The wind-mill tried
A civil court assembled
Difficulty respecting the convicts from Ireland
The natives
Some buildings begun
Weather March
Number of men not victualled by the Commissary, who had been convicts
An extraordinary theft
Court of criminal judicature twice held
One man suffers death
Price of labour fixed
The natives attack the settlers
Public works
Weather
February.] The wind-mill being nearly finished at the commencement of
this month, it was tried with only two of its sails; when it ground,
with one pair of stones, a bushel of wheat in ten minutes, and,
considering the immense weight of the wood-work, its motion was found
to be easy and convenient.
It might not have been expected, that occasions for convening the court
of civil judicature could frequently have occurred in an infant
settlement such as this; or that, when assembled, it could have had
business to occupy it above a day; yet one of these courts assembled on
the first, and continued sitting by adjournments until the fourteenth,
for the decision of many civil concerns. Among these was the recovery of
debts, several of which had been contracted very improperly, and which
were likely to involve many in ruin.
It appeared, that, to obtain spirituous liquors, these people, the
settlers, had incurred debts to so great an amount, as to preclude the
most distant hope of liquidating them, except by selling their farms.
Thus all their former industry must be sacrificed to discharge debts
which were contracted for the temporary gratification of being steeped in
beastly intoxication for a certain length of time. All the cautions which
had occasionally been inserted in the public orders against this
dangerous practice, had not proved of any advantage to those whose
benefit they were intended to promote; and it was observed with concern,
that several scenes of shameful imposition, which had been practised by
the retail dealers in this article, were brought to light by this
investigation.
Several convicts, who had served their respective terms of
transportation, having applied to be discharged from the victualling
books of the colony, and allowed to provide for themselves, it was
determined, that once during a given time certificates of their having so
served their several sentences should be granted to them, together with
the permission which they solicited. There was not any difficulty in
ascertaining the term of the convicts sent from England, as correct lists
of their several sentences from the Secretary of State's office
accompanied them: but it was not so with those who had been sent from
Ireland, and who were more likely to be dissatisfied with any
disappointment on this rather nice subject, than any other, people in
the settlement. This was an evil of some magnitude; and a representation
of it had been made to the government of that kingdom, but as yet no
answer had been received.
The season for cropping the ground being near at hand, the settlers were
informed, that such of them as had lent their men to repair the roads
would have them returned for the time that would be required to sow the
grain; after that was performed, they were expected again to come
forward, and finish what they had so well begun.
The natives excited some little degree of curiosity about this time, a
large party from Broken Bay having assembled in the lower part of the
harbour, whither those belonging to Sydney immediately repaired, for the
purpose, it was reported, of meeting them in fight; but it turned out to
be nothing more than the usual ceremony which a native of Broken Bay
underwent, of having several spears thrown at him, for having, it was
said, killed a person belonging to this part of the country. He went off
unhurt, after sustaining the appearance of much rage and violence from
the friends of the deceased.
A gang having been for some time employed in making bricks, the
foundation of a building for two assistant surgeons was marked in this
month. This was one of the necessary works already mentioned, as the
miserable quarters which those gentlemen occupied were originally
constructed only of split cabbage trees, and were at this time quite
decayed.
Some heavy rain fell during the first and latter parts of the month,
which it was hoped would extinguish the still glowing embers of the vast
fires which had surrounded the place, and which, being scattered over the
country every dry and windy day; occasioned new and dreadful
conflagrations.
There were not any arrivals during the month, except that of the Colonial
schooner from the Hawkesbury, with a cargo of Indian corn, and some wheat
that had been damaged by the weevil, an enemy which had been imported
among the rice from India.
March.] It appeared by the books in which were entered the certificates
granted to the convicts who had again become free people, that there were
at this time not less than 600 men off the store and working for
themselves in the colony; forming a vast deduction of labouring people
from the public strength, and adding a great many chances against the
safety of private and public property, as well as personal security.
