first departure, which was in March last, she had on board thirty female
and ten male convicts; but being obliged to put back to Spithead, to stop
a leak which she sprung in her raft port, eight of her ten male convicts
found means to make their escape. This was an unfortunate accident; for
they had been particularly selected as men who might be useful in the
colony. Of the two who did remain, the one was a brick-maker and the
other a joiner.

When her cargo was landing, it was found to have suffered considerably by
the bad weather she had experienced; the flour in particular, an article
which could at no time bear any diminution in this country, was much
damaged. The convicts had for a long time been nearly as much distressed
for utensils to dress their provisions, as they had been for provisions;
and we had now the mortification to find, that of the small supply of
iron pots which had been put on board, a great part were either broken or
cracked, having been literally stowed among the provision casks in the
hold.

There arrived in this ship two chests, containing three thousand eight
hundred and seventy ounces of silver, in dollars, amounting to L1001.
This remittance was sent out for the purpose of paying such sums as were
due to the different artificers who had been employed in this country. It
was also applied to the payment of the wages due to the superintendants,
who had experienced much inconvenience from not receiving their salaries
here; and indeed the want of public money had been very much felt by
every one in the colony. When the marines, who became settlers before and
at the relief of the detachment, were discharged for that purpose, they
would have suffered great difficulties from the want of public money to
pay what was due to them, had not the commissary taken their respective
powers of attorney, and given them notes on himself, payable either in
cash, or in articles which might be the means of rendering them
comfortable, and of which he had procured a large supply from Calcutta.
These notes passed through various hands in traffic among the people of
the description they were intended to serve, and became a species of
currency which was found very convenient to them.

The female convicts who arrived in the _Kitty_, twenty-seven in number,
were immediately sent up to Parramatta.

Government had put on board the _Kitty_ a naval agent, Lieutenant Daniel
Woodriff, for the purpose of seeing that no unne