Inspection of journals.
90
him except to tell him that he had no discase of the heart. He further stated that he had complained to the chaplain, that the chaplain had examined him and bad said that he had disease of the heart. I told the man that if the doctor had pronounced his heart to be sound, I had but little doubt that the doctor was right; and that he must be a better judge than the chaplain; but that I would myself speak to the doctor on the subject. I, however, reminded the man of what possibly he had forgotten, that upon the occasion of my last visit he had then also complained to me about the doctor not believing in his maladies; but then he represented himself to be suffering from failing eyesight and cataract. subsequently spoke to the doctor, who informed me that the man occasionally suffered from slight palpitation, but that he had no disease of the heart. He is an old offender, and I was informed that when he returned to the penal settlement upon a fresh conviction after a short interval of liberty, he told one of the warders that he would take very good care no work was got out of him this time,
15. After disposing of these cases, I visited the Office, and examined the Superin- tendent's Journal. I also sent for the Chaplain's Journal. Mr. Sealy had, upon the preceding day, mentioned incidentally to me that the Chaplain's actions of late had led him to believe that the Chaplain considered himself absolved from all compliance with the regulations of the Settlement. He alluded to one instance, in particular, of the Chaplain interfering with the sentry in respect of the landing of a man and a box from a private boat without any authority from the Superintendent, and without his knowledge. In the hope that the misunderstanding arose through misconception on the chaplain's part of the regulations governing the Settlement, and from a want of the appreciation of the heavy responsibility devolving upon the Superintendent, I took advantage of passing the Chaplain's house to call in and pay him a friendly visit, to smooth the way to an official interview which I purposed to have with him on the following day, and at which I trusted I might be able to adjust matters, as I managed to do on a previous occasion when there was a somewhat similar misunderstanding between Mr. Sealy and the doctor. But when I read in the Chaplain's Journal a letter addressed by him to Mr. Sealy, under date of the 27th February, I viewed the matter as of far too serious a nature to be settled by merc advice and instruction. I append the letter in question. I also append a letter dated the 13th March, addressed by Mr. Campbell to Mr. Sealy. A perusal of these two letters does, I think, lead to the conclusion that Mr. Campbell's disposition and temperament are not such as an officer in the position of a Prison Chaplain should possess, and that it would be very desirable if he were employed in some other work to which he may be more suited. It is, I think, scarcely necessary to comment upon these letters here, for there çan, I consider, be no doubt that it is not the duty of the Chaplain to "criticise, comment, and condemn "the "official conduct" and "demeanour" of the Superintendent or any other officer of the prison. The Chaplain is not the proper person to "censure" the Executive Head of a Department, nor is be competent to dispute the authority of the Executive Head in carrying out the regulations of the establishment. One paper I append refers to the landing before alluded to of the box and seaman from a sloop without any pass from the Superintendent, but under the direction of the chaplain. The regulations require that no person and no articles shall be landed without authority from the Superintendent. The necessity of such a regulation is obvious. Responsibility in a matter of this sort cannot be divided. I am not aware of any instance in which the Superintendent has vexatiously exercised this requirement of his office; that, however, is not the point. The contention evidently is that in respect of the Chaplain the Superintendent has no power to exercise it at all. It will be noticed that the defence of the sentry, who permitted the irregularity referred to, is that the chaplain "says he will not take any notice of the sentry stopping anything landing for him." I should have gone carefully into all these matters, but, after reading the papers I annex, I came to the conclusion that the more desirable course would be to submit those papers to your Excellency, for I think they contain intrinsic evidence that Mr. Campbell has remained sufficiently long at the Settlement, and that it would be hopeless to remove from his mind his erroneous notions as to his position, and as to the duties of his office. His duties, as defined by the regulations, are to visit the sick and the convicts in solitary confinement, and to afford religious instruction to the convicts generally, and he is to enter in his journal the date of every visit made by him to the convicts, with such observations as he may think necessary. I think that this statement of his duties hardly warrants the conception of them that he has formed, as expressed in his letter of the 27th February. If he discovered any case of injustice or oppression on the part of the Superintendent, it would undoubtedly be his duty to bring that case to light, and if not directly reporting it to the Government, to bring it prominently before the visiting Commissioner. I am not aware of any
91
such case having been so reported or so brought to notice, and I entertain the conviction that no such case exists. I have heard of none heretofore, and the fact that I was present at the men's parade, and ready to investigate complaints, and that out of over 200 prisoners, only three came forward to complain, whose complaints proved to be trumpery, does, I thin go very far to show that the oppressive character Mr. Campbell imputes to Mr. Sealy is a delusion of his mind, possibly induced by the isolation of the Settlement. By such delusions, however, much mischief may be wrought, and the possibility of discipline being subverted and strife engendered is too serious to be lightly treated. It is indispensable that the strictest discipline must prevail at the Settlement. When it is considered that, during the best part of the day, over 200 men are scattered about, who, from the very nature of the tasks allotted to them, are all more or less armed with deadly weapons, such as axes, crowbars, jumpers, drills, hammers, &c., and that these men are guarded by comparatively a handful of prison officers, it is no light responsibility that rests on the shoulders of the Superintendent, and satisfied, as I think every impartial judge must be, of the perfect competence of Mr. Sealy to fill the very onerous post entrusted to him, satisfied that no case of oppression or injustice can be established against him, but that he fearlessly and faithfully fulfils his duty to the best of his ability, and that in his every act he is sensitively alive to a conscientious discharge of his trust, I cannot but consider that Mr. Sealy should be firmly supported in his difficult position by the Executive Government, and that he should be relieved from the embarrassment of having associated with him an officer so obviously unsuited to the position he holds as Mr. Campbell.
I have, &c.
His Excellency the Governor,
&c.
&c.
&c.
(Signed)
て
Inclosure 3 in No. 14.
ソ
WILLIAM A. G. YOUNG.
}
Report of the Superintendent of Her Majesty's Penal Settlement, Massaruni, for the Year 1874.
Her Majesty's Penal Settlement, Masšaruni, February 27, 1875.
Sir,
I HAVE the honour to transmit my Report and statistical Return, which are annually required from the Superintendent of this prison.
The Circular of the 28th December, 1874, directs that this report be forwarded to the Government Secretary's office not later than the 15th January; but owing to bills and accounts not having been sent in against this Department, and partly from other causes, I have not been able to comply with this requirement.
The Hon. the Government Secretary,
&c.
&c.
&c.
I have, &c.
(Signed) T. SEALY, Superintendent of Her Majesty's Penal Settlement.
REPORT.
Discipline of Officers.
The conduct of the officers has been satisfactory on the whole, and they have, with some exceptions, manifested a desire to perform their duties with more zcal and vigilance.
During the year ending 31st December, 1874, many changes have taken place in the staff of officers, and which were as follow:-
The Assistant Superintendent, Mr. Straker, was removed to fill a more important post as Acting Stipendiary Magistrate in the Essequeb› District, and left the Penal
PUBL
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