[Editor: This letter from a convict, sourced from an English newspaper, was republished in The Australian (Sydney, NSW), 7 November 1828. The convict describes New South Wales as “the devil’s own country … this most detestable, damnable, country”.]
Epistolary eloquence.
In turning over our files of English Newspapers, received by the Albion, the following unique sample of epistolary correspondence turned up. The Courier seems to have produced it in order to give strength to Mr. Horton’s opinion, as expressed in the House of Commons, that the Colony was not the George Barrington sort of Country commonly imagined. This specimen of epistoral eloquence the Courier introduces and shews up in the manner following:—
EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM N.S. WALES.
Sydney, November 12, 1827.
Dear Tom, — I cannot allow the Elizabeth to sail without addressing you a few lines, as I knew you will feel anxious to hear of the fate of several persons lately arrived in this Colony.
I shall begin first with myself. You will perceive by the date of this letter that I continue to hold my situation, such as it is, (15d. per day); but I have had such a drilling Tom — it is the devil’s own country; you know I am not one of the most desperate characters in the world, but what will you say when I tell you that there is scarcely a watch-house in the place but I have been in — twice on the tread-mill, 14 days each time — and four or five times in solitary confinement for different periods; in short it is almost impossible for a man to keep out of trouble.
Every day at the Prisoner’s Barracks there is a sort of Petty Court held, and flogging, tread-mill, ironing, solitary confinement, &c. are matters of course every day. The most trifling offence is a great crime.
I almost wish I had been hanged before I left the Euryalus. There’s no chance for a prisoner in this country now.
S—— and the rest of the scribes, were sent up the country. Dandy Fred. is still in Sydney, but bound to Bathurst. Bob G–—, and the Little Cooper, are in the Barracks here. They work in the Lumber-yard, are escorted out with the gangs in the morning, and back again at night; they have not a minute to work for themselves, except Saturday, which is the prisoner’s day.
Joe J——, who came out with me, has been more fortunate than anyone I know, he is now with his fourth master, and treated in every respect like a free man, with a good weekly salary.
I have heard from my father, and received a trunk of clothes and some money, but not at all adequate to my wants, however I must kick him for more.
I was quite surprised to see ———, the Clerk, come out here in the last ship, his head is not quite so big as when he went to his liberty, but he is withal in good health, and I think he will be retained in Sydney, as Barrack Clerk. He is the only one of his ship’s company at present here, all the rest are distributed about the country; and I may justly say, cursed indeed.
Sydney is bad enough, but by all accounts in the country, either under Government or with a settler, it is nothing short of refinement of human misery. Do let me hear from you, as I am anxious to know how you get on.
The situation of the boys in this country, I consider to be far better than the Euryalus; their general appearance is widely different — but the generality of the men, if possible, look ten times more wretched than they did at the hulk, in my opinion.
I shall conclude this hasty epistle, and have to observe, that after I have received a letter from you, and you have given me an address that I may make sure of your receiving my letters, I shall enter more fully to detail the horrors and the pleasures of this most detestable, damnable, country.
Believe me to be, dear Tom, your’s always.
Source:
The Australian (Sydney, NSW), 7 November 1828, p. 3
Editor’s notes:
This letter capitalizes various nouns (e.g. Clerk, Colony, Country, Government, Lumber-yard, Prisoner’s Barracks); in earlier times, this was the approved style of writing.
&c. = an alternative form of “etc.”: an abbreviation of “et cetera” (also spelt “etcetera”), a Latin term (“et” meaning “and”, “cetera” meaning “the rest”) which is translated as “and the rest (of such things)”, used in English to mean “and other similar things”, “other unspecified things of the same class”, “and so forth”
d. = a reference to a penny, or pennies (pence); the “d” was an abbreviation of “denarii”, e.g. as used in “L.S.D.” or “£sd” (pounds, shillings, and pence), which refers to coins used by the Romans, as per the Latin words “librae” (or “libra”), “solidi” (singular “solidus”), and “denarii” (singular “denarius”)
epistle = a letter; a lengthy written communication; a literary composition in the form or style of a letter (can also refer to one of the letters in the New Testament, e.g. Corinthians I and II, Ephesians, Galatians, Philippians, Romans I and II)
epistolary = of or relating to letters (written correspondence)
flogging = whipping; the act of using a flog (whip) to whip someone; beating with a stick, strap, whip, etc.
Fred. = an abbreviation of the name “Frederick”
gang = (in the context of convicts and prisons) a prison gang (a group of convicts used for manual labour)
House of Commons = (in the context of the UK) the lower house of the parliament of the United Kingdom
hulk = (in the context of convicts) a prison hulk, a ship which has been converted for use as a prison ship (being a ship which is no longer seaworthy or which has been decommissioned)
See: 1) Anna McKay, “Floating hell: the brutal history of prison hulks”, History Extra (BBC History Magazine website)
2) “Prison hulks”, State Library of Victoria
3) “List of British prison hulks”, Wikipedia
4) “Prison ship”, Wikipedia
ironing = put in irons (put in chains, which could involve having a heavy ball attached to the chains)
kick = ask, request (especially regarding money, e.g. ask to borrow some money, or to request a higher wage)
See: “kick v.1”, Green’s Dictionary of Slang [“2. to ask for, e.g. money, work, size, etc.”]
N.S. Wales = an abbreviation of New South Wales (a colony in Australia from 1788, then a state in 1901)
scribe = a clerk; a copyist; an author, journalist, writer
shew = an archaic spelling of “show”
situation = a position of employment, a job, a post, employment in a particular situation
tread-mill = a penal treadmill, a treadmill used for productive prison labour or purely as a type of punishment
See: “Penal treadmill”, Wikipedia
trifling = small, minor, petty, trivial, inconsequential, insignificant, something of little importance; something of little cost or little value
watch-house = (also spelt: watch house, watchhouse) a building with prison facilities, used to keep people under temporary or short-term arrest (e.g. a police station with prison facilities); a police station with a small prison attached
[Editor: The quoted letter, and its heading, have been put into a blockquote, so as to distinguish it from the rest of the text.]
[Editor: Changed “trunk of cloths” to “trunk of clothes”.]
[Editor: The original text has been separated into paragraphs.]
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