405 HISTORY or 



fulfil his promise of producing the pikes. He 

 iirst said they were buried in the ground of a 

 settler, but on searching every part of it, no 

 pikes could be found. He then said they were 

 sunk in the harbour; but here neither could 

 they be discovered. Thus failing he tryed to 

 persuade an Irishman, to make a few to produce 

 in support of his assertion ; but the man unfor- 

 tunately for him had been transported for hav- 

 ing already been a dealer in those articles, and 

 declared he would not involve himself a second 

 time on their account. He however did at 

 length find a man to make something like one, 

 from a large old hinge, this bore too strongly 

 the marks of imposition to gain any credit. 

 There was evidently a determination to create 

 an alarm ; Harold declaring that he only, as 

 their priest, was able to come at the facts, was 

 thought to be aiming at making himself of 

 consequence in the new intended government. 

 He had some time since applied to the Governor 

 for liberty to act as their priest and most un- 

 doubtedly had he been well affected to the 

 government, he might have been of use to the 

 colony in that office. 



In consequence of these circumstances and 

 to counteract their effects, a number of the in- 

 habitants were formed into two volunteer asso- 

 ciations of fifty men each, and called the Sydney 

 and Paramatta Loyal Associated Corps, each 

 commanded by a Captain, two Lieutenants, and 

 a proper number of non-commissioned officers. 

 They werf supplied with arms and ammunition 



