Page:History of Australia, Rusden 1897.djvu/289

 zeal of His Majesty*B officers, soldiers, and the greater part of the inhabitants;" but he begged that ** the officers now going home with Governor Hunter may be ordered to rejoin as soon as possible, " as it might be necessary still more to divide the seditious by forming a new settlement at Port Stepiiens, or elsewhere, and the scant number of officer%J would need to be enlarge<L Hunter shrank from some of the vigorous measures advocated liy King. While Gover- nor, he urged upon the latter that the **best mode of preventing insurrection is by vigilance/' He augured ill from the imprisonment of the suspected. It might ** rouse the ignorant to violence." He consented to the em*olment' of the Volunteer Association, but even after he had emliarked upon the Bntfalo he expressed his doubts^ *'of the infernal plots with wliieh those people have been charged.** Captain Macarthur, disgusted as be was with the new order established by King, loyally supported him even w^hile protTering his property to the go%"ernment so that he might shake the dust of the colony from his feet- He was etiil in trust at Farraniatta, and wrote to King (28th Sept. 1800) at 2 a.m. that he had his company under arms, had arrested some prisoners, *'and I have yet some hopes that an attempt will be made before morning to rescue them ; if there should, I am confident that I sluxll be able to give you I a very good account of them in the morning.*' Later in ' the day he wrote; — *' I am sorry that the Irishmen could not be prevailed upon to show themselves either last night or this morning, but notwithstanding this disappointment, I have hopes that there wiU be sufficient evidence obtained to convict a number of them/* In tliis rebellion the Rev. Mr. **Marsden was to be cut off at the first/* hut he energetically aided King in his measures. Father Harold,^ imprisoned by order of a committee appointed by Hunter ' •■ MS. letter af Hunt«r to King; 4th Oct. 1800. '-"In u MS. petition from Harold, to be aUowed '*t<) have recourse to the ministry of ti piieal,** in 1805, there are the words **iniagin/** island J who join all the other inhuljitarits in sentiments of highest esteem iiud lendevest afleetioii for your Excellency. " King failed to appreciate i an affection which broke out so often in rebellion, and he endoreeti the j petition tluia : — '* Petition of Jamen Harold. No lUMWtir. .Seditious **-^ J and it was found in recent ycara with other papers aimilail'y iYd^tftte,d.,
 * PrivUedjt;e/' '^puralel. " He tL'nders his aervit:e without emolument:
 * ThaL your benevolent views niav he extended to the Catholicke of this