warded to their relations, under the idea, that they would be despatched from the Colony with more certainty, in this way, than if sent by the regular packet, to the Government Office. This was readily granted, on condition that the letters should be open, and that we should inspect them, to see that nothing improper was communicated. As some of these letters contained expressions illustrative of the feelings of the writers, with regard to their situation as Convicts at a Penal Settlement, and the causes of crime, I ventured to make a few extracts from them; which are introduced at APPENDIX. J.

The voyage from Norfolk Island to Sydney, occupied three weeks, in consequence of calms and adverse winds.-The company on board the vessel, were Ensign Wyatt, G. W. Walker, and myself, twenty-five soldiers, ten prisoners, a free overseer, a store-keeper and his wife, and sixteen seamen, inclusive of the captain and mate.

5th mo. 6th. A storm came on in the night; in which, on reflecting upon the many snares that are in the world, and the many persons that have fallen away from righteousness, after having witnessed a precious state of divine favour, I felt willing to perish, rather than that I should be permitted to falsify the testimony which the Lord has given me to bear, to the truth as it is in Jesus. Unworthy as I felt myself to be, of the least of the Lord's mercies, I prayed to him, if he saw meet to continue my life, to continue also the baptisms of his Holy Spirit, until the very root of sin should perish; and to enable me so to watch, as that the seeds of sin might not be suffered to vegetate, but their smallest buddings be destroyed, by the power of the Spirit. While thus meditating and praying in the storm, with thanksgiving, for the accommodation of a good berth, and many other blessings, I was preserved very peaceful, under a sense of the divine presence. Thus, as in days of old, and as on many former occasions, in my own experience, the Lord proved himself to be "a very present help in time of trouble;" and I could adopt the language, "Therefore we will not fear, though the waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof: for the Lord

of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge, and blessed be his holy name for ever.”

10th. Balls Pyramid was seen at sun-rise, and a high bluff, of Lord Howes Island, towards sunset. The distance was only about thirty miles, but there was so much fog in the horizon, that the island was obscured most of the day. In the forenoon, the whole of the ship's company, including prisoners, assembled on deck, and we had a satisfactory religious interview with them. George W. Walker read a portion of Scripture; after which, we both addressed them, on the danger of deceiving themselves, and imagining themselves the servants of God, while worshipping the devil by habitual and careless sin. The practise of cursing and swearing, awfully prevalent, was noticed, as one of these habitual sins; and others were also denounced. The test pointed out by the Saviour of men, "By their fruits ye shall know them," was appealed to, and the doctrines and invitations, as well as the denunciations of the Gospel were set forth, the Lord helping us. The folly of neglecting the guidance of the Holy Spirit was illustrated, by the folly which it would be accounted in a mariner, to neglect the Compass, in steering a vessel, and the almost certain wreck, to which such neglect must lead. The mercy that had preserved us in the late gales, and spared us till the present hour, was magnified; and all were exhorted to flee from the wrath to come, and to seek, in repentance, to be reconciled to God, through the death of his Son, and to be enabled, by his grace, to serve him in holiness. The people conducted themselves more properly afterwards, and spent much of the day in reading some tracts, with which we supplied them.

14th. A dead calm. The sea was covered with minute, red animalculæ, like tadpoles, with transparent tails. Jellyfish, and Portuguese Men-of-War, also a blue slug, half an inch long, with a silvery back, and palmate appendages, like fore fins, and posterior ones of a trilobed form, with a shark, sailing about with its dorsal fin above water, and a few birds, varied the smooth, circular expanse of blue ocean, bounded only by the sky.

15th. Stood for land in latitude 31°. 9'. S., and descried some hills on the coast of N. S. Wales.

16th. The Heads of Port Stephens were in sight, at noon. The weather was so rough as again to make me sick this has often been the case in the course of the voyage. The vessel leaks greatly on one tack, as the wind lays her over to that side. Some of our company, at times get alarmed, but I have been favoured to feel peaceful and content, yet pitying the seamen who have to work hard at the pumps.

