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THE
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
MISSION TO THE ABORIGINES,
LAKE MACQUARIE INLET.
1840.
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To the Honorable the Colonial Secretary, E. DEAS THOMSON,
Esquire, &c. &c. &c.
EBENEZER, Lake Macquarie Inlet,
New South Wales,
December 31st,1840.
Sir,
Early in the present year a person publicly boasted, "that prussic acid had been administered to the aborigines at a station up the country, where they died about the place like rats;" and although, upon investigation, it was not substantiated, yet the vaunt of that individual who boasted of its occurrence as a capital way of getting rid of the blacks without troubling the Government, showed sufficiently what manner of spirit he was of, whilst his subsequent transportation to Van Diemen's Land for horse stealing, will prevent for a season the exercise of his diabolical machination on human beings of a better disposition than his own.
In March last a black from the interior was committed, charged with murder ; and whilst detained in Newcastle gaol I visited him, accompanied with an aborigine who speaks his dialect,-a lad from the interior also, who resided with me a considerable time. But owing to the imperfect knowledge he had of our language, we could only elicit that many blacks had been shot by the white people, amongst whom were shot the brothers of the prisoner; and that other blacks had killed the European for the murder of whom he was charged. The lad Billy informed me that the blacks in the interior eat the white men when killed, and are particularly fond of the entrails ! I have also been told by the aborigines here, that formerly some of our neighbouring tribes roasted and eat the young men whensoever they were killed with one blow, in their mode of punishment. The aborigine, Billy, after commencing in writing and reading, returned to his tribes beyond the limits of the Colony. He lately sent me word that he will visit me again the first opportunity. It is desirable that intercourse should be encouraged with the distant hostile tribes, as it may tend to operate favourably on them, although it is mortifying to lose hopeful youths the moment they appear to become a little conversant with our manners and customs ; such, however, has always been the case, ever since the commencement of this Mission. Many a lad has promised well for a season, and then left us to live with some one else, or to serve for hire in such occupations as suited their dispositions and habits. Not long since a young man, an aborigine, who is hired at a certain weekly rate of money and rations, was going to Newcastle with his wife, on business for his master, when he was assailed by a party of blacks, his fellow-countrymen, who robbed him of his wife, forced her away with them into the bush, and have detained her ever since. He complained to me of the aggression, but I had no means of assisting him, aborigines being at present British subjects, but not allowed to give evidence in any court of justice, the royal assent not having arrived to a Bill passed the Council, authorising their evidence in criminal cases without an oath. To the regret of the employer of the black, and myself, there was no European witness to appear in the case ; all, therefor, that I could do was to threaten to write to the Governor to withhold the donation of blankets from the guilty party. Subsequently to this affair, another appeal was made to me by the employer of a young aborigine, on his behalf ; and on his stating the case it appeared to me my duty officially to interfere, as there was an European witness to the assault, a prisoner holding a ticket-of-leave. It was stated to me that a West-Indian, assisted by an assigned prisoner of the crown, had forcibly deprived the young aborigine of his wife, at a neighbouring farm on the Lake. On summoning the accused to the police-office, Newcastle, the ticket-of-leave-holder swore that he saw no assault ; and only saw the black woman quietly walking after the two men ! although he had previously informed his master of