The state of the colony at this time has already been described, and although during King’s administration many events of colonial importance happened, we have only space for those of more general interest.  King displayed great firmness and ability in dealing with the abuses which had grown up owing to the liquor traffic; but the condition of affairs required stronger remedies than it was in his power to apply, so things went on much the same as before, and the details of life then in New South Wales are of little interest to general readers.

King’s determination and honesty of purpose earned for him the hatred of the rum traders, and the New South Wales Corps was in such a state that in a despatch, after praising the behaviour of the convicts, he wrote that he wished he could write in the same way of the military, “who,” says King, “after just attempting to set their commanding officer and myself at variance and failing, they have ever since been causing nothing but the most vexacious trouble both with their own commandant and myself.”

Captain MacArthur had by this time imported his Spanish sheep, and had become the greatest landowner and pastoralist in the colony.  MacArthur wanted to go to England, and offered the lot to the Government for L4000.  King had the good sense to see the value of the offer, and in a letter to the Home Office advised its acceptance.  To this came replies from both the Duke of Portland and the War Office, expressing the strongest disapproval of the idea and stating that it was highly improper that an officer in the service should have become such a big trader.  In 1801 MacArthur quarrelled with one of his brother officers, and this led to almost all the officials in the colony quarrelling with one another and to a duel between MacArthur and his commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Paterson, the latter being wounded.  King put MacArthur under arrest, and sent him to England for trial with the remark that if he was sent to the colony again it had better be as governor, as he already owned half of it, and it would not be long before he owned the other half.

The Advocate-General of the army, however, sent him back to the colony with a recommendation that the squabble should be dropped.

During King’s administration several political prisoners who had been concerned in the 1798 rebellion were sent out; and, by the governor’s good offices, these men were given certain indulgences, and generally placed upon a different footing to felons, a distinction that had not been provided for by the Imperial Government.  King has had very little credit for this, and because he did deal severely with Irish rebels has been put down by many as a cruel man, but the home Government at first sent out prisoners without any history of their crimes, and King was unable to tell the dangerous from the comparatively inoffensive until he had seen how the exiles behaved in the colony.  During King’s administration there was an open revolt of the convicts.  They assembled at a place called Castle Hill, about 20 miles from Sydney, to fight a “battle for liberty.”  Here is the report of the officer who suppressed the rebellion:—­