fen t from th e Ihip to th e p lace o f th e ir future refidence and em p lo y m
en t ; an d , h a v in g no o th e r th o u g h ts , th e y w e n t w i th cheer fulnefs.
T h e r e a r r iv ed in th e R o y a l A dm ira l as a fup erintend ant ch a rged
w i th th e care o f th e c o n v id s , M r . R ic h a rd A l le y , w h o fo rm e r ly belo
n g e d to th e L a d y Ju lian a tran fp or t, in q u a lity o f fu rg e o n , in th e
m em o ra b le v o y a g e o f that fliip to th is c o lo n y ; a v o y a g e that could
n e v e r b e th o u g h t on b y a n y in hab itan t o f it w ith o u t e x c it in g a m o lt
p a in fu l fenfation. T h is gen tlem an w e n t to E n g lan d in th e fn o w w ith
C ap ta in H u n te r , w h ith e r th e tqm fo r t s o f lo n g v o y a g e s feemed to ac com
p a n y h im . Im m e d ia te ly on his a r r iv a l th e re , h e w a s appointed
b y th e com m iflion e r s o f th e n a v y to com e out in th e R o y a l A dm ira l
as fu rg e o n and fup e rintend ant o f th e co n v ic t s em bark ed in th a t fliip ,
w i th an a llow an ce o f tw e lv e ftiilling s and fix p en c e p er diem un til his
a r r iv a l in E n g lan d , e x c lu fiv e o f h is h a l f p a y as fu rg e o n o f th e n a v y .
I t h ad a lw a y s be en an o b je d o f th e firft con fequ en ce , th a t th e
p eo p le em p lo y ed ab ou t th e fto re s , i f nOt fre e , Ihould at lea ft h a v e
* been fo fituated as to h a v e fo u n d it th e ir in te re ft to re fill temptation.
T h is had n e v e r h ith e r to been a c c om p l ilh e d ; capital and o th e r e x em p
la r y p u n ilhm en ts did n o t effec t i t ; th e ftores w e r e co n ftan tly ro b b ed ,
a lth o u g h c a r e fu lly w a tch e d , and as w e ll fecured as bo lts , lo c k s , and
iro n fa ften in g s cou ld m ake them . T h e g o v e rn o r the re fo re n ow adopte
d a p lan w h ic h w a s fu g g e fted t o ' h im ; an d , d ifch a rg in g all th e con v
id s .em p lo y e d at th e p ro v ifio n - fto re , rep la ced th em b y o th e rs , to
w h om h e p rom ifed ab lolute em an c ipa tion a t th e end o f a ce rtain n um b
e r o f y e a r s , to be com p u ted from th e dates o f th e ir r e fp e d iv e arr
iv a ls in th is co u n try .
I f a n y th in g could p rod u c e th e in te g r ity fo m u c h 'to be d e fired , this
m e afu re feemed the b e ll calculated fo r th e p u rp o fe ; an in te re ft w a s
created fu p e r io r to a n y rew ard th a t cou ld h a v e been h e ld o u t, a ce rtain
fa la ry , an in c re afe o f ra tion , a grea te r p ro p o r tio n o f c lo a th in g , o r
e v en em an c ipa tion itfe lf, i f g iv e n at th e time . T o th o fe w h o had no
o th e r p r o fp e d but th a t o f p a ffm g th e ir liv e s in th is c o u n t r y , h o w
ch e e r in g , h o w gra teful m u ll h a v e been th e h o p e o f re tu rn in g to th e ir
fam ilie s at n o v e r y diftant p e r iod , i f no t p re ven ted b y th e ir ow n m if-
e o n d u d ! T h e r e w e r e tw o in this fituation am o n g th o fe placed at the
ftores, Samu e l B u r t and W il liam S u tto n , bo th o f w h om h ad con -
1 ' d u d e d
d u d e d th em fe lv e s w i th th e grea teft p ro p r ie ty fin c e th e ir c o n v id io n ,
and w h o b eheld w i th j o y th e p ro b ab ility that appeared o f th e ir b e in g
ag a in confid ered and ran k ed in th e clafs o f h o n e ft m en and g o od
members o f fo c ie t y ; eftimations that depend ed w h o l ly u p on th em felv
es.
A s a ftore-keep er w a s a p e r fon on w h om m u ch d epen d en ce m u ll
n e ce ffa r ily be p lac ed , (it b e in g h is d u ty to be co n ftan tly p re fen t w h e n e
v e r th e ftores w e r e o p en ed , and w i th a v ig ila n t e y e to o b fe rv e th e
c o n d u d o f th e in fe r io r fe rv an ts,) at th e ftr o n g re com m en d a tion o f th e
officers u n d e r w h om h e h ad fe r v e d , S e r jean t T h om a s Sm y th w a s d is cha
rged from th e m a r in e d e ta chm en t, and p laced u p on th e lift o f
fup erintend ants o f c o n v id s as a fto re -k e ep e r . T h is ap p oin tmen t g a v e
g en e ra l fa t i s f a d io n ; and th e c om m iffa ry n o w fe lt h im fe lf, u n d e r all
the fe a r rangements , m o r e 'a t - e a f e r e fp e d in g th e fa fe ty o f th e ftores
and p ro v ifio n s u n d e r his cha rge.
O n th e n ig h t o f th e 1 o th a d a r in g b u rg la r y w a s com m itted . M r .
R a v e n , th e m a ile r o f th e B r itan n ia , o c cu p ied a h u t on Ih ore , w h ic h
w a s bro k en o p en and entered ab out m id n ig h t, and from the ro om in
w h ic h he w a s ly in g ' alleep , and clo fe to his bed fid e, h is w a tch and a
p air o f kn e e -b u ck le s w e r e f to le n ; a b o x w a s fo r c ed open , in w h ic h
w a s a v alu a b le time-pieCe and fom e m o n e y b e lo n g in g to M r . R a v e n ,
w h o , fo r tu n a te ly w a k in g in th e v e r y m om en t th a t th e t h ie f w a s ta k in
g it o u t a t th e d o o r , p re ven ted his c a r r y in g it off. A flifta n c e from
th e g u a rd came im m ed ia te ly , b u t to o la te— the man h ad g o t o f f u n -
feen. In a d a y o r tw o afte rw a rd s , h ow e v e r , Ch ar le s W illiam s , a fe t-
tle r , g a v e in fo rm a tion th a t a c o n v id named R ich a rd S u tto n , th e
m o rn in g after th e b u rg la r y , h ad to ld h im th a t h e had fto len and fecu
red th e p ro p e r ty , w h ic h h e eftimated at f ix t y p ou n d s , and w h ic h he
offered to p u t in to his p o ffe flio n fo r th e p u rp o fe o f fale, fir ft b in d in g
h im b y a horrid c e r em o n y * and oath n o t to b e tra y h im . W illiam s ,
on re c e iv in g th e w a tc h , w h ic h p ro v ed a metal o n e , w o r th o n ly about
ten p ound s, (and the d ifp rop o r tion o f w h ic h to th e v a lu e h e had e x -
p e d e d , p rob ab ly had ind uced h im to m a k e th e di 1 c o v e r y ,j immed
ia te ly caufed h im to b e tak en in to cu stod y , and d elivered the p ro -
* They cat each other on the cheek with their knives.
p e r ty