C m s -
be en la te ly ta k en f if ty p eo p le w e r e fo u n d w ith o u t a n y em p lo ym en t,
w h o fe - fe rv ice s d ill b e lon g ed to th e p u b lic ; m oft o f the fe w e re laid
h o ld o f, and fent to hard la b o u r ; and it appeared at th e fame time
th a t fom e - few w e r e at la rg e in th e w o o d s , ru n aw a y s , and vagabond s.
T h e fe p eop le b eg an la b o u r in g in th e grou n d s im m e d ia te ly after N ew
Y e a r ’ s d a y , w h ic h as u fu a l w a s o b fe rv ed as a h o lid a y ;
O n the 2 2d, th e co n v in t w om e n w h o h ad ch ild ren attended at the
flo r e , w h e n th e y re c e iv ed fo r each ch ild th re e y a rd s o f flannel, one
fh ir t , and tw o p ou n d s of. foap.
O n th e d a y fo llo w in g , th e co lon ia l fch o o n e r failed fo r th e r iv e r ,
h a v in g o n board a m ill, p ro y ifio n s , & c . fo r th e fettlers there. A m ilita
r y g u a rd w a s alfo o rd e red , th e command ing, officer o f w h ic h w a s
to in trod u c e fom e regu lation s am o n g th e fettlers, and to p re v en t , b y
th e e f f e â o f h is p re fen ce and a u th o r ity , the com m iflio n o f th o fe
en o rm itie s w h ic h d ifgra ced th a t fettlem ent. F o r th e reception o f fu ch
q u a n tity o f th e In d ian co rn and w h e a t g r o w n th e re th is feafon as
m ig h t b e p u rch a fed b y g o v e rnm en t, a fto re -h ou fe w a s to be e r e â e d
u n d e r th e in fp e f lio n o f th e c om m iffa ry ; and B a k e r , th e fu p e r in -
ten d an t w h o ar r iv ed in th e S u rp r ife , w a s fen t o u t to ta k e th e ch a rg e
o f it w h e n fin ilhed . T h e m afte r o f th e fch o o n e r w a s ordered, after
d ifch a rg in g his c a rg o , to re c e iv e on board M r . Ch ar le s G r im e s , th e
d e p u ty fü rv e y o r -g en e ra l, and p roceed w i th h im to P o r t Steph en s , fo r
th e p ü rp o fe o f e x am in in g th a t ‘harbour! " "
A b o u t th e mid d le o f th e mon th a co n v in t, on en te r in g th e d o o r o f
his h u t, w a s b it in th e fo o t b y a b la c k fn ak e ; th e effe£t w a s , an im mediate
fw è llin g o f - th e fo o t , le g , a n d th ig h , and a ‘ la rge tum o u r in
th e g ro in . M r . T h om p fo n , th e a flifta n t- fü rg e o n , w a s fo r tu n a te ly able
to red uce all thefe fw e llin g s b y f r e q u e n t ly b a th in g th e parts in o il, and
faved the- man’ s- life w ith o u t h a v in g re cou r fe to am p uta tion. W h ile
w e liv e d in a w o o d , and m ig h t n a tu ra lly h a v e expedt'ed to h a v e been
troub led w i th th em , fnak es and o th e r rep tiles w e r e b y n o means 10
o ften fe en , as fin c e , b y c le a r in g and o p en in g th e c o u n t r y ab out u s , th e
n ativ e s had no t had o pp or tu n itie s o f fe ttin g th e w o o d s fo fr e q u e n t ly on
fire. B u t n ow th e y w e r e o ften m e t in th e different paths ab out th e
feulements,, b a lk in g at m id -d a y in th e fu n lh in e , and p a r ticu la r ly after
a .fh ow e r o f rain.
We.
W e heard and faw m u ch o f the nativ es ab ou t this t im e . A t th e
H aw k e fb u r y a man had been w o u n d ed b y fom e o f the W o o d tr ibe.
T w o w om en (nativ es) w e r e murdered no t fa r from th e tow n o f S y d n e y
d u r in g th e n ig h t, and an o th e r v i& im , a fem ale o f P e -m u l-w y ’ s p a r ty ,
(the m an w h o k illed M ‘In ty re ,) h a v in g be en fe cured b y th e males o f
a tr ibe in im ical to P e -m u l-w y , d ra gged h e r in to the w o o d s , w h e r e
th e y fa tigu ed themfelves w i th e x e r c ifin g a d s o f -cruelty and lu l l
upon. h e r .
T h e p r in cip al la b o u r p e r form ed in J a n u a r y w a s p rep a r in g th e
g ro u n d fo r w h e a t. T h e In d ian co rn lo o k ed e v e r y w h e r e rem a rk a b ly
well-; it w a s n o w r ip en in g , and th e fettlers o n th e banks o f the
H aw k e fb u r y fu p p o fed th a t at lea ft th ir ty th o u fan d bufhels o f thac
gra in w o u ld b e ra iled am o n g them .
S e v e ra l n ativ e b o y s , from e ig h t to fo u r te en y e a rs o f a g e , w e r e at
th is tim e liv in g am o n g th e fettlers in th e d ifferent d if t r id s . T h e y
w e r e fo u n d capable o f b e in g made e x t r em e ly u le fu l ; th e y w e n t ch e e r fu
l ly in to the fields to la bou r , and th e e ld e r ones w i th eafe ho ed in a
few h ours a grea te r q u a n tity o f g ro u n d than that g e n e ra lly a flign ed to ■
a c o n v id fo r a d a y ’ s w o rk . S om e o f thefe. w e r e a llow ed a ra t io n .o f.'
p ro v ifio n s from th e p u b lic (lores. .;
In con fequ en ce o f th e h e a v y ra ins, th e r iv e r at th e H aw k e fb u r y
ro fe m a n y fe e t h ig h e r than it had been k n o w n to rife in o th e r r a in s ,,
b y w h ic h fe.veral fettlers w e r e fuffe'rers. A t T o o n g a b b e th e w h e a t
b e lo n g in g to g o v e rnm en t w a s co n fid e ra b ly in ju red . . A t Pa rrama tta ,
th e d am a ge w a s e x ten fiv e ; th e b r id g e o v e r the c r e e k ,.w h ic h had b e en ,
v e r y w e l l c o n f t ru d e d , w a s entirely, fw e p t a w a y ; and th e boats w i th
th e ir m oo r in gs ca rried d ow n th e r iv e r . A t S y d n e y , fom e ch im n ie s in .
th e h ew barracks fe ll in.
M r . Jones,, the qua rter-mafter fe r jean t o f the - N ew So u th Wa les-
corps, a p e r fon o f m u ch r e fp e d a b il ity , and w h o fe g enera l demeanor-
indicated an ed uca tion fa r b e y o n d w h a t is m e t w i th .in .th e .fp h e r e o f f '
life in w h ic h h e m o v ed , died th is m o n th ..
# A c o n v i* lad> the fe rv ice o f M r . W illiam -.Sm ith -the (lore-keep er,
died on the 2 6 th , h a v in g fw a llow e d arfenic. I t .w a s remarkable in bis-,
untimely, end, that, h e h im fe lf placed the poifo-n w i th a..v iew o f de ffro y --
ing;;