rendered them objects of admiration; and created discontent in
the minds of prisoners who were tied down to the more quiet labor of a
farm. Of eight men employed by Mr. Lord, a wealthy colonist, five
suffered death for various crimes.[175] Such persons lived remote from
the civilised community and the inspection of their employers: often
the channel of communication between the town receivers and country
thieves; nor this alone. The large herds wandering far beyond the limits
of the settled country, and without a recognised owner, suggested to the
discontented servant a resource, and led him to abscond where he could
subsist on the flesh of slaughtered spoil.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 167: From Barnes' and Lempriere's account: compared, they
differ in statistics; but Barnes copied his statements from the official
records at the Harbour.]

[Footnote 168: _Par. Pap._

Of 182 prisoners, 169 were sentenced in 1822 to 7,000 lashes; that is,
all were punished, except 13: and received each, upon an average, 400
lashes--inflicted with the severity unknown elsewhere.]

[Footnote 169: It has been suggested to the author, since the above was
in type, that the disclosures of this unfortunate being are not without
a moral, which may compensate for the disgust their perusal may
occasion. They are therefore given in a note, which the reader may pass
over:--

"The Rev. Mr. Connoly, who attended this unfortunate man, administering
to him the consolations of religion, addressed the crowd assembled
around the scaffold, a few minutes before the fatal drop was let to
fall, in words to the following effect: He commenced by stating that
Pearce, standing on the awful entrance into eternity on which he was
placed, was desirous to make the most public acknowledgment of his
guilt, in order to humble himself, as much as possible, in the sight of
God and man; that to prevent any embarrassment which might attend Pearce
in personally expressing himself, he had requested and directed him to
say, that he committed the murder of Cox, under the following
circumstances:--Having been arrested here, after his escape from
Macquarie Harbour, Pearce was sent back to that settlement, where the
deceased (Cox) and he were worked together in the same gang. Cox
constantly entreated him to run away with him from that settlement,
which he refused to do for a length of time. Cox having procured
fishhooks, a knife, and some burnt rag for tinder, he at last agreed