[ I 79°*
in d u ftr y . T h e fe p eop le , th o u g h th e m a jo r part o f th em w e r e , d u r in g
th e n ig h t, lo ck ed up in the b u ild in g la te ly o ccu pied as a gu a rd -h o u fe ,
w e r e e v e r on the w a tc h to com m it depredations on the u n w a r y d u r in g
th e h o u r s in w h ic h th e y w e r e at la rg e , and n e v e r fuffered an op p or tu
n i ty to efcape them . A fem ale co n v id t, w h o came d ow n from R o fc
H i l l , w a s robbed o f h e r w e e k s p r o v i f io n s ; and as it w a s impoffible
to replace th em from th e p u b lic fto re , ih e w a s le ft to fubfift o n w h a t
Ihe cou ld obta in from th e b o u n ty (n e ve r more t r u ly laudable th an at
th is d iftre ffin g ju n c tu r e ) o f others w h o commiferated h e r fituation.
,Q ne male c©nvi£t w a s e x e c u t e d ; one female con v id t and one ch ild
died* T h e female co n v id t o e ca fioned h e r ow n d eath, b y o v e r lo ad in g
h e r ftom ach w i th flo u r and gre en s , o f w h ic h Ihe made a mefs d u r in g
th e d a y , and ate h e a r t i ly ; b u t, n o t b e in g fatisfied, fh e ro fe in the
n ig h t and fin ifh ed it. T h is w a s o n e o f th e e v il e ffe d s o f th e reduced
ra tion .
M a y - ] T h e exp ed ien t o f fh o o t in g fo r th e p u b lic n o t b e in g fo u n d
to an fw e r th e e x p e d i t io n s w h ic h had been fo rm ed o f it , f ix t y pound s
o f p o rk o n ly h a y in g be en fa v ed , th e game -k ille rs w e r e called in , and
th e g en e ra l e x e r tio n w a s d ir e d e d to th e bufinefs o f fifh in g. T h e fe in e
and th e h o o k s and lin e s w e r e em p lo y e d , and w i th v a r io u s fu c c e fs ; the
b e lt o f w h ic h afforded b u t a v e r y tr iflin g relief.
A s th e S ir iu s w a s fated n o t to re tu rn to p e r fo rm h e r intend ed v o y a g e
to India* th e b ifcu it w h ic h had been baked fo r that p u rp o fe w a s iffued ,
in lie u o f flo u r , th a t article b e in g fe rv ed ag a in w h e n th e b ifcu it was
exp en d ed ,; and i t lafted o n ly th ro u g h fe v en days:
I t w a s n a tu ra lly e x p e d e d , that th e miferable a llow an ce w h ic h w a s
iffued w o u ld a i le d th e healths o f the la b o u r in g c o n v id s . A c ircum -
ftance occurred on the x 2 th o f th is m on th , w h ic h feemed to fa v o r th is
id e a : an e ld e r ly m an d ropp ed d ow n at th e fto re , w h ith e r h e had repaired
w i th others to re c e iv e h is d a y ’ s fubfiftence. F a in t in g w i th h u n g e r ,
and unable th ro u g h ag e to h o ld u p a n y lo n g e r , h e w a s carried to the
ho fp ita l, w h e re h e died th e n e x t m o rn in g . O n b e in g opened , his fto m
a ch w a s foun d q u ite em p ty . I t ap p eared , that n o t h a v in g a n y u ten fil
o f his ow n w h e re in to co o k h is p ro v ifio n s , n o r Ihare in a n y , h e was
fr e q u en t ly com p e lled , Ihort as his a llowan ce fo r th e d a y Was, to g iv e
a p a r t o f it to any one w h o w o u ld fu p p ly h im w i th a veffel t o drefs
h is
h is v id u a l s ; and at thofe times w h en h e did no t choofe to afford this
d ed u c tio n , h e w a s ac cuftomed to eat his r ic e and o th e r p ro v ifio n s
und reffed , w h ic h b ro u g h t on in d ig e ftio n , and at len g th k illed him .
It m ig h t h a v e been fup po fed , that the fe v e r ity o f th e punifhments-
w h ic h had been ordered b y th e cr iminal cou r t on offenders co n v ic te d
o f ro b b in g gardens w o u ld h a v e deterred others from c om m itt in g th a t
o f fe n c e ; but w h ile there was a v eg e ta b le to ftea l, th e re w e r e tho fe
w h o w o u ld fteal it, w h o lly rega rd le fs as to th e in ju ft ic e d one to th e
p e r fon th e y robbed, and o f th e con fequen ce s th a t m ig h t en fue to th em -
fe lv e s . F o r th is fo r t o f ro b b e ry the cr im in a l co u r t w a s tw ic e affembled
in th e p re fen t m on th . T h e c le rg ym an h ad ta k en a c o n v id in his g a r d
en in th e a d o f fte a lin g potatoes. E x am p le w a s nece ffa ry , an d the
co u r t th a t tr ied him* fin d in g th a t th e fe v e r ity o f fo rm e r courts d id no t
p re v en t th e com m iflion o f the fame offen ce , in ftead o f th e grea t weight-
o f co rp o ral p u n ilhm en t w h ic h had m ark ed th e ir fo rm e r fentences,
d ir e d e d th is p r ifone r to re c e iv e th re e hun d red la lh e s , h is ra tio n o f
flo u r to be flo p p ed fo r f ix m on th s , and h im fe lf to b e ch a in ed fo r
th a t tim e t o tw o p u b lic d elinquents w h o h ad been u e te d e d in the f a d
o f ro b b in g th e g o v e rn o r ’ s g a rd en , and w h o h ad been ordered b y the
ju ft ic e s to w o r k fo r a certain time in irons.
T h is fentence w a s carried in to e x e c u t io n ; b u t th e g o v e rn o r rem
itted , after fom e d a y s tr ial, th a t p a r t o f it w h ic h r e fp e d e d th e p r i-
fon e r ’ s ra tion o f flo u r , w i th o u t w h ic h h e co u ld n o t lo n g h a v e
e x ifted .
T h e g o v e rn o r ’ s ga rd en h ad been th e o b je d o f freq u en t d e p r e d a tio n ;
fc a r c e ly a n ig h t paffed th a t it w a s n o t rob bed , n o tw ith fta n d in g ’ th a t
m an y re c e iv ed vege tab le s from it b y his e x c e lle n c y ’ s order. T w o con v
id s had be en tak en u p , w h o confeffed th a t w i th in th e fpace o f a
m on th th e y had robbed it fe v en o r e ig h t time s , and th a t th e y had
killed' a h o g belonging; to an officer. T h e fe w e re th e p eop le w h o w e re
ordered b y th e ju ft ic e s to w o r k in iron s . A fo ld ie r , a man o f in fa m
ou s ch a ra d e r , had be en d e te d e d ro b b in g th e g a rd en w h ile centin e l
in th e n e igh bourh o od o f it, and, b e in g tr ied b y a court-ma rtial fo r
q u it tin g his p oft, w a s fentenced and re c e ived fiv e h und red lafhes.
Y e t all th is w a s no t fu f f ic ie n t : o n th e e v en in g o f th e 2 6 th , a feaman
b e lon g in g to the Sir ius g o t in to th e g o v e rn o r ’s g a rd en , and w a s fired
at