Page:History of Australia, Rusden 1897.djvu/274

 CoL Pateraon's position was anomalous. He bad given offence hy his preeiimed leaning to the civil autliorifcj. The French t^xploriii^ ships w'eve in Sytlney in 18D2, and the officers of the New Sontli Wales Corps were hurt by the necessitv whieli fell upon one of them (after inquiry) to apolo^qze in writing for disrespectful remarks about the French. It had been insinuated that the officers bad sold spirits, Baudin demanded inquiry. If any officers had erred he would make an example of them. If not, '* Je reclamerai votre justice poim que celui qui les a calomni^s aupres de Col. Pater son et de vous soit tenu a des repara- tions." Captain Baudhi communicated the apology to hia officers; they drew up a reply transmitted by Baudin to King. "11b ont vu avec plaisir que Monsieur Kemp n'a jamais eu rintention de porter atieinte a leur honneur. lis en re9oivent Tassurance, parce qu'il entre dans lem^ prmcipes de ne jamais douterde hiverited'un officier/' They would have been glad if he had^ ''connoissant mieux la delicatesse des officiers,*' not repeated the words, '* d'un homme obscur qui ne fussent jamais parvenir ni a Mr, le Gouverneur ni a nous s'ils n*eurent passes par une bouche qui devoit leur donner de la vraisemblance." To be foiled and to be overcome by politeness was dis- comforting to the New South Wales Corps, and the fact that King had given Baudin the opportunity of refuting the unjust reports rendered him obnoxious to those who had to apologize. Col. Pater son, unwilling to take responsibility, had assembled the officers to consider the charge against Kemp, and vainly m^ged King to convene a meeting of all civil and mihtary officers. A court-martial, designed to injure Dr. Harris of the New South Wales Corps, sprang from the occurrence. He had assisted lung in repressing spirit- traffic, and was appointed to the post of Naval Officer, in which service could be rendered in preventing unlawful I ■ I left the deflpatehea iincarerl for wJieri lie tocilc refuge in the Ocean they might he tampen^d with, although lie may not have heen ftn accomplice {vidf Grant's *' Narrative," &c, Lomlon, ISU.'j), Grant sailed to England from the Cape on 12th April in H*M.S. Imptriemt', and had a succesalul did f