66 A COLONIAL AUTOCRACY. 



Halloran should have a ticket-of-leave and follow his profession 

 of teaching. As soon as he received it Halloran lodged a com- 

 plaint against Captain Lambe, the master of the transport on 

 which he had travelled, and the complaint was investigated by 

 the Sydney Bench of Magistrates. They decided that it was 

 unfounded and malicious, and ordered Halloran to give up his 

 ticket-of-leave and return to Government labour. Halloran ap- 

 pealed to the Secretary for protection and kept his ticket-of- 

 leave. The magistrates protested, and after some angry pas- 

 sages the ticket was finally withdrawn. But instead of being 

 placed in a gang of Government workmen, Halloran was as- 

 signed as servant to Simeon Lord, his intimate friend, and after 

 a few months was again in possession of a ticket-of-leave. l He 

 soon had the largest and most fashionable school in the Colony. 2 

 The story is a startling commentary on Macquarie's despatch. 



It was certainly very difficult to know what to do with men 

 of Halloran's type, who were unused to any sort of manual 

 ]abour. A few could be used as clerks, but the supply was far 

 greater than the demand. To give them tickets-of-leave was 

 an easy, and appeared to be a cheap way, out of the difficulty. 



The case was different with regard to the free and condi- 

 tional pardons. It was recognised that there might be many 

 men who proved themselves fit to receive pardons before they 

 had lived the necessary time in New South Wales. But there 

 were instances in which pardons were given or withheld which 

 showed no such grounds of reason. There were, for example, 

 pardons free and conditional given not as rewards for good 

 conduct but as recompense for working on the new road 

 built over the Blue Mountains, or even for sending carts and 

 horses to assist. There was no need to give this encouragement, 

 nor was such a need ever pleaded. The absurdity of the thing 

 is clear enough when the case of such a man as Hodge, one 

 out of many, is considered. He hired a cart for a few pounds, 

 sent it as his own, received an emancipation and at once opened 

 a sly-grog shop. 3 



1 Bigge's Report, I. 



2 Ibid., III. Halloran apparently laid the foundation of secular education 

 in Australia. Bigge was scandalised to find no Bibles or other books of re- 

 ligion in his school. 



3 Ibid., I. Also Evidence in Appendix to Reports in R.O., MS. 



