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by him because Reverend Walter Lawry, later to become Hassall's son-in-law, wrote that Eager
''attends to the world first and religion afterwards''.97

Eager was conditionally pardoned by Governor Macquarie and set himself up as a law-agent
and attorney in Sydney but in 1813 it was ruled that he was not eligible to practise. He then set
himself up in commerce and began trading with the Tahitians. He began to support the emancipist
cause after he received a full pardon in 1818 and argued for the establishment of legislative
council and assembly. In 1821 when the emancipists drew up a petition-concerning their
grievances, Eager and Dr Redfern were commissioned to take it to London where they succeeded
in some measure to improve some aspects of convict transportation conditions. He did not return
to Australia. He had left the colony with the local Wesleyan society owing him £2000, a debt which
he quickly recovered in London from the Wesleyan headquarters. Eager also took advantage of the
Hassall family who had entrusted him to sell wool for them. He did not do as instructed and also
told London agents that a Mr Cobb had been engaged to one of the Hassall girls and that their
mother had wished him (Eager) to keep the goods and take the profit. This was a false story and
the Hassall family was incensed by it. ''If it were an Enemy that had done as Mr Eager has in this
business I could have born it but with him I could have entrusted thousands had I possessed them.
But what is Man!'' So wrote Thomas Hassall on 27 March 1823.98 Thomas Hancox, who acted as
agent for the Hassall interests in London urged Thomas Hassall to proceed against Eager but
Thomas Hassall explained that on the best legal advice he found it not to be worth while especially
when so much distance separated Eager from the Hassalls. Even if they instituted proceedings
against Eager it would be impossible to get anything because nothing of Eager's property remained
and his wife and her family had been forced to live on charity so they could expect nothing if ever
Eager returned to colony which was very doubtful.99

In 1828 Eager was arrested for debt and spent some weeks in Fleet prision and was declared
bankrupt in 1829. Afterwards he continued to interest himself in emancipist and convict cases and
argued for some form of elected government.

In 1815 at St. Philip's Church, he had married Jemima McDuel, of Windsor, the daughter
of John McDuel and Margaret Maloney. They had four children and his wife was left in dire
circumstances when he went to England. In 1830 she had a son by W.C. Wentworth. It was
reported by Lawry that ''Poor wretched Eager is as usual among the Prostitutes of London, living
I suppose upon our cash''.100 Eager met Ellen Gorman soon after his arrival in London and had ten
more children. After his death in 1866 she went to Australia and died there in 1870.101

97 Grocott, Allan, Convicts, Clergymen and Churches, p.259.
98 Hassall Correspondence, A1677-4, p.234.
99 Ibid., A1677-4, p.249 and 257.
100 Ibid., A1677-2, p.759.
101 McLachlan, N.D., ''Edward Eager (1787-1866)'', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Vol. I, p.343.

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