the following weekly supply of provisions is regularly served out to a mess of six persons in each. Bread Flour Beef Pork Peas Butter Rice Suet Raisin'Oatml Sugar PLAN OF RATIONS FOR EACH MESS PER WEEK. Days of the week. lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. pints. lbs. Oz. Ibs. lbs. 3 3 8 +4 Monday Wednesday Tuesday Friday Saturday Besides the above liberal allowance, there is a further issue, each week, of one quart of vinegar to each mess, and after the ship has been at sea three or four weeks, one ounce of lemon juice and an equal quantity of sugar is also to be issued to each convict daily. The period for which it has been usual to put the provisions on board the transport ships has been eight months; besides this, each convict is allowed one hundred and twenty gallons of water, and two gallons of wine, the latter to be distributed specially at the surgeon's discretion, and under his immediate superintendence. The women are allowed wine in the same proportion as the men convicts, and subject to the same restriction in its use; they have. also a like proportion of provisions, with an addition of three pounds of Muscovado sugar, and half a pound of black tea, per week, for each mess of six women. When fresh beef is issued, one pound is equal to a pound of salt beef, and one pound and a halfoffresh beef to one pound of pork. If vegetables are supplied on pork days then no peas are to be issued; but if not, the peas are to be served. There can be no mistake as to the correctness of this statement, as it iscopied from the printed document called the Victualling Scheme, which is addressed to the Master of the Convict Ship from the Transport Office, Deptford, regularly before the voyage is begun. The sleeping place assigned the convicts is within that part of the ship called the prison, taking the whole space of the ship between decks, except the necessary accommodation for the Master, Officers, and Seamen, expressly fitted up for their reception; it is divided into, what in sea-phrase are termed births, each to contain four persons, for which purpose, whatever has been represented, it is sufficiently roomy. The bedding is carefully brought upon deck every morning to be aired, when the weather will permit, and is stowed regularly for that purpose in the netting, where it may be kept dry should any rain unexpectedly fall. Besides the suit of clothes given to each prisoner on coming aboard, another is provided, which is intended to be given them on landing at their place of destination; this, as well as the former, is of a uniformn fashion and colour, to distinguish them from the free settlers, and to render them easily recognisable by the police. It should be also mentioned, that the free women sent out to join their husbands, are allowed twothirds of a seaman's ration per diem, and the children one half the women's allowance. CONVICTS BY THE NEPTUNE. Transported for life for the fate of their offspring would naturally weigh heavily the younger delinquents, whose attachments must have been warm and lively, would also suffer much from the idea of their inevitable loss of many a tender tie; for even the most depraved cannot be divested of those feelings, which, in dispositions better regulated and guided by virtuous precept, constitute the happiness of social life. Even the infidel, whom unhappy waywardness has rendered unfit for Christian society, may have had some connection to sweeten his cup of misery, and enlighten the gloom that shrouds his soul:*- the dissipated felon, whose lightly-acquired wealth procured him many an hour of delusive jollity, must, at such a prospect, sigh after his idle and profligate companions:—all seemed to me likely to have their particular grounds of sorrow, grief, regret, or lamentation. On visiting them, with the intention of administering consolation to those whom I presumed to find distressed, to my very great surprise, and indeed pleasure, all seemed thoroughly reconciled to their situation, and almost to a man signified the satisfaction, and even the pleasure they felt at the idea of the voyage, removed from temptations and dangers of the worst kind, surrounded as they were with every comfort, and every want bountifully supplied. I took this opportunity of reading to them an appropriate sermon, and never have I witnessed more respectful attention, correctness and regularity of conduct, than on that occasion. I remarked with much satisfaction the daily visible improvement which every individual appeared to make in morals and behaviour. Having adopted and put in effect the only means of reformation, I left its perfection to time and circumstances, watching their progress with the most anxious care. Of one point, however, I was always very mindful, never to fatigue their attention with tedious harangue, or sour their disposition by unnecessarily finding fault, or seeking out trivial or unnecessary causes for censure. I rather wished to encourage them always to have a good opinion of themselves; which, if not strictly deserved, at least urged them to attain it. Reconciled as the prisoners were to * It seems some man on board who did not believe with the author on some religious topics was thus characterized.