110 THE PASTORAL AGE IN AUSTRALASIA 



to Hobart, and in the following year 174 more exiles 

 were despatched to Geelong. Simultaneously with this 

 importation of exiles from England an importation of 

 them went on within the Australasian colonies, in 

 Victoria. The fact was discovered in this wise. 



A despatch written in May, and received in Sydney 

 in October, 1846, revived the question of transportation. 

 In 1839 Sir John Jamieson, Wentworth, and Dr. Bland 

 — president and vice-presidents of the Patriotic Associa- 

 tion — urged that transportation should be continued, 

 but coupled with the importation of immigrants, and 

 associated with the old assignment system. They were 

 unsuccessful, but Mr. Gladstone's despatch seemed to 

 reopen a way to the accomplishment of their designs. 

 Mr. Gladstone, then for a brief period Secretary of 

 State, suggested that transportation, discontinued since 

 1839, should be revived under a " modified and carefullv 

 regulated " system. A committee of the Legislative 

 Council was appointed to inquire into the subject. 

 It was then found that private individuals had taken 

 the matter into their own hands. As always, anticipat- 

 ing the action of Government and supplying it with a 

 model, employers of labour in Port-Phillip had imported 

 from Van Diemen's Land more than 1,800 emancipated 

 convicts. Employers in New South Wales had fur- 

 nished themselves A\-ith labour from the same source. 

 Other ex-convicts, whether expirees or pardoned, had 

 also immigrated to Australia. The Governor of Van 

 Diemen's Land had facilitated the process. He had 

 issued pardons that were to be held valid throughout 

 the Australian colonies. These pardons had been 

 granted Avith the sanction of the Crown. Governor 

 Gipps nevertheless informed Lieutenant-Governor La- 

 trobe that such introduction of pardoned convicts was 

 " absolutely illegal," and he warned Lord Stanley of 

 the evils that might arise from the influx of such pass- 

 holders. Governor Grey in South Australia no less 

 protested against such a violation of the spirit of the 

 Acts under which South Australia was founded. 



