Page:Twenty years before the mast - Charles Erskine, 1896.djvu/118

 of many of the rum shops. It was a curious, but not an uncommon sight, to see a big, burly, thick-lipped negro,  black as a coal, walking on the street, arm in arm, with  a beautiful English lady, both neatly dressed. Although seeming to be rude, one could not help stopping and  staring at such sights and noticing the great contrast.

The convicts, on their arrival, were let out to contractors, and might be seen on the streets with iron chains attached to their ankles, and dragging after them,  or with large, heavy, iron shackles on their legs. The chain-gang was composed of a number of convicts, who  were chained together, two and two. These were driven in gangs aggregating from fifty to a hundred. The government was compelled to keep several regiments of soldiers and a large force of mounted police at this place  to keep the convicts in subjection. Many of them were hired out to the settlers, to work during their terms of  transportation, or until they were pardoned. Then a ticket of leave was granted them. Some of them went to work for themselves, others sought the bush and there  robbed and murdered all who came within their reach. The latter were called bushrangers or outlaws, and might be shot wherever found. Quite a number were hanged after our arrival in port. A very few became good citizens. One died recently who was worth a thousand pounds sterling.

I once heard a lecturer, who had spent several weeks in Australia, say that her cities were far ahead of Boston  in morals. It is not many years since complaint was made to the government against Governor McQuarrie. In reply to the complaint the governor stated that there