“…The Governor and other officers employed in different boats searching about different creeks for fresh Water. a Lance was thrown at Mr King but did no hurt he afterwards landed & they were very friendly, he gave them several trinkets.

The Governor immediately the Supply Anchored went in one of her boats to Land several of the Natives gathered to the place where the boat wanted to land on his approaching near the shore, they brandished their spears & seemed to dispute his Landing, he immediately put off and pulled round a low point & landed at a small distance from the Natives, he approached toward them, they would not come near him till he had laid down a gun he had in his hand which I think plainly shews they must remember to have seen some of Capt Cook’s People do some execution with fire arms however they had an amicable intercourse & they parted very friendly…

Friday January … I saw a number of Natives who came to the beach just at sun set when the people were going on board. All of them have a spear made of hard wood.... This sort of spear we afterwards found to be the war spear…

They speak very loud and nearly all together very often pronouncing the words Warra Warra Woa. It seemed quite surly & not being understood.

…The next day one of the party took a fife on shore, played several tunes to the Natives who were highly delighted with it & what only at using some of the seamen's dances.

26th the two Ships which were seen in the offing on the 24th arrived this morning. They proved to be the Boussole & Astrolabe two French Ships on Discovery...

The Natives before had been very friendly to them and at this time one of the Boats was aground and when they came down & surrounded them… it was supposed upwards of 500 stones was thrown in the first shower. The French immediately discharged a Volley of Small Arms at them & it is supposed above 20 of the Natives must have been killed — several of the French were also wounded...

The reason of this we could not learn. The French at first said they supposed it must have been done for the sake of seizing the Boats, but afterwards some hints dropt that it was one of their sailors had behaved very ill to some of the Natives.

24th May… For the first time two natives in canoes came alongside the ship, they were as usual very noisy… they had some fish given them and after staying near an hour they went on shore. Could not persuade them to come on shore. I think what enticed them to come alongside was some fish some of the people showed them. It is their only food and they have very little of it, particularly in the winter months. They have been sometimes seen chewing the root of a fern which they have roasted over a fire…

30th Three Natives came alongside in their canoes & stayed near two hours they were very much surprised at the Ship’s head which is an Image.

In the Afternoon two convicts who were sent to cut rushes were found murdered by the Natives who had thrown several spears in them one of them had a large piece of stick cut out of his forehead supposed to have been done with an axe which they carried with them to build a Hutt.

The next day the Governor went up the harbour attended by some of the officers & some Marines to try & find out the Natives who had murdered the convicts.

This might be unnecessarily known as they took from them an Axe 2 Ball hooks & 2 fishhooks and of course the people who are found with the tools are undoubtedly the murderers.

Several scouting parties were sent out whenever any Natives were seen to see if they have any of these tools.

June 1st the Govr Returned, says he had seen a party of Natives to the number of 211 he immediately advanced towards them and one of them seeing him unarmed gave his spear to another and met the Governor.

After a few motions on both sides a man presented himself who had a deep cut on his shoulder which must have been either from an axe or sword. They at last parted very good friends, indeed the Natives are a very quiet sort of people when a gun is near them for one gun will frighten 40 of them. If you are not armed they will take advantage of it for tho they are described as a set of people without the least curiosity they have a great deal of cunning...

 June… (Loss of cows) I am of opinion the Natives have killed them as once before they threw a spear at one of them calling them Kangooroo at the same time.

…They are all given to thieving, that if you lay any down & turn your head it is off if any of them are near. One day when our boat was hauling the Seine a kettle was taken by one of the men to boil some fish for his breakfast, a Native observed him put the fish in the kettle as soon as his back was turned a Native went to it, his hands in the kettle, not having any idea of boiling water to steal the fish, but before he got his hands to the fish was glad to take them away again, & walk off with himself.

They shelter in caveties in the Rocks & make a large fire. But about Botany Bay there are none of these caveties so they get the Bark of a Tree about 10 foot long, bend it in the middle & place the two ends of it on the ground at about 6 feet distance, & filling up one of the entrances, this makes them a hut.

They have a number of Dogs belonging to them which they call Dingo, they do not bark like our Dogs but howl. The Governor has one of them that he intends sending home in one of the Transports, they are the Wolf Dog — are the colour of a fox & have a brush tail at first would eat nothing but fish that being his constant food…

…they at our first arrival seemed to wish very much for our hats which plainly shows the Sun hurts their head, None of them ever came in the encampment to stay any time & I think it will be a long time before they will be of any service to the Colony.”