Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 2.djvu/19

 PHILLIP AND B,OSS. 3 leaving the work and responsibility of the command on the 1^*^ shoulders of his lieutenant. Having thus formulated his complaint^ Major Eoss aired another grievance, of which Awoond Phillip, up to that time, was in complete ignorance. He was Lieutenant-Governor of the settlement; he had been honoured with a Commission from the King^ appointing him to that position ; but the Governor had not respected his office — ^instead of confiding in his lieutenant, he had ignored him : — " Should your Excellency say — and I cannot possibly bring my- self to think you will — that you, on going away from here, left your orders relative to the employing convicts with the Judge- Advocate, in place of leaving them with the Lieutenant-Governor, I have in such case to request that you will please to explain to Ron asks me the line of conduct which, as Lieutenant-Governor of this ezpianatioii settlement, you wish me either to preserve or follow, assuring yourself that I shall endeavour to pursue that line, at least till such time as a power superior to either of us shall determine the bounds of both, and redress our grievances. At present I acknow- ledge myself as much in the dark with respect to the line of conduct you expect me to pursue as Lieutenant-Governor, or what you expect from me, or what I shall do, as I was the first day of our meeting in London."* Phillip took no notice of these reproaches. In his reply Phmip'a to Boss, he contented himself with expressing a wish that the peace of the settlement might not be disturbed, and requested the Major to be a little more guarded in his language when speaking to the convicts.f But when, six months after the event, Eoss complained that proper atten- tion had not been paid to his representations, he deemed it advisable to explain matters to the authorities in England. This step he probably considered the more necessary as he knew that Boss was in conmiunication with Nepean of t A conyict went to Bobs to toll him that his time had expired, when the Lieatenant-GK>Yemor exclaimed, " Would to GK>d my time was expired too ! " —lb., p. 265.
 * Historical Becordb, vol. i, part 2, p. 263.