In ad d ition to th e fup e rintend ant, there died in this month a -woman,
Jane Forb e s , th e w i fe o f ------- B u t le r , a fettler at P r o fp e ö H i l l , w h o
fe ll in to the fire w h ile ,p r e p a r in g th e ir b reak fa ft, and re c e iv ed fu ch inju
r y th a t fhe fh o r tly after e xp ired .
A u g u f t .] F rom th e fcantinefs o f failed p ro v ifio n s , the article fait was
b e com e as fcarce. T h e r e came ou t in the S u rp r ife , as a fettler, a
p e r fon o f the name o f B o fton . A m o n g o th e r u fe fu l k n ow le d g e * w h ic h
w e w e r e g iv e n to underftand h e p offe ffed , h e at th is time offered his
fk il l in m ak in g fait from fe a -w ate r . A s it w a s m u ch w an ted , his offers
jv e re ac cep ted , and , an e ligible fp o t at B e n n illo n g ’s P o in t (as th e eaft
p o in t o f the co v e had lo n g be en named) b e in g ch o fen , h e began his
opera tions, fa r w h ic h h e had fe v en m en a llow ed h im , w h o fe labour,
h o w e v e r , o n ly p rod u c ed th re e o r fo u r bufhels o f fait in m ore th an as
•many wé é k s .
H is R o y a l H ig h n e fs th e P r in c e o f W a le s ’ s b ir th -d a y w a s d u ly n o ticed.
A t on e o ’c lo ck th e E n d e a v o u r fired tw en ty -o n e guns.
■ W il fo n JB u n -b o -è ) , im m ed ia te ly after his re tu rn from P o r t Stephens
w i th th e d e p u ty - fu r v e y o r , w e n t o f f to th e natives at th e r iv e r . A n o th e r
v a g a b o n d , w h o lik e h im fe lf had been a co n v id t, on e K n ig h t , th in k in g
th e re m u ft b e fom e fw e e ts in th e life w h ic h W il fo n led , d etermined
to fhare th em w i th h im , and w e n t o f f to th e wo od s . A b o u t th e m id d
le o f th is m o n th th e y bo th came in to th e to w n , ac com panied b y fome
o f th e ir com pan ion s. O n th e d a y fo llo w in g it appeared that th e ir v ifit
w a s fo r th e p urpo fe o f fo r c in g a w i fe from am o n g th e w om en o f this
d if t r id t ; fo r in th e mid ft o f a confid erable u p roa r, w h ic h Was heard
n e a r th e b r id g e , W il fo n and K n ig h t w e re d ifcov e red , each d ra g g in g
a g ir l b y th e arm (w h o fe age cou ld n o t h a v e been b e y o n d nine o r ten
y ea rs ) afiifted b y th e ir n ew affociates. T h e tw o w h ite men b e in g
fo o n fe cnred, and the ch ild ren ta k en care o f, th e mob difperfed,
W il fo n and K n ig h t w e r e tak en to th e cells and p u nifh ed , and it w a s
in ten d ed t o em p lo y th em b o th in hard la b o u r ; b u t th e y fo u n d means
to efcape, and fo o n m ix e d ag a in w i th companions w h om th e y preferred
to o u r o verfeer s.
* Having been fent out by government to fupply us with falted fifb, he had fome
time before offered to procure and fait filh for the fettlement; but he required- boats and
n;en, and more a did a nee than it was podible to fupply. He propofed to try Broken Bay.
A b o u t
A b o u t this tim e the natives w e re , d u r in g tw o d a y s , en gag ed in v e r y
fe v e re contefts. M u c h b lood w a s fhed, and m a n y wou n d s in ffid te d ;
b u t n o on e w a s killed . It appeared to afford m u ch d iv e r fio n ; fo r
th e y w e r e conftan-tly w e ll attended -b y all d e fe rip tion s o f peop le ,
n o tw ith fta n d in g th e rifle th e y ran o f b e in g w o u n d e d b y a random
fpear.
O n th e n£>th th e fettlement w a s g ra tified b y th e a r r iv al o f his M a -
je f t y ’ s fhip P ro v id en ce , o f tw e n ty -e ig h t g u n s , com m an d ed b y C a p ta in
B ro u g h to n , from E n g lan d . S h e failed th en c e on the 2.5th o f F eb ru a ry
laft, in com p a n y w i th his M a je f ty ’ s Chips R e lian c e and S u p p ly , w h ic h
{hips the* le ft at R io de J ane iro fom e tim e in M a y laft. W e had the
fatisfadtion o f le a rn in g that G o v e rn o r H u n te r w a s on board th e R e lian
ce , and m ig h t be d a ily exped ted . •-
T h e P ro v id en ce met w i th v e r y bad w e a th e r o n h e r p affa ge from the
B r a z il co a ft, and w a s d r iv en p aft th is h a rb ou r as fa r to th e n o r thw a rd
as P o r t Step h en s , in w h ic h fhe anchored. T h e r e , to the g rea t fu rp r ife
o f C ap ta in B r o u g h to n , h e fo u n d and re ce ived on board fo u r w h ite
p e o p le , ( i f fo u r miferable, nak ed , d ir ty , and fm oa k -d r ied men co u ld
be called w h ite ,) ru n aw a y s from this fettlement. B y r e fe r r in g to th e
tranfadtions o f th e month o f Sep tem b e r 1 7 9 0 , it w i ll be fo u n d th a t fiv e
co n v ia s - , J o h n T a rw o o d , ' G e o r g e L e e , G e o r g e C o n n ow a y , J o h n
W a t fo n , and Jo feph Sutton , efcaped from th e fe ttlem en t at Parramatta,
an d , p ro v id in g th em fe lv e s w i th a w r e tch e d w e a k b o a t, w h ic h th e y Hole
from th e p eop le at th e S o u th H e a d , d ifappeared, and w e r e fu p p o fed to
h a v e m e t a death w h ic h , one m ig h t h a v e im a g in e d , th e y w en t w i th o u t
th e H e ad s to feek. F o u r o f thefe p e o p le (J o fep h S u t to n h a v in g died)
w e r e n o w met w i th in this h a rb ou r b y th e officers o f th e P ro v id en c e ,
and b ro u g h t b a ck to the c o lo n y . T h e y to ld a m e la n ch o ly tale o f th e ir
fufferings in th e b o a t ; and fo r m a n y d a y s a fte r th e ir a r r iv al paffed th e ir
time in d eta iling to th e c row d s b o th o f b la c k and w h ite p eo p le w h ic h
attended them their ad ventures in P o r t S tep h en s , th e firft h a rb ou r th e y
made. H a v in g liv e d lik e th e fav a ge s am o n g w h om th e y dw e lt, th e ir
ch an ge o f fo o d fo on d ifagreed w i th th em , and th e y w e r e all taken ill ,
ap p earing to be p r in c ip a lly affedted w i th ab d om in a l fw e llin g s . T h e y
fp ok e in h ig h terms o f th e p acific d ifp o fitio n and gen tle manners o f
th e natives. T h e y w e r e at fom e d iftance in lan d w h en M r . G r im e s
3 1 w a s