under such circumstances, determined the governor to depart in many instances from the letter of his instructions upon this head, and make grants of the intermediate spaces.

On the 21st of September his Majesty's ship the Gorgon of forty-four guns, commanded by Captain Parker, anchored within the heads of the harbour and next morning reached the settlement. She brought with her a sufficiency of provisions for six months for nine hundred persons; also a quantity of military and naval stores. She had remained some weeks at the Cape of Good Hope, and took in there for the colony three bulls, twenty-three cows, sixtyeight sheep, eleven hogs, some fruit trees, garden seeds, and other articles. About a third of the cattle died on the passage. The chaplain and quarter-master of the New South Wales corps, also Mr. Charles Grimes, commissioned as a deputy-surveyor-general to be employed in Norfolk Island, arrived in this ship.

Mr. King, the late commandant of Norfolk Island, was now appointed by his Majesty lieutenant-governor of that settlement and a commander in the navy.

By the Gorgon was received the public seal that was to be affixed to all instruments

drawn in his Majesty's name. In its device, attention had been paid to local and peculiar On the obverse were the

circumstances.

King's arms, with the royal titles in the margin, on the reverse a representation of persons landing in the colony, who were received by Industry, surrounded with merchandize and utensils of agriculture, and pointing to oxen ploughing, a town and fort constructing, and ships in the harbour. In the margin are the words Sigillum. Nov. Camb. Aust. and for a motto, Sic fortis Etruria crevit. The seal was of silver, its weight forty-six ounces, and the devices very well executed.

On the 26th the Active transport from England and the Queen transport from Ireland, anchored in the cove. On board the Active besides a serjeant's guard, were one hundred and fifty-four male convicts. An officer's party were on board the Queen with one hundred and twenty-six male and twenty-three female convicts and three children. These ships had been unhealthy and had lost some of their number. The sick were landed with all expedition and received immediate medical assistance. The remainder were brought on shore in an emaciated and feeble condition. They in general complained of not receiving

K

the allowance intended for them.

Of this the

convicts from the Queen made a formal complaint against the master. A legal inquiry took place, and upon all the circumstances being laid before the governor, he determined on transmitting them to England to the secretary of state, as the most advisable step which the nature of the proofs admitted of.

Several more transports arrived about the middle of October. Of these, the Albemarle had nearly been taken possession of at sea by the convicts. The attempt was frustrated by Mr. George Bowen, the master, who had just time to seize a loaded blunderbuss and lodge its contents in the shoulder of one of them, then in the act of aiming a blow with a cutlass at the man at the wheel. The others ran below but were speedily secured, and the two ringleaders, after a short consultation between the ship's company and the military, were hanged at the fore-yard-arm. Two seamen who were proved to have supplied them with instruments for sawing off their irons, were left at the Island of Madeira to be sent prisoners to England.

The different transports having met with many spermaceti whales between Port Jackson and the South Cape, five of them were at the

request of the masters cleared for that fishery, viz. the Mary Ann, Matilda, William and Ann, Salamander and Britannia.

On the 25th of October, the anniversary of his Majesty's accession, upwards of fifty officers were entertained at the governor's table; a much greater number of men of that rank, than the colony had ever before seen assembled together on any similar occasion. The Gorgon fired a salute of one-and-twenty guns.

CHAPTER XV.

Arrival of Lieutenant-Governor Grose.

IN December the marines that had come out at the first planting of the colony, embarked for England on board the Gorgon. The ship sailed on the eighteenth of that month.

On the 14th of February, the signal was made for a sail, and shortly after, the Pitt, Captain Edward Manning, anchored in the cove, from England. She had on board Francis Grose, Esq. lieutenant-governor of the settlement and major-commandant of the New South Wales corps, one company of which together with the adjutant and surgeon's mate, now arrived along with him. She brought out three hundred and nineteen male and fortynine female convicts, five children and seven free women, with salt provisions sufficient to serve that number of people ten months. She also brought out with her a sloop in pieces, of the burden of forty-one tons. This vessel's keel was immediately laid down, on blocks fixed for the purpose near the landing-place on the east side of the cove; but it was generally