33054-002203

32/468 January 1832

Attorney Generals Office 13th. January 1832 Sir

I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of Your letter of the 11th instant, by direction of His Excellency the Governor, transmitting to me an Extract of a letter from the Commandant at Moreton Bay, requesting to be informed, how far he has power under the Vagrant Act to confine as idle and disorderly persons who have no visible means of existing honestly, men who have become free of their Original and Colonial sentences at that Settlement, but are unavoidably retained there subsequently for the Want of immediate means to convey them to Sydney, And requesting my opinion on this matter.

In reply I have the honor to state for the information if His Excellency, that as a doubt has arisen as to the application of the English Vagrant Acts to this Colony, And I have in consequence, in pursuance of His Excellencys directions, prepared the Draft of an Act in Council to extend the Vagrant Acts to this Colony, which is likely soon, if approved by His Exceilency, to be subsubmitted

To The Honble Alexander McLeay Colonial secretary

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submitted to the consideration of the Legislative Council. I conceive it better not to take any proceedings in the above Cases, until the above Act shall be finally passed on the subject.

I have the honor to be Sir your most obedient servant John Kinchela

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Atty Genl 13 Jan 1832