George Hibbert_ convict-ship, in 1734. She had, about this time,
pleaded earnestly with Lord Melbourne, the Home Secretary, for the
appointment of matrons to these vessels. She records gratefully the
fact, that both his lordship and Mr. Spring Rice received her "in the
handsomest manner," giving her a most patient and appreciative hearing.
She succeeded at this time in obtaining a part of the boon which she
craved. Mrs. Saunders, the wife of a missionary returning to the colony,
was permitted by the Government to fill the office of matron to the
convicts. For this service, Government gave the lady a free passage.
There was double advantage in this, because, when by reason of
sea-sickness, Mrs. Saunders felt ill, Mr. Saunders occupied her place as
far as possible, and performed the duties of chaplain and school-master.
The Ladies' British Society, formed by Mrs. Fry, for the superintendence
of this and other good works relating to convicts and prisons, united in
promoting the appointment of this worthy couple, and were highly
gratified at the result of the experiment; as appears by extracts from
the books of the Convict Ship Committee. Finally, when the voyage was
ended, the Surgeon Superintendent gave good-conduct tickets to all whose
behavior had been satisfactory, and secured them engagements in
respectable situations. Better than all, there was a proper building
which ensured shelter, classification, and restraint. The horrors of the
outcast life, so vividly described by Mr. Marsden in his letter from
Paramatta, no longer existed. The work of these ladies, uphill though it
had been, was now bearing manifold fruit. And the results of this more
humane and rational system of treatment upon the future of the colonies
themselves could not but appear in time. There were on board this very
vessel, the _George Hibbert_, 150 female convicts, with forty-one
children; also nine free women, carrying with them twenty-three young
children, who were going out to their husbands who had been transported
previously. When it is remembered that these people were laying the
foundations of new colonies, and peopling them with their descendants,
it must be conceded that in her efforts to humanize and christianize
them, Mrs. Fry's far-reaching philanthropy became a great national
benefit. With modest thankfulness, she herself records, after an
interview with Queen Adelaide and some of the royal family, "Surely, the
result of our labors has hi