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Rh ditto; James Gumm (Arab), ditto; William Gould (Arab), ditto."

A little explanation may here be necessary. The men attached to Mr. Batman's party were convicts. As such, they were supposed dead to the law, holding no property, constantly amenable to punishment, and subject to removal at any time to any place. If placed in service, they were to all intents and purposes slaves to their masters, who could get them flogged for disobedience or negligence, and to whose engagement they were bound for a fixed period. I have had both male and female assigned servants in Tasmania, who were not permitted to be off my premises after sundown without my written pass, to show any constable who may have stopped them. According to the length of sentence, so was the period of colonial bondage. If the party behaved well, a Ticket-of-Leave was granted. This gave a status of freedom. The man was free of engagement to a master—could, within a certain limited district, seek for employment, making his own bargain—could own property, be sued or sue, and be at liberty to marry. Although a man could not take a wife till possessed of a ticket, a prisoner woman might be married, having especial licence from the authorities. At any moment the ticket man was liable to have his privilege removed, should he be found out of bounds, drunk, disorderly, away from periodical muster, or transgressing one of the many police regulations. But once favoured with a Conditional Pardon, all restraints were removed, and he was practically a free man in the colony. He could live in any district he pleased, or reside in another colony, but never proceed to Great Britain and Ireland. A Free Pardon only allowed of return to the mother country. A lad whom I took from the ship as my servant had been transported for robbing his master at home. He proved a worthy fellow, and I was able successively to procure his ticket-of-leave, conditional pardon, and free pardon; and then he returned to his mother in England. Against the name, for instance, of James Gumm the word Arab is in brackets. This was the name of the convict-ship by which he arrived. All persons were recognised in the police records by their name and ship.

Mr. Batman was not indifferent to the reward of his Sydney guides. Ten pounds were presented to each. But at the end of the first year, he recommended that Pigeon and Crook should