SETTLEMENT OF AUSTRALIA
History
Although Queen Elizabeth I of England introduced the notion of punishing criminals by sending them to another country as early as 1619, the term transportation seems to have come into vogue around 1680 during Charles II's reign. It was intended to be an alternative to execution and it became a formal concept in 1717 with George III's 'Transportation Act'. It was refined even more in 1767 when a 14 year sentence was added to it. At the time, judges could hand down a death sentence but could recommend mercy and if the King agreed, it could be commuted to transportation. Interestingly, it is said that in 1788 there were 160 crimes that were punishable by hanging in England. They included stealing sheep, cattle, clothes and goods worth £2 or more.
Convicts
Magwitch was a settled convict. By exploring the lives of Australian penal settlement convicts, one will better be able to understand Magwitch. Dickens portrays Magwitch as a convict that survived transportation, worked for an ex-convict, and gained unusual wealth. Magwitch lived the life of crime. His first honest deed was done for Pip. He obviously made his money through the money left by his master as well as his own hard work. Magwitch most likely would have been able to support Pip for the rest of Pip's life if he had not returned to the country he was banished from. The Australian penal colonies were the reason for Magwitch's wealth. Being sent to the colonies to serve his sentence and to never return showed that England did not deem Magwitch as able to be rehabilitated. Unfortunate for Magwitch was that he was rehabilitated and when he returned to see the boy he helped, he was sentenced to death. Dickens obviously portrays the Australian Penal colonies in a very positive way. The fact that Magwitch survived the many trials and tribulation of the colonies proves this. Magwitch most likely suffered as the colonists above did. Yet, Dickens portrays him as a successful and loving man in the end. It is obvious that Dickens was attempting to prove the theory of rehabilitation in the Australian penal colonies. Through Magwitch, the reader will assume that the colonies were the only reason for turning his life away from crime.
Ship Naming Patterns
One thing that confuses many researchers is the naming of the convict transports.
A system adopted by Charles Bateson is in common use today and makes provision
for the multiple voyages made by some ships, the use of different ships with
the same name, and the changing description of some ships after they underwent
a refit. The shipping lists on these pages describe when the ships were built
and where, their size and their type.
Shipping Routes
Another point of confusion that often arises with convict voyages is the route
they took. The convict shipping lists indicate if a ship travelled via other
ports. That was especially so in the early days when ships were smaller, took
longer and had to put in for supplies and repairs along the way. In later years,
after other Australian settlements had been established, the transports often
stopped at more than one destination to land convicts. From England the transports
may have stopped off at Gibraltar, a port in the West Indies, South America,
the Cape of Good Hope, and any one of the Australian penal settlements.
This page was made by David Goldman (com465goldman@yahoo.com)
Copyright (c) 2003 David Goldman. Comments and ideas welcome. (SIGN
MY DREAMBOOK!)
Last updated 6/18/2003
