aio ACCOUNT OF THE ENGLISH COLONY [July, 



remony of chriftening her was performed, and fhe was named the 

 Francis. By Mr. Raven's advice fhe was rigged as a fchooner, inftead 

 of a floop, for which fhe had been originally intended. 



On the laft day of July, a plan to take off one of the long-boats was 

 revealed to the Lieutenant-Governor. The principal parties in it were 

 foldiers; and their fcheme was, to proceed to Java ; with a chart of 

 'which they had been by fome means furnifhed. If their plan had 

 been put into execution, the evil would have carried with it its own 

 punifhment ; for, had they furvived the voyage, they would never 

 have been countenanced by the Dutch, who were always very jealous 

 of ftrangers going among them. Two of the foldiers were immedi- 

 ately put into confinement ; and in the night, two others, one a corpo- 

 ral, went into the woods, taking with them their arms, and about one 

 hundred rounds of powder and ball (which they collected from the 

 different pouches in the barracks), their provifions and neceffaries. 



The principal works d me at Sydney during July were, erecYing 

 kitchens and ftore-rooms for the officers' new barracks, collecting tim- 

 ber, and conftrucling huts at Peterfham for convids. At Toongabbe 

 the Indian corn was not all gathered ; and houfing of that, and pre- 

 paring the ground for the reception of the next feafon's crop, occupied 

 the labouring convi&s at that fettlement. 



Some counterfeit dollars were in circulation; but the manufacturers 

 of them could not be difcovered. 



The two foldiers who had been put in confinement as parties in the 

 plan for feizing the long-boat were tried, and one of them acquitted ; 

 but the other, being found guilty, was fentenced to receive three hun- 

 dred lathes While fmarting under the feverity of his punifhment, 

 he gave up the names of fix or eight of his brother foldiers, among 

 whom were the two which had abfented themfelves the preceding even- 

 ing. Thefe people, the day following their defertion, were met in the 

 path to Parramatta, and told an abfurd ftory of their being fent to the 

 Blue Mountains. They were next heard of at a fettler's at ProfpecT: 

 Hill, whole houfe they entered forcibly, and, making him and his la- 

 bourer 



