The fettlers, being diffatisfied with the reduction in the price of
grain which had been ordered, prefented petitions to the governor,
in which they ftated the various hardfhips that for a confiderable
time paft they had laboured under, in the hope that he might be induced
to receive the crops of the prefent 'feafon at the ufual price.
Having taken their petitions into confideration, he defired them to-
recoiled, that near four years fmce he had given them notice, that
the high price of grain could not be continued longer than that
feafon ; and though he had not any doubt of their having fuftained
t-he Ioffes which they reprefented, and they muft be fenfible he
had ufed every means in his power to remove and relieve their misfortunes
j yet his duty to government compelled him to adhere to the
redudion of which they complained. At the fame time he could
not avoid obfeiving, that forae of theie- misfortunes had in many
inftances proceeded from a want of that attention to their own in-
tereft, which every man poflefling common difcretion would have
fhewn; many o f them having parted with their laft bufhel for the
gratification o f the moment, thereby reducing their families to dif-
trefs and nakednefs.
He likewife informed them, that he had much- pleafur'e in finding
that government had a ferious intention, as early as the public
concerns of the nation would admit, of adminiftering every poffi-
ble relief, by fupplying the inhabitants with fuch neceffaries and
comforts as they might require at a moderate price. He was, however,
obliged to diredt the commiffary to. receive the grain o f this?
feafon-al the prices ordered by him in. the m-ont-l of Odfoher.
In the evening o f the day on which the Britannia failed, the-
Pltrmier, a Spanilh fhip, anchored in the cove. She was a prize-
to three whalers, who had taken her near Cape Corientes, on the-
coafE of Peru. Her cargo confided chiefly of bad fpirits and wine,.
Erance with his difpatches, not having had time to fink them. He -waa foon liberated him-
fd fj but waa not able to obtain even the private letters that he had with him.
which,
which, on her being condemned by the Court o f Vice-admiralty as
a lawful prize, were removed into the Supply, and an order was
given out, ftridtly forbidding the landing of any fpirits, wine, or
even malt liquor, until a regular permit had been firft obtained. This
reftridbiori upon wine and malt liquor was occafioned by fpirituous
liquors having been landed under that defeription.
At length the commiffary was enabled, to iffue fome flop-cloath-
ing to the convidbs, a quantity having been received by the Walker
; but, unfortunately, much of what had been put on board arrived
in a very damaged ftate, as appeared by a furvey which was
immediately taken.
On the 14th the Martha fchooner anchored in the cove from
Bafs Strait, whence fhe had brought with her one thoufand feal flrins
and thirty barrels of oil, which had been procured there among the
iflands.
The court of criminal judicature being affembled on the 16th,
two mates'of the Walker were brought before it, and tried for ufing
menaces to a perfon who had flopped their boat when attempting
to land fpirits without a permit; but as he had not any fpecial authority
for making the feizure, or detaining the boat, they were acquitted.
One man, John Chapman Morris, was found guilty of forgery
by the fame court, and received fentence of death ; but as this had
been determined by the majority of one voLce only, whereas the
letters patent for eftablilhing the court exprefsly fay that five of
the members are to concur in a capital cafe, this bufinefs mult, as
provided alfo by the patent, be referred to the King in council. It
wa s-hoped that this circumftance would but feldom occur, as the
obje£t of it muft, during the reference, remain a prifoner, with all
the miferable fenfations that a perfon would experience under fentence
o f death. The time that he muft linger in this uncomfortable
fituation could not well be lefs than fifteen or eighteen months ;
and, admitting that the length of it might have deadened the acutely
N 2 nefs