§ LORD MONTEAGLEcalled the attention of Parliament to two important petitions which he hold in his hand, one signed by many thousands of the colonists of Van Diemen's Land, and the other by the inhabitants of Launceston in that island. The petitioners referred to a petition presented to that House in 1846, in which great complaints were made by the colonists of the enormous numbers of convicts transported to that colony. They stated that the value of land had depreciated in consequence, and that for the maintenance of the convicts a tax amounting to 20s. a head was imposed on each colonist. They also complained that the plan suggested for a new colony in North Australia for the reception of convicts had been abandoned; and that, as the burden of maintaining the convict establishments had been thrown upon them, they had to pay 30,000l. a year for the support of the gaols. They complained further, that all the expenses for criminal prosecutions were traceable to the convict population, inasmuch as out of 135 convictions, 131 were convictions against persons who were previously convicts. Moreover they complained that the power of employing these convicts on public works for the benefit of the colony had been refused them. They stated also that the introduction of this convict population into the island had had the effect of driving out of it the free colonists, and that in the course of a very few years 4,519 free colonists had felt themselves compelled to leave it. Their calculation was that since the year 1841 12,000 free emigrants had been forced to quit the island; and they insisted that the maintenance of the convicts produced 1073 within it all the evils arising from the maintenance of a pauper population. The petitioners prayed that the transportion of convicts to Van Diemen's Land may be abolished; that 12,000 free emigrants may be sent to that colony at the expense of the English Government; that their land fund may he restored, and for the adoption of certain other measures.
§ EARL GREYobserved, that he had but a word to say, which was, that the petition which his noble Friend had just presented was the same in substance with a petition presented in 1847, and that it referred to circumstances which did not exist at present. The petition referred to an interview which he had given to the agent of the petitioners "in September last;" but that interview took place in September, 1846; and the petition was, therefore, obviously of the date of September, 1847. Most of the grievances of which the peti-tioners then complained bad been removed since that time. 24,000l a year had been granted by Parliament in aid of the colony; the land fund had been restored to it, and the convicts had been employed in useful public works. He trusted that when he had laid before their Lordships the papers upon this subject—which he should do before the close of the Session—they would see that the system of task work which had been carried out under the instructions given to Sir W. Denison, had produced very beneficial effects in the colony. A party of convicts, who had been employed in the construction of a port at Hobart Town, had constructed a work which, valued at the ordinary contract prices, would have amounted to the payment of 4s. a day for each of the convicts so employed.
§ House adjourned to Monday next.