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Woolwich Hulks. 1834. England
The Hulks at Woolwich.
The hulks are large vessels without masts which have been 
line-of-battle ships or frigates, fitted up for the reception
of male convicts sentenced to be transported.
These floating prisons are securely moored near a dock-yard or
arsenal, so that the labour of the convicts may be applied to 
the public service. It will be hardly credited that there are 
usually about 3000 men in this country thus employed.
At every station there is a ship which is used as an hospital 
for the sick; each hulk is under the superintendence of a captain
and a certain number of inferior officers, with a chaplain and
surgeon.
On their arrival the convicts are immediately stripped and washed,
clothed in coarse grey jackets and breeches, and two irons placed
on one of the legs, to which degradation every one must submit, 
whatever may have been his previous rank and station in the world.
They are then sent out in gangs of a certain number to work on shore,
guarded by soldiers.
Out of each shilling earned for the government by the convict, he
is entitled to one penny, which is carried to his credit: but of this 
he receives only one-third weekly, the remainder being left in hand 
to accumulate until the end of the term which he is doomed to serve;
thus it sometimes happens that a man who has been six or seven years
at the hulks, on his discharge is put in possession of £10 or £15
beyond which he is supplied with an additional sum of money to defray
his travelling expenses home, be it ever so remote. The strictest
discipline is maintained on board the hulks, and extreme cleanliness
enforced in the vessels.
The diet daily is 1 1/4 lb of bread, a quart of thick gruel morning
and evening, on four days of the week a piece of meat weighing
14 ounces before it is cooked, and on the other three days in lieu
of meat, a quarter of a pound of cheese, also an allowance of small
beer, and on certain occasions when work peculiarly fatiguing and
laborious is required, a portion of strong beer is served to those
engaged in it.
 No where does good behaviour meet its reward more than on board 
the hulks. A correct chronicle is kept of the conduct of each 
individual, and the captain, jointly with the chaplain, has the 
privilege of recommending annually a certain number as fit objects
for a mitigation of punishment; so that it very frequently occurs
that a convict sentenced to seven years transportation, only serves
three and a half or four years.
There are also other inducements to orderly conduct - such as having
their irons lightened, and being promoted to little appointments, 
which relieve them from severer labour.
Besides those who are retained to serve out their term of banishment
in this country, there are thousands every year sent out to New South
wales.
Amongs others, who are actually transported beyond the seas, such are
invariably selected as are known to be old offenders, and those who 
appear to be incorrigible. It should be observed that one ship {the
Bellerophon we believe } is stationed at Sheerness, appropriated
exclusively to the reception of boys not exceeding sixteen years of
age, most of whom are not expatriated, but are taught various trades
such as bookbinding, shoemaking, tailors work and etc. The morals
of these youthful delinquents, some of whome are not more than ten
years old, are very carefully attended to. It is however, a lamentable
fact, that notwithstanding the severe lessons taught by the discipline
of the hulks, very many instances occur of convicts who have been
discharged, again returning to habits of dishonesty, and thereby anew
incurring the penalty of transportation.When ever such instances occur,
such characters are almost uniformly and deservedly banished from
the country which gave them birth, and of which community they have
proved themselves unworthy to remain members



NB.This article is designed to assist in giving a general overview
of the convict system.
All original official  records should be accessed to confirm any
accounts of the convict system.
Jenny Fawcett