restored to credit as to become a competent witness. He
could hardly deny that evidence of such a kind was admissible, although the officers had excluded it; but added
that if called upon to sit in a court-martial, he would
incline to administer the oath to such a witness, receiving
his testimony with caution, and if opposed by contrary
evidence, perhaps with a considerable degree of diffidence.
(It is especially to be remembered that Sir C. Morgan, in
his letter to King, saw nothing to condemn in the act of
the court-martial in arresting the Judge-Advocate of the
court during the trial. It will be seen that, in 1808, for a
much less bold procedure, Governor Bligh summoned the
whole of the officers of a court-martial before him for
"certain crimes.") Lord Hobart was still less inclined to
console the Governor struggling against wrong-doers. He
expressed (30th Nov. 1803) his "very great satisfaction"
at the general progress of the colony.
"At the same time I must not conceal from you that the gratification I experience from this satisfactory view of the situation of the colony is in a great degree alloyed by the unfortunate differences which have so long subsisted between you and the military officers of the colony, and which I am sorry to observe have latterly extended to the Commander of H.M.S. Glatton,"
King's application for permission to return to Europe would be complied with as soon as a "person competent to exercise the duties" of Governor "free from the operation of the spirit of party" could be found.
The allusion to H.M.S. Glatton was cruelly unjust. Her commander had joined in 1803 in aspersing King to the Home Government, but Lord Hobart should himself have undergone persecution rather than use so vile an instrument in rebuking King. H.M.S. Glatton, with 270 male and 130 female convicts, arrived in Sydney in March 1803, when the courts-martial were behaving as already described. On board, Captain Colnett (senior officer to the Governor in the navy) had two lieutenants and the commanding officer of marines under arrest on his arrival. There were some quarrels on board at Sydney, where many of the convicts were allowed to remain to assist in unloading and reloading the ship. A soldier, the son of Sergeant Whittle of the New South Wales Corps, was struck by an officer of
