The different offences with which they had been charged, and for which they were sentenced, were less a criterion, perhaps, than a report of characters with which they came accompanied from the Hulks, whence they were shipped for transportation. Of these the following is a concise view, being an abstract of the Report then given. _Abstract View of Convicts as to Character._ Convicts. Bad character 34 Old offenders 17 Good 1 Very bad character 10 Orderly 43 Very orderly 2 Indifferent 4 An infidel 1 New prisoners not reported on, transported for life 24 New prisoners not reported on, transported for 14 years 10 Transported before 6 Second sentence, orderly 6 Belonging to a gang, bad 2 Old thief, orderly 1 Noted pickpockets, behaved well 5 Behaved very well, convicts for felony 4 ——— Total 170 ——— These were the materials on which a system of amendment was to be tried; and it must be confessed that when every circumstance was considered, the task could not but be deemed repugnant. A general character of violence and desperate daring had long been identified with the inmates of prisons; and here were presented crimes of a description not likely to remove such an unfavourable impression. The opinion universally prevailing for many years of the irreclaimable state of convicts, both male and female, rendered the superintendence of them on board the vessels which conveyed them to the colony, in every respect a heartless undertaking, if any thing like reform were had in contemplation. If at any time an experiment to that effect had been made, its failure only contributed to make a renewal of the attempt useless, or even mischievous; for the depraved, watchful of failure in the endeavours to restrain their bad passions, rarely abstain from enjoying it as a victory and converting it to wicked purposes.