Page:Narrative of a Visit to the Australian Colonies.djvu/26

xvi the subject was brought before the meetings for discipline, of the Society of Friends, to which the writer and his Companion respectively belonged; and they received Certificates of the unity of these meetings with them, in regard to their proposed visit. As these certificates are introduced in Appendix. A. further notice on this point is unnecessary here.

A feeling of Christian interest, on behalf of a company of Pensioners, emigrating to Van Diemens Land, induced the writer and his friend, to make the voyage to that Colony, on board a vessel, in which a number of these people were passengers. In the Australian Colonies, J. Backhouse and G. W. Walker visited a large proportion of the country Settlers, in their own houses, holding religious meetings with such of them as they could collect, almost every evening, in the course of their journeys. These journeys were generally performed on foot; this mode of travelling being the most independent, and giving the easiest access to that part of the prisoner population, assigned to the Settlers, as servants. In towns, meetings were held for the promotion of religion and good morals, to which the Inhabitants were invited; and many visits of a religious character were paid to Penal Establishments. To avoid repetition, the particular notice of many of these visits and interviews, is omitted in the Narrative, generally when nothing occurred to inform or instruct, of a character different from what had been previously noticed.

For the purpose of conveying more distinct ideas on various subjects, than could be conveyed by words, three maps, with fifteen etchings, on steel, and several woodcuts have been introduced into this volume. The one, at page 158, was inadvertently entitled, by the engraver, "A Chain Gang going to work, near Sidney, New South Wales," instead of, "at Hobart Town, Van Diemens