Two Voyages to New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land

by Thomas Reid

In conformity with my instructions, I transmitted to the Navy Office a weekly return of the sick, and accompanied it with a statement of the plan adopted for the management of the convicts, together with observations on the good effects likely to result from having the duties of religion frequently and invariably performed. It could not be expected that the manners of confirmed reprobates, long established by habit, could be suddenly reformed. Such an alteration could only be expected from the combined effects of time and perseverance: of course, many instances occurred of departure from strict discipline, which, in some cases, were necessary to be restrained by putting on handcuffs, and sometimes by inflicting slight corporal punishment upon the juvenile offenders.

This occasional resorting to punishment was shown, chiefly with an intent to let them understand, that it would certainly be inflicted if any should be rash enough to provoke it. On one occasion a convict, named Samuel Marriott, was detected fighting with one of his messmates; which being contrary to the regulations, and his character being quarrelsome and insolent, he was punished with twelve lashes.

In order to extend the benefits of the system, if possible, to the guards and sailors, with a view to harmonize the minds of all on board, I read occasionally upon deck a sermon of Dr. Blair’s to the seamen and soldiers: encouraged by the attention they showed, I determined to persevere, and frequently on the same day read to them some religious discourse after having done so to the prisoners below. That these were not without good effects, seemed obvious from the reading of religious books on every occasion observable. In this manner the state of their moral improvement was attempted; the demeanour of every one of the convicts certainly became serious and thoughtful; and religious reading became every day more desirable and in use generally amongst them.

On the 16th December 1817, final orders having been received, the Neptune put to sea, and proceeded on her voyage. Some days afterwards I was desirous of ascertaining the state of the convicts’ feelings on the prospect of a long and lasting separation from home and kindred. Many of them were fathers of families, upon whom a deep concern for the fate of their offspring would naturally weigh heavily:—the younger delinquents, whose attachments must have been warm and lively, would also suffer much from the idea of their inevitable loss of many a tender tie; for even the most depraved cannot be divested of those feelings, which, in dispositions better regulated and guided by virtuous precept, constitute the happiness of social life. Even the infidel, whom unhappy waywardness has rendered unfit for Christian society, may have had some connexion to sweeten his cup of misery, and enlighten the gloom that shrouds his soul;—the dissipated felon, whose lightly-acquired wealth procured him many an hour of delusive jollity, must, at such a prospect, sigh after his idle and profligate companions:—all seemed to me likely to have their particular grounds of sorrow, grief, regret, or lamentation. On visiting them, with the intention of administering consolation to those whom I presumed to find distressed, to my very great surprise, and indeed pleasure, all seemed thoroughly reconciled to their situation, and almost to a man signified the satisfaction, and even pleasure, they felt at the idea of the voyage, removed from temptations and dangers of the worst kind, surrounded as they were with every comfort, and every want bountifully supplied.

I took this opportunity of reading to them an appropriate sermon, and never have I witnessed more respectful attention, correctness and regularity of conduct, than on that occasion. I remarked with much satisfaction the daily visible improvement which every individual appeared to make in morals and behaviour. Having adopted and put in effect the only means of reformation, I left its perfection to time and circumstances, watching their progress with the most anxious care. Of one point, however, I was always very mindful, never to fatigue their attention with tedious harangue, or sour their disposition by unnecessarily finding fault, or seeking out trivial or unnecessary causes for censure. I rather wished to encourage them always to have a good opinion of themselves; which, if not strictly deserved, at least urged them to attain it.

The next great object of my concern was to attend to the state of the junior convicts, who amounted to twenty-three, most of whom were mere boys, the whole of them being under twenty years of age, and some of them so young as thirteen. Whilst the elder convicts, to whom particularly the system applied, were receiving the benefit of religious instruction, it would appear cruel and highly censurable to withhold similar advantages from those unfortunate children. I therefore had them all mustered, and examined them individually, to ascertain if any of them could read: to my great surprise and disappointment, as has been already mentioned, not more than five out of the entire number were found possessed of that attainment, and but few of the others could distinguish the letters of the alphabet. This discovery, however, did not discourage my purpose; I immediately formed them into a school, under the care of a convict whose remarkable regard of good order at the time induced me to trust him, he accordingly superintended the school, and taught the boys regularly every day. To give as much vigour as possible to the work, I regularly attended, and taught lessons from 11 till 12 every day, encouraging them by all the means in my power to exert themselves, and vie with each other in application.

The deplorable neglect shown to the early state of the minds of those boys forcibly excited compassion. They never had had the slightest attention paid to their education; if they had been instructed in aught, it was in those infamous arts which brought them into their present situation. The profligate wretches who were the means of giving existence to those children, had their pursuits most likely directed to gain possession of other persons’ property unjustly, and had neither leisure nor inclination to attend to the cultivation of their youthful minds; but rather shrunk from the contrast they must have observed, if they were capable of so judging, between their children and themselves. They must then be sensible of their own miserable degradation in character, from their vicious mode of living, and would tremble with horror at the superiority of their offspring above themselves, had they been blessed with a virtuous education. To avoid even this tacit condemnation of their conduct, their little ones are generally neglected by their brutal father, or flung into the vortex of their unhappy mother’s vices and gross indulgences. Little can the grief of those unnatural parents avail, or excite sympathy, when their children, in imitation, perhaps, of their parents’ pernicious example, or probably instigated by their bidding, have committed those acts which bring them rapidly into disgrace and punishment.

However rude and unpromising the state of these miserable young creatures appeared, still a lingering hope was cherished of doing something for their good, and the business of the school was carried on without intermission. The result of the design far exceeded expectation. From the assiduous attention of the person appointed as schoolmaster, and my own constant attendance every day at noon, a strong emulation was excited amongst them. Although a few copies of the Bible and Testament formed the only medium of instruction I could command, yet, in a space of time incredibly short, I succeeded in having all the members of this little community not only able to read the Scriptures with tolerable facility, but also enjoyed the greater gratification of believing that their minds were impressed with the wholesome truths of the sacred volumes.

This improvement continued progressively to the end of the voyage; and at the time they were delivered over to the authority at Sydney, each of these boys could read the Bible fluently, and many of them in a superior manner, also evincing a familiar acquaintance with the principles of the Christian gospel. By this measure I had the sincere hope of leading these youthful votaries of vice into the paths of knowledge and happiness, enabling them to become hereafter useful to the community, by exhibiting in their conduct the good effects of religious education.

With regard to the progress of morality, meantime, among the senior sinners, I find in my journal the following memorandum; and as the record of those occurrences was written at the moment, under full and active impression, it may be allowed perfect credit for accuracy.