The Sun.
London, England, 1846-03-04 00:00:00

Noble Duke had been a party to persons going from his pro-
port), in Bedfordshire, in order to secure votes. lie (Lord
Red,sdale ) believed that a numbe: of friends of Lord John
Russell did go into Huntingdonshire for the purpose named, but
in justice to the Noble Duke, and to the Noble Lord, he be-
lieved they were not concerned in the transaction.

PROTECTION.
The Marquis of SALISBURY presented thirty-six pe-
.itions from Huntingdonshire against the Government mea-
sures relating to the corn-laws.
SEE OF BANGOR AND ST. ASAPH.
Lord POWIS presented a petition against the union of
these two sees.

FREE TRADE.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE presented a petition from
Lancaster in favour of free trade, signed by upwards of 1,000
persons.

VAN DIEMEN'S LAND.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE again rose and said, that in
pursuance of a notice which he had given, he begged to
call their Lordship's attention to a petition which was of con-
siderable importance, both on account of the quarter in which
it originated, and from the quarter with which the subject was
immediately connected. It was a petition numerously signed
by the inhabitants of a colony, well knowu by its reputation,
to himself and to their Lordships, and which was as much en-
' titled as any one of our colonies to a respectful, a kind,
and patient consideration of their grievances. It was in fact
a petition from the inhabitants of Van Diemen's Land, and he
need not inform their Lordships that that colony in its locality
was one of the most pretty and interesting colonies in her
Majesty's dominions ; in its extent equal to Ireland, and con-
tained a vast mass of population. Instead of reading the pe-
tition, he would prefer stating the substance of it, as it was of
' considerable length. The petitioners stated, that having
been at different times induced and encouraged to emigrate
to that country in the hope and expectation that as no greater
number of convicts would be sent to that part of her Ma-
jesty's dominion, the people of that country would aeon be-
come a free and a virtuous people. They had latterly, how-
ever found, that there was no hope of their expectations
being realised, and that the immense importation of convicts
had changed the entire face of the country. They stated that
when they emigrated they were required to embark consider-
able capital in the land which they occupied, and that nothing
could be more prosperous than their exertions in the cultiva-
tion of their land. They also stated, that from the year
1834 to the year 1840, the population had in-
creased from 12,700 to upwards of 40,000, and the
number of acres cultivated from 25,000 to 124,000.
The truth of those statements were quite apparent. In this
small, narrow, and confined society there were no fewer than
16,000 convicts imported within three years, 13.000 males and
6,000 females. The consequence was, that instead of any
classification of divisions being made of these convicts. they
were obliged to be worked in gangs of two and three hundred,
to the great terror of the peaceable inhabitants. of the place.
This had also been the means of increasing crime, and ren-
dering a large police force necessary. lie did think
that on these grounds the petition brought forward by
the most respectable persons—the Bishop of the colony
—a large number of the landed proprietors, and six
out of the eight members of the Legislative Council,
making in all 1,300 or 1,400 persons, had some claim on the
attention of her Majesty's Government. He begged to be
understood that in what lie had said, with respect to the im-
provement of convict labour, he did not adopt the opinion—
however much he might respect them—of those persons, who
thought that transportation was a punishment unfit for this 1
country, for he was one of those who, in the past
and present state of the criminal law, and the
present state of crime, thought that transportation was an in-
dispensable punishment. There might be a good princip'e
adopted by the Government. They should either send out so
many convicts to one island as would make it a place ex-
clusively for the purposes of the punishment, or they should
send out such a limited number as was consistent with the well-
being of the place, and he would permit the convicts to be
received and amalgamated with the virtuous and industrious
portion of the community. Now, having stated this, he was
bound also to admit the difficulties which surrounded the sub-
ject. He knew that the Noble Lord, the late Secretary for
the Colonies, had directed his attention to the evil, with the
view of finding a remedy for it. He (Lord Lansdowne) was
confident that no measure but one would, to a con-
siderable extent, relieve the colony from the amount of crimi-
nality which was yearly poured into it, and be attended with
any measure of success. Under the present system it was
quite impossible for the police to control or the Government to
overawe there, and unless, as he had stated, they were prepared to
retain the colony in the manner he had suggested, they would not
be doing justice to the interests of the colonists. The petition
prayed that no convicts should be after that period sent to the
colony, but they admitted that others of the inhabitants of Van
Diemen's Land thought that a smaller number than were at
present introduced would do no injury. They all agreed,
however, that the present system, unless discontinued, would
result in the ruin of the colony. He had received a letter
which stated that at the present time there were 2,00 i) persons
who had tickets of leave, going about seeking employment,
but were unable to obtain it through the employment of con-
vict labour. The Government were bound to attend to this
state of things, so as to see that those reformed convicts should
not be deprived of the means of earning a subsistence.—( Hear,
hear.) Whatever difficulties might surround the question,
they ought to be grappled with, so that a final and satisfactory
settlement of the affairs of the colony might be made.
