426 , A C C O U N T O F TH E EN G L ISH C O L O N Y [ 1 7 9 5 .
w a s in P o r t S te p h e n s ; b u t h e a rd fo on after o f th e fcho on e r ’ s v ifit, and
w e ll k n ew , and o ften a fte rw ard s faw , th e man w h o h ad be en fired at,
b u t n o t k illed at th a t tim e as w a s fu p p o fed , b y W ilfo n . • E a ch o f th em
rh ad h ad nam e s g iv e n h im , an d g iv e n w i th fe v e ra l ce remonies,
W iv e s alfo w e r e allotted th em , and on e o r tw o had child ren. T h e y
w e r e n e v e r requ ired to g o o u t on a n y o c c a fio n o f h o ft ility , and w e re
in g enera l fu p p lied b y th e nativ es w i th fifh o r o th e r fo o d , b e in g con -
fidered b y th em ( fo r fo th e ir fitu a tion o n ly cou ld be con ftrued ) as
un fo r tu n a te ftrangers th row n u p on th e ir Ihore from th e m ou th o f th e
y a w n in g d eep, and entitled to th e ir p ro te ftio n . T h e y to ld us a r id icu
lou s f to r y , th a t th e natives appeared to w o r fh ip th em , often a llu r in g
th em , w h en th e y beg an to underftand each o th e r , th a t th e y w e r e un d
o u b ted ly the anceftors o f fome o f th em w h o had fa llen in ba ttle , and
h ad re turn ed from the fe a to v ifit th em a g a in ; and on e n a tiv e appeared
f i rm ly to b e lie v e that h is fa th e r w a s com e b a ck in th e pe rfon o f e ither
L e e o r C o n n ow a y , and to o k h im to th e ip o t w h e re his b o d y h ad
be en bu rn t. O n b e in g told th a t im m enfe numbers o f p eop le e x ifte d
fa r b e y o n d th e ir little k n ow le d g e , th e y in ftan tly p ron ou n ced th em to
b e th e fpirits o f th e ir co u n t r ym e n , w h ic h , a fte r d eath, had m ig ra ted
in to o th e r region s .
I t appeared from the fe fo u r men, th a t the lan gu a g e to th e n o r th w
a rd differed w h o l ly from a n y that w e k n ew . A m o n g th e n ativ e s
w h o liv ed w i th us, there w e r e n one w h o und erfto od all that th e y fa id ,
and o f th o fe w h o o c c a fio n a lly came in , one o n ly cou ld co n v e r fe w i th
them . H e w a s a v e r y fine lad , o f the name o f W u r -g a n , H is m other
had be en b o rn and bred b e y o n d the mountains, b u t one luck le fs d a y ,
p a y in g a v ifit w i th fome o f h e r tr ibe to th e banks o f the D e e - rab -b u n ,
( fo r fo the H aw k e lb u r y w a s n am ed ,) Ihe w a s fo r c ib ly p re ven ted retu
rn in g , an d , be in g -o b lig ed to fu bm it to the embraces o f an amorous
and p ow e r fu l B e -d ia -g a l, th e fru it o f h e r v ifit w a s th is b o y . S p e a k in g
h e r fe lf m ore dialects than o n e , Ihe tau gh t h e r fon all Ihe k n ew , and h e ,
b e in g o f q u ic k parts, and a r o v in g d ifp ofition , c a u g h t all th e different
dialedts from B o ta n y B a y to P o r t Stephens.
W e un d e rfto od th a t L ie u ten a n t -g o v e rn o r G r o fe in the Dsedalus
had rea ched R io de J ane iro in e le v en w e e k s from his fa ilin g hen ce ,
and th a t all on board w e r e iri health.
1S P ublic
P ub lic la b o u r w a s fc a r c e ly a n y w h e re p e r form ed in this m o n th ,
o w in g to the e x trem e badnefs o f th e w e a th e r w h ic h pre va iled . T h e
rain and w in d w e r e fo v io len t fo r fome d a y s a fte r the a r r iv al o f the
P ro v id en c e , that n e ith e r that fh ip n o r th e E n d e a v o u r had m u ch com m
u n ica tion w i th the fhore. A c co u n t s w e r e re c e iv ed from th e H aw k e f -
b u r y , th a t feveral farms: on the cre ek s w e r e u n d e r w a t e r ; .a n d th e
pe rfon w h o b ro u g h t thp ac count w a s n e a r ly d row n e d in his w a y o v e r
a plain named the R a c e -G ro u n d . P a lin g cou ld n o w h e r e ftand the
foVce o f the fto rm . S e v e ra l ch im n ie s and m u ch p lafte r fe ll, and e v e r y
h o u fe w a s w e t . A t Parramatta m u ch d ama ge Was d o n e ; and at
T o o n g a b b e (a circum ftan ce m oft a cu te ly fe lt ) a v e r y la rg e ba rn and
th re fh in g - flo o r w e r e d e ftro y ed . T h e fch o o n e r h ad been lo ad in g w i th
c o r n ,at th e r iv e r , an d , th o u g h fh e left th e ftore o n th e n t h , did not
rea ch S y d n e y u n til th e 20 th, h a v in g met w i th m u ch bad w ea th e r .
D u r in g th e fto rm , th e x o lum n at th e So u th H e ad fe ll in. T h is , h o w e
v e r , could be m ore read ily -rep aired than th e barn and the th re fh in g -
flo o r at T o o n g a b b e , w h ic h w e r e ferious Ioffes, and h ad c o ft g o v e rn m
en t a m u ch la rg e r fum than th e beacon.
S e v e ra l o f th e cattle la te ly ar riv ed p erifhed in this bad w ea th e r .
T o e k e o u t th e fait meat that w a s re fe rv ed fo r th e m ilita r y , tw o
C ap e cow s , w h ic h w o u ld n o t breed , w e r e k illed and fe rv ed o u t to
th em d u r in g th is month.
S ep tem b e r .] A f t e r an ab fence o f e le v en w e e k s , th e F a n c y ar riv ed
on th e 3d from N o r fo lk Ifland . H e r paffa ge th ith e r w a s mad e in f ix
d a y s ; - b u t on he r re tu rn fhe ran w i th in o n e hun d red and th ir ty miles
o f th is p o r t in th re e o r fo u r d a y s ; y e t a fte rw a rd s m e t w i th co n tra ry
and h e a v y gales o f w in d w h ic h k ep t h e r o u t a m on th . O n th e 28th
o f laft m on th fh e w a s o f f the fouth head o f B r o k en B a y in a h e a v y g a le
o f w in d , and w a s , b y b e in g clo fe in w i th th e lan d in th ic k w e a th e r ,
in e x trem e danger. O f a la rg e q u a n tity o f f lo c k (the p ro p e r ty o f
M r . B a lm a in, w h o le ft N o r fo lk Ifland to ta k e u p o n h im th e ch a rge
o f th e g enera l h o fp ital he re ), b u t a v e r y fmall q u a n t ity rem ain ed alive
after th e gale.
T h e m o ft fa v ou rab le accounts w e r e re c e iv ed from th a t fettlem ent.
P len ty re ign ed th ro u g h o u t. E v e r y b a rn w a s fu ll. F o u r th ou fan d
p oun d s o f fre fh p o rk h a v in g b e en cu red , the lie u ten an t-g o v e rn o r h ad
3 1 2 . fo r t y