Page:History of Australia, Rusden 1897.djvu/459

 deposition; find declared all trials which had occurred in the interim void and illegal; but soon tiftervvards pro- claimed an indemnity, for all magistnitoB, f]jaol6r8, and constables, for acts done by tbem, and prohibited actions against them. He reinstated the officers displaced by Johnston, and ordered the 102iid llegiment to be in readi- ness to go to England. Bligh was sent for, and returned in the Parpoisv, being received with military hononrs. L Unaccustomed charms pervaded the society of Sydney, f enriched by a new regiment and the officers of three men- of-war. There were festivities on shore and in the ship^i. Even Bligh was able to chase away the bitterness of his gL'ief, and mhigle with the gay. His daughter, Mrs. Put- land, who had shown Huch courage when Bligh was seized, was married at Government House by the Bev. Mr. Marsden to Lt.-Col. (after wardts Sir Maurice) O'Connell, of the 78rd regiment, liefore Bligli sailed for J^/ngland in May 1810. Mac<|uarie was compelled, however, to notice a fault in Bligh. He wrote to Downing-street (lOth May 1810) that though he had— . **iiot been able to diHcover suiy act of niigh's which could In m degree form ail excuse for the violent and uiiithiuim pioueedtugH piirauLM( against him, . . nil llie othtn band there utuniot bu ti doubt tba.1 lioveruur Bligh's ttdininistmtinn Wtun extremely unpopular, particularly aniong the hlgner ordetH of the peopk'. and from my owu short experitiiii.^e I must I ncknovvltjdge that h« is a uio»t iinsiitistactory man to transact business with, from hia waut of candour and decision, insoniucb that it is im- possible to place tlic suialleKt reliance on the fultihnent of any euga^etiient he enters into.** Home writers have doubted whether Johnston was correct in deHcrihin^ the antipatliy in which Blif^di was held hy the inhahitanta in 1808: and direct evidence i^ not eaxsily pro- ciu'ed upon the point. Mr. Bigge, a ConiniisHioner of Enquiry (as to the state of the colony under Maeqimrie), appointed ahout ten years after the depoKitLon of 13li^;h» said incidentally, that ''it must he acknowledged that the mmiher of persons'* friendly to Bhj-jh ** was small." Most of the early settlers asserted strongly that Johnston was rigiit. (hie Bignilieant proof of the prevailing opinion may be culled from the reconls of the time. When Maequarie proelainied that the proceediiv^i^ a^^^iNAxv?^ Blioh had been muti2ioiis,^when Joluistow ni^ ^^&L"^.vi^svKfc