one was now dug in a more eligible spot, and where it could be much
better secured; which had been rendered necessary from the turbulent
disposition of the people lately arrived from Ireland.

March.] His Majesty's ship the _Reliance_ being completely worn out,
and no longer capable of rendering any service to the settlement, it
became necessary to give her such repairs as would enable her to reach
England. In order, therefore, to ease the crown of such useless expense,
she was fitted for sea, and sailed on the 3rd of this month on her
homeward-bound voyage.*

[* The _Reliance_ touched at the Cape of Good Hope and the Island
of St. Helena, whence she brought some Indiamen safe home under
her convoy. She arrived at Plymouth on the 26th of August, 1800.
Nothing remarkable occurred during the voyage, except the discovery of an
island, which, from its approach to the Antipodes of London, Captain
Waterhouse named Penantipode island. He determined its latitude by one
double altitude, and chronometer, to be 49 degrees 49 minutes 30 seconds S
and its longitude, 179 degrees 20 minutes E. It was seen in the middle of
the night; and as the nearest of the double altitudes by which its
latitude was determined was nearly an hour past noon, hence, and from the
change of place in the interval of four hours, the latitude ought not to
be depended on nearer than from 5 minutes to 10 minutes. The error of the
chronometer being uncertain at the time, no correction was applied to the
longitude, which may very probably be within half a degree, or much
nearer. When this island was seen, it was blowing a gale of wind. There
were seals on it, and it did not appear quite so large as Norfolk Island.]

Captain Waterhouse, in an excursion which he made to the north arm of
Broken Bay, wounded and secured a bird, of a species never seen before in
New South Wales, at least by any of the colonists. It was a large eagle,
which gave a proof of his strength, by driving his talons through a man's
foot, while lying in the bottom of the boat, with his legs tied together.
it stood about three feet in height, and during the ten days that it
lived was remarkable for refusing to be fed by any but one particular
person. Among the natives it was an object of wonder and fear, as they
could never be prevailed upon to go near it. They asserted, that it would
carry off a middling-sized kangaroo. Captain Waterhouse hoped to have
brought it to England; but it was one mo