Page:History of Australia, Rusden 1897.djvu/513

The man whom he delighted to honour, and who was made a magistrate before Macquarie had been a fortnight in the colony, was, at the time, accused of conniving at frauds upon the government. The anomalies of the case were rendered more startling by the fact that (Feb. 1810) Macquarie notified his reprobation of immorality, and his intention to encourage only the decorous and moral. Yet from Jan. 1810, until his death, Bligh's ex-bailiff was an intimate associate with Macquarie. Bligh himself could hardly have recommended such conduct. When questioned at Johnston's trial in 1811 as to his conduct towards Thomson he swore: "When he had the impudence to address me on other subjects beside the little trust which was confided to him, I reprimanded him for it in the severest manner."

To be the companion of Thomson,^[1] and to wade through degradation in defence of his companionship, seemed to gratify Macquarie. Thomson died in 1810, and Macquarie indulged two passions by erecting a memorial, and declaring that by having made Thomson a magistrate he had "restored him to that rank in society which he had lost." But the vanity of the man led him to think that he could create a new world; and, having coined a foolish theory, he wore out his life in defending it when it had miserably failed, and he himself had become soured. Another emancipist whom he made a magistrate was notably immoral, and was induced to resign after many years at Macquarie's request. A few extracts from the Governor's despatches should be cited. He declared (April 1810) that he had taken upon himself to "adopt a new line of policy," and had admitted several of the convict class to his table. He told Lord Bathurst (1813) that "free people should consider they are coming to a convict country, and if they are too proud or too delicate in their feelings to associate with the population of the country they should consider it in time, and bend their course to some other country." He