e morning
of the 31st of August, the wind was northerly, and heated as
though it came from the mouth of an oven, though no fires could
then be seen; however, as the day advanced, smoke appeared over
the hills, and in the evening, a considerable tract of country
was seen to be on fire; some natives were likewise burning the
ground on the north side of the harbour, opposite the settlement:
this firing of the country, which the natives constantly do when
the weather is dry, renders any observation made by the
thermometer very uncertain. But if the 31st of August was an
unpleasant day, the evening made ample amends, for it began to
rain, and continued raining until the next day at noon.

Although few of the convicts were sick when they were first
landed from the transports, yet many of them were extremely weak
from long confinement, and a few days carried numbers of them to
the hospital. The surgeon's returns, on the first of September,
were two hundred and eighty-five convicts under medical
treatment: several soldiers and seamen were likewise in the
hospital with a fever of a bad sort, which was supposed to be
brought on board by the convicts.

On the 4th of September, the Salamander sailed for
Norfolk-Island, with one hundred and sixty male convicts, some
stores, and provisions: two non-commissioned officers, and eleven
privates of the New South Wales corps went as a guard.

The Mary-Ann transport returned from Norfolk-Island on the
8th, having landed all the stores, provisions, and convicts safe;
but they had lost a boat in going off from the island: the
sailors, however, were all saved.

A number of emu's had been seen lately, and this appears to be
the season in which they breed, as a nest was found near some
fresh water, at the head of the harbour, containing fourteen
eggs. The nest was composed of fern, but it had more the
appearance of a quantity of fern collected for a person to sit
on, than a nest. Soon after taking these eggs, an old emu was
seen near Prospect-Hill with some young ones; several of the
settlers chased them, and the young birds were taken: they did
not appear to be more than a week old, and great pains were taken
to rear them, but they died, after being in Governor Phillip's
possession near five weeks. Thirteen of these old birds were seen
together in the course of this month, but it was a considerable
time since an emu had been shot.

The pattagorong and baggaray frequently supplied our c