A civil court was again held on the day following, when several persons who had been arrested by writs issued from the last court were brought up; many of whom, being settlers, gave assignments on their coming crops of wheat for the different sums in which they were indebted.  Several other debts were sworn to, and writs issued.  Had those defendants who were thus suffered to give assignments on their crops then in the ground been thrown into prison at the suit of the different plaintiffs, their ruin would have been certain, and the debt would have remained unsatisfied.  This method was tried, as being something more beneficial to both parties; but they were in general of such a thoughtless worthless description, that even this indulgence might induce them to be, if possible, more worthless and thoughtless than before, as, to use their own expression, they had now ‘to work for a dead horse.’

On the 23rd (the signal for a sail having been made at the South Head, the day before), there anchored in the stream, just without the two points of Sydney Cove, the ship Grand Turk, from Boston, after a passage of five months from that port.  She had been twenty-three days from Van Dieman’s Land, meeting with a current, during several days, that set her each day twenty-one miles either to the SE or NE.  We found on board as supercargo, Mr. McGee, who was here before in the Halcyon with Mr. Benjamin Page.  He brought news from Europe as late as January last, by which we learned that the war still raged.  Mr. McGee had on board for sale, spirits, tobacco, wine, soap, iron, linseed oil, broadcloth, etc., etc., for this market, Manilla, and Canton.  The tobacco (eighteen hogsheads) were immediately bought for one shilling and three half-pence per pound, and government purchased some of his spirits at seven shillings per gallon.

During this month a long-boat belonging to his Majesty’s ship Reliance, which had been sent to Botany Bay in July to procure fish, was given up for lost, with five or six seamen.  They were known to have quitted Botany Bay, and, not having been heard of for some weeks, were conjectured to have taken the boat away to the northward, where, being without compass or provisions, except the few fish they had caught, it was more than probable they had perished.

The jail-gang at this time, notwithstanding the examples which had been made, consisted of upwards of twenty-five persons; and many of the female prisoners were found to be every whit as infamous as the men.

One settler was executed this month, and one soldier lost his life by a tree falling on him at the Hawkesbury.

The first and middle parts of the month were wet.  The branch of the harbour named Duck River was so swollen as to overflow its banks, which were very steep.