d shortly after of a milk fever. Her husband, a free
man, came out with her to settle in the country.

Reaping our wheat-harvest commenced this month.

December.] The people of the _Mercury_ being perfectly recovered from the
disorder which afflicted them when they arrived, that vessel sailed on
the 7th of December for the north-west coast of America. The master had
permission to ship five persons belonging to the colony, and on the day
of his sailing several others were missing from the labouring gangs, and
were supposed to have made their escape in her; but on the following
morning they were all at their respective labours, not having been able
to get on board.

Some of the seamen belonging to this vessel, preferring the pleasures
they met with in the society of the females and the free circulation of
spirituous liquors which they found on shore, to accompanying Mr. Barnet
to the north-west coast of America, had left his vessel some days
previous to her sailing. Application being made to the lieutenant-governor,
several orders were given out calculated to induce them to return to their
duty, informing them, that if they remained behind they would be
certainly sent to hard labour, and the persons who had harboured them
severely punished. But our settlements had now become so extensive, that
orders did not so readily find their way to the settlers, as runaways and
vagrants, who never failed of finding employment among them, particularly
among those at the river.

On the 8th a farm of twenty-five acres of ground in the district of
Concord was sold by public auction for thirteen pounds. Four acres were
planted with Indian corn, and half an acre with potatoes; there was
beside a tolerable hut on the premises. This farm was the property of
Samuel Crane, a soldier, who, too industriously for himself, working on
it on the Sunday preceding his death, received a hurt from a tree which
fell upon him, and proved fatal.

Every preparation for accommodating the lieutenant-governor and his
family being completed on board the _Daedalus_, he embarked in the
evening of the 15th. Previous to his departure, such convicts as were at
that time confined in the cells, or who were under orders for punishment,
were released; several grants of lands were signed, conveying chiefly
small allotments of twenty-five acres each to such soldiers of the
regiment as were desirous of, and made application for that favour; and
some leases of town lot