deputed a ce rtain n um be r from the different d ift r id s to ftate to the
g o v e rn o r th e hard fhip s th e y fliou ld be fu b je d e d to b y a r e d u d io n in
th e p rice o f g ra in , at leaft fo r that feafon. H e therefore con fen ted to
p u rch a fe th e ir p re fen t crops o f w h e a t at ten {hillings per b u fh e l ; but
at th e .fam e tim e a ffin ed th em , th a t a redudtion w o u ld be made in the,
en fu in g fea fon, u n le f s . fom e u nforefeen and u n avo id able circumftances
fh o u ld o c cu r to render it unneeeffary.
T h e officers w h o 1 h e ld g ro u n d offered to g iv e u p tw o o f the number
o f men th e g o v e rn o r had allowed* th em , and to take tw o others o f f
th e p ro v ifio n - ftö re , w h ic h p rop o fal was d i fe d e d to be ca rried into
e x e cu t io n .
S om e o f th e m ore d ecent clafs o f prifone r s , male and fem ale , h a v in g
fom e time fince obtained p e rmiffion to prepare a p la y -h o u fe * at S y d n
e y , it was, o pened on S a tu rd a y th e 16 th , u n d e r th e man a gemen t o f
J o h n S p a r row , w i th th e p la y o f T h e R e v e n g e and the enter tainment
" o f T h e H o te l. T h e y had fitted up th e hou fe w i th m ore theatrical
p ro p r ie ty th an could h a v e been e xp e c ted , and th e ir pe rforman ce was
fa r ab ov e contemp t. T h e i r m otto .Was m o d e lt and Well ch o fen—
“ W e cannot com m an d fuc cefs, but w i ll en d ea v ou r to de fe rv e i t .”
O f th e ir dreffes th e g rea ter p art w a s made b y th em fe lv e s ; bu t w e
u n d e r fto od th a t fom e v e te ran articles from the Y o r k thea tre w e re
am o n g the b e l l that made th e ir appearance.
A t th e lic en fin g o f this e x h ib itio n th e y w e r e in fo rm ed , th a t the
flighted: im p ro p r ie ty w o u ld be n o ticed , and a rep e tition p unifhed b y
th e baniffiment o f th e ir c om p a n y to th e o th e r fe tt lem e n ts ; there wa s ,
h ow e v e r , m ore d an ge r o f improp rieties b e in g com m itted b y fome o f
th e aud ience than b y the p la y e r s themfelves. A feat in th e ir g a lle r y ,
w h ic h w a s b y far the la rgeft p lace in the houfe ,. as lik e ly to be the.
m o d reforted to , w a s to be p rocured fo r one {hilling. In the p a ym en t
o f this p rice fo r admiffion, on e e v il w a s obferv able, w h ic h in f a d
c o u ld .n o t w e ll be p r e v e n t e d ; in lieu o f a {hillin g, as m uch flour, o r
. - ' ' . •
* The building coll upwards of one hundred pounds.- The names of the principal
performers were, H. Green, Sparrpw, (the manager,) William Fowkes, G. H. Hughes,
William Chapman, and Mrs, Davis.- Of the men, Green bell deferred to be called an.
aflor.
as m u ch meat o r fp irits, as th e manager w o u ld take fo r that fum , w a s
o ften p a id at the ga lle ry door. • It was feared that th is , lik e g am b lin g ,
w o u ld furn iffi ano the r ind ucem ent to rob ; and fom e o f th e w o r ft o f
the. C o n v id s , e v e r on the w a tch fo r o p p or tu n itie s , lo o k ed on th e p la y -
h ou fe as a certain harv eft fo r them , n o t b y p ic k in g the p ockets o f the
audience o f th e ir purfes o r th e ir w a tc h e s , but b y b re a k in g in to th e ir
houfe s w h ile th e w h o le fam ily m ig h t be e n jo y in g th em fe lv e s in the
g a lle ry , r T h is a d u a l ly hap pened on th e fecond n ig h t o f th e ir p la y in g .
T h e 18 th w a s o bferved as th e d a y on w h ic h h e r M a je f ty ’ s bir th
is celebrated in E n g lan d * . T h e troops fired thre e vollie s at n o on , and
at one o ’ c lo ck the k in g ’ s {hips fired tw en ty -o n e gu n s each, in h o n o u r
p f the d ay .
A m o n g : o th e r o b je d s o f c iv il regu la tion w h ic h required th e g o v
e rn o r ’ s -attention was- one to r em e d y an e v il o f grea t m agnitud e.
S om e in d iv id u als fo rm ed th e ftrange d e fign o f m a k in g ap p lication to
th e g o v e rn o r fo r his lic en ce to e r e d {tills in d iffe ren t parts o f th e fe t-
tlement. O n in q u ir y it appeared, that fo r a confid erable time p aft
th e y had been in the p r a d ic e o f m a k in g and v en d in g a fp ir it, th e
q u a lity o f w h ic h w a s o f fo d e ft r u d iv e a nature, that the h ealth o f the
fettlement in genera l w a s m u ch endangered.
A p r a d ic e fo in iq u ito u s and ru in o u s , b e in g n o t ’o n ly a d i r e d d if-
obed ience o f his M a je f ty ’ s command s, b u t d e f t r u d iv e o f th e w e lfa re
o f th e c o lo n y in gen e ra l, the g o v e rn o r in th e m o il p o fit iv e manner
forbade all perfons on a n y pretence w h a tfo e v e r to d iftil fp iritu ous
liq uor s o f a n y k in d o r q u a lity , on p ain o f fu ch fteps b e in g tak en fo r
th e ir p uniffiment as w o u ld e ffe d u a lly p re v en t a rep etition o f fo d angerous
an offence.. T h e conftables o f th e different d if t r id s , as w e ll as
all o th e r perfons w h o fe d u ty it w a s to p re fe rv e ord er, w e re f t r id l y
enjoined to be e x tr em e ly v ig ila n t in d ifc o v e r in g and g iv in g in fo rm a tion
w h e re and in w h o fe poffeffion a n y ar ticle o r m ach in e fo r the p u r -
p ofe o f, d iftillin g fpirits m igh t th en be, - o r ffiouid he reafte r be e r e d e d
in opposition to this n otification o f th e g o v e rn o r ’ s re fo lu tio n . In fo rm -
* The anniverfary of her MajellyV birth might with greater propriety be kept in the
colonies, particularly in New South Wales, on the ipth of May, the day on which it
happened, than at any other time ; tire fame reafons for obfervihg it at a time diftant
from the king’s not exithng there. This is attended to in India,
3 M ation