The Express.
London, England, 1853-09-16 00:00:00

A CHAINED GANG AT SYDNEY.

Most of the convicts have been, in one place or
other, prisoners from childhood. They have been three
times convicted at home : first of all whipped, perhaps, in
the Parkhurst Prison for juvenile Offenders. After being
exposed to the contaminating influence of many more de-
l:instd than themselves, they have been pardoned, and sent
achift on the world worse than when they entered it. Again
apprehended and convicted, they have been sent to Penton-
vire, or name other prison. Liberated after years, again
folh.wing a course of crime, and once more appreberded and
convicted, they have been transported to Van Diemen'.
Land or Norfolk Island. At each of these places, Radio all
their prisons at home and abroad, the pet system of penal
training and reform in use at the period has been tried, and
all have failed. 00tainieg their conditional pordons, after
a eera:n number of years in Van Dietnen's Land, or Nor-
folk they have had it in their power to go with their
ti:ket of leave to any of the Australian colonies. Of
course they have made directly for Melbourne—first to the
gold region of the digging., and next to the more fixed gold
rzion of the wealthy community in the taws. Moat of the
C11111(1 of thews men—that is to say, 90 per cent. of them,
have originated in England. They had their chief experi-
ence and training at home. They have committed every
efte 1,-re, to obtain gold, which their previous knowledge,
skill, and depravity could suggest—and here they are at
last. It is night ; a cold wind blows and a drizzling rain
fats. An iron tongue, that is to ay, a large bell in the
Stockade, now announces that the time has arrived for all
the prisoners to go to bed. A jingling of chains is heard as
the I garge pass across the yard, then a sound of the
drawing of bolt•, then silence. I cannot help speculating
en the different sorts of suppressed ferocity in the faces of all
these subdued human tigers, as they sit up on their wooden
pellets, or look out from benegth their blankets
l:ving invited to lisAt in upon three, I approach one of
bolted doors. A sleaze shutter is unfastened and
ps•bed aside by tho captain, and displays an iron grating
through which I 1 ok at the irreclaimable, in their lairs.
How absurdly different is the reality from the picture I had
framed in my imag.natinn Over • large room are distri-
buted on stretchers, or other raised surface, and all so close
together as on!, to allow of o;.aee for passage round each, a
comber of bundles of bedding, apparently, each enveloped
la • grey and blue chequered eoverlid of the same pattern.
The boles or brindles are without motion or **mad ; no
vo..e) is heard, no head Sr foot is visible. Each bundle
eentains the huddled up farm of a convict, who adopts this
plan to obtain the greatest degree of warmth. Some are,
no doubt, asleep ; many wide awake, and full of peculiar
thoughts: and perhaps even of fresh plans, should they ever
spin get • chance. What a volume of depraved life, what
a prison history lice entailed in each of thou 'melees
Eiverlids !—Dickeris's "Muse/told Words."

TELEGRATMC TIME-BALL AT LIVERPOOL. -A
illevaphic time-ball, similar to that in the Strand, has
just been ereetsd near the aseks, in Liverpool, and when it
falls at one o'clock, indicating the Greenwich time, every
A.:. leaving the Mersey will adjust its chronometer se-
sonlingly.

SUDDEN DEATU OF A SURGEON AT BRISTOL-43R
Twill, evening, as Mr. John Gover Powell, Den., surgeon,
vas puling through Progmore-street, in apparent health,
he suddenly fell on his face and immediately expired. The
deceased, who residsd in Cumberland-street, Brunswick-
square, had for more than half a century practised as a ear-
pan in Bri4ol, and was highly respected by his fellow
citizen.. Ile bad spent tho evening cheerfully with his
wife till between 9 ar.d 10 o'clock, wb, n he was summoned
to attend a patient. and was on his way home. A surgeon
Immediately arrived, and pronounced the unfortunate gen-
tleman quite dead. An inquest has been held, and a ver-
dict returned of "Died suddenly by the visitation of God."
TUE ORF.AT Brarms.—lntelligence has reached
Liverpool of the arrival at St. Vincent, on the .4th It.,
of Out screw steam-ship Great Britain, Captain W. B.
Mathews, for Melbourne. The Great Britain left Liver-
pool on the Ilth ult., and has made St. Vincent in lees
than 13 days. After Wan, in coolish' Witd for the Caps
of Hood Hope on the .7th alt.