laconically answered : *'I decline furnishing the informa- tion which the Rev. Samuel Marsden has sought through you/* The confident Marsden resorted to the tribunal of the press. He pubHshed in London, ** An Answer to cer- tain cahimnies in the late Governor Macquarie's pamphlet, and the third edition of Mr. Wentworth's account of ^Australasia.* "^"^ He included in it a testimonial from repre- sentatives of the London Missionary Society, vindicating him from certain charges which Wentworth, on erroneous ^information, had made respecting Marsden' s conduct to- " mrds a Mr. Crook, connected with the Society. The charges were described as ** untrue and infamous. The charge made by Macquarie as to Marsden's severity was to be made the ground of serious occurrences during Bris- bane's government, and for that reason it was necessary to alhule to it. While Macquarie was intoxicated with vanity, and arro- gatiog to himself the power to flog a free Englishman without even a form of trial, his follies were not fully known in England. But the man Biake went thither to fihow liis stripes. Clvis Eomanus sum. **I am a poor labourer; but have you, gentlemen in England, no sym- pathy for my wrongs? Both in and out of Parliament men denounced the demoralizing policy of the Governor. Wilber force was no mean champion of Marsden. The fiery Brougham resented the invasion of liberty, which without a trial subjected free men to the lash. The lame defence of Mr. Goulburn was puffed aside. There could be no serious opposition to inquiry. General reasons would have demanded interference, but the outrage upon WiUiam Blake in 1816 must be deemed a prime cause of the appointment of Mr. J. T. Bigge to condtict an inquiry as to the government of New South Wales. Macquarie's friendship^ for the convicts was also borne in mind. Lord Castlereagh himselfj in moving for a Committee on the
- ^ London. J* Hatchani and 8on, Piccadilly. 1836.
" In hia letter to Lord Sidmouth, Macquarie wrote (1820) : If the free eettlera are not well diapoaed towards tke population of the country which they have selected . . . . aa the place of their abode^ they do not deserve a settlement here j and it appears to me a duty of the first magni- tude in every man*a office who aooLpts* of a civil a.^ipomU<ii. >^Sa <2iv^f:m^ , t>me here with the iuU d^i termination tii laoldm^ o'a^* evt-rg ^TL^ti'wra.^*
