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:j
This abode of horrors is a peninsula of several miles arena,
the isthmus closedagnitist. escape, not only by soldiers, but by
the most ferocious dogs, chained at such intervals asunder that
passage between them is impossible. The miserable wretch mien
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'cantiot get
rid of his wet clothing, but bv the absorption of bodily heat.
His fond is of the coarsest description. Salted meat frequently
the refuse of the store. The quantity only sufficient to sustain
the vital spark—to support it in health it must be unequal. The
weeks ration often is consumed in three days; if' it is, as 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 be 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 be
health, renovating beyond expression, is forbidden, on the pain
of the bloody lash, to touch one, even if it was cast ashore at
his feet. Indeed, " a gang" of twelve recently employed in
removing kelp from the shore to the laud, for some government
purpose, finding a crab-fish amongst the kelp, and eagerly de-
vouring it, were alfpunished, 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 for a 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 sawyers)
this result of suffering is particularly conspicuous They have
a certain quantity of labour to perform. If it is nut 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 of the inferior, but power-possessing ministers
of this hell without hope—' You convict! I'll have you flogged!'
and this threat, when uttered, is half performed, fur the flesh-
cutting process assuredly follows.

HERRINGS.—On Thursday ,the supply of herrings at Brigh-
ton, was so great thatthey were sold in the streets of that town
at 30 for a shilling.
The late Lord Stowell, when Sir William Scott, was a great
sight-seer, confining himself to those of one shilling admittance,
of which he is-said to have found in London, at one and • the
same time, no less than 700.