.8$ ACCOUNT OF THE ENGLISH COLONY [April, 



night. People were employed to kill, for the public, fach animals as 

 the country afforded ; and every ftep was taken that could fave a 

 pound of the fait provifions in (tore. It was propofed to take all the 

 hogs in the fettlement as public property ; but as it was abfolutely ne- 

 cefTary to keep fome breeding fows, and the flock being frnall and 

 very poor, that idea was abandoned. 



It was well known, that the integrity of the people employed in 

 fifhing could not be depended upon; the officers of the fettlement 

 therefore voluntarily took upon themfelves the unpleafant talk of fu- 

 perintending them, and the fiming-boat in future never went out 

 without an officer either by day or night ; but the quantity of 

 iim taken in this month, after the 7th, was not often much more 

 than equal to fupplying the people employed in the boats with one 

 pound of flfh per man, which was allowed them in addition to their 

 ration. 



The frnall boats, the property of individuals, were therefore returned 

 to their owners, and the people who had been employed in them, 

 together with the feamen of the Sirius, now there, were placed in 

 the large boats belonging to the fettlement. 



Neither was much advantage gained by employing people to fhoot 

 for the fettlement. At the end of the month only three frnall kan- 

 gooroos had been brought in. 



The neceffity for procuring relief became every day more preffing. 

 The voyage of the Sirius to China was at an end ; and nothing had 

 yet arrived from England, though hourly expected. It was the na- 

 tural and general opinion, that their prefent fituation was to be attri- 

 buted to accident rather than procraftination. It was more probable, 

 < that the vcfleis which had been difpa.tched by the Britim government 

 had met with fome diftrefs, that had either compelled them to return, 

 or had wholly prevented them from any further profecution of the 

 voyage, than that any delay mould have taken place in their depar- 

 ture. The Governor, therefore, determined on fending the Supply 

 armed tender to Batavia ; and, as her commander was raoft zealouily 



active 



