The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-01-27 00:00:00

DOCTOR O'HALLORAN'S CASE.

Sir STAIR MARTIN rose, sod expressed his regret
that he was not present last alight when an Hon.
Member opposite (Mr. Bennett) hod presented a
Petition from a certain convict, styled Doctor
O'Halloran. The statements an that Petition, and
in the speech of the Hon. Member who presented
it, had, he understood, made a great impression
upon the House, and he hoped that, as he'll at the
heed of the Department of the Transport Boirei
that regulated the vessels in which convicts were
embarked, he would be allowed this opportunity of
removing the wrong impression which he understood
was made in the House last night.—(Lead cries of
Hear.j—l-Ind he been present last night, he should
have felt it his duty to have moved that the Petition
alluded to be referred to the Board which managed
this department of the public service. He was
told that the Hon. Gentleman had aminadverted with
great force upon the mortality which he desenbed
as characterising the mode it, which convicts were
conveyed to Botany Bay. Now an far from this
being the fact, he held m his hand a document,
winch altogether refuted this statement of mortality;
and lie' remeinlwreel, long before the lost cooticts
were shipped, to have mentioned the fact to Lord
Melville, with much satisfaction, as it redounded
to the credit of the whole arrangements under the
superintendence of his own Board. With the leave
of this House he would read the doi•ument to which
lie olluded.—(liear, hear, hear.)—Since the Ist
January, 1816, 6,4U9 convicts have been shipped.
and of this number only 53 died on the passat.te ;
the mortality was, there:lore, at the rate of lox
in 112. If. as the Hon. Gentleman had state I.
the convicts were stowed and crowded to ether ni
the most noxious and unwholesome manner, was
it likely that such a state of health would have kern
preserved as the vtliemeni lie made verified '—
(hear, heur.)—The Hon. Member had also soul.
that six convicts were crientmeil into a space of six
feet in breadth for their sleeping birth. Ti“. was
not the fact ; for the space allotted for the convicts'
sleeping birth was equal in bie.olth for each m ta
to that assugued to the sailor air soldier on hoard
the same vessel.—/!fear, hear, hear.)—lt was in
fact larger than that allowed to men in his Nlas
jrsty'a service. He hail Moist-if, when at
been very well satisfied with the same breadth, miff
he hail two sons now who made no complaint cl
having no greater s'eciting rienit allowed then.
There were men wain hail been 35 years at sea, lilt
who never hail a ,„tortster simer In lie its, and who
yet eiijoyed excellent health ia this sitilattoo.—
(liear, hear.)—He would titcv read recent Trio its
01 the arrivals in Botany I; ay, which would set the

Hon. Gentleman's statement of mortality in the
convict Pllllll at MI :
The Fame transport, with 200 convicts...only two died.
The Beasley, 200 convicts tome died.
and all arrived in excellent health.
The Lord Melville, 102 convicts three died.
and the convicts un their iirrival gave • public ac-
knowledgment of the humane and excellent treat-
ment day had received on the voyage.

..._ _
The ghipley, 125 convict'. none died.
The Armourer, 180 convicts.
The Larkins, 250 convicts two died.
1 he Lady Castlereagh, 300 convicts cone died.
The Raiavia, 219 coavicls one died.
The Neptune, 286 convicts MO' Aug .1.
The Baring, 3410 convicts owe died.

