An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales Volume II Part 26

-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date of Date of Whither Names-of-s.h.i.+ps Arrival Whence Cargo Departure bound -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1788 [* See note at end of table]

His Majesty's armed 25 Jan. England 17 Apr. Batavia tender, Supply 1790 H.M. s.h.i.+p Sirius 26 - - 1 Oct. C of G Hope 1788 Alexander, transport 26 - - Convicts Scarborough 26 - - - Charlotte 26 - - - Lady Penrhyn 26 - - - Friends.h.i.+p 26 - - - Prince of Wales 26 - - - - Fishburn, store-s.h.i.+p 26 - - Provisions, etc Golden Grove 26 - - - Borrowdale 26 - - 1789 H.M. s.h.i.+p Sirius 6 May CofG Hope Lost at Norfolk Is.

1790 Lady Juliana, trans. 3 Jun. England Convicts Justinian, stores.h.i.+p 20 - - Provisions, etc.

Surprise, transport 26 - - Convicts Neptune 28 - - - Scarborough 28 - - -

H.M. a t. Supply 19 Sep. Batavia Provisions Waaksamheyd Dutch store-s.h.i.+p 17 Dec. - - 1791 Mary Arm, transport 9 July England Convicts Matilda 1 Aug. - - Atlantic 20 - - Salamander 21 - - William and Arm 28 - - H.M.S. Gorgon 21 Sep. - Stores/Provisions Active, transport 26 - Convicts Queen 26 Ireland - Albemarle 13 Oct. England - Britannia 14 Oct. England - Admiral Barrington 16 - - 1792 Pitt 14 Feb. - - Atlantic, store-s.h.i.+p 20 Jun. Bengal Provisions Britannia 26 Jul. England - 1792 24 Oct. C of G Hope Royal Admiral 7 Oct. - Convicts Philadelphia, brig 1 Nov. Philad- Speculation American elphia Kitty, transport 18 England Convicts Hope, American Dec. RhodeIs Speculation Chesterfield, whaler - CofG H To repair 1793 Bellona, transport 15 Jan. England Convicts Shah Hormuzear 24 Feb. Speculation El Descuvierta Spa. 12 Mar. Manilla To refresh L'Atrevida Cor. 12 Mar. Manilla To refresh Daedalus, store-s.h.i.+p 20 Apr. NWCoast Provisions, 1793 Nootka of America etc. 1 Jul. Sound Britannia Jun. CofGHopeCattle, etc. 8 Sep. Bengal private property Boddingtons, trans. 7 Aug. Ireland Convicts Sugar-cane 17 Sep. - - Fairy, American 29 Oct. Boston To refresh 1794 William, store-s.h.i.+p 10 March England Provisions Arthur 10th Bengal Speculation Daedalus, store-s.h.i.+p 3 Apr. America Provisions Indispensable 24 May England - Britannia l Jun. Batavia - 1 Sep. C of G Hope Speedy 8 England - Halcyon, American 14 RhodeIs.Speculation Hope, American 5 Jul.

Fancy 9 Bombay Provisions Resolution, st.sh. 10 Sep. England Salamander 11 Mercury, American 17 Oct. Rhode Is.

Surprise, transport 25 England Convicts Experiment 24 Dec. Bengal Speculation 1795 Britannia 4 Mar. CofGHopeStock for 18 Jun. India the officers Endeavour, st. sh. 31 May Bombay Cattle H.M.S. Providence 26 Aug. England - 1796 H.M.S. Reliance) 7 Sep. England Stores 29 Sep. C of G Hope H.M.S. Supply ) 20 Young William,st.sh. 4 Oct. - Sovereign 5 Nov. - 1796 Arthur 1 Jan. Bengal Speculation Ceres, store-s.h.i.+p 23 England Provisions Experiment 24 Bengal Speculation Otter, American 24 Boston To refresh Marquis Cornwallis, 11 Feb. Ireland Convicts transport Abigail, American Feb. RhodeIs.Speculation a.s.sistance 17 Mar. Dusky Bay Susan, American 19 Apr. RhodeIs.Speculation Indispensable,trans. 30 England Convicts Britannia, st. sh. 11 May CalcuttaProvisions Grand Turk,American 23 Aug. Boston Speculation Prince of Wales, 2 Nov. England store-s.h.i.+p Sylph 17 1797 Mercury, American 11 Jan. Manilla To refit H.M.S. Supply 16 May CofGHopeCattle Condemned Britannia,transport 27 Ireland Provisions Ganges 2 Jun.

