Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 1.djvu/116

 18 TRANSPORTATION Owing, however, to the absence of statisfcics on the sub- ject, there are no very accurate means in the present day of Number ascertaining the extent to which transportation to America to America, was Carried during the period of one hundred and twenty years — say from 1650 to 1775 — ^in which it may be said to have flourished. According to an official estimate,* written in 1787, the average annual number transported during offlciai the seven years from 1769 to 1775 was about 1,100. If we take the average number at 1,000 throughout the whole period, the result would be a total of 120,000. That estimate is probably within the mark, because it takes no account of the large numbers who were sent out for political offences after the rebellions of 1685, 1715, and 1745. Nor does it take any account of the offenders who were allowed to transport themselves — a privilege frequently granted in the case of men arrested on suspicion but not brought to trial, as well as in cases of conviction. In any case, there- fore, it might be fairly assumed that while the total number of convicts of all classes transported to America could not have been less than 120,000, it was probably far larger. Dr. Lang mentions,* in his Transportation and Colonisa- liord tion, that according to an estimate which Lord Auckland cBtiniftte. caused to be prepared in connection with the work entitled Governor Phillip's Voyage, the average number of convicts annually sent out to America amounted to 2,000. His own Dr Ung's. Calculation is that the number did not exceed 500 annually, or a total of 50,000 altogether. But this estimate appears to be as much below the mark as Lord Auckland's seemed to him above it. The reticence of American writers on this subject renders it difficult to obtain any exact information with respect to President ^^' ^ curious iustauco of national sensitiveness may be seen in a statement made by Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence, who was Governor of Virginia from 1779 to 1781, Minister at the Court of France ♦ PoBt, pp. 461-2. Digitized by VjOOQIC Jefferson's