Governor Phillip had sent the Sirius to the Cape of Good Hope for supplies in October 1788, but she did return for seven months, and in the meantime the settlement came close to starvation. Hence robbery of the public stores was the foremost criminal offence at Port Jackson. Nevertheless, the ration of food was so meagre that convicts and even some of the marines often risked their lives in the attempt to supplement it. In March 1789 six privates in the marines were convicted of the offence and hanged. Sergeant James Scott recorded the event in his diary:

Wednesday 18^th    15^Co Jo^s Hunt. p^t Marine Was Confin^d on Suspition of Robing the publick Store

19^th                               14^Co Luke Hanes. p^t M. With. Rich^d Askew. of the 41^Co was conf^d on  the Above      Suspition, - (I. being Serj^t of the Quarter Guard this day.) On the Confinement. of Hanes. & Askew Hunt. Informed. Mee that he Would. Discover Everey thing he Knew About the business. On Which I. Aquented Major Ross -

Turn

March. 20^th Friday    Jo^s Hunt. Discovered. ^On Jam^s Baker 54^Co Tho^s Jones, 15^Co Jam^s Brown 54^Co & Rich^d Dukes, 55^Co All to be Conserned in Robing the Store On this. the three Former Was Conf^d, Dukes, the Latter. being. at Rose Hill. At. this time

Hanes, Askew & Hunt. Was there Acomplishes Likewise -

Tuesday 24^th      Supply Brig Retur^d f^m Norfolk With. one Convict. to be try^d f^r Muntiney

D^o

Rich^d Dukes. y^e above Mentioned Was brought. f^m Rose Hill. by Warant -

Wednesday 25^th The Seven Afforesaid Marine Prisoners, Was brough ^t to tryal  Jo^s Hunt. Marine Was Admitted An Evedence for the Crown, a gainst the Other Six; Court Adjour^ned At. two OClock,-

Thursday. 26^th    The Tryal of the. aforesaid prisioners Ende,d With the awful Sentince being Past. on Luke Hanes, Rich^d Dukes, Rich^d Askew, Jam^s Brown, Jam^s Baker. & Tho^s Jones to be Hange,d

Friday 27^th     At. 9 OClock in the Morning the Sentince past. on the Above Prisoners Was put In Exacuation;

In Consaquence of Jo^s Hunt. Convicting the. Six Afforesaid prisoners, he Was pardone,d -

-J.Scott, Remarks on a Passage to Botany Bay, 1787-1792; A First Fleet Journal, Sydney, 1963, pp. 45-6