Page:A colonial autocracy, New South Wales under Governor Macquarie, 1810-1821.djvu/71

 "3. Resolved, That these Resolutions be signed by the Chairman and printed twice in the Sydney Gazette"

The promoters in strict consistency with the conciliatory character of the resolutions refused to sign them, for a few signatures would have detracted from the general unanimity of the proceedings, and poor Gore was therefore forced as chairman to affix his own signature in solitary grandeur according to "usage and custom". Into the Gazette the resolutions never found their way, though at first the Governor gave a gracious consent. Later on, however, he sent for Gore and told him that "upon reconsidering the last resolutions and the original address, as signed by the persons who made the requisition to me, he thought it would be partial and unfair to publish one and not the other; therefore he directed that neither of them should be published, and neither of them were".

This was the last of Bligh's party as a party, and the project of holding a meeting at the Hawkesbury was dropped altogether. Bligh sailed in May, and the colonists were left to seek fresh quarrels whereby to train their newborn political instincts.

It was not until April, 1811, that Johnston was ordered into arrest, and in May his trial for mutiny commenced at London. It lasted until the 2nd July, and never perhaps was a court of military officers so bored by any judicial proceedings. The evidence was voluminous, full of repetitions and quite inconclusive. No legal justification was found for Johnston, but apparently the Court was satisfied that he had a moral justification, for though he was found guilty he was merely cashiered. Macarthur declared afterwards that Johnston was frightened into keeping back evidence. He himself proved a most troublesome witness, pouring out with irrepressible volubility matter irrelevant to the questions of his examination, but skilfully designed to impress the Court. The Court, however, was not so easy to dominate as his friends of the New South Wales Corps.