At the fame court, one man, Robert Lowe, was adjudged corporal
punifliment, and one year’s hard labour, for embezzling fome of
the live flock of Government, which had been entrufted to his care.
He was a free mAn, and had been one o f the convids who were
with Captain Riou in the Guardian, when her voyage to New South
Wales was unfortunately fruftrated by her ftriking upon an illand o f
ic e ; on account o f which, and of their good conduit before and
after the accident, directions had been given for their receiving
conditional emancipation, and being allowed to provide for their own
maintenance. Few o f thefe people, however, were in the end
found to merit this reward and indulgence, as their future conduit
had proved ; and this laft ait o f delinquency pointed out the neceffi-
ty o f a free perfon being fent out from England to fliperintend the
public live flock, with fuch an allowance as would make him at once
careful o f his conduit, and faithful in the execution o f his truft. '
It Ihould feem that the commiffion o f crimes was never to ceafe in
this fettlement. Scarcely had the laft court o f judicature fent one
man to the gallows, when a highway, robbery was committed between
the town of Sydney and Parramatta. Three men ruflied
from an adjoining wood, and, knocking down a young man who
was travelling to the laft mentioned town, rifled his pockets o f a
few dollars. On his recovering, finding that only on? man remained,
who was endeavouring to twift his handkerchief from his neck,
he fwore that no one perfon fliould plunder him, and had a ftruggle
with this fellow, who, not being the ftrongeft o f the two, was fe-
cured and taken into Parramatta. A court was immediately aflem-
bled for his tria l; but the evidence was not thought fufficient to
convidt him, and he was confequently acquitted. The want o f
any corroborating circumftance on the part o f the profecutor compelled
the court to this acquittal.
A quantity of frelh pork having been for fome time received into
the ftore, there were found at this period fix months fait provifions
remaining;
remaining ; which, without this fupply would have been all confirmed,
and the colony left without animal food, fave in the Article
o f live flock, a refource on which it could not have been prudent to
have touched as a fupply, except in a cafe o f the laft neceflity.
Every encouragement was given to the curing of pork upon
Norfolk-Ifland ; but the calks in which the fait meat was fent from
England were in general fo extremely feeble by the time they arrived,
that fcarcely one in a hundred was fit for that purpofe a fecond time.
Could any timber, fit for this ufe, have been found in the country,
yet a fupply of hoops and fait pans would have been neceflary; and,
unlefs it was cured in the winter feafon, and the method obferved by
Captain Cook was pradifed at Norfolk-Ifland, it remained a doubt
whether it could be accomplilhed to any confiderable extent.
The price o f frelh pork having been raifed in confequence of the
failure of the late harveft, as a temporary relief to thofe who had
fuffered by that misfortune, the commiflary was, at the clofe of this
month, direfted to return to the price formerly eftablilhed, viz.
nine-pence per pound.
The ftate of the public ftores withrefpea to fait provifion having
been carefully examined, it became neceflary to make a fmall reduction
of the ration in time, in order to prevent a greater. It was accordingly
ordered, that the following proportions Ihould be iflued,
viz.
Beef - -
or
5 pounds,]
KJL I l
Pork -> - - 3 pounds, ^>P®r man Per wee*c>
Wheat - - - 12 pounds, !
Sugar - - - - 6 oun ce sj
and this they were informed was not to continue longer than the arrival
o f a ftorelhip with a fupply of faked provifion.
The commiffAry was alfo direfted to iflue to fuch men as might
be entitled, as much blue gurrah (an Eaft India article not much
better than bunting) and thread as would make a frock and pair of
E E 2 trowfers,