152 A COLONIAL AUTOCRACY. 



goods from England, more often spirits and tobacco from Rio 

 Janeiro or the Cape. In the first case the goods were not 

 entered at the Customs House in England, in no case did they 

 pay any freight, and finally Macquarie often allowed shipments 

 (especially of tobacco and spirit) to be landed by the master or 

 surgeon without paying even the colonial dues. 1 



In 1816 Riley and Jones, the largest firm of merchants in 

 Sydney, complained to the Colonial Office 2 pointing out that 

 these trade ventures were an infringement of the Charter-party 3 

 and took up the tonnage which properly belonged to the con- 

 victs. What was more important from the merchants' point of 

 view was that these surreptitious cargoes injured their custom. 



The Colonial Office, who heard of these practices for the first 

 time, at once instructed Macquarie to bring them to an end. 

 He was directed to order a careful examination of the stores 

 brought by the convict vessels, and a comparison between those 

 and the official list sent in the Charter-party. He was not 

 to allow any surplus to be sold in Sydney. 4 Macquarie re- 

 ceived this despatch on the nth May, 1818, but did not at once 

 impose any order. There were at the moment several transports 

 in the harbour, and to prohibit the sale of their cargoes would, he 

 thought, have been unjust to them as well as a " loss to the 

 revenue". 5 They had so long been allowed to break the law 

 that perhaps he had some reason to speak of the "injustice" of 

 making them suddenly conform to it. Eventually he made a 

 prohibitory order in October. 6 A few weeks later he re- 

 ceived a memorial from " many principal inhabitants " including 

 Macarthur, Lord and Townson, praying that the prohibition 

 might not be continued. 7 They pointed out that it would 

 greatly check "the diffusion of manufactures of the mother- 

 country," but admitted that their chief reason for advocating the 



1 See case of Dr. Bromley. Bigge's Report, III. and also Piper's Evidence 

 in Appendix. R.O., MS. 



'2nd November, 1816. R.O., MS. 



3 i.e., Charter-party entered into by Masters of Transports and Navy Board. 



4 D. 101, 1 2th December, 1817. C.O., MS. 



5 D. 2, ist March, 1819. R.O., MS. Evidently he meant to make these pay- 

 duty. 



8 It was an order given to the naval officer, not a public Government Order. 

 7 Enclosure to D. 2, ist March, 1819. Memorial is dated igth November, 1818. 

 R.O., MS. 