Lord STANLEY said that as the Noble Lord (the
Earl of Ripon) had but recently undertaken the
duties of the Colonial-office, and as the petition'mainly referred
to a period when he (Lord Stanley) had the direction of the
affairs of the colonies, their Lordships would forgive him inter-
fering to give an explanation. He would beg leave to say that
the petition involved questions infinitely more important than
the welfare of a single colony, for it involved no other than the
vital question of the whole system of secondary punishments.—
( Hear, hear.) Although certain of the allegations of the peti-
tion were exaggerated, he could not deny that for the last four
or five years, much social and pecuniary evil had been inflicted on
Van Diemen's Land, from making it exclusively a convict colony.
There was one point of considerable weight which the peti-
tioners had omitted to state, and that was when land was as-
asigned to a free seetler that free settler was bound to main-
tain a certain number of convicts. The convicts were tot
sent to the free settler, but the free settlers came to the con-
victs. In point of fact, that which was imposed as obligation
was felt to be a boon, and it was mainly, though not exclu-
sively, to that system that we owed the rapid advance of the
population of that colony. He was far from denying that the
number of convicts sent to that colony should be materially
lessened.—( Hear, hear.) He would beg of their Lordships to
consider the condition in which the Government was placed.
He spoke from a document which was published in
fort. tie found that in the year 1840, by the system
of transportation, every person who received a. convict
into his service was bound to maintain him. The
consequence was that the character of the convicts
was much improved. They were admitted into the families
of virtuous people, and they were under a sort of parental
ease. He believed that the system of assignment (although
objectionable in some respects) was too hastily abandoned.
There were many cases in which parties who went over to
that colony had parties assigned to them as servants, who
were convicts, bat who also actually stood towards them in the
relation of husbands, brothers and sons. All this was put
an end to in 1840, up to which lime convicts were sent to Van
Diemen's Land and New South Wales from this colony. But
in the year 1840 his (Lord Stanley's) successor in office not
only put a stop to the system of assignment, but a strong re-
solution of the House of Commons was passed, to the effect
that no more convicts should be sent to New South Wales, aed
ever since then Van Diemen's Land had .been the only place
where convicts were sent to, and assignment was put an end
to. Was this all ? It was not ; for in 1841 the House of
Commons passed another resolution, to the effect that every
facility should be given for the speedy transition of convicts
confined in the hulks under sentence of transportation.
it was not very easy to establish a system of convict discip-
line between two parties who were at sueh a distance from each
other that it took twelve months to receive an answer to a
letter. It occurred, however, towards the close of the year
1t142, that Mr. Ponlague, one of the ablest and most efficient
servants that any colony had, was in this country, arid a com-
munication was immediately made to him by her Majesty's Go-
vernment. The result of their labours was the foundation of
a system of convict regulation. It was decided that the con-
victs should be put in gangs to work in various parts of the
colony, and that after a time they should be promoted accord-
ing to their conduct to various stages leis and less severe, until
they ended in obtaining a " ticket of leave," or a free pardon.
