§ SIR R. H. INGLISwished to ask his hon. Friend the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies a question, in opposition to a statement recently made in the House. Is it, or is it not, the case, that such was the excellent character with which a convict ship lately approached the coast of Australia, that, even before the convicts were landed, almost all were engaged in the employ of respectable settlers, who came on board for the purpose; and this, in the case of convicts, when two, if not more, emigrant ships were already alongside? He referred to the convicts on board the Hasheemy, under the care of that distinguished officer Dr. Browning, whom, though he did not know him, he delighted to name; who had already made seven voyages as surgeon superintendent of convicts to the Australian colonies, and whose Christian course of instruction and of discipline had been blessed in former instances as in this, so that he had been enabled to land large numbers of men, rendered useful, instead of noxious, to society, by God's blessing on his labours.
§ MR. HAWESsaid, that the accounts which had been received stated that one of these convict vessels arrived in Moreton Bay at the same time with (he believed) two or three emigrant ships, and that the convicts were all engaged at good wages before any of the free emigrants. Since then we had had accounts of another shipload of convicts arriving, and they had all been engaged also, and their conduct, so far as he knew, had been satisfactory.