Ithaca itself was scarcely more longed for by Ulysses, than Botany Bay by the adventurers who had traversed so many thousand miles to take possession of it.
"Heavily in clouds came on the day" which ushered in our arrival.

To us it was "a great, an important day," though I hope the foundation, not the fall, of an empire will be dated from it.
On the morning of the 20th, by ten o'clock, the whole of the fleet had cast anchor in Botany Bay, where, to our mutual satisfaction, we found the Governor, and the first division of transports.

On inquiry, we heard, that the 'Supply' had arrived on the 18th, and the transports only the preceding day.
Thus, after a passage of exactly thirty-six weeks from Portsmouth, we happily effected our arduous undertaking, with such a train of unexampled blessings as hardly ever attended a fleet in a like predicament.

Of two hundred and twelve marines we lost only one; and of seven hundred and seventy-five convicts, put on board in England, but twenty-four perished in our route.

To what cause are we to attribute this unhoped for success?
I wish I could answer to the liberal manner in which Government supplied the expedition.