24 FEBRUARY 1849, Page 14

CONVICT COLONISTS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SPECTATOR.

London, 21st February 1849.

Sm—To the colonists of New South Wales, there is no measure of greater im- portance in respect of its moral advancement, and consequently of its general prosperity, than that of being kept henceforth free from the pollution induced by the transportation of criminals ; and hence it is that, having read your Political Summary of Saturday last, referring to Earl Grey's speech on the subject, 1 take the liberty of addressing you a few lines.

In the first place, I tender you the thanks of all my fellow colonists and myself, for the few lines indicative of censure on the proposed proceeding of send- ing out to New South Wales a portion of the British convicts.

It is not in a spirit of fairness that Earl Grey deems himself " justed " in re- sorting to this expedient; for he must well know that nothing was more averse to the general sense of the community at large, than was the resolution of the Le- gislative Council to which he referred; a resolution carried at the time by a very ex-parte statement as to the worse effects that would result to the colonists were the resolution to be negatived; but I may assert that the mover of the resolution, although long a popular idol, was on the verge of losing his election as a member of the Legislative Council for the town of Sydney, owing to the odium that at- tached to the proposal for assenting to the desire of Earl Grey that New South Wales should once more become the receptacle of convicts.

It was, to say the least, if not a base, an nnstatesmanlike desire of my Lord Grey; for here was a colony struggling for an improved rank in the scale of na- tions, anxious to throw off the scum that had been left after the outpouring on her shores of so much iniquity; and his Lordship should have done anything rather than repress so laudable an anxiety.

The colonial public met ; they deprecated the farther transportation of con- victs ; they passed resolutions condemnatory of such a proposal; and yet Earl Grey avers that he is "justified." I leave this statement in your hands; trust- ing that the press will not tacitly sanction untruth and injustice. If the proposed measure be carried as regards New South Wales, morality, amongst its lower orders, will soon again be at a discount. A COLONIST.