persons employed by
the lieutenant-governor at some ground which he had in cultivation near
the settlement. The prisoner appearing wild and incoherent on being
brought before the court, the principal surgeon of the settlement was
directed to examine him, and giving it as his opinion, upon oath, that
the man's pulse very strongly indicated either a delirium or
intoxication, his trial was put off until the following morning, when,
the same appearances of wildness continuing on him, witnesses were
examined as to the tenor of his conduct during his being in confinement
for the offence; and the court were of opinion from their testimony,
'That the prisoner was not in a state of mind to be put upon his trial.'
He was therefore placed under the care of the surgeon at the hospital,
and the court broke up.

It was generally supposed, that a firm belief that his offence would be
fixed upon him occasioned the derangement of intellect which appeared. He
was a notorious offender, and had been once pardoned in this country
under the gallows. Many of his fellow-prisoners gave him credit for the
ability with which he had acted his part, and perhaps he deserved their
applause; but disordered as he appeared before the court, their humanity
would not suffer them to proceed against a wretch who either had not, or
affected not to have, a sufficient sense of his situation.

Slops were served to the convicts during this month, and the detachment
received the remainder of the shoes which they brought from England.

September.] In England some dependence had been placed on fish as a
resource for the settlement, but sufficient for a general distribution
had not hitherto been caught at any one time. On the 4th of this month
the people belonging to the _Supply_ had a very large haul; their seine
was so full, that had they hauled it ashore it must have burst; the ropes
of it were therefore made fast on shore, and the seine was suffered to
lie until left dry by the tide. The fish were brought up to the
settlement, and distributed among the military and convicts. A night or
two after this, a fishing-boat caught about one hundred dozen of small
fish; but this was precarious, and, happening after the provisions were
served, no other advantage could be derived from the circumstance, than
that of every man's having a fish-meal.

On the 10th a criminal court of judicature was assembled for the trial of
Henry Wright, a private soldier in the detachment,