ncealed in the
house, on a Sunday, when all the family, this servant excepted, would be
attending divine service. The arrangement succeeded but too well.
Concluding that all was safe, he applied his key, and, entering the room,
was proceeding without any remorse to plunder it of such articles as he
wanted; when the constable, seeing his prey within his toils, started
from his concealment, and seized him in the act of taking the property.

Thus was this wretched being without 'one compunctious visiting of
nature,' detected in the act of injuring the man, who, in the better day
of his prosperity, had been the companion of his youth, and who had
stretched out his hand to shelter him in the present hour of his
adversity!

The _Deptford_ brig sailing this month for the coast of Coromandel,
the governor took the opportunity of transmitting to Admiral Rainier, or
the commander in chief of his Majesty's ships in the East Indies, a list
of the deserted convicts, and a description of the two boats which had
lately been taken from the colony. As it was, probably, the intention of
those people to steer along the coast of New South Wales to the
northward, until they should reach some of the Dutch settlements among
the Molucca islands, there was a possibility of their being picked up by
some of the King's cruisers; in the event of which, the governor forcibly
urged their being forwarded, by any opportunity which might offer, to his
government, there to be made an example that should, if possible, deter
others from making the like attempts.

The widow of Ensign Brock's, who died in July last, availed herself of
this opportunity to get, with her family, partly on her way to England.

Although the settlement had now been established within a month of ten
years, yet little had been added to the stock of natural history which
had been acquired in the first year or two of its infancy. The Kangaroo,
the Dog, the Opossum, the Flying Squirrel, the Kangaroo Rat, a spotted
Rat, the common Rat, and the large Fox-bat (if entitled to a place in
this society), made up the whole catalogue of animals that were known at
this time, with the exception which must now be made of an amphibious
animal, of the mole species, one of which had been lately found on the
banks of a lake near the Hawkesbury. In size it was considerably larger
than the land mole. The eyes were very small. The fore legs, which were
shorter than the hind, were observed, at the feet