第39章

The Transactions of the Colony continued to the End of May,1791.

December,1790.The Dutch snow from Batavia arrived on the 17th of the month,after a passage of twelve weeks,in which she had lost sixteen of her people.

But death,to a man who has resided at Batavia,is too familiar an object to excite either terror or regret.All the people of the 'Supply'who were left there sick,except one midshipman,had also perished in that fatal climate.

The cargo of the snow consisted chiefly of rice,with a small quantity of beef,pork,and flour.

A letter was received by this vessel,written by the Shebander at Batavia,to governor Phillip,acquainting him that war had commenced between England and Spain.As this letter was written in the Dutch language we did not find it easy of translation.It filled us,however,with anxious perturbation,and with wishes as impotent,as they were eager,in the cause of our country.

Though far beyond the din of arms,we longed to contribute to her glory,and to share in her triumphs.

Placed out of the reach of attack,both by remoteness and insignificancy,our only dread lay lest those supplies intended for our consumption should be captured.Not,however,to be found totally unprovided in case an enemy should appear,a battery was planned near the entrance of Sydney Cove,and other formidable preparations set on foot.

The commencement of the year 1791,though marked by no circumstances particularly favourable,beamed far less inauspicious than that of 1790 had done.

January,1791.No circumstance,however apparently trivial,which can tend to throw light on a new country,either in respect of its present situation,or its future promise,should pass unregarded.On the 24th of January,two bunches of grapes were cut in the governor's garden,from cuttings of vines brought three years before from the Cape of Good Hope.The bunches were handsome,the fruit of a moderate size,but well filled out and the flavour high and delicious.

The first step after unloading the Dutch snow was to dispatch the 'Supply'to Norfolk Island for captain Hunter,and the crew of the 'Sirius'who had remained there ever since the loss of that ship.It had always been the governor's wish to hire the Dutchman,for the purpose of transporting them to England.But the frantic extravagant behaviour of the master of her,for a long time frustrated the conclusion of a contract.He was so totally lost to a sense of reason and propriety,as to ask eleven pounds per ton,monthly,for her use,until she should arrive from England,at Batavia.

This was treated with proper contempt;and he was at last induced to accept twenty shillings a ton,per month (rating her at three hundred tons) until she should arrive in England--being about the twenty-fifth part of his original demand.And even at this price she was,perhaps,the dearest vessel ever hired on a similar service,being totally destitute of every accommodation and every good quality which could promise to render so long a voyage either comfortable or expeditious.

February,1791.On the 26th,Captain Hunter,his officers and ship's company joined us;and on the 28th of March the snow sailed with them for England,intending to make a northern passage by Timor and Batavia,the season being too far advanced to render the southern route by Cape Horn practicable.

[They did not arrive in England until April,1792.]

Six days previous to the departure of captain Hunter,the indefatigable 'Supply'

again sailed for Norfolk Island,carrying thither captain Hill and a detachment of the New South Wales corps.A little native boy named Bondel,who had long particularly attached himself to captain Hill,accompanied him,at his own earnest request.His father had been killed in battle and his mother bitten in two by a shark:so that he was an orphan,dependant on the humanity of his tribe for protection.His disappearance seemed to make no impression on the rest of his countrymen,who were apprized of his resolution to go.

On the return of the 'Supply'they inquired eagerly for him,and on being told that the place he was gone to afforded plenty of birds and other good fare,innumerable volunteers presented themselves to follow him,so great was their confidence in us and so little hold of them had the amor patriae.

[I am of opinion that such protection is always extended to children who may be left destitute.]

March,1791.The snow had but just sailed,when a very daring manoeuvre was carried into execution,with complete success,by a set of convicts,eleven in number,including a woman,wife of one of the party,and two little children.They seized the governor's cutter and putting into her a seine,fishing-lines,and hooks,firearms,a quadrant,compass,and some provisions,boldly pushed out to sea,determined to brave every danger and combat every hardship,rather than remain longer in a captive state.Most of these people had been brought out in the first fleet,and the terms of transportation of some of them were expired.Among them were a fisherman,a carpenter,and some competent navigators,so that little doubt was entertained that a scheme so admirably planned would be adequately executed.When their elopement was discovered,a pursuit was ordered by the governor.But the fugitives had made too good an use of the intermediate time to be even seen by their pursuers.After the escape of Captain Bligh,which was well known to us,no length of passage or hazard of navigation seemed above human accomplishment.However to prevent future attempts of a like nature,the governor directed that boats only of stated dimensions should be built.Indeed an order of this sort had been issued on the escape of the first party,and it was now repeated with additional restrictions.

[It was my fate to fall in again with part of this little band of adventurers.