and M . D e l ’A n g le , the captain o f th e A ftro la b e , w i th ele v en officers
and men, w e r e p u t to d e a t h ; th o fe w h o w e r e fo fo rtun a te as to gee
o f f in th e fmall boats th a t attended on th e w a te r in g laun che s , (w h ic h
w e r e d e ftr o y e d ,) efcaped w i th m a n y w o u n d s and co n tu fion s , fom e
o f w h ic h w e r e n o t healed at th e tim e o f th e ir re lating to us th i s
u n fo r tu n a te circum ftan ce . I t w a s co n je c tu red , th a t fom e one o f th e
fe am en , u n k n ow n to th e officers, m u ft h a v e o c c afion ed th is ou tra g e ,
fo r w h ic h th e re w a s n o o th e r probable rea fon to affign, as th e -n ative s
d u r in g th e time th e ffiips w e r e at th e iflan d had liv ed w i th th e officers
and p eop le on terms o f th e grea teft h a rm o n y . A n d th is w a s n o t
th e firft mis for tun e th a t th o fe ffiips had m e t w i th d u r in g th e ir v o y a g e 5
fo r o n th e n o r th -w e ft coa ft o f A m e r ic a , th e y lo ft tw o boats w i th
th e ir c r ew s , and fe v e ra l y o u n g men o f fam ily , in a furf.
N o tw ith fta n d in g th e preffure o f the im po rtan t bufmefs w e h a d
u p o n ou r hands a fte r o u r la n d in g , th e d ifcha rg e o f o u r r e lig io u s
d utie s w a s n e v e r omitted , d iv in e fe rv ice b e in g p e r form ed e v e r y
S u n d a y that th e w e a th e r w o u ld p e rm it: at w h ic h tim e th e detachm
en t o f marines paraded w i th th e ir arms , th e w h o le b o d y o f con v
ic t s attended, and w e r e o b fe rv ed to c o n d u it th em fe lv e s in g enera l
w i th th e refpedt and a ttention d ue to th e o c c a fio n on w h ic h th e y
w e r e aflembled.
I t w a s fo on o bferved w i th fa t is fa itio n , th a t fe v e ra l coup le s w e r e
an n ou n ced fo r m arriage ; b u t on f t r i f t ly fc ru tin iz in g in to th e m o tiv e ,
i t w a s fo u n d in fe v e ra l in fta n c e s . to o r ig in a te in an idea, th a t th e
m a r r ied p eo p le w o u ld meet w i t h v a r io u s little com fo r ts and p r iv ileg
e s th a t w e r e denied to th o fe in a Ang le f ta te ; and fom e , o n ,n o t
fin d in g th o fe exp e c ta tion s rea lifed , rep en ted , w ilh e d and a c tu a lly
ap p lied to be reftored to th e ir forprer fitu a t io n s ; fo ign o ran t and
th o u gh tle fs w e r e th e y in general. I t w a s h ow e v e r to be w i f f ie d ,
th a t matrimonia l co n n e x ion s ffiould be promoted am o n g th em ; an d
n o n e w h o applied w e r e e v e r re je c ted , e x c ep t w h en it w a s c le a r ly
u n d e r fto od th a t e ither o f th e parties had a w i fe o r h ufband l iv in g
at th e tim e o f th e ir le a v in g E n g lan d .
T h e w e a th e r d u r in g th e latter en d o f J a n u a ry and the m on th o f
F e b ru a ry w a s v e r y clo fe , w i th ra in , at times v e r y h e a v y , and attend
ed w ith m u ch thun d e r and lig h tn in g . In the n ig h t o f th e 6 th
o f
o f F eb ru a ry , f ix ffieep , tw o lam b s , and one p ig , b e lo n g in g c h ie f ly
to th e lie u ten an t -g o v e rn o r , h a v in g been placed at- th e fo o t o f a la rg e
tre e w e r e d e ftro y ed b y th e lig h tn in g . B u t accidents o f this k in d
w e r e ra ther to b e e x p e c ted than w o n d e red a t, u n t i l th e w o o d s around
us could be o pened and cleared.
C H A P . I I .
BROKEN BAY VISITED.---M. DE LA PEROUSE SAILS. TRANSACTIONS.— THE
SUPPLY RETURNS.--- LORD HOWE ISLAND DISCOVERED.----THE SHIPS FOR
CHINA SAIL.— SOME- CONVICTS WOUNDED BY THE NATIVES.— SCURVY.---
NSW STORE-HOUSE.---NECESSARY ORDERS AND APPOINTMENTS.— EXCURSIONS,
INTO THE COUNTRY.— NEW BRANCH OF THE HARBOUR INTO PORT
JACKSON.— SHEEP.
M a r c h .] E A R L Y in M a r ch th e g o v e rn o r , a c com pan ied b y fome
officers from th e fe ttlem en t and th e S ir iu s , w e n t rou n d b y w a te r
to th e n e x t ad jo in in g h a rb ou r to th e n o r thw a rd o f th is p o r t , w h ic h
is laid d ow n in th e charts b y the nam e o f B r o k en B a y , from th e
b ro k en ap p earance o f th e lan d b y w h ic h it is fo rm ed. T h e in ten tio n
o f th is v if it w a s , n o t o n ly to fu r v e y th e harb ou r , i f a n y w e r e fo u n d
to e x ift , b u t to e x am in e w h e th e r th e re w e r e w ith in it a n y fpots o f
g ro u n d capable o f cu ltiv a t io n , and o f m ain ta in in g a few fam il ie s ;
b u t in e ig h t day s th a t h e w a s ab fent, th o u g h h e fo u n d an h a rb ou r
e q u a l in m agn itud e to P o r t J a ck fo n , th e g o v e rn o r faw n o fituation
th a t cou ld at all v ie w i th that w h ic h he h ad ch o fen fo r th e fettlement
at S y d n e y C o v e , th e lan d at B ro k en B a y b e in g in g enera l v e r y h ig h
and in m o ll parts r o c k y and barren. T h e w e a th e r p ro v ed v e r y u n favou
rab le to an e x cu r fio n in a c o u n t r y w h e re th e refid ence fo r each
n ig h t w a s to be p ro v id ed b y th e tra v e lle rs th em fe lv e s ; and fome o f
th e p a r ty returned w i th d y fen te r ic complaints. T h e w ea th e r at P o r t
ja c k fo n h ad be en e q u a lly ad v erfe to la bou r , the g o v e rn o r fin d in g at
D 2 his