43 8 



ACCOUNT OF THE ENGLISH COLONY [January, 



proof among myriads, that a mind long inured to crimes hardens 

 the heart, and renders it callous to the pleadings of humanity. 



Occafional defertions of one or two people at a time had occurred 

 from the firft eftablifhment of the colony ; but the firft Irifh convicts 

 that arrived from Ireland in the year 1 79 1 went off in numerous 

 bodies, few of whom ever returned. They too were prepoHefled 

 with a notion of the poffibility of penetrating through the woods to 

 China, and imparted the fame idea to all their countrymen who ame 

 after them, engaging them in the fame acl; of folly and madnefs. It 

 was not then to be wondered at, that Wilfon, who had returned from 

 living in the woods, fhould, among other articles of information, men- 

 tion his finding more than fifty fkeletons, which the natives alTured 

 him had been white men, who had loft their way and perifhed. This 

 account was corroborated by different European articles which were 

 found, fuch as knives, old (hoes, and other things which were known 

 not to belong to the natives. 



On the 20th the Francis returned with Captain Hamilton from the 

 wreck of his fh'tp. This gentleman ftated, that of all the articles which 

 had been taken on fhore from the vefTel, fome fpirits and a fmall 

 quantity of coarfe cloth alone had been faved, the remainder having 

 been deftroyed by gales of wind and bad weather. The wreck was 

 entirely warned away. Of the fix Lafcars who had been left with the 

 property, one had died ; the other five were in health, and had lived 

 tolerably well, killing upon a neighbouring iiland as many kangooroos 

 and birds as they could ufe. Thefe poor fellows had erected a fmoke- 

 houfe, and had falted and ftnoke-dried as much meat as would ferve 

 them during the enfuing winter. 



Notwithftanding the fevere trial which Cole-be had been put to for 

 the death of Ye-ra-ni-be, the friends of that young man had not 

 thought it fufficient to atone for his lofs. One of them, Mo-roo-bra, 

 in company with other natives, meeting the culprit, made an attack 

 upon him, with a determination to put an end to the bufmefs and his 



life 



