doubt that this atrocious a£t was the effeCt o f defign, and the
confequence o f the late order which had been given out and had
been rigidly exécuted, enforcing attendance on divine fervice ; and
in the view of rendering, by the deftruCtion of the building, the
Sabbath a day of as little decency and fobriety as any other in the
week. The perpetrators o f this mifchief were, however, difap-
pointed in their expectation ; for the governor, juftly deeming this
to have been the motive, and highly irritated at fuch a fhameful a£t,
refolved, i f no convenient place could immediately be found for the
performance of public worlhip, that, inftead of Sunday being employed
as each Ihould propofe to himfelf, the whole o f the labouring
gangs Ihould be employed on that day in eredting another
building for the purpofe it happened, however, that a large ftore-
houfe was -juft at that time finilhed ; and, not being immediately-
wanted, it was fitted up as a church ; and thus not a fingle Sunday
was loft by this wicked defign.!
For the difcovery of the offender a reward o f 3 0 1, was offered,
together with abfolute' emancipation to the informer i f a convidt,
and a recommendation to the mailer o f any Ihip to take him or her
from the colony. But it was feen with concern, that rewards and-
puniihments alike failed in their effedt.
This circumftance muft imprefs upon the mind o f every one who-
may read this account, to what a dreadful ftate o f profligacy the
colony had arrived, which, alarming as it was, muft have been- ftilb
worfe, had it not been for the civil police-which fortunately had
been eftablilhed; for a more wicked, abandoned, and irreligious,
fet o f people had never been, brought together before in any-
part of the colony. The hope o f their amendment feemed every
day to leffen. The fpirit o f trade (not that liberal fpirit which
eharadterifes the Britifh trader, but a mean, felfilh, avaricious pal-.
fion, that hefitated not at any means to be gratified) proved the
fource o f every evil under which, thé fettlers laboured.
Notwithftanding this picture of their vices, the colony was at this
time, generally fpeaking, in perfedt health. For want of flop
clothing and bedding, indeed, they were much diftreffed; but
on this or any other account they were little deferving of any com-
miferation.
Since the laft -failure o f thofe ill-confidered attempts o f the Irilh
to efcape from the colony, no further fchemes of that nature had
been planned ; but, as a matter of common ju'ftice to them, it was
much wilhed that regular accounts of the dates of their convidtion,
and their feveral terms o f tranfportation, might be fent out. They
had been informed, that a promife to this effedt had been made by
government!
On the 7th, the two Americans, the Semiramis, and Argo
fchooner, failed for China. At the fame time the Nautilus brig, and
Norfolk long-boat, failed for Van Diemen’s land. The Nautilus,
which had been in extreme diftrefs-for every kind of repair, was
completely put in order here ; and, as the two young men who
had the care and diredtion of the fpeculation on which Ihe was
fitted out from India, had: been very unfortunate through the infirmities
o f their veffel, and other caufes, they were determined to
try, during this feafon, what the feal-fifhing among the iflands to
the fouthward might produce.
On the day following, the Francis failed for Norfolk-Ifland, with
a few women and fome ftores for that lettlement. As it was intended,
that on her return Ihe Ihould examine the Ihoal faid to have
been difcovered to the northward o f Lord Howe Ifland, and make,
i f poffible, and afcertain the fituation of, the ifland difcovered in
1788 by Lieutenant Shortland in tfie Alexander tranfport, and
named by him Sir. Charles Middleton Ifland, Lieutenant John
Shortland, of the Reliance, a fon of the above officer, was fent in
the Francis, and was charged with the foie direction o f the veffel
upon that fervice.
s 2 In