114 HISTORY OF 



country was now invested in Francis Grose, 

 Esq. Major-Commandant of the New South 

 Wales corps, who adopted- Military instead of 

 civil officers ; it was not obvious why this alter- 

 ation was, made, as no evii "had "resulted hitherto 

 from the departments btingfilledby civilofficers; 

 but probably it might arise from Governor 

 Grose, i^e.iiig a military man. Early in Decem- 

 ber, an American ship, the Hope, Page, master, 

 from Rhode Island, arrived, who said he put 

 into the cove, for wood and water, but more 

 probably to sell a cargo he had on board of 

 provisions and spirits, of which was purchased 

 to the amount of 9.9571 6s. 6Y1. Of the regu- 

 lations made by the new Governor, were the 

 dispensing with the officer's guard, and differ- 

 in £ the time of labour to the convicts, so as to 

 allow them more time for then selves. The 

 weather during December was excessively hot, 

 and the wind blew from the Northward of West; 

 and to add to the heat of the atmosphere, the 

 natives set fire to the grass, and for a great dis- 

 tance the country was in flames. The ther- 

 mometer, in the shade, rose above an hundred 

 degrees. At Paramatta and Toongabbe, (a 

 place beyond Paramatta,) the country was on 

 fire, and a spark from a tree which was burn- 

 ing, fell upon a thatched hut, in which some 

 people, lived belonging to Mr. Arndell, it 

 caught fire, and was with the out-houses, and 

 30 bushels of wheat, consumed in a few minutes. 

 In this year death caused a decrease in the 



