Old Convict Days In Australia.

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume I, Issue 27, 31 October 1905, Page 4

Old Convict Days In Australia.

[All' Rights Reserved] .

(By Charles Vyhite.)

Author ol "Australian Bushrangirig The Story of the Blacks," etc., etc

CHAPTER 111

Continued.

E.— Governor Bligh.

Some of Bligh's enemies have charged him with cowardice on the occasion of his arrest, declaring that when the soldiers went to Government House he ran to the servants' room and hid under a bed ; but this was clearly disproved at Major Johnston's trial m England.

The provisional Jobnston-Macarthur Government carried matters with a remarkably free hand. They sent the deposed provost-marshal to gaol for a term, and sentenced the attorney who had drawn up the indictment against Macarthur to seven years' transportation. Thus they dealt with their enemies, hut their friends they rewarded. Rum from the King's stores; j permits to land and licenses to retail ardent spirits ; grants of land and Government cattle — these were distributed largely to .that part of the free population wbp expressed 'approval of their measures; while friends, not free, were freely pardoned, and received lesser indulgences. "In thi3 way," says Dr. Lang, " a number of the worst characters were turned loose upon the colony, to the great annoy- , ance of the free settlers, and as an idea also got abroad among the convicts that the colony had now become free, and that it was no longor obligatory to labour, the result was a state of anarchy that produced a general neglect of the cultivation of the soil, and was otherwise distressing m the extreme to the well-disposed part of the population." Governor Bligh was kept m confinement until he was superseded by Lieut-enant-Colonel Foveas*, who had^ returned from England with the appointment oi Lieutenant-Governor, and who m turn was superseded by Colonel Paterson. Bligh was then offered the command of a vessel to proceed to England, and after delays of little historical interest, he sailed for England on 12th May, 1810, about six months after the arrival of the next Governor proper of the colony — Macquarie. Then Johnston was tried before a court-martial m England and cashiered ; and Macarthur was prohibited for eight years from returning to the colony. And the New South Wales Corps were ordered home, although not a few of the officers stayed behind to live upon the wealth which they had accumulated by extortion, violence and fraud. If fpr nothing else, Governor Bligh deserves to be held m everlasting remembrance by the colonists for the part he played m breaking up this band of wholesale plunderers. F. — Governor Macqiiarie. Governor Macquarie assumed the government of the colony on 28th December, 1809. Briefly put, he was a man of energetic action, self-reli-ance, and determination, but a poor 'financier: a man of good intentions, but terribly self-conceited, his chief i weakness being the delight of affixing his name to everything requiring a name m the colony, whether public buildings, streets, rivers, or mountains. His hobby was bricks and mortar, and he rode it mo?t unmercifully. The records show that during bis administration extending over twelve years, he caused to be erected m New South Wales upwards of 200 buildings, aud m van. Diemen's Land about 50, on the front stone of nearly every one of whioh the name of " Macquarie "was carved. Yet, not without reason, his era has by many been looked upon as the commencement of the prosperity ' and rising greatness of New South Wales ; for he did more than any other Governor to open up the yet unexplored country and develop its natural -resources. Macquarie'B administration was chiefly remarkable for (1) the elevation of the emancipist class into higher positions of social, civil, and political life; (2) the stimulus given to agricultural pursuits; and (8) the successful exploration and settlement of new country. He had a great partiality for the emancipated convicts, and went to extremes m seeking to raise them to the highest level of respectability. Within a month of his arrival, he appointed to thyp office of the magistracy a Scotch convict named Thompson, who had amassed not a little wealth by dealing, and who, although possessed of considerable natural ability was nevertheless not a man of good reputation. This act naturally gave great offence to the " aristocracy," whose pride and position they considered had thus been literally - dragged m the dust. They protested and threatened, but the Governor met all their objections by the simple remark that there were but two' classes m the. colony to choose 'frbm-i— those who had been transported and those who ought to have been. As a further mark of favour Thompson was ad- z milted to the table of the Governor, r and to that of the officers of the 78rd Regiment, although tho members of the mess went as far as they dare m the direction of resistance. Other similar appointments followed, the t; object of making them evidently being 'j to show the convict class that good behaviour would b:ing its reward. J

Had the Governor used wise discrimination m distributing his favours the good results hoped for might have followed ; but he was not wise, and the opposition of the wealthy free colonists appeared but to goad him to excess of foolishness. His whole conduct towards convicts may be described as fool.'sh and dangerous favouritism, and one writer has declared that " the circumstances cf being notorious for a life of open and outrageous profligacy was no impediment to promotion or employment under the government of Major-General Macquarie," who at times appears to have acted ou the principle that -'prosperous vice ought to be rewarded and encouraged."

Macquarie distributed his land grant favours with a most liberal hand, aud identified himself so closely with the emancipists' cause as to incur tho undying enmity of the wealthy freeman, or " exclusives" who harassed him continually, and whose murmuring even found utterance m the House of Commons. They formulated charges against him of various kinds, and a special commissioner (Mr. Bigge) was despatched by Lord Bathurst to inquire into the condition of the colony. That gontleman's report was very exhaustive and voluminous, and to it may be attributed Macquarie's recall, it being considered that three things, at least, had been proved against him, namely:— Excessive expenditure upon useless or unnesessary buildings; the want of proper checks, and the consequent waste m the disposal of the public stores and materials ; and the glaring disregard of cleanliness, propriety, and decency m the management of the female convicts. The list of public works executed under his orders fill ten closely-printed pages of a Parliamentary Report, and includes not fewer than 250 items, the chief being barracks for troops, stores for provisions, hospitals, public offices, schoolhouses, quays, churches, wharfs, watchhouses, and police offices. During his administration 276 miles of road were constructed, with all necessary wooden bridges, some of them being of large dimensions.

(To be continued)