Summary
Personal Information
Voyage
Transportation
William Collins was transported on the Thomas Arbuthnot, departing 6th Jan 1847 and arriving 4th May 1847 with 289 passengers.
Built 1841 at Aberdeen, Scotland. Wood ship of 621 Tons. Thomas Arbuthnot, 1847. “The Thomas Arbuthnot convict ship, Captain Thomson, sailed from Spithead this morning for Port Phillip, with a superior class of delinquents, officially called “exiles.” These are the first “exiles” sent to the above settlement, which the inhabitants of that respectable place are very wroth at, and have memorialised the Government on the subject. The most ingenious trades and professions are carried on, on board this ship; in fact, we believe, all trades in vogue have their representatives on board. The most ingenious affair, however, is a newspaper in manuscript, published every Saturday, having its foreign and domestic correspondence, advertisements, and, indeed, all the necessary accessories to an apparently well-conducted journal. The articles are well written and the arrangements well made. The name of this paper is the Citadel, and the conductors dub the captain of the ship ” the governor.” The Citadel having no opponents enjoys a large circulation. The editor is a man who has been of considerable note in the legitimate literary world; but all names and circumstances in connexion with their present position is strictly preserved secret with regard to these “exiles,” the greatest majority of whom are juvenile offenders from Millbank, Pentonville, and Parkhurst (Isle of Wight) prisons.”—Times, January 12. Published in the Launceston Examiner, 2 June 1847. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/36252218?searchTerm=Thomas Arbuthnot There was a lot of public criticism of the arrival of these “Exiles” in New South Wales, and of their treatment, by being offered training, etc, to the detriment of honest but poor labourers.
Thomas Arbuthnot (generic)References
| Primary Source | Australian Joint Copying Project. Microfilm Roll 92, Class and Piece Number HO11/15, Page Number 142 |
| Source Description | This record is one of the entries in the British convict transportation registers 1787-1867 database compiled by State Library of Queensland from British Home Office (HO) records which are available on microfilm as part of the Australian Joint Copying Pro |
| Original Source | Great Britain. Home Office |
| Compiled By | State Library of Queensland |
| Database Source | British convict transportation registers 1787-1867 database |
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Convict Notes
Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 8.0, 07 December 2022), September 1845, trial of SAMUEL SWAIN WILLIAM COLLINS (t18450915-1888). SAMUEL SWAIN, WILLIAM COLLINS, Theft > stealing from master, 15th September 1845. 1888. SAMUEL SWAIN and WILLIAM COLLINS were indicted for stealing, on the 27th of Aug., 2 table-cloths, value 5s.; 2 towels, 6d.; 2 pairs of salts, 5s.; 2 wine-glasses, 1s.; 2 mugs, 1s.; 2 other table-cloths, 5s.; 6 towels, 5s.; and 6 yards of ribbon, 5s.; the goods of Mary Miller, the mistress of Swain; and that Collins had been before convicted of felony; to which SWAIN pleaded GUILTY . Aged 17.— Confined Six Months. MARY MILLER . I am single. Swain was in my service—I have known him for the last eighteen months—I have seen Collins about the door—I saw the articles stated, safe on Monday—I did not miss them till the policeman brought them to me—these produced are mine. WILLIAM MILLERMAN . (policeman.) About five o'clock in the evening of the 2nd of Aug. I met the prisoners together in Rochester-row, a quarter of a mile from Mrs. Miller's—Collins ran away as soon as he saw me—Swain had a table-cloth and some towels under his arm, and Collins had the salts in his pocket—I gave Swain to a man to hold, and overtook Collins—he said Swain gave him the salts—I asked what he ran away for, if he was not guilty—he said he knew I should lock him up—I knew him before—I had never seen Swain. Collins's Defence. I live nearly opposite Mrs. Miller's; Swain asked me if I would come with him to Westminster on an errand; I said, yes; I waited for him in the Broadway; he had these things; I asked where he got them; he said he did not know; he gave me the salts to hold while he stopped; we were going home again to Mrs. Miller's. WILLIAM MILLERMAN . re-examined. I produce a certificate of Collins' conviction—(read—"Convicted 25th of March, 1845, of larceny, and confined three months")—he is the person. COLLINS GUILTY . Aged 17.— Transported for Seven Years. ------------------------------------------------------- Convict Exiles Index. William Collins, age 17, per Thomas Arbuthnot. Date of trial, 15/9/1845, at C.C.C., sentence, 10 years, Charge, Larceny. Remarks: The conduct of all these prisoners during their stay in Milbank Prison has been good; besides having learned to read and write well, they have made some progress in Arithmetic and all have been instructed in some useful trade.