eant, one corporal, and five private marines, and twenty-one male and
eleven female convicts, embarked on board the _Golden Grove_ for Norfolk
Island, and the day following she dropped down, with his Majesty's ship
_Sirius_, to Camp Cove, whence both ships sailed on the 2nd of October.

October.] Captain Hunter, having been sworn as a magistrate soon after
the arrival of the fleet, continued to act in that capacity until his
departure for the Cape of Good Hope, sitting generally once a week, with
the judge-advocate and the surveyor-general, to inquire into petty
offences. Saturday was commonly set apart for these examinations; that
day being given to the convicts for the purpose of collecting vegetables
and attending to their huts and gardens.

The detachment also finding it convenient to collect vegetables, and
being obliged to go for them as far as Botany Bay, the convicts were
ordered to avail themselves of the protection they might find by going in
company with an armed party; an never, upon any account, to straggle from
the soldiers, or go to Botany Bay without them, on pain of severe
punishment. Notwithstanding this order and precaution, however, a
convict, who had been looked upon as a good man (no complaint having been
made of him since his landing, either for dishonesty or idleness), having
gone out with an armed party to procure vegetables at Botany Bay,
straggled from them, though repeatedly cautioned against it, and was
killed by the natives. On the return of the soldiers from the bay, he was
found lying dead in the path, his head beat to a Jelly, a spear driven
through it, another through his body, and one arm broken. Some people
were immediately sent out to bury him; and in the course of the month the
parties who went by the spot for vegetables three times reported that his
body was above ground, having been, it was supposed, torn up by the
natives' dogs. This poor wretch furnished another instance of the
consequences that attended a disobedience of orders which had been
purposely given to prevent these accidents; and as nothing of the kind
was known to happen, but where a neglect and contempt of all order was
first shown, every misfortune of the kind might be attributed, not to the
manners and disposition of the natives, but to the obstinacy and
ignorance of our people.

On the departure of the _Sirius_, one pound of flour was deducted from
the weekly ration of those who received the full proportion, and