Among the last accounts from South Australia, there was a
letter written by a lady of calm observation and sound judgment, from which we are permitted to make an extract. Speaking of an article on Prison Discipline in a recent number of the Selmburgh Review, the writer observes—" The author's desire to send re- formed criminals here as well as to other colonies would not be opposed, if we had any confidence that the criminals would be reformed before they left England. The author thinks we should prefer reformed crimi- nals to the unkempt Irish' that are sent to us ; and I dare say we should. The shoals of unkempt Irish are a great burden to us, and colonists are by no means desirous to have them. The men, I think, do better than the women, and get work more easily ; but the girls and women have to be maintained at the expense of the public-600 single women are now at the depot. They are chiefly Irish, many of whom have been there for two or three months. No one will take, an Irish servant who can get an English one. They aro generally utterly regardless of truth, and their ignorance is greater than it is possible to imagine. We think it is a great hardship that 12,0001. of our land fund should have been expended in bringing these poor creatures here ; and because we have had this evil to bear, it is no reason that we should change it for another ; though really reformed criminals would by no means be other than welcome colonists ; and if men like Mr. Driver and Mr. Wright were to choose for us, we should be quite safe. Aamalloommn- nity like ours cannot absorb a large number of doubtful characters without injury. Australia is not without its temptations to wrongdoing. The moral tone of• society is lower—drunkenness is more common than in England, and our prison management is far behind what it ought to be. The flue- tuations to which colonies are liable are trying to the steady, and would be much more so to others. "Just now people coming out complain bitterly of having been misled. The accounts of abundance of work and good wages, that induced them to emigrate, they find are not borne out by the state of the colony ; and they think they cannot have been true at any time : whereas, had they oome a year ago, they would have thought the advantages held out had been under- stated; and if we get a good harvest this year, I trust they will see
the prosperity they expected. This would be a trying time for one not accustomed to adhere to honest courses under all circumstances."
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