H.M.S. Reliance 26 CofGHopeCattle Deptford 20 Sep. Madras Speculation 1798 Nautilus 14 May OtaheiteMissionaries Barwell, transport 18 England Convicts Hunter 10 Jun. Bengal Speculation Cornwall, whaler 2 Jul. CofGHopeTo refit Eliza 4 Argo, American sch. 7 MauritiusSpeculation Sally, whaler 8 Jul. CofGHopeTo refit Britannia, transp. 18 England Convicts Pomona, whaler 20 Aug. CofGHopeTo refit Diana 20 Semiramis, American 1 Oct. Rhode Is.

Marquis Cornwallis 27 CofGHopeCattle store-s.h.i.+p Indispensable,whaler 27 - To refit 1799 Rebecca, American 5 Mar. - Speculation Nostra Senora de 24 Apr. Cape Blanco Various Bethlehem, prize articles 1799 H.M.S. Buffalo 26 CofGHopeCattle 15th Sep. C of G Hope Albion, store-s.h.i.+p 29 Jun. England Provisions Hillsborough, trans. 26 Jul. Convicts Resource, American 6 Sep. RhodeIs.To refit Walker, store-s.h.i.+p 3 Nov. England Provisions El Plumier, prize 2 Dec. Cape Various Corientes articles 1800 Swallow, packet 3 Jan. England To refit Minerva, transport 11 Ireland Convicts Fhynne, Danish 11 Feb. Bengal Speculation colours Betsey, whaler 13 W. CoastTo refit America Friends.h.i.+p, transp. 16 Ireland Convicts Speedy, transport 15 Apr. England - H.M.S. Buffalo 15 CofGHopeCattle Belle Sauvage 7 Jun. RhodeIs.To refit American

[* These departures are noticed, to show in what time the princ.i.p.al pa.s.sages have been made to and from the different ports with which the colony had intercourse, by comparing the time of sailing with the return.]

Of these s.h.i.+ps 37 sailed from England with convicts, male and female, for the settlement, having about 5000 persons of that description on board, of which something more (157) than one fifth were females.

The following s.h.i.+ps had sailed from England and Ireland for New South Wales; but none of them had arrived previous to the departure of the _Buffalo_, viz

24th August 1799 Luz. St. Ann, transport, with 167 Convicts.

17th March 1800 H.M.S. the Porpoise.

She arrived the 7th Nov. following.

23d May 1800 Royal Admiral, transport, 300 convicts.

18th November Earl Cornwallis, - 327 21st June 1801 Nile, - 96 - Canada, - 103 28th November Minorca, - 101 12th February 1802 Hercules, - ) 330 - Atlas, - ) Coromandel, - ) 250 Perseus, ) Rollo, - ) 250 Atlas, - )

Having been favoured with a more minute and ornithological description of the elegant and novel bird mentioned in page 65* of the preceding sheets since they were sent to the press, it is here given.

[* ... They brought in with them one of the birds which they had named pheasants, but which on examination appeared to be a variety of the Bird of Paradise.]

The bill of this bird, which has been named the _Maenura superba_, is straight, having the nostrils in the centre of the beak. The base of the upper mandible is furnished with hairs like feathers turning down; the upper mandible is at the base somewhat like that of the pigeon. The eye is a dark hazel, with a bare s.p.a.ce around it. The throat and chin are of a dark rufous colour: the rest, with the body, of a dusky grey. The feathers on the rump are longer than those of the body, and more divided.

The colour of the wings, which are concave, is dark rufous. The legs and claws are large in proportion to the bird, particularly the claws. The outward toe is connected with the middle one as far as the first joint.

The tail is long, and composed of three different sorts of feathers, of which the upper side is of a dark grey, with ferruginous spots. The first two lower feathers, which are a little curved, in two directions, are beneath of a pearly colour, enriched with several crescent shaped s.p.a.ces, of a rich rufous and black colour. The laminae are unwebbed, turned round toward the extremity, and ornamented with a black bar, the breadth of an inch, and fringed at the end. The shaft of the second, which is likewise long, is fringed with long hair-like filaments; and the third, which is also long and curved, is plumed on the inner side only, except at the extremity, where there are a few separated filaments of a dark grey colour.

The female _Maenura superba_ differs very little from the male, except in the tail, which is composed of twelve feathers a little curved and plumed, having the upper side dark rufous and grey, and the under of a pearly colour.

The following curious particulars of these birds were observed by persons resident in the country, and who were eye-witnesses of what is here told.

