Page:History of Australia, Rusden 1897.djvu/204

 of the guard on duty, and Lieut. Beckwith, with some settlers, took the arms out of the barracks. The slight resistance offered gave way at the word of Abbott.

King explained in a proclamation the necessity of what had been done. To all the non-commissioned officers, and to soldiers in whom Abbott had confidence, their arms were returned instantly. Of the twenty active mutineers, some were secured at once, and the rest were taken into custody on returning at one o'clock with feathers from Phillip Island. Ten were selected by Abbott as the most dangerous, and were confined in a granary. The rest were released, and their arms were restored. King caused Abbott to assemble the soldiers at four o'clock, and told them that he by no means wished to cast a slur upon the detachment because of the errors of a few. They confessed they had been misled. The whole of the detachment (except the ten prisoners) "then took the oath of fidelity, which was administered to them by the clergyman," and peace prevailed. All the sentries were posted as usual within a few minutes of the seizure of the arms. King deemed it advisable to embody forty-four of the marine and sailor settlers as a militia.

Order had been re-established when the Francis schooner appeared in sight. By her King told Grose what had happened, and sent the ten mutineers, with as large a guard as the small craft (forty tons) could hold. By this time the drunkenness permitted if not encouraged by Grose, and the obsequious manner in which he had pandered to the unruly desires of his corps, had made any restraint odious to them. Those who were indulged by their own commander, and against whom he shrank from enforcing the law, could not tolerate control by an officer of the sea-service. Grose himself was enraged. He poured out his wrath on the 25th Feb.

"I am more astonished and mortified at your letter than I can well describe. What appears to be the most extraordinary is the great confidence with which you seem to set about such ill-judged and unwarrantable proceedings. Your excursion to Knuckle Point-your sending away the New Zealanders without any directions whatever, and without either knowing or inquiring what were my intentions respecting them-are attacks on my situation I little expected, and which would justify measures I shall not pursue. Your taking upon yourself to appoint