The wind still adverse. We are out of sugar

18th. and coals, and are using the last bag of biscuit, but have plenty of salt beef and flour. A spar has been cut up for fuel. The biscuit has long been full of Weevils, but we have made the best of it, by putting it into the oven.

19th. Off the Heads of Port Jackson. The wind still against us. We remembered that this was the time of the Yearly Meeting of Friends, in London, where many of those who bear the care and burden of the Society, would be assembled, and would feel the loss of those who have been removed from the church militant to the church triumphant. The prayer of our hearts was, that the Lord might support the burden-bearers, strengthen their hands, add to their numbers, give them sound judgment and clear discernment, and clothe them with the love of Christ: and that he might yet cause his truth to be exalted among the nations, to the praise of his own everlastingly great and glorious name.

20th. A gentle breeze sprung up about midnight. At break of day, we were favoured again to enter the Heads of Port Jackson, in safety. A calm soon ensued, but the tide, and a light air that arose about noon, brought us into Sydney Cove. G. W. Walker and myself went on shore by a boat from the Government dock-yard, and found eighteen letters for us at the Post-office, eleven of which were from our friends in England.

While becalmed in Port Jackson, a number of Venus's Girdles, passed the vessel, swimming a little below the surface of the water. These remarkable animals belong the

same order as the Jelly-fish, but they resemble a long semipellucid, horn shaving. There were also in the water, atoms glittering in the sun, and exhibiting prismatic colours, the precise nature of which, we were unable to ascertain.

21st. We engaged a lodging in the town, but as it was not ready for our reception, we returned on board the Isabella, for the night. The excitement of landing, in connexion with the squeaking of rats, in the pantry, the bleating of goats, and the crowing of cocks, on the deck, together with the quarrelling of drunken soldiers, in the hold, allowed us but little sleep. The prisoners had been safely delivered on board of a hulk, and the Isabella had been brought close up to the Dock-yard. Many of the soldiers had been on shore, and had returned in a state of intoxication, and appalling excitement. They were very quarrelsome. I went to them at midnight, fearing lest they should injure one another with their fire-arms, which they had with them, loaded. After labouring in vain, for some time, to get them quiet, I requested one of the most moderate, to hand me their lantern, which I blew out, and sent away. They became a little quieter, when unable to see each other, and then were soon overcome by exhaustion, and fell asleep, to awake in the morning, in shame, at the testimony which their black eyes, and bruised faces, bore to their misconduct.

CHAPTER XXV.

Sydney.-Penal Discipline of Norfolk Island re-modelled.-Epistle to Friends in Hobart Town.-Meetings.-Unclaimed Property of Deceased Persons.— Drought.-Shrubs.-Thoughtless Young Men.-Conceited Woman -Prayer in Spirit.-Australian School Society.-Unworthy Descendants of Friends.— Blacks Fishing.-Species of Callitris.-Ministry.-Shrubs.-Friends' Books. D. and C. Wheeler.-J. Leach.-Consumption.-Meeting at Cooks River.Travelling in New South Wales.-Mounted Police.-Meeting at the North Shore. Botany Bay.-Dye-woods, &c.-Grass-tree.-Sweet Tea.-Miasmal Fever.

AFTER returning from Norfolk Island, we remained in Sydney nearly fifteen weeks. In the course of this time, at the request of the Governor, we presented him a Report, on the state of the Penal Settlement, on Norfolk Island, containing the substance of the preceding remarks, and some observations of temporary interest, not needful to be introduced here; especially, as the penal discipline, at that station, has been completely re-modelled, in order to afford Captain Maconochie the opportunity of trying to carry out his enlightened views, respecting the treatment of criminals. Some notice of these views will be found in this volume, under date of the 19th of 8th mo., 1837.

The few persons professing with Friends, in Sydney, had kept up a meeting for worship, during our absence, both on First-days, and in the forenoon of one other day in the week. The little congregation in Hobart Town, who had lately been placed in circumstances of trial, excited our sympathy; and soon after landing, we addressed an epistle to them, a copy of which is inserted in APPENDIX. K.

5th mo. 24th. The meetings were owned of the Good Shepherd, by a measure of heavenly solemnity. They were