Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 2.djvu/179

 AFTER THE ARRIVAL OF THE SECOND FLEET. 151 repugnance to work was taking such an awkward shape ^^^ that strong measures became necessary. He therefore called the conyicts together^ and warned them that in future absconders would be fired upon by the soldiers wherever Escapees they were seen, and that if any were brought in alive they would be severely punished.* Although Phillip was not to be trifled with, he displayed neither anger nor vindictive- ness. On the contrary, having made, as he supposed, a strong impression upon the convicts, "he forgave some offences which had been reported by the magistrates, exhorted them to go cheerfully to their labour, and changed their hours of work agreeably to a request which they had Phillip's made/^t Phillip^s harangue seems to have had the desired nSSy^ effect. Absconding became a much less frequent offence, and the extreme measure of shooting down convicts in the bush, simply because they had run away from work, was never resorted to. Notwithstanding the great mortality which took place on board the Neptune, Surprize, and Scarborough, the arrival of those vessels and the Lady Juliana almost doubled the population of the settlements. A return made up to the 25th July, 1790,t shows that on that date the number of per- Population sons living at Port Jackson and Norfolk Island, including men, women, and children, was — at Port Jackson, 1,455 ; at Norfolk Island, 524; and at Eose Hill, 260. In all, 2,239. Of the gross number, 1,640 persons, including 83 children, ing, the Governor caused all the convicts who arrived this year to be assembled, and informed them of his determination to put a stop to their absconding from the place where he had appointed them to labour, by sending out parties with orders to fire upon them whenever tbej should be met with ; and he declared that if any were brought in alive, be would either land them on a part of the harbour whence they could not depart, or chain them together with only bread and water for their subsistence, during the remainder of tbeir terms of transportation. He likewise told them that he had heard they were intend- ing to arm themselves and seize upon the stores (such a design bad for some days been reported), but that if they made any attempt of that kind, every man who might be taken should be instantly put to death." — Collins, vol. i, p. 186. fib. t Historical Becords, voL i, part 2, p. 365.
 * " The praotioe of fl jing from labour into the woods still, bowever, prevail-