2050-J-CORR. BEFORE INVESTIGATION
JH CORRESPONDENCE CONCERNING ANN RUMSBY
JAMES HALL to ANN RUMSBY7
95 Pitt Street, Sydney. 2nd August, 1822.
Your Conduct, my Dear Girl, in having Successfully resisted all the attempts that have been made to seduce you, continue to excite my admiration, and it will keep you always in my remembrance; you have been astray, you have sinned before God and before Men; and you are now receiving the punishment of ignominious degradation, and are a slave to your offended Country. But this punishment, although severe, might be forgotten by You in the use of those unlawful pleasures, which your youth and beauty might obtain for you; but when these pleasures are ended and death has snatched you from this world, then would begin an everlasting punishment inflicted on you by an offended God; but this cannot happen to you, If you ask by daily prayers forgiveness of God through Jesus Christ, who died to save penitent sinners; take Courage, therefore my unfortunate Girl, persevere in your virtuous resolutions. but do not rely on your own Strength to resist sin; on the contrary, pray fervently to the Lord to assist you, and be assured He will send you help; you see how strangely I was thrown In your way to listen to your distressed Tale and to afford you relief. I no longer view you as a Convict, but as a friend; your Noble Soul scorns to be polluted; your mind has been faded, but there still remains some portion of that virtue, which was the delight of your poor Father and Mother. Cherish that virtue, let it alone warm your youthful heart; let religion be your study, read the Scriptures and books, I gave you, daily: banish all dishonest and lewd desires; let your mind be an emblem by a good life, of the charms which nature has bestowed on your person. Do not, my Dear Ann, suffer yourself to be the victim of any villain's filthy lust; avoid all temptations; but should you be in any danger, act like a really virtuous Girl and scream for help. Be assured, my unfortunate Girl, that virtue is always rewarded; neither your situation nor your poverty nor your former acts entitle any man to take a liberty of any indecent kind with your person. Fear God, and be honest and virtuous even in rage, for heaven may be your reward.
I have made known your unfortunate situation to a pious Minister, Mr. Marsden of Parramatta; If he send for you, tell him all- he has assured me, he will be your friend and will assist you; and, My Dear Girl, as you have claimed my protection, I will do all in my power to serve such a worthy Girl, and shall at all times be glad to see you; therefore next year, when you hear of my return to the Colony, write to me (whether you be married or not). I expect to sail in about Twelve Days. I now wish you to write me a Letter and repeat every word that you told me; do not conceal anything, but lay aside bashfulness and tell me all that has occurred in truth and sincerity and be assured your letter will be kept secret. Direct to me at my house, and take the letter yourself to Mr. Nash at the Inn, and ask him to send it to Sydney.
Go on to seek to know the Lord, and practice what you know, and ever rely, my dear Ann Rumsby, on the sincere good wishes and friendship of him who loves a virtuous Girl.
JAMES HALL
MEMORANDUM and AFFIDAVIT BY SURGEON HALL5.
Prepared for the Magistrates Court as evidence against Dr Douglass.
At noon, July 31st I accidentally called in company with Sir John Jamieson at the house of Dr Douglass, Magistrate and Superintendent of the Factory for females at Parramatta. He was not at home and we departed. We proceeded along the road and accidentally looking behind us, we saw a young woman running from Dr Douglass' house towards us. I recognized her to be Ann Rumsby a prisoner whom I had brought to the Colony. I had a conversation with her for a few minutes and was informed of the following particulars:- 'that Dr Douglass had taken her out of the factory a few weeks before, on pretence of placing her in the service of Mrs Field; that this lady wished to have her and she herself was desirous of going, being sure that, if she continued at Dr Douglass' it would be her ruin; that he would not let her go; that, after she had been a week at his house, he commenced familiarities with her and proceeded progressively to take liberties with her person on every occasion that he could do so without being seen by the other servants or his wife. That several times he had been rude, entering her bedroom and taking indecent liberties with her person whilst she was dressing herself. He had also on some occasions forced her down on a bed and then attempted to raise her clothes, and that in short he had been endeavouring to force her to comply with his wishes, and his object was to ruin her. That she had threatened him she would inform me of her situation, telling me that she was sure that I was her friend the only one she had in the Colony, and that she was sure I would see justice done her'. The young woman seemed much distressed in mind and concluded the conversation by declaring that, if she stopped at Dr Douglass's he would be her ruin. JAMES HALL Surgeon, Royal Navy
AFFIDAVIT BY SURGEON HALL
I, James Hall, Surgeon in the Royal Navy do voluntarily and Solemnly make Oath and Swear that the original letter, of which the within is a Copy, addressed to Ann Rumsby at Dr Douglass' at Parramatta was delivered by me to Sir John Jamison, Knight, for the purpose of being sent by his servant to Ann Rumsby; and, upon his request, permission was granted to him to Submit the said Letter to the perusal of the Rev'd Samuel Marsden, previous to the delivery of it to the said Ann Rumsby. And I do further swear that the Memorandum herein written is, in every particular and respect, a true and faithful recital of the several Matters and Circumstances therein referred to, as the same in truth and fact did actually occur.
