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17 only by a process which exposed them to censure and punishment'.

In document Hobart town society, 1855-1895 (Page 125-130)

It was a situation which in its effects was not so very unlike

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the New Poor Law workhouse system. ' The humiliation of bondage was true, hut once humbled it could hurt no mores

The stage of rigid discipline being past, the convicts were not required to labour with

diligence, or suffer much restraint. They were now deemed fit for society, and it was merely the fault of their numbers that many were unemployed. They were permitted to roam about in search of casual employment - to spread

themselves over the country. They were allowed to expend the money they acquired in temporary service, and while any remained they were unwilling to accept an engagement. Thus they were fed and clothed and lightly worked: they were free from care, their time was running out,

and they were objects rather of envy than -,q commisseration.

l6

Letter to the London Agency Association, November

1848,

quoted by West, op.cit., Vol. I, p.293«

17- 18 19

Ibid.

Melville, History of Van Diemen's Land, p.236. West, op.cit., Vol. 2, p.310.

The w e l f a r e s e r v i c e s w e r e n o t r e s t r i c t e d t o c o n v i c t s ; 20 t i l l t h e y e a r 1 8 4 6 ’ f r e e men i n n e e d w er e a l s o s u p p l i e d , t h e n 21 t h e c u t t i n g o f c o s t s t u r n e d t h e n e e d y f r e e u p on t h e s t r e e t s , a n d t h e r e was s c o p e f o r p r i v a t e c h a r i t y f r o m t h e s e t t l e r s . P h i l a n t h r o p y d u r i n g t h e C o n v i c t P e r i o d O f f i c i a l a r r a n g e m e n t s f o r t h e o r d e r i n g o f l i v e s w e r e n e v e r c o m p r e h e n s i v e e n o u g h t o b a r o p p o r t u n i t y f o r i n d i v i d u a l a c t i o n t o w a r d s o c i a l w e l f a r e . A few e x a m p l e s w i l l i l l u s t r a t e t h e s i t u a t i o n . F ema le c o n v i c t s w e r e g e n e r a l l y e x p e c t e d t o be i n one o f t h r e e s i t u a t i o n s ; w o r k i n g on a s s i g n m e n t i n t h e c o u n t r y o r t h e t o wn ; r e s p e c t a b l y m a r r i e d a n d a s s i g n e d t o t h e i r h u s b a n d s ; o r , i f i n d e f a u l t , h e l d i n t h e F e m a l e F a c t o r y o r one o f t h e o t h e r i n s t i t u t i o n s . T h e i r c h i l d r e n , i f home l i f e was f o r some r e a s o n u n s a t i s f a c t o r y , s h o u l d h a v e b e e n t a u g h t m o r a l s a n d u s e f u l a c c o m p l i s h m e n t s i n t h e O r p ha n S c h o o l . F r e e - b o r n a n d f r e e - i m m i g r a n t women w e r e s u b j e c t t o t h e u s u a l l a ws o b t a i n i n g i n B r i t a i n . Y e t d u r i n g a l l t h e c o n v i c t p e r i o d t h e t y p e s o f c o n d i t i o n s c o n t r o l l i n g l i v e s w e r e s o c o n f u s e d , a n d so s l a c k l y a d m i n i s t e r e d , t h a t t h e e f f e c t was o f a mass o f women whose s t a t u s a n d c o n d i t i o n w e r e f r e q u e n t l y d i f f i c u l t t o

20

M e l v i l l e , A u s t r a l i a a n d P r i s o n D i s c i p l i n e , p . 2 9 6 ‘’" H f e s t , o p . c i t . , V o l . 1, p . 1 5 5 .

d e t e r m i n e , 'r ' w ho s e s a l v a t i o n was v e r y l a r g e l y l e f t t o s o r t i t s e l f o u t , e x c e p t w h e r e p a r t i c u l a r c o m p l a i n t s c o u l d be e s t a b l i s h e d a g a i n s t p a r t i c u l a r women. T h e r e was ample s c o p e f o r t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n o f i n s t i t u t i o n s f o r t h e s a v i n g o f f e m a l e s o u l s a n d t h e s e o p e r a t e d o f f a n d on f o r many y e a r s . A M a g d a l e n e Asylum o p e r a t e d b y a g r o u p o f P r o t e s t a n t l a y me n an d women, i n c l u d i n g t h e Q u a k e r , G . W . W a l k e r , a n d Mrs N i x o n , t h e 2 8 B i s h o p ’ s w i f e , c l o s e d i n d e b t i n 1 8 5 0 . I n s o l i c i t i n g f u n d s f o r a l a t e r P e n i t e n t ’ s Home i t was s a i d t h a t ’ T h e r e i s t o o much r e a s o n t o b e l i e v e t h a t t h e n u m b e r o f women i n t h i s c i t y 24 who l i v e by t h e wages o f s i n i s f e a r f u l l y l a r g e ’ a nd t h e f i r s t a n n u a l r e p o r t n o t e d t h a t ; . . . t h e e x i s t e n c e o f s u c h a n I n s t i t u t i o n i s a m a t t e r f o r t h a n k f u l n e s s i n a c o mmu ni t y l i k e t h a t a r o u n d u s , w h e r e t e m p t a t i o n s t o v i c e a r e so a b u n d a n t a nd s t r o n g a nd w h e r e . . . n o t a few u n h a p p y s u f f e r e r s a r e i n a v a r i e t y o f ways e x p e r i e n c i n g t h e d i r e f u l c o n s e q u e n c e s o f i m m o r a l a n d d e p r a v e d h a b i t s . . .