An extraordinary theft was committed about the middle of the month, which
very forcibly marked the inherent depravity of some of these miscreants.
While the miller was absent for a short time, part of the sails belonging
to the mill were stolen. Now this machine was at work for the benefit of
those very incorrigible vagabonds who had thus, for a time, prevented its
being of use to any one, and who, being too lazy to grind for themselves,
had formerly been obliged to pay one third of their whole allowance of
wheat, to have the remainder ground for them by hand mills, an expense
that was saved to them by bringing their corn to the public mill.
Twice during this month it became necessary to assemble the court of
criminal judicature: at one of which, a man named Mobbs was capitally
convicted of robbing the public stores, upon the evidence of an
accomplice, who was admitted on the part of the crown. They had stolen at
different times an incredible quantity of clothing, provisions, and
various other articles, and ought to have been much sooner detected.
Mobbs suffered death, and exhibited himself at the gallows as a wicked
and hardened offender.
For offenders not deserving of capital punishment, Norfolk Island had
been for some time a place of banishment; and the convicts in general
felt this second transportation more severely than the first:
notwithstanding which, they continued to commit offences that they knew
must end in that punishment. Four prisoners, one of them a soldier, were
at this time sentenced to seven years exile to that island, for different
offences; and when viewed in this light, as a place of confinement for
some of her worst members, Norfolk Island might be considered as an
useful appendage to the principal settlement.
In pursuance of the order which was issued in January last, recommending
the settlers to appoint meetings, at which they should fix the rate of
wages that it might be proper to pay for the different kinds of labour
which their farms should require, the settlers had met, and submitted to
the governor the several resolutions that they had entered into; by which
he was enabled to fix a rate that he conceived to be fair and equitable
between the farmer and the labourer.
The following prices of labour were now established, viz
£ s d
Falling forest timber, per acre 0 9 0
Do. in brush ground, do 0 10 6
Burning off open ground, do 1 5 0
Do. brush ground, do 1 10 0
Breaking up new ground, do 1 4 0
Chipping fresh ground, do 0 12 3
Chipping in wheat, do 0 7 0
Breaking up stubble or corn ground, 1 1/4d. per rod, or do 0 16 8
Planting Indian Corn, do 0 7 0
Hilling, do do 0 7 0
Reaping wheat, do 10 10 0
Threshing do per bushel, do 0 0 9
Pulling and husking Indian corn, per bushel 0 0 6
Splitting paling of seven feet long, per hundred 0 3 0
Do of five feet long do 0 1 6
Sawing plank, do 0 7 0
Ditching per rod, three feet wide and three feet deep 0 0 10
Carriage of wheat, per bushel, per mile 0 0 2
Do Indian corn, neat 0 0 3
Yearly wages for labour, with board 10 0 0
Wages per week, with provisions, consisting of
4 lib. of salt pork or 6 lib. of fresh,
and 21 lib. of wheat, with vegetables 0 6 0
A day's wages, with board 0 1 0
Do without board 0 2 6
A government man allowed to officers or settlers
in their own time 0 0 10
Price of an axe 0 2 0
New steeling do 0 0 6
A new hoe 0 1 9
A sickle 0 1 6
Hire of a boat to carry grain, per day 0 5 0
The settlers were reminded, that, in order to prevent any kind of dispute
between the master and servant, when they should have occasion to hire a
man for any length of time, they would find it most convenient to engage
him for a quarter, half year, or year, and to make their agreement in
writing; on which should any dispute arise, an appeal to the magistrates
would settle it.
