1796.] OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 397 



had lately been taken ; in which many impofitions were detected, and 

 the delinquents ordered to labour, after having inflicted on them fuch 

 punifhments as their refpective offences feemed to demand : by this 

 circumftance he was enabled to recover at leaft one hundred men for 

 Government work. 



Exclufive of the advantage which attended the recruiting of the 

 public gangs in this way, another point was eftablifhed by this exa- 

 mination, the difcovering of feveral who had been victualled from 

 the Mores beyond the period (eighteen months) which had been fixed, 

 and confidered by Government as a fufficient time to enable an in- 

 dubious man to provide for himfelf. 



Directing his attention alfo to the morality of the fettlement, a point 

 which he could not venture to promife himfelf he mould fpeedily 

 attain, he iffued fome neceffary orders for enforcing attendance on 

 divine fervice, and had the fatisfaction of feeing the fabbath better 

 obferved than it had been for fome time paft. 



On the 1 6th, fome people who'went to cut wood at the North Shore 

 found a man's hat, and a large hammer lying by it. One fide of the 

 hat had apparently been beaten in with the hammer, which was 

 bloody ; and much blood was alfo found in the hat, as well as about 

 the fpot where it was difcovered. It was conjectured, that a man 

 who had been working there with fome carpenter's tools had been 

 murdered ; and upon its being made known to the Governor, feveral 

 perfons were fent to fearch for the body, which was found thrown 

 over the cliff, and near the water fide. The fcull was found beaten in 

 which had doubtlefs occafioned his death. 



This mocking circumftance was followed fhortly after by another 

 equally atrocious : a murder which was committed by a man on the 

 perfon of a woman with whom he cohabited. It appeared, that they 

 had both been intoxicated and had quarrelled on the night preceding 

 the murder. This made the fifth circumftance of the kind which had 

 occurred within the laft twelve months ; and fo exceftively abandoned 



were 



