C H A P . VI.
ANOTHER BOAT S E IZ ED AND C A R R IED OFF.----ORDER IN CONSEQUENCE.----
TH E C R IM IN A L COURT TH R IC E ASSEMBLED.?— P A R T IC U L A R S .— TH R E E
MEN STAND IN T H E P IL LO R Y * ----P E R JU R Y E X P L A IN ED TO THE CONV
IC T S .— N A T IV E S V E R Y TROUBLESOME $ SE IZ E A BOAT.----VARIOUS
WORKS IN H AND .— AN A T T EM P T TO S E IZ E ANO THER BOAT F R U S T
R A T E D .— PROSPECT OF A F IN E H A R V E S T .----WILSON GIVES' H IMSELF
U P— IS MADE USE OF.— TWO MARES STO LEN .— TH E C L E RG YM AN ’ S'
SE R V A N T A T T EM P T S TO ROB H IM .— INFORMATION SENT TO IN D IA
R E SP EC T IN G TH E BOATS.— AN AMPHIBIOUS AN IM A L DISCOVERED.—
DESCRIPTION«'— A C C ID EN T .— WORKS.— PO LIC E .— W EA TH ER .
T h e month o f Q&ober opened with a repetition off the vexatious
circumftances that marked the opening o f the preceding;
month. In. the night- o f the 2d, a boat was taken from Parramatta
by feme people who got unobferved out o f the harbour: The
three men who were put on fhore from the Cumberland at the
time fhe was feized upon, from an unwillingnefs to accompany
them, being in this party, it was fuppofed they were conne&ed in
fome way with thofe who were in that boat, and whom they might
know where to find. An armed boat from the Supply was immediately
difpatched after them; but in three days returned, as unfuccefs-
ful as Lieutenant Shortland had unfortunately been in his fearch.
From this circumftance there was reafon to fuppofe that they
had flood off from the land; in which cafe, as the weather fince
their departure had been, unufually bad, the wind blowing a gale
from the fouthward, with much rain, and their boat being a very
bad one, it was probable they had perifhed.
In
In thefe two boats 1 5 convifls had made their efcape from the
fettlement; fix o f whom had been tranfported for life ; fix others
were from Ireland, of whofe term o f tranfportation no account had
been fent out; and o f the remainder, one had to ferve until the
23d of May 1799, another until the 2d o f April r8 o i, and the
third until the 15th o f April 1804.
Whatever might be the fate o f thefe people, the evil was of
great extent; fince all that could be known o f them to their fellow
prifoners was, that they had fuccefsfully effected their efcape.
Had Bryan and his party, who went off with one o f the King’s
boats in the year 17 9 1 , inftead of meeting with the compaflion and
lenity which were expreffed in England for their fufterings, been
fent back and tried in New South Wales, for taking away the
boat, and other thefts which they had committed, it was probable
that others might have been deterred from following their example.
Oil this occafion an order was publifhed, fiating, that; as, for
the private convenience o f various individuals, permiffion had been
granted for the building of boats under certain dimenfions, yet thofe-
boats Had been frequently found fo improperly fecured in the night,,
and left by their refpeftive owners in fituations fo favourable to
the views o f thofe ignorant beings who were perpetually
looking out for means to efcape froin the-fettlement, the governor
therefore found it expedient pofitively to prohibit the
building o f a boat o f any kind without having previouily ob'tained:
his exprefs permiffion j and to declare, that i f any o f the- boats
then in ufe in the fettlement fhould thenceforward be found improperly
fecured at night, or left with oars, rudder, maffs,. or fails
on!board, they would bedald on fhore and burnt.
Such > was- the- increife o f crinhe-s, that-thrice in this month was-
the court o f criminal judicature affembled. The offences that came
undef "their cognizafice were" thofe o f murder, perjury,, forgery, and
theft..
Two