s had really been very light. It was
for this reason that Governor Macquarie and other high officials took
the position that they did in favor of the emancipists. They contended
that a man whose offense had been of a trivial sort, and who had shown
himself to be honest and industrious, ought to receive a helping hand,
instead of being placed under the ban."

"I quite agree with them," said Harry; "and I wonder that the free
settlers were so severe against them."

"But you must bear in mind," the doctor answered, "that the term
'convict' is always odious, no matter under what circumstances it may
have been obtained. It was not easy at all times for the free settlers
to make a distinction among emancipists, and so they came to a quick
conclusion by denouncing all. However, that state of society has all
passed away; convicts, emancipists, and free settlers of the first
quarter of this century are all dead and gone now, with, possibly, a few
exceptions. Time has healed the breach, and this subject is very little
talked of at the present day."

"How about the descendants of the early colonists?" Ned inquired. "Do
the sins of the fathers descend upon the children, or are they all
forgotten?"

"As to that," said the doctor, "I must give you a little explanation. It
is not considered polite in Australia to ask a man born in the country
who his father was, or how he happened to emigrate from England. That is
a subject that is ignored in polite society, and, in fact, in society of
all kinds. In political life, a man may abuse his opponent as much as he
pleases in all ways, except that should he venture in the anger of
debate to intimate that his opponent's father came to Australia as an
involuntary emigrant, he renders himself liable to heavy damages. I can
tell you of a case in point.

"A prominent official in the government of Victoria is known to be the
son of a man who was transported for catching a pheasant. It is an open
secret; in fact, one could hardly say that it was a secret at all, as
every man who has any knowledge of public life is well aware of it. Once
while this man was running for office, his opponent, in a fierce debate
before a public meeting, mentioned the circumstance, whereupon the other
brought suit, and was awarded damages to the extent of fifty thousand
dollars. It is probable that the unlucky defendant of the suit has been
more careful in the use of his tongue ever since.

"One of the convicts tha