CHAPTER XVIII
The _Buffalo_ arrives from England, and brings cattle from the Cape A marine settler killed Natives A criminal court held Taylor executed Lowe punished A highway robbery Provisions in store Ration altered June, two whalers come in from sea Ideas of a whale-fishery Tempestuous weather Effects The _Albion_ whaler arrives from England Her passage July, a missionary murdered The murderers tried and executed Orders published State of the farms The _Hillsborough_ arrives from England Mortality on board Public works
May.] On the third day of this month his Majesty's ship _Buffalo_ arrived from England, but last from the Cape of Good Hope, whence she brought sixty-six head of cattle, which, considering the length of the voyage, were landed in good condition. She had also on board some tools and articles of hardware for the use of the colony; but, unfortunately, no bedding or clothing of any kind.
This ship arrived under the command of Mr. William Raven, whose services to the colony in the private ship _Britannia_ cannot easily be forgotten; and was sent out to replace the _Supply_, which had been condemned as unserviceable, and whose commander, Lieutenant William Kent, was with her officers and crew to be removed into the _Buffalo_; the governor being directed to furnish Mr. Raven with a passage to England.
Although this ship was named the _Buffalo_, yet her head was the carved figure of a kangaroo, which very much amused the natives, who could have had no idea of seeing the animals of their country represented in wood.
Some of these people, ever hostile to the settlers, had lately speared one of them, a marine settler (as those were styled who had formerly belonged to the marine detachment) at George's river, so effectually, that he died of his wounds. The natives belonged to the tribe of which Pe-mul-wy was the leader.
Savage as these beings certainly were toward our people, and to each other, yet they could unbend, and divert themselves with the softer amusements of singing and dancing. The annexed engraving represents a party thus occupied, and gives a correct view of their persons and manners. The figure leaning upon his shield, the attitude of the women dancing, and the whole group, are accurate delineations of a party assembled by the light of a fire at the mouth of one of their excavated rocks.
It might be supposed, that with this exercise, and the company of their females, their angry and turbulent passions would be at rest, and that the idea of murder could not enter their minds; yet have they been known to start away, in search of some unsuspecting object of their revenge or hatred, who before the morning has received a dozen spears through his body: and this is man in his uncultivated state!
Several offenders having been secured for trial, it became necessary to assemble the court of criminal judicature; and on the 16th Simon Taylor was brought before it, accused of the murder of his wife; of which offence being clearly convicted, he received sentence of death, and was executed on the 20th at Parramatta. This unhappy man was thoroughly sensible of the enormity of his guilt, and in his last moments admonished the spectators against indulging in drunkenness, which had brought him to that untimely and disgraceful end.
At the same court, one man, Robert Lowe, was adjudged corporal punishment, and one year's hard labour, for embezzling some of the live stock of Government, which had been entrusted to his care. He was a free man, and had been one of the convicts who were with Captain Riou in the _Guardian_, when her voyage to New South Wales was unfortunately frustrated by her striking upon an island of ice; on account of which, and of their good conduct before and after the accident, directions had been given for their receiving conditional emancipation, and being allowed to provide for their own maintenance. Few of these people, however, were in the end found to merit this reward and indulgence, as their future conduct had proved; and this last act of delinquency pointed out the necessity of a free person being sent out from England to superintend the public live stock, with such an allowance as would make him at once careful of his conduct, and faithful in the execution of his trust.
It should seem that the commission of crimes was never to cease in this settlement. Scarcely had the last court of judicature sent one man to the gallows, when a highway robbery was committed between the town of Sydney and Parramatta. Three men rushed from an adjoining wood, and, knocking down a young man who was travelling to the last mentioned town, rifled his pockets of a few dollars. On his recovering, finding that only one man remained, who was endeavouring to twist his handkerchief from his neck, he swore that no one person should plunder him, and had a struggle with this fellow, who, not being the strongest of the two, was secured and taken into Parramatta. A court was immediately assembled for his trial; but the evidence was not thought sufficient to convict him, and he was consequently acquitted. The want of any corroborating circumstance on the part of the prosecutor compelled the court to this acquittal.
A quantity of fresh pork having been for some time received into the store, there were found at this period six months salt provisions remaining; which, without this supply would have been all consumed, and the colony left without animal food, save in the article of live stock, a resource on which it could not have been prudent to have touched as a supply, except in a case of the last necessity.
