Transactions of the Colony, from the Commencement of the Year 1789, until
the End of March.
Pursuant to his resolution, the governor on the 31st of December sent two
boats, under the command of Lieutenant Ball of the 'Supply', and Lieutenant
George Johnston of the marines, down the harbour, with directions to those
officers to seize and carry off some of the natives. The boats proceeded to
Manly Cove, where several Indians were seen standing on the beach, who
were enticed by courteous behaviour and a few presents to enter into
conversation. A proper opportunity being presented, our people rushed
in among them, and seized two men: the rest fled; but the cries of the
captives soon brought them back, with many others, to their rescue: and so
desperate were their struggles, that, in spite of every effort on our side,
only one of them was secured; the other effected his escape. The boats put
off without delay; and an attack from the shore instantly commenced: they
threw spears, stones, firebrands, and whatever else presented itself, at
the boats; nor did they retreat, agreeable to their former custom, until
many musquets were fired over them.
The prisoner was now fastened by ropes to the thwarts of the boat; and when
he saw himself irretrievably disparted from his countrymen, set up the
most piercing and lamentable cries of distress. His grief, however, soon
diminished: he accepted and ate of some broiled fish which was given to
him, and sullenly submitted to his destiny.
When the news of his arrival at Sydney was announced, I went with every
other person to see him: he appeared to be about thirty years old,
not tall, but robustly made; and of a countenance which, under happier
circumstances, I thought would display manliness and sensibility; his
agitation was excessive, and the clamourous crowds who flocked around
him did not contribute to lessen it. Curiosity and observation seemed,
nevertheless, not to have wholly deserted him; he shewed the effect of
novelty upon ignorance; he wondered at all he saw: though broken and
interrupted with dismay, his voice was soft and musical, when its natural
tone could be heard; and he readily pronounced with tolerable accuracy
the names of things which were taught him. To our ladies he quickly became
extraordinarily courteous, a sure sign that his terror was wearing off.
Every blandishment was used to soothe him, and it had its effect. As he
was entering the governor's house, some one touched a small bell which hung
over the door: he started with horror and astonishment; but in a moment
after was reconciled to the noise, and laughed at the cause of his
perturbation. When pictures were shown to him, he knew directly those which
represented the human figure: among others, a very large handsome print of
her royal highness the Dutchess of Cumberland being produced, he called out
'woman', a name by which we had just before taught him to call the female
convicts. Plates of birds and beasts were also laid before him; and many
people were led to believe, that such as he spoke about and pointed to
were known to him. But this must have been an erroneous conjecture, for the
elephant, rhinoceros, and several others, which we must have discovered did
they exist in the country, were of the number. Again, on the other hand,
those he did not point out, were equally unknown to him.
His curiosity here being satiated, we took him to a large brick house,
which was building for the governor's residence: being about to enter, he
cast up his eyes, and seeing some people leaning out of a window on
the first story, he exclaimed aloud, and testified the most extravagant
surprise. Nothing here was observed to fix his attention so strongly as
some tame fowls, who were feeding near him: our dogs also he particularly
noticed; but seemed more fearful than fond of them.
He dined at a side-table at the governor's; and ate heartily of fish and
ducks, which he first cooled. Bread and salt meat he smelled at, but would
not taste: all our liquors he treated in the same manner, and could drink
nothing but water. On being shown that he was not to wipe his hands on the
chair which he sat upon, he used a towel which was gave to him, with great
cleanliness and decency.
In the afternoon his hair was closely cut, his head combed, and his beard
shaved; but he would not submit to these operations until he had seen them
performed on another person, when he readily acquiesced. His hair, as might
be supposed, was filled with vermin, whose destruction seemed to afford him
great triumph; nay, either revenge, or pleasure, prompted him to eat them!
but on our expressing disgust and abhorrence he left it off.
To this succeeded his immersion in a tub of water and soap, where he was
completely washed and scrubbed from head to foot; after which a shirt,
a jacket, and a pair of trousers, were put upon him. Some part of this
ablution I had the honour to perform, in order that I might ascertain the
real colour of the skin of these people. My observation then was (and it
has since been confirmed in a thousand other instances) that they are as
black as the lighter cast of the African negroes.
