resence of several witnesses, that the butcher had
killed him. The prisoner attempted to set up an alibi for his defence;
but the fact of killing was incontrovertibly fixed upon him, as well as
the malice which urged his hand to take away the life of his
fellow-creature, and to send him, with the sin upon his head of having
profaned the Lord's day by rioting and drunkenness, unprepared before his
Maker.

This poor man was buried by his widow (an Irish woman) in a corner of his
own farm, attended by several settlers of that and the neighbouring
districts, who celebrated the funeral rites in a manner and with orgies
suitable to the disposition and habits of the deceased, his widow, and
themselves.

Hill was executed on the 16th, and his body dissected according to his
sentence.

On the 17th the _Mercury_, an American brig, commanded by Mr. William
Barnet, anchored in the cove from Falkland's islands. He had nothing on
board for sale, but brought us the very welcome information of his having
seen the officers of the Spanish ship _Descuvierta_ at that place. Being
in want of biscuit, he made application to the commodore Malaspina for a
supply, proffering to settle the payment in any manner that he should
choose to adopt; but the commodore, after sending him a greater quantity
than he had required, assured him that he was sufficiently satisfied in
having assisted a ship whose people, whether English or American, spoke
the language of those gentlemen from whom himself and the officers of the
ships under his command had received, while in New South Wales, such
attention and hospitality. Mr. Barnet understood the _Atrevida_ was in
the neighbourhood, and that no loss or accident had happened in either
ship since their departure from Port Jackson. The _Mercury_ was bound to
the north-west coast of America, and her master purposed quitting this
port as soon as his people, who were all afflicted with that dreadful sea
distemper the scurvy, should be sufficiently recovered.

The period of probation which had been allotted by the late governor to
the services of William Stephenson (one of the people serving in the
stores) expiring this month, his pardon was delivered to him accordingly.
No one among the prisoners could be found more deserving of this
clemency; his conduct had been uniformly that of a good man, and he had
shown that he was trustworthy by never having forfeited the good opinion
of the commissary under whom he was p