cquarie Harbour: one,
consisting of three persons only, who seized the soldiers' boat,
provisions, and arms. They proceeded about twelve miles, when they
moored the boat to a stump of a tree, and wrote on its stern with chalk,
"to be sold:" of this party no tidings were ever heard, and it is
supposed that they perished. The second left five days afterwards, and
were, for a time, more fortunate. Having resolved to escape, they
proposed to capture the barge of commandant Wright; but suspecting their
intention, he pushed off before they could reach it, leaving behind the
surgeon. This gentleman they threatened to flog, and prepared the
instrument of punishment; Brady interposed, and thus began his fatal
career by an act of gratitude. He had experienced some kindness from the
surgeon when a patient, and forgave his official attendance at the
triangles. These men were usually friendly to the doctors: another
medical gentleman, afterwards taken prisoner by Brady and his gang, was
allowed to retain his lancet, and treated with respect, although robbed
of his money. A few days before, he had released one of the party from
punishment, by alleging his physical inability. It was thus in the power
of the surgeons to favor the prisoners, and to mitigate the sentence of
a rigorous magistrate.

The party having obtained a boat, proceeded towards the Derwent, and
were pursued by Lucas, the pilot, without success. They left on the 9th,
and appeared on the east coast of the Derwent on the 18th June, at the
residence of Mr. Mason: having beaten him with great violence and
cruelty, they next robbed a servant of Mr. Gunn of fire-arms. They were
pursued by this officer, and five were captured. These were instantly
placed on their trial, and were desirous of pleading guilty; but courts
have always manifested dislike to such evasions of trial, and they
retracted, on the persuasion of the chief justice. They attempted to
extenuate their crimes by the hardships they had suffered, but in vain.

The advice to a person accused to plead not guilty, though anomalous in
its aspect, is yet usually a proper protection to the ignorant and
defenceless: such, under an impression of general guilt, might admit an
aggravated indictment, and lose the advantage of those distinctions made
by legislators on public grounds, between crime and crime; or the
executive might delude a prisoner with fallacious hopes of mercy, to
prevent the disclosure of extenuating fa