JAMES HALL . Surgeon R.N.
Sworn at my Public Office, Sydney, New South Wales, this 12th day of August 1822.
Jno. WYLDE. Judge-Adv. N.S.W.
LETTER FROM JAMES HALL to REV'D SAMUEL MARSDEN8
Sydney, 14th August, 1822.
Sir,
When I made the communication to you on the 31st Ultimo respecting Ann Rumsby. the Female Prisoner who arrived In the Mary Ann Convict Ship (of which I was Surgeon Superintendent). I felt a strong impression on my mind that you would immediately take such steps as should procure for her an instant freedom from that diabolical situation in which she was then placed. In repeating to you the expressions which the unhappy young woman had used on the noon of that day, in detailing to me her pitiable narrative, your feelings were greatly excited; a picture was displayed to you that most assuredly delighted your Eyes, and stamped In your Memory figures that must he indelible; you. who have so long stood forth in this Colony as the Stern Champion of female Morals, saw a young woman, a Convict, a poor helpless Girl, nobly resisting the arts of seduction that were assaulting, and eluding all the snares that. had been warily laid to ensure her ruin. My astonishment was great, whilst I listened to the Girl's Statement and reflected on her poverty, on her situation as a prisoner, on the many advantages which a Compliance with the wishes of her Master seemed to hold forth, and Considered that his resentment might be excited to a height that would render her life very wretched. Pity for her sufferings rushed into my Breast, and I expressed In warm language my admiration of her Conduct. The Girl's behaviour, during the Six Months she was under My Charge, was very exemplary, and it much attracted my notice, because she is only nineteen Years of Age, possesses some beauty of person, and had once lived in a state of Infamy although never in open prostitution; such a reformation of morals, as now exhibited itself, I had earnestly endeavoured to establish among the Women Convicts, but never imagined that an instance would appear proving the permanency of the Change of Morals in any one of them freed from Coercion and exposed to the temptations of a vice which had once afforded them gratifications. This poor young prisoner, whilst struggling to resist the attempts of her Master to force her to Comply with his Wishes, feared to give alarm lest her Mistress might be rendered unhappy by the exposure of her Master's Conduct, but told him she would Inform Mr. Hall of her situation; and looking at me with her Eyes suffused by tears, she said she had no friend In the Colony but me, and she was sure I would see justice done to her. As the young woman thus claimed my protection. I considered myself imperiously called on to afford it her. But wishing at the same time to spare the feelings of her Master, I was desirous of freeing the young woman from her cruel situation and placing her in the Service of Judge Field's family, without exposing her Master to the ignominy that would fall on him by laying the particulars before His Excellency the Governor, and unveiling before the public Eye the moral turpitude of a magistrate, and more especially of the Superintendent of the female Factory and apparently vigilant guardian of their Morals. I become anxious to have the young woman removed quietly to the Judge's family, to which service it had been publicly said her master destined her when he took her several weeks before from the Factory to His House; but afterwards by his many and systematic endeavours to seduce her and withholding her from the Service to which she wished to go. It is reasonable to Infer that the Assignment. was only a pretence. It is to be remarked here that the girl reiterated her anxious desire to return to her friends at the expiration of her sentence. And declared she had no wish to marry in the Colony; you may remember that, in my Conversation with you, I stated my desire to be that you would take the young woman under your especial Notice, protect her, and get her sent to some decent Service. You heartily concurred in my views, and I placed firm reliance on your exertions being able effect an object so dear to the wishes of all Christians, the triumph of morality and virtue. You being a Magistrate, a father and Preacher of that religion, which inculcates the necessity of the purest morals, seemed to me to be the only person who should advocate this poor Girl's Cause and testify by your Conduct your own abhorrence of that immorality which you had long taught others to shew. Your mind seemed Anguished by the narrative I detailed, and you assured me that you would take care to have the Girl removed; having the praise-worthy Conduct of this poor Creature continually before me and her last words to me that, if she were not removed her master would be her ruin, having made a strong impression on my memory, wrote a Letter to her applauding her Conduct and endeavouring to strengthen her present virtuous feelings, which I requested my friend. Sir John Jamison, Knight, to shew to you that you might see What system I was endeavouring to fix in her mind and more particularly to enable you to obtain from the girl herself a repetition of the statement, which she had made to me: a Copy of that letter was taken by you and I now refer you to it; how shall I express the astonishment and indignation, which now assail me from the information that Ann Rumsby, the female Prisoner, is still at the same place, and that twelve Days ago the Banns of marriage were announced in your Church at Parramatta between this Young Woman and a Male Convict of the name of Bragge, who has Eleven Years of his sentence unexpired, a man whom she can only have known since she saw me a fortnight ago, and who is living under the authority and in the employ of her Master.
