Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 2.djvu/369

 OV KIN€k 313 out that wbdnever Gompladzts of ihis sort had been made ^^ the accused persous had been brought before the Justices and dealt with. The Magistrates in those oases had inflicted fines^ a punishment which Grose cousidered ridiculouslj inadequate to the ofEence ; nothing short of a floggings in his view, would meet offences of this enormity. But the a point ot ' -^ law. Magistrates, aided by Eang and Biaokstone, had come to the conclusion that they could not, under the laws of England, which they were supposed to follow, order the lash to be applied to free men, even for assaulting a soldier. Grose met this difficulty by depriving the Magistrates of -their authority, and placing the Governor of the island below the lieutenant who had charge of the detachment. Grose's instructions — the main part of them at all events oroae's . -I t. rn t Instructions — -were mimediatety earned out. Lieutenant Townson took compuod -the place of Lieutenant Abbott, who was recalled, the Orders were promulgated, and Norfolk Island, like New South ■Wales, was brought under military rule. The militia, 5^«°j9|"* consisting of men who had served in Ross's detachment of marines, was disbanded, and the arms with which the men had been supplied were taken away from them, though not without a protest on their part. It seems that these settlers, when they took up land at Norfolk Island, had been pro- mised by Phillip firearms for the protection of their lives and property. In a petition to Grose, 10th March, 1794,* they pointed out that they had always considered their arms as their own property during their residence on the island, and that they were rendered -necessary by the fact that numbers of them had been repeatedly robbed and insulted on their own property. Ideatenant Townson established himself in the house of ueutenant the Chaplain. Under Grose's autiiority, he chose for his own use and that of the officers of the department some land ^whioh had been cultivated by .officers and overseers, who had
 * Hirtorioal Beo^cdf, yoLii, p. 190.