PORTUGUESE CONVICTS. 439 and government ; and as soon as I am acquainted by your lord- 1786 ships with the names of the officers intended to command the commis- ship-of-war and the marine corps, I shall receive his Maiesty^s p^ons *"<* • ^^1 1 « .,,*.' . . , , . , •' instructions. further pleasure for preparing their commissions and such instruc- tions as may be requisite for their guidance. From the nature of the services they are to execute under Offloeratobe these instructions, entirely unconnected with maritime affairs, it Home S^ would be proper that they should be immediately subordinate to partment the direction of this office, and upon that ground it is his Majesty's pleasure that they should be directed, after their arrival at New South Wales, to follow such orders and directions as they may receive from his Majesty, through his Principal Secretary of State for this Department PORTUGUESE CONVICTS. " These were not the only colonists. Portugal had taken possession of Brazil, and meant to maintain it. * It was the system of the Portuguese Government to make its criminals of some use to the State, a wise system if wisely regulated : in that kingdom it obviously arose from the smaUness of its territory and lack of population to support its extensive plans of ambition. Hitherto convicts they had been degraded to the African frontier, and more recently jy* ^ to India also. In these situations they certainly served the State, indi», yet the service was not without heavy disadvantages. The usual offences which were thus punished were those of blood and violence, and the ferocious propensities which led to the commission of those crimes were not likely to be corrected by placing the offenders in situations where they might indulge them with impunity, and consider the indulgence as meritorious. This system was imme- diately extended to Brazil ; the first Europeans who were left *nd Bnaii. ashore there were two convicts. In Africa, as in India, the exile was sent to bear arms with his countrymen, who would not regard him as disgraced, because they were obliged to associate with him. To be degraded to Brazil waa a heavier punishment ; the chance of war would not enrich him there, and there was no possibility of returning home with honour for any signal service. They were in one point of view better disposed of, inasmuch as in new colonies ordinary men are of greater value than they can be else- where, but they became worse subjects. ' Always has this plague The plague persecuted Brazil and the other conquests of this kingdom,' says of theooio- Balthazar Tellez. Their numbers bore a greater proportion to the ^^ better settlers, and they were therefore more likely to be encouraged in iniquity than reformed by example — to communicate evil than to learn good." — Southey, History of Brazil, voL i, p. 31. 2 G Digitized by Google
