160 ACCOUNT OF THE ENGLISH COLONY [January, 



traordinary circumftance attended the death of one poor creature, 

 though it certainly was not the caufe of it : while dragging with 

 others at a brick cart, he was feized with a fainting fit, and when he 

 recovered was laid down under a cart which ftood in the road, that 

 he might he in the fhade. Being weak and ill, he fell afleep. On 

 waking, and feeling fomething tight about his neck, he put up his 

 hand, when, to his amazement and horror, he grafped the folds of 

 a large fnake which had twined itfelf round his neck. In endeavour- 

 ing to difengage it, the animal bit hirn by the lip, which became in- 

 ftantly tumid. Two men, paffing by, took off the fnake and threw 

 it on the ground, when it erected itfelf, and flew at one of them ; 

 hut they foon killed it. The man who had fainted at the cart died 

 the next morning, not, however, from any effect of the bite of the 

 fnake, but from general debility. 



About this time the public bake-houfe at Parramatta was'robbed of 

 a large quantity of flour and bifcuit ; to effect which theft the 

 robbers had made their way down the chimney. The convids at 

 this place having affembled in an improper and tumultuous man- 

 ner, the Governor thought proper to iflue a proclamation, in which 

 the convicts were ftrictly forbidden ever to afiemble in numbers un- 

 der any pretence whatever : all complaints being to be made through 

 the medium of the fuperintendants or overfeers ; and any difobedience 

 to this proclamation was to be puniihed with the utmoft feverity. 



Among the numerous inftances of the profligacy of the convicts 

 which occurred at this time, one is deferving of notice : a woman, 

 who had been entrufted to carry the allowance of flour belonging to 

 two other women to the bake-houfe, where {he had run in debt for 

 bread which fhe had taken up on their account, mixed with it a 

 quantity of pounded ftone, in the proportion of two thirds of grit 

 to one of flour. Fortunately, fhe was detected before it had been 

 mixed with other flour at the bake-houfe, and was fentenced to wear 

 an iron collar for fix months as a puniihment for her offence. 



One 



