C a n e h ad Ihipped B en jam in W illiam s , the laft o f th e K i t t y ’ s people
w h o rem a in ed un d ifp ofed of. O n e free w om an , the w ife o f a co n -
v id t, to o k h e r p affage in th e S u g a r Cane .
N o tw ith fta n d in g th e fa c ili ty w i th w h ic h pafiages from this place
w e r e p io c u r e d , ( v e r y little m ore b e in g requ ired b y the mafters than
p e rm iffion to re c e iv e th em , and th a t the parties fh ould find th e ir
o w n p rov ifio n s ,) it w a s fo u n d after th e departure o f the fe flap s
th a t fom e convidts h ad , b y b e in g fecreted on board, made th e ir efcape
from th e c o lo n y ; and tw o m en , w h o fe terms as co n v ic t s had e xp ired ,
w e r e b ro u g h t up from th e S u g a r C ane the d a y ftie failed, h a v in g g o t-
on board w i th o u t p e rm iffion ; fo r w h ic h th e lieu ten an t-g o v e rn o r diredted
them to be p u n ilh ed w i th f if ty laffies each , and fent up to T o o n g a b b e .
E a r ly in th e .month an alteration to o k place in th e w e e k ly ra tion , the
fo u r p oun d s o f w h e a t ferv ed to th e convidts w e r e d ifcon tin u ed , and a
fu b ftitu tio n o f o n e p in t o f r ic e , and tw o pints o f g ram , (an E a ft In d ia
g r a in re fem b lin g d h o ll,) to o k place. T h e fe r v in g o f w h e a t w a s d ifcontinu
ed fo r th e p u rp o fe o f iffu in g it as f lo u r ; to ac compliffi w h ic h a mill
h ad been conftrudted b y a conv id t o f th e name o f James W ilk in fo n ,
w h o came to th is c o u n t ry in th e N ep tu n e . H is abilities as a m illw r ig h t
h ad h ith e r to lain d o rman t, and perhaps w o u ld lo n g e r h a v e con tin ued
fo , had th e y n o t been called fo r th b y a defire o f p la c in g h im fe lf in com p
e tition w i th T h o rp e th e m illw r ig h t fen t ou t b y g o v e rnm en t.
H is m ach in e w a s a w a lk in g m ill, th e p r in c ip a l w h e e l o f w h ic h was
fifte en fe e t in diameter, and was w o rk e d b y tw o m e n ; w h ile thih
w h e e l w a s p e r fo rm in g on e re v o lu tio n , th e mill-ftone s p e r formed
tw e n ty . A s it w a s in opp ofition to th e p u b lic m illw r ig h t th a t h e u n d
e r to o k to conftrudt this m ill, he o f cou rfe d e riv ed no affiftance w h a te
v e r from T h o r p e ’ s kn ow le d g e o f th e bufinefs , and had to contend no t
o n ly w i th his o p in io n , but th e o p in io n o f fu ch as he could p re ju d ice
ag a in ft h im . T h e h e a v y p a r t o f th e w o r k , cu ttin g and b r in g in g in
the tim b e r , and afterw ard s p rep a r in g it, w a s p e r formed b y his fe llow -
prifone r s , w h o g a v e h im th e ir labou r v o lu n ta r ily . H e w a s three
mon th s and fiv e d ay s from ta k in g it in hand to h is o ffe r in g it fo r th e -
firft tr ial. O n this tr ial it w a s fo u n d defedtive in fome o f th e mac
h in e r y , w h ic h w a s all con ftrud ted o f th e tim b e r o f the c o u n t r y , and
no t p ro p e r ly feafoned. Its effedts in g r in d in g w e r e v a r io u s ; at firft it
3 w o u ld
w o u ld gr in d no m ore than tw o bulhels an h o u r ; w i th fome alte ra tio n ,
it g ro u n d m ore , an d d id fo r fome time complete fo u r b u lh e ls ; it afterw
a rd s g ro u n d lefs, and at the end o f the m on th p rod u c e d n o t m o r e
than one bu lhe l. H a d th e w h o le o f th e m a ch in e ry been u p on a
la rg e r fcale, th e re was reafon to fuppofe it w o u ld h a v e an fw e red e v e r y
exped ta tion o f the moft interefted. T h e con ftru d to r , h ow e v e r , h ad a
grea t deal o f m erit, and p e r c e iv in g h im fe lf w h a t th e defedts w e r e in
this, h e u n d e r to o k to make another u p on a la rg e r fcale at S y d n e y , and
on an im p ro v ed plan. F o r th is p u rp o fe , all th e ar tificers and a g a n g
o f convicts w e r e b ro u g h t d ow n from Pa rrama tta , and w e r e fiift emp
lo y e d in fo rm in g a tim b e r -y a rd at P e te r fh am , tw o hun d red fe e t
fqua re .
A t that p la c e , a fmatl diftridt in th e n e ig h b o u rh o od o f S y d n e y fo
named b y th e lie u ten an t-g o v e rn o r , n in e h uts fo r la b o u r in g convidts
w e r e b u ilt, and f ix t y acres o f g o v e rnm en t g ro u n d cleared o f tim b e r ,
tw e n ty o f w h ic h w e r e fo w n w i th In d ian corn. T h i s was-, th e o n ly
ad d ition made to the p u b lic g ro u n d th is fe a fo n ; . an d th e fo le difference
th a t w a s o bfervable in th e p rog refs o f o u r cu ltiv a t io n con fifted in
fow in g this y e a r w i th w h e a t a la rg e p ortion, o f that; g ro u n d w h ic h la ft
year* g r ew In d ian corn. T h e w e a th e r th ro u g h o u t th e m on th co n tin
u ed e x tr em e ly fa v ou rab le fo r w h e a t.
T h e n um b e r o f convid ts w h ic h it w a s intend ed to re c e iv e fo r th e
p refent in to the N ew S o u th Wales., corp s b e in g d e te rm in ed , a w a r ra n t
o f emanc ipation paffed the. féa l o f the te r r ito r y , g iv in g co n d ition a l
freed om to th r e e -a n d - tw e n ty pe rfon s o f th a t d e fc r ig tio n , fé v en o f
w h om were, tranfp orted fo r life , and three h ad b e tw e en f ix and n in e
y ea rs to fe rv e , h a v in g b e en fent ou t fo r fou r te en . T h e co n d ition o f
th e pard on w a s , th e ir co n t in u in g to fe rv e in th e corps in to w h ic h th e y
h ad enlifted u n til th e y Ihould be r e g u la r ly d ifcha rged th e re from ..
Se v e ra l inftances o f ir re g u la r ity and v i lla in y am o n g th e conv id ts
occurred d u r in g this month. F rom Pa rrama tta , in fo rm a t io n . w a s rece
ived , that in th e n ig h t o f th e 1 5 th fo u r p e o p le b ro k e in to the h o u fé :
o f Joh n R an d a ll, a fettler, w h e re w i th la rg e b lu d g e on s th e y h ad beaten: ■
and n e a r ly murdered tw o men w h o liv ed w i th h im . T h e hands and:
faces o f thefe mifcreants w e r e b la c k en e d ; and it .w a s o bfe rv ed , that
th e y did not fp e ak d u r in g th e tim e th e y w e r e in th e h u t. I t w a s fup— .
p o fe d .