a paper which gives
evidence of the soundness of his views upon this subject, and indeed it
may be truly said, that with every question with which he had to deal he
always displayed the greatest judgment and keenness of insight.

It is as follows:--

"But there is another class of people that call for immediate
consideration. Since 1787 a number of persons have been
transported to this place from Bengal for various crimes of
which they have been found guilty.

The object of the punishment as far as it affects the parties
must be the reclaiming them from their bad habits, but I much
question whether the practice hitherto pursued has been
productive of that effect. This I apprehend to be, in a great
measure, in consequence of sufficient discrimination and
encouragement not having been shown in favour of those most
inclined to amendment, and perhaps to the want of a
discretionary power in the chief authority to remit a portion
of the punishment and disgrace which is at present the common
lot of all. It frequently happens that men of notoriously bad
conduct are liberated at the expiration of a limited period of
transportation, whilst others, whose general conduct is perhaps
unexceptional, are doomed to servitude till the end of their
lives.

As coercive measures are not likely to be attended with
success, I conceive that some advantage would arise from
affording inducements to good conduct by holding out the
prospect of again becoming useful members of society, and
freeing themselves from the disabilities under which they
labour. There are at present about 500 of these unfortunate
people. However just the original sentence may have been, the
crimes and characters of so numerous a body must necessarily be
very unequal, and it is desirable that some discrimination
should be exerted in favour of those who show the disposition
to redeem their character. I would suggest the propriety of the
chief authority being vested with a discretionary power of
freeing such men as conduct themselves well from the obligation
of service, and permitting them to settle in the place and
resume the privileges of citizenship. The prospect of
recovering their characters, of freeing themselves from their
present disabilities, and the privileges of employing their
industry for their own advantage would