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
About 2 P. M. Mr. Brown, Governor of Newgate, came on board, and gave to
each of the women who came from that prison, half a crown, from what
fund I know not; and I am equally unacquainted with what motive, or for
what object, the donation was made. The effects produced by it, which
were almost instantaneously developed, would argue very unfavourably of
its consequences, as, almost the moment after that trifle was received,
general misunderstanding took place among them, and this was followed by
blows before I could interpose and put an end to the affray. The
termination of this disgraceful scene was effected only by confining the
combatants from each other, (two of them were sisters,) and allowing the
irritation to subside: afterwards representing how improper and
disgraceful their behaviour had been, they showed proofs of shame and
contrition, which I am inclined to hope will long secure me from the
pain of witnessing such another scene.
In the afternoon I collected the Monitors of all the messes, and
explained the line of conduct I expected them to follow during the
voyage, and admonished them to secure obedience from their respective
messes by showing themselves a good example; to each Monitor I then
delivered a Bible, Prayer Book, New Testament, and Psalter, for the use
of the mess to which each belonged.
7th.—This day passed in uninterrupted tranquillity, and the utmost
regard to good order was observable amongst the convicts. At 11 A. M. I
read a moral discourse to them, and addressed some pointed
animadversions on the occurrence of the preceding day, which affected
the whole of them most sensibly, and the offenders, with tears,
expressed their sincere compunction for the misconduct of which they had
been guilty, giving every assurance that the like should not again take
place.
8th.—At 10 A. M. I mustered all the children, and arranged them in
classes for the purpose of carrying into effect the intentions of the
Ladies’ Committee with respect to the formation of a school, for which
they had taken special care to provide a woman, one of the free
passengers, as a teacher; and had also furnished a very liberal
provision of juvenile books of every suitable description. Mrs. Pryor
visited this morning and distributed useful gifts among the prisoners,
and some also among the free passengers.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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