The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-04-21 00:00:00

111Akr---14 471 4Wil NO hiv# of Lio? 14 k gPiti44 i 1,4143
kistoulgia throw off a anrtil, Ulla NO young calk, 4:04
somoviiat ourlowily made ihair hr;it landing in tiw shop or
Mr. Campbell, baker, at the head of Aruhibald.place, Lau.
riston, probably attracted by the sweets and confections which
it contained. Mr. Campbell c,utrived to collect the greater
part of the fugitives into a large paper, bag, and sent them
back to their owner.—Edinburgh paper.'

PUNISHMENTS OP TRANSPORTATION•—A. letter from a
private soldier contains the following :—" If they (the con-
victs) misconduct themselves in the least before they get
their tickets, their masters can take them to any magistrate
for the least petty misdemeanour, and get them from 50 to
150 lashes, besides returning them to government; and if
they are found guilty again, they are sent to an ironed gang
for one, two, or three years, where I really think their con-
dition is worse than any African slave's ever was. They are
set to work at quarries, pulling and hewing stones, from day-
break till sunset, with heavy irons rivetted on their legs, and
a soldier placed over them ; and if they refuse to do anything
he orders them ; or give him the slightest insolence or even
a sour look, the sentry can take them before the officer in
command and get them flogged, from 50 to 200, according to
the degree of the offence. If a convict makes the least at-
tempt to escape, or comes within ten paces of the sentry,
without his permission, he must fire at him, or stand the
consequence of a court-martial. Now, there is another class
of double-convicted felons—that is, those who, after being
in this ironed gang, are again found guilty of robbery. They
are then sentenced to severs or fourteen years, or life, to a
penal settlement, where they slave from morning till night,
and no recompense for their labour. Directly after our
regiment came to Sydney, I was sent on duty to Sockatoo
Island, where all the worst characters are sent to. It is
an island out in the centre of the straits, between New South
Wales and Van Dieman's Land. There are upwards of
300 prisoners on the island, and 42 soldiers to guard them.
They are divided in eight watches, and do duty the same as
on board of a ship. I arrived there on the 10th of July with
the detachment, and every thing went on very well till the
18th of September, when it was reported that the prisoners
intended to make a rush in the evening. We were immedi-
ately under arms, and every thing got ready to receive them,
but I expect that the prisoners saw we were aware of their
intentions, for they did not attempt anything that night; but
we were kept up all night and the following, but nothing
occurring, it was thought to be only a false alarm, and the
third night, we that were of the watch went to bed. I had
fallen asleep (being tired with my two nights' watch), and
dreaming of home and auld lang syne,' when I was awoke
by hearing a shot, and a call for the guard to turn out. We
instantly sprang up, seized our pieces, and went out, when
the first thing we saw was the prison door open, and about
half the prisoners out, rushing towards us, with pickaxes and
crowbars, and two pieces they had taken from the sentries
after having murdered them. We immediately formed and
fired at them a volley, which was very wrong, as we ought to
have commenced file-firing, as before we could load again
they were upon us, and we were obliged to come to the
charge. In the meantime some of the prisoners had got to
the powder magazine, right behind us, and exploded it,
killing seven of our men, arid wounding a great many more ;
but, thank God, I escaped in the confusion. The prisoners
rushed down to the wharf, slipped the cable of the ration-
boat lying there, but not more than 43 could get into it
before we were upon them, and they were obliged to put to
sea. We immediately charged the main body that was left,
and they very soon gave in. In a few days a detachment
of 50 came to relieve us, and we were sent up the country
after those that had escaped. We went through the bush in
the direction of Port Philip, for 200 miles. till at last we
got intelligence that they were encamped with some native
blacks, near Towrang. We instantly started off, and about
twelve o'clock at night we found them. We immediately
surrounded them, and took them all prisoners to Woolloo-
rnowlloo gaol, where they were tried, and 27 hung in less than
six days afler they were taken. We then marched to head-
quarters, where we were welcomed like so many warriors
returned from the fight."