Monday 15 August 1836

Heard this morning that 4 of the L.M.P.s sailors had lowered one of her boats last night & come ashore with their clothes & some provisions, that they had made a fire & got drunk near M^r Beares Tent (about 1½ Miles from us) & that they were gone off not intending to join the ship again but to work for me! Spoke with Capⁿ Ross as soon as he came ashore & found that the sailors in question were in his opinion exceedingly depraved characters & the very worst of his crew, he did not regret that they had left the ship but only that they had done so before he had an opportunity of punishing them & in a place where as they could not possibly get an honest livelyhood they were likely to prove a source of trouble & danger to me. Told Capⁿ Ross the conversation of the previous evening & as he stated that he had no Pistols on board his ship & did not think himself safe (at present) without them I let him have a new pair from my private Pistol Case. I was told that Chadwick (who has been attending as Surgeon to M^rs Beare positively refused to go on board again & wished to stay & work for me if the Capⁿ would let him have his clothes &c & that he would repay part of his advance to the Company out of his wages. Capⁿ Ross refusing (I think very properly) to have anything to do with a compromise I informed Chadwick through M^r Beare that he must not come within the limits of my settlement after the L.M.P. had sailed. Two of the runaway sailors making their appearance amongst my men while at work this afternoon I went to them & ordered them to retire beyond the limit of my settlement & not to tresspas on the Company’s Property in future at their peril. They went off after having asked one of my men if he would supply them with provisions but he answered them he should not. This state of things & coupled with my lack of assistance in writing & accounts also the rough & unhandy nature of my Counting house! renders it impossible for me to get on with such documents as I should have liked to prepare previous to the sailing of our two ships. This evening spent some time in conversation with 2 Settlers, Bates & Nathaniel Thomas who have a little place on the N.E. corner of the Island & who have appeared among us this afternoon for the first time. I made to Bates a proposal for his services for 3 months which he is to answer in the morning. These are the two men who were commissioned by the Governor of V.D.L. to take the natives who killed Capⁿ Barker. All the Settlers we have seen are free men. Most of them have native women with them who assist in catching game (which is now nearly destroyed here) & some of them have children by those women. I have to day made several arrangements for the more effectual protection of ourselves & the Company’s property & have landed Miss Beare (my intended wife) to be near my Tent, manage my domestic affairs & keep a sharp look out when I am away. Capⁿ Morgan has commenced to day watering his ship from a well a little below point Marsden. I get on very slowly with mine for want of some miners pick axes which amongst other things were left in London for want of room in our ship. Our men appear to be getting into better humour, but we have 2 very awkward fellows amongst them. Miss Beare & her brothers children are sleeping under my Tent & I shall mount guard till 2 A.M. then lay down in my boat cloak.