Every encouragement was given to the curing of pork upon Norfolk Island; but the casks in which the salt meat was sent from England were in general so extremely feeble by the time they arrived, that scarcely one in a hundred was fit for that purpose a second time. Could any timber, fit for this use, have been found in the country, yet a supply of hoops and salt pans would have been necessary; and, unless it was cured in the winter season, and the method observed by Captain Cook was practised at Norfolk island, it remained a doubt whether it could be accomplished to any considerable extent.
The price of fresh pork having been raised in consequence of the failure of the late harvest, as a temporary relief to those who had suffered by that misfortune, the commissary was, at the close of this month, directed to return to the price formerly established, viz nine-pence per pound.
The state of the public stores with respect to salt provision having been carefully examined, it became necessary to make a small reduction of the ration in time, in order to prevent a greater. It was accordingly ordered, that the following proportions should be issued, per man per week; viz
Beef 5 pounds or Pork 3 pounds Wheat 12 pounds Sugar 6 ounces
and this they were informed was not to continue longer than the arrival of a storeship with a supply of salted provision.
The commissary was also directed to issue to such men as might be entitled, as much blue gurrah (an East India article not much better than bunting) and thread as would make a frock and a pair of trousers, and a proportion to the women and children. These gurrahs had been brought from India in some of the speculative voyages to this country, and were now found useful in covering the nakedness of the people.
By the arrival of the _Buffalo_, the governor at length had it in his power to inform those people who had been convicted in Ireland, and by the laws of that kingdom had been transported to New South Wales, that he had received from thence a correct statement of the several sentences of those who had been brought in the _Queen_; and an assurance, through the secretary to the Lord Lieutenant, that the lists of those who had been sent out since that period should be forwarded by the next vessel which might sail from Ireland for this colony.
Those, therefore, who were remaining alive of the convicts received by the _Queen_, might learn the extent of their conviction, by applying at the commissary's office. Such as might appear to have been sent out for life were told they need not despair of being, in due time, again the masters of their own labours; as every one must have seen, that a decent, orderly, industrious and obedient conduct, had frequently recommended many of their description to public favour.
June.] On the 2nd of this month, the _Diana_ and _Eliza_ whalers came in to refit, and to refresh their crews. They had each procured about twenty-five tons of spermaceti oil since they left the port, and had spoke the _Britannia_, which had been more successful, she having, in all, one hundred and ten tons of oil on board.
About this time the _Indispensable_ sailed on her fishing voyage. This ship had been careened and completely repaired in the Cove.
From the experience of the masters of these whalers, there was every reason to believe, that ships resorting hither, properly fitted for the variable weather which they are liable to meet with upon the coast, would most certainly succeed. The ships that had arrived, in general, were not prepared for the weather of this ocean, but were fitted for the more certain and serene skies of the coast of Peru; which occasioned their so frequently running into port to refit. In this, such assistance as the colony could supply was always readily afforded them; and it might be worthy the attention of the houses of Messrs. Champion, Enderby, and others, owners of ships in the whale fishery, to establish a depot or warehouse at Sydney, well supplied with naval stores, where their business could be transacted by their own people, and their ships refitted with their own materials.
If try-pots were fixed at some convenient place near the entrance of the harbour, and many such offer, where their warehouse might also be established, the fishing ground not being far from the coast, might not a ship run in with the whale in blubber, leave it to be tried out, and in the mean while put to sea in quest of more? If any time would be saved by this mode of proceeding, it surely would be worth adopting; but of this these gentlemen must be the better judges.
In the evening on the fourth of June, which had been observed as His Majesty's birthday with every demonstration of loyalty and respect, the weather became very tempestuous, and continued for three days blowing a heavy gale from the southward, attended with a deluge of rain; by which several buildings belonging to Government, which had been erected with great labour, were much damaged; among others, was unfortunately the tower of the new mill at Sydney, of which the roof was fitting. The south-side of this building was so much injured, that it became necessary to take the whole down; which was done, and the foundation laid a second time.
This gale having subsided, it returned about the middle of the month, blowing again from the southward with increased violence, and attended with another deluge of rain. In its effects it was more destructive than the preceding, doing much damage to various public and private buildings. The south side of the church tower was entirely destroyed, but the clock was saved. The Government house at Parramatta, which was nearly finished, received some material injury, but was not wholly destroyed. A man, in crossing a gully between Sydney and Parramatta, was, in attempting to ford it, carried away by the violence of the torrent, and drowned. The cattle suffered much, and a few of the public as well as private stock perished.
The ravages of this storm were so great, that the settlement was thrown back nearly twelve months in those works which at the time were expected very shortly to be completed. The weather, from the beginning of this month, had never since the establishment of the colony been observed to be so severe. The settlement had indeed, between the fires of the summer, and the floods and gales of the winter, suffered very considerably. Added to these, at this time, were the inconveniences arising from an unproductive harvest, from an exhausted store in the very essential articles of clothing and bedding, from the hostile disposition of many of the natives, and from the annihilation of morality, honesty, and industry in the major part of the colonists.
