Page:History of Australia, Rusden 1897.djvu/83

 as well as officers, felt a fervour which made eyes moisten, and hearts beat high. Now at last they were sure that the northern mother had held out her hand to her children in the far south. No. The ships were only the Sirius and the Supply, bringing more convicts, with instructions for King to go to England. His Journal tells the feelings of the inhabitants: "Our expectations were once more blasted; for instead of those pleasing hopes being realized which the appearance of the vessels had created in the morning, we were informed that no relief had arrived, nor had any intelligence been received from England."

On the 13th March the Sirius reached Norfolk Island. The landing of her passengers and stores was proceeded with, as weather permitted, until the 19th, and on that day this apparently last hope of the two settlements drifted upon a reef and was lost. The governing quality was called into vigorous action. While the captain and sailors were being dragged through a foaming surf to the shore, the new Lt.-Gov., Ross, ordered the beat of drums to assemble the marines and convicts; martial law was proclaimed, severe punishment promised if any animal were killed, or robbery committed; officers and marines were ordered to wear their side-arms, and guards were set over the barns and store-houses.

On the 21st a council was held, at which Ross, supported unanimously by King, Hunter, and all the commissioned officers of the Sirius, determined to take on himself the power to punish capital crimes with death (although this was a power specially retained by Phillip when he founded the settlement at Norfolk Island), to establish martial law, to appropriate all private stock, Indian corn, and potatoes, for the use of the public, to put everyone on half allowance until it could be known how much could be saved from the wreck, to put three locks on the storehouse and barn, of which one was to be kept by the Lt.-Gov., one by Captain Hunter, and "one by a person to be named by the convicts." These determinations were signed by all present. Ross wrote to Phillip that though there was "perhaps a want of sufficient authority for declaring martial law, which nothing but necessity could have induced us to do. . . . we shall trust to His Majesty and the British Parliament for