84 A COLONIAL AUTOCRACY. 



help of his only law adviser, the Judge- Advocate, to ensure 

 legal accuracy in the phraseology of his regulations. Mac- 

 quarie claimed that when so called upon, the Judge- Advocate 

 had no option but to obey. Bent held that he was bound to 

 give advice, but that he might refuse to draw up any particular 

 order desired by the Governor if he considered it illegal, since 

 he might in such a case have to give judgment against it in the 

 Courts. 1 Wylde held a similar opinion but gave way on the 

 Governor's insistence. 2 Orders and Proclamations were pub- 

 lished by insertion in the Sydney Gazette. As no Governor 

 had ever considered himself bound by the laws of his prede- 

 cessors, and no orderly record of them had ever been kept, Bent 

 found in 181 1 that no one really knew what laws were in force, 

 and that many of them were quite inconsistent one with an- 

 other. He began to collect and revise them, but was hindered 

 by pressure of work, and in 1819 his successor, Wylde, was 

 similarly prevented from completing the task. 3 



The Gazette was under official superintendence and had 

 been published weekly from the time of its establishment in 

 i8o3. 4 It contained much news from English papers, of war, 

 scandal and politics, as well as the chronicles of New South 

 Wales and Government notices. Before going to press the 

 whole contents were approved by the Governor's Secretary 

 who was referred to as the " censor of the press ". 5 The price, 

 three shillings a month, was admittedly high, but the price of 

 paper was exorbitant. All Orders and Proclamations were 

 published on three successive Saturdays 6 and as much publicity 

 as possible given to them. Probably they were posted in the 

 towns and townships. Sometimes the chaplains were ordered 

 to read them during service, an order disliked by several of 

 them and disobeyed by Marsden. He declared that such a 

 practice was " irregular and improper ," and that the subjects 



1 Bent to Colonial Office, 1811 to 1815, passim. R.O., MS. 



2 Wylde's Evidence, Appendix to Bigge's Reports. R.O., MS. 



3 Bent, see above. Bigge's Report, II. 



4 Before 1810 the publication had been on two occasions discontinued for a 

 few weeks owing to lack of paper. The type was occasionally peculiar capital 

 letters replacing worn-out small letters, etc. 



9 He had, of course, no legal right to such a title. 



6 The day on which the Gazette was published. In Bligh's time it came 

 out on Sunday. Macquarie, who was a strict Sabbatarian, altered the day of 

 issue to Saturday. 



