"I have incidentally learned that such malpractices did exist among the men and women in some of the female transports, but I have not felt myself warranted in making any direct report of such circumstances until the present time, as no complaints were made to me thereon."
He suggested no remedy, though he expressed himself as eager to carry out any directions which his Lordship might give "in order to save the poor unprotected creatures from being involved in a profligacy during the passage which perhaps the natural inclinations of many of them might be averse to, but which, I have no doubt, when once forced upon them, will tend strongly to render them abandoned during their future lives".
With all his humanity Macquarie never displayed genuine interest or care for these women. He seemed to turn with loathing from the terrible subject. He knew his prohibitions were disregarded, but he made as few inquiries as possible, as though he feared to touch one abuse lest a thousand should show themselves.[1]
Bigge believed that the evil might be brought to an end by giving the master more control over his crew in this respect, and power to the New South Wales magistrates to punish them further, if necessary, by forfeiture of their wages, right of appeal being allowed to the Court of Vice-Admiralty at Sydney. This, however, would not have touched the evil when the master himself was implicated.
Macquarie was unsparing in hunting out the perpetrator of any crime against the male convicts, and no more awful example of the tragedy possible under the system of transportation could be found than that afforded by the case of the Chapman.
The arrival of this transport with Captain Drake in command from Ireland on the 26th July, 1817, was the signal for a remarkable outburst of feeling throughout the town of Sydney. The publication of the Gazette was delayed a little that news of the arrival might be inserted, for the shipping news was, of course,
- ↑ e.g., the state of the wool factory where the women worked at Parramatta was disgraceful. A new factory, which had been urgently required since 1815 (when the need was pointed out to Macquarie by Marsden), was built in 1819, but was little better than the former one. See Bigge's Report, I.
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