They frequent retired and inaccessible parts of the interior; have been seen to run remarkably fast, but their tails are so c.u.mbrous that they cannot fly in a direct line. They sing for two hours in the morning, beginning from the time when they quit the valley, until they attain the summit of the hill; where they sc.r.a.pe together a small hillock, on which they stand, with their tall spread over them, imitating successively the note of every bird known in the country. They then return to the valley.

The drawing from which the engraving is made was taken from a beautiful stuffed _Maenura superba_ in the collection of Mr. Arthur Harrison (who also is in possession of a female _Maenura superba_), and which was presented to that gentleman by Governor Hunter.

The peculiar conformation of the amphibious animal mentioned on page 45 of this Volume*, having attracted the attention of Everard Home, esq a paper, containing the result of a minute examination of the external and internal parts of two specimens which had been preserved in spirits, and sent from Port Jackson to Sir Joseph Banks was drawn up by Mr. Home, and, having been read before the Royal Society (on Thursday the 17th December 1801), was afterwards published in the Philosophical Transactions. From that paper, which was most obligingly and politely sent to me by Mr.

Home, I have, through the liberality of the President of that learned body, been allowed to select such particulars of this curious animal, as will, I think, be acceptable to the readers of this work; who no doubt will join with me in rejoicing that an animal, hitherto unknown to science, should have fallen under the observation and examination of a gentleman so eminently qualified to develop the secrets of nature.

[* viz: "Although the settlement had now been established within a month of ten years, yet little had been added to the stock of natural history which had been acquired in the first year or two of its infancy. The Kangaroo, the Dog, the Opossum, the Flying Squirrel, the Kangaroo Rat, a spotted Rat, the common Rat, and the large Fox-bat (if ent.i.tled to a place in this society), made up the whole catalogue of animals that were known at this time, with the exception which must now be made of an amphibious animal, of the mole species, one of which had been lately found on the banks of a lake near the Hawkesbury. In size it was considerably larger than the land mole. The eyes were very small. The fore legs, which were shorter than the hind, were observed, at the feet, to be provided with four claws, and a membrane, or web, that spread considerably beyond them, while the feet of the hind legs were furnished, not only with this membrane or web, but with four long and sharp claws, that projected as much beyond the web, as the web projected beyond the claws of the fore feet. The tail of this animal was thick, short, and very fat; but the most extraordinary circ.u.mstance observed in its structure was, its having, instead of the mouth of an animal, the upper and lower mandibles of a duck. By these it was enabled to supply itself with food, like that bird, in muddy places, or on the banks of the lakes, in which its webbed feet enabled it to swim; while on sh.o.r.e its long and sharp claws were employed in burrowing; nature thus providing for it in its double or amphibious character. These little animals had been frequently noticed rising to the surface of the water, and blowing like the turtle."]

The natural history of this animal, which has obtained the name of _Ornithorhynchus paradoxus_ is at present very little known. The following particulars were communicated to Mr. Home by Governor Hunter, who, during his residence in New South Wales, had opportunities of seeing the animal alive.

The Ornithorhynchus is only found in fresh-water lakes, of which there are many in the interior parts of the country, some three quarters of a mile long, and several hundred yards broad. It does not swim upon the surface of the water, but comes up occasionally to breathe, which it does in the same manner as the turtle. The natives sit upon the banks, with small wooden spears, and watch them every time they rise to the surface, till they get a proper opportunity of striking them. This they do with much dexterity, and frequently succeed in catching them this way.

Governor Hunter saw a native watch one for above an hour before he attempted to spear it, which he did through the neck and fore leg: when on sh.o.r.e, it used its claws with so much force that they were obliged to confine it between two pieces of board, while they were cutting off the barbs of the spear, to disengage it. When let loose, it ran upon the ground with as much activity as a land tortoise; which is faster than the structure of its fore feet would have led us to believe. It inhabits the banks of the lakes, and is supposed to feed in the muddy places which surround them; but the particular kind of food on which it subsists is not known.

The male is 17 inches in length, from the point of the bill to the extremity of the tail. The bill is 2 inches long; and the tail, measuring from the a.n.u.s, 4 inches.

The body of the animal is compressed, and nearly of the same general thickness throughout, except at the shoulders, where it is rather smaller. The circ.u.mference of the body is 11 inches. There is no fat deposited between the skin and the muscles.

In the female, the size of the body is rendered proportionally larger than that of the male, by a quant.i.ty of fat lying every where under the skin.

The male is of a very dark brown colour, on the back, legs, bill, and tall; the under surface of the neck and belly is of a silver grey. In the female the colour is lighter.