I now therefore beg leave to inform you that I shall wait on you tomorrow and request you. as Magistrate and Principal Chaplain of the Colony to send for the said Ann Rumsby, Prisoner of the Crown, and allow me in your presence to put some questions to her of a serious and highly Important nature. Which seem to be likely to lead to results that may be required to be laid before His Excellency the Governor and the Judge of the Colony, respecting the conduct of this Young Woman's Master, Doctor Douglass, Magistrate and Superintendent of the Female Factory.
I am, &c,.JAMES HALL
Surgeon. R.N. and late Surgeon Superintendent of the Mary Ann, Convict Transport
a true Copy: Samuel. Marsden, J.P.
LETTER FROM JAMES HALL to SIR THOMAS BRISBANE
Sydney, 16th August, 1822.
Sir,
I beg leave to acquaint Your Excellency that I was informed on the 31st ultimo by Ann Rumsby, a female convict, who came to the Colony under my Charge, that her Master, Dr Douglass, Superintendent of the Factory for Females and a Magistrate of this Colony, had made attempts to seduce her; that he would not send or discharge her to the family of Mrs Field, which he had told her was the service he intended for her, when he took her from the Factory; after detailing to me a variety of particulars proving the Systematic plan he was practising to force her to comply with his wishes, she concluded by supplicating me, as her only friend in the Colony, to have her removed from his house, as 'she was sure he would be her ruin'. In Consequence of this information, and the unhappy woman having thrown herself on my protection, I took immediate measures to procure her quiet removal, but failed. I soon after received information from her that I was not to let a syllable transpire of what she had told me, as Dr Douglass was on the point of doing something handsome by her. I next heard that a marriage had been hastily planned by Douglass under circumstances so suspicious as induced me enquire into them: after this, I find them so strong against Dr Douglass, that I went to Parramatta yesterday to prefer charges against him before the Bench of Magistrates. He was informed of the matter, and it was arranged that it should be investigated to-day. I attended the Court in the morning, when it was ascertained that he had, to the astonishment of the Magistrates, eluded the investigation; and the paper, which I enclose, was in consequence given me. Being determined, Sir, to unfold the very suspicions Conduct of Dr. Douglass and procure Legal Justice, I returned to Sydney and laid the matter before the Superintendent of Police and Magistrate, when I had the mortification to find myself again foiled as the Magistrate told me that the young woman was in the hands of another Magistrate, Major Goulburn, Colonial Secretary. Having thus very frankly unfolded to Your Excellency a few of the principal facts of this highly important matter, I have no doubt but your Excellency will cause an investigation, in the most legal and proper manner, to be made into the Conduct of Dr. Douglass, and hope, Sir, that you will instantly cause the female Convict, Ann Rumsby, to be removed from all power and influence, which he now has over her in his Capacity of Magistrate and Superintendent of the females at Parramatta, as I have too much reason to fear that she may be induced to perjure herself from the dread of superior power and resentment.
I am, &c,
JAMES HALL Surgeon. R.N. and late Surgeon Superintendent of the Mary Ann, Convict Transport
a true Copy: Samuel. Marsden, J.P.