&80Q."] 



OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 



5*7 



difcoverers to be liable, and ereded their dwellings upon the higher 

 grounds ; or that the inundations which had lately happened had not 

 occurred at an earlier period, when there were but few fettlers. Thefe, 

 indeed, had been fuch as formerly no one had any conception of, 

 and exceeded in horror and deftrudion any thing that could have 

 been imagined. 



On the fir ft of April a criminal court fat ; when, among the feve- 

 ral offenders that were tried, two were condemned to fulfer death, but 

 pardoned at the folicitation of the gentlemen of the New South Wales 

 corps. In the hope, however, of imprefltng the minds of thefe cri- 

 minals more deeply, they were kept in ignorance of the intended mercy, 

 till the moment when, but for it, they would have been hurried into 

 eternity. On the pardon being read, one of the men appeared much 

 affeded ; but the other declared that he fhould never be better pre- 

 pared to die, and fcarcely feemed to defire a prolongation of exiftence. 



On the 1 6th, the Speedy whaler arrived from England, with 50 

 female convids ; and, what were much more welcome and profitable, 

 832 calks of fait provifions, which enabled the Governor once more to 

 iffue a full ration. In this {hip came Captain Philip Gidley King, 

 the Lieutenant- Governor of Norfolk Ifland... 



On the fame day, his Majefty's fhip the Buffalo returned from the 

 Gape of Good Hope, having on board 85 cows, and 20 breeding 

 mares for the fettle me nt. This voyage was performed in feven months* 

 She had made her paffage thither in three. 



Early in May, the Governor having received information from fe- 

 veral of the officers, that they had good grounds for fufpeding that 

 fome of the convids lately arrived from Ireland had not left behind : 

 them the principles which occafioned their being fent from that king- 

 dom, but were carrying on feditious correfpondences, and holding un- 

 lawful meetings j in order to difcover whether there was any foun- 

 dation for this conjedure, he caufed the mo ft minute investigation to 

 be made ; but nothing was found which could furnifh the fmalleft fu£- 

 picioa of the condud imputed to them> 



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