C 1794-
tr e a tin g w i th equa l in d iffe ren ce b o th p rom ife s o f rew ard s and threats
o f p u n ifhm en t. C r o w , w h o 'w a s e x e cu ted in D e cem b e r laft, declared
a fh o r t tim e b efore h e fu ffe red , th a t h e had be en fh ew n th e w a tch e s b y
B e v a n in th e co rn g ro u n d b e tw e en Pa rrama tta and T o o n g a b b e ; bu t as
th e y had n e v e r been fo u n d in his p ofle ffidn, h e re fo lv ed on o b ftina te ly
p e r fiftm g in th e d e clara tion th a t, h ow e v e r g u il ty o f others, h e w a s at
le a ft in n o cen t o f this offence ; and h e th us efcaped th is time from
ju f t ic e , to be le d , p erhap s at no v e r y d iftan t p e r io d , i f h o t fu ffic ien tly
w a rn e d , w i th fu re r ftep to th e g a llow s that h e had fo o ften merited,
an d in th e h ig h road to w h ic h h e feemed d a i ly to be' w a lk in g .
O n th e 12 th the F ranc is returned from N o r fo lk Ifland , h a v in g been
ab fen t fiv e w e e k s and th re e d ays.
T h e in fo rm a tion re c e iv ed from th a t fettlement w a s , th a t th e Sh ah
H o rm u z e a r and Ch e fte r fie ld a r r iv ed there from this p lace , on th e 2d
d a y o f M a y la ft, w h e n , e v e r y ar ticle o f flo re s and p rov ifio n s w in ch
h ad been p u t on board o f th em b e in g f a f e ly landed, bo th fh ip s failed
fo r In d ia on th e 2 7 th d a y o f th e fame m on th ; Captain B am p ton p u r -
p o f in g to attem p t m a k in g th e paffage b e tw e en N ew H o lla n d and N ew
G u in e a , that w a s e x p e c te d to be fo u n d to the n o r thw a rd o f E n d e a v o r
Straits.
W h i le th e fe fh ip s w e r e o f f L o r d H o w e Ifland , th e y exp e r ien c ed a
h e a v y ga le o f w in d , in w h ic h th e S h ah H o rm u z e a r lo ft h e r topmafts,
and th e C h e fte r fie ld w a s in m u ch d an ge r from a le a k w h ic h fhe fp run g.
C a p ta in B am p ton h a v in g , in fom e bad we a th e r o f f N o r fo lk Ifland , lo ft
h is lo n g -b o a t , h e , w i th th e afliftance g iv e n h im b y L ie u ten an t -g o v
e rn o r K in g , b u ilt, in ten d a y s , a v e r y fine one o f tw o -a n d - th ir ty feet
k e e l, w i th w h ic h h e failed, and w ith o u t w h ic h it w o u ld n o t h a v e been
qu ite fafe fo r h im to h a v e proceeded on a v o y a g e w h e re m u ch o f th e
n a v ig a tio n la y am o n g illand s and fhoals , and w h e re p art o f it had certa
in ly been u n exp lo red .
M r . K in g had th e fa tis fa ftio n o f fta tin g , that his crops had been
ab u n d an t, p le n ty r e ig n in g am o n g all defcr iptions o f p eop le in the
ifland. H is w h e a t w a s cu t, th e fir ft o f it on th e 2 5 th o f N o v em b e r
la ft, and the h arv e ft was w e l l g o t in b y C h r iftm a s -d a y . A b o u t tw o
th ou fan d bufhels w e r e the-calculated p rod uce o f this c rop , w h ic h w o u ld
h a v e been grea te r had it n o t , d u r in g its g r ow th , been h u r t b y th e
w a n t
w a n t o f rain. O f th e m a iz e , the firft crop (h a v in g a lw a y s tw o ) w a s
g a th e r in g w h ile th e fch o o n e r w a s there, an d , n o tw ith ftan d in g th e
d ro u g h t, turn ed ou t w e l l ; from one acre and a q ua rte r o f g ro u n d ,
on e h u n d red and f ix bufhels had been g a th e r e d ; b u t it w a s p re tty
g e n e ra lly eftablifhed on th e ifland , th a t th i r ty - f ix bu fh e ls o f maize
m ig h t be ta k en as th e av era ge p rod u c e o f an acre o f g rou n d .
T h e fu p e r io r fe r t ility o f the fo il at -Norfolk Ifland to th a t o f N ew
S o u th W a le s had n e v e r been d oubted. T h e fo llo w in g a c co u n t o f laft
y e a r ’ s c rop w a s tranfmitted b y L ie u ten a n t -g o v e rn o r K i n g :
F rom N o v em b e r 1 7 9 2 to N o v em b e r 1 7 9 3 ’ ■ 1 c c ro p o f m aize
am ounted t o ...................................................... 3247 b u f l ie ,s ;
W h e a t , - - ' - - - - - - - 130 2 d it to ;
Calavances, - - - - - - 50 ditto.
Purchafed in the above time from fettlers and others, at five
fhillings per bufhel, - 360 0 bufhels.
R e fe rv e d b y th em fo r feed , 3000 d itto o f m aize ;
30 0 d itto o f w h e a t ;
300 ditto of calavances; and
5 0 tons o f potatoes:
Which, together with three hundred and five bufhels of maize
brought from thence with the detachment of the New South
Wales corps at the relief in March 1793, made a total of
1 0 ,1 5 2 bu fh e ls o f m a iz e ,
160 2 d itto o f w h e a t,
3 5 0 d itto o f ca la vances,
5 0 tons o f potatoe s ,
raifed o n N o r fo lk I fland in on e tw e lv em o n th , on a b ou t tw o
hun d red and f if t y - f ix acres o f g ro u n d .
O f th is c ro p , and o f w h a t h ad b e en p u rch a fed , the re rem ained in
th e p u b lic ftores , w h e n th e fch o o n e r le ft th e iflan d , fo r ty - th re e w e e k s
maize and w h e a t ; in ad d ition to w h ic h L ie u te n a n t -g o v e rn o r K in g
fup pofed h e fh o u ld h a v e o f th is fea fon’ s g r o w th , a fte r re fe r v in g fiv e
h und red bufhels o f w h e a t fo r feed , fu ffic ien t o f th a t a r tic le fo r th e con -
fum p tion o f f ix hun d red and n in e ty -n in e p e r fon s * , th e w h o le number
* The whole number in the fettlement amounted to one thoufand and eight perfons.
Y Y o f