An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales, Volume 1: With Remarks on the Dispositions, Customs, Manners, Etc. of The; Native Inhabitants of That Country. to Which Are Added, Some; Particulars of New Zealand; Compiled, By Permission, From; The Mss. of Lieutenant-Governor King.Collins, David
History
An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales, Volume 1: With Remarks on the Dispositions, Customs, Manners, Etc. of The; Native Inhabitants of That Country. to Which Are Added, Some; Particulars of New Zealand; Compiled, By Permission, From; The Mss. of Lieutenant-Governor King.
Collins, David
New South Wales -- Description and travel
To guard as much as possible against these accidents every measure which
could be suggested was adopted. A short time after the settlement was
established at Rose Hill, the governor went out with some people in a
direction due South, and caused a visible path to be made; that if any
person who had strayed beyond his own marks for returning, and knew not
where he was, should cross upon his path, he might by following it have a
chance of reaching the settlement; and orders were repeatedly given to
prohibit straggling beyond the limits which were marked and known.
Toward the end of the month, some convicts having reported that they had
found the body of a white man lying in a cove at a short distance from
the settlement, a general muster of the convicts at Sydney was directed;
but no person was unaccounted for except Caesar, an incorrigibly stubborn
black, who had absconded a few days before from the service of one of the
officers, and taken to the woods with some provisions, an iron pot, and a
soldier's musket, which he had found means to steal.
Garden robberies, after Caesar's flight, were frequent, and some leads
belonging to a seine being stolen, a reward of a pardon was held out to
any of the accomplices on discovering the person who stole them; and the
like reward was also offered if, in five days, he should discover the
person who had purchased them; but all was without effect. It was
conjectured that they had been stolen for the purpose of being converted
into shot by some person not employed or authorized to kill the game of
this country.
The weather during the latter part of this month was cold;
notwithstanding which a turtle was seen in the harbour.
June 4.] The anniversary of his Majesty's birthday, the second time of
commemorating it in this country, was observed with every distinction in
our power; for the first time, the ordnance belonging to the colony were
discharged; the detachment of marines fired three volleys, which were
followed by twenty-one guns from each of the ships of war in the cove;
the governor received the compliments due to the day in his new house, of
which he had lately taken possession as the government-house of the
colony, where his excellency afterwards entertained the officers at
dinner, and in the evening some of the convicts were permitted to perform
Farquhar's comedy of the Recruiting Officer, in a hut fitted up for the
occasion. They professed no higher aim than 'humbly to excite a smile,'
and their efforts to please were not unattended with applause.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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