||fp co u ld be i f fu e d ; and a c co rd in g ly on that d a y the male c o n v id s re c
e iv e d fo r th e ir w e e k ’ s fubfiften ce thre e pound s o f p o rk and e ig h t
p oun d s o f whea t. O n e p ou n d o f w h e a t m ore th an was ilfued to th e
c o n v id s w a s re c e iv ed on th e M o n d a y fo llo w in g b y th e c iv il and
m ilita ry .
In this u n p ro v id e d fta te o f th e fettlem ent, th e - re tu rn o f M r . B am p -
to n w ith h is p rom ifed c a rg o o f cattle, fait p ro v ifio n s , r ic e , and d h oll,
beg an to be d a ily and a n x io u f ly e x p e c ted . T h e com p le tio n o f th e B r ita
n n ia ’ s v o y a g e w a s alfo lo o k ed fo rw a rd to as a defirable e v en t, th o u g h
to be e x p e c ted at a fom ew h a t later p e r iod ; and e v e r y ftiow e r o f ra in, as
i t tended to the b enefit o f th e In d ian co rn then g r o w in g , w a s re ce ived
as a fo r t o f p re fage that at le a d th e feed w h e a t, the hopes- o f n e x t fea-
fo n , w o u ld be fafe. S om e v e r y w e lcom e rain had fallen d u r in g this
m o n th , w h ic h co n fid e ra b ly r e v iv e d the In d ian co rn that w a s firft fow n ,
and im p ro v ed th e ap p earance o f that w h ic h h ad been fow n later.
A n o th e r d iv ifio n o f fettlers w a s this m on th added to th e lift o f th o fe
a lre ad y e ftablifhed. W illiam s and R u fe , h a v in g g o t r id o f th e m o n e y
w h ic h th e y had r e fp e d iv e ly re c e iv ed fo r th e ir fa rm s , w e r e p e rmitted ,
w i th fom e others, to o pen g ro u n d on th e banks o f th e H aw k e fb u r y ,
a t th e d iftance o f ab ou t tw e n ty - fo u r miles from Parramatta. T h e y
ch o fe fo r th em fe lv e s allotments o f g ro u n d co n v en ien tly fituated fo r
fr e ih w a te r , and n o t m u ch burd ened w i th tim b e r , b e g in n in g w i th
m u ch fp ir it, and fo rm in g to th em fe lv e s v e r y fan g u in e hopes o f fuccefs.
A t th e end o f th e m on th th e y had be en To a d i v e as to h a v e cleared
fe v e ral ac re s , and w e r e in fom e forwa rdnefs ' w i th a few huts. T h e
natives h ad no t g iv e n th em a n y in te r ru p tion .
T h e fe p e o p le , h ow e v e r , th o u g h th e y h ad no t be en heard o f w h e re it
m ig h t h a v e b e en c x p e d e d th e y w o u ld h a v e p ro v ed trou b le fome , had
no t been fo q u ie t in th e n e ig h b o u rh o od o f Parramatta. B e tw e en that
fettlement and P r o fp e d H i l l fome-fettlers had been attacked b y a p a r ty
o f armed natives and ftr ipp ed o f all th e ir p ro v ifio n s . R ep o r ts o f this
nature h ad been fr e q u en t ly b ro u g h t in , and m an y , p e rhap s, m igh t
h a v e be en fab ricated to a n fw e r a p u r p o fe ; bu t the re w a s n o t a doubt
th a t th e fe p eop le w e r e v e r y de firous o f p o ffe ffing o u r c lo th in g and
p r o v if io n s ; and it w a s n o tic ed , th a t as th e co rn r ip en ed , th e y con -
fta n tly
fta n tly d rew to g e th e r rou n d the fettlers farms and round th e p u b lic
g rou n d s , fo r th e p u rp o fe o f com m ittin g depredations.
S e v e ra l gardens w e r e robbed and fome houfes bro k en into d u r in g
th is m on th , th e ce rtain e f fe d o f a red u ced ra tion . O n e b u rg la ry
w h ic h was committed w a s o f fome m a gn itu d e , and d e fe rv in g o f m en tion
. A ferjeant o f the N ew So u th W a le s corps h a v in g been on
gu a rd , on his return to his h u t in th e m o rn in g , h ad the m or tification
o f fin d in g he had been robbed d u r in g h is ab fence o f a la rg e q u a n tity
o f w e a r in g apparel, and tw e n ty - fe v e n p ou n d s in gu in ea s and d o lla r s ;
in f a d th e th ie f, h ad ftr ipped h im o f all his m ov eab le p ro p e r ty , e x c e p t
o n ly a fpare fu it o f regim en ta ls . T h e h u t fto od the firft o f a n ew
r o w ju f t w ith o u t th e tow n , and o u g h t n o t to h a v e been le ft w ith o u t
fom e pe rfon to tak e care o f it. T h e fp o il, n o d o u b t, fo on paffed from
one han d to an o th e r in th e p r a d ic e o f th a t v ic e w h ic h , as a lre ad y
m en tio n ed , to o g en e ra lly p re v a iled am o n g th e low e r clafs o f th e
p eo p le in th e c o lo n y .
■ A t Parramatta fom e p eop le w e r e ta k en u p and p u n ilh ed , on b e in g
d e te d e d in iffu in g to th em fe lv e s from th e ftores, w h e r e th e y w e r e
em p lo y ed , a g rea ter p ro p o r tio n o f p ro v ifio n s th an th e ration. T h i s
offence had o ften been com m itted ; and th o u g h it w a s -a lw a y s p u n i lh e d
w i th fe v e r ity , y e t w h ile c o n v id s w e r e em p lo y ed , it w a s lik e ly , n o t -
w ith fta n d in g the u tm o ft v ig ila n c e , to con tin ue . V ig ila n c e feemed
o n ly to in c ite to d eeper con tr ivan ce s ; and perhaps; th o u g h d ifcov e r ie s
o f this p r a d ic e had often o c cu r red , y e t to o m a n y had b e en g u i l ty o f
it w i th im p u n ity , an d , b e in g alarm ed , h ad w i th d raw n in tim e from,
th e danger.
B u t v e r y few appeared d e fe rv in g o f co n fid en c e ; fo r , fo on e r o r later,
w h e r e v e r it had been p laced , e ith e r tem p ta tion w a s to o ftron g , o r
o p p o r tu n ity p rov ed too fa v ou rab le ; and m a n y w h o had been d e em e d
h one ft en o u g h to be tr a d e d ended th e ir fe rv ice s b y b e in g d e te d e d in a
breach o f that d u ty w h ic h th e y ow ed to th e p u b lic as a return fo r th e
faith w h ic h had been rep ofed in them.
T h is perhaps w a s ow in g to th e u n ce r ta in ty o f rew a rd fo r a n y fervices.
that th e y m ig h t render w h ile in the clafs o f c o n v id s . A s an ex cep tion
to this ru le , h ow e v e r , m u ft be m entioned th o fe p eop le to w h om un con
d ition a l emanc ipa tion had been h e ld ou t at th e exp ira tion o f a
7 ce rta in