"
On the other hand, a convict, if ill-treated, may complain of his
master; and if he substantiate his charge the master is deprived of his
services; but for this purpose the convict must go before a bench,
sometimes a hundred miles distant, composed of magistrates, most of whom
are owners of convict labour. Legal redress is therefore rarely sought
for, and still more rarely obtained by the injured convict.
With regard to the general conduct of assigned agricultural labourers,
there was a considerable diversity of opinion. The evidence, however, of
Sir G. Arthur, appears to your Committee to be conclusive on this point,
with regard to which he wrote to the Secretary of State for the Colonies
in the following terms:
"You cannot, my Lord, have an idea of the vexations which accompany the
employment of convicts or of the vicissitudes attendant upon their
assignment. Their crimes and misconduct involve the settlers in daily
trouble, expense, and disappointment. The discipline and control of the
convicts in Van Diemen's Land is carried, perhaps, to a higher degree
than could have ever been contemplated.
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