n Grove_ storeship; his orders on that head being
discretionary.

We now return to the transactions of the principal settlement. The person
who was noticed in the occurrences of the last month as being employed at
Rose Hill under the commissary, had been also entrusted with the
direction of the convicts who were employed in clearing and cultivating
ground at that place; but, being advanced in years, he was found
inadequate to the task of managing and controlling the people who were
under his care, the most of whom were always inventing plausible excuses
for absence from labour, or for their neglect of it while under his eye.
He was therefore removed, and succeeded by a person who came out from
England as a servant to the governor. This man joined to much
agricultural knowledge a perfect idea of the labour to be required from,
and that might he performed by the convicts; and his figure was
calculated to make the idle and the worthless shrink if he came near
them. He had hitherto been employed at the spot of ground which was
cleared soon after our arrival at the adjoining cove, since distinguished
by the name of Farm Cove, and which, from the natural poverty of the
soil, was not capable of making an adequate return for the labour which
had been expended on it. It was, however, still attended to, and the
fences kept in repair; but there was not any intention of clearing more
ground in that spot.

Toward the latter end of the month two of the birds distinguished in the
colony by the name of Emus were brought in by some of the people employed
to shoot for the officers. The weight of each was seventy pounds.

CHAPTER VII

Neutral Bay
Smallpox among the natives
Captain Hunter in the _Sirius_ returns with supplies from the Cape of
Good Hope
Middleton Island discovered
Danger of wandering in the forests of an unknown country
Convicts
The King's birthday kept
Convicts perform a play
A reinforcement under Lieutenant Cresswell sent to Norfolk Island
Governor Phillip makes an excursion of discovery
Transactions
Hawkesbury River discovered
Progress at Rose Hill
Important papers left behind in England

April.] The governor thinking it probable that foreign ships might again
visit this coast, and perhaps run into this harbour for the purpose of
procuring refreshments, directed Mr. Blackburn to survey a large bay on
the north shore, contiguous to this cove; and a sufficient depth of water
being found, his excell