Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 1.djvu/212

 108 PHILLIP AND THE MILITARY. 178S-92 Not only had Phillip put on record his aversion to extreme measures in dealing with offenders, but he also indicated the course of action which he proposed to adopt for the purpose of ensuring order and good conduct among the people under his charge. In his despatches of the 9th July and 30th October, 1788, he speaks in feeling terms of The little " *^® little plan I had formed in the passage for the govern- P^*^ ment of these people," which he had been obliged to give up on account of the stubborn disinclination of Major Ross to " interfere with the convicts " — as he put it. The little plan which had suggested itself to Phillip's mind as a better means for maintaining order than the frequent use of the lash, or even the gallows, was simply that the officers should use their personal influence among the men for the purpose of encouraging them in well-doing, whenever an opportunity Moral miffht offer. The request he made of them soon after land- iufluence of. '-^ mi «» the miiitao". mg was as follows : — " That officers would, when they saw the convicts diligent, say a few words of encouragement to them; and that when they saw them idle, or met them straggling in the woods, they would threateif them with punishment." There was not much in this, as Phillip said, that '' would degrade either the officer or the gentleman "; but the officers, acting under the Major's inspiration, did not. look at it in that light. They were not concerned in pro- moting order and good conduct among the convicts. They were sent out on garrison duty; their official instructions were comprised in " a letter sent from the Admiralty to the Com- Digitized by Google