Robert Ross, Marine separation, and colonial government

Major Robert Ross came to the First Fleet with Marine service extending through the Seven Years' War, Bunker Hill, and captivity in 1779. He sailed for New South Wales aboard Sirius before transferring to Scarborough. From the outset he quarreled with Arthur Phillip and refused to let Marines supervise convict labor or sit on the criminal court. His conduct complicated colonial administration, while the separation kept military officers outside civil justice and limited their control over convict labor. On Norfolk Island, Ross proclaimed martial law after the wreck of Sirius, demanded more land clearing so the settlement could feed itself, and faced growing discontent over the workload. He later returned to Sydney, fought an inconclusive duel with a New South Wales Corps officer, and sailed for Britain with most of the Marines aboard HMS Gorgon.