<79*-3 OF NEW SOUTH WALES. i6g 



Several of the fettlers at Parramatta had, notwithstanding the exJ 

 treme drought of the feafon, had fuch crops as enabled them to take 

 eft from the public ftore, fome one, and others two convids, to affift 

 m preparing the grounds for the next year. Thefe bartered their 

 corn for fait provifion ; but others of the fettlers, inattentive to their ' 

 own interefts, and more defirous of acquiring for the prefent what 

 they deemed comforts, than ftudious to provide for the future, not 

 only negleded the cultivation of their lands, but fold the breeding 

 ftock with which they had been fupplied by order of the Governor. 

 Exclufive of the idle people, however, of which there were not many, 

 the fettlers were found to be doing very well, their farms promifing 

 to place them fhortly in a ftate of independence on the public ftores 

 in the articles of provifions and grain ; and it is proper to remind the 

 reader of this account, that they had had to combat with the bad ef- 

 fects of a fhort and reduced ration nearly the whole of the time that 

 they had been employed in the cultivation of ground on their own 

 account. 



In addition to the depredations of their own people, the natives had 

 been fome time fufpeded of ftealing the corn at the fettlements be- 

 yond Parramatta. On the 1 8th a party of the tribe inhabiting the 

 woods, to the number of fifteen or fixteen, was obferved coming out 

 of a hut at the middle fettlement, dreffed in fuch clothing as they 

 found there, and taking with them a quantity of corn in nets. The 

 perfon who faw them imagined at firft from their appearance that 

 they were convids \ but perceiving one of them preparing to throw 

 a fpear at him, he levelled his piece, which was loaded with fmall 

 mot, and fired. The native inftantly dropped his fpear, and the whole 

 party ran away, leaving behind them the nets with the corn fome 

 blankets, and one or two fpears. It was fuppofed that the native was 

 wounded ; for in a few days information was received from Parra- 

 matta, that a convid had been murdered, or rather butchered by fome 

 of the natives. When the body was found, it was not quite cold, and 

 had at leaft thirty fpear-wounds in it. The head was cut in feveral 



z places* 



