Convicts discharged from the hulks, from 1792 to 1799, inclusive To be discharged from the hulks at Langston, chiefly in six years From Woolwich, chiefly within the same period 1383 678 317 Total 2378 In the same authentic documents, namely the Appendix (L. 1 and 2), page 103 of the 28th Report of the Select Committee on Finance, a Statement is given of the Expence which has been incurred by government," for or in respect of the conviction, confinement, and maintenance, of convicts, from the 1st January, 1775, to the year ending the 31st December, 1797," of which the following is an abstract : 03 ■ Jan. The contractors for the convicts at Woolwich and Langston harbour, as appears from documents laid before the house of commons, entered into an agreement with the lords of the treasury, obliging themselves, themselves, for the consideration of 15.3d. per day, being 221. 16s. 3d, a year for each convict, to provide, at their own cost or charge, one or more hulks, to keep the same in proper repair, to provide proper ship's companies for the safe custody of such convicts, and sufficient meat, drink, clothing, and medical assistance, for the convicts; as also to sustain all other charges, excepting the expence of the chaplain, coroner, and bounties to discharged convicts, obeying, at the same time, all the or ders of his majesty's principal secretary of state for the home department, respecting the convicts. A subsequent contract was made at 14d. which reduced the expence to 221, 1s. per man; and which is the allowance made to the present con tractors. The terms of these contracts appear to be as favourable to government as could reasonably be expected, under all circumstances; and it would appear that some advantages are reaped by the public, as the documents laid before the house of commons, in 1792 and 1798, shew that the labour performed by the convicts is productive in a certain degree. The following statements explain how their labour is valued : From *This expence, by an account laid before the house of commons, for one year, ending the 15th Feb, 1792, appears to be Expence of chaplain, coroner, and £. S. D. bounties for convicts, at Woolwich At Langston and Portsmouth harbours 221 17 4. 153 19 8 From the 1st of January, 1789, to the 1st of January, 1792, it ap pears that 653,432 days' work had been performed at Langston harbour, Portsmouth, and Woolwich Warren; which being estimated at çd. a day, is and From the 1st of January, 1789, to the 1st of January, 1792, it also appears that 260,440 days' work had been performed at the dockyard at Woolwich; which, being partly performed by artificers in a more productive species of labour, is estimated at is. a day Total value of convicts' labour in 3 years It appears, from the 28th Report of the Select Committee on Finance, Appendix, No. 7 and 8, That the work done by convicts confined on board the hulks in Langston harbour, during the year 1797, was performed by about 421 convicts upon a daily average; and computing the labour of each artificer at 191.8s. 9d per annum, and each labourer at 11.135.3d. it will amount to The work performed in the same year by about 250 convicts, con 5,997 18 3 From which is to be deducted, to make the amount correspond with the valuation made by the ordnance board 9,224 13 1,440 5 3 7,784 8 The work done by convicts, confined on board the Prudentia and Stanislaus hulks at Woolwich dock-yards and warren, performed by 359 convicts, rated at is. and Is. 2d. for labourers, and 1s. 5d. per day for artificers, is calculated to amount to Deduct allowances made and articles supplied by the board of ordnance 6,578 47 14,362 12 1,498 14 10 Total estimate of the value of the labour of convicts in 1797 12,863 17 8 Upon this last statement, the Select Committee on Finance, whose various elaborate Reports on the State of the Nation do them immortal honour as patriots and legislators, very justly observe, that t is extremely difficult to calculate the value of labour performed under such circumstances with any de glee |