DEPORTATION TO THE DE11WENT. 



17 



Island. There is no doubt that Holt's picture is strongly 

 coloured by his prejudices, and must be taken with large 

 allowances, but the account he gives of the arbitrary cruelty 

 which reigned under Foveaux is too surely corroborated from 

 other sources to be very far from the truth. As a political 

 6xile Holt was legally a free man in New South Wales, though 

 subject to certain restrictions. He had not been convicted of 

 any crime when exiled to Norfolk Island, yet immediately on 

 arrival he was clapped into gaol, and by Foveaux's orders was 

 dlegally put into the working gang as a convict. At first he 

 refused to work, but, mindful of the absolute power of the 

 Commandant, who was sole judge and jury, he finally sub- 

 mitted. For some three or four months he was kept in the 

 gang, in which the men were subjected to most brutal treat- 

 ment from the overseers. At length, under the combined 

 effect of severe labour and exposure and insufficient rations 

 Holt broke down, and in consequence of strong representations 

 from Surgeon D'Arcy Wentworth to Foveaux of the illegality 

 of this treatment, he was exempted from further labour and 

 given his liberty. He remained on the island for 15 months 

 longer, until Major Foveaux was succeeded in the command by 

 Captain Piper. Holt describes Norfolk Island in these terms : 

 " The dwelling of devils in human shape, the refuse of 

 Botany Bay, the doubly damned." 



In spite of Governor King's partiality for the settlement he 

 had founded, it was becoming evident to the Homo Authorities 

 that Norfolk Island was never likely to become a successful 

 Colony, and that it would always continue to be an expensive 

 burden on the Government. Dr. Lang, in his " History of 

 New South Wales," roundly charges King with having, from 

 some interested motive, done his best to discredit the settle- 

 ment at the Colonial Office. In the absence of any direct 

 proof, and from the general tenor of King's conduct with 

 regard to the changes in the establishment, this charge seems 

 to be wholky without foundation. It is much more probable 

 that the views of such men as Hunter and Collins, with the 

 Unsatisfactory reports of the condition of the settlement, and its 

 great expense, prompted the Home Government to decide to 

 reduce the establishment, if not to abandon the island altogether. 



At the same time, Governor King's urgent representations 

 of the danger which was impending over the new Colonies 

 from the designs of the French had roused the English Govern- 

 ment to take active measures to forestall them. In December, 

 1802, the Cabinet had decided to form a settlement at Port 

 Phillip, and in the following April Colonel Collins' expedition 

 had been despatched for that purpose. 



Still the Government was uneasy ; and in June, 1803, Lord 

 Hoburt wrote to Governor King that the position of Port 



