note: transcription publicly contributed - please contact us with comments, errors or omisions

to finish his year on the Island. I shall want a Cook in July. A man who has been cook on board of ship I think would answer best, a female cook is best about home but when we have to ^go a distance from home to work at wrecks we want the cook with us. I was made sensible of this when working at the "Ottoman" on the NE bar last November. Heretofore the men have been allowed [illegible: 20/- ?] for each wreck whether there was much, little or no work done at them, or much little or no property saved, and those of the men who never seen the wrecks were paid the same as those who worked at them. Such an unfair system of remuneration I feel persuaded you will not continue. I think the remuneration should be in proportion to work done risk run and property saved, and those men who are not called to the wreck or perhaps don't know there is a vessel onshore until the work is all done should receive nothing. Stevens asked for a certificate from me that he might draw "wreck money", but I declined giving it because I do not know if you intend giving any and besides there is none due since the formation of the Board of Works but from the "Navarro", and all that was saved from her was saved before either Stevens or Farquhar knew of her being on shore, consequently neither of them are entitled to any thing from her. You will please let me know if you intend to allow anything additional for working at wrecks and if you require a certificate from me of the work being done.

I think it probable that you may have had a complaint against me from the two fellows who were working their passages on board the "Marie Anne", they are a pair of villans and I believe would have give me some trouble while here if they could have raised a party sufficiently strong for their purpose, and merely
because