Volume 10: Elizabeth Macarthur journal and correspondence, 1789-1840

4 learn the state of affairs at that place, she returned on the 25th. of Febry. with the officers, and men in health, and brought a good account of the health of every individual left behind. This circumstance removed some considerable anxiety from our minds; but it proved our fears had been but too well grounded, as when the Supply arrived, they had not more than ten days provisions in the store, at a full allowance; and from the 14th. of last May till the 18th of July, they were reduced to the same pittance of 3lb of flour and 1 pd and ½ of Beef, for a Week. At this time a most merciful relief came to their assistance it had been observed on a high Hill in the Island, (which they have named Mount Pitt) that many Sea Birds frequented it; an endeavor was made to take some of them; which was success-ful, and by attending more particularly to the time of their appearance, and their favorite haunts, they were discovered in the greatest abundance, it was the season in which they laid their Eggs, and both Birds and Eggs were taken in such considerable quantities as occasioned the small allowance of the meat they had issued before to be stopp'd – and however wonderful it may appear to you, yet true it is, that those Birds, for many Weeks, were the chief subsistence of seven Hundred Men; and they were so easily taken, that after sunset it was impossible to walk on the Mount without treading on them, and sometimes towards Evening, they have been absent hovering in the Air, in such innumerable flocks, considerably to occlude the light from admiring spectators. – but now the melancholy truth of their flights were directed to other quarters, and at length few remained – but before hope was [page torn]

5 extinguished, a ship appeared and brought them a long expected supply, believe me my Dr. friend that in writing these faithful traits of the pitiable situation of the Inhabitants of Norfolk a Chill seems to overpower my faculties my mind has so truly entered into their distresses that a dread comes over me, which I am unable to describe – but it is succeeded by as firm a reliance on the Merciful dispensations of an Almighty, whose hand I think we may here trace without presumption; that I can only admire in silence. As I have been on the subject of Norfolk Island I think I may as well finish with it at once. Norfolk Island is about 332 leagues East of Port Jackson about six leagues in circumference every access to it is dangerous being environed on one side with a surf at rocks, and on the other with steep perpendicular Cliffs. There is no place round the Island, where a ship can anchor with safety on account of a violent surf which rises at times so suddenly, that a Spectator placed on the shore at an Elevation of 10 or 12 feet, will yet have the horizon frequently occluded from his view, in the course of five minutes; in this surf it was that the Syrius was lost. The soil is universally admitted to be capable of producing every thing that would be wished: it is rich even to Luxuriance. The Island has a most charming picturesque appearance from the drawings I have seen, and what I have heard corresponds with it; the Pine trees, (which are designed to furnish the British Navy in the East Indies with Masts) are very lofty and majestic some rising to 200 and others to 220 feet high upwards of an hundred feet clear of branches; and from 28 to 36 in circumference. There are various other

6 trees fitted for domestic purposes; and some which add greatly to the beauty of a Landscape – such as the Fern the Cabbage, and Bannana [Banana], or Plantain; the two latter bearing a very pleasant fruit. the flax plant of which so much has never been said – has not hitherto been of any essential service, a few yards of Canvas has been manufactured, a Specimen of which will now go to England by the Dutch ship. – The Birds of the Island, are but few, amongst the number are a very fine Pigeon, and a delicate little Dove; they are in general so tame, that they may be knocked down with a stick: and sometimes caught by the hand. There is not a single quadruped on the Island, but a Bat and no venomous reptile whatever. The Climate has been found extremely healthy and I think in some instances, preferable to this; it lies some degrees nearer the Equator, but being a small Island, and at a considerable distance from any other tracts of Land, it is not in the Summer subject to such hot winds, but on the contrary constantly refreshed with a breeze from the sea. and the Winter (if indeed it deserves that appellation) is not cold enough to make it necessary to sit by a fire, and a constant succession of vegetation is kept up throughout the Year. They have seldom any Thunder or Lightning, what has been observed was always very distant, and of short duration – I have before remarked upon the goodness of the soil, not with standing which, there are some evils peculiar to it, which have rendered the Labours of the Cultivator in general ineffectual Those Evils are a blight a destructive grub and a Caterpillar

7 more pernicious that the other two. The Crops of Corn and Vegetables that have had the good fortune to escape these pests, have ripened and produced an increase equal to the most sanguin [sanguine] wishes of the Cultivator – The last Season when in the midst of their distress they were cheering their hearts by contemplating the flourishing Cornfields the Caterpillers [Caterpillars] made their appearance. They were observed to come from the Hills, and in such quantities that every attempt to counteract their harmful influence proved ineffective; they retreated not, till they had done so much mischief, that enough Corn did not ripen to sow the Land this Year – What is somewhat remarkable, the Caterpillers [Caterpillars] from the Cornfields direct their course to the Sea (in such abundance that the beach was covered with them) and then were seen no more. Those are the accounts of Norfolk Island down to Febry last: and are what I have learnt from some of the Navy officers belonging to the Syrius. – The Supply is to be sent to Norfolk again in the course of a few days with three of our officers, and a party of Soldiers to relieve the same number of Marines, at Norfolk – a Captn Hill Surgn Abbot and Mr Prentice are fixed on for this purpose.

I shall begin my relation now of things more immediately occurring to Myself. it will be unnecessary to go over the Chit Chat of my last Letter; such as the State of our House the attentions we meet with &c &c. – We passed out time away many Weeks cheerfully if not gaily – gaily indeed it could not be said to be. – On my first landing every thing was new to me, every Bird, every Insect, Flower &c in short all was novelty around me. and was noticed with a degree

8 of eager curiosity, and perturbation; that after a while subsided into that calmness; I have already described. In my former Letter I gave you the character of Mr Dawes: and also of Captn Tench, those Gentlemen and a few others are the chief among whom we visit – indeed are we in that habit of intimacy with Captn Tench, that there are few days pass that we do not spend some part of together – Mr Dawes we do not see so frequently He is so much engaged with the Stars, that to Mortal Eyes he is not always visible. I had the presumption to become his pupil, and meant to learn a little of astronomy it is true I have had many a pleasant walk to his House (something less than a half a mile from Sydney) have given him much trouble in making orrereys and in explaining to me the general principles of the heavenly bodies. but I soon found I had mistaken my Abilities; and blush at my error – Still I wanted something, to fill up a certain vacancy in my time which could neither be done by writing reading or conversation, to the two first I did not feel myself always inclined, and the latter was not in my power having no female friend to unbend my mind to, nor a single Woman with whom I could converse with any satisfaction to myself the Clergymans Wife being a person in whose society I could reap neither profit nor pleasure, These considerations made me still anxious to learn some easy science to fill up the vacancies of many a solitary day, and at length under the auspices of Mr Dawes: I have made a small progress in Botany, no Country can exhibit a more copious field for Botany knowledge than this, I am arrived so far, as to be able to class: