{ "viewingDirection": "left-to-right", "metadata": [ { "label": "Physical Location", "value": "Cambridge University Library: Royal Commonwealth Society Library" }, { "label": "Extent", "value": "1 roll; good condition; manuscript." }, { "label": "Funding", "value": "" }, { "label": "Abstract", "value": "
This roll documents one of the most dramatic political protests in the early history of Cape Colony, instigated by proposals to transport convicts there in 1847. As part of a reform of the British penal transportation system, convicts nearing the end of their sentences, \u2018ticket of leave men,\u2019 would be sent to complete their terms working in the colonies, and thereafter be free to settle or return to the United Kingdom. Secretary of State for the Colonies, Earl Grey, considered that the additional labour force might be welcome in Cape Colony and wrote to its governor, Sir Harry Smith, in 1848, broaching the idea and asking him to sound out opinion. Local reaction was vehemently opposed and Smith forwarded petitions rejecting the proposal, but unfortunately Grey went ahead without waiting, and on 4 Sept., the Cape was selected to receive ticket of leave men. On 8 Feb. 1849, the Neptune<\/i> sailed for Bermuda to land three hundred convicts and collect about the same number for transportation to the Cape.<\/p>
On 21 March, the \u2018Commercial Advertizer\u2019 of Cape Town published news of the Neptune<\/i>\u2019s mission, a fact soon after confirmed by Smith, who had received dispatches with details of the new scheme. This incited a second wave of violent reaction against transportation, stimulated by anger that the colony\u2019s original opposition apparently had been ignored. The newspaper\u2019s editor, John Fairburn, suggested that a strongly worded petition be drafted and placed in the Commercial Exchange for signature, and this is the roll preserved by the RCS, signed by 450 people. An Anti-Convict Association was formed, which coordinated a sustained campaign of political opposition, encouraging the imperial authorities to abandon plans to transport convicts to the Cape, and the Neptune<\/i> eventually was sent to Van Diemen\u2019s Land in early 1850.<\/p>" }, { "label": "Date of Creation", "value": "1849" }, { "label": "Title", "value": "Cape Town anti-convict petition" }, { "label": "Author(s) of the Record", "value": "CUL" }, { "label": "Classmark", "value": "RCMS 196" } ], "@type": "sc:Manifest", "attribution": "Provided by Cambridge University Library. Images are in copyright. All rights reserved. Images made available for download are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License (CC BY-NC 3.0). This metadata is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.", "structures": [{ "canvases": ["https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/iiif/MS-RCMS-00196/canvas/1"], "@type": "sc:Range", "@id": "https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/iiif/MS-RCMS-00196/range/DOCUMENT", "label": "Cape Town anti-convict petition" }], "description": "
This roll documents one of the most dramatic political protests in the early history of Cape Colony, instigated by proposals to transport convicts there in 1847. As part of a reform of the British penal transportation system, convicts nearing the end of their sentences, \u2018ticket of leave men,\u2019 would be sent to complete their terms working in the colonies, and thereafter be free to settle or return to the United Kingdom. Secretary of State for the Colonies, Earl Grey, considered that the additional labour force might be welcome in Cape Colony and wrote to its governor, Sir Harry Smith, in 1848, broaching the idea and asking him to sound out opinion. Local reaction was vehemently opposed and Smith forwarded petitions rejecting the proposal, but unfortunately Grey went ahead without waiting, and on 4 Sept., the Cape was selected to receive ticket of leave men. On 8 Feb. 1849, the Neptune<\/i> sailed for Bermuda to land three hundred convicts and collect about the same number for transportation to the Cape.<\/p>
On 21 March, the \u2018Commercial Advertizer\u2019 of Cape Town published news of the Neptune<\/i>\u2019s mission, a fact soon after confirmed by Smith, who had received dispatches with details of the new scheme. This incited a second wave of violent reaction against transportation, stimulated by anger that the colony\u2019s original opposition apparently had been ignored. The newspaper\u2019s editor, John Fairburn, suggested that a strongly worded petition be drafted and placed in the Commercial Exchange for signature, and this is the roll preserved by the RCS, signed by 450 people. An Anti-Convict Association was formed, which coordinated a sustained campaign of political opposition, encouraging the imperial authorities to abandon plans to transport convicts to the Cape, and the Neptune<\/i> eventually was sent to Van Diemen\u2019s Land in early 1850.<\/p>", "logo": "https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/themeui/theme/images/logo.svg", "@id": "https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/iiif/MS-RCMS-00196", "label": "Cape Town anti-convict petition (RCMS 196)", "sequences": [{ "canvases": [{ "images": [{ "resource": { "@type": "dctypes:Image", "service": { "profile": "http://iiif.io/api/image/2/level1.json", "@id": "https://images.lib.cam.ac.uk/iiif/MS-RCMS-00196-000-00001.jp2", "@context": "http://iiif.io/api/image/2/context.json" }, "format": "image/jpg", "width": 6136, "@id": "https://images.lib.cam.ac.uk/iiif/MS-RCMS-00196-000-00001.jp2", "height": 76235 }, "@type": "oa:Annotation", "motivation": "sc:painting", "on": "https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/iiif/MS-RCMS-00196/canvas/1" }], "@type": "sc:Canvas", "width": 6136, "@id": "https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/iiif/MS-RCMS-00196/canvas/1", "label": "1", "height": 76235 }], "@type": "sc:Sequence", "@id": "https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/iiif/MS-RCMS-00196/sequence", "label": "Current Page Order" }], "@context": "http://iiif.io/api/presentation/2/context.json", "seeAlso": "https://services.prod.env.cudl.link/v1/metadata/tei/MS-RCMS-00196/" }