1790 The Sirius my being able to weather a reef which extends some distance from 27 Aug. the N.W. point of the bay, and instead of having the usual easterly tide, which had always been found regular, there was a strong westerly current the whole of this day and great part of the next. The Supply, being ahead, endeavoured in vain to weather this reef; she tack'd. The Sirius could not weather it, and was thrown in stays. Here, to add to the danger of our situation, the wind baffled her and she missed stays, but was wore round in very misses stays. little room and brought to the wind on the other tack, upon which she lay very little better than paralel to the shore, for the wind had now got so far to the southward that it blew dead into the bay. The ship still seem'd to fall to leeward, and shoal'd the water to 5 fathoms; I again threw her in stays, she came up head to wind, but was here so long at a stand that I order'd the anchor to be cut away, people having been placed by it with axes, but she had gathered so much sternway that, before the cable could check her, she struck violently upon a pointed rock, and was instantly bulged. This bay, we now find, is full of such rocks, and is wholely a bed of coral. When I found the ship was bulged, and that the water was flowing fast into her hold, I ordered the masts to be cut away, in order to lighten the ship before she was full of water, that the sea might throw her into shoaler water, and give some hope of saving the lives of those on board. This had the desired effect; the ship's company were all saved, being hauled by the people on shore through a very heavy surf and over a coral reef, by which several were nearly dead when landed, but, with proper assistance, were recovered again. To enter into every particular circumstance attending this unfortunate shipwreck would very much exceed the limits of a letter; and as the round this letter must take before it can reach the Admiralty will subject it to the risk of a miscarriage (it goes by way of China) their Lordships, I hope, will pardon me for not being more particular. Strikes a rock. The crew saved. Happily, a short time after the loss of the ship the weather became so moderate that we were enabled to get a few of the most expert swimmers on board, by whose assistance we saved a few of the stores and a considerable part of the provisions, otherwise our situaprovisions. tion here would have been attended with very fatal consequences. Stores and Two ships have passed this island from Port Jackson for China. Two ships are here now, and have landed about two hundred convicts and some provisions. By those ships I understand I am not yet to be relieved, but to continue some time longer in this A distressing distressing situation, with a ship's company almost naked, having lost everything they had in the ship except what they came through the surf in, and no prospect of having their wants relieved until they can be removed from hence, which I find is not to be the case until the arrival of the Gorgon, which I most earnestly hope may be soon. I am, &c., JNO. HUNTER. situation. WRECK OF THE SIRIUS.-LETTER FROM AN OFFICER. 1790 Aug. FROM this time to the latter end of April we never let slip a single Opportunity of working in the Ship, and by the 10th of the above Month had preserved the under-mentioned quantity of pro- Provisions. visions, which was all we had to depend upon, and our sanguine Expectation of a relief given up till next Season, or by supposition of the supply bringing Ships from some European Settlement, which, within the Bounds of probability, could not be sooner than six Months.† quantity State of Provisions in the Public Store of Norfolk Island as per The Survey, April 10th, 1790-Flour, 27,006 lbs. ; Rice, 11,496 lbs. ; gaved. Callavances, 47 bushels; Beef, 8,375 lbs. ; Pork, 8,077 lbs. ; Spirits, 553 gallons-being the whole of every Specie saved from the Wreck of the Simis [Sirius], including her own proportion, with that of the Settlement, to support 503 Souls till some relief might occur. Ration issued from April till the 15th of May.-Flour, 4 lbs. ; Ration. Rice, 2 lbs.; Pork, 21 lbs. ; Spirits, 3 pints per Week. Ration from May 15th till July 19th.-Flour, 3 lbs. ; Rice, 1 lb. ; Beef, 1 lb., or 17 ozs. of Pork. Children above 12 Months old, half the above Ration, and under, 1 lb. Flour and 1 lb. Rice p. Week. N.B. Spirits were issued till the 30th of May, as above, when Spirits that Specie was exhausted. exhausted. Ration from July 19th till Augt. 4th.