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tirely down, and ereCt a new one ; for which purpofe a gang o f
brickmakers was fhortly after feist up there.
At this place and at Toongabbe additional flock-yards were preparing
for the cattle lately arrived ; and materials were collecting
for building a church and water-mill at Parramatta.
At Sydney the {hip’s company o f the Supply were actively and
ufefully employed in conftruCting a half-moon battery on the eaft
point o f the cove, where flood the houfe built by Governor
Philip for Ben-nil-long, in thofe days when it was thought an object
of fome moment to foothe and conciliate the friendfhip o f that
favage.
There was but little variation in the weather, except that on
the 25th there was a violent burft o f thunder, attended with
partial whirlwinds, by which feveral buildings were much damaged,
December.] At the departure o f the {hip Marquis Cornwallis
for Bengal, which was on the 3d of this month, feveral conviCts
were taken from the fettlement without permiffion. This evil could
alone be checked by fevere profecutions and penalties.
The harveft which was begun in the laft, was completed in this
month. In the abundance that was expeCted, every one was disappointed
; for, owing to a moll tedious and unfortunate drought
during ten months, the wheat did not turn out more than one-
third o f what, from the quantity of ground fown with that grain,
there was a reafonable expectation o f its producing, had the feafon
been moderately favourable. This was the more ferioufly felt, as
at one time a hope was entertained o f reaping grain Sufficient to Supply
the colony with bread for two years.
The conclufion o f the harvefl was productive o f a flight diftur-
bance among the Iriffi convicts at Toongabbe. Having, each man
and woman who had been employed, received a ftnall quantity o f
Spirits and water, which had been ordered them, it produced at firft
cheerfulnefs and play, but terminated in riot and ill-humour; a circumftance
cumftance not uncommon with that clafs o f people. They were,
however, eafily Separated and fent to their refpeCtive huts.
On the 19th, the Francis Schooner arrived from Norfolk-Ifland,
where all were in good health. Lieutenant Shortland, who had received
directions to Search for Sir Charles Middleton Ifland and
fhoal, on his return produced his journal and a chart o f the various
traverfes which he had made in quell of the ifland, and compared
them with thofe made formerly by Lieutenant (now Captain) Ball
in his Majefty’ s armed Brig Supply, who had been fent by Governor
Phillip exprefsly on the fame purfuit. The extenfive range
taken by thofe two officers in the Search, and their not having met
with even any indications o f land near that Situation, left little rea-
fon to believe in the exiflence o f the ifland. That o f the Shoal
was not fo doubtful; and, although Mr. Shortland did not fall in
with it, yet, as a flioal had been feen by two or three different per-
fons near the fpot in which that reef was laid down, there was
much reafon to believe that a dangerous bank or Shoal did fome-
where thereabout exift; but its exaCt Situation in point o f latitude
and longitude had not yet been correCtly fixed,.nor was its extent
fuppofed to be fo great as was at firft believed.
On the evening o f the 25th, which had been duly obferved as
Chriflmas-day, the Nautilus arrived from the fouthward. She had
been at Prefervation-Ifland, where, and among the neighbouring
iflands, {he had been tolerably fuccefsful in feal-catching. The
mafter. left 14 o f his people on the ifland o f Cape Barren, to
provide as many Skins and as much oil as they could againft his
return. Thofe with which he now arrived were in a few days fold
by auction. -
The two whalers, the. Indifpenfable and Britannia, which had
been fifiling on the coaft, returned on the 29th for a few days to
repair fome defeCts and refrefh their crews. They had cruized
chiefly from the latitude of 3 2 0 00' to 3 5 0 00', and not farther
from the coaft than from ao to 30 leagues, and thought themfelves
-VOL. 11. t rather