W i th th e fo llow in g P a r ticu la rs o f th e State o f N O R F O L K I S L A N D
to the tim e w h e n th e Ihips le f t it , th e W r i t e r has be en fa v o u red
b y L I E U T E N A N T -G O V E R N O R K IN G .
Court o f fu d ica tu re.
A co u r t o f cr im in a l ju d ic a tu re e x ifte d th e re fim ila r to th a t in N ew
S o u th W a le s , d iffe r in g o n ly in b e in g com p o fed o f fiv e in ftead o f fe v en
memb e rs . N o c iv il co u r t, h ow e v e r , h ad be en e ftablifhed.
Number o f Inhabitants.
T h e c iv il department co n fifte d o f a lie u ten an t-g o v e rn o r , a d e p u ty
ju d g e -ad v o c a te , a d e p u ty p ro v o ft-m a r fh a l, and d e p u ty c om m i f fa r y ; a
fu r g e o n , a fto re -k e ep e r , and fo u r fubord ina te officers.
T h e m ilita r y con fifted o f a c om p a n y o f the .N e w So u th W a le s
co rp s .
T h e fettlers w e r e , fo u r feamen w h o b e lon g ed to his M a je f ty ’ s fhip
S i r iu s ; fifte en marines w h o w e r e d ifcha rg ed at th e r e l ie f o f th a t deta
chm e n t ; fif t y - tw o fettlers from am o n g th o fe w h o fe r e fp e ft iv e terms
o f tranfp ortation h ad e x p i r e d ; th re e officers, and o the rs w h o h e ld
g r o u n d b y g ran t o r lea fe, o r h ad p u rch a fed a llotments from fe t t le r s ;
fo u r te en from th o fe w h o fe te rm s o f tran fp ortation w e r e u n e x p ired ,
b u t w h o h e ld allotments e x c e e d in g fiv e acres. T h e w h o le n um be r
(e x c lu f iv e o f th e office r s), w i th th e ir fam ilie s , w a s about tw o h und red
an d fo r ty .
O n e hun d red and fo r ty -n in e m en , and fix ty - th r e e w om e n , w h o fe
te rms o f fentence had e x p ire d , fu p p o r ted th em fe lv e s b y h ir in g g ro u n d
f r om fettlers, w o r k in g fo r in d iv id u a ls , o r at th e ir d ifferent ca llin g s ,
(fome few w e r e em p lo y ed as overfe e rs ,) and la b o u r in g fo r th e p u b lic ;
fo r w h ic h th e y w e r e c lo th ed and fed from th e ftores, and re ce ived fuch
o th e r en coura gem ent as th e ir b eh a v io u r merited . T h e n um b e r o f
th is c lafs , w ith th e ir w om e n and ch ild r e n , w a s ab out o n e hun d red and
th ir ty .
M ale
M ale ConviBs.
T h e numbers o f the fe w h o remained u n d e r th e fentence o f th e law
w e r e as f o l lo w :
F o r life - 36
F rom i o to 5 y ea rs 10
5 3 - 4
3 to i - - 2 6
i y e a r to 6 mon th s 60
T o t a l - 1 3 6
o f w h ic h n um b e r fifty - fe v e n w e r e affigned to fettlers and others, on
con d ition o f b e in g m ain tain ed b y t h em ; th e re ft w e r e o ccu pied as
h e reafte r ftated ; from w h ic h it w i l l b e o b v io u s , th a t n o p rog re fs in
cu ltiv a t io n fo r th e c r ow n co u ld be mad e , as n o t m ore th an th i r ty men
w e r e em p lo y ed in cu ltiv a t in g g ro u n d fo r th e p u b lic ad v an ta g e , and
e v e n the fe w e r e m u ch in te r ru pted b y in c id en ta l w o r k , and b y .attendin
g th e artificers in c a r r y in g on th e d iffe ren t b u ild in g s w h ic h w e r e in -
dilp en fab le .
State o f Cultivation.
T h e ifland contains ab out e le v en th ou fan d acres o f g ro u n d . In the
le v e l p arts w h e r e th e earth can n ot be w a fh ed aw a y b y th e h e a v y ra ins,
th e fo il v a r ie s from a r ich b r ow n m ou ld to a lig h t red e a r th , w i th o u t
a n y in te rm ix tu re o f fand . T h e fe are ag a in v a r ied b y fom e e x ten fiv e
p ieces o f lig h t b la c k m ou ld and fine g ra v e l, w h ic h are fo u n d to p rod u c e
the beft w h e a t. T h e rains w h ic h fa ll d u r in g th e w in te r m o n th s w a ih
th e m ould from th e fides o f th e fteep hills in to th e b o ttom s , le a v in g a
g r e y m a r ly fu b ftan ce , w h ic h w i l l n o t adm it o f cu ltiv a tio n in th a t ftate.
T h i s , h ow e v e r , is th e cafe o n ly am o n g th e v e r y fteep hills th a t are
cleared o f tim b e r , and h a v e be en Four o r fiv e y e a r s in cu ltiv a tion .
T h o fe o f an e a fy afcen t p re fe rv e th e ir d ep th o f fo il, and m a n y o f
th em h a v e b o rn e 'fix fu c ce ffiv e crop s o f w h e a t. F rom the q u a n tity o f
fo il thus wa fh ed aw a y from th e fides o f th e fte e p h ills in to th e b o ttom
, (fome o f w h ic h w e r e o n ly a w a te r -w a y b e tw e en th e -h ills ,) th e re
:'c 3 t w e r e