suffer their women to be seen, if they can avoid it. This miserable state of the natives appears to me to be a sure sign of the poverty of the country. "The quadrupeds here are few; the kangaroo, for a description of which I refer you to Cook's voyages, is the largest, as far as we know as yet; the flesh is coarse and lean, and eats somewhat like very coarse mutton; those that were killed weighed from fifty to hundred pounds, one only excepted, which weighed near two hundred. The opossum is somewhat larger than a cat, and is the next in size, the native dogs excepted, which are of the fox kind; there are some other quadrupeds not worth mentioning. "The feathered creation is by no means so numerous as you may suppose, in a wild and woody country, still they are rare in their kinds; one ostrich and one black swan (the rara avis of the antients) have been killed, and several more seen; paroquets, loriquets, and all the species of the parrot kind, are very beautiful; different sorts of small birds, totally unknown in Europe, sing pretty wild notes, and are in general of the woodpecker or flycatcher species. "The bays frequented by the natives produce wild spinage, celery, parsley, samphire, and wild beans: some wild grapes have been found in different parts of the country; and a shrub, that produces small berries, which are as tart as gooseberries, and make as good pies, grows very common on the hills. The country produces various sorts of flowers unknown in England. There are three or four kinds of trees, which are of little use, except for burning; one only I can except, a species of fur, which may be of use in building, &c. Two very different different kinds of these trees produce the same sort of red astringent gum, which is used in medicine. A large shrub produces a yellow gum of the toln kind, with which the natives fasten together their weapons, tackles for fishing, &c. and which may be useful in medicine, or for varnish; of these I will collect what I can at my leisure; hitherto I have had hardly time to look round me. You may easily suppose the climate is temperate, when we can live in marquees now, being the middle of winter; without fire. The thermometer rose frequently at noon to 90, in the middle of summer, the time we arrived here, and now seldom higher than 60 at noon, and never lower than 35 the coldest night, which is three degrees above the freezing point. The rainy season set in 3 weeks ago; during the whole of which time it has rained incessantly, which we felt the more being obliged to live in marquees, as I have already told you, having no huts as yet built for us. "Having now given you a sketch of this country, and its productions, I leave you to form your own opinion of it; I shall only venture to say, it will never answer the intentions of government; and I make no doubt but we shall be recalled, which I sincerely wish. His excellency the governor, has set on foot a brick manufactory, which succeeds to his wishes, having already burnt several thousand, for his own house. We are all extremely busy in building huts, principally of the cabbage trees, but only two officers are as yet hutted. "You expect, perhaps, I will give you some further account of myself and situation here. On this head I can only say, that I am happy in the company of three mess-mates;-no four could be more united, or more agreeable to each other; besides, D I have I have enjoyed a tolerable share of good health, thank God, since I left England. Every officer on this settlement is allowed two acres of land, besides a certain space for a garden near his house. Four of us uniting our estates, have already sown half an acre of wheat, which, I am told by my farmer, promises well. I propose to set a few potatoes next week, which are the produce of some I set on my arrival here, and which answered my expectations. "I brought six sheep from the Cape, at a great expense, and every one of them is either dead, through the badness of this country, or killed by some villains among the convicts, who, in spite of every punishment that can be inflicted, still persist in their former villainous practises. Four of them have been executed since our arrival here, and three more are likely to suffer the same fate very shortly. "I forgot to say we had a deal of thunder and lightning, which has done some damage; and a few days ago we had a slight shock of an earthquake; in short, I believe this country to be the outcast of God's works. "I shall have an opportunity to write again, in the course of two months, by Mr. Sharp, master of the Golden Grove." "Sydney Cove, July 12, 1788.” To explain some points in the above letter it is necessary to observe, that when we are in the depth of winter in England, it is midsummer in New Holland; and vice versa: so that when the fleet arrived in January, at Botany Bay, the weather was excessively hot there; but in July, when the letter was dated, the winter had set in. Recent accounts from New South Wales have proved that the country was not only capable of improvement, provement, but that it has fully answered all the purposes of government. Some of the convicts are disposed of in Norfolk Island, but the major part in New South Wales; and though the country, which really bears the name of Botany Bay, has been deserted, yet, when convicts are sentenced to be trans ported, they are still said to be doomed for Botany Bay. Editor. Norfolk Island is a small fertile spot, containing about 14,000 acres of land, situated about 1,200 miles distant from Sydney Cove, in New South Wales, where the seat of government is fixed. The number of convicts sent to New South Wales and Norfolk Island, from the year 1787, to that of 1797 inclusive, is as follows: In twenty-one months after the arrival of the first convicts in May 1788, there were 77 deaths, and 87 births, in the whole settlement. Colquhoun. See TRANSPORTATION. BRANDING IN THE HAND OR FACE. One of the several old sanguinary modes of punishment, which, to the honor of humanity, has fallen into disuse. Colquhoun. Person Persons convicted of manslaughter are sentenced to be branded or burnt in the hand. The prisoner is obliged to stretch his hand out, and a hot iron (made for the purpose) is thereto applied, which leaves an indelible mark: this used to be performed with much severity, but bribery has rendered the punishment very slight. On this account prisoners arraigned for murder are desired to hold up their hand at the bar, as the second offence of manslaughter is punished with death. Editor. According to the criminal code of the Emperor Joseph, II. it was ordained for laying violent hands on the sovereign, whether injury results from it or not, that the delinquent's property should be confiscated, be imprisoned for not less than 30 years, and branded in the cheek, if very atrocious. In cases where a criminal appears to be remarkably depraved, and that the apprehension he excites requires such precautions, he shall be branded on each cheek with the mark of a gallows, so visibly and strongly impressed as not to be effaced either by time or any other means whatever. BURGLARY. This is a felony at common law; it is described to be when a person, by night, breaketh into the mansion of another, with an intent to commit a felony; whether the felonious intent be executed or not. By the 18th of Elizabeth, cap. 7, the benefit of clergy is taken away from she offence; and by the 3d and 4th William and Mary, cap. 9, from accessaries before the fact.-By the 12th of Anne, stat. 1, cap, 7, if any person shall enter into a mansion or dwelling-house by day or by night, without breaking |