The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1822-10-01 00:00:00

• (Vonlhmed frost oar Paper of Friday W.)
Vol. Davey's proclaim/10On receired.the
of Governor Mocquorrie ; but ennoulerings that the
Vorewalessucell of the settlement. taswell as'the chaff
nutter of ,these offenders, rileired the applicati ae
of other influence than that of rocotimgemeita4
*heir apptehett'siiiii, counterarairas it was by the
fears of some of the settlers. and the connivance or
others : the Governor, with the advice, ai it would
oppror, of Mr. Ellis Bent, issued a proctomation pa
the 14th May. 1814, nn whl b, sIYPr revising Nee
"names of the several offenders'. ind the outrages
that they'liad committed, he regn-tree( ilwm Si, re-
•. into std surrender on or before thilst day (if De-
(trustier of site same year, udder pities of bring con-
"stirred as outlaws; declaring *furthers 'that'll' they
complied with the order, they'shOeld be pardoned
for all offences that they hod committed during
absence feels "thiir Mimes, save and except
.:rime of wilful %Moder.
he effect of this prOciiimation was the Wien*
tat which was intended. It increased the crimes
surlteity of the bnati-eangera. diadem the in-
's* Ord* WOOS that it alloired theist for re-
; they profited by the pardon b 4 'making
temperer/ survesder, mid then tesnineil (heir
titter plunder. It was under the iiillueiMe of
Vireos:alarm-es that Colonel Davey adopted
ressolutioo of proclaiming and cot/booing Mar-
low. mild he received au order from Guertin*
:quarrie to snit so end to it ; doclaiming at the
saute tone all responsibility for a measure that was
suroothorlsed by him, and 'for the orleption of
which he tightly considered that I,irutenant.
Colotiel Davey's power, as Lieusepant-Governor,
.did net 'stead. Martial law had been proclaimed.
.by Lireomust-Governor Davey, in the month of
• May, ISlBr and continued nntil the month of i3c-
ober following; although he hid been apprised by
'Mr. Deputy Judge Advocate Abbott, who had
.arrived iis ON Settlement in the mouth of Febrortry,
."ISIS, that he considered the declare* of this
measure to hoe been illegal and utineccoarys
An address, signed by several inhabitants of
Van DietoaiN Laud. in favour both of the original
.adoption of the measure, and its contiutiancti, was
•voted to LieutenantoGoveritor Dever, on the 151 h
September 1815. Notwithstanding the number
'of noshes that appear to this document, the pro,
demotion of martial law was a measure that the
snore prudent part of the community did not ap-
prove. For, if the capture only of the bush.
railer% or other laeless plunderers, was the object,
•that object would have been attained by on active
'and judicious disposal of the military force, without
any previous or subsequent reference to a mili-
tary tribunal. The want of a local criminal
-court was, however, the principal juttitication; for
when the military or the iolnibitants had been sue-
-err:101 in apprehending the bush-hangers, neither
'intoprietors nor witnesses could be prevailed upon
to leave their homes exposed to danger, and repair
to Sydney for the purpose of giving their ter.
tonoony against them, at a great espesise to them-
%elves, and a great detriment to their property.
It cannot be denied that the want of a criminal
juiladiction in Van Diemen's Laud has been moat
ieriously felt in throe rehires/lite, and has contn-
infted more than any other cause, to afford cocoa.
Tagement and natio/oily locust amongst all classes
of offenders.
The measures edemeed by Lieutenant-Governor
Sorrell, immediately oil its eseiiral at Hobart Town, •
in the month of May 1817, were et the most judi-
Ficus kind. By a spirited exposition ortbe eireum-
stances of their situation, he sucereded, in at laout
awakening amongst those who wi-lied to owe their !
property from plunder, a sense of. the necessity of '
co-operation in MrllBlllCll of self•defence, and of
combwstion against their commun enemies: a libe-
ral subscription was made by the inhabitants to to.
tote the Lientemmt-Governor to carry these views
into effect ; and large rewords were offered for the
apprehension of six of the most desperate of the
banditti. By denouncing those who were known and
detected in affording them 'lid, by sending military
soistatice t..) the support ot those who were attack-
ed. mod by establishing a system of vigilant control
over the removal of convicts from one district to
another, he succeeded in checking the freqnent
enterprises of the litslorangers. Many of them,
hot , still continued to maintain themselves,
onil were at leogilyredueed by the spirited pur•utt
wed exertions of a detachment of the lUth regi-
ment. DT by the most cruel and treacherous apes-
smatintis of each other, perpetrated lion] a fear of
being betrayed, and for the purpose of obtaining a
share of the promised reward.
The celebrated leader of the principal party,
Michael Howe, after surrentletiog himself to the
Lieutenant• Governor on stn assurance of presem
safety, and a recommendation to Goer...cot Mac-
spume, escaped from the gaol at Elobitt
where lie attempted, in concert with a s.s.nviet
named Reagent, at that rime servant to the Deputy
Juke Advocate. Mr. Abbott, to make his escape
in an American vessel. Disappointed in this as-
tempt, he retunird to his former mode of life,
was apprehended a second time and secured ; but
by mean. of a sudden and dexterous esertion of
strength, stud a concealed knife that had retained,
lie sobbed both his ettoodontr, one of *hem was
the most guilty companion of his former ex-
ploits. Having thus disengaged himself, be again
repaired to the woods, wherehe subsisted for some
time, but with diflictilis, on account of the loss of
his pistols that had beets wrested from him ; and
from the horror and detestation with which he
at length began to be regarded. Impelled try the
desire of obtaining a supply of' ammunition, he was
at last induced to cuter a but, in which a soldier of
the 48d1 regiment, and • convict, Man( ipthted for
former services of the ono kind, suddenly fell
upon him, and after a tierce encounter killed liim.
This event did not take place till the month of
October 1818, and allhough it may Ire considered
as the iermiuotion of the 'latent of plunder that
had so much alarmed the settlttrit tut for the 'pace
of four years. yet instances have occutred since,
and to a very late period, of centime robberies of
sheep, as tell as sudden entries of limner, nod the
forcible seizure of
prosier' v.

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