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To the existence of these, with other subsequent causes, it may be
attributed that the colony of New South Wales has not made a more
rapid progress towards independence, but has so long hung, as it
were, upon the breast, and derived its sole nourishment from the
food, of the mother country. To raise the settlement from this state
of dependence; to expunge from its early page that stain which must
be affixed to it by remoter ages; to stimulate its growth, and impel
it along the path which leads to greatness, must be the object, the
desire, and the hope, of every one who feels an interest in its
prosperity; and if a long residence in the colony, a full
consciousness of its capacity, and an unshaken affection for the
country, can entitle any one to a rank amongst the friends of this
infant empire, I flatter myself that my claim must be allowed; and I
shall therefore proceed to suggest those further ideas of
improvement which are founded in a thorough knowledge of the subject
from experience.
To facilitate the rise of New South Wales to a state of consequence
and independence, its interests must be entrusted to a governor who
has no private or mercenary views, and will seek after nothing but
the welfare of the colony; who will thoroughly support the trust and
honor reposed in him, as the representative of our most gracious
Sovereign; who will not treat, nor suffer others to treat, the
officers serving under him with indignity; who will not study the
rapid rise of one man, and the sudden downfall of another, but will
administer, and cause justice to be administered impartially to all
descriptions of persons, and only shew his favor to those whose
conduct is such as to merit his distinguished notice. Under such a
man, the industrious settlers should receive the most liberal
encouragement to induce them to pay every attention to the
cultivation of their lands and to the rearing of stock; and I am of
opinion, that when the price of grain has been reduced under ten
shillings per bushel for wheat, five shillings for maize and barley,
and four shillings and sixpence for oats, the grower has very
frequently been a loser, without admitting that in the course of the
season there had been any flood, blight, insect, or rust, to injure
the growing crops. I speak this from the general knowledge I have of
the country, having taken every settler's and other muster there for
a number of years, and from the concurrent opinions of several of
the first and most independent farmers throughout the settlement;
nor can any man who is acquainted with the exorbitant wages demanded
by every class of laborers, who are not prisoners assigned by the
crown to their employers, in that part of the world, and the great
difficulties attending the various occupations he has to encounter
before his grain can be brought to the market, judge otherwise. The
government stores should also be open at all times to receive the
grain, which would not only enable the commissary to send the
requisite supplies to the dependent settlements, but would also
afford a powerful security against the fatal and frequent losses
which are occasioned by the floods, so destructive to property of
every description, but more particularly to the grain; and it would
also set aside the necessity of issuing short allowance to those
prisoners who are necessarily supported by the crown, by which means
government labor is sometimes retarded, in consequence of the
reduction of the hours of work in proportion to the diminution in
the weekly ration.
If government were also to decline farming, it would excite a
greater degree of perseverance in the settlers, and would, in my
opinion, eventually disburden the crown of a very considerable
expense, as those employed in agriculture, on the government
account, are generally that description of persons who only care how
little they work, and are equally as indifferent as to the manner in
which their labor is performed; besides which, very few of these
individuals are at all acquainted with the art of husbandry,
particularly that system which ought to be adopted in a colony, the
climate, soil, and produce of which, are so essentially different to
those of the mother country; and those few, as soon as they have
attained a knowledge of the regular method necessary there to be
pursued, are generally taken away by some cause or other, or claim
their freedom, from the original term of their transportation being
expired, so that little better than a succession of new hands have
to perform a task of which the chief part are totally ignorant.
By the opening of the stores, and the prevention of the losses
before mentioned, the Southseamen, and other vessels touching at
Port Jackson, might at all times receive ample supplies of such
refreshments as they stood in need of, in exchange for articles more
serviceable to the inhabitants than any recompense of a pecuniary
nature; and, indeed, absolutely necessary to the comfort and
prosperity of the colony. In case of a war in these seas, or in any
part of India, this settlement would prove a very desirable depot,
and place of rendezvous. Soldiers and seamen would at all times be
healthy, without great fatigue, free from scorbutic complaints so
prevalent after a long voyage, and would not suffer from a change of
climate, which too frequently brings on dysentery, or other fatal
diseases; these circumstances would naturally render them more fit
to enter a field of battle, and better qualified, in every respect,
to endure the wearisome fatigues and dangers of war.
