Chap. IX. CHEERFUL PROGRESS OF FIRST SETTLEMENT. 277 
fenced and cultivated, and fresh with young vegetables 
and plants ; every one was loud in praise of the fertile 
soil. Boats and barges were being built ; and the 
little children were learning to paddle a light canoe in 
the river. Sawyers were located among the abundant 
timber ; the sounds of the axe and saw as they cut the 
noble pine-trees into useful proportions, and of the 
hammer nailing some useful building, rang through 
the air ; and a general appearance of progress and satis- 
faction pervaded the place. 
The colonists had but few ideas about their political 
state. Many of them were so busy about the various 
details and arrangements of their locations, as to be 
positively ignorant of what had gone on upon the beach 
for some days, and would ask the gossip from a loung- 
ing idler like myself while they proceeded merrily with 
their work. Then they would enlist my labour for a 
time, if useful ; and thus I often found myself engaged 
in many a little task of which I had never before 
known the necessity. They were all delighted to hear 
that we were likely soon to have the protection of our 
own British Government ; and spoke with eagerness 
of the speedy arrival of Governor Hobson among them. 
In the meanwhile, however desirous of being once 
more under the flag of Great Britain, they felt con- 
tented with the creditable way in which the experi- 
ment of a provisional government had been supported 
by the excellent deportment of the great body of peo- 
ple, and were justly proud of being able to resign a 
peaceful and orderly community into the guardianship 
of those laws which, under so slight a restraint, they 
had never ceased to respect and obey. The continu- 
ance of an agreeable intercourse with the natives, 
whose general amiability and capacity for great things 
was acknowledged by all, had contributed in no small 
