Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 2.djvu/330

 260 BELIGI0TJ8 IKBT&UCTION 17M refused, and He complained that on one occasion he was treated with gross disrespect while conducting service. The circumstances as related by Johnson himself were as follows : — One morning while performing divine service (which by Grose's order was held at 6 a.m.) an interruption was made by two soldiers ; this, as if by a preconcerted aign, was followed by beat of drum, and the soldiers, falling into An line, unceremoniously marched to their barracks. The ooMT©. service, Johnson remarked, had then lasted barely three- quarters of an hour, and he was about halfway through his discourse. Johnson, writing five years afterwards,* referred to the incident at greater length. From this letter it appears that he was aware, at the time, that it was intended to confine the service to forty-five minutes, and that the tattoo for reliev- ing the guard would sound, as usual, at a quarter to seven. Furthermore, when he began the service he heard the drum- major order *Hwo drummers to beat off at ten minutes or a Johnson's quarter before seven, as usual." Johnson was very indisr- indignation. ^ ' -i, nant ; his astonishment and concern were so great that he could not continue to address the few convicts who remained, and returned home greatly distressed at '' such barefaced profanation and infidelity." He immediately wrote to the Lieutenant-Governor complaining of the treatment he had received. The letter has, unfortunately, not been preserved. In a letter from Johnson to Dundas, dated 8th April, 1794, he declared that this complaint was the first of his acts which gave offence to Grose.t He went on to say that he had made application soon after the church was built for the appointment of a sexton rofows to ^^^ ^ ^^^ ^^ ^^^^ *'^® ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ after the church ; but this a^sMton" request, which is properly described as both reasonable and necessary, was denied. There was no person whose regular business it was to make preparation for burials; and it often happened that the Chaplain had to wait in the burying- t Historical Becords, toI. ii, p. 201 ; CoIUds, toI. i, p. 261.
 * Johnson to Hunter, 6tb Julj, 1798.