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New South Wales 1804
10 of March
Sir
I hope you will not be offended at this intrusion, but from the state of things in this Colony I am induced to trouble you with this letter giving an Account of the wretched State of My Family and a most alarming Disturbance which happened on Sunday night the 4 of March 1804 when betwen one and two Hundred Convicts Rushed out from Government settlement at Castle Hill, which indeed had nothing to gaurd it but a few Convict Constables the most of Whom found them having seized my Muskets there the whole Body came Armed upon the Poor Settlers Plundered them of what guns and amunition they had, threatened their Lives if they made the least Resistance. I had three Muskets placed to my Breast and myself and wife narrowly escaped being Shot overpowered thus by numbers we were obliged to submit to their Mercy, in this manner they continued to storm and plunder the settlers till having posessed themselves of a hundred and eighty guns swords and pistols. They determined to take Parramatta which was gaurded by fifty Soilders there they thought to overpower and get their arms four Hundred of them had by this time got together and they expected in a little time to be fifteen Hundred strong -- but here either from want of courage and a body of them not gaining in time they delayed their attack on Parramatta and Retreated to Toongabee Hill, they were led by two Irish men who had been soilders there and others of like description were very bussy drilling them and puting them in a Military Posture, in the mean time a Company of Soilders was marched up from Sydney even these they thought themselves strong enough to engage but has the soilders approached them they Retreated towards the Hawkesbury river they expected numbers to join them in thier Retreat they were over taken by a Party of Soilders under the command of Major Johnson [Johnston]