50 INTERMIXTURE OP CERTAIN RACES 



Sydney amounted in 1821 to 37,068 individuals, thus dis- 

 tributed. 1 



Free settlers, or liberated convicts, men . . 12,608 



women . 3,422 



children . 7,224 



Convicts of both sexes 13,814 



37,068 



Thus there were among the free adults only twenty-seven 

 women for a hundred men, that is to say, that seventy-three 

 men in a hundred were absolutely prevented from marrying. 



The relative proportion of convicts of the two sexes is not 

 indicated in the above account, but it is known that ori- 

 ginally the male convicts formed the great majority, and that 

 there were ever afterwards far fewer women than men. 



In 1825 2 the number of inhabitants amounted to nearly 

 50,000 ; but from this period the convicts were mostly sent to 

 Van Diemen's Land, and the white population of Australia 

 diminished rapidly from not receiving regular reinforcements. 

 In 1836 there were only 36,598 of all classes. 



Free .... men . 1^56 j 



. . . . women . 7,474) ' 



Convicts . . men . 14,135 



. . women 



1,513 1 15 ' 668 



36,598 



There were thus, among the convicts, only one woman to nine 

 men, and among the free population one woman to two men. 3 



1 Malte-Brun, Abregi de Geographic Universelle, p. 883, Paris, 1844. 



2 Cunningham, loc. cit., vol. ii, p. 65. 



3 Malte-Brun, Abrige de Geographic In reality the disproportion between 

 the free individuals of the two sexes was more considerable than is indicated 

 in the above account, for children are included. But the number of the children 

 of the free population amounted, in 1828, to 6,837, according to Wentworth 

 (Bienzi, VOceanie, p. 543). Supposing that this number only amounted to 

 7,000 in 1830 say 3,500 boys and 3,500 girls there would remain for the 

 adult free population about 10,000 men and 4,000 women, two women for 

 five men. 



