Page:A colonial autocracy, New South Wales under Governor Macquarie, 1810-1821.djvu/132

 was the general custom for one publican to offer himself as security for another.

In 1820 there was a complete revolution. For some time Hannibal Macarthur and Judge-Advocate Wylde had been urging Macquarie to revert to the English system, and relegate the granting of licenses to the magistrates altogether. One abuse on which they laid great stress was the frequency with which retail shop-keepers and bakers were licensed to sell spirits, thus giving the greatest encouragement to their customers to stay in the shop drinking. Macquarie was ready to meet their wishes, and when the time drew near at which the licenses would be renewed, Wylde wrote a letter of reminder. So far, the concession proposed was "to leave to the magistrates convened for that purpose the discretion at least of recommending to your Excellency in the first instance such persons as would seem to them in full Bench most fit in respect of general character or otherwise to obtain such indulgence—even if the grant itself of the license, as in England, should not yet be wholly left with the Bench". The Governor replied that he intended to follow the old custom for one year more. His reason was that he intended greatly to reduce the number of licenses. Then having, as it were, put everything in order, he would "gladly leave the matter in the hands of the magistrates".

Shortly afterwards a difficulty arose through the decision of the chaplain at Sydney not to sign any of the memorials "on grounds not exactly relevant to the general competency of those persons to keep respectable houses of entertainment". The Governor made up his mind to cut the knot by referring "the several petitions to the knowledge and discretion of the Bench of Magistrates, only desiring that the whole numbers to be granted &hellip; shall not on any account exceed the number