added to fe v en te en hun d red and thre e acres and a h a l f that we re
cleared at th a t tim e , made a to tal o f fo u r thoufand f ix hun d red and
f ix ty - f iv e acres and thre e quarters o f cleared g ro u n d in this te r r ito ry .
I t muft be far th e r remarked in fa v o u r o f the gen tlemen h o ld in g g ro u n d ,
th a t in th e fh o r t p e r iod o f fifte en months * , the officers, c iv il and
m ilita ry , had cleared m ore th an h a l f th e w h o le q u a n tity o f g ro u n d
th a t h ad be en cleared b y g o v e rnm en t and th e fettlers, from the efta-
b lifhm en t o f the c o lo n y to th e date o f the g o v e rn o r ’ s departure. T h e
w o rk s o f g o v e rnm en t, h ow e v e r v ig ila n t ly attended to , a lw a y s p ro c
e ed ed f lo w ly , and n e v e r w i th th a t fp ir it an d e n e rg y th a t are created
b y intereft.
T h e p eop le w h o w e r e to la b o u r fo r the p u b lic had in general been
b u t fc an tily fe d , and this operated ag ain ft a n y grea t ex e rtion s . T h e
fettlers w e r e n o t fed a n y b e t te r ; and th o u g h th e y had an intereft in
w o r k in g w i th fp ir it, y e t th e y a lw a y s lo o k ed to be fup plied from the
p u b lic ftores b e y o n d the tim e a llow ed th em ; and w e re co n feq u en tly
carelefs, in d o len t, and p o o r : w h ile th e officer, from th e h o u r h e re c
e iv e d his g ran t, applied h im fe lf w i th a c tiv ity to d e r iv e a b enefit from
i t ; and it w a s n o t to o m u ch to fa y , th a t th e in d ep end en ce o f th e
c o lo n y w a s m o r e lik e ly to be attained th ro u g h th e ir e x e r tio n s , th an b y
a n y o th e r means. T o en cou ra ge th em , th e re fo re , w a s ab fo lu te ly n e-
c e ffa r y to accelerate and p rom o te th e p ro fp e r ity o f the co lon y .
O n e w om an and f ix m en , w h o fe terms o f tranfp ortation h ad e x p ire d ,
w e r e p ermitted to q u it th e c o lo n y in th e W illiam .
S om e n atives, w h o h ad o b fe rv ed the in c re a fin g n um be r o f th e fettle
r s on th e banks o f th e H aw k e fb u r y , and had learned that w e w e re
fe lic ito u s to d ifc o v e r o th e r fre fh -w a te r riv e rs , fo r the p urpo fe o f fo rm in
g fettlements, affured us, that at no v e r y grea t d iftance from B o ta n y
B a y , th e re w a s a r iv e r o f fre fh w a te r w h ic h ran in to the fea. A s v e r y
little o f th e co a ft to the S o u thw a rd w a s k n o w n , it w a s determined to
fend a fmall p a r ty in th a t diredtion, w i th p ro v ifio n s fo r a few d a y s , it
n o t b e in g improbab le th a t, in e x p lo r in g th e c o u n t r y , a r iv e r m ig h t be
fo u n d w h ic h h ad h ith e r to efcaped th e o bfe rv ation o f fhips ru n n in g
a lo n g th e coaft.
* The officers did not begin to open ground until February 1793.
T w o
T w o p eop le o f fuffic ient ju d gm en t and d ifc re tion fo r the p u rp o fe
b e in g fo u n d am o n g th e m ilita ry , th e y fet o f f from th e fouth fhore o f
B o ta n y B a y on the 14 th , w e ll armed, and fu rn ilh e d w ith p ro v ifio n s
fo r a w e e k . T h e y w e re accompanied b y a y o u n g man', a na tiv e , as a
g u id e , w h o profeffed a kn ow led g e o f the c o u n t r y , and named the place
w h e r e the frefh w a t e r w o u ld be fo u n d to run. G r e a t exp e c ta tio n s
w e r e fo rm ed o f this e x cu r fio n , from th e con fid en ce w i th w h ic h the
n a tiv e rep eated ly afferted th e e x iften c e o f a fre fh -w a te r r i v e r ; on th e
'20th h ow e v e r , th e p a r ty re tu rn ed , w i th an a c cou n t, th a t the n ative
h ad fo on w a lk e d b e y o n d his ow n k n ow le d g e o f th e c o u n t r y , and
trufted to th em to b r in g h im fafe b a c k ; that h a v in g p enetrated ab out
tw e n ty miles,’ to th e fo u th w a rd o f B o ta n y B a y , th e y came to a la rge
in le t o f th e Tea, w h ic h fo rm ed a fmall h a rb o u r ; th e head o f this th e y
rou n d ed , w i th o u t d ifc o v e r in g a n y r iv e r o f fre fh w a te r near it. T h e
c o u n t r y th e y d efcr ibed as h ig h and r o c k y in th e n e ig h b o u rh o od o f the
h a rb ou r , w h ic h , on afterwards lo o k in g in to th e cha rt, w a s fup po fed
to be fom ew h e re ab out R e d Po in t. T h e n a tiv e ? returned w ith the
fe ld ie r s as ch e e r fu lly and as w e ll pleafed as i f h e had led them to the
banks o f the firft r iv e r in the w o r ld .
A n e x cu r fio n o f another nature was at this time fram in g am o n g
fem e difcontented Ir ifh con v id ts , and w a s -on th e p o in t o f b e in g carr
ied in to e x e cu t io n w h e n difcoVered. A m o n g th o fe ' w h o came out
in the la fi fhips from Ireland w a s a con v id t w h o had been an a tto rn e y
in th a t k in g d om , and w h o w a s w e a k en o u g h to fo rm th e hazard ous
fchem e w i th fe v e ral others o f fe iz in g a lo n g -b o a t, in w h ic h th e y w e r e
to en d ea v ou r to reach Ba ta via. A q u a n tity o f p ro v ifio n s , w a te r -c a fk s i
fails, and o th e r 1 n e ce ffa ry articles-, w e r e p ro v id ed , and w e r e fo u n d , at
th e time o f m a k in g th e d ifc o v e ry , in th e h o u fe o f th e p r in cip al. T h e fe
p eop le had m u ch g rea ter rea fon to re jo ic e at, than to regre t, the d ifc
o v e r y o f th e ir p lo t ; fo r th e w in d , o n th e d a y fu c ce ed in g th e n ig h t in
w h ic h th e y w e re to h a v e g o n e o ff, b lew a h e a v y g a l e ; and, as there
w e r e n o p rofeffed feamen in the p a r ty , it w a s m ore than probable that
th e boat w o u ld h a v e be en loft. T h e gre a te ft e v il th a t attended thefe
defertions w a s th e lofs o f the boats w h ic h w e r e ta k en o f f ; fo r the c o lo
n y could n o t fufta in m u ch in ju r y b y th e ab fence o f a few w re tche s
3 B w h o