compelled to yield
her without any further opposition. He seemed to have been satisfied with
the beating he had given Caruey, and hinted, that resting for the present
without a wife, he should look about him, and at some future period make
a better choice.

His absences from the governor's house now became frequent, and little
attended to. When he went out he usually left his clothes behind, resuming
them carefully on his return before he made his visit to the governor.

During this month one man and a woman, attempting to cross one of the
creeks at the Hawkesbury by a tree which had been thrown over, fell in,
and were drowned; and one man had died there of the bite of a snake.
Three male convicts* died at Sydney.

[* One of them, William Locker, from the extraordinary deformity of his
left leg, had been offered L100 for it in England.]

December.] The court of civil judicature had hitherto been but rarely
assembled. The few debts which had been contracted were not of sufficient
moment, and had seldom remained long enough in doubt, to require an
action to recover them. But now the possibility having been discovered of
acquiring in this country a property worth preserving, it was probable,
when the talents and disposition of the men of landed property (the
settlers) in New South Wales were considered, that many disputes would
occur among them which the civil court alone could decide.

A court of civil judicature was assembled this month. Some debts were
sworn to, and writs granted. An action for an assault was also tried.
About the latter end of the month of October, a large sow, the property
of Mr. J. Boston, having trespassed with two or three other hogs on a
close belonging to an officer of the New South Wales corps, was shot by a
soldier of the regiment (the officer's servant). The owner, Mr. Boston,
repairing immediately to the spot, on seeing the sow, then near
farrowing, lying dead on the ground, made use of some intemperate
expressions; which being uttered in the hearing of two of the officers
and some other soldiers of the corps, the officers were said by Mr. Boston
to have encouraged and urged the soldiers to beat him. Mr. Boston
had been struck, and, as it appeared on the trial, with a musket, which
at the time was loaded. Mr. Boston laid his damage at five hundred
pounds. The court however, after several days very attentive examination
of the business, gave him a verdict against two of the defendants, wit