Thank you, Ray -- I have a special interest in Thomas Ryan, who also is mentioned as a witness in the Macquarie Law report of the 1828 Supreme Court case cited as R. v. Raine, Lee and Kemp. It seems that Thomas Ryan was then chief clerk in the office of the Principal Superintendent of Convicts, having come to the Colony as a convict by the ship "Pilot" in 1817. It has been alleged that he exploited the power of his official position in order to enrich himself in the scramble to acquire real estate. Regards, Andrew