778 NEW HOLLAND. 
this can only be infiiited by the interference of a tna- 
giftrate; even if the matter be a magiftrate himfelf, he 
can order no punifhment to his own fervant, but mutt 
have recourfe to another magiftrate. If the fervant feels 
himfelf ill ufed by his matter, he has power of complain¬ 
ing to a magiftrate, who will, if the complaint be well 
founded, deprive the matter of his fervant. It is fo much 
the intereft of the fettlers to keep their fervants in good 
health, and to attend to their conduit, that your com¬ 
mittee have heard no evidence but in commendation of 
their treatment, and of its effects upon their morals and 
comfort. Indeed it is moft manifeft, that, where two or 
three conviils are domiciled in a family, removed from 
their former companions, and forced into habits of in- 
duftry and regularity, the chance of reformation muft be 
infinitely greater than when they are worked in gangs. 
Jiving with each other amidft all the inducements to vice 
which fuch a town as Sydney muft afford to them; and 
fuch, by all the evidence, appears to be the effeit of this 
fyftem of diftributing them amongft the fettlers. Nor is 
It to be loft fight of, that in the fervice of fettlers they are 
likely to acquire fome knowledge of farming; and that 
if, from conviils, they became nvell-behaved and induf- 
trious fervants, a farther poflibility is opened to them of 
"becoming profperous and refpeitable fettlers. On thefe 
grounds your committee recommend as much as poffible 
their diftribution as fervants and labourers to individuals; 
and they have obferved with much fatisfailion, that fuch 
appears to be the fyftem purfued at prefent by governor 
Macquarrie; nor will fuch an arrangement materially 
increafe the expenfe to government, or impede the pro- 
grefs of its works. It is to be found in the evidence of 
Mr. Commiffary Palmer, that the expenfe of each conviit 
In the fervice of government was about 40I. a-year, and 
that a free labourer at Sydney could be hired for 70I. but 
that he would do nearly twice as much work. Mr. Camp¬ 
bell ftates the annual expenfe of a conviit at 30I. but in 
the other point he agrees with Mr. Palmer. Some of the 
benefits of this fyftem mull be loft where too many con¬ 
victs are given to one mailer, and in fome inftances forty 
have been put under the controul of a fingle fettler; but, 
from the extent of fome of the farms, fuch a diftribution 
appears to be unavoidable. In the diftribution of female 
convifts great abufes have formerly prevailed ; they were 
indiferiminately given to fuch of the inhabitants as de¬ 
manded them, and were in general received rather as prof- 
titutes than as fervants; and, fo far from being induced 
to reform themfelves, the difgraceful manner in which 
they were difpofed of operated as an encouragement to 
general depravity of manners. Upon the arrival of gover¬ 
nor Bligh, two-thirds of the children annually born within 
the colony were illegitimate. Marriages have latterly be¬ 
come more frequent, confequently proftitution is ftated 
to have been lei's prevalent; and governor Macquarrie is 
directing his endeavours, under orders from the govern¬ 
ment here, to keep the female conviCts feparate till they 
can properly be diftributed among the inhabitants in 
fuch manner as they may belt derive the advantages of in- 
duftry and good character. He further ftates in his dif- 
paten, dated April 30, 1810, that the fituation of the 
colony requires that as many male conviCts as poffible 
Ihould be lent thither, the profperity of the country de¬ 
pending on their numbers; whilft, on the contrary, female 
conviCts are as great a drawback as the others are bene¬ 
ficial. To this obfervation your committee feel they 
cannot accede: they are aware that the women fent out 
are of the moft abandoned defcription, and that in many 
inftances they are likely to whet and to encourage the 
vices of the men, whilft but a fmall proportion will make 
any lien towards reformation; but yet, with all their vices, 
fuch women as thefe were the mothers of a great part of 
the inhabitants now exifting in the colony, and from this 
ftock only can a reafonable hope be held out of rapid 
increafe to the population ; upon which increafe, here, as 
in all infant colonies, its growing profperity in great 
meafure depends. Let it be remembered too, how much 
mifery and vice are likely to prevail in a fociety in which 
the women bear no proportion to the men ; in the colony 
at prefent, the number of men compared to that of women, 
is as two to one ; to this, in great meafure, the prevalence 
of proftitution is reafonably to be attributed ; but increafe 
that proportion, and the temptation to abandoned vices 
will alfo be increafed, and the hopes of eftablilhing feelings 
of decency and morality amongft the lower claffes will be 
ftill farther removed. The fupply of women to the colony 
muft, however, be materially diminilhed by the propofed 
fyftem of employing conviils in penitentiary-houfes ; and 
your committee think this an additional reafon for afford¬ 
ing increafed facilities to the wives of male conviils, who 
may wifii to accompany or follow their hufbands to New 
South Wales. This permifiion is now feldom granted, 
and that only to the wives of men tranfported for life or 
for fourteen years. It is however the moft eligible way 
of providing the colony with women, and one which may 
with very great advantage be much extended. 
“ At the expiration of the time to which the convicts 
have been fentenced, their freedom is at once obtained, 
and they are at liberty either to return to this country, 
or to fettle in New South Wales. Should the latter be their 
choice, a grant is made to the unmarried of forty acres 
of land, and to the married of fomething more for the 
wife and each child: tools and ftock (which they are not 
allowed to alienate) are alfo given to them, and for eigh¬ 
teen months they are viilualled from the government- 
ftores. In this manner, they have an opportunity of 
eftablilhing themfelves in independence, and by proper 
conduit to regain a refpeitable place in fociety ; and fuch 
inftances, your committee are glad to learn, are not unfre¬ 
quent. They alfo fee with fatisfailion, that governor 
Macquarrie adopts it as a principle, that long-tried good 
conduit Ihould lead a man back to that rank in fociety 
which he had forfeited, and do away, in as far as the cafe; 
will admit, all retrofpeil of former bad conduit: this ap¬ 
pears to him to be the greateft inducement that can be 
held out towards the reformation of the manners of the 
inhabitants. In thefe principles your committee cor¬ 
dially concur, and are the more anxious to exprefs their 
opinion, as, under a former governor, tranfports, what¬ 
ever their conduit might be, were in no inftance permitted 
to hold places of truft and confidence, or even to come 
to the government-houfe; thofe advantages being, in his 
opinion, not to be expeited until after generations. 
“ The fame advantages as are allowed to conviils hav¬ 
ing ferved their time, are given to thofe who have been 
pardoned or emancipated by the governor; and your 
committee do not wiffi to difmifs the fubjeil, without 
making fome obfervations upon the power poffeffed by 
him of granting to conviils either the entire or partial 
remifilon of their fentence, or tickets of leave, by which 
they are altogether relieved from its feverity. They do 
not fee any neceffity for the governor’s poffeffing a power 
to grant thefe abfolute or conditional pardons; it is a 
power liable to great abufe, and which appears to have 
been at times very much abufed. It is in evidence, that 
in fome years one hundred and fifty pardons have been 
granted; that pardons have been granted to conviils im¬ 
mediately upon their arrival, without reference to their 
charaiters or merits;* and it appears rather to have at 
* Thus the governor a few years ago .thought fit to 
pardon, and to permit to return to England before his 
term was expired, a man of the name of Bullock, who 
had been capitally conviiled of fraudulently concealing- 
his effeils as a bankrupt, but had got his fentence com¬ 
muted into tranfportation for a certain term. It has, 
however, been determined by the judges, (Nov. 2, 1818.) 
that the governor’s pardon does not ail like a pardon 
under the great feal, “ and confequently that fuch 
perfon is not thereby reftored to his civil rights and 
capacities.” 
times 
