1789.] OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 51 



by fome of tke medical gentlemen of the fettlement, as a powerful 

 tonic. The great confumption had now rendered it (carce. It was 

 fuppofed that the convict in his fearch after this article had fallen in 

 with a party of natives, who had killed him. A few days after this 

 accident a party of the convicts, fixteen in number, chiefly belonging 

 to the brick-maker's gang, as had alfo the unfortunate ftraggler, pro- 

 vided themfelves with {takes, and fet off toward Botany Bay, with a 

 determination to revenge, upon whatever natives they ihould meet, 

 the treatment which one of their brethren had received. Near Bo- 

 tany Bay they^ fell in w T ith the natives, but in a larger body than they 

 expected or defired. According to their report, they were fifty in 

 number ; but much dependence was not to be placed on what they 

 faid in this refpect, nor in their narrative of the affair ; it is cer- 

 tain, however, that they were driven in by the natives, who killed 

 one man and wounded fix others. Immediately on this being known 

 in the fettlement, an armed party was fent out with an officer, 

 who found the body of the murdered man ftripped, and lying in 

 the path. They alfo found a boy, who had likewife been ftripped 

 and left for dead by the natives ; he was very much wounded, and 

 his left ear nearly cut off. The party returned bearing in the boy, 

 but without feeing any of the perpetrators of this mifchief: the 

 other wounded people had reached the fettlement. The Governor, 

 judging it highly neceffary to make examples of thefe mifguided 

 people, who had fo daringly and flagrantly broken through every 

 order which had been given to prevent their interfering with the na* 

 tives as to form a party exprefsly to meet with and attack them, di- 

 rected that thofe whG were not wounded mould receive each one 

 hundred and fifty lames, and wear a fetter for a twelvemonth ^ the 

 like punifhment was directed to be inflicted upon thofe who were in 

 the hofpital, as foon as they mould recover from their wounds. 



The fame day two armed parties were fent, one toward Botany 

 Bay, and the other in a different dkedion, that the natives might fee 

 .that their late ad of violence would neither intimidate nor prevent, 



H 2 *ks 