As this picture is not exaggerated, the situation and feelings of the rational part of the settlement were certainly not to be envied.
Every exertion was immediately made to remedy the misfortunes occasioned by the late tempestuous weather, and it was hoped that most of them would be surmounted by the end of the present year. The erecting of the stone prison at Sydney being found to create much expense, as well as require much time, the governor called a meeting of the officers, principal inhabitants, and landholders, and proposed an assessment to be furnished by each, as well of money, as of labour; which was readily agreed to on their part; and that necessary building was thenceforth carried on at their expense, the public stores only furnishing such iron as might be requisite.
On the evening of the 29th, the ship _Albion_ arrived from England, having made the quickest passage of any that had yet come to this country, being only three months and fifteen days on her voyage. She brought out 900 tierces of salt pork, some dispatches, and a few letters, by which the governor was taught to expect the arrival of two transports with convicts, and of a king's ship, the _Porpoise_, which was to replace the _Reliance_.
The extraordinary passage made by this ship drew the attention of those who were judges, to her construction. This was her first voyage, having been launched on the 25th of October 1798, from the yard of Messrs. Barnard and Roberts at Deptford, where she was built. The length of her keel for tonnage, was 86 feet; her extreme breadth, 27 feet 6 inches; her depth in hold, 12 feet; her height between decks, 6 feet, and her admeasured burden, 362 tons. She was remarkably clean in her run; and, although extremely deep in the water when she sailed from Spithead, gave early proof of her capacity in sailing.
Mr. Ebor Bunker, who had been at Port Jackson before in the _William and Ann_ transport, commanded the _Albion_, and was now selected by her owners, Messrs. Champions, to give the whale fishing upon the coast a complete and fair trial. For this purpose the ship was fitted out with the accustomed liberality of those gentlemen in the amplest manner, with every store that could be necessary for her own use, and every comfort for her people.
Fortunate it would have proved for the settlement in general, had these and such respectable gentlemen been among the first of those whose speculative views had induced them to embark their property in these undertakings: it would then have escaped the extortions which had been but too successfully practised by many others.
The labouring people were principally employed during this month, in repairing the devastations occasioned by the late tempestuous weather.
July.] Another instance occurred of the little effect which even capital punishments had in this profligate settlement. On the evening of the 2nd of this month, a most horrid murder was committed upon Mr. Samuel Clode, one of the missionaries, who had flown for refuge from the savages of Otaheite to this government. This act of more than savage barbarity was committed at the brickfields, in the house of one Jones, a soldier. His brains were beaten out at the back of his head, with an axe, and his throat so cut as nearly to sever the head from the body, which was then dragged to a sawpit, at that time full of water, and, being thrown in, was covered over with bushes. Here it remained only until the following morning, when it was discovered by a labouring man, who went to get his hoe; which, to prevent its being stolen, he had been in the habit of concealing in the sawpit. Such are the directions of Providence!
Suspicion falling upon four persons, they were taken up; and, the criminal court being immediately convened, three of the number, Thomas Jones (a soldier), a woman (his wife), and John Albury (a free man), were, on the clearest evidence, convicted of the murder, and adjudged to suffer death.
It appeared upon the trial, that the trifling sum of ten pounds, which Jones had been indebted to Mr. Clode, prompted him to his destruction. To effect this, he signified to that truly unfortunate gentleman, that if he would call at his hut in the evening he would pay him. Not suspecting any evil design in this request, he called at the appointed time, and, while leaning over a table to draw up a receipt, received the first blow with the axe, from the hand of Jones (Albury's resolution, for it was agreed that he should give it, failing at the moment), who, from the pecuniary transaction between them, must have been under an obligation, which he took this dreadful method of discharging.
Being convicted on the 4th, they were executed on the 6th, upon the spot where the murder had been committed. The house was pulled down and burnt, and the bodies of the two men were hung in chains near the place. That of the woman was delivered to the surgeons for dissection.
The abandoned state in which the settlement was at this time cannot be better understood than by a perusal of the following orders, which were issued.
