Brokowski
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Page #19
🕑 Added 2022-09-15 22:04:55 +0000 UTCOne of the deeper ironies of convict transport was ultimately the impacts on health. While being shipped across the ocean could be fatal for all sorts of unfortunate reasons (particularly disease), quality of life and life expectancy actually increased for the average convict. Turns out not living in a shit coated London slum and working unregulated conditions 16 hours a day in a haze of industrial smoke is a good move for longevity. In fact, it was quite common that transportees from abroad actually gained weight (I may have mentioned this in earlier pages, forgive my repetition), having a steady ration, shelter and clean air provided for the first time in their lives. While our hero here may have developed a more refined pallet living among gentlemen, however briefly, rations of mutton stew and stale bread for many was a banquet.
Next page we can get into flash language, or, for reference if you play Dungeons and Dragons, the historical basis of thieves cant.
Comments
Brokowski
No sweat! It can be a bit weird reading it in fractures, but a little description on Page four: During this period of incarceration in Van Diemen's land (1839-1853) what was known as "probation" was taking place. It was in a way surprisingly progressive for the time, with men serving 7-14 year terms being sent to these more or less open settlements to undergo a mixture of education, religious instruction, and of course, hard labor. (life sentences were sent to more typical, and generally brutal prison institutions IE Port Arthur. ) You would work your way up a ladder of progressively lighter stages until receiving a ticket-of-leave and then a pardon. A belief in reformation was forming over simple punishment. (It should be noted Probation was created in response to the assignment system where convicts were essentially sent to land owners to work under them as their slaves more or less, which was perceived as too lenient, as some masters were nicer than others, or considerably crueler, and the British wanted uniformity in their system)
FuzzyLopunny
So forgive my ignorance are they is some type of jail or camp?
Hon3ybazzer
Yay! he's making friends!
