ARRIVAL AT SYDNEY.
"Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows."
--SHAKESPEARE.
Notwithstanding the fact that the Settlement at Sydney was now nearly
50 years old, my impression on arriving there in the summer of 1834
was anything but a bright one, and by no means came up to my faintest
expectations. It was a scattered-looking place--a house here and a
terrace there, but miserable enough to my mind. After we had been in
Sydney harbour a few days, a number of officials came aboard the ship,
and, as if 'to the manner born,' took a list of the marks on the men,
who were stripped to the waist. One of them, in particular, had some
writing on his arm, and he was told that if it was not quickly removed,
he would get 50 lashes for it when he reached shore, so he took the
advice. We remained aboard ship till three days later, we were marched
ashore in line, four deep, a little after daylight, and taken to Hyde
Park Barracks. Here we got a beautiful breakfast, "hominy," in little
tubs. At 2 o'clock the same day we were called out to witness a
punishment. There were no "25's" there; all "50's" and "75's"--goodness
knows what the offenders had been doing. After this, it was possible
for any one of us to be called out and sent to a master. If a man had a
seven years' sentence, he had to serve four years with a master before
he got a "ticket-of-leave;" but if he happened to prove himself a
success at any particular vocation, he would never get his "ticket," as
the master for whom he was working would arrange with one of the other
servants to quarrel with the handy man, and he would be sent to the
lockup to be flogged, and get an addition to his sentence. If a man was
sentenced to 14 years, he had to serve 6 years with a master before he
got a "ticket." All the master had to give a servant in the year was 2
suits of clothes, 2 pairs of boots and a hat, also his food. The latter
was supposed to be either 3-1/2 lbs. of maizemeal and 7 lbs. of flour,
or 9 lbs. of beef for the week.