W90 : OF NEW SOUTH WALES. : & 77 



Wales, fuch attention and hofpitality. Mr. Barnet underftood that 

 the Atrevida was in the neighbourhood, and that no lofs or accident 

 had happened in either mip fince they left Port Jackfon. 



Some accounts were received from the Hawkefbury, which corro- 

 borated the opinion that the fettlers there merited the attacks which 

 were from time to time made upon them by the natives ; it being 

 now faid, that fome of them had feized a native boy, and, after tying 

 him hand and foot, had dragged him feveral times through a flre t 

 until his back was dreadfully burnt, and in that ftate had thrown him 

 into the river, where they mot at and killed him. Such a report could 

 not be heard without being followed by the clofeft examination ; 

 when it appeared, that a boy had actually been mot when in the 

 water, from a conviction, as they faid, of his having been detached as 

 a fpy upon them from a large body of natives ; and that he was re- 

 turning to them with an account of their weaknefs ; there being only 

 one mufket to be found among feveral farms. No perfon appearing 

 to contradict: this account, it was admitted as a truth ; though many 

 flill confidered it as a tale invented to cover the true circumftancej 

 that a boy had been cruelly and wantonly murdered by them. 



The prefence of fome perfon with authority was become absolutely 

 heceffary among thofe fettlers, whb, finding themfelves freed from 

 bondage, inftantly conceived that they were above all re {frictions* 



The arrival of the Surprife tranfport took place on the 25th. She 

 had on board fixty female and twenty-three male convicts, fome ftores 

 and provifions, with three fettlers for the colony. Among the pri- 

 foners were, Meffrs. Muir, Palmer, Skirving, and Margarot, four gen- 

 tlemen lately convicted in Scotland of the crime of fedition (confidered 

 as a public offence), and tranfported for the fame. 



A guard, confiding of an enfign and twenty-one privates of the 

 New South Wales corps, was on board the tranfport : fix of thefe 

 people were deferters from other regiments, and brought from the 

 Savoy; one of them, it was underftood, had been tried for mutiny, of 

 an aggravated kind, at Quebec. 



