NEW SOUTH WALES AND PARLIAMENT. 329 



In any final estimate of Macquarie's rule, the quality which 

 stands forward most prominently is its humanity. The period 

 was a harsh one, and the circumstances of New South Wales en- 

 couraged that harshness. Macquarie steadily sought to introduce 

 more humane methods, and to encourage gentler views. His 

 " emancipist " policy was part of this larger ideal ; and one of 

 the reasons of its failure, in addition to the unwise selection 

 of the individuals and of the times for bringing them forward, 

 was the lack of humanity shown by many of the free settlers. 

 Macquarie's clemency was even made a ground of complaints, 

 and possibly with reason, for though punishments during his 

 government were lighter they were more frequent than in earlier 

 days, and laxity of discipline brought corresponding evils. To 

 the last moment Macquarie remained averse to signing death 

 warrants, and during Wylde's last circuit in Van Diemen's 

 Land it was only after the greatest persuasion that Macquarie 

 would consent to the execution of eight brushrangers, which 

 Wylde considered absolutely necessary to bring to an end the 

 state of insecurity in that island. 1 



It is to this humanity, often short-sighted and mistaken in 

 its actions, that Macquarie's measures in regard to the convicts' 

 wages, rations, and treatment generally may be traced. It was 

 probably from this desire to give a gentler aspect to colonial 

 life that he was so eager to ornament the town of Sydney with 

 architectural beauty and to spread amongst the people oppor- 

 tunities for education and a knowledge of religion. He even 

 attempted to bring within reach of the black natives the virtues 

 of the civilisation he so greatly respected. He founded a school 

 for the native children, and sought, though unsuccessfully, to 

 establish the adults as tillers of the soil. He also instituted a 

 yearly gathering of the tribes at Parramatta which took place in 

 the summer heat of December, and at which he promoted good 

 feeling by a liberal dinner of roast beef and ale. His relations 

 with these people were indeed of the best description and his 

 feeling towards them consistently humane. 



In the face of these facts his neglect of the female convicts 



i See Correspondence, 1821, in Appendix to Bigge's Reports. R.O., MS. 

 Rusden (History, of Australia, vol. i.), has, quite wrongly, taken tt 

 tions as a proof of Macquarie's embittered sentiments. 