Ile called on the House to recollect that it was of
tio, ship, when preparing for her p►esrut voyage,
tint the Hon. Member last night spoke. She was
,iipea commanded by the same Officers and Surgeon
:t4 on her former voyage, and he believed there
neter were men of kinder or more humane dispo-
sitions, or to whom the unhappy men themselves ex-
pressed greater obligations too the last voyage. The
Surt:eon, who was Dr. Reid, had been continued
in the ship at the recommendation of Sir R. Keats,
in consequence of his acknowledged skill and hu-
manity. nine were facts, and he trusted they fur-
nished a satisfactory answer to the Hon. Gentle-
man's statements, who seemed to have taken his
information from the convicts, without referring to
supy of the officers for • corroboration of what he
hail heard.—(Loud cries of Hear.)
Mr. BENNETT said, that after what hail fallen
from the Hon. Gentleman who had just sat down,
he hoped he would receive the indulgence of the
House while he clearly and distinctly stated the
authority on which he had given h►s statement
last eight.—(Hear, hear.)—He lately went
down to visit the two transports then about
to sail with convicts. lit one of them, he un-
derstood, there were 300 men, in the other 440.
He went on hoard one of them, in consequence of
a communication fron► Dr. O'Halloran. The place
which he saw the Doctor was 1d fret square, and
11 persons, 1w was told, were stowed lit it. Ile saw
three persons lying in one of the cribs which he
hail described, end they told him that three othera
were also crammed into the same sleeping-place.—
Three men, who stood by, avowed that they were
the persons wl►o slept in this contracted space.
—lle was glad, indeed, to find that this in-
formation was not correct, but he wits told
he should have gone to the Ca, tain for 'donna-
tiou; he meant to have had the statement of the
Captain. in the presence of the convicts—but
the hustle of getting water on deck and preparing
tOr sea, prevented his having the meatus of procuring
information from that source. Ile hail complained
to the Captain of the offensive and mix' s state of
the lower part of the vessel in which such a number
of poor wretches were confined, and the Ceptain in-
formed him, when he expressed his horror at the
scene, that as soon as he got to sea, he would have
the means of demising that part of the ship from
the disgusting filth which covered it. The Captain
implored him not to leave the ship under :he im-
pression that the convicts alone were crowded
to excess, for, he said....“ Go into my cabin,
Sir, and see how we are crowded—go to where
the passengers are placed, and see how they fare—
go among the sailors and soldiers, and see ►f they
are not as had as the rest."—This skewed the
crowded state or the vessel, and the consequent
sufferings which poor wretches must endure, and
they too unused to a sea life, when they encounter
the privations of the voyage. ll'hat he had said
last •sight, respecting the n►ortahty on board the
ship Surrey, ill 1809, remained usicontradicted.
She had lost 50 (one-fourth of her number) in
crossing the Line. It was said that these unfortu.
•sate men had the same space allotted to them
as the soldiers and the sailors; hot was not there
this difference in the situation of these parties—
the soldiers and sailors could go up at night on
deck to avoid the inconvenience below, in warm
latitudes ? The wretched convict could claim no
such indulgence, but must remain in the crowd '
below, exposed to all the sufferings of such a
aitna-
tion. He was not surprised to hear that men in
such a situation, rushed in despair upon death, in
the attempt to extricate themselves by any act of
mutiny, front so cruel a bondage. lie had been
himself, when in the army, on board a transport
in a warm latitude, and he could feel what must be
the situation of twirl., who had no alternative
but to remain lucked ua below, inhaling the
effluvia of such a situation. 'For his own part,
he had only to say, that in this, or any other
transaction of a similar kind, ►n which lie took
a part. heaven knew he had no other object
upon earth, in publicly mentioning the circuu►-
stance, than au earm •t desire to export and
prevent the infliction of unnecessary cruelty. He
never had, or could have, but nue object, and
that was to attempt, so far as in the short life of
man could be attempted, to diminish the 'mu of
human misery.—( Loud cries of " Hear, hear,"
from all parts of the house.)
Sir B. MA RT I N ruse on explanation to state, that
the couvicts, for the sake of having a space to breathe
the fresh air at night, had half a ton of room more
than the soldiers had allowed them ; and th•ee was
place in which they could go wit for the purposes
of relreshn►eut. lie then read a letter from a con-
vi •t, in which lie earnestly returned thanks to the
Captaiti for the indulgences ►hewn to the unfortu-
nate ►urn.

Two or three Ilme. Niembers having risen—
The SPKAKER hoped he would be permitted to
,u;44ret to the House, that it frequeotly happened,
for their convenience, an Ilou. Alember was allow-
ed, though not strictly in order. to give an explain*.
'lull upon a matter not rrgulaily before thein. Au
Hon. Nlemiter had been now allowed, in conformity
with the usual courtesy. to give an explanation
touchiog a statement reflecting upon a puldie de-
partment to which lie belutiged, that was represent-
.ll to have been littered when he was not present,
Yrsterday. This explanation the !louse had heard,
god having heard it, they were bound to hear in re-
ply the lion. Mritiber who had made the statement
hist nivlit. It via., for the House to say whether the
rohvers:riion could lot regularly carried further;
there was no motton before them, and they were the
oh,tera of their own proceerfurgs.—/Hear, hear.)
tris•ted be did Mal eXt:Ped Ins dilly w making
V.lllOll revecting their ordinary usage.—
Metre, hear.)
The CliAxcEl-7,0x of the EICHEQU:;II ssitly as

there was no qumition before the House, be would
move that thfp do now adjourn.
Sir ISAtC COFFIN said, that he lied night, from
the stab-went of the lion. hlertilier, pronounced
the treatment of these convicts as being most scan-
dalous. Ile had gone to the Navy Board this•
morning ID make inquiries into the truth or this
6141,-olei.t, and the result of his inquiries was, tlt•.et
the Nun. Member had been imposed upon. In
candour, therefore, he felt himself bound tu. with-
draw the expressions he lord used last Hight, and to
express his belief, from the information he bud
since received, that the convicts were as well treated
as wus consistent with the situation of such persons.

FEES ON LEAVE OF ABSENCE TO NAVAL
OFFICERS.
General FERGUSoN begged leave to BA an Hon.
Admiral opposite, whether it was customary to nn-
pose fees upon the letters of leave of absence to
Naval Officers, and in what manner the amount of
such fees (if taken) was applied ? There was no
such demand made in the army.
Sir JOHN HOPE said, that these fees were cer-
tainly taken according to long-estahlished custom,
in consequence of the a .litional trouble imposed
by the applications, and the necessity of knowing
the exact residence of the Naval Officer, who was
at all times liable to be called upon for his services.
The amount was accounted for every year iu the
Admiralty contingencies.
Sir GEoaux ‘VARIIENDER said, that the fees
arising out of the sums so received were formerly
applied in the Secretary's Office—now they were
appropriated to the stamp contingencies. The pro-
duce last year, winch was the highest sum received,
only amounted to boot.
General FERGUSON said, that the answer respect-
ing the appropriation of the fees was satisfactory
enough—but not so the imposition of them, which
by no wails met his approbation.
The House then adjourned.