bour, but were prevented, and driven off with stones by the
natives. A party of them, consisting of sixteen or eighteen persons, some
time after landed on the island* where the people of the _Sirius_ were
preparing a garden, and with much artifice, watching their opportunity,
carried off a shovel, a spade, and a pick-axe. On their being fired at
and hit on the legs by one of the people with small shot, the pick-axe
was dropped, but they carried off the other tools.

[* Since known by the name of Garden Island.]

To such circumstances as these must be attributed the termination of that
good understanding which had hitherto subsisted between us and them, and
which Governor Phillip laboured to improve whenever he had an
opportunity. But it might have been foreseen that this would unavoidably
happen: the convicts were every where straggling about, collecting
animals and gum to sell to the people of the transports, who at the same
time were procuring spears, shields, swords, fishing-lines, and other
articles from the natives, to carry to Europe; the loss of which must
have been attended with many inconveniences to the owners, as it was soon
evident that they were the only means whereby they obtained or could
procure their daily subsistence; and although some of these people had
been punished for purchasing articles of the convicts, the practice was
carried on secretly, and attended with all the bad effects which were to
be expected from it. We also had the mortification to learn, that M. De
la Perouse had been compelled to fire upon the natives at Botany Bay,
where they frequently annoyed his people who were employed on shore. This
circumstance materially affected us, as those who had rendered this
violence necessary could not discriminate between us and them. We were
however perfectly convinced that nothing short of the greatest necessity
could have induced M. De la Perouse to take such a step, as we heard him
declare, that it was among the particular instructions that he received
from his sovereign, to endeavour by every possible means to acquire and
cultivate the friendship of the natives of such places as he might
discover or visit; and to avoid exercising any act of hostility upon
them. In obedience to this humane command, there was no doubt but he
forbore using force until forbearance would have been dangerous, and he
had been taught a lesson at Maouna, one of the Isles des Navigateurs,
that the tempers of savages were