attendance on divine fervice, and had the fatisfadtion o f feeing
the Sabbath better obferved than it had been for fome time paft.
But there were fome who were refractory. A fellow named Car-
roll, an Irifhman, abufed and ill treated a conftable who was on his
duty, ordering the people to church ; faying, that he would neither
obey the clergyman nor the governor; for which, the next day, he
was properly punifhed.
On the morning o f the 16th, the people o f a boat which had
been fent to the north fhore for wood found a man’s hat, and a large
hammer lying by it. One fide of the hat had apparently been
beaten in with the hammer, which was bloody; and much blood was
alfo found in the hat, as well as about the fpot where it was difco-
vered. It was immediately conjeflured, that a man who had been
working there with fome carpenter’ s tools had been murdered; and
upon its being made known to the governor, he fent feveral perfons
to fearch for the body, which was found thrown over the cliff, and
near the water fide. On its being examined by the furgeons, the
fcull was found beaten in, which muft have been effected with
the hammer, and occafioned his death. Some fufpicion falling upon
two people, they were fecured, and an examination was the next
day taken before the magiftrates ; but nothing tranfpired that could
fix the offence upon them.
This fhocking circumftance was followed fhortly after by another
equally atrocious: a murder which was committed by a man
on the perfon o f a woman with whom he cohabited. It appeared
that they had both been intoxicated, and had quarrelled on the night
preceding and in the morning o f the murder.
This made the fifth circumftance o f the kind which had occurred
within the laft twelve months; and fo exceflively abandoned
were the people, that it was fcarcely poffible to obtain fufficient proof
to convidl the offenders. Strong prefumptive proof, indeed, was frequently
adduced; but the kind o f evidence neceflary to eftablifh
the offence was almoft conftantly withheld.
About this time, fome diffatisfaCtion appearing among the Irifh
convids who were ordered to labour, and fome threats having been
made ufe o f by them, the governor thought it neceflary to inform
the inhabitants o f the colony in general, that, after having pointed
out a number o f people who had, by falfe pretences, and various
impofitions, obtained certificates of difcharge from the commiflary’s
books, he did not expeCt fo foon to have occafion to enter again
upon the fame fubjeCt. He then, taking notice o f thofe who had
not hefitated to hold a language which implied a determination to
refill all authority, declared, that i f any officer, civil or military,
any fettler, or other perfon within the colony, Ihould, after Monday,
the 7th o f November, retain in his or their fervice any one or
more of the perfons defcribed in a former order, fuch perfons Ihould
be confidered as encouraging a fet o f lawlefs and feditious people, to.
the total fubverfion o f all order and government, and to the weakening
o f His Majefty’ s authority in the fettlement. He next informed
the people whofe conduCt had occafioned this order, that if
they were of opinion, that to threaten would be the belt means o f
obtaining what they defired, they might repent that opinion when
too late. That there would not be any difficulty found in furnifh.
ing them with a fituation in the colony, or in fome of its dependencies,
where they would not be able to difturb the peace o f their
neighbours; and that i f they were troublefome here, they Ihould'
• certainly be placed in that fituation very foon. He concluded this
order by informing all the inhabitants o f the colony, whether in
a civil or a military capacity, that he expefted, as they valued
His Majefty’s authority, or the peace and civil government o f the
fettlement, that they would exert every effort to preferve good
order; and, to that end, that they Ihould aid and affift the civil
power when and wherever it might be neceflary, and report all fuch
perfons as they might know to be in any Way afting in oppofition
to this order.
It