W h i le th e erup tions o f th is d ifo rd e r con tin ued u p on th e ch ild ren ,
a feaman b e lo n g in g to th e S u p p ly , a n ativ e o f N o r th Am e r ic a , h a v in g
be en to fee th em , w a s fe iz ed w i th it , and fo on after d i e d ; b u t its
ban e fu l effects w e r e n o t e x p e r ien c ed b y a n y w h ite p e r fon o f th e fettle-
m e n t , a lth o u g h th e re w e re fe v e ra l v e r y y o u n g ch ild ren in it a t th e
time .
F rom the fir ft h o u r o f the in tro d u& io n o f th e b o y and g ir l in to th e
fe ttlem en t, it w a s fea red th a t th e n a tiv e w h o h ad be en ’fo in ftrumen tal
in b r in g in g th em in , and w h o fe attention to th em d u r in g th e ir illnefs
e x c ite d th e adm ira tion o f e v e r y one th a t w itn e lfed it , w o u ld be attacked
b y th e fame d ifo rd e r ; as o n his p e r fon w e r e fo u n d n one o f th o fe traces
o f its ra v a g e s w h ic h are f r e q u e n t ly le ft behind . It hap pened as th e
fears o f e v e r y o n e p r e d ic t e d ; h e fe ll a v ic t im to th e difeafe in e igh t
d a y s a fte r h e w a s fe ized w i th it, to th e grea t re g re t o f e v e r y on e w h o
h ad w itn e lfed h o w little o f th e fav a ge w a s fo u n d in his m an n e r , and
h o w q u ic k ly h e w a s fu b ftitu tin g in its p lace a d o c ile , affable, and t r u ly
am iable d eportment.
6 th .] A f te r an ab fen ce o f fe v e n 'm o n th s and f ix d a y s , to the grea t
fa t is fa& io n o f e v e r y o n e , about fiv e in th e e v en in g his M a je f ty ’ s fhip
S ir iu s an ch ored in the co v e from th e C a p e o f G o o d H o p e . C ap tain
H u n te r failed from th is p o r t on th e 2d o f O f to b e r 1 7 8 8 , and , d u r in g
th e fp ace w h ic h had. e lapfed b e tw e en h is departure and his return, had
c ir cum n a v ig a ted th e g lo b e . H e made his paffage b y C ap e H o r n ,
a r r iv in g on th e ad o f la ft J a n u a r y at the C a p e o f G o o d H o p e , from
w h ic h p la c e h e failed on th e 20th o f th e fo llow in g m onth. O f f th e
fo u th e rn e x t r em ity o f th is c o u n t r y th e S ir iu s m e t w i th a ga le o f w in d ,
w h e n fo clo fe in w i th th e land th a t it w a s fo r fom e tim e d ou b tfu l
w h e th e r fhe w o u ld clea r it. In th is ga le fhe re ce ived confiderable
d am a ge ; th e head o f th e fh ip , th e figu re o f th e D u k e o f B e rw ic k , was
to rn from th e cu tw a te r , and fhe w a s afterw ard s fo u n d to h a v e been
v e r y m u ch weak en ed .