"From the late increased number of nocturnal robberies, there is much reason to suspect that the petty constables and divisional watchmen are either extremely negligent in the performance of their duty, or that they suffer themselves to be prevailed on by the house-breakers to be less vigilant than that duty requires, and to connive at their depredations on the inhabitants. A continuance of this unpardonable remissness upon their part must dispose the more respectable inhabitants to believe them partakers with the thieves. It is, therefore, hereby particularly recommended by the governor to every officer in the colony, as they value the security of their property, to give their utmost assistance to those immediately concerned in the executive part of the civil police, in putting, as speedily as possible, a stop to so very great an evil. It is also particularly recommended to the principal inhabitants of the towns of Sydney and Parramatta, that they select a few of the most respectable of their number, in each division of these towns, whom they may authorise to consider of the most effectual means of detecting the robbers, and bringing them to trial; whether by such rewards as they may be enabled to offer, or by small divisional patrols for the night service, and who shall take that duty by turns, and be under the immediate direction of a reputable inhabitant, of their own choice, or an officiating constable selected from among the most sober and vigilant of that description of persons."
Proposals for this purpose were to be sent in writing to the judge-advocate's office, and a bench of magistrates were to approve or alter them, as they should think proper.
This order was published on the 2nd, and on the 3rd the following appeared:
"The continual complaints which are made of the conduct of the female convicts require the most rigid and determined discipline with such characters, who, to the disgrace of their sex, are far worse than the men, and are generally found at the bottom of every infamous transaction that is committed in the colony. It is hereby most strenuously recommended to the magistrates in general, that on proof being brought before them of any improper conduct in those dangerous and mischievous characters, or of any disobedience of orders, or neglect of such duty as they may be directed to perform, they may be ordered such exemplary punishment, either corporal or otherwise, as the nature of their crime may call for. This measure will appear the more necessary, when it is recollected, that formerly, when such punishments were had recourse to, these women gave much less trouble, and were far more orderly in their conduct."
The superintendants were directed not to allow them to leave their work at their own pleasure, but to attend them, and see that they were employed during those hours which were allotted for their labour. The former of these orders seemed to have been attended with some effect; for in a few days several idle people, who, being out of their time, were employed only in wandering from one district to another, without any visible means of getting their bread, were apprehended, and, being examined before the sitting magistrate, were ordered to labour in the gaol gang.
Still alarming depredations were nightly committed upon the live stock of individuals, and were doubtless effected by those wandering pests to society; the regulations which had long since been established as a check to such an evil being wholly disregarded. It was discovered, that hogs were stolen, and delivered on the victualling days at the public store, without any enquiry being made, as to whose property they were, or by whom delivered, any person's name which they chose to give in being considered by the store-keeper as sufficient to authorise him to receive it, although printed vouchers for the delivery of such pork (and grain likewise) were left at the store, for the purpose of being signed by the party offering it. This certainly operated as an encouragement to the commission of these thefts; and it became necessary to order, that such persons as attended the receipt of any of these articles at the store should direct whoever delivered them to sign the voucher of the quantity received by him, the governor being determined never to approve of any bill laid before him for that purpose, unless the commissary should produce the voucher, properly signed, by the person in whose name such bill was made out.
About the middle of this month a general muster was made of all the inhabitants in the different districts of the settlement; and the governor, attending in person, collected from the settlers an accurate state of their farms and grounds in cultivation. This he did with a view of transmitting, in his next dispatches to Government, such an account of these people as, from being taken under his immediate inspection, might be depended upon. From the 14th to the 24th were taken up in this enquiry, from the result of which it appeared that there were in the district of the River Hawkesbury: 2544 and a half acres in wheat, 907 acres for maize; in the district of Parramatta: 1259 and a half acres in wheat, 663 and a half acres for maize; in the Sydney districts: 538 and a half acres in wheat, 365 and a half acres for maize; making a total of 4392 acres and a half in wheat, and 1436 acres for maize, in the three principal districts of the settlements.
At the Hawkesbury, the greatest quantity of ground in cultivation by any individual, who had from a convict become a settler, was fifty-one acres, forty-six of which were in wheat. Two others had fifty each, forty of which were in wheat. A man of the name of Flood (who, had been left by Mr. Hogan, when here in the ship _Marquis Cornwallis_ in 1796, in the care of some ground which that gentleman had purchased) had at this time two hundred, and an agent of Mr. Palmer the commissary, had within seven of three hundred, acres in wheat. There were but few sheep in the possession of the settlers of this district, and about two hundred and forty goats. Hogs were more numerous, there being, after all the slaughter which had lately taken place among these animals, nearly two thousand remaining. The fertility of this spot had invited about one hundred and eighty persons to become holders of land thereon; and when they shall have erected their dwelling-houses and barns on ground inaccessible to the overflowings of the river (which, from its vicinity to the immense body of mountains to the westward, and its own irregularly winding form, must often occur), they will not find their time or exertions to have been misapplied.
