Page:Narrative of a Visit to the Australian Colonies.djvu/45

1832.] Soon after we came to anchor in Sulivans Cove, on which the town stands, several persons came on board to enquire for intelligence from England, and among them a merchant, on whom we had letters of credit. With him we went on shore, and he introduced us to the Lieutenant Governor, Col. George Arthur; to whom we delivered a letter of introduction from Lord Goderich, the Secretary of State for the Colonies, commending us to the protection of the Lieut. Governor, and requesting him to forward, what Lord Goderich was pleased to call, our benevolent object, so far as he could consistently with the public good. Our first interview with Col. Arthur, gave us a favourable impression of his character, as a Governor and as a Christian, which further acquaintance with him strongly confirmed: he took great interest in the temporal and spiritual prosperity of the Colonists, and in the reformation of the prisoner population, as well as in the welfare of the surviving remnant of the native Black Inhabitants; and he assured us that every facility should be granted us, in attempts to further any of these objects

In the evening we returned on board the Science, and the chief mate requested us to wake him at 10 o'clock, that he might see the lights of the steerage passengers put out; some of them having been on shore and having returned intoxicated: he had been kept up during the past two nights, in consequence of the position of the vessel in regard to the land; and now, when 10 o'clock arrived and he had been a short time asleep, we found it impracticable to awake him. After vainly trying a variety of expedients, some of which made him speak, but without consciousness, we extinguished the lights ourselves, the captain being on shore. The mate slept soundly till five in the morning, when he awoke in terror, under a vague idea of neglect of duty.

2nd mo. 9th. We went on shore with John Leach, a young man from Bradford, Yorkshire, professing with the Wesleyans, who came to V. D. Land under an apprehension of religious duty: at this time he worked as a journeyman cabinet maker three days in the week for his support, and devoted the remainder of his time to religious purposes.—We made calls