Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 1.djvu/375

 OF THE COLONY. *J63 second to the convicts. Among those who were present 1788 on the occasion, there were three members of his stafE who 7 February, attentively noted what he said, and afterwards recorded their recollections of it — Captain Collins, Captain Tench, Reporters and Surgeon White. Captain Hunter was also present, no doubt, but he made no reference to the speech or the pro- ceedings in his book. The fullest report of the speech appeared in Phillip's Voyage ; but it is not easy to say on what authority it was written, seeing that Phillip himself made no allusion to it in his despatches. The only refer- ence made by him to the matter appears in his letter to Evan Nepean of the 9th July, in which he said that ^' his Majesty's Commission, with that for establishing the Courts of Civil and Criminal Judicature, were read soon after landing." The speech, as it appears in Phillip's Voyage, ofndai was probably written by the editor of that work from some private account of it sent to the Government with the despatches : — Governor Phillip advanced, and addressing first the private soldiers, thanked them for their steady good conduct on every occasion, an honour which was repeated to them in the next general orders. He then turned to the convicts, and distinctly explained to them the nature of their present situation. The greater part, he bade them recollect, had already forfeited their lives to the justice of their country ; yet, by the lenity of its laws, they were now so placed that, by industry and good behaviour, Encourago- they might in time regain the advantages and estimation in society iSdustrious! of which they had deprived themselves. They not only had every encouragement to make that effort, but were removed almost entii'ely from every temptation to guilt. There was little in this infant community which one man could plunder from another, and any dishonest attempts in so small a society would almost infallibly be discovered. To persons detected in such crimes, he waminir to could not promise any mercy ; nor indeed to any who, under ° ^ *^"* these circumstances, should presume to offend against the peace and good order of the settlement. What mercy could do for them they had already experienced ; nor could any good be now expected from those whom neither past warnings, nor the Digitized by Google