Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 1.djvu/57

SKETCH, xlvii miglit be formed. The Committee did not express any opinion about Botany Bay or any other place ; but they were evidently in favour of a settlement being 'formed on the plan suggested by Banks. They observed in their report — That the plan of establishing a colony -or colonies of young convicts in some distant part of the globe, and in new discovered countries, where the climate is healthy and the means of support attainable, is equally agreeable to the dictates of ' humanity and sound policy, and might prove in the result advantageous both to navigation and commerce. But there was a diflSculty in the way which would require fresh legislation to remove. The existing laws on the subject of transportation applied only to the colonies and plantations in North America^ and the War of Independence — then at its height — ^had closed their ports to the convict ships. The Com- mittee therefore recommended — That it might be of public utility if the laws which now direct and authorize the transportation of certain convicts to his Majesty's colonies and plantations in North America, were made to authorize the same to any other part of the globe that may be found expedient.* The resolutions of the Committee were agreed to by the House, and it was thereupon ordered that leave should be given to bring ^ in a bill to explain and amend the laws relating to the transport- ation of offenders. The effect of the legislation subsequently adopted on that subject is stated at p. 449. Turning to page 428^ it will be seen that Matra quotes these resolutions of the Committee at the end of his sketch, connecting them with Sydney's remark to him about transportation to New South Wales ; from which it m^ be inferred that the Minister had directed his attention to the report, and that, having looked it up to ascertain its bearing on his proposals, he then added the concluding paragraphs for the purpose of pointing out the advantages offered by his scheme from that particular point of view. Perhaps he began to see, at the same time, that it was hopeless to talk about the American loyalists or any other free settlers. • lb., 814. Digitized by Google ,