176 ACCOUNT OF THE ENGLISH COLONY [July, 



■pTofpe&s of a golden harveft, the triumph of a well- filled {lore, and 

 the confequent increafmg profperity of the fettlements. 



His Excellency thought fit, towards the conclusion of July, to exer- 

 cife the power vefted in hirn by Act of Parliament, and by his Ma- 

 jefty's commiffion under the great feal, of remitting either wholly, 

 or in part, the term for which felons might be tranfported, by grant- 

 ing an abfolute remhTion of the term for which Elizabeth Perry had 

 T)een fentenced. This woman had married Rufe a fettler. The good 

 conducl: of the wife and the induftry of the hufband, who had for 

 fome time fupported himfelf, his wife, a child, and two convicts, in- 

 dependent of the public ftore, were the reafons afiigned in the inftru- 

 ment which reftored her to the rights and privileges of a free woman, 

 for extending to her the hand of forgivenefs. 



This power, fo pleafing to the feelings of its poflerTbr, had hitherto 

 been very fparingly exercifed ; and thofe perfons who had felt its in- 

 fluence were not found to have been undeferving. 



Preparing roofs for new barracks, bringing in bricks to the fpot 

 appointed for their conftrucYion, and difcharging the Atlantic and the 

 Britannia, were the principal works in hand at Sydney during July. 

 ■ — At the fettlements beyond Parramatta (which had lately obtained 

 and were in future to be diftinguifhed by the name of Toon-gab -be) 

 the convicts were employed in preparing the ground for the reception 

 of the next year's crop of maize. 



On the 1 7th of Auguft the Britannia was cleared, and difcharged 

 from Government employ ; but, a deficiency appearing in the weight 

 of the fait provisions delivered from that fhip, a furvey was imme- 

 diately ordered ; and it appeared from the report of the perfons em- 

 ployed to conducl: it, that the cafiVs of beef were deficient, on an 

 average, thirty-fix pounds and one-third, and the tierces twenty-one 

 pounds and one-third. It alfo appeared, that the meat was lean, 

 coarfe, and boney, and worfe than they had ever feen ifiued in 

 his Majefty's fervice. A deception of this nature was of courfe 



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