[1 7 9 6 .
th e e x iften c e o f the c o n fp ira c y , he caufed th e p r in c ip a l p a r t o f th o fe
con c e rn ed to be fe v e r e ly p u nifh ed ,' firft ta k in g th e o pinions o f all the
fre e p eop le w h o w e r e on board. A m ilita ry gu a rd , co n fid in g o f . tw o
fubalterns and a p rop o r tion a te n um b e r o f privates o f the :N e w So u th
W a le s co rp s , (p r in c ip a lly drafts from other regim en ts ,) was embarked
in this Ihip. T h e p rifoner s w e re in g enera l h e a l th y ; . but fom e o f thofe
w h o had been p u nilh ed w e re no t quite re cov e red , and on lan d in g w e re
fent to the ho fp ita l. I t appeared th a t th e men w e re fo r th e m oft part
o f th e d e fcr iption o f p eop le termed D e fen d e rs , defpe rate, and r ip e 'fo r
a n y fchem e from w h ic h d an ge r and deftruCtion w e r e l ik e ly to enfue.
T h e w om en w e re o f th e fame c om p le x io n ; and th e ir in g e n u ity and
c ru e lty w e re d ifp la y ed in th e p a r t th e y w e r e to take in th e p urpo fed
infurred tion, w h ic h w a s th e p rep a r in g o f p u lv e r ifed glafs to m ix w i th
th e flour o f w h ic h th e feamen w e r e to mak e th e ir pudd ing s. W h a t
an im p o r ta tion 1
A f e w months p ro v ifio n s fo r the fe p eop le , and the remainder * o f
the m o o r in g chains intend ed fo r his M a je f ty ’s Ihips the R e lian c e arid
th e S u p p ly , to g e th e r w i th a patent u n d e r the--great feal fo r a flem b lin g
c r im in a l courts at N o r fo lk Ifland , ar riv ed in this Ihipi; S h e failed
from G o rk on the 9 th o f A u g u f t la ft, and tou ched at th e illand o f
St. H e len a and th e C ap e o f G o o d .H o pe , w h ic h la tter p lac e , w e had
the fatisfadtion o f h e a r in g , had fu r ren d e red - to -his M a je f ty ’ s a rm b a n d
w a s - in ou r - polTdfton, G en e ra l C r a ig , the com m an d e r in c h ie f on
fh o re , arid C om m o d ore B lan k e tt, each fent an official com m u n ica tion
o f this im po rtan t oircumftance to G o v e rn o r H u n te r , and ftated their
d efire to aflift in a n y c ircum ftan ce that m ig h t be o f fe rv ice to the fettlemen
t, w h e n th e feafon fh ould offer fo r fending, th e -fhi-ps u n d e r his
ord ers to th e C ap e fo r fupplies.
W i th in fin ite re g re t w e heard o f th e death o f C o lo n e l G o rd o n ,
w h o fe attentions to th is fe ttlem en t, w h en o p p o r tu n it ie s ' prefented
th em fe lv e s , can n e ve r be fo rg o tten. H e w a s a fa v o u red fori. o f fc ien ce ,
and lib e rally e x ten d ed the ad v an tage s w h ic h th a t fcience g a v e him
w h e r e v e r he th o u g h t th e y co u ld p rom o te the w e lfa re o f his fe llow -
cre atu re s . .
* Some part had arriyed in the Reliance and Supply.
O n
O n M o n d a y th e 1 5 th a cr iminal court w a s h e ld fo r th e tr ial o f tw o
prifone r s , W il liam B r itton .a fo ld ie r , and J o h n R e id a co n v id t, fo r a
b u rg la r y in the hou fe o f the R e v . M r . J o h n fon , com m itted in th e n ig h t
o f S u n d a y the y th o f this m onth. T h e e v id en c e , th o u g h ftro n g , w a s
no t fuffic ient to convidt th em , and th e y w e r e acqu itted . W h i le this
court, was fittin g , h ow e v e r , in fo rm a tion -w a s re c e iv e d , th a t b la c k Casfar
h ad that m o rn in g been fh o t b y one W im b o w . T h is man and an other,
allured b y th e rew a rd , h ad be en fo r fom e day s in q u e ft o f him.1
F in d in g his h au n t, th e y concealed th em fe lv e s all n ig h t at th e ed ge
o f a b ru lh w h ic h t h e y p e rce iv ed h im en te r at dufk'. In th e m o rn in g
h e came o u t, w h e n , lo o k in g ro u n d h im and fe e in g h is d an g e r , h e
prefented his m u fq u e t ; b u t be fo re h e co u ld p u ll the t r ig g e r W im b o w
fired and Ihot h im . H e w a s ta k en to th e h u t o f R o fe , a fettler at
L ib e r ty Plain s , w h e re h e died in a few hours. T h u s ended a m an ,
w h o ce r ta in ly , d u r in g his life , cou ld n e v e r h a v e be en eftima ted at
more »than one rem o v e ab ov e th e b ru te , and w h o had g iv e n more
troub le th an a n y o th e r con v id t in the fettlement.
O n th e m o rn in g o f th e 18 th th e O t te r failed fo r th e n o r th -w e ft
coaft o f Am e r ic a . In h e r w e n t M r . T h om a s M u i r (on e o f the pe rfon s
fen t out in th e S u rp r ife fo r fed ition ) and fe v e ra l o th e r co n v id ts w h o fe
fentences o f tranfp ortation w e r e no t e xp ired . M r : M u i r co n c e iv ed
th a t in w ith d raw in g ( th o u g h c lan d e ftin e ly ) from th is c o u n t r y , h e w a s
o n ly a fle rting his f r e e d om ; and mean t, i f h e fh o u ld a r r iv e in fa fe ty ,
to e n jo y w h a t h e deemed h im fe lf to h a v e rega ined o f it in A m e r ic a ,
u n til th e tim e fh o u ld com e w h e n h e m ig h t return to h is ow n c o u n t r y
w i th cred it and com fo r t, H e p u rp o fed p rad tifin g at the Am e r ic a n b a r
as an a d v o c a te ; a p o in t o f in fo rm ation w h ic h h e le ft b eh in d h im in
a letter. In th is c o u n t r y h e c h ie fly p alled his time in lite ra ry eafe and
re tirement, liv in g out o f th e tow n at a little fp o t o f g ro u n d w h ic h he
h ad purcha fed fo r th e p urpo fe o f fe c lu fion .
A few days after th e departure o f this fh ip , th e A b ig a i l, another
Am e r ic an , ar rived. A s fe v e ral p rifone rs h ad fo u n d a co n v e y an c e
from this place in th e Otter," th e g o v e rn o r d ire c ted th e A b ig a i l to be
anchored in N eu tra l B a y (a b a y on th e n o r th fh o re , a little b e low
R o c k I lla n d ) , w h e re h e im agined t h e 1 com m u n ica tio n w o u ld no t be
3 N - fo