government labour and excluded a similar indulgence during the remainder of their sentence, which in a great measure" secured their good conduct. No magistrate could "inflict a severer corporal punishment than fifty lashes if the Governor is absent, or without his approbation." Of the women convicts, there were "many whom no punishment or kindness could reclaim." Among the most thoroughly abandoned were
"the London females and the greater part of those from Ireland. Among the comparatively few who came from the English counties many are well-behaved women, who soon after their arrival are selected and applied for by the industrious part of the inhabitants, with whom they either marry or cohabit, several being useful in domestic economy, rearing stock, and even in agriculture. The worst are those permitted to accompany their exiled husbands, and who are almost without exception receivers of stolen goods, or lead the most dissolute lives. . . . No more than 360 couple of every description are married in the colony, 170 having been united since 1800. It certainly would be desirable if marriage were more prevalent, as every encouragement is given for their entering into that state, but as the will of the individuals ought in this instance to be free, I cannot say that I approve of a proposed plan to lock all the females up who are not married until they are so fortunate as to obtain husbands."
"On arrival" precautions were taken. Females were placed in the manufactory at Parramatta under care of the resident magistrate. The well-behaved were encouraged to marry. If large numbers were locked up as proposed, instead of marriage being respected it would become a mere act of convenience to escape from imprisonment. As a set-off against the bad character given to the Irishwomen, it should be added that while the male convicts from London were described as vile, the great part of the Irish and men from the interior of England were industrious and persevering.
In all his plans for the benefit of his reprobate subjects the Governor was ably assisted by his wife. She was the life and soul of the management of the Female Orphan Asylum; and without her aid the superintendence of the "factory" (as the place which contained the convict women was called, because they worked there) would have been difficult even for King and the untiring Marsden.
One baneful curse hung upon the colony in the shape of the cloud which surrounded the children even of the free.
