Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 1.djvu/222

 118 PHILLIP AND THE MILTTARY. 1788 to his duty, and there the matter ended. It may well be supposed, however, that it did not end so far as the prin- cipal figures in the little drama were concerned. Phillip was not at all inclined to submit quietly either to personal affronts, or to official acts evidently intended to make him feel that the Governor-in-Chief was dependent on the mili- tary for assistance in carrying on the government. Peeling' that the safety of the settlement was at stake in every stage of the conflict, he refrained from taking any step which might have borne the appearance of retaliation, and allowed Major Ross to pursue his own course until the proper time arrived for checking it. When it came, Phillip disposed of him not only without any display of temper or resentment, but, on the contrary, with every appearance of Diplomacy, confidence in his discretion — ^by sending him to Norfolk Island with a commission as Lieutenant-Governor, Self- restatdnt nothing could be gained by holding a Coni-t of Inquiry, seeing that such a proceeding is of value only as a preliminary to a trial by Court-martial. It answers uie same purpose as an investigation before a Grand Jury or a magistrate in the ordinary Courts ; the province of the Court of Inquiry being to '* determine, on such evidence aa can be brought before them^ whether there is or is not sufficient cause for bringing particular persons to trial for the oflfence or crime before a General Court-martiaL " — Tytler, 341. Digitized by Google