NEW SOUTH WALES AND PARLIAMENT. 307 



those who advocated and those who objected to such a measure 

 stated openly, and to let Parliament judge with respect to the 

 wisdom of adopting the recommendation he now alluded to." 



In reference to the appointment of magistrates he was rather 

 confused. He referred to the appointment of Lord and Johnson 

 {probably a reporter's error for Thompson) as the appointment 

 of the convict attorneys, adding that the appointments " were im- 

 proper, and that it was the duty of the noble lord at the head 

 of the colonial department to reprimand the Governor for so 

 gross an outrage on property and justice ". 



Coming to the power of the Governor to inflict punishments 

 he trod on firmer ground. " Governor Macquarie had thought 

 fit, of his own free will, to cause three free settlers * to be flogged 

 for what was called a contravention of the orders of the 

 Governor in going through a hole in a wall into what the 

 Governor called his park. . . . He understood indeed that the 

 person in question 2 intended to institute a prosecution against 

 the Governor on his return home, but that was no reason why 

 the House should shut its eyes to the transaction. . . . Had 

 the Governor had the good fortune to have a council, this and 

 many other transactions of a like nature would never have oc- 

 curred. Governor Macquarie might be unwilling to receive 

 such a council, but why Lord Bathurst should put 20,000 persons 

 and their properties under the unlimited control of one individual 

 without any council to advise him, he was altogether at a loss 

 to conceive." 



The state of morals, the neglect of the female convicts, the 

 number and unsuitable character of the licensed publicans, the 

 giving of tickets-of-leave to persons " who had come out with 

 their pockets filled by the crimes which they had committed in 

 England," were all touched upon. 



" The subject of the taxes levied in this Colony," he went 

 on, " was also well worthy of attention." The Governor had 

 levied taxes on commodities and there appeared to be nothing 

 to prevent them from going further and levying a property tax ; 

 yet as New South Wales was not a conquered Colony, there 



1 Only one was a free settler. See before, Chapter IX. 



2 i.e., Blake. 



