ate, he gave directions for
preparing his Majesty's ship _Buffalo_ for sea; which was accordingly
begun; and various accounts were ordered to be made out preparatory
to their being forwarded to England.

Information having been laid before the governor by the officers who were
appointed a committee for superintending the erection of the public gaol
at Sydney, that several persons had resisted the payment of the necessary
assessments which had been ordered to defray the expenses of the
building; it was ordered, that those assessments should be immediately
paid into the hands of the persons directed to collect them, or, in case
of a further refusal to a measure which had been entered upon at a
general meeting of the landholders, etc., in the colony, such steps as
should be adjudged necessary would be instantly pursued. Such being the
conduct of these people, even in a measure where their own personal
interests were so essentially concerned, can it be wondered at, that so
much profligacy prevailed in every part of the settlement?

July.] The prisoners who were left for execution at the end of the last
month suffered death, two of them at Sydney on the 3rd and the third at
Parramatta on the 5th of this month. If examples of this kind could
strike terror into the minds of the spectators, they certainly had not
lately been without these salutary though dreadful lessons.

A general muster was taken, during the month, of the inhabitants of the
several districts, attended by Lieutenant-Governor King, and other
officers of the settlement; and the _Buffalo_ dropped down the
harbour, that she might with more ease prepare for her voyage; as it was
impossible, without having recourse to punishment, to keep the people to
their duty on board while lying in the midst of temptation in Sydney
Cove.

Several gentlemen being now preparing to return to England, having
obtained the governor's permission for that purpose; much live stock was
sold, and a considerable addition was made to that belonging to the crown
by the purchase of some of the large horned cattle.

The _Martha_, having been allowed to go to Hunter river for coals in
the beginning of the month, on her return, having anchored in some very
bad weather in the north part of the harbour, Little Manly Bay, was by
the parting of her cable driven on a reef of rocks, where her bottom was
beat out. With the assistance of the officers and crew of the
_Buffalo_, she was got off, and,