82 THE RISDON SETTLEMENT. 



diary, took life easily — shooting, hunting, excursionising, 

 Knopwood '"^^^ exchanging frequent visits with the officers of the 

 2Gth March, iiew camp. Towai'cis the end of March Mr. Knopwood 

 goes to llisdon for a few days, and '' they caught six 

 young emews the size of a turkey, and shot the old 

 1 April. mother." On Easter Sunday, after Divine Service, 



they all go to the chaplain's marquee at the camp, and 

 " partook of some Norfolk ham, the best we ever eat." 

 At 4 P.M. he adjourns to Lieut. Lord's to dinner, "and 

 was very merry." Mr. Knopwood records many visits 

 to Risdon, and excursions with Bowen up the river, to 

 Mount Direction, to Ralph's Bay, and other places. 

 " The Governor of Risdon Creek," as Knopwood called 

 him, had, however, enough trouble with his refractory 

 Collins to people. His soldiers had long grumbled at the sentry 

 King, '24th duty as too hard for their small numbers ; and the dis- 

 pnl, 1804. content at last broke out into direct mutiny. On Sunday, 

 22nd April, the men flatly refused to mount guard, and 

 became so insolent emd insubordinate that Lieut. Moore 

 promptly put four of the ringleaders into irons, and took 

 them down to Sullivan's Cove. Lieut.-Governor Collins 

 sent the mutineers under a guard on board the Colonial 

 cutter Integrity, then on the point of sailing for Port 

 Jackson. At the same time a plot was on foot amongst 

 some of the Irish convicts at Risdon. Their object was 

 to seize the storehouse, supply themselves with provisions, 

 and make good their escape from the settlement. On 

 the discovery of the plot three of the ringleaders were 

 forthwith flogged, and to prevent further mischief Cap- 

 tain Bowen and Mr. Wilson, the storekeeper, a few 

 days later took the mutinous prisoners to Norfolk Bay 

 in the Risdon whaleboat. " Eight of thciii, and all 

 Irishmen," remarks the chaplain. They were left on 

 Smooth Island (now known as Garden Island), with a 

 month's provisions, and Bowen went on to explore the 

 River Huon, 



With that fatality whicli always kept Bowen out of 

 the way when he was v.-anred, an iinpoilant and disastrous 

 event occurred at Risdon in his absence. This was the 

 first affray of the English with the natives. It was on 

 the 3rd May, 1804, that this first of the long series of 

 fatal encounters between the two "races took place. 

 Up to this time it does not appear that any natives 

 had been seen in the neighbourhood of Risdon. Knop- 

 wood relates that there had been some friendly intercourse 

 with the tribe on the other side of the river, and that 

 some of them had come to Collins' camp. We also learn 

 from him that he and Bov/en had seen many natives in 

 the neighbourhood of Frederick Henry Bay. The blacks 



