Collinc Extracts Marg. Contents

I Reformation General testimonies of depravity

Oct r 1796 Most atrocious crimes frequent.

Convicts dissipated, turbulent, and abandoned.

2

Oct r 1796 Far too many incorrigibles. Rowdy

jail gang.

3.

Oct r Reformation dispaired of by the

Governor.

4

Feb. 1797. Independent Expirees 600: - so many

enemies to public security.

5.

Oct. 1797 Crimes increase.

6.

March 1798. The Colony a nest of villains -

punishments produce no effect - lenity as little.

Importation of good characters, non-importation of bad, the sole

resource observations.

7.

Apr. 1798. Settlers without distinction undeserving.

8.

Oct. 1798. Reformation more & more hopeless

every day, notwithstanding the strictness of the police.

9.

Feb. 1799. Future punishments generally disregarded.

10.

May 1799. Convict Rob t Lowe emancipated for

good behaviour on ships board, & trusted with stock embezzles

it Backsliding general.

I Reformation General testimonies of depravity.

July 1799 Night Robberies increase Watchmen and Constables

negligent or accomplices. subscriptions for rewards for

evidence and associations for vigilance produce little

effect.

12.

Dec. 1799. Wishes for the future but without hopes.

13.

June 1800. Crimes still increasing notwithstanding increase of

executions.

II. General depravity in Females. 1.

July 1798. Females lazy idle and insolent their vices their

children an excuse for laziness.

2.

Aug. 1798. Women far worse than the men.

3.

Oct. 1798. Spirits and women the two irresistible temptations.

4.

Women refractory & disobedient, complaints of these

incessant.

5.

July 1798. Women far worse than the men - recognized so in public

orders. are at the bottom of every crime.

6.

Nov. 1799. Women through indulgence to their sex escape doing

service.

7.

Feb. 1800. Women corrupt the Soldiery - driven to desperation by a

bad women a good soldier destroys himself.

8

Apr. 1800. Cargo of Women Convicts spoken of as a bad cargo.

I Reformation III Depravity - particular exemplifications

1.

Oct 1796. Five murders in one year evidence unobtainable.

2.

Jan. 1799. Burglary in the Commissary House.

3

Jan. 1799. Several hundred poundsworth stolen lately by a nest of thieves.

observations no particular crimes noticed

except incendiarism.

IV - Exemplifications continued - Incendiarism.

1

Jan. 1797 Stack of Government wheat burnt - other stacks saved by

the exertions of a Jail Gang bought by a universal pardon.

Country universally combustible.

Cause of burning wheat, the hope of selling wheat to replace

it.

Evidence unobtainable.

2.

Dec. 1797. A settler being in debt sees his crop burnt & is

beaten by unknown enemies with blackened faces.

I Reformation IV Exemplifications continued - Incendiarism.

3.

Dec. 1797. House burnt by unknown incendiaries - universal

combustability.

4

Oct 1798. Church, used also as a School, burnt to avoid

attendance.

5

Oct r 1798. Hospital

burnt.

6

Jan 1799. Sydney Gaol burnt. Evidence generally unobtainable.

7.

Dec. 1799. Parramatta Gaol burnt. Evidence unobtainable - spite of

rewards.

V. Prevalence of Sloth.

1.

Feb. 1797. Convicts pay 1/3 of their grain to save the trouble of

grinding.

2.

June 1797. Convicts deserting to avoid work return half starved.

The sight prevents not other desertions from the same

cause.

3

March 1799. Daily bread produce no exertions: spirits given as

a reward the utmost exertions. Settlers - their sloth

renders them mostly a dead expence to government.

I. Reformation V. Prevalence of Sloth.

4

Dec. 1799. Vagrancy preferred to 5 s/ a day

and provisions.

5.

Aug. 1801. General sloth an insufferable obstacle to good

management.

VI. Prodigality and Improvidence

1.

Feb. 1797. Settlers run in debt for spirits to the value of their

farms.

2.

March 1798. Settlers run in debt £868.

3.

Want of market for buying. Trifling luxuries purchased and farms

left destitute. Governors exhortations contra 22 s for cup & saucer.

governor spirit

4.

