NEW SOUTH WALES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume I, Issue 10, 15 March 1851, Page 3

NEW SOUTH WALES.

(From the Syney Mornning Herald, Feb. 6, 1851,) The following petition to the Queen's most excellent Majesty, is now in course of signature by the committee of the New South Wales Association for preventing the revival of transportation :— TO THE QUEEN'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY. The humble petition of the Committee of the New South Wales Association for preventing the revival of Transportation. Sheweth — That convict ships with prisoners have arrived in Van Diemen's Land since the first day of January, 1849, as follows:— January 4. Pestonjee Bomangee, Dublin, 288 males. January 20. Lord Auckland, Dublin, 199 females. January 21. Eden, Portsmouth, 33 males. February 2. Blenheim, Dublin, 299 males. March 17. Royal Soxon, Calcutta, 7 males. April 12. Cadet, Plymouth, 150 females. July 23. Maria, Kingston, 156 females. August 26. Hyderabad, Kingston, 297 males. September 2. Stately, Plymouth, 163 females. September 29. Australasia, Dublin, 200 females. November 4. Johannes Sarlies, Madras, 14 males. 1850. • ■ -April 2. Eliza,^ London, 60 males. April 2. St. Vincent, London, 205 females. April 5. Neptune, London, 282 males. May 9. Earl Grey, Dublin, 236 females. July 24. Blenheim, Plymouth, 289 males. July 26. Barretto Junior, Woolwich, IS9 females. August 9. Maria Somes, Portsmouth, 255 males. October 6. Nile, 299 males. October 26. Duke of Cornwall, 198 females. November 14. William Jardine, 260 males. November 28. Lord Rodney, 308 males. December 13. Hyderabad,' 300 males.

That these convicts have been transported there contrary to the assurance of your Majesty s Government, that transportation to Van Diemen's Land should cease, which assurance was contained in a despatch from the Right Honorable the Earl Grey, Secretary of State for tl c Colonies, to Lieutenant-Governor Sir William Denison, (dated sth February 1847, No 54), and was given in the words following — "I have to inform you that it is not the intention ?that transportation to Van Diemen's Land should be resumed, at the expiration of the two years for which it has already been decided that it should be discontinued." And which Despatch was laid by Lieutenant-Gover-nor Sir William Denison before the Legislative Council of Van Diemen's Land in July 1847, when his Excellency said "that her Majesty's Government, in coming to this decision, had acted in accordance with the wishes of a large proportion of the free colonists." That the circumstances under which this assurance was made are as follows:—-

In the year 1846, before deciding upon his penal policy, Earl Grey, through Sir William Denison, proposed the question to the colonists of Van Diemen's Land, " Do you consider it desirable that Transportation to Van Diemen's Land should cease?" To this every public answer was unifoom and decisive; but before the sentiments of the respondents could be known, Sir George Grey, the Home Secretary, in a letter to Earl Grey, dated 20th January, 1847, says, "I think that the transportation of male convicts to Van Diemen's Land, as hitherto carried on, ought to be wholly abandoned." Earl Grey replies, on the sth February 1847, "I have to express my entire concurrence in an opinion which, even since the date of your letter, has been still further confirmed by despatches from the late LieutenantGovernor of Van Diemen's Land," (Wilmot.) Similar assurances were given by Lord Grey, in Parliament. On the sth March, 1847, in the House of Lords, in a debate on transportation, Earl Grey said—" The Government had resolved to make a change which amounted to nothing less than the total abolition of the system of transportation. When a system of that nature was carried on at the antipodes, it was utterly impossible that any other result should follow than that which had been actually witnessed. He thought the papers which had been recently laid upon the table, proved that the anticipations of failure had been but too well founded. He would not disgust their Lordships by going into the horrible, the monstrous details. The system was frightful and it was a disgrace to the British nation that such a system should have existed under the British flag. There was all the evidence which it was possible to have, that the system worked badly. _ It must also be remembered that the expenditure connected with the carrying out of the system in Van Diemen's Land, on the part of the mother country, had been extremely large; he had no hesitation in saying, that had the same been expended in a well considered system of employing convicts at home, the same number of convicts might have been effectually punished in this country. But while to the mother country the system had been expensive, to the colony it had been absolute ruin. The charge thus thrown upon the colony had made it bankrupt. By this system, many of the most valuable settlers in Van Diemen's Land had been forced to quit the island, and thus a most serious blow had been inflicted on the prosperity of the colony. Until this large influx of convicts, the career of the colony had been one of almost unexampled prosperity—but from that time the state of things was greatly altered."

That the sacred honor of the British Crown stands pledged to redeem the engagements thus made to Van Diemen's Land.

That transportation to Van Diemen's Land is continued to the avowed purpose that the criminals of the United Kingdom shall thereby reach those colonies of Australasia, which have rejected direct transportation. Notwithstandingthe admission by the Right Honorable the Earl Grey that "the policy" of such a proceeding " could not be approved," and that if convicts are to be sent from Van Diemen's Land,to New South Wales, "it should be done openly and fairly; and which avowal and admission are contained in a speech of Earl Grey, delivered in the House of Lords on April 12th, 1850, reported in Hansard's Parliamentary Debates, as follows:—

"■ I know that the real object, and that which was scarcely concealed, was to send them through North Australia as it were through a sieve into New South Wales, where they would have found private employment. In this way no doubt the measure would have answered; but I cannot think its policy can be approved ; if convicts are to be sent from Van Diemen's Land to New South Wales, let this be done openly and fairly. Ido not object to allowing convicts who have come free by expiration of their sentences, or by obtaining conditional pardons, to find their way, if they can, to the neighbouring colonies. Besides, as the convicts become entitled to conditional pardons, or to their freedom by the expiration of their sentences, the whole labour market of the adjoining colonies, with which steamers constantly running afford an easy communication will be open to them."

That this is an evasion if not breach of your Majesty's most gracious promise that no criminals should be transported by Great Britain to her colonies without their consent, expressed through their several Legislatures, which promise was conveyed by the circular despatch of the Eight Hon. the Earl Grey to the Colonial Governors, dated 7th August, 1848. Your petitioners, the Committee of an Association formed at a great public meeting of the inhabitants of the colony of New South Wales, held in the Barrack-square, Sydney, on the 16th September, 1850, designated " The New South Wales Association for preventing the Revival of Transportation," as well for themselves as on behalf of the members of the Association, and of the colonies of Australasia, do hereby humbly protest to your Majesty against the penal policy thus persisted in by your Majesty's Ministers, in the belief that the economical, social, and moral interests of all the Australasian colonies are thereby most grievously prejudiced —with the knowledge that no other European or Transatlantic civilized state so oppresses distant and feeble dependencies, and under the conviction that although the power of your Majesty's Government to recede from its engagements is indisputable, the moral character of such conduct is equally indisputable. Your petitioners therefore humbly beseech your Majesty's Ministers not to persist in^a penaKpolicy, which is both derogatory to the honor of your Majesty's Crown, and injurious, unjust, and oppressive to your Majesty's Australasian peo - pie.