from am o n g th e co n v ic t s as p e o p le o f g o od characters, and , h a v in g
fo rm e r ly be en in th e a rm y , w e r e p ermitted to enlift. T h e fe p eop le
had c o n d u c ted th em fe lv e s w i th remarkable p ro p r ie ty , one man o n ly
e x c e p te d , w h o had fom e tim e fin c e been p u niffied b y the fentence o f
a cou r t-ma r tial, and w h o a fte rw ard s m ifb eh a v in g w a s discharged from
th e corps. T h e y -were in g en e ra l en lifted fo r life , a co n d ition to w h ic h
th e y fubfc ribed on b e in g a t te fte d ; and fu ch as had a lo n g time to ferve
u n d e r th e ir fen ten c e , w e r e emanc ipated o n th e ab ov e con d ition .
O n th e 7 th th e B o d d in g ton s tran fp or t an chored in th e co v e from
I re lan d , h a v in g failed from C o r k on th e 1 5 th o f F e b ru a ry la ft, w i th
o n e hun d red and tw e n ty - fo u r male , and tw e n ty female co n v ic ts o f
th a t k in g d om on b o ard, p ro v ifio n s calculated t o fe rv e th em n in e
months * a fte r th e ir ar r iv a l, and a p ro p o r tio n o f c lo th in g fo r tw e lv e
m on th s . A s a g u a rd , the re w a s em barked a fuba lte rn ’ s p a r ty o f th e
N ew S o u th W a le s c o r p s ; and th is p re cau tion w a s fo u n d to h a v e been
■ very n e ce ffa ry , th e ign o ran c e o f th e I r ifh co n v ic ts h a v in g d ifp lay ed
it fe l f in an abfurd fchem e to tak e th e C hip ; bu t w h ic h w a s h a p p ily
fruftrated b y th e v ig ila n c e and a d i v i t y o f th e m a ile r ƒ and th e
officers.
M r . R ich a rd s ju n ., w h o had the con trac t fo r fu p p ly in g th e fhips
w h i c h failed fo r th is c o u n t r y in 1 7 8 8 and th e L a d y Ju lian a tran fp or t,
w a s em p lo y ed a g a in b y g o v e r nm e n t ; a c ireum ftan ce o f g enera l con g
ra tu la tio n am o n g th e co lon ifts on its b e in g made k n ow n . O n the
p re fen t o ccafion h e h ad contrac ted to fu rn ilh tw o fh ip s to b r in g out
th re e h u n d red male and fem ale co n v ic ts from Ire lan d , w ith llore s and
p ro v ifio n s . T h e B o d d in g to n s , b e in g th e firft re a d y , failed a lo n e ; the
S u g a r Cane, (the fecond Ihip) w a s at D ep tfo rd re a d y to drop d ow n to
G r a v e fe n d w h e n h e r in ten d ed com p an ion w a s ab out le a v in g Ireland.
G o v e rnm e n t w e r e to p a y fo u r p ou n d s fo u r Ihilfings p e r ton fo r fu ch
llore s as Ihould be p u t on b o ard, and fo r th e conviCts at th e rate o f
tw e n ty - tw o pounds per head. T h is mod e o f p a ym en t w a s com plained
o f in th e contrac t made fo rm e r ly w i th M e lfr s . C a lv e r t and C o . ; but in
th e p re fen t in llan c e the e v il atten d in g th a t con tra c t w a s a v o id ed , b y a
p a r t o f th e ab ov e fum (fiv e p oun d s ) b e in g le ft to be p a id b y certificate
* Two hundred and twenty-eight barrels ©f flour; one hundred and eight tierces of
pork, and fifty four tierces of beef; twenty-eight bales and thirteen cafes of llores.
f Captain Robert Chalmers, on thé captain’s half- pay of the marines.
fo r
fo r e v e r y co n v ic t w h ic h Ihould be landed. N o Ihip, h ow e v e r , co u ld
h a v e b ro u g h t o u t th e ir conviCts in h igh e r ord er, n o r cou ld h a v e g iv e n
fhronger p ro o fs o f attention to th e ir health and a c com m od a tio n , th an
d id th is v e lfe l. E a ch had a bed to h im fe lf, and a n ew fu it o f clothes
to land in. O n th e p art o f the c row n a lfo , to fee ju l l i c e d o ne to the
c o n v i& s , there was a fu rg eon o f the n a v y on board, M r . K e n t , as a
fiip e r in ten d a n t; and on the p art o f th e co n tra c to r , a g en tlem an w h o
had v ifited us be fo re w i th M r . M a r lh a ll, in th e fe con d v o y a g e o f th e
S c a rb orou gh to this c o u n t r y , M r . A . J a c , B ie r , a fu rg e o n alfo. T h e y
h ad no t a n y f ic k lif t , and had lo ft o n ly o n e man on th e paffage.
C ap ta in C h alme r s in fo rm ed us, th a t on h is ar riv al at R io de Jane iro,
in w h ic h p o r t h e anchored on the 10th o f la ft A p r il , h e heard that
the A tla n tic tran fp or t h ad failed th en c e ab out th re e w e e k s , and h ad
made h e r paffage from this c o u n t r y rou n d C ap e H o r n to R io de Jan
e iro in f ifty -e ig h t d ay s . H e learned from th e g en tlem en ab ou t th e
p ala ce , th a t h is e x c e lle n c y G o v e rn o r P h illip w h e n h e to u ched th e re
appeared to be in p e r fe c t health. H e had the re to o heard o f th e agitated
(late o f E u r o p e ; and u n d e r ftan d in g th a t in all p ro b a b ility th e
C h an n e l w o u ld be infefted w ith F ren ch p riva te e r s, h e purcha fed fom e
g u n s , to ftren gth en th e fo rce w h ic h h e had a lre ad y o n board th e A t lantic.
A d v ic e s w e re re c e iv ed b y this Ihip, th a t adminiftration in ten d ed to
m ak e ar rangements fo r o u r b e in g fup plied from B en g a l w i th liv e
c a t t le : and this became a fa v o u r ite id ea w i th e v e r y p e r fon in the
c o l o n y ; fo r th e ih e ep , th o u g h fm a ll, w e r e fo u n d to. b e v e r y p ro d
u c t iv e , b re ed in g tw ic e in th e y e a r , and g en e ra lly b r in g in g tw o lambs
at a b ir th. T h e climate w a s alfo fo u n d to agree w e l l w i th th e cattle
o f th e buffa lo fpecies w h ic h had been received .
T h e co n v ic t s re ce ived b y th e B o d d in g ton s w e r e difembarked a d a y
o r tw o a fte r h e r a r r iv al, and fent up to T o o n g a b b e . O n q u it tin g th e
Ihip th e y w i th on e v o ic e bore te ft im o n y to th e h um an e treatment th e y
had re c e ived from C ap tain C h alme r s, d e c la r in g th a t th e y h ad n o t a n y
.complaints to p re fe r , and ch e e r in g h im w h e n th e boats w h ic h carried
th em p u t o f f from h e r fide.
I t b e in g neceffa ry to m a rk w ith fome d egre e o f fe v e r ity the offence
w h ic h had been com m itted b y th e tw o fo ld ie rs , a g en e ra l court-ma r-
r r tial