For the Term of His Natural Life | Page 4

colonial days, should
bear your name upon its dedicatory page; but because the publication of
my book is due to your advice and encouragement.
The convict of fiction has been hitherto shown only at the beginning or
at the end of his career. Either his exile has been the mysterious end to
his misdeeds, or he has appeared upon the scene to claim interest by
reason of an equally unintelligible love of crime acquired during his
experience in a penal settlement. Charles Reade has drawn the interior
of a house of correction in England, and Victor Hugo has shown how a
French convict fares after the fulfilment of his sentence. But no
writer--so far as I am aware--has attempted to depict the dismal
condition of a felon during his term of transportation.
I have endeavoured in "His Natural Life" to set forth the working and
the results of an English system of transportation carefully considered
and carried out under official supervision; and to illustrate in the
manner best calculated, as I think, to attract general attention, the
inexpediency of again allowing offenders against the law to be herded

together in places remote from the wholesome influence of public
opinion, and to be submitted to a discipline which must necessarily
depend for its just administration upon the personal character and
temper of their gaolers.
Your critical faculty will doubtless find, in the construction and artistic
working of this book, many faults. I do not think, however, that you
will discover any exaggerations. Some of the events narrated are
doubtless tragic and terrible; but I hold it needful to my purpose to
record them, for they are events which have actually occurred, and
which, if the blunders which produced them be repeated, must
infallibly occur again. It is true that the British Government have
ceased to deport the criminals of England, but the method of
punishment, of which that deportation was a part, is still in existence.
Port Blair is a Port Arthur filled with Indian-men instead of
Englishmen; and, within the last year, France has established, at New
Caledonia, a penal settlement which will, in the natural course of things,
repeat in its annals the history of Macquarie Harbour and of Norfolk
Island.
With this brief preface I beg you to accept this work. I would that its
merits were equal either to your kindness or to my regard.
I am, My dear Sir Charles, Faithfully yours, MARCUS CLARKE
THE PUBLIC LIBRARY, MELBOURNE

CONTENTS

DEDICATION PROLOGUE

BOOK I.--THE SEA. 1827.
I. THE PRISON SHIP II. SARAH PURFOY III. THE MONOTONY

BREAKS IV. THE HOSPITAL V. THE BARRACOON VI. THE
FATE OF THE "HYDASPES" VII. TYPHUS FEVER VIII. A
DANGEROUS CRISIS IX. WOMAN'S WEAPONS X. EIGHT
BELLS XI. DISCOVERIES AND CONFESSIONS XII. A
NEWSPAPER PARAGRAPH
BOOK II.--MACQUARIE HARBOUR. 1833.
I. THE TOPOGRAPHY OF VAN DIEMEN'S LAND II. THE
SOLITARY OF "HELL'S GATES" III. A SOCIAL EVENING IV.
THE BOLTER V. SYLVIA VI. A LEAP IN THE DARK VII. THE
LAST OF MACQUARIE HARBOUR VIII. THE POWER OF THE
WILDERNESS IX. THE SEIZURE OF THE "OSPREY" X. JOHN
REX'S REVENGE XI. LEFT AT "HELL'S GATES" XII. "MR."
DAWES XIII. WHAT THE SEAWEED SUGGESTED XIV. A
WONDERFUL DAY'S WORK XV. THE CORACLE XVI. THE
WRITING ON THE SAND XVII. AT SEA
BOOK III.--PORT ARTHUR. 1838.
I. A LABOURER IN THE VINEYARD II. SARAH PURFOY'S
REQUEST III. THE STORY OF TWO BIRDS OF PREY IV. "THE
NOTORIOUS DAWES" V. MAURICE FRERE'S GOOD ANGEL VI.
MR. MEEKIN ADMINISTERS CONSOLATION VII. RUFUS
DAWES'S IDYLL VIII. AN ESCAPE IX. JOHN REX'S LETTER
HOME X. WHAT BECAME OF THE MUTINEERS OF THE
"OSPREY" XI. A RELIC OF MACQUARIE HARBOUR XII. AT
PORT ARTHUR XIII. THE COMMANDANT'S BUTLER XIV. MR.
NORTH'S INDISPOSITION XV. ONE HUNDRED LASHES XVI.
KICKING AGAINST THE PRICKS XVII. CAPTAIN AND MRS.
FRERE XVIII. IN THE HOSPITAL XIX. THE CONSOLATIONS OF
RELIGION XX. A NATURAL PENITENTIARY XXI. A VISIT OF
INSPECTION XXII. GATHERING IN THE THREADS XXIII
RUNNING THE GAUNTLET XXIV. IN THE NIGHT XXV. THE
FLIGHT XXVI. THE WORK OF THE SEA XXVII. THE VALLEY
OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH
BOOK IV.--NORFOLK ISLAND. 1846.

I. EXTRACTED FROM THE DIARY OF THE REV. JAMES
NORTH II. THE LOST HEIR III. EXTRACTED FROM THE DIARY
OF THE REV. JAMES NORTH IV. EXTRACTED FROM THE
DIARY OF THE REV. JAMES NORTH V. MR. RICHARD DEVINE
SURPRISED VI. IN WHICH THE CHAPLAIN IS TAKEN ILL VII.
BREAKING A MAN'S SPIRIT VIII. EXTRACTED FROM THE
DIARY OF THE REV. JAMES NORTH IX. THE LONGEST
STRAW X. A MEETING XI. EXTRACTED FROM THE DIARY OF
THE REV. JAMES NORTH XII. THE STRANGE BEHAVIOUR OF
MR. NORTH XIII. MR. NORTH SPEAKS XIV. GETTING READY
FOR SEA XV. THE DISCOVERY XVI. FIFTEEN HOURS XVII.
THE REDEMPTION XVIII. THE CYCLONE
EPILOGUE
APPENDIX

HIS NATURAL