Phillip insisted that no retaliation be taken to avenge his own non-fatal spearing.
Convict John MacIntyre had been fatally speared during a hunting expedition by unknown Aboriginal people apparently without provocation.
MacIntyre swore on his death bed that he had done them no harm, but marine officer Watkin Tench was suspicious of the claim.
 Tench was sent on a punitive expedition but finding no Aboriginal people other than Bennelong took no action.

Phillip, growing frustrated with the burdens of upholding a colony and his health suffering, resigned soon after this episode.

By 1790 the situation had stabilised.
The population of about 2,000 was adequately housed and fresh food was being grown.
Phillip assigned a convict, James Ruse, land at Rose Hill (now Parramatta) to establish proper farming, and when Ruse succeeded he received the first land grant in the colony.
Other convicts followed his example.
Sirius was wrecked in March 1790 at the satellite settlement of Norfolk Island, depriving Phillip of vital supplies.
In June 1790 the Second Fleet arrived with hundreds more convicts, most of them too sick to work.

By December 1790 Phillip was ready to return to England, but the colony had largely been forgotten in London and no instructions reached him, so he carried on.
In 1791 he was advised that the government would send out two convoys of convicts annually, plus adequate supplies.
But July, when the vessels of the Third Fleet began to arrive, with 2,000 more convicts, food again ran short, and he had to send the ship Atlantic to Calcutta for supplies.

By 1792 the colony was well established, though Sydney remained an unplanned huddle of wooden huts and tents.
The whaling industry was established, ships were visiting Sydney to trade, and convicts whose sentences had expired were taking up farming.
John Macarthur and other officers were importing sheep and beginning to grow wool.
The colony was still very short of skilled farmers, craftsmen and tradesmen, and the convicts continued to work as little as possible, even though they were working mainly to grow their own food.

In late 1792, Phillip, whose health was suffering, relinquished his governorship and sailed for England on the ship Atlantic, taking with him many specimens of plants and animals.
He also took Bennelong and his friend Yemmerrawanne, another young Indigenous Australian who, unlike Bennelong, would succumb to English weather and disease and not live to make the journey home.
The European population of New South Wales at his departure was 4,221, of whom 3,099 were convicts.
The early years of the colony had been years of struggle and hardship, but the worst was over, and there were no further famines in New South Wales.
Phillip arrived in London in May 1793.
He tendered his formal resignation and was granted a pension of £500 a year.
Phillip insisted that no retaliation be taken to avenge his own non-fatal spearing. Convict John MacIntyre had been fatally speared during a hunting expedition by unknown Aboriginal people apparently without provocation. MacIntyre swore on his death bed that he had done them no harm, but marine officer Watkin Tench was suspicious of the claim.  Tench was sent on a punitive expedition but finding no Aboriginal people other than Bennelong took no action.
Phillip, growing frustrated with the burdens of upholding a colony and his health suffering, resigned soon after this episode.
By 1790 the situation had stabilised. The population of about 2,000 was adequately housed and fresh food was being grown. Phillip assigned a convict, James Ruse, land at Rose Hill (now Parramatta) to establish proper farming, and when Ruse succeeded he received the first land grant in the colony. Other convicts followed his example. Sirius was wrecked in March 1790 at the satellite settlement of Norfolk Island, depriving Phillip of vital supplies. In June 1790 the Second Fleet arrived with hundreds more convicts, most of them too sick to work.
By December 1790 Phillip was ready to return to England, but the colony had largely been forgotten in London and no instructions reached him, so he carried on. In 1791 he was advised that the government would send out two convoys of convicts annually, plus adequate supplies. But July, when the vessels of the Third Fleet began to arrive, with 2,000 more convicts, food again ran short, and he had to send the ship Atlantic to Calcutta for supplies.
By 1792 the colony was well established, though Sydney remained an unplanned huddle of wooden huts and tents. The whaling industry was established, ships were visiting Sydney to trade, and convicts whose sentences had expired were taking up farming. John Macarthur and other officers were importing sheep and beginning to grow wool. The colony was still very short of skilled farmers, craftsmen and tradesmen, and the convicts continued to work as little as possible, even though they were working mainly to grow their own food.
In late 1792, Phillip, whose health was suffering, relinquished his governorship and sailed for England on the ship Atlantic, taking with him many specimens of plants and animals. He also took Bennelong and his friend Yemmerrawanne, another young Indigenous Australian who, unlike Bennelong, would succumb to English weather and disease and not live to make the journey home. The European population of New South Wales at his departure was 4,221, of whom 3,099 were convicts. The early years of the colony had been years of struggle and hardship, but the worst was over, and there were no further famines in New South Wales. Phillip arrived in London in May 1793. He tendered his formal resignation and was granted a pension of £500 a year.
Arthur Phillip