-ED. their immediate condition, still the love of liberty naturally clung to them, embittered recollection, and made many anticipate that severer evils awaited them than any they had been accustomed to endure. Although con vinced of the justice of their sentence, and the leniency of the laws, and that they really merited the captivity to which they were consigned, yet an instance occurred which showed that their doom was irksome to them, and that liberty was the feeling most near to their heart under circumstances of any kind. STATE OF THE CONVICTS. Many of the convicts continued sickly, and afflicted with chronic diseases, which were often aggravated by the damp occasioned by the heavy working of the ship through high seas and boisterous weather. The greatest care was taken to stop the temporary leaks which thus appeared; and the stoves were kept in daily and constant use, to prevent any bad cansequences arising from wet decks and damp bedding. A certain number of the healthy prisoners were allowed to exercise a sufficient time every day upon deck, for the benefit of the fresh air; these were regularly succeeded by another division, usually one third of the whole; these afterwards by another, so that all enjoyed air and exercise a certain number of hours every day. This arrangement also produced a good deal of bustle amongst them, by removing from the prison to the deck, and relieving each other in a manner from the irksomeness of confinement; and formed a sort of substitute for employment during the day, by the temporary movements and changes it created among themselves. The convalescents limited to any particular number of hours upon deck, and whenever the weather would permit, they were allowed to remain as long as they liked. were not The conduct of the convicts generally was such in every respect as to merit approbation. A muster of the different articles, books, &c. belonging to each mess was regularly observed; and on such occasions correctness and cleanliness were so observable as almost invariably to preclude censure; rarely was there any necessity of now withholding their allowance of wine, or inflicting any other punishment. REGULATIONS IN THE MORLEY FEMALE TRANSPORT. With a view to ensure the health and comfort comfort of the prisoners, as also to establish a system of good order, decency, and religious conduct during the voyage, the Surgeon Superintendent has drawn up the following regulations, which must be most strictly observed. 1. The care and management of each mess shall be intrusted to a Monitor, who will be held responsible for any irregularities committed by those under her direction: it is expected that every one will behave respectfully, and be obedient to the Monitor of her particular mess. 2. Cursing and swearing,-obscene and indecent language,-fighting and quarrelling, as such practices tend to dishonour GOD's holy name, and corrupt good manners, will incur the displeasure of the Surgeon Superintendent, and be visited with punishment and disgrace. 3. Cleanliness being essentially necessary to the health, comfort, and wellbeing of every person on board, it is desired that the most scrupulous attention in this respect shall be observed on every occasion. 4. The Monitors are particularly enjoined the utmost vigilance in taking care that nothing disorderly shall appear among the members of their respective messes. 5. Any one convicted of disturbing others whilst engaged in reading the holy Scriptures, or other religious exercise, will incur special animadversion, and such misconduct will be entered in the journal. 6. A proper reserve towards the sailors will be held indispensable, and all intercourse with them must be avoided as much as possible. 7. A daily account will be kept, and a faithful report made to His Excellency the Governor of New South Wales of the conduct of each individual during the voyage, and those who behave well, though they may have come here with bad characters, will be represented favourably: the Surgeon Superintendent pledges to use his utmost effort to get every one settled in a comfortable manner whose behaviour shall merit such friendly interference. N.B. Any breach of the above regulations, or any attempt to deface or destroy this paper, will be punished severely; and the person so offending must not expect to be recommended to the kind notice of the Governor of New South Wales. At 11 A.M. Mrs. Pryor and Mrs. Coventry, accompanied by the solicitor to the Bank of England, came on board. The Solicitor was commissioned by the Bank Company to make a present of five pounds to every woman who had been convicted of uttering forged notes, or of having them in possession. The amount of the money thus gratuitously expended in favour of the unhappy women, was two hundred and five pounds sterling, there being forty-one persons at this time sent out of the country for that offence alone. This donation to the female convicts, for it is not given to males in the same predicament,—bas, I