-Flour, 3 lbs. ; Rice, 1 lb. p'r Week. No more Meat being issued from the Store since that time, p'r order of the Council, till our Providential resource of Mount Pitt fail'd us; and had the relief kept back three more Days, our ration of Flour was agreed to have been shortened one Short pound per Week, in lieu of which we were to have half a pint of Callavances [caravances]. ration. built. We had also collected all the Gunner's, Boatswain's, and Carpenter's Stores that could be got together, with all the spare Sails, Haulsers, and the small Bower Cable, the Galley compleat, &c., &c. ; and a survey was held upon them the 25th of April, when they were secured in the Store built for their reception. By stating the A store above rations altogether, I need not enter into the general Order of those Days, as the occasion and necessity of them are obvious. No doubt you will wonder when I tell you that the same Tasks were performed on these very reduced Rations as when on full allowance; but this was owing to a Divine and providential resource from and about Mount Pitt, which place supplied the whole Settlement The birds with Birds from the latter end of March till the middle of August. Pitt. * An extract from a letter written by one of the non-commissioned officers of the Sirius, after the wreck of that vessel at Norfolk Island. The copyist, it will be noticed, has written "Simis" for "Sirius." At the head of the MS. the figures "1790," in Sir Joseph Banks' handwriting, appear; the exact date of the letter is not given, but it was written some time in August. The sketches and plans mentioned in the letter are not among the Banks Papers. †The Sirius, wrecked 19th March, 1790. Relief arrived, 8th August, 1790. at Mount 1790 Aug. Birds and eggs. The Bird is a specie of the Petrel, which comes to this Island about the beginning of March, when they burrow under Ground for laying. They were at first taken out of their Holes in the Day, but soon after we found Night to be the Time for slaughter, as our whole Horizon (in the Woods) was then covered with them, and there was no walking without kicking them before you. The Mould being soft and loose on the Mount, they found no difficulty in scratching their Way. Their holes are about 3 feet long, and on a gradual descent. About the middle of April there were vast numbers of Eggs taken, both from the Holes and Birds, which, if possible, were now thicker than ever. It would be impossible for me to give an account of either the Quantity of Birds or Eggs. I can only say that while the Birds laid them (which was from the middle of May to the beginning of June) there was no scarcity in any part of the Town, and were bartered at a very cheap rate. On the 19th of April the Birds became so very plentiful (and our Store so lean) the Governor issued out a conditional Order that if every person would give up half a pound of his salt Meat a Week they might kill and bring home as many Birds from the Mount as they pleased (as long as it did not inter fere with their Work), being before this restricted by allowing only so many Persons to go out at a time, and that quantity issued out by the Store Keeper to every individual. This being agreed to, instantly took place, and the slaughter and nightly havoc is beyond Description. It is worthy of Remark that these Birds were coming in when our sad and melancholy Catastrophe happened, and were very scarce at the arrival of the relief. Nothing could have been Providence. better timed, and, though rather paradoxical, everything happened as favourably as could be: the Birds as above; the Ship being cast away in the only spot where there would be the least Chance of saving either our People or the Provisions, all our Men keeping health to the last, and our Crops in a most flourishing State at the relief's arrival. As I have enclosed a drawing of the Bird, I shall give no further description. We had, besides our Friends, the Pittites (the Vulgar Appellation), another very capital resource if the weather would have permitted fishing, which in this Season of the Year is so very unsettled that on an average we have had but 3 fine Days out of 15 fit for fishing. Therefore, our reliance on this very precarious resource was of little note when compared to the Birds, which were to be had in any number for going for. They are very fine eating, exceeding fat and firm, and, I think (though no Connoisseur), as good as any I ever eat. Fishing precarious. They are a kind of Snapper [schnapper], and as I am but a poor hand at description I have enclosed a small drawing, which is here much wanted and greatly esteemed. We had given up all hopes of a relief till about November, December, and January, and were all Gardening. turned gardiners for our own support. We (Mr. Bryan, Mr. Short 1790 Aug. land, and myself), the only three non-commissioned Officers wrecked from the Simis [Sirius] that Capn. Hunter kept with the remainder of the Crew, the others being returned to Port Jackson in the Supply (as before observed), had a most excellent Garden (our Garden of ab't of an acre), which, though we did not clear from the Trees, we fenced round, dug up, planted, set and sowed, with the assistance of only one of our Seamen. Besides, one of us had to attend the Duty of the Day in rotation; therefore you may judge we had but very little idle time. However, when the relief arrived, our Crops were flourishing, having a good prospect of digging upwards of 30 Bushels of Potatoes, picking vast quantities of french Beans, and cutting many fine heart Cabbages and Lettuces, &c., &c., and that Flourishing very day the relief arrived we were going to clear a piece of crops. Ground for Indian Corn. Our Seamen also had begun their Gardens. Our Birds becoming scarce, we