24 ACCOUNT OF THE ENGLISH COLONY [March, 



Lieutenant King wrote in good fpirits, and fpoke of meeting all 

 his difficulties like a man determined to overcome them. The foil of 

 this ifland appeared to he very rich, but the landing dangerous. The 

 flax-plant (the principal object in view) he had not difcovered when 

 the Supply failed. Lieutenant Ball, foon after he left this harbour, fell 

 in with an uninhabited ifland inlat. 31 0 56' S. and in long. 159° 4 

 E. which he named Lord Llowe Ifland. It is inferior in fize to Nor- 

 folk Ifland, but abounded at that time with turtle (fixteen of which 

 he brought away with him), as well as with a new fpecies of fowl, 

 and a fmali brown bird, the flelh of which was very fine eating. 

 Thefe birds were in great abundance, and fo unufed to fuch vifitors, 

 that they fuffered themfelves to be knocked down with flicks, as they 

 ran along the beach. 



Pines, but no fmall trees, grow on this ifland ; in which there is a 

 good bay, but no anchoring ground. Of the pines at Norfolk Ifland, 

 one meafured nine feet in diameter, and another that wls found lying 

 on the ground meafured 182 feet in length. As the fcurvy was at 

 this time making rapid ftrides in the colony, the hope of being able 

 to procure a check to its effects from the new ifland rendered it, in 

 every one's opinion, a fortunate difcovery. 



In the courfe of this month feveral convicts came in from the 

 woods ; one in particular dangeroufly wounded with a fpear, and the 

 others very much beaten and bruifed by the natives. The wounded 

 man had been employed in cutting rufhes, and one of the others had 

 been collecting vegetables. All thefe people denied their having given 

 any provocation to the natives : it was, however, difficult to believe 

 them ; they well knew the confequences that would attend any acts 

 of violence on their parts ; as it had been declared in public orders, 

 that in forming the intended fettlement, any act of cruelty to the na- 

 tives being contrary to His Majefty's gracious intentions, the offenders 

 would be fubject to a criminal profecution ; and they well knew that 

 the natives themfelves, however injured, could not contradict their 

 aflertions. There was, however, too much reafon to conclude that the 



convicts 



1 



