here take an opportunity of mentioning that those men who had
left a part of their crew upon an island to the southward, and had
returned and taken a larger boat at Broken Bay, and had been wrecked
upon the coast to the northward, built out of the ruins of their vessel
a small boat in which they reached the above Bay; but not being able to
possess themselves of another, fit for their purpose, were, for want of
food, driven to the necessity of travelling across the country; they
wrote to me, but it was impossible to listen to their feigned story;
they were armed and carried some appearance of an intention to defend
themselves; they, however, surrendered themselves up, and were tried and
severally pleaded guilty of the robberies wherewith they were charged,
and two out of the six suffered death--an awful example, which, I hope,
will have a proper effect and prevent such attempts in future. Several
of them assured me that they had seen the wreck of the first boat--which
I mentioned in my letter No. 30--and it is very probable the crew have
perished.

I have, etc.,

JNO. HUNTER.

THE BLIGH MUTINY

+Source.+--Historical Records of Australia. Vol. VI, pp. 208-213,
240-242

As the free settlers became numerous and prosperous they became
self-assertive, and the most energetic naturally fell foul of a
tactless autocrat like Governor Bligh, who governed New South Wales
as if all were of the same status.

MAJOR JOHNSTON TO VISCOUNT CASTLEREAGH

Headquarters, Sydney, N.S.W.

_11th April, 1808._

My Lord,

A series of almost incredible circumstances have imposed upon me the
distressing task and responsibility of superseding the authority vested
in Governor Bligh by His Majesty's Commission, and of assuming the
Government of this colony until His Majesty's pleasure shall be
signified, or until the arrival of an officer authorized to relieve me
in the Command.

Whenever the facts that have influenced me throughout so solemn a
transaction shall be laid before my Gracious Sovereign, I humbly trust
His Majesty will approve of my conduct, and that it will be apparent I
had no alternative but to put Governor Bligh in arrest to prevent an
insurrection of the inhabitants, and to secure him and the persons he
confided in from being massacred by the incensed multitude, or, if the
Governor had escaped so dreadful an end, and retained his authority, to
see His Majesty's benevolent and paternal Governme