The hair is made up of two kinds; a very thick fur, one half of an inch long, and a very uncommon kind of hair, three quarters of an inch long.

The portion next the root has the common appearance of hair; but for a quarter of an inch towards the point it becomes flat, giving it some faint resemblance to very fine feathers: this portion has a gloss upon it; and when the hair is dry, the different reflections from the edges and surfaces of these longer hairs give the whole a very uncommon appearance. The fur and hair upon the belly is longer than that upon the back.

Externally there is no appearance of the organs of generation in either s.e.x; the orifice of the a.n.u.s being a common opening to the r.e.c.t.u.m and prepuce in the male, and to the r.e.c.t.u.m and v.a.g.i.n.a in the female.

There was no appearance that could be detected, of nipples; although the skin on the belly of the female was examined with the utmost accuracy for that purpose.

The head is rather compressed. The bill, which projects beyond the mouth, in its appearance resembles that of the duck; but is in its structure more like that of the spoonbill, the middle part being composed of bone, as in that bird: it has a very strong cuticular covering.

The nostrils are two orifices, very close to each other, near the end of the bill; the upper lip projecting three quarters of an inch beyond them.

The eyes are very small; they are situated more upon the upper part of the head than is usual, and are directly behind the loose edge of the cuticular flap belonging to the bill. The eyelids are circular orifices concealed in the hair, and, in the male, are with difficulty discovered; but in the female there is a tuft of lighter hair, which marks their situation.

The external ears are two large slits, directly behind the eyes, and much larger than the orifices of the eyelids.

The teeth, if they can be so called, are all grinders; they are four in number, situated in the posterior part of the mouth, one on each side of the upper and under jaw, and have broad flat crowns. They differ from common teeth very materially, having neither enamel nor bone, but being composed of a h.o.r.n.y substance only, embedded in the gum, to which they are connected by an irregular surface in the place of fangs. When cut through, which is readily done by a knife, the internal structure is fibrous like the human nail: the direction of the fibres is from the crown downwards.

Between the cheek and the jaw, on each side of the mouth, there is a pouch, as in the monkey tribe, lined with a cuticle. When laid open, it is 1 inches long, and the same in breadth. In the female it contained a concreted substance, the size of a very small nut, one in each pouch: this, when examined through the microscope, was found to be made up of very small portions of broken crystals.

Besides these grinding teeth, there are two small pointed h.o.r.n.y teeth upon the projecting part of the posterior portion of the tongue, the points of which are directed forwards, seemingly to prevent the food from being pushed into the fauces during the process of mastication; which circ.u.mstance Mr. Home thinks peculiar to this animal: in the tongue of the flamingo there is a row of short teeth on each side, but not in any other bird that he has seen.

The fore legs are short, and the feet webbed. On each foot there are five toes, united by the web, which is very broad, and is continued beyond the points of the toes nearly an inch. On each toe there is a rounded straight nail, which lies loose upon the membrane forming the web.

The hind legs are nearly of the same length as the fore legs, but stronger. Each foot has five toes with curved claws, and webbed; but the web does not extend beyond the points of the toes.

In the male, just at the setting-on of the heel, there is a strong crooked spur, half an inch long, with a sharp point, which has a joint between it and the foot, and is capable of motion in two directions. When the point of it is brought close to the leg, the spur is almost completely concealed among the hair; when directed outwards, it projects considerably, and is very conspicuous. It is probably by means of these spurs, or hooks, that the female is kept from withdrawing herself in the act of copulation; since they are very conveniently placed for laying hold of her body on that particular occasion. This spur is peculiar to the male.

The tail, in its general shape, is very similar to that of the beaver.

Of the internal parts, the tongue is two inches long, lying in the hollow between the two jaws, but not projecting any way into the bill, being confined to its situation, except a very small portion at the tip.

The ribs are sixteen in number, and are united by a very elastic ligamentous substance, which admits of their being pulled to some distance; so that the capacity of the chest can undergo a very unusual degree of change.

The heart is situated in the middle line of the chest, its apex pointing to the sternum, and is inclosed in a strong pericardium: it is made up of two aurieles and two ventricles.

The lungs are large in size, corresponding to the capacity of the chest.

Instead of a portion of them being above the heart, as in other animals, the heart may be said to be above the lungs; for they only embrace its sides, and do not surround its upper surface, but extend downwards into the more moveable part of the cavity of the chest.

The stomach is smaller than in most other animals; in this respect resembling the true stomach of birds.

The liver is composed of four lobes, besides the small lobe, or lobulus spigelii. The gall bladder is in the usual situation, and of the common size.