in "the exercise of his supreme authority,"[1] to deviate in particular cases from the lines laid down by himself. He was supported in this belief by many colonists.[2] But he never made even an attempt to enforce rigidly the three years' residence in regard to tickets-of-leave. In the despatch of the 28th June, 1813, he wrote that they were frequently conferred immediately on the arrival of the convicts who had been "in the line of gentlemen" before their condemnation. Sometimes they were given very recklessly as in the following two cases. A convict was transported in 1815 for the second time. His sentence was a life one. Immediately he arrived at Sydney he was given a ticket-of-leave. He married the daughter of a publican, and with her dowry, and the proceeds of a tobacco investment he had been allowed to make on the voyage from England, he set up a licensed house in Sydney.[3] The other example is that of Lawrence Halloran who arrived in 1817. Macquarie was censured by the Colonial Office in 1820[4] for having granted him a remission of sentence. He explained that he had not done so, but had simply "exempted him from manual labour by giving him … a ticket-of-leave, which is revocable at the Governor's pleasure, or even by a single magistrate in case of an offence being proved against the holder. …" The man was advanced in years, had a short sentence of seven years, was "of liberal education," and so far as Macquarie knew there was nothing very serious against him.[5] Bigge, however, found out some curious facts about the matter.[6] Halloran had been known to the Governor's Secretary some years before as a schoolmaster at the Cape of Good Hope, and before he had entered on the career of blackmail and defamation against Earl Caledon and General Grey, the two successive Governors of that Colony, which had been the cause of his transportation. Not knowing of these facts, the Secretary had suggested to the Governor that
- ↑ See G.G.O., 24th March, 1814, in which he proposes to deviate from a rule laid down by himself as to the distribution of spirits. He uses the words quoted above in explanation of his action.
- ↑ e.g., Riley. See Evidence before C. on G., 1819.
- ↑ The licence was in his wife's name. He could not hold one, being {{SIC|stilf|still}] technically a prisoner. His behaviour seems to have been good on the whole, but he had not been transported for a second time merely to increase his fortune!
- ↑ D., 14th July, 1820. C.O., MS.
- ↑ D. 10, 2oth March, 1821. R.O., MS.
- ↑ Bigge Report., I., III., and Evidence in Appendix to Reports. R.O., MS.
