THE ADMINISTRATIVE PROBLEM. 63 



employed in any situation of trust or command." Again, " in 

 some cases, the persons recommended will probably forfeit the 

 indulgence for which they have been recommended, and before 

 it is received they may be under various sentences here at the 

 time their emancipations arrive from England, which could not 

 then be well acted upon. All this would tend to endless trouble 

 and confusion of representations backwards and forwards, which 

 can only be imagined by those accustomed to these extra- 

 ordinary persons who, while convicts, are panting for freedom, 

 and when once restored to freedom too frequently forfeit it." 

 He stated that it would be difficult to give a correct return of 

 tickets-of-leave as they were issued during pleasure and liable to 

 be recalled at any moment. As the holder remained under 

 surveillance he did not think the indulgence would lead to 

 mischief, and it had the advantage of saving the Treasury of 

 expense. 



Macquarie concluded his plea by enclosing for the Secretary 

 of State's perusal an Order which he had drawn up for the regu- 

 lation of all mitigations of sentence. 1 Petitions and memorials 

 praying for these indulgences were to be presented once a year 

 only, on the first Monday in December. Each application was 

 to be signed and countersigned by the resident Magistrate and 

 Chaplain of the district to which the convict belonged. If he 

 lived in Sydney he must have a certificate also from the 

 Superintendent of Police. The signatories must have known 

 the applicant personally, and certify that he was " sober, in- 

 dustrious, and honest ". A convict asking for an absolute par- 

 don must have resided in the Colony for fifteen years if ' under- 

 going a life sentence, and for three-fourths of the period of any 

 other. For a conditional pardon the necessary period of 

 residence was ten years if a prisoner for life, or two-thirds of 

 any other term. Before asking for tickets-of-leave the appli- 

 cants must have been three years in the territory. Good 

 conduct within the Colony was the only ground upon which a 

 claim to any of these indulgences might be based. 



Lord Bathurst was satisfied with the arguments and regu- 

 lations put before him by the Governor, and pressed the matter 



1 G.G.O., Qth January, 1813. 