am informed, existed for a considerable time, and doubtless originated in worthy feelings, -to alleviate in some degree the distresses and want brought upon them by their prosecution. LANDING IN NEW SOUTH WALES. Four days elapsed before the wind became favourable for conveying the remaining women to Parramatta, a water passage of about twenty miles, where I took occasion to visit them at the Factory on the morning after their arrival. It would indeed be a difficult task to give an adequate notion of the miserable state in which I found them. They all collected around me, and for several minutes not one of them could utter a word; but their streaming eyes and deep sobs sufficiently expressed the state of their feelings. Some of them gave a shocking account of the manner in which the last night had been spent. On their arrival the preceding evening they had not got within the Factory before they were surrounded by hordes of idle fellows, convicts, who came provided with bottles of spirits some, and others with provisions, for the purpose of forming a banquet according to custom, which they assured themselves of enjoying without interruption, as a prelude to excesses which decency forbids to mention. They calculated, it seems, on this security, in consequence of a guilty understanding between themselves and the constables, whom they found little difficulty of reconciling to remissness on such an occasion. At first I was unwilling to credit the account which these women gave of this Several of those ill-fated creatures strange and disorderly visit of the con victs; but they soon convinced me by pointing out several of these half-naked half-starved, miserable-looking wretch es, who were still lurking around this receptacle of misery,—the well-known theatre of infamous excesses. Several of the women, whose dispositions had been particularly improved on the voyage, and who still retained a strong sense of propriety, exclaimed with tears of anguish, O God! Sir, we are all sent here to be destroyed." They declared it to be quite impossible to remain virtuous amidst the concentrated immorality, and the various forms in which temptation was presented to them. MORALS OF SYDNEY. It may at first view appear strange, but the fact is indisputable, that the public houses in Sydney, although fortunately reduced recently from sixtyseven to twenty-five, still evidently too numerous in proportion to the population, are as much frequented as almost any of those in the British metropolis. A notion of the customary run of those houses may be formed from the gains of the persons who keep them being sometimes so enormous, as to enable them to accumulate in about three years' time what they consider a fortune. How the persons frequenting those houses obtain money to purchase beer and spirits, both of the worst kind, at a price vastly beyond the London rates, is a matter of astonishment; yet so constant among the convicts is the habit of drinking, that one can scarcely pass through the streets of Sydney without meeting some of them in a state of intoxication. They are, it is true, under the watchfulness of a police said to be extremely active,― and in many respects this representation is correct; but the fact is as above stated; I have seen women in a state of inebriety too shocking to describe, and this occurring at almost every hour of the day. This account has reference to the respectable parts of the town of Sydney; but there are other divisions of that place which would be difficult of description. In those portions designated the Rocks, scenes of drunkenness, shameless debauchery, and open profligacy are so frequent and disgusting, that they cannot be seen without abhorrence; and such is the absolute want of common decency, that even in the day time a person of respectable appearance is there liable to be abused and MONTHLY MAG. No. 363. maltreated; but at night it would be extremely imprudent to attempt passing through even the extreme parts of this fortress of iniquity, as there is a hazard, or rather a certainty of being stripped and plundered. The 1uffians treat one another in the same manner; hence broils and boxing-matches are perpetually occurring in that quarter. The low public-houses, many of which are permitted in those purlieus, present a ready way of converting the plunder into means of intemperate jollity; whilst the occasion is commonly heightened by the presence of one or more of those degraded females, who minister to the mischief of the moment, and are thereabouts constantly resident in great numbers. TREATMENT OF CONVICTS. Having inspected the condition of the prisoners, and redressed their complaints, if any, His Excellency gives them all a salutary and solemn admonition. He assures them, that no application in their favour from home or elsewhere will be attended to, unless their own behaviour in the colony be correct; that they must now consider themselves in a new world, where their lives are, as it were, beginning; and that their future prosperity, or misery, will depend upon themselves. It occasionally happens that ill-fated individuals