126 WHITE'S JOURNAL OF A 
1788. board, it cannot be thought he would take them. The 
j'eimiary.^ convid, it is true, was a Frenchman, named Peter Paris, 
and it is poffible, on that account, he might have been con- 
cealed through pity, by his countrymen, and carried off 
without the knowledge of the commanding officer. At the 
very time the party from hence were gone by land to Botany 
Bay, Captain Clonnard came round in a boat, on a vifit of 
ceremony from Monfieur de la Peyroufe to the governor. 
He brought with him fome difpatches, which he requefted 
might be forwarded to the French ambaffador at the court 
of London, by the firft tranfports that failed for England. 
The captain flayed all night, and returned the next morn- 
ing. This day, for the firft time, a Kangaroo was fhot and 
brought into camp. Some of the natives pafled pretty clofe 
, to the Sirius, without feeming to exprefs, by their counte- 
nance or actions, either fear, curiofity, or furprife. During 
the courfe of this week fourteen marriages were folemnized. 
The criminal court, confifting of fix officers of his Majef- 
ty's forces by land or fea, with the judge advocate, fat for the 
firft time ; before whom feveral convi£ts were tried for petty 
larceny. Some of them were acquitted, others fentenced to 
receive corporal punifhment, and one or two were, by 
the 
