a mile and a half. All the settlers complain sadly of being frequently
robbed by the runaway convicts, who plunder them incessantly.

December 6th. Visited the settlements to the northward of the rivulet. The
nearest of them lies about a mile due north of Mr. Clarke's house. Here are
only the undernamed five settlers.

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Men's names. | Trades. | Number of | Number of acres
| | acres in each | in cultivation.
| | allotment. |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thomas Brown*, wife, and child --- 60 )
William Bradbury* --- 30 ) 3 1/2
William Mold* --- 30 )
Simon Burne, and wife Hosier 50 3
----Parr, and wife Merchant's clerk 50 3 1/2
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[*These three cultivate in partnership.(Brown, Bradbury, Mold.)]

These settlers are placed on the same footing in every respect which
concerns their tenure and the assistance to be granted to them as those
at Prospect Hill. Near them is water. Parr and Burne are men of great
industry. They have both good houses which they hired people to build for
them. Parr told me that he had expended thirteen guineas on his land, which
nevertheless he does not seem pleased with. Of the three poor fellows who
work in partnership, one (Bradbury) is run away. This man had been
allowed to settle, on a belief, from his own assurance, that his term of
transportation was expired; but it was afterwards discovered that he had
been cast for life. Hereupon he grew desperate, and declared he would
rather perish at once than remain as a convict. He disappeared a week ago
and has never since been heard of. Were I compelled to settle in New South
Wales, I should fix my residence here, both from the appearance of the
soil, and its proximity to Rose Hill. A corporal and two privates are
encamped here to guard this settlement, as at Prospect.

Proceeded to the settlement called the Ponds, a name which I suppose it
derived from several ponds of water which are near the farms. Here reside
the fourteen following settlers.

---------------------------------