Want of market for buying hence monopolies and excessive

prices.

5.

Corn begged for seed then sold for spirits.

6.

Convicts prodigal and improvident.

Settlers d o

Non-Convicts, as well as Convict Expirees.

7.

Bond Street finery imported and sold Colony drained of cash by an

Irish Ship from England & Rio de Janeiro.

I Reformation VII Remedies unavailing temporal Rewards and Punishments

1.

October 1796. Evidence unobtainable in murder.

2.

Dec. 1797. Evidence unobtainable in Incendiarism - (private wheat

stack) Spite of rewards (freedom on the ground) and Governor's

exhortations.

See Incendiarism N o-

3.

May 1798. Evidence unobtainable in Bull calf stealing spite of

rewards.

4.

Oct r 1798 Evidence unobtainable in Church

burning Rewards £30 and free return.

5.

Jan. 1799 Executions numerous - police vigilant - Magistrates and

Governor active- yet depravity unabated.

6.

Oct. 1799 Evidence unobtainable in ox stealing reward free

return.

7.

Dec. 1799. Evidence unobtainable in incendiarism (Parramatta Gaol)

rewards as before.

8

July 1800 Executions still unavailing.

9

March 1797 No travelling without a passport- to be inspected in

each district - discipline thus galling ineffectual.

I Reformation

VIII. Remedies unavailing Spiritual.

1.

Oct r 1796 Church attendance compelled.

Sabbath better observed than for some time past.

2.

September 1797 Steeple first built the Church to come

afterwards.

3.

Aug. 1798. Religion scoffed at Church attendance

(scoffers women officers to Church attendance) compelled Gen

shops shut during service.

4.

Oct r 1798. Church burnt to

escape attendance storehouse fitted up in lieu.

5

Nov r 1799 Church attendance again

enforced - women particularly.

6.

Aug. 1800. Church attendance Superintendants, Constables &

Overseers to enforce it on pain of dismission.

IX.- Preventive Police unavailing Functionnaries corrupt.

1.

Nov. 1796. Houses at Sydney numbered. watchmen chosen - 3 for each

of its four divisions besides the officer for the military

division. For the result see infra N o

2.

Dec. 1797. Constables chosen - v. N o G-

when they permit escapes For the result see N o9.

I. Reformation. IX.- Preventive Police unavailing

Functionnaries corrupt.

3.

Nov 1797 Clergyman robbed by false key - by his Convict

servant. formerly his school fellow.

4.

Apr. 1798 Convict servants careless of the horses & c

under their care- change no remedy- all alike.

5.

Apr. 1798 Storekeepers buy grain of none but those

particularly connected with them: who thereby purchase it of

other at half price.

6.

May 1798. Superintendants are well as superintended

neglect the public concerns for their own private ones -

Sawyers working hours fixed.

7.

Nov r 1798 Governor's steward a freeman

corrupted by convict company & detected shoots himself

8

Dec 1798. Stephenson a convict emancipated & made store keeper

- a singular instance of fidelity dies.

9.

Dec 1798 Constables frequently corrupted permit escapes - v. N o 2.

10

Jan. 1799. Commissaries house robbed- the thieves find a ready

market for the stolen goods among the Ship's crews.

I. Reformation IX - Preventive Police unavailing

Functionnaries corrupt.

11.

May 1799. Convict emancipated for good behaviour on ship board -

and trusted with livestock embezzled it. Backsliding

general.

12.

July 1799. Storekeepers buy stolen hogs- Governor's remedy seller

to sign voucher stating of whom bought and what.

13

Oct. 1799. Ship crews and Masters help Convicts to escape -

special prohibitions notwithstanding. Femal Convict retaken from

the Hunter (for Bengal) the crew resisting. Several convicts

retaken out of the Hillsborough (for England) and Seamen

punished. 30 Convicts afterwards. Master of the Hillsborough

tried for it: acquitted for want of evidence of the

conviction.

14.

Aug. 1801. Clerks shorten the transportation terms of Convicts for

£10 or £12 a piece.