C H A P . I X .
A CONVICT MADE A FREE SE TTL ER .— A PLEASING DELUSION.— EXTRAORDINARY
SUPPLY OF FISH.— C.ffiZAR’s N A RRA TIVE.— ANOTHER CONVICT'
WOUNDED BY TH E NATIVES.----THE SUPPLY ARRIVES FROM NORFOLK
ISLAND.— A LARGE NUMBER OF SETTLERS SENT TH ITH ER ON BOARD TH E
SIRIUS AND SUPPLY.----HEAVY RAINS. — SCARCITY OF PROVISIONS INCREASING
IN AN . ALARMING DEGREE.----LIEUTEN AN T MAXWELL’S IN S A N I T Y -
NEWS BROUGHT OF TH E LOSS OF TH E SIRIUS.— ALLOWANCE OF PROVISIONS
ST IL L FU R TH ER REDUCED-----THE SUPPLY SENT TO BATAVIA FOR R EL IEF.
. ROBBERIES FREQUENT AND DARING.----AN OLD MAN DIRS OF HUNGER------
ROSE H IL L .— SALT AND FISHING-LINES MADE.— THE NATIVE ESCAPES,—
TRANSACTIONS.
J a n u a r y , 1 7 9 0 . ] E A R L Y in th e n ew y e a r th e S u p p ly failed again:
fo r N o r fo lk Illan d w i th tw e n ty - tw o male and tw o fem ale co n v ic t s , and
o n e c h i ld ; L ie u ten a n t K in g h a v in g in h is laft letters in tima ted , th a t
h e co u ld v e r y w e l l fin d em p lo ym en t fo r a g re a te r n um b e r o f p e o p le
th an h e th en had u n d e r h is orders. W i t h th o fe c o n v id s and fom e
ftores flie failed on th e 7 th , and o n h e r re tu rn w a s to to u ch at L o r d
H o w e Illan d to p ro cu re tur tle.
O f th e conv id ts th e p e r iod o f w h o fe fentences o f tranlp o rta tion h ad
e x p ire d , and o f w h om m en tio n w a s made in th e tranfadtions o f J u ly
la ft, o n e , w h o fign ified a w i th o f b e c om in g a fettler, h ad been fen t u p
to R o fe H i l l b y th e g o v e r n o r ; w h e r e h is e x c e lle n c y , h a v in g o n ly w a ited
to lea rn w i th c e r ta in ty th a t h e had become a fre e man be fo re h e g a v e
h im a g ra n t o f land , caufed tw o acres o f g ro u n d to be cleared o f th e
tim b e r w h ic h flo o d o n th em , and a fmall h u t to be b u ilt fo r h im .
T h is man h ad be en bred to th e bufinefs o f a fa rm e r , and d u r in g h is
re fid en ce in th is c o u n t r y had ih ew n a ftr o n g in c lin a tio n to be in d u ftr i-
o u s , and to re tu rn to h one ft hab its and p urfuits. R ew a rd in g h im ,
th e re fo re , w a s b u t h o ld in g ou t en cou ra g em ent to fu ch g o od d ifp o-
fitions . T h e g o v e rn o r had, h ow e v e r , another o b je d in v iew , befide a
w i f li to h o ld h im u p as a d e fe rv in g c h a r a d e r ; h e w a s defirous o f
• t r y in g ,
t r y in g , b y his means, in w h a t time an in d uftr ious adtive m an , w i th
ce rta in alfiftance , w o u ld b e enabled to fu p p o r t h im fe lf in th is c o u n t r y
as a fettler ; and fo r th a t p u rp o fe , in ad d ition to w h a t he caufed to be
d one fo r h im at firft, he fu rn ifh ed h im w i th th e tools and im p lem en ts
o f h u fb a n d r y n e ce fla ry fo r cu ltiv a tin g his g ro u n d , w i th a p ro p o r tio n o f
g ra in to fo w it, and a fmall qu an tity o f liv e f lo c k to b e g in w i th , t i e
to o k p ofleffion o f his g ro u n d the 2 1 f t o f N o v em b e r 1 7 8 9 , atld u n d e r
fom e difadvantages. A n o p in io n h ad p re v a iled , and h ad b e en p r e t ty
g e n e ra lly diflemina ted , th a t a man cou ld no t liv e in th is c o u n t r y ; and
in a d d it io n 'to this d ifcou ra g em en t, a lth o u g h h e ftill re c e iv ed a ra tion
from th e p u b lic fto re , y e t it w a s -n o t a ra tion th a t b o re a n y p ro p o r tio n
to th e la b o u r w h ic h h is fitu a tion requ ired from h im . T h e man h im fe
lf, h ow e v e r , re fo lv ed to be in d u ftr iou s , and to fu rm o u n t as w e l l as
h e w a s able w h a te v e r difficulties m ig h t lie in h is w a y .
T h e flou r w h ic h h ad be en b ro u g h t from E n g la n d d id n o t fe rv e
m u ch b e y o n d th e b e g in n in g o f th is m on th , and th a t im p o r ted from
th e C ap e n o w fup plied its p lace. E v e r y on e b e g a n to lo o k fo rw a rd
w i th m u ch a n x ie ty to th e a r r iv al o f fupplies from E n g la n d ; and as it
w a s reafonable to con c lu d e th a t e v e r y d a y m ig h t b r in g th em on th e
coa ft, Captain H u n te r , a c com pan ied b y M r . W o r g a n ,1 th e fu rg e o n o f
th e S ir iu s , and M r . W h i te , w i th f ix o r e ig h t feamen , h a v in g ch o fen
a fp o t p rop e r fo r th e ir p u rp o fe , ere c ted a fla g fta ff o n th e fo u th h ead o f
th is harb ou r , w h en c e , o n th e appearance o f a Ihip in th e o ffin g , a
fign a l m ig h t b e mad e, as w e l l to c o n v e y th e w ifh e d - fo r in fo rm a tion
to the fe ttlem en t, as to fe rv e as a .m a rk fo r th e ftran ge r. A n h u t
w a s b u ilt fo r A e i r ac com m od a tion , and th is little e ftablifhm en t w a s
o f fu ch im p o r tan c e , th a t o u r w a lk s w e r e d a ily d ir e d e d to a fp o t
w h en c e it cou ld be f e e n ; th u s fo n d ly in d u lg in g th e d e lu fio n , th a t
th e v e r y circum ftan ce o f lo o k in g ou t fo r a fail w o u ld b r in g one in to
v iew .
A fuffic ient q u a n tity o f fifh h a v in g be en ta k en o n e n ig h t in th is
m o n th , to admit th e fe rv in g o f tw o p ou n d s to each m an , w om a n ,
and ch ild b e lo n g in g to th e de ta chm ent, th e g o v e rn o r d ir e d e d 1, that a
bo a t fh o u ld in future-' b e em p lo y e d th re e tim e s in th e w e e k to fifh fo r
th e p u b lic ; and th a t th e w h o le q u a n tify c a u g h t fh o u ld be ilfued at th e
ab ov e rate to e v e r y pe rfon in tu rn . T h is a llow a n c e w a s in ad d ition
to