CHAPTER VI,—LABOURS AND SUFFERINGS OF THE EARLY CONVICTS.

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume I, Issue 35, 26 December 1905, Page 4

CHAPTER VI,— LABOURS AND SUFFERINGS OF THE EARLY CONVICTS.

-Continued.

" Hitherto, however, nothing of a very atrocious nature bad appeared. But the day was at hand on which violation of public security could no longer be restrained, by the infliction of temporary punishment. A set Of desperate and hardened villains leagued themselves for the purpose of depredation, and, as it generally happens, had art enough to persuade some others less deeply versed m iniquity to be the, instruments of carrying it on. Fortunately the progress of . these miscreants was not of long duration. They were detected m stealing a large quantity of provisions at the time of issuing them ; and, on being apprehended, one of the tools of the superiors impeached the rest and disclosed the schemed The trial came on the 24th of the month, and of four who were arraigned for the offence three were condemned to die, and the fourth to receive a very ..severe corporal punishment. In hopes that his lenity wonld not be abused, His Excellency was, however, pleased to order one only for execution, which took place a little before sunset the same day. 'I he name of the unhappy wretch was Thomas Barrett, an old and desperate offender, who died with that hardy spirit which too often is found m the worst and most abandoned class of men.*

During the execution the battalion of marines was under arms, and the whole of the convicts obliged to be present. The two associates of the sufferer were ordered to be kept prisoners, until an *eligible place to banish them to

could be fixed on ; as were also two more, who on the following day were condemned to die for a similar offence."

The knowledge thatthe provisions was running short and that there was a very poor prospect of obtaining a further supply immediately, was the primary cause of dissatisfaction and speculation referred to by lench, soldiers and convicts being alike restless and reckless. In later years a story was current that the men placed upon the island died from starvation, but it had no foundation m fact, and m probability was circulated by one of the Governor's enemies, from a desire to make it appear that he was strict even to cruelty so gross. Ihe hangings of the youth does certainly carry the appearance of undue severity ; but, judging from his conduct throughout the period of distress that prevailed, when he placed his own household upon the same short allowance as the convicts, Governor Phillip was not a hard-hearted man, and he must have considered that the necessities of the case demanded the sternest, repressive measures. It is probable, however, that the sentence m .this boy's case would not have been carried out.had he not presisted m the notion that the Governor could not have hanged him without first obtaining the sanction of the King — a notion which appeared to prevail generally among the convicts. From this time out, however, they did not question the Governor's power or contend that he did not exercise it legally.

On this subject one writer says : — " This prompt but necessary severity on the part of the Governor, a man, under ordinary circumstances, of the most humane and gentle disposition, produced a powerful effect for a time on the conduct of the other prisoners, and probably saved the whole settlement from starvation. The means of securing the provisions andstores were very inadequate at first, and the temptation for those who were disposed to help themselves so great, that nothing less than death could deter them from plundering the public property."

Bad as this case appears to be, the ight of its horror is not nearly so urid as that which attended hundreds of cases "later on, where official severity developed into fiendish cruelty. But these did not occur m Phillip's time.

Mv,e months after the formation of the settlement a return was made of the number of persons who had died since their embarkatipu m England, and it was found that there had been eighty-nine deaths— eight of free persons and eighty-one of convicts. Of this number several fo? <i J e( L..°''._ boa 'J_^!li p wniJe

*B*rretfc, afthough^Je^onbed b'y^Sapfain Tench as "old and desperate, was only seventeen years of ape when exported

