Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 1.djvu/535

 AND THE MAJOR. 421 that part of it under Boss's command^ the main body of 1789 the convicts being stationed there, while the opposite side » Auguat of the cove was under his own supervision; the detach- ment of marines being camped at the head of it, between the two, and near the stream. Your, excellency's having so repeatedly told me that the work- ing convicts employed on the west side of the cove were to be The Ueu- under the command and authority of the Lieut.-Govemor, so far Governor's that none of them should be removed from it by your excellency *»"™»"^- without his knowledge, that it cannot have escaped your memory. It would be presumption in the extreme in me to suppose your importance excellency not to know that when either duty, business, or Lieutenant, pleasure may at any time induce your excellency to absent your- ^^«™<>'- self from this cove, there cannot then remain in it any authority superior to that of the Lieut.-Governor. Taking, therefore, your perfect recollection of the first and knowledge of the second for granted, I shall proceed to acquaint your excellency with an account of what I cannot but deem an An insult insult offered to me in my character of Lieutenant-Governor since him. your excellency went last from this place. The account of the " insult '' which follows these intro- ductory flourishes contains a pitiful detail of camp gossip ; but it shows how trifles, light as air, may serve to inflame ofiScial jealousy as readily as other forms of it. It also shows the plentiful lack of wit, as well as occupation, which c^p led the Major to pass sa much time in listening to tittle- tattle among the soldiers and convicts — a habit which lay at the bottom of all the petty disturbances in which he figured so prominently. About 12 o'clock yesterday. Fuller, the carpenter, told me that Fuller [Thody] the convict plasterer had been with him to tell him that ^ ™®' he was informed of Bazely's having been looking for him the day that Thody before in order to direct him to join Bloodsworth's gang. Soon ' after, in my walks to visit the guard, I saw Bazely, and asked him that how Thody came by him to be ordered to join Bloodsworth's JJStoW^ gang. On his saying that it was the desire of Mr. Brewer [the '^^» Provost-Marshal], I desired him to let Mr. Brewer know that I wanted to see him, and that he would find me with the officer Digitized by Google