Land of a Thousand Sorrows: The Australian Prison Journal, 1840-1842, of the Exiled Canadien Patriote, François-Maurice LepailleurThe Rebellions in Upper and Lower Canada in 1837 and 1838 left manylegacies. Few accounts of those who took part record the plight of thePatriotes who for their actions were exiled to penal colonies inAustralia. One of these was Francois-Maurice Lepailleur, a baliff fromChateauguay. Condemned to death by a court-martial of dubious legality,his sentence was commuted to transportation for life, and he sailedwith 57 other Patriotes for New South Wales in September 1839. Morethan five years were to pass before they left the "Land of aThousand Sorrows" for home. Written secretly at Longbottom prison, Lepailleur's day-to-dayjournal is a unique document. As a camp sentry he observed conditionsboth inside and outside the prison. His daily record comments onbeatings, thefts, marital relations, wages and prices. A detailedacount is given of corrupt officialdom and police brutality, of thehatred inspired by collaborators and the solace brought by religion andthe kindliness of neighbours and the clergy. Above all, Lepailleurconveys the emotional dimensions of the experience and the gradualdegeneration of the human spirit. More than a moving testimony of prison life, the Journal givesunusual insight into the intimate concerns, character and mentality ofthe 19th century Canadien. It also reveals much about the personalitiesof the "popular" leaders of the Rebellions - a little knowngroup in Canadian history. |