Several ships which have touched at the settlement under the
pressure of necessity, have been denied the requisitions which they
have made for bread and other provisions; and, although the local
circumstances of the colony rendered that denial absolutely
necessary, yet, had the settler been guaranteed by any means against
loss, or could he have received any sufficient security for his
grain, every ship which had been in need, as well as every one
touching there in future, would have been, and might be, amply
provided for. The influx of American vessels, and ships from the
East Indies, has recently suffered a very considerable diminution;
the former, at one period, nearly supplied the colony with articles
of almost every description, at very reasonable prices, but, from
some cause or other, vessels from the United States seldom now
arrive at the settlement with merchandize for sale; the Indian
vessels have also ceased to arrive in the same numbers as formerly,
and the supplies have consequently fallen off materially, which
naturally injures all descriptions of persons, not only by
preventing an immediate intercourse between those countries, but
also by lessening very considerably the consumption of stock, grain,
&c. so that the settler, in planting his land, has now no other
views than to raise a sufficiency of grain for the consumption of
his own family, and the liquidation of his debts. He has no longer a
stimulus to labor; he calculates that the time and toil are wasted
which are spent in raising an article for which he has no vent; his
industrious disposition is consequently cramped; his present
exertions are without hope of reward; and his prospects are divested
of the supporting promise of future comfort or competence. Such a
system as this evidently and rapidly tends to ruin; these symptoms
are the obvious marks of a diseased economy; and, if decay appears
in the present unripe state of the country, with what
propriety--with what hope--on what grounds, can the mind calculate
upon future prosperity?
The vessels of neutral powers ought to be encouraged, in my opinion,
to trade to the settlement; they would serve the colony, by giving
encouragement to the settlers; there would once again be a
beneficial competition; there would be a channel for the carrying
off the surplus produce of the country, and industry might again
look forward with joyous expectation to the harvest of its toil.
These vessels might be laden back with spermaceti or other oils,
seal skins, coals, ship-timber, fustic, or any other articles the
produce of the settlements and the Southern Seas; and thus a traffic
might be established and carried on with reciprocal benefit, and the
independence of New South Wales must be greatly aided in consequence
of these beneficial regulations.
It may perhaps be argued, that the indiscriminate admission of the
trade of neutral vessels might tend to injure the British ships
trading to this colony; but such a consequence, I think, may easily
be averted, since the governor has power to prevent those ships from
selling any such articles as he may deem it expedient to prohibit;
and no injury could consequently be sustained, while it would hold
out the necessity of selling the European goods at a reasonable
rate, or the wants of the colony might be supplied from another
market. The arrival of neutral ships with merchandize would also
tend to prevent the too frequent monopolies which take place in this
quarter, of the nature of which and their mischievous effects upon
the general prosperity of the colony, I have spoken in a former part
of this chapter; and I feel a great regret that circumstances at
this moment prevent me from enlarging upon so destructive a subject,
and exposing the very root of so pernicious an evil, which has
latterly been fostered by those whom nothing more than suspicion
could ever have attached to, but by recent events; and I am anxious
that a full exposition of the plans which had been adopted to
facilitate the rapid rise of a mercenary and powerful few, to the
serious injury and almost inevitable downfall of the country, will
be held up to the public view of every impartial man; by which means
the grand promoters of so nefarious a practice will bring upon their
own heads that disgrace, dishonor, and infamy, which their vile
projects had formed for others to bear the burthen of. It has been
truly said, that by means of those ships a great quantity of spirits
have been introduced into the settlement of Port Jackson, and on
this plea the prohibition of their sales, it is said, has taken
place, but which I do not strictly believe: However, the landing of
those noxious cargoes might easily be prevented; or they might be
suffered to be brought on shore, and lodged in one of his majesty's
store-houses, under a bond, so that, whenever the vessel was about
to sail from the port, she might receive it again, having some
trusty and vigilant person placed on board, to see that no smuggling
transactions were carried on, and where he should be ordered to
remain until the ship quits the Heads. By these means, which would
be no expense to the crown, the dry goods, &c. which had been
brought to the market, might be readily disposed of, without any
risk being incurred of the introduction of too much of that
maddening liquor, generally brought by these vessels, to be
distributed amongst the inhabitants of the colony.
It must be obvious to every man of reason, that the early days of a
colony require as much attention and assistance as human infancy,
and that a course of improper and unskillful treatment at the outset
must undoubtedly lay the foundation of future imbecility and
ultimate destruction. Much evil has already been done in the
settlement, but it is not yet too late to apply the remedy; the
malady which threatens the existence of the colony has not yet
attained to an incurable height, and if the proper measures are
adopted, prosperity and happiness may yet be seen, where adversity
and apprehension are at present discovered; and the seeds of a new
and powerful nation may not be doomed to perish, before they have
scarcely broken the ground which was intended for the scene of their
growth and expansion. I shall, however, without farther digression,
endeavor to point out other means of improving the settlement than
such as relate to its agriculture.
