CORRESPONDENCE RESPECTING EMIGRATION. 27 NEW SOUTH WALES. No. 1. NEW SOUTH WALES. Extract Despatch from Maj. Gen. Sir EXTRACT of a DESPATCH from Major- General Sir Richard Bourke to the Secretary of State for the Colonies; dated Government House, Sydney, ° saiav iSqV^' 8 May 1835. " " SINCE I had last the honour of addressing His Majesty's Government on the subject of emigration, the ship ' Duchess of Northumberland,' announced by Mr. Hay's letter of the 30th September, and by Mr. Secretary Spring Rice's Despatch, No. 35, of 1st November last, has arrived in Port Jackson with 226 female emigrants. I have directed the several payments required by these communications to be made to the commander of the Duchess of North- umberland, and into the military chest, from the colonial funds applicable to emigration. In conformity also to the instruction contained in Mr. Secretary Rice's Despatch, No. 27, of 10th September 1834, I have caused to be pre- pared the Report herewith transmitted, showing in what manner each of the females has disposed of herself on landing. With respect to the annual repeti- tion of this report, so as to follow up the future history of the emigrant, I beg leave to represent the impossibility of meeting the wishes of His Majesty's Government without a laborious and expensive scrutiny, which can never, I am persuaded, have been contemplated in giving the instructions. It would be necessary to appoint persons for the special purpose of tracing the emigrants in their various shifting engagements among the 35,000 persons who form the free population of this colony scattered over many hundreds of square miles. Their own voluntary statements might indeed be invited by public advertise- ment, but the parties likely to answer such a call would be equally disposed to communicate with their friends through private channels, whilst the deficiency of the return with respect to others, might add to the anxiety of their friends as to their fate, or excite unfounded suspicion of their conduct. On these grounds, I will venture to limit the return to the first engagements of the women, unless I receive your authority to incur the expense necessary for the preparation of the subsequent Reports. " In addition to the facts appearing from the Return herewith sent, I have the satisfaction of stating, with regard to the young women by the ' Duchess of Northumberland,' that they have been represented by the colonial treasurer, Mr. Riddell, ( who superintended their disposal, and whose opinion is confirmed by others who have had opportunities of observing them,) to be the most virtu- ous and best adapted for the colony that have hitherto arrived under similar circumstances. ' In consequence,' Mr. Riddell continues, ' the greatest care has been taken in selecting good situations for them. No publican has been allowed to hire one till after it has been explained to the girl about to be hired what sort of a place she was likely to be in, and I only know of one who hired with a publican after such a warning.' " Two of the women were the wives of soldiers, and four of them those of convicts. This I presume could not have been intended, and that some impo- sition must have been practised to obtain a passage for these persons. The former are the wives of soldiers of the 21st regiment, named Coin and Hartnan, stationed in Van Diemen's Land. The names and description of the latter will be found appended to the letter of the principal superintendent of convicts, of which a copy is transmitted ; and as great distress is often occa- sioned to the wives of convicts arriving here before the law allows of such in- dulgence to their husbands as will enable them to support a family, I trust that particular caution will be used by those who may hereafter superintend the selection of emigrants in the exclusion of women thus circumstanced, more especially as they may be brought out at the public expense as soon as is consistent with their own welfare, under regulations which have been long established. " I take this opportunity of entering upon other matters connected with female emigration, to which my attention is called by the despatch before re- ferred to, of the 10th September last, No. 27. Adverting to the communication from the London committee, therewith transmitted, dated the 12th September, 76. D 4 I beg