continuance of the importation of goods by the transports was the restrictive nature of the Charter of the East India Company. According to its regulations no vessels of less than 250 tons could trade with New South Wales. The return freights were so small that under this restriction the incentive to private owners to send vessels to New South Wales was very weak, and the cost of freight thither exceedingly high. Thus the convict transports were a valuable channel of trade. But there would be no need of them if vessels of, say, 150 tons were permitted to trade with the Colony. According to Macquarie the transports and the ships belonging to Riley and Jones carried on the whole import trade, and Riley and Jones sold badly selected shipments at "griping extravagant prices". He was therefore very ready to comply with the memorial and removed the prohibition until further representations should have been made to the Secretary of State.[1] Thus the matter remained until 1820, when the restriction as to tonnage was removed by Act of Parliament.[2] There remained then no reason for the continuance of the indulgence, save Macquarie's desire to retain it. In 1820 Goulburn, the Under-Secretary of State, proposed that private ventures might be taken on board the convict transports on payment of the usual freight, and the Treasury were asked to make arrangements for carrying this out, not only in England but at the Cape and Rio Janeiro also.[3] Shipowners of course protested, but without success, and the trade continued to be carried on under these regulations.[4]
The eagerness which Macquarie showed throughout to permit this indulgence to masters and officers of transports was probably due to his great liking for all "discretionary" powers, a liking shared by every autocratic Governor. It was a tolerated illegality and therefore wholly dependent on his favour. His obstinacy had also been aroused by the attempt made by a colonist to seize two convict ships, the Tottenham and the
- ↑ G.G.O., 21st November, 1818.
- ↑ 59 Geo. III., c. 122. Passed in 1819 but came into force in 1820.
- ↑ Goulburn to Treasury, 20th March, 1820. C.O., MS.
- ↑ Jackson to C.O., 1st April, 1820. R.O., MS. There is no doubt that Macquarie greatly overrated the need of this trade. In 1820, between January and April, six private merchant vessels of tonnage from 370 to 500 sailed to New South Wales. See Jackson above.