*The " eligible place " of banishment was found m a little island m the middle of the harbour, to which the significant name of Pinchgut, was subsequently given, but which is now known as Fort Dennisou. Here the prisoners were kept for a little ovor i.hree months on a very short allowanco of bread and water, being eventually liberated m honour of the King's Birthday,

harbour, before the-fleet left England. Wherrgjthis was^, made s the ( i heafeff thejSEjple al the settlement * was good. The reason of distress through the shortness of rations had not yet set m; but although the prisoners were on the same footing as the soldiers and sailors as regards provisions, the general health of the r former was not so good as that o( ! the free persons. Many of them sank into a state of apathy, and > longed for the time when they could r make their way back to England. So great was this "home sickness," especially amongst those whose i terms of service were near com- . pletion, that they almost starved i themselves, while hoarding their > rations m the hope of raising suffii cient money by the sale of the t hoarded food to pay their passage > back to the "old country.,' One i convict, a youth, was found dead m ' his hut, and a post mortem examin- : ation proved that he had died irom i sheer want of nourishment. His f companions staled that he had ■ scarcely tasted food for a week, t although upon his box being - searched a large quantity of prof visions, which he had hoarded for j sale, was found therein. , Owing to the difficulty experienced - by the Governor of securing trustj worthy overseers, the convicts at i first were not a body kept regularly i at work, and idleness created vice, i the greatest trouble being caused ) through the frequent theft ot'food. I Nevertheless, the conduct of the 3 prisoners on the whole was officially - reported as iairly good. ) Excellent clay had been found at a 1 spot about a mile from the settle--2 ment, and a large gang of the r ■ prisoners was there set to the work , of making bricks, while other gangs d were employed m collecting shells > along the coast for making lime, t The place where the clay was found is still called Brickfield 1 Hill, and is m the very heart of 2 Sydney proper, With the bricks b here made* the erection of the first b substantial building was commenced, t a hospital, a barrack, an observatory, d and houses for the Governor and the Lieutenant-Governor being started 3 by the beginning of August. y In the same month a sensational r incident occured, which was calculated to created not a little trouble, s Many of the convicts had got hold c of the idea that gold existed m the - new land to which they had come, r , and for some time after their - arrival they employed themselves m y searching. At last pne v df N Aieis y number, named Daleyy declared I that r he had found some of the precious c metal,/ and pftftft&eflH "specimen" i m proof of the correctness of his i assertion. He refused to tell where - he hud found it, however, unless the s Governor would guarantee to him a t certain amount of money and set d him free, together with a convict f woman to whom he was attached. s The Governor was then absent from :, the settlement, and Major Ross, the t Lieutenant-Governor, not only re- , fused to comply with Delay's dei mand but commanded him to show 3 m what part of the country he had 3 found the gold, on pain or servere t punishment. Of course, a convict s could have no right to anythirg, and , and Daley found that he had got , himself into trouble, for he could not, > or would not, point out the spot, i Under threats of the lash, however, t he at length said he would point out 1 the place where the precious metal : could be discovered, and an ofrker and several soldiers were sent with him. But Daley gave his custodians the slip _ after leading them some distance into the bush, and returned to camp, saying that he had left the officer i» full charge of the gold mine, and again disappeared. He was captured shortly afterwards, and as he still presisted that his story was true, he was severely flogged. When the Governor returned Daley was sent with another officer to the place where he alleged he found the gold, and the officer, determined that Daley should not fool him as he had fooled his colleague, made him walk m front, and threatened him 1 with instant death if he should J attempt to run away or deceive him Daley then declared that the whole ( affair was a lie; that he had filed down part of a yellow buckle, mixed ' it with gold off a guinea, and blended the whole with clay, which he had then made very hard. Upon this he was again flogged with greater severity than before. Shortly after- - wards he was convicted of some petty offence and was hanged. But many persons believed that Daley did really find gold, and that rather t than reveal the spot without reward he said he had manufactured it, and took the floggings for practising deception. Whether he did find gold or not, it is confidently asserted p that m the very early times small quantities of the precious metal were sold m Sydney by the convicts and others, arid as it is certain that some of the convicts crossed the Blue F Mountains, which separate Sydrfey ) from the golden belt m the y Vest long before any practicable "route over them was discovered by the G settlers, the story is not altogether improbable. T (To be continued).