Many unsuccessful attempts were made to learn his name; the governor
therefore called him Manly, from the cove in which he was captured: this
cove had received its name from the manly undaunted behaviour of a party of
natives seen there, on our taking possession of the country.
To prevent his escape, a handcuff with a rope attached to it, was fastened
around his left wrist, which at first highly delighted him; he called it
'bengadee' (or ornament), but his delight changed to rage and hatred when
he discovered its use. His supper he cooked himself: some fish were given
to him for this purpose, which, without any previous preparation whatever,
he threw carelessly on the fire, and when they became warm took them up,
and first rubbed off the scales, peeled the outside with his teeth, and ate
it; afterwards he gutted them, and laying them again on the fire, completed
the dressing, and ate them.
A convict was selected to sleep with him, and to attend him wherever he
might go. When he went with his keeper into his apartment he appeared very
restless and uneasy while a light was kept in; but on its extinction, he
immediately lay down and composed himself.
Sullenness and dejection strongly marked his countenance on the
following morning; to amuse him, he was taken around the camp, and to the
observatory: casting his eyes to the opposite shore from the point where
he stood, and seeing the smoke of fire lighted by his countrymen, he looked
earnestly at it, and sighing deeply two or three times, uttered the word
'gweeun' (fire).
His loss of spirits had not, however, the effect of impairing his appetite;
eight fish, each weighing about a pound, constituted his breakfast, which
he dressed as before. When he had finished his repast, he turned his back
to the fire in a musing posture, and crept so close to it, that his shirt
was caught by the flame; luckily his keeper soon extinguished it; but he
was so terrified at the accident, that he was with difficulty persuaded to
put on a second.
1st. January, 1789. To-day being new-year's-day, most of the officers were
invited to the governor's table: Manly dined heartily on fish and roasted
pork; he was seated on a chest near a window, out of which, when he had
done eating, he would have thrown his plate, had he not been prevented:
during dinner-time a band of music played in an adjoining apartment; and
after the cloth was removed, one of the company sang in a very soft
and superior style; but the powers of melody were lost on Manly, which
disappointed our expectations, as he had before shown pleasure and
readiness in imitating our tunes. Stretched out on his chest, and putting
his hat under his head, he fell asleep.
To convince his countrymen that he had received no injury from us, the
governor took him in a boat down the harbour, that they might see and
converse with him: when the boat arrived, and lay at a little distance
from the beach, several Indians who had retired at her approach, on seeing
Manly, returned: he was greatly affected, and shed tears. At length they
began to converse. Our ignorance of the language prevented us from knowing
much of what passed; it was, however, easily understood that his friends
asked him why he did not jump overboard, and rejoin them. He only sighed,
and pointed to the fetter on his leg, by which he was bound.
In going down the harbour he had described the names by which they
distinguish its numerous creeks and headlands: he was now often heard to
repeat that of 'Weerong' (Sydney Cove), which was doubtless to inform his
countrymen of the place of his captivity; and perhaps invite them to rescue
him. By this time his gloom was chased away, and he parted from his friends
without testifying reluctance. His vivacity and good humour continued all
the evening, and produced so good an effect on his appetite, that he ate
for supper two kangaroo rats, each of the size of a moderate rabbit, and in
addition not less than three pounds of fish.
Two days after he was taken on a similar excursion; but to our surprise the
natives kept aloof, and would neither approach the shore, or discourse with
their countryman: we could get no explanation of this difficulty, which
seemed to affect us more than it did him. Uncourteous as they were, he
performed to them an act of attentive benevolence; seeing a basket made
of bark, used by them to carry water, he conveyed into it two hawks and
another bird, which the people in the boat had shot, and carefully covering
them over, left them as a present to his old friends. But indeed the
gentleness and humanity of his disposition frequently displayed themselves:
when our children, stimulated by wanton curiosity, used to flock around
him, he never failed to fondle them, and, if he were eating at the time,
constantly offered them the choicest part of his fare.
February, 1789. His reserve, from want of confidence in us, continued
gradually to wear away: he told us his name, and Manly gave place to
Arabanoo. Bread he began to relish; and tea he drank with avidity:
strong liquors he would never taste, turning from them with disgust and
abhorrence. Our dogs and cats had ceased to be objects of fear, and were
become his greatest pets, and constant companions at table. One of our
chief amusements, after the cloth was removed, was to make him repeat the
names of things in his language, which he never hesitated to do with
the utmost alacrity, correcting our pronunciation when erroneous. Much
information relating to the customs and manners of his country was also
gained from him: but as this subject will be separately and amply treated,
I shall not anticipate myself by partially touching on it here.
