made public, the day of their
departure was fixed. The whole were to embark on board the _Sirius_ and
the _Supply_ in the beginning of the following month, and were, if no
ship arrived from England to prevent them, to sail on the 5th. Should,
unfortunately, the necessity of adopting the measure then exist, the
_Sirius_ was to proceed to China directly from Norfolk Island to procure
a supply of provisions for the colony. China was chosen, under an idea
that salt provisions were to be obtained there, and that it was
preferable to sending to any of the islands in those seas, or to the Cape
of Good Hope at this season of the year, when the _Sirius_ and her crew
would have had to encounter the cold and boisterous weather of a winter's
passage thither.

As the numbers on Norfolk Island would be considerably increased by the
arrival of this detachment from hence, the governor judged the presence
of Major Ross necessary there, as lieutenant-governor of the territory.
Lieutenant King was to be recalled and return to this settlement.

Preparations were immediately set on foot for the embarkation of the
marines and other persons who were to quit this colony. It had been a
part of the first determinations on this business, that the _Sirius_
should, as I have mentioned, proceed directly from Norfolk Island on her
voyage to China; but Captain Hunter having represented the absolute
necessity he should be under of touching somewhere to wood and water,
owing to the number he should have on board, that idea was given up, and
Captain Hunter was directed to return with the _Sirius_ to this port for
the above purposes of wooding and watering. An additional reason offered
itself to influence this determination; it was hoped, that before she
could return, the arrival of the expected supplies would have rendered
the voyage altogether unnecessary; and it was but reasonable to suppose
that this would happen. The governor had, in all his dispatches,
uniformly declared the strong necessity there was of having at least two
years provisions in store for some time to come; and as this information,
together with an exact account of the situation of the colony, had been
transmitted by seven different conveyances, if only one had arrived safe,
it could not reasonably be doubted that supplies would be immediately
dispatched. From the length of time too which had elapsed since the
departure of the last ships* that sailed from hence direct for England
(fu