fore channels, when they ran her upon the ground, which they
did on an ifland in lat. 400 37' fouth. They met with this misfortune
in the middle of laft February; foon after which a certain
number of them refolved to attempt the reaching Port Jackfon in
the fhip’s long boat, leaving the commander and about thirty people
to flay by the wreck. The boat being prepared, 17 people embarked
in her, and failed ; but meeting with much bad weather
they were again wrecked, being driven on fhore on the coaft near
Point Hicks. Here they all landed, and endeavoured to travel
northward, but dropped off one by one and loft each other daily,
until the number was reduced to five, the three who had arrived
(the fupercargo, a failor, and a Lafcar), the firft mate o f the fhip,
who had undertaken the navigation o f the long boat, and the carpenter.
Thefe two, from exceffive fatigue, had been unable to
proceed any further, and had flopped the day before their companions
in this miferable journey had been taken up by the filhing
boat.
To look for thefe unfortunate people, a whale boat was dif-
patched the following day, properly provided with fuch comforts
as were neceffary for perfons in their weak and wretched
condition. The man who had met with the fupercargo was fent
in the whale boat, and they proceeded to the fpot which Mr. Clarke
had defcribed as that where they had loft fight o f their companions
; but, after a long fearch, they could only find fome trifling
articles, which were known to have been in their pofleffion ; and,
thefe being bloody, it was conjedtured that they had been killed in
this very helplefs condition by the natives, whom, in the courfe o f
their long march, they had found frequently very kind, and at
other times extremely favage. To add to the probability of this
having been their end, Mr. Clarke mentioned the morofe, unfeeling
difpofition of the carpenter, who often, when fome friendly natives
had prefented him with a few fi£h, growled that they had not given
him all, and infilled, that becaufe they were black fellows, it would
be
be right to take it by force. B y fome illiberal and intemperate adt
o f this nature, there was too much reafon to believe he had brought
on himfelf and his ill-fated companion, the mate (a man call in a
gentler mould), a painful and premature death.
Mr. Clarke and the two other people who arrived with him
were very much exhaufted, and could not probably have borne up
much longer againft the toil that attends travelling in fuch a country
as the unfettled part o f New Holland every where prefents.
All poflible attention, however, being paid to their fituation, they
quickly recovered their ftrength and fpirits.
In the account already publilhed o f this colony, feveral inftances
were given o f the danger and difficulty that attended travelling
through the woods, in which many people have either wandered
till they died, or have been aflaffinated by the natives. Every caution
that humanity could fuggeft had been given ; yet even at this
day an inftance occurred that proved to how little purpofe. A fol-
dier who had taken his paflage in a boat to go to the Hawkelbury
prevailed on the crew to land him on the fouth Ihore of Broken
Bay, intending to proceed to the fettlement by land, but which he
was never able to accomplifh. Several parties o f foldiers were fent
to look after their comrade, but all returned without finding him.
His end muft have been truly deplorable ; and not lefs fo was that
o f the ferjeant-major’s daughter, a fine girl o f about 10 years o f
age, who was burnt to death by a ftubble . field having taken fire
while fhe was in the midft o f it. The flames were fo rapid, that
Ihe was totally unable to efcape from them, and perilhed in this moll
extraordinary and terrible manner.
In the evening o f the 27th, the Ihip Britannia anchored between
the heads from Ireland, having on board 150 male and 50 female
convicts from that kingdom, with an officer and 25 recruits for the
New South Wales corps. She got up to the fettlement the following
day, and the prifoners were all landed on the 3 oth. A part o f
them were immediately fent up to Parramatta,
On