25

As a n o t h e r e x a m p l e o f c om mun it y n e e d s o v e r a n d a b o ve w h a t t h e a u t h o r i t i e s o f f e r e d t h e r e was a s h o r t - l i v e d H o b a r t Town G e n e r a l D i s p e n s a r y and Humane S o c i e t y f o r P r o v i d i n g M e d i c a l 22 C . T . , r e p o r t s o f c o u r t p r o c e e d i n g s , p a s s i m . The r e p o r t s o f t h e p e t t y c o u r t s n e v e r f a i l t o i n c l u d e s a l a c i o u s p a r t i c l e s o f g o s s i p a b o u t women o f d o u b t f u l i d e n t i f i c a t i o n , r e p u t e d l y f r e e women o r names i n a l i a s o f c o n v i c t women.

23 W a l k e r A X.

2 4T . C . C . , May I8 5 6. 2R

1 s t A n n u a l R e p o r t o f t h e Van D i e m e n ’ s Land Asylum f o r t h e P r o t e c t i o n o f D e s t i t u t e a n d U n f o r t u n a t e f e m a l e s , 1849*

Attendance, Medicine and other Aid for the Indigent Sick, free of Expense. The object of this was stated to be:

...to enable those whom Divine Providence has blessed with a charitable disposition and the means of

relieving the sick and the indigent, to fulfil that Christian duty in the most effectual and extensive ^ manner.

There was often great disparity between what was offered by the Imperial authorities and what was needed. The best example of this was the General Hospital, which was only nominally a general one, and both home nursing and St Mary's were attempts to provide services more suited to the nature of the community.

The inevitable crisis of arrangements resulting from

transference of responsibility did not show up until some years after I856 because the temporary situation of the gold years brought ample loose capital to cover the multitude of sins which

persisted, as always, in being committed.

Heed for Increased Charitable Action

One of the side effects of the agitation against British transportation and arbitrary government had been that it increased the stake that colonists felt in their new land. The independent colony of I856 became the future and the hope for most of its inhabitants. A majority of settlers began to

think of Van Diemen's Land society as their world, their responsibility, their chance of life happiness, rather than an island which they farmed or in which they made money. A similar outlook came more easily to the native born, increasing numbers of whom were reaching maturity.

English people of the early nineteenth century were brought up to a situation in which one part of the population dispensed

27

assistance to another. The English poor, by and large,

understood that their being kept alive was the responsibility of the more fortunate; whilst if the rich begrudged, they

28

seldom withheld their accustomed dues and duties." The English colonists in Van Diemen's Land were faced with a vastly

different situation. In Britain philanthropy was a mixture of Christian charity and habit. In the colony there was plenty of Christianity and many charitable people, but no habit of

responsibility. There was the opposite. The poor and needy of the colonial society were associated with the convict caste for whom colonists could accept no responsibility, yet they were at the same time excellent material on whom to practise

charitable duties.

& B. Webb, English Poor Law History : Part II The Last Hundred Years, Vol. TJ (London, 1929) pp«10,11.

pQ

° D . Owen, English Philanthropy I66O-I96O, (Harvard, 1964) p p .I64-I65•

Social workers had not been idle in Van Diemen’s Land; the suitability of the penal settlement for the rendering of philanthropy had been obvious to many. If one was to tackle iniquity, some seemed to have thought, why not seek it where

29

the system had collected it together? The celebrated tour of the Quakers, James Backhouse and George Washington Walker, had reached its high points in Hobart Town because of the city's peculiar iniquities. This, too, was part of the attraction which brought Walker back to dwell and work in Hobart Town.

There were plenty of societies in Hobart Town - societies which were local versions of those set up in London to deal with problems which seemed important in England.^ It was more difficult to get colonists to consider their own situations

and produce specific remedies. This problem is stated so clearly in a newspaper letter signed ’A Poor Man', that part of it is worth repeating;

...Sir, we have our Missionary Societies for the conversion of the heathen, our City Mission, our noble Bible Society, our Colonial Missionary Society, we have our Religious Tract Society, an Association for the conversion of the Jews to Christianity, we have our Christian Knowledge

2^T. Atkins, The Wanderings of a Clerical Ulysses, (London, 1859) p. 12 f.

j0J. Backhouse and C. Tylor, The Life and Labours of George

In document Hobart town society, 1855-1895 (Page 125-130)