(although the imprisonmejit displeasetl Hunter), volunteered

to collect pikea for the government, but broke down in his attempts The Judge-Advocate, Eichard Dore» reporting that, no overt act of rebellion being capable of proof, the prisoners could not be capitally tried ; they were punished summarily. Marsden's MS< note to the Governor from Parramatta stated: — ^*'The prisoners have received their punishment, as much as they could bear. . , . They shall be sent down as soon as the doctor thinks it safe for thera to be removed." King issued in Oct. a proclamation ealling on all loyal subjects to aid in repressing the con- spiracy for the destruction of the king*s government, and regretting that it was necessary to inflict severe corporal '*piimshraent upon the principals and accomphces in the horrid crime." Two months later other plots were laid, and King (Dec. 1800) sent a detachment from Sydney to assist Macarthur. He longed to bring the insurgents to open arbitrament.

• ^ If it comes within your directions or observfttion, my desire in thatr.

the supposefl insurgentB may be permit ted to comes to some point. If you are posaessetl of the orders I gave you on a, former occasion they will siitfice on thia- If not, I lia e biicb dependence on your prudeuce that I am aaaured you will act and do for the best." Macarthur's reply indicated one of the difficulties of a command in the New South Wales Corps, '* It mtiy not be improper to observe that this being the day on which my company receive their month's pay, many of them wtU moat probably b€3 drunlt to-morrow unless I take some particular nieasurea to prevent it, aod to do so woolil most probably create an alarm that might aoon reach tthe ears of those turbulent wrtstchea who create 80 much trouble." Macarthur subsequently (2p5th Dec, 1800) reports his

• • great pleasure in saying that the company doing duty

here were perfectly sober, with only three exceptions." Eegulations were at once made to guard agaiuHt surprise. On the 81st Dec, King thought it a duty to the loyal to *' assure the turbulent and ill -disposed that none of their despicable plans, or daring anonymous writings (similar to that forwarded to him previous to the execution of the pirates^), will ever bias or slacken his exertiorrs in detecting

• " Fifteen convicts seized a vesseL They clumsily ran her on shore.

They seized another at the Hunter Hh-er. King capUired the vessel with nine runaways on bcjard, ^seven were transported for life, and tM'o w cxectit^d as pirates. witn ^1 were ^M