A person, who absconding from his work had been ordered to labour a
certain time in irons, having wrought upon the feelings of one of the
magistrates to permit his working without them, and having given strong
assurance of future diligence, was no sooner freed from his incumbrances
than he took to the woods again. The frequent and unrestrained passing
and repassing of idle and disorderly people from one part of the colony
to another, and the mischievous correspondence which was kept up by such
means, was productive of great evil. To check this as much as possible,
all persons, the officers excepted, who were travelling from one district
of the settlement to another, were required to furnish themselves with a
passport, which, on a proper application, they would obtain without any
difficulty. This was to be shown to and inspected by the constables in
each district; and if found without it they were to be imprisoned during
a month for the first offence, and otherwise punished if it was repeated.
But the best local arrangements were set at defiance by those hardened
vagabonds, who seemed daily to increase in number and in infamy.
While the governor was endeavouring to guard against the injuries that
might be done by these people, the settlers found themselves obliged to
assemble for the purpose of repelling the attacks made upon them by the
natives. The people at the northern farms had been repeatedly plundered
of their provisions and clothing by a large body of savages, who had also
recently killed a man and a woman. Exasperated at such cruel and wanton
conduct, they armed themselves, and, after pursuing them a whole night,
at sun-rise in the morning came up with a party of more than a hundred,
who fled immediately on discovering that their pursuers were armed,
leaving behind them a quantity of Indian corn, some musket balls, and
other things of which the soldiers had been plundered. They continued to
follow, and traced them as far as the outskirts of Parramatta. Being
fatigued with their march, they entered the town, and in about an hour
after were followed by a large body of natives, headed by Pe-mul-wy, a
riotous and troublesome savage. These were known by the settlers to be
the same who had so frequently annoyed them; and they intended, if
possible, to seize upon Pe-mul-wy; who, in a great rage, threatened to
spear the first man that dared to approach him, and actually did throw a
spear at one of the soldiers. The conflict was now begun; a musket was
immediately levelled at the principal, which severely wounded him. Many
spears were then thrown, and one man was hit in the arm; upon which the
superior effect of our fire-arms was immediately shown them, and five
were instantly killed.
However unpleasant it was to the governor, that the lives of so many of
these people should have been taken, no other course could possibly be
pursued; for it was their custom, when they found themselves more
numerous and better armed than the white people, to demand with insolence
whatever they wanted; and, if refused, to have recourse to murder. This
check, it was hoped, would have a good effect; and Pe-mul-wy, who had
received seven buck shot in his head and different parts of his body, was
taken extremely ill to the hospital. This man was first known in the
settlement by the murder of* John McIntire in the year 1790; since which
he had been a most active enemy to the settlers, plundering them of their
property, and endangering their personal safety.
[* Vide Vol I Ch. XI viz: 'On the 10th, John McIntire, a convict
who was employed by the governor to shoot for him, was dangerously
wounded by a native named Pe-mul-wy, while in quest of game in
the woods at some considerable distance from the settlement. When
brought in he declared, and at a time when he thought himself dying, that
he did not give any offence to the man who wounded him; that he had even
quitted his arms, to induce him to look upon him as a friend, when the
savage threw his spear at about the distance of ten yards with a skill
that was fatally unerring. When the spear was extracted, which was not
until suppuration took place, it was found to have entered his body under
the left arm, to the depth of seven inches and a half. It was armed for
five or six inches from the point with ragged pieces of shells fastened
in gum. His recovery was immediately pronounced by Mr. White to be very
doubtful'.]
The people belonging to the crown were employed during this month in the
following several works: At Toongabbie, upwards of 100 men were occupied
in agriculture--a wind-mill was to be erected at Parramatta, where
stone-masons and carpenters were preparing the materials. At Sydney, a
gang was employed in making bricks, where also were completing a large
granary and a strong log-prison. All the public brick buildings were
likewise undergoing a repair, being crumbling into ruins; such as the
barracks for the military, storehouses, officers' dwellings and others.
Some people were also repairing the boats belonging to government; and
bricks were bringing in for the barracks of the assistant surgeons (this
part of the public labour was performed by a team of oxen). A new
flag-staff was prepared and erected at the South Head during this month,
the weather of which had for the greater part been very wet.