CO885(1-2) — Page 561

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

C.O.

Reference-

• 885

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

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upon this country; the larger the number sent out the sooner will the period arrive.

Some consideration must also be paid to the expense of such an augmentation. Lieutenant-Colonel Reid recommends that a line-of-battle ship, capable of containing 700 men, should be sent out forthwith; now, the expense of fitting up such a vessel, throwing altogether out of con- sideration the value of the vessel itself, would be upwards of 70001., or at least 107. per man; the wear and tear of such a vessel would be heavy, and the expense therefore of a large establishment, if kept up for a few years only, would be very much enhanced.

I am not able to state at present what time would be required to complete the works proposed by me in 1842; the whole estimate was about £280,000, but of this 50 or 60,000 must have been spent, and some of the principal works have not as yet been sanctioned by the Lords Commis- sioners of the Admiralty. If the number of convicts should be much increased, the annual appropriation must be augmented to nearly 40,000l., and there would not be work for above five years.

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I have noticed, I think, most of the matters mentioned in the despatch, upon which I am qualified to give an opinion, with the excep- tion of some observations on the mode of employing the convicts, which are altogether matters of detail to be considered on the spot. Some of the statements in the Appendix, relative to the employment of convicts, and the mode of fitting up the convict ship to receive them, involve serious questions of principle as to convict discipline, which it is not necessary to discuss here, but which should, in any general plan for the employment of this class of people, be most carefully considered; for, by the adoption of a proper system, not only may the value of their labour be doubled or quadrupled, but at the same time their moral condition may be in every way improved.

My Lord,

No. 7.

Governor Reid to Earl Grey.

Bermuda, September 14, 1846.

I HAVE the honour to report to your Lordship the arrival of the ship" Adelaide," with 300 convicts. They have been placed in the hulks here, which are in consequence very much over-crowded.

I inclose a statement which I requested Mr. Goldney, the Surgeon Superintendent, to reduce to writing, as being well deserving of

attention.

The Deputy Inspector of Naval Hospitals informs me that there are now fifty invalid convicts unfit for the public works, and who he recom- mends to be sent to England. There are also about 150 amongst the effective convicts who should soon be sent home, to prevent their time expiring in Bermuda. It will therefore be necessary to have an arrange- ment made for sending at least 200 convicts to England to be discharged early in the spring.

I have, &c.,

Sir,

(Signed)

Inclosure in No. 7.

Mr. H. Goldney to Governor Reid.

WM. REID,

Governor.

Bermuda, September 15, 1846. HAVING completed my services on board the convict ship “Adelaide,” I beg leave to make the following statement of the general health of the prisoners embarked at Woolwich on the 3rd and 4th of July, of whom 297 were obtained from Millbank Prison and from the "Justitia" hulk.

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At the period of embarkation the prisoners had not a healthy appear- ance-a pallid dejected aspect prevailed throughout the whole. Many had long been subject to prison discipline, carried out under the Silent System, and being obliged suddenly to discontinue it on embarkation, they became extremely sensible to noise, so as to interrupt all sleep for several nights, producing an irritable state of mind, amounting evidently to a strong predisposition to cerebral derangement. Many became sub- ject to fits of an epileptic character, paroxysms of a short duration, requiring only temporary treatment, but the cases were both numerous and troublesome,

This state of excitability gradually diminished, and had nearly sub- sided before leaving Woolwich, July 11th, except sensibility to noise easily removing sleep. Their general appearance soon became much improved, resulting from relaxation of prison discipline, with a change of diet; the allowance of fresh beef was liberal, and they were also allowed to purchase any articles of diet, excepting stimulants, while the ship remained at Woolwich, During the passage the improvement of health continued, and no sickness of any importance occurred. The whole of the prisoners landed in perfect health.

The excitable state alluded to on embarkation I conceive had no permanent effect on the constitution, and if the Silent System had been removed gradually, I believe it would not have occurred, although the treatment was severely felt. I will give one instance. William Baker; the following note was made against his nanie:-

"This man has three times attempted to commit suicide in the Mill- bank Prison, and once at Pentonville, he must be carefully watched;" who, after being on board a few weeks, came to me and said, 'Sir, do you recollect me? I have been one of the most happy men aboard the ship; it was the prison and silence that made me wretched and tired of life.'

The general conduct of the prisoners was extremely good. A library of entertaining books, received from Millbank Prison, added considerably to their amusement; but the usual supply of Bibles and Prayer Books issued to ships proceeding to New South Wales, are not granted to vessels proceeding to Berinuda; and the sale of articles to promote cleanliness granted to Sydney convict-ships also withheld, and considerable inconvenience experienced from it.

I have, &c..

(Signed)

No. 8.

HARRY GOLDNEY, Lale Surgeon Superintendent.

Extract of a despatch from Governor Sir G. Gipps, dated April 1, 1843, on visiting Norfolk Island during the Superintendence of Captain Maconochie.

10. I now come to the most important part of my subject, but the one on which it is most difficult to speak with any degree of certainty, and indeed on which, whatever I may say can scarcely amount to more than conjecture; I mean the degree of moral improvement which these men have received during their three years' residence at Norfolk Island, and the way in which they may be expected to behave when restored to society.

That there are many good men among them, and men who may be expected to behave well in Van Diemen's Land, cannot be doubted;" but whether they will, when removed from Norfolk Island, behave better than an equal number of men taken promiscuously from the convict population of New South Wales.-better, that is to say, than if, instead of having been placed at Norfolk Island, they had gone through the ordinary course of convict discipline in New South Wales,-is the point on which I cannot pronounce any decided opinion. Having been treated more mildly,