262 A COLONIAL AUTOCRACY. 



The gentlemen and the wealthy emancipists sent their sons 

 to learn Latin at Halloran's School, by far the most popular in 

 the Colony, while the poorer folk usually sent their boys to the 

 free Government schools, where they learned little more than the 

 three "R's". Education a little bridged the social chasm be- 

 tween the wealthy emancipists and the colonial gentlemen, for 

 in Halloran's schoolroom the sons of both sat on the same 

 bench, learned the same lessons, and whimpered under the same 

 ferule. 



As the colonists began to feel that New South Wales was 

 their home the sociability of the settlement increased. The 

 ceremonies of the Old World dinners, evening parties, race- 

 meetings, became frequent, and were varied by the more dis- 

 tinctive entertainments of water-parties and kangaroo-hunting. 

 The officers of the garrison were the centre of all social gather- 

 ings, and for this reason their attitude towards the emancipists 

 was a matter of considerable importance to the settlement. 

 During Macquarie's time three regiments were stationed in 

 New South Wales, the 73rd from 1810 to 1814, the 46th 

 from 1813 to 1817, and the 48th from 1817 until after his 

 departure. 



The New South Wales Corps, which was relieved by the 

 73rd Regiment in 1810, after a service of thirty years, had kept 

 with some strictness to a policy of exclusion. General Grose, 

 who had originally raised the corps, and who for some years 

 commanded it, thought that no officer should stay in the 

 company of a man who had been a prisoner, and that any 

 officer who did do so ran the risk of losing his commission. 1 

 The 73rd had not considered the subject when they came out, 

 and as Macquarie was their Colonel they were much under his 

 influence. The officers consequently associated with and enter- 

 tained the emancipists whom they met at the Governor's table, 

 though they distinguished these from the remaining freed-men. 

 Indeed one of their officers was tried by Court-Martial and 

 dismissed from his regiment because he played cards with a 

 man who had been a convict. 



" I know," said Riley, " that he pleaded the precedent of 



1 See Riley, C. on G. 



