The Life and Experiences of an Ex-Convict in Port Macquarie — John Shaqi
The Life and Experiences of an Ex-Convict in Port MacquarieWoomera
History
The Life and Experiences of an Ex-Convict in Port Macquarie
Woomera
Penal colonies -- Australia -- New South Wales; Prisoners -- Australia -- New South Wales -- Biography; Woomera, 1817-1900
of my clothes, and after the barber came round and cut my hair so
close that it was only with difficulty I could catch hold of it, I was
washed from two tubs of water which stood close by. Then I was dressed
in a pair of knee breeches, stockings, shirt, and a pair of shoes so
large that I could have almost crossed the Atlantic in them, and a hat
capable of weathering the greatest hurricane that ever blew. Whilst
on board the hulk an old Jew paid several visits, for the purpose of
buying up all the ordinary clothes of the men, and no matter how new a
suit might be, it was either a matter of take half-a-crown for it or
throw it away. Fortunately, my best clothes were left behind, and I
lost nothing by this.
I remained on the hulk from Friday till Monday morning, and was then
transferred to what was known as the Bay Ship--the "Hoogly"--by means
of a cutter. There were 260 prisoners on board this ship altogether.
Before leaving the hulk, the irons worn in Australia were attached to
the legs, but these were removed on getting to sea. Men, however, were
branded all over--shirt, trousers, and everything else. The "Hoogly"
left Portsmouth harbour on the 28th July, 1834, and was 120 days coming
to Australia, and the passage on the whole was not unfavorable. Four
men, however, were flogged during the passage for misconduct. One of
those on board was transported for stealing articles from a Roman
Catholic Chapel, and he had by some means managed to get a quantity of
tobacco into his possession. One night whilst he was asleep some of the
others conspired to get this tobacco, and they put his big toe into the
bunghole of a cask. He used to sleep on the tobacco, and as soon as
he sat up to release his toe the tobacco was passed away through the
crowd, and that was the last he saw of it.
CHAPTER II.
ARRIVAL AT SYDNEY.
"Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows."
--SHAKESPEARE.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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