o ffence d e fe rv in g o f p u nifhm en t had been committed , n o r a cob o f
c om p u rlo in ed eithe r o f p r iv a te o r p ublic p rop e rty .
A t the departure o f the K i t t y , h e was bufied in eredting fom e ne-
c e lfa ry b u ild in g s , as barracks, a g ra n a ry , fto reh oufe s , & c . and had
completed a v e r y e x ce llen t hou fe fo r his ow n ufe. L im q - fton e h a v in g
b e e n fo u n d in grea t abundance on N o r fo lk Ifland , enabled him to build
w i th m ore e x ten t and Tecurity than had h ith e r to been d one e v en in
N e w S o u th W a le s . S e v e ra l c a lk s o f this ufe fu l ar ticle w e re n o w imp
or ted in th e K i t t y , w i th a q u a n tity o f plank.
C ap ta in Jo h n fto n ’ s com p a n y in the n ew corps re ce ived fome add
ition b y th is fhip . E ig h t o f the marine fettlers, w h o fe groun d s , on
e x te n d in g th e lines o f th e ir allotments, w e r e foun d to interfedt each
o th e r , and w h o had d eclined fu c li ac commod a tion as G o v e rn o r K in g
th o u g h t it p ro p e r to offer th em , had refigned th e ir farms, jmd prefe
r red re tu rn in g to th e ir fo rm e r profeffion.
T o w a rd th e latter end o f th e m on th information w a s re ce ived o f
fom e ne far ious pradtices w h ic h had been c a r r y in g on at the ftore at
P a r ram a tta ; th e fum o f w h ic h w a s , th a t the tw o convidts w h o h ad
b e en em p lo y ed in ilfu in g the p ro v ifio n s u n d e r the fto rek e epe r had been
fo r fom e tim e in th e hab it o f fe r v in g out on each iffu in g -d a y an e x tra
allow an ce o f p ro v ifio n s to o n e , o r o c c a fio n a lly to tw o melfes. T h e
meffes con fifted o f f ix p eo p le , and one o f thefe f ix ( ta k in g a n y mefs
h e ch o fe ) u fed to be p r e v io u fly in fo rm ed b y one o r o th e r o f th e
conv id ts w h o fe rv ed th e p rov ifion s , that an e x tra allow an ce fo r the
w h o le mefs w o u ld be fe rv ed to h im , w h ic h h e w a s to re ce ive and
c o n v e y aw a y , ta k in g care to return th e a llow an ce to th em at n ig h t,
th en to be d iv id ed in to three fhares. T o ac com p lifh this frau d , an
o p p o r tu n ity w a s to be tak en o f the fto rek e epe r’ s abfence, w h ic h m ig h t
h ap p en d u r in g the courfe o f a lo n g fe r v in g , and fo r w h ic h th e y to o k
ca re to w a tch . O n his return th e mefs fo r w h ic h o n e a llow an ce h ad
ju f t be en fe rv ed was p u b lic ly called, and th e w h o le fe rv ed a fe con d
tim e . W i th this pradtice th e y had trufted nine o r ten different p eop le 5
and th e w i fe o f one m an , w h o h ad affifted in th e c r im e , in a fit o f
d ru n k en n e fs confeffed the w h o le .
O n e x am in a tio n b e fo re th e ju d g e -ad v o ca te it appeared, in ad d ition
jjo th e ab ov e circumftances , th a t th is fchem e h ad be en carried o n fo r
about
ab out tw o months p a f t ; but there was little d oub t o f its h a v in g e x ifte d
m u ch longer.
I t w a s no difficult matter to d ifcov e r the p erfons w h o had affifted in
th is p r a d t ic e ; and on th e ir b e in g taken up fe v e ral confeffed the {hare
th a t th e y and others had had in i t : u p on w h ic h the lie u ten an t-g o v e rn o r
ordered them all to be fe v e re ly p unifhed.
In the K i t t y arrived one o f th e fuperintendants w h o had at N o r fo lk
Ifland been em p loy ed in m anufadturing th e fla x p la n t ; b u t w h ic h , fo r
w a n t o f fome n e ce ffa ry to o ls , h e cou ld no t b r in g to m u ch p erfedtion.
T h e fe had been w r itten fo r to E n g lan d , and h e came h ith e r to be
em p lo y ed at the fe fettlements till th e y fh ould ar riv e. H e was n o w
fen t up to T o o n g a b b e , to fup erintend th e d e liv e r y o f p ro v ifio n s at that
place.
N o tw ith fta n d in g th e orders w h ic h had been g iv e n refp ed ting fpirits
b e in g in th e poffeffion o f the con v id ts , o n a fearch made in fom e
fufpe£ted h oufes, fou r te en o r fifteen g a llon s w e r e fo u n d in o n e n ig h t ;
an d , b e in g feized b y th e w a tchm en and th e g u a rd , w e re d iv id ed am o n g
th em as a ftimulus to future vig ilan ce . T h e e v il effedt o f this fp ir it
w a s p ercep tib le in th e n um b e r o f prifoners w h ic h w e re to be fo u n d
e v e r y m ornin g in th e w a tc h -h o u fe ; fo r , w h en in to x ic a ted , it cou ld
no t be expedted that people o f - th is d e fcr iption w o u ld be v e r y ca re fu l
to a vo id b rea k in g th e peace.