Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 2.djvu/362

 806 geose's teeatmekt 1794 carried out, but not on the Lieutenant-Governor's own responsibility. King was well aware that such a step would be a reflection on the detachment, and that it was not likely to be regarded with satisfaction by the Commandant at Sydney. Before taking action, therefore, he determined to suitationoc consult all the officers in the settlement, both civil and military, and as it would have been impossible to assemble the military officers at his quarters without exciting the suspicion of the soldiers and so jeopardising the scheme, he wrote out an Order, and had it laid before the officers in detail. His views commended themselves to the judgment of the whole staff, both civil and military, and the action which followed was the result of an unanimous decision, to which the officers of the Corps subscribed as readily as those who belonged to the civil departments. It is important to bear this in mind in considering the attitude assumed by Grose, who threw the whole responsibility upon King. The disarming of the detachment having been decided upon, the next question was how to bring it about. If the men had been openly required to give up their arms they would probably have refused, in which case disastrous con- SbtoiSS'by sequences would have ensued. It was accordingly resolved Btrategy ^^ resort to stratagem. Early on the morning of the 22nd January, a large body of the soldiers was sent to Phillip Island for the purpose of collecting wild-fowl feathers, and at the same time another portion was ordered on duty to Queenborough, one of the out settlements. The soldiers left at head-quarters were believed to be well affected, although under the influence of the mutineers. At nine o^clock, a number of settlers having been previously assembled in the Lieutenant-Governor's iLOuse, Lieutenant Abbott, with Ensign Piper and Mr. Grimes, Deputy Surveyor-General, took possession of the arms belonging to the guard on duty. They were then joined by Lieutenant Beckwith^ who, with some of the