The establishment of a post-office for the receipt of all letters
and parcels for private individuals, and for the dispatch of those
which are transmitted from the colony, would be productive of
essential service to the general interests, and could be entrusted
to some person of respectability, whose remuneration might arise
from a certain tax or postage: Such an institution would prevent a
number of letters from being lost, delivered to wrong persons, or
illegally obtained by such for the purpose of sending to the friends
of the person for whom they were intended, with a view to obtain
money or other property. It has frequently occurred that boxes, &c.
have been gained under false pretensions, from on board ships which
had arrived in the port, and the contents of which have been worth a
very considerable value: The persons guilty of this crime, by some
means obtain the information as to the packages which are on board,
and then personate, or cause some of their connections to personate,
those to whom the packages are addressed, on which they obtain the
property by only signing a receipt to the officer on board. An
office of this description would effectually prevent the recurrence
of such fraudulent practices, and would give a security for the
regular delivery or transmission, as well as the security, of the
letters, &c. which were entrusted to its care. An oath might be
administered to the superintendent.
The unfit clothing sent out for the convicts has been a subject of
sincere complaint, as being dispatched without any regard to quality
or comfort. I am therefore of opinion, that it would be highly
expedient to send out a considerable portion of wearing apparel
unmade, so that there would be an absolute saving of the cost of
making; for the wearers would feel much greater satisfaction from
being allowed to receive it in the piece, that they might suit it to
their respective wants, as well as consult their own comforts: Those
who might have less leisure than their fellow-prisoners, could have
their clothing made by the tailors of the different settlements,
while the others would be happy to make their own. If this plan were
to be carried into execution, it might be necessary to find a person
properly qualified to take the superintendence of this mechanical
department; and such an one might readily be found in the mother
country, whose disposition, owing to adverse circumstances, might
lead him to accept this situation in the colony; thus a proper
quantity of work would be completed, and economy would be much
promoted.
The indiscriminate distribution of the clothing sent over is also
another evil which requires a remedy, and this might easily be
provided, by supplying the prisoners only with such articles as were
necessary to them; since those who had received superfluous garments
have been in the habit of resorting with them to gaming, or sell
them, being unable to apply them to any purpose of wear, as their
scanty make will not allow of a change; this, however, would not be
the case if the clothing was given to them unmade, since every man
would find himself enabled to turn it to some beneficial purpose.
The clothing has materially fallen off, in point of quality and
suitableness for the climate, of late years; but the evil complained
of would, in my opinion, cease to exist, if articles similar to
those originally distributed in the time of Governor Phillip (of
which I have seen several suits) were now to be issued annually.
Many of the females indeed are the slaves of vanity and pride, and
being in the custom of cohabiting with persons in affluent
circumstances, never appear in the dress originally given them by
the crown; from such as these the issue is now withheld, and they
are struck off the victualling list. The consequence of these
regulations would be the obtainment of more comfortable clothing to
the convicts, and a considerable diminution in the sick list, which
has been filled as much from this as from any other cause; and a
degree of content and carefulness would be instilled into the minds
of the prisoners, in lieu of the negligence, slovenliness, and
discontent, which have recently prevailed amongst them on that
account.
A very considerable saving in the expenses of the colony would be
effected by the consolidation of the two offices of Ship-owner and
Contractor into one, and the undertaking to land all stores which
are liable to injury in the colony, in a perfect state, at his own
risk; for it is a notorious fact, as I have often had occasion to
observe in an official capacity, that vast quantities of clothing,
stores, and provisions, are landed out of every vessel which arrives
in the port, in such a damaged state as to be actually
unserviceable; the necessary consequence of which very often is, the
total loss of the articles to government; nor has it infrequently
happened, that boxes containing stores have been broke open on the
passage, and articles of various descriptions thereby have been
purloined to a very great amount. It cannot be doubted that there
are many ship-owners who would not scruple to enter into an
engagement of the kind to which I have alluded, by sending out his
own vessels, and might undertake to convey the stores safely at a
very reduced expense. The saving which would thus be effected is
surely sufficient to justify the experiment, since the security of
the articles, which are in general the most damaged, might be easily
guarded by the adoption of a few measures of prudent precaution, and
by a careful attention during the voyage. A considerable advantage
might also accrue to the merchant from employing his vessels in the
Southern Whale-fishery, and a strong probability would exist of his
procuring freights from India for his ships, on account of the East
India Company: The adoption of this plan seems to be practicable,
and there cannot be a reasonable doubt entertained of its
superiority over every other in point of economy.