The settlers in and about Parramatta had not so much ground in cultivation, and were fewer in number than those of the Hawkesbury district. A widow woman of the name of Daveny, whose husband had been a superintendant of convicts, had fifty acres in wheat, and twenty-three in maize. Among the individuals who had attended to the rearing of stock must be mentioned with the credit which he merits, Edward Elliot, who, having firmly withstood every temptation that was placed in his way to induce him to sell them, had at this time a stock consisting of 116* sheep, derived from one ewe, which had been allowed him by Governor Phillip in December 1792. It, perhaps, may be read with some satisfaction, that George Barrington appeared to have twenty acres of ground in wheat, and to be the possessor of thirteen sheep, fifty-five goats, and two mares. His conduct continued such as it had been from the first; but his health was visibly declining, his unremitted attention to the duties of his office proving too much for an asthmatic habit, which he brought with him from England.
[* Vide Vol I Ch. XXXI p 401, viz: 'One man, a settler at the Eastern Farms, Edward Elliot, had received a ewe sheep from the late Governor Phillip before his departure in the year 1792. He had resisted many temptations to sell it, and at the time this inquiry took place was found possessing a stock of twenty-two sheep, males and females. He had been fortunate in not meeting with any loss, but had not added to his stock by any purchase. This was a proof that industry did not go without its reward in this country. Other instances were found to corroborate this observation.']
There were nine hundred and three goats, three hundred and thirty-two sheep, and about four hundred hogs, in this district, the settlers of which were one hundred and four in number.
It has been shown, that the cultivated ground in the district of the principal settlement was far less than in either that of the river, or Parramatta. At each of these, the soil was greatly superior, and had therefore been more desired by settlers; it must moreover be observed, that most of the farms in the neighbourhood of Sydney were taken before much knowledge had been obtained of the superior richness of the soil in the interior, over that near the coast. The greatest quantity of ground in cultivation by any individual was thirty-three acres. Their stock of sheep amounted only to thirty-eight, of goats to two hundred and ninety-two; and there were remaining among them about three hundred and sixty hogs. The number of settlers was seventy-one. In this statement, the farms and stock of the officers of the civil and military department, and of some of the free settlers, were not included.
This certainly was not an unpromising view of the agricultural part of the settlement. Much might be expected from the exertions of three hundred and fifty-five people, and the greatest advantage would have been derived from their labours had they been less prone to dissipation and useless traffic--a traffic which most of them entered into solely with a view to indulging themselves in their favourite propensity of drinking.
Independent of the wild herd of cattle to the westward, the live stock belonging to the Crown, and to individuals, was annually increasing to a great amount; but it was not yet sufficiently numerous to admit of supplying the colony with animal food. To begin too early to apply it to that use, would only have retarded the time when the colony would be independent of any other country for provisions; and none but superfluous males were ever killed.
On the 26th of this month the _Hillsborough_ transport arrived from England, whence she had sailed with three hundred male convicts on board; but, from the raging of a gaol fever, that made its appearance soon after her departure, ninety-five had died during the voyage, and six more were added to the number in a few days after they were landed.
It was impossible that any ship could have been better fitted by Government for the accommodation of prisoners during such a voyage than was the _Hillsborough_; but, unfortunately, they brought with them, perhaps lurking in their clothing, a disease which bade defiance to all the measures that could be taken for their comfort and convenience.
The hospitals were immediately filled with the survivors, from whom no labour could, for a length of time, be expected; and they were supplied with fresh meat.
None of the military having been embarked in this ship, the owners had put on board a certain number of people, to act as a guard; and on the commissary's mustering them and the ship's company, pursuant to a request to that purpose from the commissioners of the Transport Board, it appeared, that the terms of the charter-party had been strictly complied with.
The erecting of the public gaol advancing but slowly, the constables of the different divisions of the town of Sydney were directed to give information to the inhabitants of their respective divisions, that, as this building was a work in which they were all interested, they were to furnish from each of the four divisions, viz from King's, Nepean's, Banks's, Maskelyne's (such being their names), and from that of the Brickfields, five men each day, with a watchman to attend them. These were to be relieved by a like number of men every day, and this assistance was to be continued so long as the gentlemen who had the direction of the work should have occasion for them.
Had the convicts who arrived in the _Hillsborough_ been in a condition to labour, this requisition would have been unnecessary.
The _Albion_ was cleared during this month of the provisions which she brought out for the colony, and prepared to proceed upon her fishing voyage.
The _Buffalo_ was also getting ready to go to the Cape of Good Hope for cattle.