arrive in the colony, as convicts, who have been brought up as gentlemen, and in whose cases there may appear, perhaps, more of misfortune than moral delinquency: such persons are generally indulged by His Excellency with tickets of leave, and opportunities allowed them to do well, The number of persons, however, to whom tickets of leave are granted on their arrival, is by no means so great as has been represented. The convicts are now transferred to the care of the principal Superintendent, to whom all persons who want servants must apply. Some demur regarding the assignment of the individual for whom the application is made, not unfrequently occurs in this quarter. Persons of the first respectability, well informed regarding matters of this kind, have assured me, that the settlers have frequently complained of the difficulty they experienced in obtaining the acquiescence of the Superintendent of convicts to allow them servants of their own particular choice, and that there was under such circumstances, only one way of procuring what they desired. 4 M Having Having no personal knowledge of the manner in which this extraordinary agency is effected, I do not pledge my self for the correctness of the statement; but I am well aware that the difficulty complained of does exist. Every settler to whom a convict servant is assigned, is required, by authority of the local Government, to pay as wages ten pounds sterling per annum to a male, and seven pounds to a female, besides board and lodging. The male convicts not disposed of as servants, or by tickets of leave, are formed into gangs, which are stationed in different parts of the country in Government employ, such as making and repairing roads, and various other public works, and are maintained from the stores. Those employed at Sydney and its vicinity are lodged in a barrack, which has lately been erected, and is fitted for the accommodation of about eight hundred persons. There is another building of the same kind, at Emu Plains, but on a smaller scale, which want of time prevented me from visiting. The barrack at Sydney is spacious and lofty, erected in a healthy and appropriate situation; it is thoroughly ventilated, is kept exceedingly clean, and has many other advantages. Various means have been adopted to restrain the irregularities of convicts, and punishments of a summary kind are frequently inflicted. Of these, the most severe next to that of death is transportation to the Coal River, which is ordered usually by His Honour the Judge Advocate, or a Bench of Magistrates, for a term of years, or for life, as the enormity of the offence may require. Convicts dread this mode of punishment very much, because they are there compelled to work in chains from sun-rise till sun-set, and are subject also to other restrictions of a highly penal description. The rigour of this sentence is, however, frequently relaxed in degree, as the criminal shows signs of amendment; and in very few cases is it found necessary to subject any of the convicts to a repetition of that sentence. Punishment by flogging is sometimes resorted to, and the infliction, which may be ordered by any Magistrate on conviction, seldom exceeds twenty-five lashes, For females, it is considered sufficiently severe to confine them for a limited time to constant labour in the Factory at Parramatta: but enough has been said on that subject to satisfy VAN DIEMEN'S LAND: With a particular enumeration of the advantages which these Colonies offer for Emigration, a demonstration of their superiority in many respects over those possessed by the United States of America; and a word of advice to Emigrants. THE SECOND EDITION, Considerably enlarged, and embellished with a View of the Town of Sydney, and a Map. BY W. C. WENTWORTH, ESQ. A Native of the Colony. [This, in every respect, is a very superior book to the preceding. The author is a man of sense, and he conveys to his readers much valuable information without appealing to their passions or superstitious feelings. It is, in a word, the best account of these remote settlements that has appeared, and from his reports of the colony tens of thousands now starving in England would be happy in being transported to them if it were not under the ignominious name of convicts, with a liability to be preached at and manacled during the voyage. The new discoveries in the interior are faithfully described, and seem likely to call for changes in our maps of this vast region. The author's observations on the state and defects of the colonial government call for the early attention of both Houses of Parliament. ASPECT OF THE COUNTRY. If a judgment were formed of this island from the general aspect of the country bordering the sea, it would be pronounced one of the most barren spots on the face of the globe. Experience, however, has proved that such an opinion would be exactly the reverse of truth;, since, in as far as the interior has been explored, its general fertility amply compensates for the extreme sterility of the coast. The greater part of this country is covered with timber of a gigantic growth, |