1790.] OF NEW SOUTH WALES. n 9 



the woods. When brought in, he declared, and at a time when he 

 thought himfelf dying, that he did not give any offence to the man 

 who wounded him ; that he had even quitted his arms, to induce 

 him to look upon him as a friend, when the favage threw his fpear at 

 about the diftance of ten yards, with a fkill that was fatally unerring. 

 When the fpear was extracted (which was not till fuppuration took 

 place) it was found to have entered his body under the left arm, to 

 the depth of feven inches and a half, and was armed for live or fix: 

 inches from the point with ragged pieces of fhells fattened in gum. 

 His recovery was pronounced by the furgeon to be very doubtful. 



As the attack on this man appeared to have been wanton and en- 

 tirely unprovoked, not only from the fufferer's own relation of the 

 circumftance, 4)ut from the account of thofe who were with him, and 

 who bore teftimony to his being unarmed, the Governor determined 

 to punifh the offender, who, it was underftood, reforted with his 

 tribe above the head of Botany Bay, He therefore directed that an 

 armed party from the garrifon fhould march thither, and either deftroy 

 or make prifoners of fix perfons (if practicable) of that tribe to 

 which the aggreffor belonged, carefully avoiding to offer any injury 

 to either women or children. To this meafure his Excellency reforted 

 with reluctance. He had always wifhed that none of their blood 

 might be fried; and in his own cafe, when wounded by the native, 

 as he could not punifh him on the fpot," he gave up all thoughts of 

 doing it in future. As, however, they feemed to take every advantage 

 of unarmed men, fome check appeared abfolutely neceffary. Accord- 

 ingly a party, confiding of two captains, with two fubakerns, three 

 fergeants, two corporals, one drummer, and forty privates, attended 

 by two furgeons, fet off with three days' provifions for the purpofe 

 above-mentioned. 



There was little probability that fuch a party would be able fo un- 

 expectedly to fall in with the people whom they were fent to punifh, 

 a.s to furprife them, without which chance they might hunt them in 

 ihe woods for ever ; and as the different tribes were not to be diftin.- 

 I guiihedi 