lie knew, and it was a fact very discreditable to so great a
oountry as this, that it was not until the last four or five years
that we had been sending not from 3,000 to 4,000 convicts an-
nually, while no provision was made'for their religious improve-
ment. The first 'step was taken four.or five years ago, when
an arrangement was made by which each two gangs, containing
from 250 to 300. a gang, had the services of a chaplain ; and
in order that no difficulty might arise, the governor was directed
to place the Protestants and Catholics in different gangs, so
that each might have the benefit of a chaplain of their own per-
suasion. The I'rotestant and Roman Catholic Bishops
of the place, both gave their approval. As far as
they could judge by the reports received during the last
four years, the measure now in progress answered admirably.
'I he one great difficulty they laboured under was that at that
time 'the number of transpsrts increased considerably while
there was less opportunity of employment for them. He ad-
mitted that soapy financial burdens were thrown on the colony;
the social burdens were also greatly increased in consequence
of the large introduction of earn—(Cheers)—among the free
population. But her Majesty's Ministers had taken steps for
the purpose of remedying its inconvenience. They had
taken on themselves a larger amount than they had pre-
viously done of the gaols and • police superinten-
dence, and they had taken another step the
bearing of which would require some little explanation.
'Their Lordships were no doubt aware that under the present
'system, in Australia, a minimum price was fixed on land, for
the purpose of preventing the accumulation of land in the
hands of certain capitalists. and for the purpose of increasing
labourers in the colony. That system had been found appli-
cable to the colony of New South Wales, but when they found
the amouut of labour to exceed the demand, they were obliged
to adopt other means, with a view to meet the difficulty. In
the course of the last session, therefore, they repealed the pro-
visions of the Land Sales' Act as far as regarded Van Diemen's
Land. The Government found subsequently that the sales of
land had fallen to that degree that no revenue was
provided at all, while the police and gaol rates had
greatly increased. When their Lordships recollected that
from 300,0001. to 400,0001. was paid by the country for the
maiatenance of transported convicts, it was not unreasonable
that Government should give directions that those convicts
should be employed in a :great measure in raising the food
necessary for their own subsistence. They were for the most
part employed in improving the land which had been par-
tially reclaimed in the colony. By the former law the pro-
ceeds of land thus improved, when sold, were absorbed by the
colonial treasury, and the Government at home derived no ad-
vantage, although such improvements had been effected by
their paid convicts. They therefore determined that to con-
wythodssewheoh.croau,lidepcsneoint,7 find employment in private service, and
of land,
premium should
cultivatedsocialthat
given
wereinthe
.haeccwoouunitd.
Bat in ref
insignificantsonitheircoloonwyn,
as affecting such a remote aar
beg leave to inform their Lordships tdhat this insignificant
colony was in extent not less than 'reran
by only about 40,000 free settlers- So tlektinitg of
fas
amoccupied
ng
ti-e colony as large as Ireland, with the introduetionswof4piiZ
convicts every year, providing there was a sufficient ibi
super
tendence, wa,, out of the question. But if they did not
acrid
their convicts to Van Diemen's Laud, what were they to do
with the sweepings of their gaols, which sent forth on an
ark rage every year from four to five thousand male
Van Diemen's Land convicts?
At the present time there were in
and
New South Wales, about 50,000 convicts, of which this coon-
relieved. —( Hear, hear.) And put-
try had been permanently but in amoral did
ting the question, not in a pecuniarylight,
they believe it would be possible,
ible unless there were penal
.mprisonment or set-
tlements, for felons who had suffered
punish-
ment for the violation of the laws, when relieved,
to be able to find employment. In this over-
peopled country it would be tmpossible for them to
get employment, and the consequence would be, they would be
driven from sheer necessity to adopt their former vicious courses,
and to mix with their former companions, so that the recurrence
of criminal practices would be tenfold greater than before. He
believed that a penal colony was first calculated to offer a field
of employment for such convicts ; and he believed in many
respects, so far from the well conducted settlers being injured in
a moral point of view, the contrast between the two classes
had a most salutary influence on the character of the free popu-