The assignment system of convict labour in Van Diemen's Land, 1824-1842.

The object of this study is to consider the system of - assigning convict labour as it was developed in Van Diemen's Land under Governor Arthur. It does not claim to investigate the influence of the system on the Van Diemen's Land economy, but rather it is concerned with the administration of the system and the interacting claims and interests of the three parties in response to whose needs, the assignment system was developed:- the colony, the British Government, and the convicts.