A commissioner or agent might be appointed for the purposes of
inspecting the stores and various articles sent to New South Wales,
whose duty it would be to see the articles shipped correctly, and
thus to prevent those omissions which are daily in the habit of
occurring, and which are of more consequence than may, at first
glance, be imagined. This person might also be beneficially employed
in comparing the stores shipped with the receipts of the masters, so
as to preclude all possibility of practices which are inconsistent
with the welfare of the government, but which are too common, and
can only be prevented by the adoption of such a measure as the one
which I now propose. Whenever the governor of the colony should send
over a requisition, this agent ought immediately to be furnished
with an extract from his Excellency's correspondence, so that by
these means the requisition would not be liable to neglect, and much
trouble would be spared to the Public Office, whose province it had
previously been to attend to this department. The reduction of
expense which would result from this appointment would be much more
than adequate to the increased expense incurred by the appointment
and remuneration of a gentleman of probity and respectability to
this office.
The method of conveying convicts from England is so very inhuman,
that some better and more benevolent measure ought to be adopted.
The lives of these unfortunate victims of depravity ought surely to
be regarded with as much care as those of any other class of his
Majesty's subjects; the contrary of this has, however, been too
frequently the case, and some of the masters of the transports who
have been entrusted with these captives, have treated them with such
uniform rigor that numbers have perished through the intensity of
their sufferings. This want of care is to be attributed to the
former custom of contracting for the transport of the convicts at so
much per head, so that the master has no interest in the
preservation of those entrusted to his care. This evil, too, might
also be remedied by the contract being made only for the number
which might be landed in New South Wales, and by which means the
owner of the transport would study to preserve the life of each
individual with the most studious attention, since the loss of a
single life would be a diminution of his profit, and there could no
longer be a danger of the unhappy prisoners being suffered to perish
from any negligence or severity. In addition to this, the surgeon
and the master might receive a reward for each person whom they
delivered in good order, if their humanity was such as to require a
pecuniary stimulus. I believe this has been tried in some instances,
at least report has so stated, and, if so, there must have been
sufficient evidence gained of the superiority of the method over
that which was formerly adopted. It might not be a bad plan to try
if some of the superfluous frigates in the service might not be
converted into good transports; for there could be no doubt that, in
vessels of this description, the accommodations which might be
afforded to the convicts would much exceed those of the common
transport ships, and the prisoners would of course be sooner fit for
duty, and less liable to the attacks of disease. Out of several
ships that have arrived, not two-thirds of the number of convicts
originally put on board have reached their place of destination; and
this mortality, it is feared, must have been occasioned by the
embezzlement of the provisions and stores which were intended for
the use of the captives. It is also much to be feared that an undue
degree of severity has oftentimes been exercised towards the
convicts, under the pretence of some attempts to mutiny and effect
their escape, and such methods of throwing censure upon the
innocent, to excuse wantonness and cruelty, cannot be too severely
reprehended, if reprehension be all that can be inflicted upon the
perpetrators of such diabolical deeds. The treatment has been
directly reverse where a King's officer has been placed on board the
transport, who evinced an unshaken resolution to perform his duty.
The convicts which came out on board the Royal Admiral, Captain
Bond, met with a treatment, and arrived in a condition, which
reflected the highest honor on the humanity and prudence of her
esteemed commander, and might be properly held forth as a model and
an example to the masters of all transports who may in future be
employed in the service. Every attention was paid to their
cleanliness in particular, care was taken to provide them with the
most wholesome provisions, and their messes were so varied as to
prevent any dislike arising from repetitions with too much
frequency; on the slightest appearance of indisposition, some
nourishing broths, wine, &c. were constantly ordered; twice a day
they were mustered on deck, and the ship was completely fumigated:
The whole arrived in the most excellent health and spirits
imaginable. If every master had displayed a similar good conduct,
there would have been no ground for the present complaint, nor any
room for the remedy which I suggest in the preceding part of this
article.
A number of gentlemen, of small fortunes, might be appointed, whose
characters will bear the strictest investigation, and whose talents
are adequate to the task, to go over to the colony as justices of
the peace, in order that the general welfare and individual security
of the colony should be promoted. To these persons many indulgences
might be granted, and a respectable salary ought to be attached to
the office, so as to enable them to support that degree of
respectability and dignity which their situation requires; so as to
make their interest totally unconnected with those pursuits which
have led so many to sacrifice their principles, and to neglect their
duty, for the sake of pursuing the search after independence. The
incorruptibility which ought to characterize the conduct of a
magistrate should be so fortified by every prudent precaution, that
it may at no time, however remote, be in danger of agitation; nor
would it be prudent, in another point of view, to permit these
gentlemen to mingle in occupations which must have an evident
tendency to distract their attention from those arduous tasks which
they would be called upon to fulfill, in a country where criminals
must naturally abound. Numbers of persons are doubtless to be found
in Great Britain who would gladly accept these appointments, whose
educations have taught them to look above situations to which
unforeseen and unavoidable calamity may have reduced them; men who
have preserved their principles and integrity unshaken by the
attacks of adversity, and who, consequently, must be eminently
qualified to fill such offices as those which I have here suggested.
