seditious letter to Joseph Holt* After the suppression of the insurrection in New South Wales, when, on the dying confessions of some who were executed imd other state- lents, Holt*s papers were seized on account of his alleged complicity with the rtjhels, King sent to Collins (20th xVpri! 1804) *' an attested copy of the letter, as it is necessary yott should know you have some siieh, if not many, of those hardened and ahandoned characters with you/* Holt was, he said, '* a principal promoter of the hite insurrection,** and had been sent to Norfolk Island. When Holt was permitted to return to his family from the island prison, he sailed by way of Hobart in a ship which carried a portion of the estahliKliment in course of ■removal thither, Collins wrote :— r ** A peraon of the iianio of Holt, proceeding to Port Jacks^in, havui^ looked about him here^ is «fi pleased with iia that he Ima solicited my approbation of his uoniing here to settle with hiB family, and means to lyeqULst your consent. I think from all I can learn of him that he would De very useful here, and therefore hope there will not be any ubjeetioti ou
- your part/'
But even Collins had not a word to say for Maurice Marj^arot, In the same (private) letter he spoke of hiui as
- a ilangerons scoundrel, worse a thousand times than
Stuart, vaiirien as he is," When Kin^ sent Coloiiel Pater son to Port I>alr>Tnple hu thought it necessary to explain to Collins {81st May 1804) that Mis Majesty's instructions were *' positive for settling Port Dalrymple/* and he could not hesitate to obey them. He gave tlie usual iiijuncti(ms to Paterson about enforcing order amongst the inhabitants, and preventing any acts of violence ajijainst the natives, ** enjoining all persons .under yoiu- government to live in amity and goodwill Iwith them." Paterson's first report on the subject (26th Nov, 1804) 'may be given in Ids own words: — "On the 12th, a Wdy of iiativeii, about eighty m niiuiljt;i made their appearance about lt)0 yar^la from our camp. From whiit we coukl jutlgo ) tht-y were heaHud by a chiefs aa e erythin^ given to them was iloUvereJ •up to ttiiji peraoii. He recreiverl a lookingglass, two haiidkerchiefM, and a tomahawk. . . . The tirist hot that they came to they wanted to carry oti' everything that they saw, l)tit when they were made to nnderstaiul that we would not allow thmn lliey retired peuueahly. From thi^ friendly interview 1 was in ho|H!3 we would have been well act^uauittd v<v^V Viisio.
