to accept the contributions of individuals who were not prisoners. While some of these have been retained, others have been supplanted by subjects which are considered in better harmony with the spirit and design of the volume. While these changes have not affected the special character of this Work, they will, it is hoped, render it more interesting to the general reader. To Mr William Irwin, religious instructor of the Pestonjee Bomanjee, we take this opportunity of returning thanks for his cordial assistance in all our schemes, for his devotion to his duties, and for the talent and zeal which he bestowed on the Journal. Edinburgh, 9th March 1854. "The Valley of the Shadow of Death," The Autobiography of a Convict, The Falls of Clyde-a Retrospect, Law not Justice-A Prison Tale, INTRODUCTION. IN the spring of 1852, the Editor of this Work was appointed, by the Admiralty, Surgeon Superintendent of the "Pestonjee Bomanjee," a hired transport, destined to convey convicts from this country to Van Dieman's Land. Having embarked a pensioner guard, consisting of thirty men, with their wives and children, and 292 prisoners, collected partly at Woolwich, Portsmouth, Portland, and Plymouth, the vessel sailed for her destination on the 18th April with the whole on board, with the exception of one man, who, having received her Majesty's free pardon on the day preceding our departure, was discharged, thus reducing the compliment of convicts to 291. Each of these, with one exception, had earned, by correct behaviour, while undergoing probationary discipline, good characters, and were in consequence entitled to a ticket of leave. The conditions upon which this is granted, and its effects upon the prospects of the prisoner, are sufficiently explained in the following notice, which is, or was, placed in the cell of every individual received into a Government prison. "TICKETS OF LEAVE. "1. Rules and regulations for the maintenance of good order among ticket-of-leave holders are framed and pro A mulgated in the colony. The following are at present some of the principal conditions, but it must be distinctly understood that they are liable to be varied, as may be judged necessary and proper by the authorities of the spot. "2. A convict embarked from this country as a ticketof-leave holder will not pass out of the custody of the Government in the colony, until he shall be engaged for at least a year for service with some private employer, who shall be responsible for making a certain payment, as hereafter explained in paragraph 5. If suitable service cannot be obtained, the convicts will be employed by Government at wages, out of which they shall receive clothing and rations. A small proportion will be paid them in money, and the remainder credited towards the liquidation of the amount required to be paid to the Government. Until this amount is paid, a convict will only be entitled to a probationary ticket-of-leave; but the full privileges of a ticket-of-leave will be granted as soon as he shall have paid the sum required, provided his conduct has been in all respects satisfactory. "3. The ticket-of-leave holder is required to remain in a particular district, within which he may hire himself out for wages. This is usually in a country district, and he must not quit it without obtaining a pass from a magistrate; he must register his place of residence, and any change of it; he must be at his own dwelling from ten o'clock at night until day-break; and he must report himself at certain periods of the year at the police-office of his district. For some classes of offences he is liable to summary jurisdiction; and his ticket-of-leave. may be recalled for misconduct, in which case he will be subjected to penal labour. |