Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales

Incomplete, unsigned letter received by an unnamed correspondent, 5 June 1788. Possibly in the hand of John Nicoll
MLMSS 4895/1/17

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Sirius port Jackson 5 June 1788

We Arrived at Botany Bay the 20th Jan.y Last after a passage of 10 Weeks from the Cape of Good Hope. the Difficulty we find in Getting Storehouses, Erected for Discharging the Transports, Hutting the Troops, Convicts &. has put it out of our powers to make any Discoveries in the Interior part of the Country, the only Discovery made is Contiguous to Botany & where we are Settling our Little Colony {its Cal'd in Cooks Voyage port Jackson} by a Survey of Capt. Hunters it is found to be the Most Commodious perhaps in the World, the Latitude of it is 33.51 South Longitude 151.10 East & is 3 Leagues North of Botany. The Day we Sail'd from thence Two French Frigates arrived from making Discovery's Round the World they have been out above 3 Years & put in here [?] for Wood, Water & to build Boats. they have been at Most of the Islands that Captn Cook was at. at one [of] them {Navigation Island} they Lost Two Boats with their Crews & 8 Officers, Including Monsr De Langle Capt.n of the Astrolabe all Massacred by the Natives. they had 4 Boats on shore but Luckily 2 Got Off. at another place they Lost Two Boats with there Crews not a Man Escaping

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We See many of the Natives Dayly with No More Covering than what Nature Affords them. they Seem Not to be possess'd of the Smallest Curiosity or Sensibility whatever They take us all for Women I Suppose for our Not Wearing Beards. When we haul the Nett they Assist no Doubt with a View of being Gained by it, Yet Notwithstanding the Time we have been here, they are as Distant as Ever with us. they Never Come to our Camp Nor Suffer their Women Near us. four Convicts have been found kil'd by them & 6 or 7 more are Missing who we Suppose have Shared the Same fate, the Gov.r has Sent our 2d Lieut.t Mr King with one Mid. one Surgeons Mate, a party of Seamen, 7 Men & 6 female Convicts to Settle a Colony at Norfolk Island {which abounds with Firr Trees of an Enormous Size} it is about E.N.E. 300 Leagues from Hence & is only 15 Miles in Circumference, We have Great Difficulty in Clearing the Country as we are badly Assisted by the Convicts, the Gov.r had adopted the Most Lenient Means but to no purpose & finds that Nothing but Rigour will bring them to ord.r they are without Exception the most Incorragbible Villians Breathing,& the Women the Most Obscene Creatures Imaginable. for Robberies Committed by the men 5 have been already Hung - flogging has Lost its Effect.

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it is a Charming Climate & will No Doubt in Time be a fruitful one the Gangarroo Mentioned by Cook are very Numerous & are the only Quadrupids we find Worth Mentioning. they Correspond with his Discription in Every Respect, Except, our finding that the female has a false Belly or pouch Similar to the Opossum, in wch. their Young take Shelter When Closely pursued. this we found by Shooting by Shooting a Dam, for [?] as soon as She fell the Young ones ran into its Asylum.

There are a Great Number of Birds & many like our Game in England & a Most Beautyful Specie of parroquets, there has been a Bird of Enormous Size kil'd Something Like the Ostrich but more Resembling the Emu. {Described by Goldsmith} a Native of So. America it was 7 ft 2in high & Weigh'd 104 pound.

It is Suggested we are to sail from hence in 2 Months to Explore the Coast & then proceed to Otaheite & the Islands Contigous - if it Should be so, it will make the time {which begins to be irksome} appear Less Tedious as it will be Novelty.

We learn from L.t Ball of the Supply Arm'd Tender Just Arriv'd from Norfolk that on his passage from thence he Discoverd an island Island in Lat. 31.23 W.ch he Cal'd Lord Howe Island it abounds in Turtle. Many of W.ch he has Brought here, wild pidgeons Abound there also. {if the Expression may be Allow'd} & a Fowl very much Resembling the Guinea Hen.

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As they Suffer themselves to be taken from off the Trees wthout Attempting to Fly away & the former the men Run Down without any Difficulty.

This being the Anniversary of H.M.y Birth Day it Was Celebrated with Great pomp when the Country was Named Cumberland & the City Albion.

The Buildings will Make a formidable Appearance in a Short Time. people are Employ'd in Making Brick & [?] & here is Stone as fine as any portland Stone. the Govr & Lieut. Govr are building Magnificently but more [?] are Wanted. An officer of Marines & myself went a few Days [?] a Circuit along the Coast. on Landing the Natives Appeard very friendly to us, but on our pulling off the Boate they Threw a Large Spear wch La providentially Miss'd us but Came with Great Violence against the Side of the Boate. this would not have happend had we a Musquet in the Boate. the Dread of wch. is So Great, that with one you might Drive a Thousand before you

The Women are very Dexterous in fishing in their Canoes. their Lines are made of the Bark of Trees & the Hooks of Shells & Astonishing That a Length of Line they with Continue and [?]