Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 1.djvu/358

 248 THE CHRONICLES 793 Phillip speaks :— Public execution, Ji la mode. Plea for mercy. that they relate of him. The only writer of that time who brings him distinctly before us is Tench. When summoned to attend him for the purpose of receiving instructions as to the military expedition to punish the natives at Botany Bay, Tench had a long conversation with him, and luckily reported some of his remarks* : — To the latter of these causes — misapprehension on the part of the natives — I attribute my own wound ; but in this business of McEntire, I am fully persuaded that they were unprovoked, and the barbarity of their conduct admits of no extenuation, for I have separately examined the sergeant, of whose veracity I have the highest opinion, and the two convicts ; and their story is short, simple, and alike. I have in vain tried to stimulate Baneelon and Colbee, and the other natives who live among us, to bring in the aggressor. Yesterday, indeed, they promised me to do it, and actually went away as if bent on such a design ; but Baneelon, instead of directing his steps to Botany Bay, crossed the harbour in his canoe in order to draw the foreteeth of some of the young men ; and Colbee, in the room of fulfilling his engagement, is loiter- ing about the look-out house. Nay, so far from wishing even to describe faithfully the person of the man who has thrown the spear, they pretended that ho has a distorted foot, which is a palpable falsehood. So that we have our efforts only to depend upon ; and I am resolved to execute the prisoners who may be brought in, in the most public and exemplary manner, in the presence of as many of their countrymen as can be collected, after having explained the cause of such a punishment ; and my fixed determination to repeat it, whenever any future breach of good conduct on their side i^all render it necessary. Phillip seems to have had some doubt in his own mind as to the wisdom of these measures — which involved the destruction of ten lives — for Tench goes on to say that — Here the Governor stopped, and addressing himself to me said, if I could propose any alteration in the orders under which I was to act, he would patiently listen to me. Encouraged by this con- descension, I begged leave to offer for consideration whether, in- stead of destroying ten persons, the capture of six would not better answer all the purposes for which the expedition was to be under- • Complete Account, p. 93 ; ante, p. 126 ; Collins, vol. ii, pp. 27-8. Digitized by Google