-A violent hurricane at Norfolk Island.—­Arrival of the Supply.—­Convicts sent from Port Jackson.—­Provisions and stores.—­Departure of the Supply.—­Robberies committed.—­Employment of the convicts.—­Wheat infested with caterpillars.—­A store-house erected.—­Arrival of a party of marines from Port Jackson.—­Thefts committed.—­Orders read for preserving regularity.—­A female convict punished.—­Pernicious effects of the grub-worm.—­Gardens plundered.—­A granary erected.—­Wheat destroyed by paroquets.—­Number of inhabitants on the island.-

The interval of fine weather, which gave us an opportunity of examining the state of our provisions, and cleaning the damaged flour, was succeeded by a hurricane that was dreadful beyond description.  In the morning of the 25th, we had light winds from the north-east, and very dismal, dark, cloudy weather, with constant torrents of heavy rain:  towards noon, the wind blew a heavy gale, and kept increasing in violence.  At midnight, it shifted to east-south-east, and blew with great fury, attended with constant deluges of rain.  At four o’clock the next morning several of the largest pines were blown up by the roots, one of which fell on the hog-stye and killed a very fine English sow and a litter of seven pigs that were my property, and three sows and two boars belonging to the crown.  This was a severe loss to young colonists, but a still worse accident afterwards happened, and which had nearly deprived us of our flour.

From four in the morning until noon, the wind increased to a very severe hurricane, with the heaviest rain I ever saw or heard of.  Pines, and oak-trees of the largest size, were blown down every instant; the roots were torn up, together with rocks that surrounded them; frequently leaving pits at least ten feet deep.  Some of the very large trees, which measured 180 feet in length, and four feet diameter, were thrown by the violence of the tempest to a considerable distance from the place where they grew; and others, whose roots were too deep in the earth to be torn up, bent their tops nearly to the ground.

In addition to the horror of this scene, a very large tree fell across the granary and dashed it to pieces, staving a number of flour casks that were in it; but by the general activity of every person on the settlement, the flour, Indian corn, and stores were in a short time collected, and removed to my house, with the loss of a few pounds of flour and some small stores that were blown away.

The gale now raged with the most violent fury, which defies all description:  whole forests seemed, as it were, swept away by the roots, and many of the trees were carried to a considerable distance.  By one o’clock in the afternoon, there were as many trees blown down round the settlement as would have employed fifty men for a fortnight to cut down.  The swamp and the adjoining vale were overflowed, and had every appearance of a large, navigable river:  the surf ran mountains high, but did not overflow the bank, although very near its level:  in the road, the sea ran very high, often eclipsing Nepean Isle.