460 x 29 cm. In 1841 it had been suggested that criminals from India might be brought to Cape Town, and in 1842 that young offenders might be more suitable, but both ideas had been opposed. Then, on 7th August 1848, Earl Grey, Secretary of State for the Colonies, sent a public despatch to the Governor of Cape Colony, Sir Harry Smith, in which he suggested men with tickets of leave might be a useful addition to the labour force and sought local views on the matter. Local reaction was hostile and a batch of petitions against the scheme sent back to Earl Grey. However, Grey had not waited for the colonists’ response and had despatched The Neptune to land convicts on Bermuda and the Cape. At the suggestion of Mr John Fairbairn, Editor of the Commercial Advertizer, a petition was drawn up and placed in the Commercial Exchange for signature. This is the document now in the Royal Commonwealth Society Library.