[TASMANIA; BUSHRANGERS] Matthew Forster, Chief Police Magistrate, Hobart Town : autograph letter signed, to the magistrate at Richmond regarding the cancellation of a Ticket of Leave pass in order to motivate convicts to assist in the capture of bushrangers. 7 April, 1843.

Manuscript in ink, 1 page, quarto (250 x 220 mm), written on the first side of a bifolium; signed ‘M. Forster, 7th April 1843’ and headed ‘Police Department [Hobart Town]’, the note is addressed to ‘The P. Magistrate, Richmond’ [Charles Schaw]; verso docketed ‘CPM, 7 Apl ’43, Respg. T.L. Pass’; two original horizontal folds, extremely well preserved.

The Chief Police Magistrate at Hobart Town, Matthew Forster (1796-1846), returns a Ticket of Leave pass issued by the Police Magistrate at Richmond, Charles Schaw (1785-1874) – presumably now cancelled – warning that it was not issued in the spirit of recent instructions:

‘My dear Sir,

In reference to the enclosed pass, I would observe that the granting of it is certainly against the spirit of the late instructions, for the object contemplated was to make this class of convicts feel the restraint in order that they might have an additional motive for affording assistance in the capture of the Bushrangers….’