AND THB MAJOK 425^ The Major's inquiry as to *' the line of conduct which, as 1789 Lientenant-Govemor of this settlement, yon wish me either 2 FobruMy. to pTeserve op follow/' would have justified Phillip in a forcible retort, had he been inclined to reply in that fashion. He might have reminded Boss, for instance, of his very irrecrular conduct in connection with the vacancy occasioned Another o *f xnADCBavre* by the death of Captain Shea, one of his officers. When that event occurred, he offered the company to the Judge- Advocate, without even acquainting the Governor with his intention to do so ; although the position occupied by Collins rendered such a proposal a matter of serious moment to the head of the Government. The facts in this case — ^much more important, by the way, than those which formed the J^^*?. substance of Boss's complaint — were communicated to Nepean by Phillip in a letter dated 2nd February. The present situation of this colony renders it necessary to state the following particulars, and which you will please to com- municate to the Right Honorable the Lord Sydney. When on the death of Captain Shea, who died the 2nd of February^ '89, Major Boss, as Commandant of the detachment, Death came to inform me of that event, I observed to him, that First Sbea. Lieutenant George Johnston, then doing duty as my Adjutant of Orders (and who was then present), would, of course, succeed to the Captain-Lieutenancy which then became vacant^ as being the oldest first lieutenant in the detachment, and that I should in future do without an adjutant, as there were so few officers. No Jj'^SfJL direct answer was given by Major Boss, who left me, and sending OoiUna. for the Judge-Advocate, offered him the company vacant by the death of Captain Shea^ telling him he was directed so to do by Lord Howe, and that if he accepted the company, he was to give up the appointment of Judge- Advocate to the detachment. It is not at all probable that Lord Howe had directed Boss to offer the vacancy to the Judge- Advocate, for the Roesteiui simple reason that the impropriety of such a step was manifest on the face of it. But there can be no doubt as to the reasons which induced Boss to make the offer. He knew that, if Collins had accepted it, he would have been under the necessity of resigning the office of Judge- Advocate; and as 2 E Digitized by Google
