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“ to th e w in d on th e o th e r ta ck , w h en e v e ry fail w a s ag a in fet.
“ F in d in g th a t fhe ftill d rifted fa l l u p on the fh o re , an o th e r attem p t
“ w a s made to fta y h e r ; b u t b e in g o u t o f tr im , it did n o t fuc ceed .
“ A l l th e Iheets and h a lly a rd s w e r e th en ordered to be let f ly , and
“ an an ch o r to be cu t a w a y ; b u t b e fo re it rea ched th e g ro u n d , fhe
“ ftru ck w i th v io len c e on th e re e f, v e r y fo on b u lg ed , and w a s ir re co -
“ v e ra b ly loft. H e r officer s and p eo p le w e r e all fa v ed , h a v in g been
“ d ra g g ed o n fh o re , th ro u g h th e fu r f , on a g r a tin g .”
T h i s d a y , w h ic h un tow a rd circumftances h ad rendered fo g lo om y to
u s , w a s rem a rk a b ly fin e , and at the u n fo r tu n a te m om en t o f th is calam
i ty th e re w a s v e r y little w in d . O n the n e x t o r fe con d d a y after, p e r -
m iffio n w a s g iv e n to tw o co n v ic t s (one o f w h om , James B ran n e g an ,
w a s an ove rfe e r ) to g e t o f f to th e fh ip , an d en d e a v o u r to b r in g o n
fh o re w h a t liv e h o g s th e y m ig h t be able to fa v e ; but- w i th a ll that
lam entab le w a n t o f re fb lu tio n and confid e ra tion w h ic h is ch a ra fte r iftic
o f th e low e r ord e r o f p eop le w h e n temp tations are placed be fo re th em ,
th e y b o th g o t in to x ic a te d w i th th e liq u o r w h ic h h ad efcaped th e p lu n d
e r o f th e fe am en , and fe t th e fh ip o n fire in tw o places. A lig h t on
b o a rd th e fh ip b e in g o bferv ed from th e fh o re , fe v e ra l fh o t w e r e fired at
i t , b u t th e w re tch e s w o u ld n e ith e r p u t it o u t, n o r com e on fh o r e ;
w h e n a y o u n g m an o f th e nam e o f A fc o t t , a c o n v i f t , w i th g re a t in tr
e p id ity w e n t o f f th ro u g h th e fu r f, e x tin g u ifh e d th e fire, and fo rced
th em o u t o f th e fh ip .
T h e lie u ten an t -g o v e rn o r , im m ed ia te ly after th e lofs o f th e Sir iu s ,
ca lled a co u n c il o f a ll th e n a v al and marine officers in th e fettlem ent,
w h e n it w a s u n a n im o u fly d e termined that martial law fh ould be p ro c
la im e d ; th a t all p r iv a te fto ck , p o u l t r y e x c ep ted , fh ould be confidered
as th e p ro p e r ty o f th e f t a t e ; th a t ju f t ic e fh o u ld be adminiftered b y a
cou r t-m a r tial to be com p o fed o f fe v en officers, fiv e o f w h om w e r e to
co n cu r in a fentenee o f d e a t h ; and that th e re fh o u ld be tw o lo c k s u p on
th e d o o r o f th e p u b lic fto re , w h e r e o f one k e y w a s to be in th e k e ep in g
o f a p e r fon to be ap p ointed b y C ap tain H u n te r in b e h a lf o f th e feam
e n ; th e o th e r to be k ep t b y a p e r fon to be ap p ointed in b e h a lf o f th e
m ilita ry . T h e d a y fo llow in g , th e troo p s, feamen, and co n v icts , b e in g
aflem b led , th e fe re fo lu tions w e r e p u b lic ly read , and the w h o le con firm
ed
firm ed th e ir en gag emen t o f ab id in g b y them b y p a llin g u n d e r th e k in g ’s
co lo u r , w h ic h w a s d ifp la y ed on th e occafion.
In th e S u p p ly ar riv ed th e late command ant o f N o r fo lk Ifland , tw o
lieutenants , fo u r p e t ty officers, tw en ty - fo u r feamen , and tw o marines,
la te ly b e lo n g in g to th e Sir ius. T h e fe officers fp ok e in h ig h terms o f
th e a & iv i ty and c o n d u it o f M r . K e ltie th e matter, M r . B ro o k s the b o a t -
fw a in , and M r . D o n o v a n a m id lh ipm an o f th e S ir iu s , w h o v en tu red
o f f to th e fh ip in one o f the iflan d boats th ro u g h a v e r y dangerous fu r f,
and b ro u gh t on fhore th e end o f th e h aw fe r , to w h ic h w a s flu n g th e
g r a tin g th a t fav ed th e liv e s o f the officers and p eop le. T h e y lik ew ife
fom ew h a t b lunted th e edge o f th is ca lam ity , b y aflurances th a t it was
h ig h ly p rob able , from th e fa v o u rab le appearance o f th e w e a th e r w h e n
th e S u p p ly le ft N o r fo lk Ifland , that all o r at leaft th e grea teft p a r t o f the
p ro v ifio n s w o u ld be landed from th e Sir ius.
T h e g enera l m e la n ch o ly w h ic h p re v a iled in th is fettlement w h e n the
ab ov e u nw e lcom e in te llig en c e w a s made p u b lic need n o t be d e fc r ib e d ;
and w h e n th e S u p p ly came to an an ch o r in th e co v e e v e r y on e lo o k ed
u p to h e r as to th e ir o n ly rem a in in g h o p e .
In th is e x ig e n c y th e g o v e rn o r th o u g h t it n e ce ffa ry to afiemble all
th e officers o f th e fettlem ent, c iv il and m ilita ry , to determine on w h a t
meafurgs w e r e neceffa ry to b e adopted. A t th is m e e tin g , w h e n th e
fitu ation o f th e c o lo n y w a s th o ro u g h ly w e ig h e d and placed in e v e r y
p o in t o f v iew , it w a s determined to red uce ftill low e r w h a t w a s alread y
to o l o w ; th e ra tion w a s to b e n o m ore th an tw o p ou n d s and a half* o f
flo u r— tw o p ou n d s o f p o r k— one p in t o f p eafe, an d o n e p ou n d o f r ic e ,
fo r each p e r fon fo r fe v en d ays. T h is a llow an ce w a s to be iffued to all
d e fc r ip tio n s o f p eo p le in th e c o lo n y , ch ild ren u n d e r e igh te en mon th s
ex cep ted , w h o w e r e to> h a v e o n ly one p o u n d o f fait meat. E v e r y
e x e r tio n w a s to be mad e h e re , and at B o ta n y B a y , in fifh in g fo r th e
g en e ra l benefit. A l l p r iv a te boats w e r e to be furrendered to th e p u b lic
u fe ; e v e r y e ffo rt w a s to be p u t in praiftiee to p re v en t th e ro b b in g o f
g a r d e n s ; and, as one ftep tow ard th is , all fu fp ic io u s characters w e re to
b e fecured and lo ck ed u p d u r in g th e n ig h t. P eo p le w e r e to b e emp
lo y e d to k il l, fo r th e p u b lic , th e an ima ls th a t th e co u n t ry afforded ;
and e v e r y ftep w a s to be tak en that could fav e a p ou n d o f th e fait p ro -
v ifio n s in fto re . I t was p rop ofed to take all th e h o g s in the fettlement