On the 2nd of February died Captain John Shea of the marines, after a
lingering illness: he was interred on the following day, with the customary
military honours, amidst the regret of all who knew him. In consequence of
his decease, appointments for the promotion of the oldest officer of
each subordinate rank were signed by the major commandant of the marine
battalion, until the pleasure of the lords of the admiralty should be
notified.*
[*These appointments were confirmed by the admiralty.]
On the 17th of February the 'Supply' again sailed for Norfolk Island. The
governor went down the harbour in her, and carried Arabanoo with him, who
was observed to go on board with distrust and reluctance; when he found she
was under sail, every effort was tried without success to exhilarate him;
at length, an opportunity being presented, he plunged overboard, and struck
out for the nearest shore: believing that those who were left behind would
fire at him, he attempted to dive, at which he was known to be very expert:
but this was attended with a difficulty which he had not foreseen: his
clothes proved so buoyant, that he was unable to get more than his head
under water: a boat was immediately dispatched after him, and picked him
up, though not without struggles and resistance on his side. When brought
on board, he appeared neither afraid or ashamed of what he had done, but
sat apart, melancholy and dispirited, and continued so until he saw the
governor and his other friends descend into a boat, and heard himself
called upon to accompany them: he sprang forward, and his cheerfulness and
alacrity of temper immediately returned, and lasted during the remainder of
the day. The dread of being carried away, on an element of whose boundary
he could form no conception, joined to the uncertainty of our intention
towards him, unquestionably caused him to act as he did.
One of the principal effects which we had supposed the seizure and
captivity of Arabanoo would produce, seemed yet at as great a distance as
ever; the natives neither manifested signs of increased hostility on his
account, or attempted to ask any explanation of our conduct through the
medium of their countryman who was in our possession, and who they knew was
treated with no farther harshness than in being detained among us. Their
forbearance of open and determined attack upon can be accounted for only
by recollecting their knowledge of our numbers, and their dread of our
fire-arms: that they wanted not sufficient provocation to do so, will
appear from what I am about to relate.
March, 1789. Sixteen convicts left their work at the brick-kilns without
leave, and marched to Botany Bay, with a design to attack the natives,
and to plunder them of their fishing-tackle and spears: they had armed
themselves with their working tools and large clubs. When they arrived near
the bay, a body of Indians, who had probably seen them set out, and had
penetrated their intention from experience, suddenly fell upon them. Our
heroes were immediately routed, and separately endeavoured to effect their
escape by any means which were left. In their flight one was killed, and
seven were wounded, for the most part very severely: those who had the
good fortune to outstrip their comrades and arrive in camp, first gave the
alarm; and a detachment of marines, under an officer, was ordered to march
to their relief. The officer arrived too late to repel the Indians; but
he brought in the body of the man that was killed, and put an end to
the pursuit. The governor was justly incensed at what had happened, and
instituted the most rigorous scrutiny into the cause which had produced it.
At first the convicts were unanimous in affirming, that they were quietly
picking sweet-tea*, when they were without provocation assaulted by the
natives, with whom they had no wish to quarrel. Some of them, however,
more irresolute than the rest, at last disclosed the purpose for which the
expedition had been undertaken; and the whole were ordered to be severely
flogged: Arabanoo was present at the infliction of the punishment; and was
made to comprehend the cause and the necessity of it; but he displayed on
the occasion symptoms of disgust and terror only.
[*A vegetable creeper found growing on the rocks, which yields, on infusion
in hot water, a sweet astringent taste, whence it derives its name: to
its virtues the healthy state of the soldiery and convicts must be greatly
attributed. It was drank universally.]
On the 24th instant the 'Supply' arrived from Norfolk Island, and Lord Howe
Island, bringing from the latter place three turtles.
An awful and terrible example of justice took place towards the close of
this month, which I record with regret, but which it would be disingenuous
to suppress. Six marines, the flower of our battalion, were hanged by the
public executioner, on the sentence of a criminal court, composed entirely
of their own officers, for having at various times robbed the public stores
of flour, meat, spirits, tobacco, and many other articles.