[17891.,
th ird was at th e b e g in n in g o f th is m on th conv erted in to a fto reh ou fe ;
an d th e w o o d -w o r k o f the fo u r th w a s taken d ow n and ap p lied to
fom e o th e r p u rp o fe ; th e la b o u r and tim e required to fin ilh it b e in g
d e emed g re a te r than th e u t i lit y - t h a t . w o u ld be d e riv ed from it as a
b a r ra c k , th e tw o th a t w e r e a lre ad y o c cu p ied c o n v e n ie n tly and com fo
r ta b ly a c com m od a tin g th e d e ta chm en t.
' A s e v e r y c lrcumftan c e became o f im po r tan ce th a t m ig h t in its te n d
e n c y fo rw a rd o r retard th e d a y w h e re o n th e c o lo n y w a s to be p ro n
ou n ced in d ep end en t o f th e m o th e r -co u n try fo r p ro v ilio n s , it w a s
fo o n o b fe rv ed w i th con c e rn , th a t h ith e r to b y fa r a grea te r p ro p o r tio n
o f males than fem ale s h ad been p rod uced b y th e animals w e had
b ro u g h t fo r th e p u rp o fe o f b re ed in g . T h is , in a n y o th e r fitu a tion ,
m ig h t n o t h a v e be en fo n ic e ly remarked ; bu t h e re , w h e r e a c o u n t r y
w a s to b e Hocked, a litte r o f tw e lv e p igs w h e r e o f th re e o n ly w e r e
females became a fub jed t o f con v e r fa tio n and in q u ir y . - O u t o f fe v en
k id s w h ic h h ad be en p rod u c ed in th e laft m on th , o n e o n ly w a s a
fem a le ; and m a n y fim ila r in ftan ce s had be fo re o c cu r red , but n o p articu
la r n o tic e w a s attradled un til th e ir fr e q u e n c y rendered th em re m
a rk ab le . T h is c ircum ftan ce e x c ited an an x io u s ca re in e v e r y o n e
fo r th e p re fe rv a tion o f fu ch females as m ig h t be p r o d u c e d ; and at th e
m om e n t n o w fp o k en o f n o p e r fon enter tained an id ea o f fla u g h te r in g
o n e o f th a t f o r t ; in d e ed males w e r e fo abundant th a t fo r tu n a te ly th e r e
w a s n o o c c afion .
O n the 7 th L ie u ten a n t B a ll re turn ed from N o r fo lk Illan d , and from
an u n fu e ce fsfu l cruife o f n e a r ly f ix w e e k s in fe a rch o f th e illand
an d fhoals fo r w h ic h he- w a s diredted to lo o k . H e fa iled o v e r th e
id en tica l fp o t on w h ic h M r . Sh o r tlan d h ad f ix e d th e latitudes and lo n g
itu d e s o f h is illan d and his fh o a l, w ith o u t fe e in g e ithe r , and th e re fo re
co n c lu d ed , th a t th e y had n o t be en placed fa r en o u g h to th e n o r thw a rd .
T h e e r ro r m ig h t hav e , la in in c o p y in g th e . a c coun t from his lo g -b o o k
in to h is letter.
F rom N o r fo lk I lla n d -L ie u ten a n t K in g w r o te , th a t h e had cleared
Tev en te en acres o f g ro u n d u p on th e p u b lic a c co u n t, all o f w h ic h
w e r e e ith e r T ow n o r re a d y fo r f o w in g ; th a t ca te rpillar s h ad done m u ch
d am a g e to fom e w h e a t w h ic h had ju f t com e u p ; and that h e w a s
e red tin g a fto reh ou fe capable o f co n ta in in g a la rg e q u a n tity o f ftores
and
and provificms, and had made a v ifib le road from S y d n e y B a y to C a f-
cade B a y . T h e p in e trees, o f the u t i lity o f w h ic h fu ch fan g u in e ho pe s
h ad been enter tained , w e r e fo u n d to be u n fit fo r la rge mails o r ya rd s ,
b e in g lh a k e y o r ro tten at th ir ty o r fo r t y fe e t from th e b u t t ; th e w o o d
w a s fo brittle that it w o u ld no t m ake a g o o d o ar, and fo p orous, th a t the
.w a te r fo ak ed th ro u g h th e p lank s o f a-b oa t w h ic h h ad be en built, o f it.
M r . K in g alfo lamented th e ir ign o ran c e o f th e p ro p e r mod e o f preparin
g the fla x p lan t, w h ic h rend ered it u felefs to th em . A Ang le p od o f
co tton had been fo u n d on th e illan d , and a tre e had be en d ifc o v e red ,
th e b a rk o f w h ic h w a s ftro n g , and o f a te x tu r e lik e cotton. A fpecies
o f bird alfo had been met w i th w h ic h b u r row ed in the g ro u n d , and h ad
be en feen in fu ch num be rs ab ou t th e fum m it o f M o u n t P itt, th e h ig h e ft
h ill , on th e illan d , th a t th e y w e re con temp la ted as a r e fo u r c e in- a n y
fu tu re Teafon o f diftrefs, fh o u ld th e y b e fo u n d to v ifit th e illan d a t
ftated p e riods , and to d ep o fit th e ir egg's o n it. M r . K in g fpok e w e l l
o f th e g en e ra l b eh a v io u r o f th e fubjedts o f his little g o v e rnm en t fin c e
th e d eted lion o f th e ir late fchem e to o v e r tu rn it;
• F rom th e freq u en t com m ilfio n o f offences in this; fe ttlem en t and at
R o fe H i l l , w h e r e fc a r c e ly a n ig h t p afled b u t com p la in t w a s made on th e
fo llo w in g m o rn in g o f a g a rd en b e in g ro b b ed , o r a h o u fe bro k en in to ,
fo fa v o u rab le a rep o r t could- no t be g iv e n o f th e g en e ra l con d ud t o f th e
p e o p le . T h e fr e q u e n c y o f th e fe en o rm itie s h ad b e com e fo ftr ik in g ,
th a t it appeared a b fo lu te ly n e c e fia ry to d e v ife fom e p lan w h ic h m ig h t
p u t a Hop to an e v il that w a s e v e r y d a y in c re a fin g . T h e con v id ts
w h o w e r e em p lo y ed in m a k in g b r ick s ,, liv in g in huts b y th em fe lv e s o n
th e fp ot w h e re th e ir w o r k w a s p e r formed , w e r e fufpedted o f b e in g th e
p erpetrator s o f m o ft o f th e offences com m itted a T S y d n e y ; and orders
b ad be en g iv e n , fo rb id d in g , u n d e r p ain o f p u n ifhm en t , th e ir b e in g
feen in to w n a fte r funfet. T h e fe depred ations co n t in u in g , h ow e v e r ,
a con v id t o f th e nam e o f H a r r is p refented to th e ju d g e -ad v o c a te a p ro -
p o fa l fo r e fta b lilh in g a n ig h t-w a tch , to be feledted from am o n g the
co n v id ls , w i th a u th o r ity to fecure all p e r fo n s -o f th a t d e fcr iption. w h o
fh o u ld be foun d ftr a g g lin g from th e huts, at im p ro p e r hours . T h i s
p ro p o fa l b e in g fubm itted to th e g o v e rn o r , and the' p lan th o r o u g h ly
d ig e fted an d matured , th e fir ft attem p t tow a rd a p olice in th is fe tt le -
14 . m e a t