{"product_id":"2940013740686","title":"A Sequel To A Voyage to Botany Bay","description":"The long silence which I have observed, must have led my friends to\u003cbr\u003econclude that I had relinquished all my European connexions,--that\u003cbr\u003efrom some untoward accident, or the natural visitation of Providence,\u003cbr\u003ethey would never hear from me more;--but that not being the case;\u003cbr\u003eafter assuring them that it merely proceeded from the multiplicity of\u003cbr\u003ebusiness, and the unceasing vigilance my situation demanded, I shall\u003cbr\u003ewithout farther preface resume my narrative.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe government of this colony now devolved upon Francis Grose,\u003cbr\u003eEsquire, Commandant of the New South Wales Corps. He immediately\u003cbr\u003esuperseded the civil power at Parramatta by the military, and all\u003cbr\u003ecomplaints in future were to be preferred to the military officer on\u003cbr\u003eduty there. Hitherto the magistracy regulated all differences, and\u003cbr\u003epunished such offences as required immediate cognizance on the spot;\u003cbr\u003ereporting his proceedings, from time to time, to the governor; and\u003cbr\u003eevery order emanating from his excellency, respecting the regulation\u003cbr\u003eof the convicts, was promulgated through the same channel.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt Sydney, similar regulations took place, and all reference to the\u003cbr\u003ecivil magistrate was in future to be dispensed with. It had been usual\u003cbr\u003ewith the magistrates to hold a kind of court weekly, or as often as\u003cbr\u003eoccasion might require; and to inflict such punishment as they deemed\u003cbr\u003eproportionate to the offence, always reporting their proceedings, as\u003cbr\u003ebefore stated.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt this time the magistracy consisted of the Lieutenant Governor and\u003cbr\u003ethe Judge Advocate, who were justices of the peace in virtue of their\u003cbr\u003ecommissions; the Reverend Mr. Johnston, Augustus Alt, and Richard\u003cbr\u003eAtkins, Esquires, who had been sworn in as magistrates by governor\u003cbr\u003ePhilip.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo inconvenience having arisen from the former mode of dispensing\u003cbr\u003ejustice, the cause of the change cannot be easily accounted for;\u003cbr\u003eunless it were that prediliction military governors generally possess,\u003cbr\u003eof concentrating all the power in their own hands.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGovernor Philip had gratuitously distributed among the settlers,\u003cbr\u003estock of various kinds, for the purpose of breeding; but he was scarce\u003cbr\u003eout of sight of the settlement when the greater part was brought to\u003cbr\u003emarket; when, had not the officers purchased the whole, his benevolent\u003cbr\u003eintentions would have been frustrated, by the greater part being\u003cbr\u003eprematurely consigned to the pot or the spit.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNew regulations now took place in the working hours of the\u003cbr\u003econvicts,--the time of labour was fixed from five in the morning 'till\u003cbr\u003enine, and then rested until four, when they resumed their work, which\u003cbr\u003eterminated at sunset. This was a very salutary alteration, as they not\u003cbr\u003eonly avoided the scorching ray of the noon-day sun, but had an\u003cbr\u003eopportunity of earning a title for themselves, at their respective\u003cbr\u003etrades.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAbout this time a very serious calamity befel the settlement, the\u003cbr\u003eweather was excessive sultry, and the grass having been set on fire by\u003cbr\u003ethe natives raged on all sides, whereby several of the gardens were\u003cbr\u003edestroyed, and I was in the utmost jeopardy of losing my little all.--\u003cbr\u003eThe progress of the fire, by the efforts of the settlers at Parramatta\u003cbr\u003eand its neighbourhood, being checked, and nearly extinguished, but a\u003cbr\u003espark lodging among the thatch of a house on the adjoining farm soon\u003cbr\u003espread out into a blaze, and consumed the same, out houses \u0026amp; c. and it\u003cbr\u003ewas only by the greatest exertions it was prevented from communicating\u003cbr\u003eto my premises.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom the arrival of several American Vessels, New England Rum now\u003cbr\u003ebegan to circulate in considerable quantities, the baneful effects of\u003cbr\u003ewhich were soon conspicuous, in the frequent intoxication of the\u003cbr\u003econvicts.--The fondness they evinced for this deleterious liquor was\u003cbr\u003eincredible; they would run any hazard to procure it, and preferred\u003cbr\u003ereceiving it as the price of their labour, to any other article,\u003cbr\u003eeither of provisions or cloathing.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTo remedy this evil, the governor issued an order, wherein he stated\u003cbr\u003ethat if it ever appeared that a convict was possessed of liquor,\u003cbr\u003esupplied by the commissaries, that he should consider them as\u003cbr\u003eresponsible for any irregularities that might happen in consequence of\u003cbr\u003esuch injudicious and reprehensible conduct.","brand":"WDS Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47070245781744,"sku":"2940013740686","price":2.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940013740686_p0.jpg?v=1763589618","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940013740686","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}