76 HISTORY OF 



of the colony was fired for the first time, and in 

 the evening, some of the convicts were suffered 

 to perform the comedy of the Recruiting 

 Officer. On the following day Lieut. Creswell, 

 with a body of marines, sailed in the Supply 

 for Norfolk Island. The Governor returned 

 on the 14th of July, from a second excursion 

 up the river Hawkesbury, in which he was im- 

 peded by; a shallow just above a hill, he ealled 

 Richmond Hill. Two years had now elapsed, 

 and several convicts claimed the privileges of 

 free men, but by some accident the proper- 

 papers for ascertaining the facts, had been left 

 in England, and though no profit hardly could 

 arise from the freedom being granted, they 

 were anxious for it, so the Governor directed 

 the Judge Advocate to take the affidavits of 

 those who could swear their time was expired, 

 and recommended them to work for the public 

 till the papers left in England should arrive. 

 The live stock of the colony now. became an 

 object of attention, it was observed, that all the 

 animals kept for breeding brought forth a 

 greater number of males than females, as in a 

 litter of twelve pigs, nine were males, and only 

 one kid out of seven was a female, and it gene- 

 rally happened in the same proportion, This 

 circumstance was of serious consequence, for it 

 threatened to retard the time when the assist- 

 ance from the mother country could bedispensed 

 with. From Lieut, King, at Norfolk Island, 

 the Supply brought dispatches, saying 17 acres 

 of ground had been cleared, that he was erecting 