The example which these persons would hold out to the rest of the
settlement, could not fail of producing very beneficial effects upon
the moral conduct of those who copy the models of their superiors;
and would also be of service in assisting to create a society of
power and independence, which might operate as a check upon the
influence of all other descriptions of persons.
As instances of the irregularities that have been practiced by some
of those in magisterial capacities, I need repeat none others than
that I have known men without trial to be sentenced to
transportation, by a single magistrate at his own barrack; and free
men, after having been acquitted by a court of criminal judicature,
to be banished to one or other of the dependent settlements: And I
have heard a magistrate tell a prisoner who was then being examined
for a capital offence, and had some things found upon him which were
supposed to have been stolen, and for which he would not account,
that, were he not going to be hanged so soon, he (the magistrate)
would be d----d if he would not make him say from whence he got
them. Nor do I believe it less true, that records of an examination,
wherein a respectable young man was innocently engaged, have been
destroyed by that same magistrate before whom the depositions were
taken. These and numerous other cases which I could enumerate,
cannot admit of a doubt but that such a regulation must tend greatly
to the preservation of the liberty of the subject, the property of
all classes of the inhabitants, and the general interest and
security of the colony at large.
I should also strongly advise, that nine or ten of the principal
officers of government should be authorized to act in the capacity
of council, to whom the governor could resort, in all periods of
difficulty and delicacy, for advice how to shape his conduct, by
which means he would not, in any future instance, be left wholly
dependent upon his own judgment. The good effects of this
arrangement must soon be evident, since the issuing of an order of
council could not fail to carry with it much additional weight to
that which would be attached to an act of the governor alone, and
would tend to the speedy suppression of any appearance of
insubordination, and discourage those who should incline so to act
as to originate a spirit of dissatisfaction in the settlement. To a
want of this council, it may not be too much to attribute the
present unsettled state of the colony, and the maturation of a
faction which has perverted the streams of justice, and which has
impeded the growth of opulence throughout the settlement, merely to
enrich a select party at the expense of the general welfare, and
consequently to spread vice and ruin through a land, whose
prosperity has never become their care, although it was a solemn
pledge of their leaders to support and cherish it to the very utmost
of their ability
In addition to this council composed of the chief officers of the
government, I consider it essentially requisite that a barrister
should be appointed as a counselor to the governor, at all times
when his excellency is referred to in matter of doubtful
disputation, which must oftentimes occur in the colony, and which
frequently reduces him to an unpleasant dilemma. Aided by a legal
adviser, however, his judgment must be strengthened, and his
decision would be more weighty, without creating in his breast those
uneasy sensations which must arise under different circumstances. In
the present conformation of the government, the governor has no
legal adviser to have recourse to when an appeal is made to his
decision, which is not rarely the case, except the judge advocate,
and this officer having previously given his opinion in the court
below cannot, of course, be again consulted on the same subject. In
consequence of this default of advice, the governor must give his
own opinion, which may or may not be in conformity with the laws of
the mother country, just as it may happen, and according to the
knowledge he may possess of the principles and practice of
jurisprudence, which is seldom very deep in persons whose
inclinations are so opposite to this kind of study as the officers
of the navy and army, from whom the governors of the colony have
hitherto been selected. This counselor could be selected from those
who might be induced to listen to such a proposal, as may place
before them a certain liberal competence, with the opportunity of
rising to independence in a sphere where the number of competitors
would be so low as to render final success less precarious. It is
needless to expatiate more amply upon the benefits which must accrue
from an appointment of this nature, which would impose but a
trifling additional burden on the crown, since it is extremely
possible that a barrister might be obtained for the salary of 150l.
per annum, which, together with the victualling of himself and his
family and servants from the public stores, and residence in the
colony rent-free, added to the other customary indulgences given to
persons from whose services utility is expected to be derived, would
not make his situation worth less than 500l. per annum, a temptation
which must possess some weight in the minds of those who meet with
inadequate encouragement in England.
The Present Picture Of New South Wales, 1811 |
