4 6 



ACCOUNT OF THE ENGLISH COLONY [January, 



The foil immediately about the fettlement was found to be of too 

 fandy a nature to give much promife of yielding a fufficient produce 

 even for the fmall quantity of flock that it poffefled. At Rofe Hill the 

 profpect was better ; indeed, whatever expectation could be formed 

 of fuccefsful cutivation in the country retted as yet in that quarter. 

 But the convi&s, foolifhly conceiving that they had no intereft in the 

 fuccefs of their labour, by no means exerted themfelves to their utmoft, 

 fo that it was hardly poflible to form a correct judgment of the capa- 

 bilities of the foil, which they cultivated with regret, and which, if left 

 to themfelves, they would not have cultivated at all ; preferring rather 

 to have lived in idlenefs, and depended upon the public flores for their 

 daily fupport, fo long as they had any thing in them, than by their 

 labour contribute to fecurej themfelves whereon to exift when thofe 

 Hores mould be exhaufted. 



Idlenefs, however, was not the only vice to be complained of in 

 thefe unhappy people : thefts continued to be frequent among them ; 

 and one fellow, who, after committing a robbery, had fheltered himfelf 

 from punifhment by concealing himfelf in the woods, from whence he 

 nightly returned for thepurpofe of depredation, being at length taken, 

 was executed, in the vain hope of terrifying others. While this un- 

 fortunate wretch was fufFering death, another convict, fentenced to 

 feven hundred lames, for wounding, by ftabbing, a woman with whom 

 he cohabited, received half his punifhment. 



The 19th was obferved as the birth-day of her Majefty, with all 

 the cuftomary ceremonies. 



A day or two after this, the place was agitated by a rumour that a 

 great gun had been fired at fea ; but on fending a boat down without 

 the harbour's mouth, nothing was feen there that could confirms re- 

 port which every one anxioufly wifhed might be true. 



A boat having been fent down the harbour with fome people to cut 

 rufhes, a party of natives came to the beach while they were fo 

 employed, and took three jackets out of the boat. On difcovering 

 the theft, the cockfwain purfued a canoe with two men in it as far as 



a fmall 



