ture, a regret that was at least equally felt on our part. Our
society was very small; we could not therefore but sensibly feel the
departure of these gentlemen, who united to much scientific knowledge
those qualities of the heart which render men amiable in society; and the
names of Malaspina, Bustamante, Tova, Espinosa, Concha, Cevallos,
Murphy*, Robredo, Quintano, Viana, Novales, Pineda**, Bauza, Heencke***,
Nee***, Ravenet****, and Brambila****, were not likely to be soon
forgotten by the officers of this settlement. During their stay here, the
greatest harmony subsisted between the seamen of the two ships and our
people, the latter in but few instances exercising their nimble-fingered
talents among them; such, however, as did choose to hazard a display, and
were detected, were severely punished.

[* This gentleman was of Irish extraction.]

[** Brother of D. A. Pineda.]

[*** The botanists.]

[**** The limner, and landscape-painter.]

A few days before these ships left us, the _Chesterfield_ returned (after
an absence of only thirty days) from Norfolk Island, where she landed
safely every thing she had on board for that settlement. Mr. Alt anchored
for some days in Cascade Bay, where Governor King had constructed a
wharf, and had hopes of making the landing more convenient that could
ever be practicable at Sydney Bay. This was truly a desideratum, as few
ships had gone to this island without having in the course of their stay
either been blown off, or been in some danger on the shore. It was
understood that scarcely any thing less than a miracle could have saved
the _Kitty_ from being wrecked on a rock just off the reef.

The master of the _Shah Hormuzear_ having laid before the
lieutenant-governor some proposals for bringing cattle to this country,
they were taken into consideration; and as the introducing cattle into
the colony was a most desirable object, and Bengal had been pointed out
as the settlement from which they were to be procured, after some days a
contract was entered into between Mr. Bampton on his own part, and the
lieutenant-governor on behalf of the crown, wherein it was covenanted,
that Mr. Bampton should freight at some port in India a ship with one
hundred head of large draught cattle; one hundred and fifty tons of the
best provision rice, and one hundred and fifty tons of dholl, both
articles to be equal in quality to samples then produced and approved of,
and one hundred tons of the bes