100 THE NEW SOUTH WAXES COEPS. 1791 Evil of oonviot- recruiting. Phillip ueutmL Grose favoumble. Bengal authorities that permission to recruit the Indian army in the manner proposed could not be granted, as " it was conceived that the inconveniences of such a plan would more than counterbalance its advantages." But what tended more to the demoralisation of the Corps than the levies made from the Savoy or other English prisons was the practice which obtained in Grose's time of filling up vacancies by enlisting convicts who had served their time, and emancipating others to serve as soldiers. The question as to whether this was a proper way to maintain the strength of the garrison had been raised before Grose's arrival in the colony. In his despatch of 5th March, 1791, Phillip informed Grenville that three or four convicts had offered themselves as soldiers. He said nothing for or against the practice, but asked for instructions, remarking that although there had been " no very great impropriety in the conduct of any of those who say the time is expired for which they were sentenced, it is more than probable that they will become troublesome as their numbers increase.* This may have been intended as a hint that it would be advisable to put some of the convicts under the restraints of military dis- cipline; but Phillip did not venture to make any recom- mendation. * No objection, however, was raised to the en- listment of ex-convicts on the part of the British authori- ties, and Grose made a practice of recruiting the Corps from this source. In August, 1 793, thirty men were enrolled from the convict class. They had been selected because they were men of good character, and had formerly served in the Army.f While he was administering the government Grose went further, and emancipated convicts who had a part of their time to serve, on condition that they enlisted for life. In October, 1793, twenty-three convicts were so emancipated, of whom seven had been transported for life, and three for fourteen years. J Whether Grose acted on his
- HiBtorioal Beoorde, toI. i, part 2, p. 472.
t Collins, Tol. i, p. 304. J lb., p. 317.
