e m arin e de ta chm ent, tw e n ty - tw o male con v
ic t s , an in co r r ig ib le lad w h o had been d rum med ou t o f th e N ew
S o u th W a le s co rp s , th re e n a tiv e s, and a fre e w om a n , w i fe to o n e o f
th e co n v ic ts . A m o n g th e latter d e fcr ip tion o f pe rfon s w e r e fom e o f
v e r y bad cha ra c te r ; others w h o w e r e fu p p o fed to h a v e fo rm ed a de-
f jg n o f e fc ap in g from the c o l o n y ; fom e w h o profe ffed to be fla x
d reffers, and a few artificers w h o m ig h t b e u fe fu l at th a t ifland.
A t th e head o f a p a r ty o f co n v ic ts w h o w e re faid to h a v e fo rm ed a
d e fign o f fe iz in g a b o a t and e ffe c tin g th e ir efcape, w a s J . C . M o r r is ,
o n e o f th o fe co n v ic t s w h o le ft E n g lan d in th e G u a rd ian , and w h o ,
from th e ir m e r ito r io u s b eh a viou r before and a fte r th e d ifafter th a t befel
th a t fh ip , re c e iv ed cond itiona l emanc ipa tion b y h is M a je f ty ’ s com mand
. M o r r is w a s a t N o r fo lk Ifland w h e n th e in tim a tio n o f th e r o y a l
b o u n ty rea ched th is cou n try . B e in g p ermitted to re tu rn to this fe t -
tlem en t, h e obtained a g ran t o f th ir ty acres o f land at the E a fte rn
F a rm s , in an advantageous fitu a tion on th e n o r th -fid e o f th e c re ek
le a d in g to Parramatta. H e r e it fo on became e v id en t th a t h e had no t
th e in d u ftr y n e ce ffa ry fo r a bonaJide fettler, and th a t, inftead o f cu ltiv
a t in g h is o w n g ro u n d , h e len t h im fe lf to h is n e igh b ou r s , w h o we re
to
to rep a y h is labour b y w o r k in g for. him at a fu tu re d ay . T h e g o v
e rn o r deemed this a clear fo r fe itu re o f his g ran t, in w h ic h it w a s
u n e q u iv o c a lly exp re ffed , that h e held the th ir ty acres on con d ition o f
h is re fid in g w ith in , the fam e , and p roc e ed in g to the im p ro v em en t and
cu ltiv a tio n thereof. B e in g n o lo n g e r a fettler, h e declared h im fe lf
able to p rocure his d a ily fiipport w ith o u t th e afliftance o f th e p u b lic
fto re s , from w h ic h , it muft be rem ark ed , he had been maintained a ll
th e time he held his grant. S o o n a fte r this, it w a s faid, h e fo rm ed th e
p lan o f g o in g o f f w i th a b o a t ; y e t n o t fo c a u tio u fly , but th a t in fo rm ation
w a s g iv e n o f i t to th e g o v e rn o r , w h o re fo lv ed to fend h im b a ck
to N o r fo lk Ifland , w h en c e an efcape w a s b y n o means fo p r a d ic a b le as
from th is place ; and h e w a s , v e r y m u ch ag a in ft his in c lin a tion , p u t
o n board th e A t la n t ic fo r th a t p urpo fe . H e fo u n d means, h ow e v e r ,
to g e t on fhore in the n ig h t p re c ed in g h e r departure ; and fh e failed
w i th o u t him . A rew a rd b e in g offered fo r ap p reh end ing h im , h e w a s
fo o n ta k en , and fen t u p to Parramatta, th e re to b e con fin ed on a red u c ed
ra tion , un til an o p p o r tu n ity offered o f fen d in g h im to N o r fo lk Ifland.
D u r in g th e mon th th e g o v e rn o r th o u g h t it n e ce ffa ry to iffue fom e
regulation s to b e o b fe rv ed b y tho fe convidts w h o fe fentences o f t ran s p
ortation h ad e xp ired . T h e n um b e r o f p eop le o f this d e fc r ip tio n in
th e c o lo n y had been fo m u ch inc reafed o f la te, th a t it had b e com e
requ ifite to d etermine w i th p re c ifion th e lin e in w h ic h th e y w e r e to
m o v e . H a v in g em e rged from th e co n d ition o f c o n v id s , and g o t r id
o f the reftraint w h ic h w a s n e ce ffa r ily im p o fed on th em w h ile u n d e r
th a t fu b je d io n , m a n y o f th em feemed to h a v e fo rg o tten th a t th e y
w e r e ftill amenable to th e regu lation s o f th e c o lo n y , and appeared to
h a v e fh ak en o ff, w i th th e y o k e o f b on d ag e , all reftraint and dependence
w h a tfo e v e r . - T h e y w e r e , th e re fo re , called u p on to d eclare th e ir
intentions r e fp e d in g th e ir fu tu re mod e o f liv in g . T h o fe w h o w ifh e d
to be a llow ed to p ro v id e fo r th em fe lv e s w e r e in fo rm ed , that on ap p lication
to the ju d g e advoca te, th e y w o u ld re c e iv e a ce rtificate o f th e ir
h a v in g ferv ed th e ir feveral p eriods o f tran fp or tation, w h ic h ce rtificate
th e y w o u ld d epofit w i th th e com in iffa ry as h is v o u c h e r fo r ftr ik in g
th em o f f th e p ro v ifio n and c lo th in g l i f t s ; and o n ce a w e e k th e y w e re
to rep or t in w h a t manner and for w h om th e y had been em p loy ed .
S u c h