cultivated ground j and at the Hawkefbury a caterpillar had com-
ipenced its ravages wherever it found any young grain juft {hooting
out of the earth. This occafioned fome delay in fowing the
government ground.
It having been for feveral days reported, that the crews o f two
boats, which had been permitted to go to Hunter’s River for a load
o f coals, had been cut off by the natives, the governor ordered his
whale boat to be well armed, and to proceed thither in queft of the
boats and their crews ; fending in hér Henry Hacking, a perfon on
whom he could depend. Upon his return, he informed the governor,
that on his arrival he found an attempt had been made to
burn the fmaller boat, which had had three men in her, who were
each provided with a mufquet. The boat was there, but the men were
not to be found. Going immediately in fearch o f them, he fell in
with a large body o f natives all armed. On defiring them to inform
him what was become of the white men, they told him they were
gone to Sydney. This did not fatisfy him, as- he found they had
taken away the fails o f the boats, the men’s blankets, and every
thing that they had with them. He then threatened to kill them
i f they did not inftantly inform him, and prefented: his mufquet at
them. This they laughed at, and faid, that i f he did not go away,
and leave them a fmall two-oared boat which he had brought with
him, and the whale boat, they would deftroy every white man
there, and poifed their fpears in a threatening manner. He again
levelled his piece at them, and fnapped it without priming, in the
hope of alarming them ; but they were not fo eafily frightened, and
became more noify and violent. Finding that an attack was almoft
certain, he charged his gun with buck Ihot, and. ordered, them to
leave the place; but, their clamour increafing, he fired, and four
o f them fell, one o f whom got up again and ran off, the other three
remaining upon the ground, probably mortally wounded. The
whole body difappeared, and no more was feen o f them, leaving
Hacking to fill his boat and effect his retreat unmolefted..
Our
Our people having frequently vifited this river for coals, and always
treating with kindnefs and civility the natives whom they
met, this behaviour was not to be accounted for, except by its
being allowed that all favages are under the dominion of a fudden
impulfe; which renders it impoffible to know when to truft
them.
As the men belonging to the boat were not heard of for a con-
fiderable time, it was feared they had been murdered by the natives;;
but they fortunately reached the fettlement fafe.
On the morning of the 24th, the Nautilus returned from Nor-
folk-Ifland, and with her came in a Spanifh ftiip, a prize to two
whalers, which they had captured off Cape Blanco on the coaft of
Peru. She was bound from Lima to Guiaquill.
A court o f vice-admiralty having been affembled, fhe was condemned
as a legal prize, and part of her. cargp* was in a few days
fold by public au&ion_
This was a new eireumftance in the annals o f the fettlement, and
wore the appearance of rendering it of more confequence than it
had hitherto been. Did it not go to prove, that at fome future
period, in the event o f a Dutch or Spanifh War, it might become a
place of much importance, by offering a reception to the prizes o f
our cruizers, a court whereat they could.be condemned, and a market
for their cargoes l
Two days afterwards the Norfolk returned from Norfolk-Ilknd,
where the maize harveft had entirely failed, owing to the long
drought which had prevailed there. ,
Every year’s experience proved, that this ifland never, would be
o f the utility which might be expeded from the very great expence
that was incurred on its account.. It was probable,, that this expence
had not been adverted to in England ; for all the bills drawn
there were fent to New South Wales to be confolidated into bills
» This confided o f fugar, flour, and an ardent fplrit fimilar to the a q u a a r d e n t ' of the B ra.
ails. T h e governor would not. allow this article to be fold by audtion.