Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 2.djvu/341

 TJNBEB OIU3SE. 287 twenty convicts, sometimes only to those who were in his ^^^ own employment ; while Marsden asserts that ^' all, without exception, however infamous and abandoned, were allowed by those in authority to absent themselves from public worship, and to spend the Sabbath as their different passions and interests operated upon them." The latter relates a circumstance which shows that the convicts had express permission towork on Sundays if they chose. One Sunday, Desecration while he was conducting service at Sydney, he was *' much sabiMUii. interrupted by some of the prisoners breaking up ground near the church." When service was over he remonstrated • with the men, and threatened to have them locked up if they went on with work in the evening. No attention was paid to him, however, and work was continued in the evening. After the service had closed he applied to Johnson, who was a civil magistrate, to have the men taken into custody for '^ open violation of the Sabbath, and contempt of me as a clergyman and one of his Majesty's officers." On Johnson's order they were committed to prison, but their commitment Tolerated by was no sooner reported to the Lieutenant-Governor, Marsden says, than he sent the captain of the guard to know the cause, and, not satisfied with Marsden's explanation, ordered them to be liberated, and requested the clergyman not to interfere again with the internal government of the colony. Knowing that his superior had failed, and that the efforts he had made had rather aggravated the situation than improved it, the Assistant Chaplain probably came to the conclusion that inaction, so far as making representations to the chief authority was concerned, was the best policy. If these reports are to be relied upon, the social condition of the colony in Grose's time was lamentable in the extreme. The evil, of course, did not end there. The same system Grose's prevailed during lieutenant-Govemor Paterson's short SSSSDned term of office, and although, a radical change was made ^^^***™*"' after Hunter took command aa Governor in 1795, the evil consequences endured for many years*