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8 January 1818
Sydney 8. Jany. 1818.,
Thursday Noon!
Mr. Marsden! —
To prevent the possibility of any misrepresentation,
I have thought it necessary to have those * three Gentlemen
present at this interview, in order that they may hear
and bear witness, eventually, of what I am now
about to say to you.
—
1st.
I have long known, Mr Marsden, that you
are a secret Enemy of mine - and as long
as you continue only a secret one, I despised
too much your malicious attempts to injure
my character to take any notice of your
treacherous conduct; - but now that you
have thrown off the mask, and have openly
and Publickly manifested your hostile
and factious disposition towards me, I can
no longer consistently with what I owe to my
own high station, and the tranquility of the
Country I have the honor to Govern, pass
over unnoticed, a recent most daring
act of insolence and insubordination, of
which you have been guilty. —
2d.
I therefore demand of you to inform me
by whose order, and by what authority,
you have dared to investigate, and take
Depositions, respecting my Public measures
and administration, as Governor in Chief
of this Colony. — I allude, Sir, to your
late examination of the Public Executioner,
Thomas Hughes, at the House of Robert
Campbell Esqr., relative to my ordering
three men to be Punished some time
ago for breaking into the Government Domain
Contrary to repeated Government Orders.
Answer!
"That he did not consider that he had done anything wrong." —
3d.
I consider, Sir, that act of yours, not
only as most insolent and impertinent as
it respects myself Personally; - but also,
as highly insubordinate and seditious;
in as much as such conduct, on your part,
tends to inflame the mind of the Inhabitants,
excite a Clamour against my Government,
bring my administration into disrepute,
and disturb the General Tranquility of the
Colony. — Such conduct, Sir, would be
highly Criminal in any man; but still
much more so in you - as being both a
Magistrate and a Clergyman - who ought
to be the first to set an example of loyalty,
obedience, and proper subordination! —
4th.
As I was myself Personally the object
of your seditious, malicious, and officious
investigation, on the occasion adverted to,
I did not wish - tho' I knew what was
going forward at the time - to interrupt
your treacherous and insidious endeavours
to injure my Character - and thereby
gratify your own spirit of revenge! —
But now, that I conclude that you have
fully completed your investigation on the
Subject in question - and transmitted Home
the result thereof; I must thus Publickly
warn you, that if ever you dare or presume again
to interfere with, or investigate any part of my
conduct, as Governor of this Colony, I shall
consider it my indispensible duty - as a
measure of necessary precaution - alike due
to my own high station, the support of my authority,
and the tranquility of the Country - immediately
to suspend you from the exercise of your Functions
in your present offices, as a Clergyman and
a Magistrate, until I report your conduct to
H. R. Highness The Prince Regent. —
5th.
Viewing you now, Sir, as the Head of a Seditious
low Cabal - and consequently unworthy of
mixing in Private Society or intercourse with
me, I beg to inform you that I never wish
to see you excepting on Public Duty; — and
I cannot help deeply lamenting, that, any man of
your Sacred Profession should be so much lost
to every good feeling of Justice, generosity and gratitude,
as to manifest such deep rooted malice, rancour,
hostility and vindictive opposition towards one who
has never injured you — but has, on the contrary, conferred
several acts of kindness on both yourself and Family!
L.M.
* Revd. Wm. Cowper - Chaplain
J.T. Campbell - Secry.
Lt. Jno. Watts 46th. A.D.C.
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Provenance
'Lachlan Macquarie to Samuel Marsden' 8 January 1818.
MACQUARIE, Lachlan. Letter Book 1809-1822.
Original held in Mitchell Library, Sydney.
ML Ref: A797 pp.141-144. [Microfilm copy: CY Reel 306].
Notes
The purpose of this document appears to be more as a quasi-legal document than as a letterbook entry. It is also a briefing note that summarises Macquarie's intended speech to Rev. Samuel Marsden, at a time when their personal relationship was becoming increasingy acrimonious and bitter. In addition to providing an insight into Macquarie's thoughts and feelings, the names of three witnesses are included in the margin, as well as initialled signatures for 'J.T.C.' and 'J.W.' in five places, coinciding with the five points that Macquarie raises with Marsden. [ie. John Thomas Campbell and John Watts]. The fact that their initials appear in Macquarie's personal Letterbook are an indication of how seriously he took this confrontation with Marsden. However the absence of any initials or signature for Reverend Cowper in the Letterbook creates to the impression that Macquarie used Campbell and Watts as his 'inner cabinet'.
It seems doubtful that Macquarie would have ever supplied Marsden with an original copy of this note (as a letter), in case it was used against him or forwarded to critics overseas. The function of the text was as a script for managing the confrontation with Marsden on 8 January 1818.
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