Page:A colonial autocracy, New South Wales under Governor Macquarie, 1810-1821.djvu/313

 the age of eighteen he had been sentenced to death for complicity in the mutiny at the Nore. His complicity had been proved by his being overheard in urging the mutineers to greater unity among themselves. On account of his youth his sentence had been commuted to transportation for life, and after being some years in the Colony he had received a free pardon and in 1812 a commission of assistant surgeon, a post which he occupied until 1819.

Wentworth, the principal surgeon, retired in 1818, and Macquarie assisted Redfern in bringing to bear as much influence as possible upon the Colonial Office in order to secure for him the higher post. To Macquarie's surprise, Lord Bathurst passed over Redfern in silence and appointed Dr. Bowman, a skilful naval surgeon who had been a remarkably successful superintendent of transports. Redfern, indignant at being thus overlooked, resigned his position of assistant, and Macquarie promised to appoint him to the magistracy, apparently in compensation for his disappointment. Bigge urged the Governor not to take such a step, pointing out that the Secretary of State had already expressed disapproval of such a policy, and that by doing so Macquarie would be giving to Redfern a higher rank than that to which Lord Bathurst had tacitly declined to raise him. Macquarie submitted reluctantly to Bigge's authority though not to his arguments, but two days later changed his mind. Bigge wrote indignantly to ask the reason, and Macquarie replied, &hellip; "I was and am fully bent on according with you in every measure you can suggest, however different from my previous opinions and conduct &hellip; providing the alterations you propose are calculated in my mind, after the most mature consideration of the subject, to promise that advantage which I am well aware it is your intention they should. &hellip; I am willing to make every reasonable sacrifice of my own feelings to the wishes and views of His Royal Highness the Prince Regent, and His Majesty's Ministers—but I feel that I should be no longer worthy of the situation I hold in this Colony, were I to make so complete an abandonment of my authority, honour and principle, as to cancel an appointment