The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1836-11-18 00:00:00

TREATMENT OF CONVICTS.

• ( From a Van Diemen's Land Paper.)
This abode of horrors is a peninsula of several miles arena,
the isthmus closed against escape, not only by solditos, but by
the most ferocious dogs, chained at such intervals assits4,- that
passage between them is impossible, Ilse miserable wretch upon
his arrival is put immediately, without reference to his habits of
life, or his condition, to labour of the severest kind—cutting
down logs, rolling them to the .water, and frequently through
the water. He has no change" of habit, therefore he cannot get
rid of his wet clothing, but by the absorption of bodily heat.
His food is of the coarsest description. Salted meat frequently
the refuse of the store. The Quantity only sufficient to sustain
the vital spark—tosupport it in health it mulit he unequal. The
weeks ration often is consumed in three days, if it is, IA is fre-
quently the case, issued altogether. During the remainder,
starvation must be endured. The-smallest particle of food, be-
yond the ration of the coarsest bread and salted meat, is expressly
forbidden. Should he have friends disposed to send him ever
so small a portion of that simple dilutant, tea—he is not'permit-
ted to receive it. Sugar is equally proscribed. And as to vege-
tables, to even think of them, if discovered, would he a crime.
Abundant as is every discription of fish upon the very shores of
this Gomorrah (for, while upwards of one thousand :men are
there engaged, woman is not permitted to approach the unholy
place,) the poor wretch to whom a taste of fresh food would he
health, renovating beyond expression, is forbidden, on lee pain
of the bloody lash, to touch one, even if it has cast ashore at
his feet. Indeed, ‘• a gang" of twelve recently employed in
removing keip irons the shore to the land, fur souse government
purpose. finding a crab-fish amongst the kelp, and eagerly de-
vouring it, were all punished, and with their overseer put into
irons. It having been habitual with many of the miserable men
sent to this terrible place to use tobacco, the deprivation of it
is particularly attended to. If a morsel is found upon any one,
the lash is the certain consequence. Even fora broken pipe, if
it can be traced, flogging is the assured fate ! The consequence
of this system of limited food of such a quality, accompanied
with the severest labour which the lash can extract, is emacia-
tion to a dreadful extent. In, one of the gangs (the sawvers)
this result of suffering is particularly conspicuous. They have
Ascertain quantity of labour to perform. If it is not done, flogging,
and solitary confinement in a cell, on bread water, is the punish-
ment, thus still more emaciating the emaciated wretch until life
his hardly within him. It is useless harrowing, the heart of the
reader further. It is only necessary to add, that it is a constant
expression of one ofthe inferior, but power-possessing ministers
of this hell without hope—` You convict ! have ton tio,4!i:Pd V
and this threat, when uttered, is half perforated, fur the flesh-
cutting process assuredly follows.

Some twenty years ago, when in retired parts of the country
the commouication between • one plaCe and another was much
slower ant less frequent that it is now, there was a great deal of
horse-stealing carried on in the English counties on the borders
of Wales. 'roosts' comities Were and are very full of prefty
little towns and villages,- in one or other of which there were
fairs for the sale of ti've stock-almost every day in the year, and
'it. was easy to steal a horse front one pariSh, and carry away
and sell it at some one of th"se fairs, almost before the. rightful
owner knew he had lost it: Well, it so happened that shout that
time lived a lazy, careless, rollicking sort of fellow, by naiise
Morgan Jones, wile contrived to make a living somehow or
other, but how it was nobody well knew, thourit most 'people
suspected that it was not the Most honest liveliheed a person
might gain. In fact, everyone was'sure that Morgan was deeply
implicated in horse-stealing, and man V a time bad he been
brought before the justice on suspicion, but do What they could,
nobody could find sufficient evidence to convict him. People
wondered and talked a-bout it for a long time, until at last they
came to the only natural conclusion—namely, that Morgan
Jones must have-dealings with the evil one.
Now, it once -chanced that Morgan and some of his chosen
cronies were snaking themselves jolly over sundry pets of ale
and pipes of tobacco, at a round white deal table, in the clean •
parlour of a very neat 'little ale-house, as all Yillage aleAouses
are in that part of the 'country. And they'began to get-very
happy anti comfortable together, and were telling one another
their adventures, till at last one spoke plainly out and told
Morgan. Jones that it was commonly reported he had to do with
the devil.

" 'Why, yes," answered Morgan, "there's some truth in that
same, sure enough:. I used to meet him now and then, but we
fell out, and I have not seen' him these two months."
"Av !" exclaimed each of-the party, " how's that Morgan."
" Why, then, be quiet,-and I'll tell you it all. And there-
upon Morgan emptied his pot, and had it filled again, and took
a puff of his pipe, and began his story.
"'Nell then," says he, " von must know that I had not seen
his hOnour for a long time, and it was about two months ago
from this that I went one evening along the brook shooting
wild fowl, and as I was going whistling along, who Wiould I spy
Coming up but the devil- himself.? But you must know he was
dressed mighty fine, like a grand gentleman, Ihnugh I knew
the old one well by the bit 'of his tail which hung out at the
bottom of his trousers. Well, he came up, and says he, 'Mir-
gan, 'how are You ?' and, says I, touching my hat, -‘ pretty well,
your honour, I thank you.' And then says he, Morgan, what
are you looking a'ter, and What's that long thing ye'rei carry_
in;; with you ?' • And says I, I'm only walkin,, out by the
brook this fine evening, and carrying iny'bicky-pipe with me
to smoke.' • 'Well, all'of you know the' devil was ii.ighty fond
of the- backy; sb says he, * Morgan, let's have a smoke, and
I'll thank thee'?' 'And says I, ' vou'r mighty Welcome.' So
I gave him the gun, and he put the muzzle.in his mouth to
smoke. and thinks I, ' I you now, old boy,' cause you see
I wanted to quarrel with him : so I polled the trigger, and off
went the gun bang in his mouth. ' Puff !' says he, when he
pulled it out of his mouth, and he stopped a minute to think
about it, and says he. d—d strong baeky till% Morgan !'
Then lie give me the rm; and looked huffed, and walked-Off,
and sure enough I've' never 'seen him since. And that's the
way I got shut of the old-gentleman, my boys!"
Such is the ludicrouS story of Morgan Jones, who had to do
with a proper Welsh devil - without doubt.-Foreign Quarterly
Ree ice'. • •