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
A premium of fifty pounds is held out to the Master for a faithful
discharge of his duty; and satisfactory vouchers for the correctness of
his conduct, and humane treatment of the prisoners while on board,
signed by the Governor of the colony, and the Surgeon Superintendent of
the ship, must be produced for that purpose. This part of his duty is
independent of his concerns as Commander, and the proper treatment of
his sailors, with which the Government have no right to interfere, save
as far as it relates to the state of discipline maintained on board, to
prevent mutiny, or improper conduct of the sailors, by which the
security and management of the prisoners may be endangered or
interrupted.
The following extract from the printed Instructions furnished by the
Navy Board to the Master, may serve to show the exactness required of
him in this respect. “For your guidance in the particular line of duty
allotted to the Surgeon of the Morley, we inclose a copy of our
Instructions to him, in order that you may regulate yourself
accordingly; and we refer you to the 24th article of those Instructions
against the prostitution of the female convicts in the vessel under your
command, which you are to consider as equally applying to yourself, and
of which we enjoin your strictest observance, both in your own conduct,
and in the exercise of your authority over all the persons under your
controul; and the like certificate from the Governor of New South Wales,
of your adherence to these directions, will be required before the
gratuity allowed on your return will be taken into consideration.”
The article in the Surgeon’s Instructions, to which the above has
reference, runs as follows: “In consequence of a communication from the
Secretary of State, relative to the state of prostitution in which it is
represented the female convicts, during the passage to New South Wales,
have been permitted to live with the officers and seamen of the ships in
which they were embarked, we desire that you will take the most
particular care to _prevent_ the prostitution of the female convicts who
may be embarked, as far as possible, and, independently of showing a
good example in this respect, that you will _not_, under any pretence
whatever, _suffer_ any officer or seaman to live with a woman on the
passage; and we inform you that instructions have been given by the
Secretary of State to the Governor of New South Wales, to examine
whether these directions have been fully complied with; and that to
enable you to receive your gratuity, it is necessary that you should
procure a certificate from His Excellency, as to the measures taken by
you to _enforce_ these regulations through the ship; when it will be
considered how far your conduct entitles you to such gratuity.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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