128 
most of whtch were destined to perform 
new and dificult voyages. Some of them 
had come from the banks of the Thames, 
or the Shannon, to pursue whale-fishing, 
on the frigid shores of New Zealand: 
others, bound to China, after depositing 
the freight which they bad received from 
the English government, for this colony, 
were preparing to sail for the mouth of 
the Yellow-river; while some, laden with 
pit-coal, were about to convey that pre- 
cious combustible to India, and the Cape 
of Good Hope. Several smaller vessels 
were on their way to Bass’s Straits, to 
receive skins, collected by a few indi- 
viduals, who had established themselves 
on tne isles of those Straits, to catch the 
marine animals that resort to them. 
Other ships, stronger built than those 
just alluded to, and manned by more 
numerous and daring crews, who were 
presided with all kinds of arms, were on 
the point of sailing for the western coast 
of America. Laden with various sorts 
of merchandize, these vessels were in- 
tended to carry on, by force of arms, a 
coutraband trade on the Peruvian shores, 
which could not fail ta prove extremely 
advantageous to the adventurers. Here 
they were preparing an expedition, to 
carry on a skin trade, with the people ‘of 
the north-west shores of America; there 
ai! hands were engaged in sending off a 
fleet of provision-ships to the Navigators’, 
the Priendly, and the Society, islands, to 
procure for the colony a stock of salt 
provisions. At the same time, the in- 
trepid Captain Flinders, after effecting a 
junction with his companion-ship, the 
Lady Nelson, was getting ready to con- 
tinue his grand voyage round New Hol- 
land; a voyage which was soon after- 
wards terminated by the greatest mis- 
fortunes. In short, at’ this period, the 
harbour of Port Jacksoii bad become 
familiar to the American navigators, and 
their flag was continually flying in it, 
during our residence. 
All these great maritime operations 
gave to the place a character of impor- 
tance and activity, far beyond what we 
expected to meet with on shores, scarcely 
known to Europeans, even by name, 
and the interest we took in- the 
scene, was only equalled by our admira- 
tion, 
The population of the colony, was to 
us anew subject of astonishment and 
contemplation. Perhaps there never 
was a more worthy object of study, pre- 
senied to the philosopher ;~-never was 
Description of Sydney Town, 
[Sept. 1; 
the influence of social institutions proved 
in a manner more striking and honour- 
able to the distant’ country in question. 
Here we found united, like one‘ family, 
those banditti, who had so long been the 
terror of their mother country: repelled 
from European sdciety, and sent off to the 
extremity of the ‘globe; placed from the 
very hour of their exile, in a state be-_ 
tween the certainty of chastisement, and 
the hope of a better fate ; incessantly 
subjected to an inspection, as inflexible 
as it is active, they have been compelled 
to abandon their anti-social manners ; 
and the majority of them, having ex- 
piated their crimes, by a hard period of 
slavery, have been restored to the rank 
which they held amongst their fellew- 
men. Obliged to interest themselves in 
the maintenance of order and justice, 
for the purpose of preserving the proper= 
ty which they have acquired ; while they 
behold themselves in the situation of hus- 
bands aud fatners, they have the most . 
interesting and powerful motives for ke- 
coming good members of the community 
in which they exist. 
The same revolution, effected by the 
some means, has taken place amongst the 
women: and those who were wretched _ 
prostitutes, have imperceptibly been 
brought to a regular mode oflife; and now 
form intelligent and laborious mathers of 
families. But it is net merely in the mo- 
ral character of the women, that these 
important alterations are discoverable, 
but also in their physical condition, the 
results of which are worthy the consider 
ation, both of the legislator and the phi- 
losopher. For example, every body 
knows that the common women of great 
capitals, are in general unfruitful; at 
Petersburgh, and Madrid, at Paris, and 
London, pregnancy is a sort of phenom- 
enon amongst persons of that descripti- 
on; though we are unabie to assign any 
other cause, than a sort of insusceptibi- 
lity of conception: the difficulty of re- 
searches, as to this subject, has prevent- 
ed philosophers from determining how 
far this sterility ought to be attributed to 
the mode of life of such women; and to 
what degree it may be modified or al- 
tered, by a change of condition and man- 
ners. But both these problems are re- 
solved, by what takes place in the singu- 
lar establishment that we are describing. 
After residing a year or two at Port 
Jackson, most of the English prostitutes 
hecome remarkably fruitful; and what, 
in my opinion, clearly proves that ia 
Paine ect 