T h e S ir iu s b ro u g h t 12 7 ,0 0 0 w e ig h t o f flo u r fo r th e fe ttlem en t, and
a tw e lv em o n th ’ s p rov ifion s fo r h e r fh ip ’ s c om p a n y ; b u t this fu p p ly
w a s n o t v e r y fla tte r in g , as th e fh o r t fpace o f fo u r m onths, at a fu ll
ra tio n , w o u ld e x h a u ft it. I t w a s , h ow e v e r , v e r y w e lcom e , and h e r
re tu rn feemed to h a v e glad d en ed e v e r y heart. E a g e r w e r e o u r in -
1 4 quirie s
q u ir ie s a fte r in te llig en c e from th a t c o u n t ry from w h ic h w e h ad b e en
n o w tw o y e a rs d iv id ed , and to w h o fe t r a n fa d io n s w e w e r e en tire
ftrangers. W i t h j o y , m in g led w ith con c e rn th a t we^were no t perfona l
fhare rs in th e tr ium p h , did w e hear o f ou r c o u n t ry s fuc ce fs ful efforts
in th e caufe o f the S tad tho ld e r, and o f th e no ble armaments w h ic h ou r
m in ifte r s h ad fitted ou t to fu p p o r t it. W e trufted , h ow e v e r , th a t w h ile
d iffe ren tly em p lo y ed , our v iew s w e r e ftill d ir e d e d to th e fame o b je d ;
fo r , th o u g h la b o u r in g at a d iftan ce , and in an h um b le r feene, y e t th e
g o o d , the g lo r y , and th e a g g ran d iz em en t o f o u r c o u n t r y w e r e p r im e
confederations w i th u s . A n d w h y fh o u ld th e co lon ifts o f N ew So u th
W a le s be d en ied the m e r it o f en d e a v o u r in g to p rom o te th em , b y efta-
b lifh in g c iv iliz a tio n in th e fa v a g e w o r ld ; b y an im a tin g th e ch ild ren o f
id len e fs and v ic e to hab its o f la b o r iou s and h o n e ft in d u f t r y ; and b y
{h ew in g th e .w o r ld th a t to E n g lifhm e n n o difficulties are in fu p e rab le ?
W e heard w i th co n c e rn th a t L ie u ten a n t Sh o r tlan d w a s n ea r fiv e
mon th s in re a ch in g B a ta v ia in th e A le x a n d e r , in w h ic h fh ip h e failed;
from this p o r t on th e 14 th o f la ft J u ly , in c om p a n y w i th th e F r ien d -
fh ip , B o r row d a le , and P r in c e o f W a le s . F rom this fh ip and th e B o r -
row d a le h e parted c om p a n y v e r y fh o r t ly a fte r le a v in g o u r h a r b p u r ;
th e y p roce ed ed ro u n d C ap e H o r n , to R io de J an e iro , w h e re in laft
D e c em b e r th e y w e r e le ft ly in g re a d y fo r fea. T h e ■ A le x a n d e r and
F r ien d fh ip p ro c e ed in g to th e n o r thw a rd k e p t c om p a n y to g e th e r as fa r
as th e illan d o f B o rn e o , w h e r e , th e crew s o f b o th fhips b e in g fo m u ch
red uced b y th e fe u r v y , (the A le x a n d e r h ad bu r ied fe v en te en o f h e r
feamen,) th a t it w a s im p o flib le to .n a vig a te b o th ve fle ls a g a in ft the
ftro n g cu rrents w h ic h th e y met w i th , and the. w e fte rn m o n fo o n w h ic h
h ad th en fet in , bo th fh ip s w e r e b ro u g h t to an an ch o r , and m oft o f
th e F r ien d fh ip ’ s ftores, w i th all h e r p e o p le , b e in g ta k en o u t and re c
e iv e d on b o a rd the A le x a n d e r , fhe w a s fcuttled and fu n k . W h e n the.
A le x a n d e r ar riv ed at B a ta v ia , fh e h ad , o f b o th fh ip ’ s c rew s , b u t o n e
m an w h o w a s able to g o aloft.
L ieu ten an t S h o r tlan d , in h is le tte r , n o ticed fom e d ifeover ies w h ic h
h e h ad m a d e ; p a r t icu la r ly one o f an e x ten fiv e and d angerous fh o a l,
w h ic h obtained the name o f M id d le to n S h o a l, and w a s re ck o n ed to b e
in th e la titud e o f 290 20' S o u th , and in the lo n g itu d e o f 158 ° 40 ' E a ft.
H e h ad a lfo difeo ve red an ifland , w h ic h h e placed in th e latitud e o f
1: 2