Elizabeth Pulley Sets Sail VIII: solid ground at last

Introduction and Contents

‘ere we go…oi watch ‘t!

(Photo: descendant A. Maie from 'Centre of the Storm' performance series, 1998-2000)

Then on 5^th February ‘slops of every kind’ were issued ‘to all the women & Childn. on board previous to their landing tomorrow...5 of the women, who supported the best Characters on board were this day landed on the Governor’s side of the Encampment, & had Tents pitch’d for them not far from the Governor’s house’.  The other women, who would probably have included Elizabeth Pulley, were to go to the west side of the Encampment.  The sailors were to remain on board the ships.

Finally on 6^th February Elizabeth and the rest of the convict women prepared to disembark.  

One of the surgeons, Arthur Bowes Smyth, wrote a vivid account of that day which has been repeated so often in history books and articles without question it has become the stuff of legend.

The description by Bowes Smyth has since been interpreted and reinterpreted by many and the legend challenged.  The questions centre on what he was referring to when he said, ""it is beyond my abilities to give a just discription of the Scene of Debauchery & Riot that ensued during the night".  That is, whether he was referring to the convicts who were on shore or the sailors on the Lady Penrhyn where he spent the night.  According to Emeritus Professor of History Grace Karsken's research it was the sailors who were given grog.  The convicts were not allowed spirits on the ships during the journey out and "the convicts themselves were not issued with grog at all" [1].  It appears as if it were the sailors who were causing the riot.

With that in mind, here is Bowes Smyth's account.

At 5 o’Clock this morng. all things were got in order for landing the whole of the women & 3 of the Ships Long Boats came alongside us to receive them:  previous to their quitting the Ship a strict search was made to try if any of the many things wh. they had stolen on board cd. be found, but their Artifice eluded the most strict search & abt. 6 O’Clock p.m. we had the long wish’d for pleasure of seeing the last of them leave the Ship -- They were dress’d in general very clean & some few amongst them might be sd. to be well dress’d.  The Men Convicts got to them very soon after they landed, & it is beyond my abilities to give a just discription of the Scene of Debauchery & Riot that ensued during the night -- They had not been landed more than an hour before they had all got their Tents pitched or anything in order to receive them, but there came on the most violent storm of thunder, lighteng. & rain I ever saw.  The lighteng. was incessant during the whole night & I never heard it rain faster -- Abt. 12 o’Clock in the night one severe flash of Lightg. struck a very large tree in the centre of the Camp under wh. some places were constructed to keep the Sheep & Hogs in:  it split the tree from top to bottom;  kill’d 5 Sheep belonging to Major Ross & a pig of one of the Lieuts. -- The severity of the Lighteng. this & the 2 preceeding nights leaves no room to doubt but many of the trees wh. appear burnt up to the tops of them were the Effect of Lightening -- The Sailors in our Ship requested to have some Grog to make merry wt. upon the Women quitting the Ship indeed the Capt. himself had no small reason to rejoice upon their being all safely landed & given into the Care of the Governor, as he was under the penalty of 40/. for every Convict that was missing -- for wh. reason he comply’d wt. the Sailor’s request, & abt. The time they began to be elevated, the Tempest came on -- The Scene wh. presented itself at this time & during the greater part of the night, beggars every discription;  some swearing, others quarrelling others singing, not in the least regarding the Tempest, tho’ so violent that the thunder shook the Ship exceeded anything I ever before had a conception of.  I never before experienced so uncomfortable a night expectg. every moment the Ship wd. be struck wt. the Lighteng. -- The Sailors almost all drunk & incapable of rendering much assistance had an accident happen’d & the heat was almost suffocating

What is more certain is that there was a severe storm soon after the women landed which caused havoc with everyone.  I imagine many would have been huddled up in their tents for the rest of the day and throughout the night fearing the outcome.

Welcome to New South Wales.  

Elizabeth Pulley had arrived carrying her bed with her.

© A. Maie 2020

Introduction and Contents

[1] Karskens, The Colony, pp. 66, 314.  In the section, 'Damned Whores and the Legend of the Foundational Orgy' (pp. 313 ff) Karskens discusses how the legend and other writing at the time 'are an important window into eighteenth-century gender relations and constructions' (p. 321) and why this legend has had such staying power.  The Dictionary of Sydney also debunks the legend in The myth of Sydney's foundational orgy.