426 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



the second mate (John Leith) and several of the crew for the 

 purpose of procuring seals, the principal object of the voyage 

 from England. She then proceeded on her way to the Cape 

 of Good Hope, there to procure cattle and stores for the 

 settlement. It is pretty certain that this was the beginning of 

 the future great sealing industry of New Zealand, undertaken in 

 the first instance by the English, and not, as is generally sup- 

 posed, by the Americans. John Leith, recognising the possibility 

 of himself and party remaining indefinitely and uncalled for in 

 Dusky Bay, wisely employed a portion of his time in building a 

 little schooner, wherewith to effect an escape in case of need. 

 The necessity for this did not, however, arise. The Britannia 

 again arrived at Sydney from the Cape of Good Hope in June, 

 1793, and was chartered to proceed to India for provisions. It 

 was determined by the Lieutenant-Governor that the schooner 

 Fancy should accompany her to Dusky Bay, and bring back full 

 information regarding the seal fishery, spar-cutting, or anything 

 else that might tend to the benefit of the settlement. The 

 vessels sailed in October ; and the Fancy returned in November, 

 reporting that the sealing party had procured 4,500 skins. 

 They had enjoyed excellent health, though the weather bad 

 been very bad — so bad, indeed, as often to interfere with their 

 fishing operations — heavy rains and gales, and once a shock of 

 earthquake. The Natives were very quiet and harmless, and, 

 indeed, seemed rather to avoid the party. Provisions were 

 plentiful — ducks, wood-hens, and fish. The little schooner of 

 65 tons was nearly completed, and was, of course, left. Tbe 

 accounts were not, on the whole, sufficiently encouraging to 

 induce further attempts to develope industries in Dusky Bay. 



We now come to occurrences specially connected with these 

 notes. In May, 1795, the Endeavour, an 800-ton ship, Captain 

 Bampton, arrived at Port Jackson from Bombay, with a large 

 number of cattle and stores. This Captain Matthew Wright 

 Bampton had made previous voyages to the settlements with 

 cattle and provisions ; and a third time he sailed for India to 

 perform a similar contract with the Government, intending to 

 touch at New Zealand by the way. It would seem to have been 

 the practice in those days for two or more vessels to sail together 

 for some distant port. On this occasion the Fancy accompanied 

 the Endeavour. This was in September, and it was on this 

 voyage the disaster occurred. News of it was brought from the 

 branch convict settlement at Norfolk Island, in March, 1796, 

 seven months afterwards. It appeared that on reaching Dusky 

 Bay the vessel was so leaky that she was there run ashore and 

 scuttled. Besides the crew, there were more than 100 people 

 on board. Fifty of these were ex-convicts, whose term of sen- 

 tence had expired ; and the other fifty were what we term now- 

 a-days stowaways. The little schooner which had been built. 



