39a
to n s b u rd en , had a la rg e and e x p e n fiv e com plemen t o f officers and
m en , a guard o f fe p o y s , and a com m iffion from th e B om b a y mar
in e *. N ew Z e a lan d w a s b y us fup po fed to be the p la c e ; as fo rce , o r
a t leaft th e appearance o f it, w a s the re ab fo lu te ly requifite,
T h e w i fe o f G r i f f in 't h e d rum m e r , w h o fe h oard ed guinea s w e r e
fu p p o fed to h a v e been fto len b y C h a r le s , o r (as h e w a s more com m
o n ly named) P a t G r a y , k illed h e r fe lf w ith d r in k in g , e x p ir in g in. a
fit o f in to x ic a tio n w h ile th e h u fb and w a s em p lo y ed in the low e r part
o f th e h a rb ou r in f ilh in g fo r h is fam ily . S h e le ft h im fo u r child ren
to p ro v id e for.
O c to b e r .] T h is m on th opened w i th an ind ilp enfab le adt o f ju f t ic e :
J o h n B e v an , a w r e tch ed c o n v ic t , w h o fe n am e has been freq u en t ly
men tion ed in th is n ar rative , b ro k e in to the hou fe o f W illiam F ie ld e r
at S y d n e y , and b e in g cau gh t in the fa<3 , it was fubftantiated ag ainft
h im b e y o n d th e ch an ce o f e fc a p e ; h e w a s o f c o u r fe fu l ly con v id ted ,
and re c e ived fentence o f death. T h e tr ial w a s on the i l l , and at nine
in th e m o rn in g o f th e 6th h e w a s e x e cu ted . A t th e tree h e confe lfed
n o th in g , b u t feemed ter rified w h en h e fo u n d h im fe lf fo near th e ign o m
in io u s d e a th th a t h e had fo lo n g merited. O n b e in g taken to hear
d iv in e fe rv ice th e S u n d a y p re ced in g h is e x e cu t io n , h e feemed not to
b e in th e im a l le f t d egre e affedted b y th e c le rg ym an ’ s d ifcourfe , w h ic h
w a s com p o fed fo r th e o cc afion ; b u t w a s v if ib ly to u ched at th e f in g in g
o f th e p falm intitled th e “ L am en ta tio n o f a S in n e r .”
O n th e e v en in g p re ced in g th e d a y o f h is e x e cu t io n , in fo rm a tion
w a s re c e iv ed from Parramatta, th a t S im o n B u rn , a fettler, h ad been
ftabbed to th e h e a r t ab out e ig h t o ’ c lo c k in the e v en in g be fo re , o f
w h ic h w o u n d h e died in an h ou r . T h e man w h o p erpetrated this
atro cious adt w a s a conv id t named H i l l , a b u tch e r b y trade. I t appeared
on the tr ial, w h ic h la fted fiv e h ou r s , th a t H i l l had borne th e
deceafed m u ch an im o fity fo r fom e tim e , and , h a v in g been all th e d a y
(w h ic h , to a g g rav ate the o ffen ce , hap pened to be S u n d a y ) in com p a n y
d r in k in g w i th h im , to o k o c c a fio n to q ua rre l w i th a w om an w ith w h om
h e cohabited, and fo llow in g h e r in to an em p ty h ou fe , w h ith e r Ihe had
* Mr. Dell had likewife on board a much greater number of crofs-cut faws than were
aeceflary to procure wood for the mere ufe of the veflei.
run
ru n to av o id a b e a tin g , th e deceafed, u n h a p p ily fo r h im , in te r fe red ,
and w a s b y H i l l ftabbed to the h e a r t ; liv in g , as has been faid, ab ou t
an h o u r , but h a v in g ju f t ftrength en o u g h to d eclare in th e p refence o f
fe v e ra l witn e ffe s , that the b u tch e r had k illed h im . T h e p r ifo n e r attemp
ted to fet u p an a lib i fo r his defence ; but th e fadt o f k il lin g was
in c o n t ro v e r t ib ly fix ed u p on h im , as w e l l as the malice w h ic h u rg ed his
hand to take aw a y the life o f h is fe llow -c re a tu re , and to fen d h im ,
w i th the fin u p on his head o f h a v in g p rofaned th e L o r d ’ s d a y b y
r io tin g and drun k en n e fs , unprepared b efore h is M a k e r .
T h is p o o r man w a s buried b y his w id ow (an I r ifh w om a n ) in a
co rn e r o f his ow n fa rm , attended b y fe v e ra l fettlers o f th a t and the
n e ig h b o u r in g diftridts, w h o celebrated the fu n e ra l rites in a manner
and w i th orgies fuitable to th e d ifp o fitio n and habits o f th e deceafed,
his w id ow , and themfelves.
H i l l w a s ex e cu ted on the i6 th , and h is -b o d y diffedted a c co rd in g to
h is fentence.
O n th e 1 7 th th e M e r c u r y , an Am e r ic an b r ig , com m an d ed b y
M r . W illiam B a rn e t, anchored in th e co v e from F a lk lan d ’s Iflands.
H e had n o th in g on board fo r fale, b u t b ro u g h t us the v e r y w e lcom e
in fo rm a tion o f his h a v in g feen th e officers o f th e Sp an ifh fh ip D e fc u -
v ie r ta at that place. B e in g in w a n t o f b ifeu it, he made ap p lication to
th e commod ore M a la fp in a fo r a fu p p ly , p ro ffe r in g to fettle th e p a ym en t
in a n y . manner th a t h e fh ould ch o o fe to ad o p t; b u t th e com m o d o re ,
after fen d in g h im a grea te r q u a n tity than h e had req u ired , affured h im
th a t h e w a s fu ffic ien tly fatisfied in h a v in g affifted a fhip w h o fe p e o p le ,
w h e th e r E n g lilh o r Am e r ic an , fp ok e th e lan gu a g e o f th o fe g en tlem en
from w h om h im fe lf and th e officers o f th e Ihips u n d e r h is com m an d
had re c e iv ed , w h ile in N ew S o u th W a le s , fu ch a ttention and h o f-
p ita lity . M r . B a rn e t und erfto od th e A tr e v id a w a s in th e ne igh b ou r h
o o d , and th a t n o lofs o r ac cid ent h ad h ap p en ed in e ither fh ip fin ce
th e ir departure from P o r t J a ck fon . T h e M e r c u r y w a s b o u n d to th e
n o r th -w e ft coa ft o f Am e r ic a , and h e r matter p u rp o fed q u it tin g this
p o r t as fo on as his p eop le , w h o w e r e a ll afflidted w i th th a t d readful
fea d iftem p e r th e fe u r v y , Ihould be fu ffic ien tly re cov e red .
T h e p eriod o f p rob ation w h ic h had b e en allotted b y th e late g o v
e rn o r to the fervices o f W illiam S tep h en fo n (on e o f the p eop le fe rv in g
3E in