an d ,g ra fs . S om e n a tiv e d o g s , led b y th e fc ent o f h um an blood , h ad
fo u n d it, and b y g n aw in g o f f bo th th e hands, and th e entire fleih from
on e a rm , h ad added co n fid e ra b ly to th e h o r r id fp e d a c le w h ic h the
b o d y e x h ib ite d o n b e in g fre ed from th e lo ad o f ru bb iih w h ic h had
be en heaped u p o n it.
T h is u n fo r tu n a te man h ad im p ru d en t ly boafted o f b e in g w o r th
m u ch m o n e y , and that h e a lw a y s carried it w i th h im few ed up in
fom e p art o f h is c lo th e s , to g u a rd ag a in ft lo fin g it w h ile abfent from
h is h u t. I f this w a s tru e , w h a t h e carried w i th h im ce r ta in ly p ro v ed
h is d e f t r u d io n ; i f n o t, th e cataftrophe m u ll be attributed to his in d if-
cre e t declarations. B y th e v a r io u s w o u n d s w h ic h he had re ce ived , it
appeared th a t h e m u ll h a v e w e l l defend ed h im fe lf, and could no t h a v e
parted w i th his life un til o v e rp ow e red b y n um b e r s ; fo r , th o u g h adv
a n c e d in y e a r s , h e w a s a flo u t , m u fcu la r m a n ; and it w a s from this
c ircum ftan ce con c lu d ed , that more th an one p e rfon w a s concerned in
th e m u rd e r o f h im . T o d ifc o v e r , i f p oflible, th e p erpetrators o f th is
a tro ciou s o ffen ce , one o r tw o m en o f bad characters w e r e tak en up
an d e x am in ed , as w e l l as all th e p eop le em p lo y ed about the f lo c k -
y a rd : bu t n o th in g cam e ou t th a t tend ed to f ix it u p on a n y on e o f
th em ; an d , defirable as it w a s ’ that th e y fh o u ld be b ro u g h t to that p u -
n ifhm en t w h ic h fo on e r o r later aw aited th em , it w a s feared that un til
fom e r io t o r d ifa gre em ent am o n g th em fe lv e s lh o u ld o c cu r , n o c lu e
w o u ld b e fu rn ilh e d th a t w o u ld lead to th e ir d e te d io n . T h e b o d y w a s
the re fo re b ro u g h t in from th e fp o t w h e re it h ad been con cealed , about
fo u r miles from Parramatta, and buried at that p lace, after h a v in g been
v e r y c a re fu lly ex am in ed b y th e affiftant-furgeon M r . A rn d e ll.
In tra c in g the' motiv e s that could lead to this m u rd e r , the p e rn icious
v i c e o f gaming prefented it fe lf as th e firft and gran d caufe. T o fu ch
e x ce fs w a s this p u r fu it carried am o n g th e c o n v id s , that fome had been
k n o w n , a fte r lo fin g p ro v ifio n s , m o n e y , and all th e ir fpare c lo th in g , to
h a v e flaked and loft th e v e r y clothes on th e ir w re tched ba cks, Handing
in th e m id ft o f th e ir affociates as nak ed , and as ind iffe rent about it, as
th e un con fc ious n ativ e s o f the co u n t ry . M o n e y w a s , h ow e v e r , th e
p r in c ip a l o b je d w i th th e fe p e o p le ; fo r w i th m o n e y th e y cou ld p u r -
ch a fe fp irits, o r w h a te v e r elfe th e ir paffions made th em co v e t, and the
c o lo n y could fu rn ilh . T h e y h a v e been feen p la y in g at th e ir fa v o u r ite
games
gam e s cr ibba ge and a ll-fo u rs , fo r fix , e igh t, and ten dollars each g am e ;
and tho fe w h o w e r e no t e x p e r t at th e fe , inftead o f p enc e , toffed u p
fo r dollars. T h e i r m eetings w e re fcenes o f q u a r re llin g , fw e a r in g , and
e v e r y p rofanene fs that m ig h t be e x p e d e d from th e d iffolute manners
o f th e p eop le w h o com po fed th em ; and to th is im p ro p e r p r a d ic e
m u ft u n d o u b ted ly be attributed m o ft o f th e v ice s that e x ifte d in the
c o lo n y , p ilfe r in g s , g a rd en-robb eries , bu rg la r ie s, p ro fan a tio n o f the
Sabba th, and murder.
O n th e 5 th th e Franc is fa iled fo r N o r fo lk I lla n d . T h e la ft ac counts
from th en c e w e r e dated in M a r ch 1 7 9 3 ; and as w e w e r e un ce r tain
th a t th e fu p p lie s w h ic h had be en fent in th e A p r il fo llow in g b y
Mi-. B am p ton had be en fa fe ly lan d ed , w e became e x t r em e ly an x io u s
to lea rn th e e x a d ftate o f the fettlement there. T h is in fo rm a tion was
all th e ad v an ta g e th a t w a s e x p e d e d to be d e r iv ed from th e v o y a g e ;
fo r , w h a te v e r M r . K in g ’s w a n ts m ig h t b e , th e ftores at S y d n e y w e re
incap able o f a lle v ia tin g th em . L i t t le ap p reh enfion w a s h ow e v e r entertained
o f his b e in g in a n y need o f fup plie s , as, at the date o f h is laft
letter, h e re ck on ed th a t h is crop s o f w h e a t and m a iz e w o u ld p rod u ce
m ore gra in th an w o u ld b e fuffic ient fo r tw e lv e m on th s co n fum p tio n .
A t th is tim e , an a c cou n t o f th e fait p ro v ifio n s r em a in in g in fto re at
S y d n e y and Parramatta b e in g ta k en , it appeared, th a t there w e r e fu ffic
ien t fo r o n ly ten w e e k s at th e ra tion th en iffu ed , v iz . th re e p oun d s
p e r man p e r w e e k . In th is fitu a tion , e v e r y ad d itio n th a t co u ld be
mad e to th e ra tion w a s e a g e r ly fo u g h t after. W h e a t w a s p aid to th e
in d u ftr iou s in e x ch a n g e fo r la b o u r ; and th o fe w h o w e r e a llow ed to
fu b fift in d ep end en t o f th e p u b lic ftores a v a iled th em fe lv e s o f that in d
u lg en c e to its fu lle ft e x ten t. I t m ig h t th e re fo re h a v e been e x p e d e d ,
th a t e v e r y adv antage w a s tak en o f fu ch a fituation , and that n o o p p o r tu
n i ty w o u ld be lo ft from w h ic h a n y p ro fit cou ld be deriv ed . A s an
inftance o f this, one L a n e , a p e r lo n w h o h ad be en a con v icl , and w h o
was a llow ed to fu p p o r t h im fe lf h o w h e co u ld , w a s d e te d e d in b u y in g
a k an g o o ro o o f a man em p lo y ed b y an o ffice r to fh o o t fo r h im . T h e
g am e -k ille r , w ith th e affiftance o f f ix o r fe v en g r e y h o u n d s , had killed
three k an g oo ro o s , tw o o f w h ic h h e b ro u g h t i n ; th e th ird he fold o r
len t to L a n e , b u t faid h e had cu t it u p fo r h is d ogs.
X x A s