Two Voyages to New South Wales and Van Diemen's LandReid, Thomas
History
Two Voyages to New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land
Reid, Thomas
Exiles -- Australia -- New South Wales; Exiles -- Australia -- Tasmania
In the mean time the three sailors who had forced themselves on the
constable, and were conducted to prison, having been humanely
reprimanded by the Lieutenant Governor and sent back, came again on
board and went to work like the rest: the soldiers, however, were
ordered to remain on guard upon deck during the night. The sullen manner
in which the sailors returned to their duty convinced me that they
harboured evil designs, and from information received, I had been
previously assured that they had formed an intention of offering to me
serious personal injury; I have therefore determined to keep watch in
the prison as before, and in the most effective manner to repel their
aggressions.
Nothing can be more plainly demonstrative of the deplorable state of
insubordination existing among sailors in the merchant service, than the
occurrences of this day have proved; for, over such selfish and
ungrateful beings the master can exercise no authority whatever of a
coercive nature, whilst they, acting on an arbitrary code of regulations
formed among themselves, can insult him with impunity, the law allowing
him no redress. In this state of things the voyage must depend for its
comforts, security, and in some measure for its success, on their
capricious combinations.
_September_ 1st.—Last night passed away without further disturbance on
the part of the sailors, and the guard was this morning recalled. Having
to wait on the Lieutenant Governor, by appointment, in the forenoon, I
was obliged to anticipate my usual hour, and shortly after 9 A. M.
assembled the women in the prison, accompanied by the Reverend Mr.
Reddall and Captain Brown, to read to them the following farewell
address prepared for the occasion.
On many former occasions of this kind their behaviour demanded from me
the strongest approbation; but I must confess that on the present the
feeling evolved in the course of this duty was such as would be
creditable to any Christian assembly whatever. Their expressions of
grief and contrition for the errors which had placed them in their
present unhappy situation were poignant in the extreme, and would indeed
be difficult of description. The keen sense of virtue acquired by
fruitful repentance made them look down upon themselves as deeply
degraded by vice, and cast an additional gloom and disgrace over their
punishment. That hour I found indeed full reward for all the pains I had
taken in their improvement, because it showed me that, however frail and
erring some of them might still prove, the far greater number were
sensibly, and I would hope permanently, reformed.
FAREWELL ADMONITION.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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