th a t o fficer , th a t i f h e attempted to d e ce ive h im h e w o u ld p u t h im to
d e ath , th e man fav ed h im th e trou b le o f g o in g fa r w i th h im , an d co n -
fefled th a t h is f lo r y o f h a v in g .difcovered a g o ld m ine w a s a fa lfeh oo d
w h ic h h e h ad p rop ag ated in th e h o p e o f im p o fm g on th e p eo p le be lo
n g in g to the F ilh b u rn and -Golden G r o v e , from w h om , b e in g a b o u t ’
to prepare fo r E u r o p e , h e e x p e c te d to p ro cu re c lo a th in g and o th e r
articles in return fo r h is p ron u fed g o ld - d u l l ; and that h e had fabricated
th e fp e cim en s o f the metal w h ic h h e h ad e x h ib ite d , from a gu in e a
and a brafs b u c k le ; th e remains o f w h ic h h e th en p roduced.
F o r this im p o flu r e h e w a s afte rw ard s ordered b y th e magiflrates
be fo re w h om he w a s e x am in ed to re c e iv e a h und red la lhes, and to Wear
a canvas frock,: w i th th e letter R ciit and few n u p on it, to d iflin g u ifh
h im m ore p a r ticu la r ly from others as a rogue.
. A m o n g the p eop le o f h is o w n d e fc r ip tio n , th e re w e r e m a n y w h o
b e lie v ed , n o twi'th fland ing h is con fe ffion and p u n ifhm en t, th a t h e had
a c tu a lly made th e d ifeo.very h e p re ten d ed , and w a s in d u ced to fa y it
w a s a fab rication m e re ly to fe cure it to h im fe lf, to mak e ufe o f at a
fu tu r e o p p o r tu n ity . S o -eafy is it to im po fe o n th e m ind s o f th e low e r
clafs o f p eop le !
T h e n ativ e s con tin u ed to m ole ft o u r p eop le w h e n e v e r th e y chanced
to m eet a n y o f th em f lr a g g lin g 5 and u n a rm e d ; y e t , a lth o u g h fo r c ib ly
w a rn ed b y th e e v il and d an ge r th a t attended th e ir f lr a g g lin g , th e latter
ftill con tin ued to g iv e th e nativ es o p p o r tu n ity o f in ju r in g them. A b o u t
d ie mid d le o f th e month a c o n v id , w h o had wan d e red b e y o n d th e
lim its o f fe c u r ity w h ic h had been p o in ted out fo r th em , fe ll in w i th a
p a r ty o f na tiv e s, a b o u t fou r te en in n um be r, w h o {tripped and- beat
h im fh o c k in g ly , and w o u ld h a v e murdered h im had th e y n o t heard
th e rep or t o f a m u fq u e t, w h ic h ala rm in g th em ,. th e y ran aw a y ,
le a v in g h im h is clothes. ' O n the 2 1 f t a p a r ty o f nativ es landed
from fiv e canoes, ne ar ' th e p o in t w h e re th e o b fe rv a to ry w a s
b u ild in g , w h e re , fome; o f th em en g a g in g th e attention o f th e . officers
and people- a t the o b fe rv a to ry , th e o the rs attemp ted fo r c ib ly to
ta k e o f f a g o a t from th e ’ p eop le at t h e ! h o fp it a l; in 1 w h ic h attempt
fin d in g th em fe lv e s re filled b y a feaman who: hap pen ed to be prefent,-
tfte y m enaced h im w i th , th e ir fpears, and, on h is retir in g , k illed th e
a n im a l and to o k it off’ in a can o e , m a k in g o f f tow ard L o n g C o v e .
w i th
41
w i th m u ch e x p e d it io n . T h e y w e r e follow ed, im m ed ia te ly b y th e
g o v e rn o r , w h o g o t u p w i th fom e o f the p a r ty , b u t cou ld n e ith e r
re c o v e r th e g o a t , n o r meet w i th th e p eop le w h o h ad k illed it.
I t w a s m u ch to b e re g re tted , th a t n o n e o f th em w o u ld place a
co n fid en c e in and refid e am o n g us ; as in fu ch ca fe , b y an e x ch an g e
o f lan gu a g e s , • th e y w o u ld h a v e fo u n d th a t w e h ad th e m o fl fr ie n d ly
in ten tio n tow a rd th em , and th a t w e w o u ld ou r fe lv e s p u n ifh a n y in ju r y
th e y m ig h t fufta in from ou r p e o p le .
S ep tem b e r .] T h e fe ed -w h e a t th a t w a s fo w n h e re did no t tu rn
o u t a n y b e tte r th an th a t a t N o r fo lk I f la n d ; in fom e places th e
g ro u n d w a s tw ic e c ro p p ed , and th e re w a s rea fon to ap p rehend a failu re
o f feed fo r th e n e x t y ea r . T h e g o v e rn o r , th e re fo re , e a r ly in th is
m o n th , fign ified his in ten tion o f fen d in g th e S ir iu s to th e C a p e o f
G o o d H o p e , to p rocu re a fu ffic ien t q u a n tity o f gra in fo r th a t p u rp o fe ;
to g e th e r w i th as m u ch flou r fo r th e fettlement as fh e c o u ld How , after
la y in g in a tw e lv em o n th ’ s p ro v ifio n s fo r h e r fh ip ’ s c om p a n y . H e r
d e llin a t ion w a s in ten d ed to h a v e been to th e n o r thw a rd ; b u t on m a k in
g a ca lcu la tion , and c om p a r in g th e ac coun ts o f tho fe nav ig a to rs w h o
had p ro cu red re fre fhm en ts am o n g th e ifland s, it w a s fo u n d , th a t alth
o u g h fhe m ig h t p ro v id e v e r y w e l l fo r h e r fe lf, y e t , a fte r an a b fen ce
o f thre e o r fo u r m on th s, w h ic h w o u ld b e th e lea ft tim e fhe w o u ld be
g o n e , fh e cou ld n o t b r in g m ore than w o u ld fu p p o r t th e -colony fo r a
’ fo r tn ig h t . A t th e fame tim e h is e x c e lle n c y made k n o w n h is in ten tio n
o f e fla b lifh in g a fe ttlem en t on fom e g ro u n d w h ic h h e h ad feen at th e
h e ad o f th is h a rb ou r w h e n h e made his e x cu r fio n to th e w e f tw a rd in
A p r i l la fl, and w h ic h , from its fo rm , h e h ad named th e C re fc en t.
T h is meafure appeared th e m ore e x p ed ien t, as th e fo il in and ab out
4he fettlement feemed to be v e r y in d iffe ren t and u n p ro d u c tiv e , and
b y no means fo fa v ou rab le fo r th e g r ow th o f g ra in as that at th e
Crefcent.
| ’p p e S ir iu s w a s the re fo re ordered to prepa re fo r h e r v o y a g e w i th all
e x p e d it io n ; and as fhe w o u ld b e enabled to f lo w a grea te r q u a n tity o f
flou r b y no t ta k in g all h e r gu n s , e ig h t o f th em w e r e landed on th e
w e f t p o in t o f th e co v e , and a fmall b re a ft-w o rk th row n u p in fro n t
« f them .
e T h e