Occafional defertions o f one or two people at a time had occurred
fince the eftablilhmentof the fettlement ; but the firft convifts who
arrived from Ireland in the Queen in the year 17 9 1 went off in
numerous bodies, few of whom ever returned. They too were
prepoffeflèd with the poffibility o f penetrating through the woods to
China, and imparted the fame idea to all o f their countrymen who
came after them,' engaging them in the fame a£t of folly and madnefs.
It was not then to be wondered at, that YVilfon, Who lately came in
from the woods, Ihould, among other articles of information, mention
his finding more than fifty fkeletons, which the natives affured
him had been white men, who had loft their way and perifhed.
-This account was corroborated by different European articles which
were fcattered about, fuch as knives, old {hoes, and other things
.which were known not to belong to the natives.
On the 20th the Francis returned with Captain Hamilton from
the fouthward. Previous to his departure for the wreck o f his
{hip, he had informed the governor that fhe had on board nearly
7000 gallons of fpirits, and'folicited permiffion to bring back a part
with him in the fchooner. The governor, ever averfe to the intro-
■ duftion of lpirituous liquors, would certainly have refilled the application
; hut, it being generally known in the colony that a con-
fiderable quantity of this article had been faved from the wreck,
and that the ifland abounded with' Kangooroos and birds, he conceived
thefe circumftances not only to have conduced to thofe defertions
and captures of boats which had been effefted, but as likely
to prove farther temptations to fimilar practices. He therefore determined
to purchafe the rum o f Captain Hamilton; and, as there
was none in ftore for the public fervice, to take it on account o f government.
An agreement was accordingly entered into by the
commiffary, and 3500 gallons were brought round in the Francis.
Captain Hamilton ftated, that o f all the other articles which had
keen taken on fhore from the wreck, a fmall quantity o f eoarfe cloth
alone
alone had been faved, the remainder having been deftroyed by gales
o f wind arid bad weather. The wreck o f the fhip was entirely
walhed away. O f the fix Lafcars who had been left with the property,
one had died ; the other five were in health, and had lived
tolerably well, killing upon a neighbouring ifland as many Kangooroos
and birds as they could ufe. Thefe poor fellows had ereded
a fmoke-houfe, and had falted and finoke-dned as much meat as
would ferve them during the enfuing winter.
Thefe people, though provided only with one fmall boat, had made
fome excurfions; and it appeared by their accounts, that this part o f
the coaft o f New South Wales was formed entirely by a group of
iflands, extending as far as they had feen to the weft ward o f them
and interfperfed with many fhoals. Hence, and indeed from ob-
fervations which he had made when on that part o f the coaft him-
felf, the governor thought it highly probable that there were many
paffages or ftraits quite through to the ocean weftward, making
Van Diemen’s land, the fouthernmoft part o f New Holland, an
ifland.
Captain Hamilton had left a cow with his people, but fhe had
died; a mare that he had been more fortunate with was brought
away in the Francis.
Notwithftanding the fevere trial which Cole-be had been put to
for the death o f Ye-ra-ni-be, the friends o f that young man had not
thought it fufficient to atone for his lofs. One o f them, Mo-roo-
bra, in company with fome other natives, meeting with Cole-be,
made an attack upon him, with a determination to put an end to
the bufinefs and his life together. Cole-be, not yet recovered o f
the wounds that he had received in the laft affair, was unable to
make much refiftance; and, after receiving feveral blows on the
head, was fuppofed to have been difpatched; but Mo-roo-bra, as
they were quitting him, feeing him revive, and attempting to rife,
returned to finifh this favage bufinefs; which fo exafperated another
vol. 11. , m native,