c o lo n y , it w a s in ten d ed , in ad d ition to o th e r p recautions, that none
b u t the m o ft t ru fty p eop le fh o u ld e v e r be em p lo y ed in her.
O n th e laft d a y o f th e m on th a p lan to take o f f one o f the long-boats
w a s re v e aled to -the lie u ten an t-g o v e rn o r . . T h e p rin cip al parties in it
w e r e foldiers ; and th e ir fcheme w a s , to p roceed to J a v a , w i th a chart
o f w h ic h th e y had b y fom e means been fu rn ilh ed . I f th e ir p lan had
be en p u t in to e x e cu t io n , th e e v il w o u ld h a v e carried w i th it its ow n
p u n i lhm e n t ; fo r , had th e y fu r v iv e d th e v o y a g e , th e y w o u ld n e ve r
h a v e be en countenanced b y the D u tc h , w h o w e r e a lw a y s v e r y je a lo u s
o f ftrangers com in g am o n g th em , and h ad , n o d ou b t, heard o f th e de-
fe r tion o f B r y a n t and h is a ffo c ia te s from th is fettlement. T w o o f the
fold iers w e re im m ed ia te ly p u t in to c o n fin em e n t ; and in the n ig h t tw o
o th e rs , one a corporal^ w en t o f f in to th e w o o d s , ta k in g w i th th em
th e i r arms, about one h und red roun d s o f p ow d e r and b a ll, w h ic h th e y
colled ted from th e d ifferent p ou ch e s in th e ba r rack , th e ir p rov ifion s
and necefiaries.
T h e p r in c ip al w o rk s in han d b y th e p eop le at S y d n e y w e r e , erectin
g k itch en s and ftorerooms fo r the officers’ n ew barracks, b r in g in g in
timber, fo r rollers fo r th e flo o p , and con ftru d tin g huts at Peterfham fo r
convidtsi A t T o o n g a b b e th e In d ian co rn w a s n o t all g a thered , and
h o u fin g o f th a t, and p rep a r in g th e g ro u n d fo r th e re ception o f th e
n e x t feafon’ s c rop , o c cu p ied th e la b o u r in g conv id ts at that fe tt lem e n t.,
S om e cou n te r fe it d ollars w e r e at this time in c ir c u la t io n ; bu t th e
m an ufa cture rs o f th em w e r e n o t d ifcov e red .
A u g u f t .] T h e tw o foldiers w h o Were p ut into con fin em en t on fu f-
p ic io n o f b e in g parties in a plan to fe ize one o f th e lon g -bo ats , w e re
tried b y a reg im en ta l court-ma rtial on th e firft d a y o f this m on th , and
o n e was a c q u it te d ; b u t R o b e r ts , a d rum me r, w h o was p ro v ed to h a v e
a ttemp ted to perfuade an o th e r d rum me r to be o f the p a r ty , w a s fen -
tenced to re c e iv e three hun d red lalhes; and in the e v en in g did receive
tw o hun d red and tw e n ty - fiv e o f them. W h i le fm a r tin g uncjer th e
fe v e r ity w i th w h ic h his p u n ilhm en t w a s inflidted, he g a v e up the
names o f f ix o r e igh t o f h is b ro th e r • foldiers as conce rned w i th h im ,
am o n g w h om w e r e th e tw o w h o had abfented th em fe lv e s the prec
e d in g e v en in g . T h e fe p e o p le , th e d a y fo llo w in g th e ir d e fe ition ,
w e r e met in th e p ath to Parramatta, and told an abfurd f to r y o f their
b e in g T en t to th e B lu e M o u n ta in s . T h e y w e r e n e x t heard o f at a
fettler’ s (J o h n N ich o lls ) at Profpedt H ill, w h o le hou fe th e y entered
fo r c ib ly , and, m a k in g h im and a convidt h u tk e ep e r p rifoners, paffed
th e n ig h t there. A t another fettler’ s, th e y to o k fix te en p oun d s o f flour,
w h ic h th e y fen t b y his w ife to a wom an w e l l k n o w n to o n e o f th em ,
and had them baked into fmall loaves. T h e y fign ified a d e te rmin a tion
n o t to be taken aliv e , and threatened to lie in w a it fo r th e gam e -k ille rs ,
o f w h o le am m u n ition th e y meant to m ak e themfel'ves matters. T h e fe
declarations manifeft'ed th e badnefs o f th e ir hearts, and th e w ea kn e fs o f
th e ir c a u f e ; and th e lie u ten an t-g o v e rn o r , on b e in g made acqua inted
w i th th em , fent ou t a fmall armed p a r ty to fecure and b r in g th em in ,
r ig h t ly ju d g in g th a t p eop le w h o w e r e fo re a d y at e x p re ffin g e v e r y
w h e r e a re fo lu tion to p art w i th th e ir liv e s rather than be ta k en , w o u ld
n o t g iv e m u ch trou b le in fe cu r in g them.
T h is defertiori, and th e difaffeCtion o f th o fe w h o meant to ta k e o f f
a lo n g -b o a t, w a s th e m o r j u n ac cou n table , as th e com m an d in g o fficer
had u n ifo rm ly treated them w i th e v e r y in d u lg en c e , p u ttin g it en tir e ly
out o f th e ir p ow e r to com p lain on that head. S p ir its and o th e r com forts
had been p rocured fo r them ; h e h ad d iftin gu iffied th em from th e
c o n v if t s in th e ration o f p r o v if io n s ; h e had a llow ed th em to bu ild
th em fe lv e s com fo rtable h u ts , p e rm ittin g th em w h ile fo em p lo y ed th e
u fe o f the p u b lic b o a t s ; h e had in d u lg ed th em .w ith w om e n ; and, in
a w o rd , had n e v e r refufed a n y o f them a req u e ft w h ic h did n o t m ilitate
ag ainft th e rules o f th e fe rv ic e , o r o f th e d ifc ip lin e w h ic h he h ad
la id d ow n fo r th e N ew S o u th W a le s c o r p s ; at th e fame time , h ow e
v e r , to p re v en t the fe in d u lg e n c e s from fa llin g in to co n tem p t, th e y
w e r e counterbalanced b y a c e r ta in ty o f th e ir b e in g w ith d raw n w h e n
abufed, and fla grant offenders w e re fu re o f m e e tin g w i th p u n i lhm e n t :
y e t the re w e r e m an y am o n g th em w h o w e r e fo u n gra te ful fo r th e
benefits w h ic h th e y re c e iv ed , and fo u nm in d fu l o f th e ir ow n in te r eft
and ac com m od a tion , that th e y b eh a ved ill w h e n e v e r th e y had an o p p
o r tu n ity .
T h e parties w h o h ad be en fent a fte r th e ru n aw a y s , b y d iv id in g
themfelves, fe ll in w ith th em near T o o n g a b b e o n th e 6 th , and fecured
th em w ith o u t an y oppofition.
T h e r e w e re at this tim e in th e N ew S o u th W a le s corps, d iftr ibu ted
am o n g th e different com panie s , th ir ty recruits w h o had be en f e le d e d
fr om