Occasional Notes.

Clutha Leader, Volume I, Issue 34, 4 March 1875, Page 3

Occasional Notes.

The sending out dirty linen to be washed elsewhere than at home, or in other words* the expatriation of notorious criminals, appears at present to be a somewhat favorite policy of various States. This sagacious expedient cannot however be resorted to as easily as it Could at one time. Population has spread so extensively oven the world, that it is not now very easy to find such | an unsettled country as is suitable for a penal settlement, and there is no place in the course of being colonised the people of which do not feel a natural repugnance to have their domicile | treated as a depot for the immoral superfluity of any other country." The old folks at home had long been addicted to the habit of transmitting criminals as far as they could get them from their own shore, viz., to the Antipodes', or Australia ; but certain rather loud grumblings, reverberating across the pcean, at length warned the mother country that she could no longer persist in thus disposing of her contumacious children, however convenient she might once have found the plan. Though the old counti-y thus warned, gave up the practice of making the Australian colonies a free gift of her surplus criminal population, the idea = probably never for a moment entered into her old head, that at no very distant date her children would have cheek enough to return the compliment, arid .attempt to use the- old country as- a receptacle for the moral dirt of these for distant colonies. '' It must therefore have been with feelings of mingled surprise, horror and exasperation, that the old country learnt that the little colony of New Zealand,, one of the youngest, but .'by no means least cheeky of her children, had . had . the incredible impudence to endeavour to foist upon her, one of its worst criminals However the old Lady was ""rather too old- and'knowing a bird to be caught with chaff,' and though the home authorities did not immediately re-ship our consignment, they took good care .to harass Sullivan, and dog his steps in such a manner,, as according to his own account, to drive him nearly mad— a course of proceeding which soon « had the desired effect of inducing him to move on. Whether it might ever be advisable for the various civilised States to expatriate and interchange- among each other a certain proportion of their criminal population,, on the principle of removing criminals from their whilom comrades in _iniquity,..and_ giving them a better chance of amendment, and becoming* respectable members of society among new 1 scenes and associations, may be a question wol-thy of some consideration. Of course, if such a'plari were adopted, it would not do to ■■. allow the balance of exchange to be in favor of any one State. The criminals would have to be interchanged, according to | fixed rules, as to number arid character of delinquency. . Unless, however, in the performance of any such preconcerted agreement, no State will willingly harbor the criminals of another. It-leems-at. present undetermined what State is entitled to have the . especial care of Sullivan.. Sullivan was adjudicated a criminal last in . New Zealand, but there does not appear to exist any rule by which the Government of this country could be compelled to keep Sullivan within the bounds of these islands, after "by the' exercise "of the legitimate powers of a colonial' Government, he. had been declared ai free man. Perhaps on investigation .it might be TouricTthat some "other State has a better claim •to the care of Sullivan than New Zealand. In the meantime Sullivan seems to be running the gauntlet. r.ound...the... globe, and being passed on from one country to another I as soon as he can be conveniently got | rid. of. I doubt whether much is to be gained by chasing the wretched man down and driving him to bay ..'like a hunted wild boar. The adoption of such a , course is calculate'd'.to'makei'him a more t desperate villain than he was before. jThat it was highly satisfactory to have Sullivan turn, traitor -to- his "comrades, | and reveal particapators i&Hlieh^foul arid ..cruel murders" at -TpLaungafipui there can he doubt. rGnles's he had j turned Queen^ eMerice^if is at/least, j possible that neitTfer'henor hisrimrderdtis ; j associates* 1 might; hate ' beel-t*- discovered jto this dhy. As to Sullivan ;peac£ing with- mm for that., Tt is* all* very well to talk of" honof among. thieveV' : fe#w^ ta't'dook m eipecfe Jo&ltote ? amoffg r ■ y , rT

Perhaps all things considered, the best way of disposing of Siillivan.: would be to obtain him : a> Government situation. At least I make the suggestion* for consideration. I do not mean of course that he should have, any high office. If we should endeavour to associate him with Mr Yogel as one of the Executive, say as Minister of Justicej or allow him to supplant Dr Featherston as Home Agent, possibly or even probably, the great Premier would object ; nor would I propose he should occupy such an office say as registrar of births, deaths, and marriages ; but supposing he is not to be again incarcerated, would it be altogether impracticable or disadvantageous to give njm some sort of office as assistant ot help in a prison. His whereabouts might then be constantly known to the police, and an enquiry made now and again in Parliament by a member of one of the Houses, might satisfy the country as to where he was for the. time being; For some reason or other the Dunedm gaol seems to be the place selected throughout this colony, as the proper place to send the .worst criminals from the neighbouring Provinces. Doubtless however Mr Caldwell would be very unwilling to accept Sullivan as a warder, or even to give him an inferior place in his prison. If Government should follow up thia suggestion, the gaol required to take him in should be that of the province ia which the Maungatipu murders took place,* and the crimes were adjudicated upon, unless a berth could be found for him in a prisorii in Sydney or elsewhere in Australia, if Sullivan should decline such an offer, and' could not be forced to take it, I know not what is to be done about him, and 1 question whether most other people do.