were forced to commence Forages; and I assure you at the Relief we were not bad hands at either Birds or Cabbages (the Head of the Palm Tree), and returned from the Woods with our Loads on our Backs with all the Sans Froid imaginable. We have great right to remember with gratitude the kindness of our good Friend Major Ross (the Major Ross. Governor), who spared no pains to make us comfortable in our situation, and was ever ready to serve us. He, poor unfortunate Man, lost the most of his Things, and indeed all his Comforts and Papers, by our unfortunate Wreck, since which he has lost upwards of £90 in Articles sent from England in the Guardian, and he bears it with surprising magnanimity. My being on the Island so long, and having had an opportunity of perusing the Accounts published by Stockdale of this "Paradise of Nature, this Empire of the East," I cannot let slip this Opportunity of making a few Remarks, as the Opinions and Ideas of all Persons here are so very different from the Publication. This Island must be allowed by every impartial Person to be as rich in Richness of soil and vegitation as any part of the World. Nothing has been the soil. yet planted but what has thrived in a surprising degree. Melons and such other Fruit may be had all the Year round with very Trouble. Corn of all kinds, and in short everything, grows in a most luxuriant Manner. little Its only spontaneous production, except a few Berrys is the Produc Banana, which are few, but exceeding good. There are no Esculant tions, Herbs or Flowers worthy of note. It is particularly well watered, having many good runs of sufficient strength to turn Mills, &c., and is of a very good quality. Yet it has its evils, three in number, vizt., Blights, Grubs, and Paroquets. The first is pernicious to a Evils. degree at this Season of the Year, comes generally with a S.E. and easterly wind, which droops all Plants before it, which are past recovery if the Winds are at any time in those directions. To convince my speaking from experience, I need look no further back 1790 Aug. A destructive gale. than the day the relief arrived (Aug. 7th) off this Island, in the Evening of which there was a shift of wind to the S.E., which only lasted a few Hours, laid a great part of our Garden perfectly on the Ground, which it has not yet or ever will recover. Our Neighbors fared much worse, and most of their Plants have since perished. Secondly, the Grubs, whose unlimitted Numbers and Mischief are beyond account, and have kept one of us (in our little Spot) continually employed both forenoons and afternoons clearing them away. They spare nothing but Sallads, which are Ravages of rather too bitter for them, but young sweet plants stand not the grubs least chance; therefore, if they're lucky enough to escape the Blight, they are devoured by these insatiable Insects before they come to the state of Maturity; and when arrived to that State the Paroquets make vast havoc, devouring the Seeds of all Grain, as well as most of the Garden Seeds, and small Spots would be entirely consumed were they not well watched. They fly in great Flocks, and are so tame that with common caution you may knock them down with a stick. Yet, in spite of these Evils (thus far) there is no cause of complaint but by Individuals, the public having such large Stocks that, unless they are considerable, they are not so very materially felt. This Island does not produce a single Blade Live stock of Grass, but the Cattle (Sheep and Goats) flourish greatly, and flourishing. are always in good order upon no other Pasture than Browse. and paroquets. Magnificent pines. Their size The Pines are truly stately, and in appearance awfully magnificent. Some of them measure from 160 to 220 feet in Length, from 60 to 120 Feet clear from Branches, and from 20 to 40 Feet in Circumference. The other Trees on the Island, which anywhere else would be thought large, are in appearance only like underwood. They are by far in greater abundance near the Sea Coast than inland, where few are only found here; and then they're, in account of this Island, exalted to a degree confirming and number. them fit for masting the whole British Navy. This I allow in Quantity, but for the Quality I shall here give the Opinion of the only Person in the Settlement that can be accounted a Judge.* He at once affirms them perfectly unfit for such purposes; that they are not in the least like the grain of the Norway Pine (as expressed in the Account); that in that respect its as short as Beech, but of very different Quality; that it snaps like a Carrot, and when cut with the finest two-edged Tools across the Grain it scratches and becomes ragged, instead of being smooth and clear; and in his Opinion it bears a nearer resemblance to the Cypress of America than any other wood, however Worked upon. He allows it to be very fit and very neat stuff for house Building. The turpentine (which is also mentioned) is contained between the Bark and the Wood, seems destitute of any (Bright) Unfit for masts. *Note in MS.-The person's name alluded to is Levington, the master carpenter of this settlement, and a free man. |