The man who killed Mo-roo-bra had undergone a fecond attack
from his friends ; and, though yet fuffering from the wounds which
he received in the firft affair, made a moft excellent defence.
The governor having been informed, by fome o f the natives who
dwelt in the neighbourhood o f the cow pafture plains, that feveral
o f the wild cattle had been killed, and imagining this mifchief to
have been done by fome o f the Irifh convidts (who were nearly as
wild themfelves as the cattle), a party of the military, with Hacking,
a man well acquainted with that part o f the country, was fent out
with orders to furprife, and i f poffible to fecure them. After being
abfent fome days, they returned and reported, that, haying fearched
the country round, no traces were feen o f the cattle in any o f the
places where they had been accuftomed to range, nor did they
meet with any white people ; but the natives perfifted in afferting
their having feen fome o f them among them, and added that fome
o f the calves had been run down by them. This was not impoffible;
and the idea was fomewhat ftrengthened, by their finding fome fhort
fpears pointed with the leg bone o f the kangooroo, which were fup-
pofed to be defigned for ftabbing thé calves when caught. Although
it was the opinion o f thefe people, that the cattle had quitted
the part of the country in which they had been fo long known to
graze, there was yet much reafon to believe that, this was not
the cafe ; for, on vifiting them, they were not always to be found in
one fpot.
It will be fufficient to ftate the following circumflance, to fhew
the unpleafant and diftreffing fituation o f the principal jofficer o f the
fettlement, by the conftruCtion that was put on liis endeavours to
redtify every abufe that the inhabitants might labour under.
An infamous and feditious anonymous paper was dropped in the
ftreets, in which the governor arid evêry' officer in the colony were
moft fcurriloufly abufed and libelled, and accufed o f pradtifing extortions
in the way o f trade. This would not have been mifplaced,
Jiad the abufe been confined £0 the defcription o f perfons who really
deferved
deferved it, and truth had been attended to, which would have afforded
them ample materials,- But, although it muft have been evident
to every one who had fenfe to fee it, that the governor, from
the hour o f his arrival, had ufed his utmoft endeavours to put an
end to the practice of fo much impofition ; yet this libeller inferred,
from his not fucceeding, that he was become one in the number o f
retail traders who difgraced the fettlement.
A r e w a r d was immediately offered for the difcovery of the offender
; but, as might have been expected, without fuccefs.
The three perfons who had been fent out with the Irifhmen, that
were fo defirous-of difcovering a country wherein they might live
more at their eafe, returned on the 9th, fo much exhaufted with
fatigue that two o f them were fcarcely able to move when they arrived.
Wilfon, who was the third, having been longer in the habit o f
travelling through the woods, kept up their fpirits, and thereby enabled
them to reach Profpeft Hill about funfet; where, from long
abftinence, having had nothing to fupport them for feveral days,
except two or three fmall birds, the refrefhment which they procured
had nearly overcome them. Such were the difficulties attending
excurfions in the interior of this country. With Wilfon, who
knew much of the country, and was well qualified to condua the
party, the governor fent a lad, a free fervant of his, who was capable
of giving an account o f the occurrences o f the journey; and
from him the following particulars were colleaed :
From Mount Hunter (which was the higheft land then known
in that part of the country, and diftant from the townlhip of Parramatta
from about 30 to 34 miles in a S. W. direaion) they took
their departure on the 24th of laft month, travelling in a S. S. W.
courfe for 18 miles, 12 of which laid through a fine open country.
There they fell in with the river Nepean, which was found
winding to the fouthward and weftward, clofe behind the cow pafture
plains. The banks o f the river being at this place exceedingly fteep
and rocky, they had fome difficulty in getting acrofs. On the
other