288 ACCOUNT OF THE ENGLISH COLONY [Ap ril, 



fave the fait meat as much as poffible, fuch frefh pork as was brought 

 in good condition to the ftore was purchafed and ferved in the propor- 

 tion of two pounds of frefh in lieu of one of fait. 



On the 21ft of April the olonial fchooner returned from the 

 Hawkefbury, bringing upwards of eleven hundred bufhels of remark- 

 ably fine Indian corn from the ftore there* The mafter again re- 

 ported his apprehenfions that the navigation of the river would be 

 oburu&ed by the fettlers, who continued the practice of falling the 

 trees and rolling them into the ftream. He found five feet lefs water 

 at the ffore-wharf than when he had been there in February, owing 

 to the dry weather which for fome time paft had prevailed. - 



At that fettleinent an open war feemed about that time to have 

 commenced between the natives and the fettlers ; and word was re- 

 ceived over-land, that two of the latter had been killed by a party of 

 the rormer. The natives appeared in large bodies, men, women,and chil- 

 dren, provided with blankets and nets to carry off the corn, (of which they 

 appeared as fond as thofe natives who lived at Sydney,) and feemed 

 determined to take it whenever and wherever they could meet with 

 opportunities. In their attacks they condu&ed themfelves with much 

 art ; but where that failed, they had recourfe to violence ; and on the 

 leaft appearance of refinance made ufe of their fpears or clubs. To 

 check at once, if poffible, thefe dangerous depredators, Captain Pater- 

 fon dire&ed a party of the corps to be fent from Parramatta, with in- 

 ftru&ions to deftroy as many as they could meet with of the wood 

 tribe (Be-dia-gal) ; and., in the hope of ibiking terror, to erecT: gibbets 

 in different places, whereon the bodies of all they might kill were to be 

 hung. It was reported that feveral of thefe people were killed in con- 

 fequence of this order; but none of their bodies were found (perhaps 

 if any were killed they were carried off by their companions) : fome 

 prifoners, however, were taken and fent to Sydney ; one man (appa- 

 rently a cripple), five women, and fome children. One of the wo- 

 men, with a child at v her breaft, had been mot through the moulder, 

 and the fame mot had wounded the babe : every care was taken of 



them 



