Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842), Saturday 25 May 1811, page 2


SYDNEY.

Sitting Magistrate for the ensuing Week,—

W. BROUGHTON, Esq.

Assize of Bread for the ensuing Week—Eight-

Pence per Loaf.

Average Price of Articles at last Saturday's Mar-

ket:—Wheat 15s. 1¼d. per bushel; barley 6s. per ditto; maize 7s. 9d. per ditto; potatoes 18s.

per cwt. fowls 5s. 6d. per couple; and eggs 3s.

per dozen.

This day a Bench of Magistrates assembled; before whom John Pierce, servant to Captain GLENHOLME, of the 73d Regiment, was charged with having absconded, and robbed his master:— For which offence he was sentenced to receive 100 lashes in the public market on Saturday next, and to be confined 12 months to hard labour wheresoever it may be HIS EXCELLENCY the GO-

VERNOR's Pleasure to direct.

Accounts brought from Norfolk Island by the Mercury state, that provisions were abundant on the island; pigs were numerous; pork sold at 10d. to 1s. per lb; bread about 4d. per ditto; maize 5s. per bushel. The last wheat harvest produced in some places upwards of 30 bushels to the acre; the average of the aggregate produce estimated at 20

bushels per acre.

The Frederick, commanded out of this Port by Captain Eber Bunker (owing to a severe indis-position under which Captain Bodie unfortunately laboured), had procured 25 tones of sperm oil before

Mr. Ennis left her at Norfolk Island, which is

about two months since.

As a specimen of the vast benefit derived by King Pomarrée from the labours of the Missiona-ries, we beg to lay before our Readers the following short extract, translated from one of his letters re-ceived by Mr. Davies.

" Prosperity to you, my friend, at your dwelling " place at Sydney: May you and us be saved by " JEHOVAH, the true God of the World, that

" supports us!"

This serious and solemn style appears to be the na-tural flow of his imagination, from which he devi-

ates only to recount the particulars of his condition, minutely describing the various forces that had been brought to his aid by the chiefs in amity with him, and other occurrences of an interesting nature; from which we are favoured with the following anecdote. " The American ship Hope, Captain " Chase, touched lately at Huaheine, at which

" time Tapou, the chief of the islands of Bora Bora " and Riateea, was there with all his warriors, go-" ing to join Pomarrée, but waiting for a fair wind. " This chief proposed the taking of the vessel to the " old Queen, who managed mostly the Govern-" ment and was the grandmother of the true Queen, " aged about 20 years. To this vile step she would " not consent; ' because, said she, ' the offence " will be charged against the people of Huheine, " who will not be concerned in so wicked a thing." The young Queen entered at the time, and her grandmother informed her of Tapoa's proposal, to which it would appear he had still obstinately ad-

hered; but was deterred by the reply made by this spirited young woman; who without a moment's consideration or reflexion exclaimed, " Then let " them take her!—But before they do, they must " first meet us in the field of battle!" This gene-rous declaration, accompanied with a determined manner, set the chief from his purpose, and the Hope

was not attacked.

Pomarrée accounts, at the same time, for the murder of the three people out of four left by the Trial, by challenging them as the aggressors, ha-ving (as he says) killed a native before any violence

was offered to them.

The Endeavour and Mercury, in pursuing the object of their voyage, the procuring of pork, touched at a place in possession of the rebels, and were invited on shore to trade, which the masters of the vessels thought it prudent to delay till the morning following and in the mean time to watch attentively their motions, in order as much as pos-sible to determine on the sincerity of their over-

tures. At day-light the shore was crowded with pigs, which was far from an unpleasant spectacle;

—but vague had been their hopes! a worthy fe-male by stratagem found timely access to them, and communicated the dreadful secret of a plot to

decoy the crews on shore, there treacherously to

surprise and murder them, and then with no fur-ther difficulty to make themselves masters of the vessels. They were fearful of taking too sudden steps for their preservation, lest the natives, be-coming hopeless of getting them within their power by fraud and artifice, should in a paroxysm of rage and disappointment attack them with mus-ketry at anchor, a means of assault of which they would have been incapable had not we ourselves put arms and ammunition into their hands. The impolicy of bartering these articles among them becomes obvious when too late to remedy the evil: they are the less fearful af our small arms, because they can reply to them in kind, with the insurmountable advantage of overpowering num-bers, when small arms only are to oppose their fury. Of carriage guns they have still the great-est dread, because they are not yet provided in

that way. From the experience of the past, we

may unheppily conclude, however, that if no other commodity can procure a cargo, even cannon may soon be put into their hands, and the hope of their ultimate civilization extend no further than the improvement of the means of shedding human blood!—To return to the situation of the two ves-sels, however, their recent arrival informs us that they escaped the danger by a cautious mode of acting, without which they must have been cut

off.

The market was this morning well supplied with the various productions of the garden. New potatoes, though very abundant, sold at 16s. per cwt. which was, however, 2s. below the average

price last week.

The new road to South Head, when finished, promises to become a fashionable resort, from the accomodation it will afford to carriages, which heretofore could not possibly pass without extreme

difficulty and danger. The Subscription liberally set on foot for this excellent purpose has been as liberally supported by the Officers of the Colony, and handsomely contributed to by many persons in private life. As an object of importance to the Inhabitants of the Town of Sydney, such a Sub-scription cannot be too general, as from the great length of road to be entirely cleared and rendered durable, a heavy expence must necessarily be in-

curred.

HIS EXCELLENCY the GOVERNOR, in his late visits up the country, has been pleased to lay down plans of improvement for the Townships of Parramatta and Windsor, in each of which alter-ations are suggested that must be highly gratify-ing in their completion to the inhabitants of both

places.