The Sun.
London, England, 1841-05-18 00:00:00

MORNING EDITION

ABOR I G INES PROTECTION
SOCIETY.
Yesterday the Fourth Anniversary Meeting of this
Society was held in Exeter-hall.
Mr. HINDLEY, M.P., ihtvinir been voted to the Chair,
said that it was with regret he undertook the office, in
the absence of the President, Sir F. Buxton, who would
be•so much more able to discharge the duties. If the So-
ciety had not been as well supported as it ought to be,
the reason was that its objects were not sufficiently un-
derstood. Many people indeed did not know the' mean-
ing of the word Aborigines, and he wished that every
friend of the cause. would explain their object to be, t°
protect the native and original owners of the various
lands in which Europeans had made settlements, from
outrage and wrong.—(Hear, hear.)
• The 'SECRETARY then read letters from Mr. Thomas
Clarkson,- and from Mr. Henry Reid (a merchant con'
nected.with Van Dieman's Land), expressing regret fur
their inability to attend, and their high approbatiuo ,
the institution.
The Report of the Committee of Management for the
last year was then read.' It was very voluminous, .old
consisted in a great measure of correspondence relating,
to the treatment of the aborigines in all the colonies ot,
the world. The efibrts of the Society in their behalf
were attended with great success, and the prospects of
those much injured people were everywhere improving.,
The'ciindUct of Lord John Russell in the department ?1
his colonial duties, which affected them, was spoken of 19
strong terms of praise, which elicited great applause.
During the reading of the Report Mr: O'Connell :LP"
peared on the platform, and was greeted in the most ell
thusiastic manner.
Rev. Mr. BURNETT in moving the first resolution'
which was to the effect—" That the Report which was
just read he adopted by the meeting, and printed fin- cir-
culation, and that the gentlemen whose names had been
submitted should form the Committee for the ensuing
year." He said that it ought to be matter of regret t°
all of them that the present. Society had been in 0610
cues only four years. As it was a Society. which had id
do with every sea and continent, and almost every Wan.
in the world, as they had to do with every connoting;
and every parallel of latitude on our globe, itavould ho.
been but justice, and nothing but justice, to have such an
institution to watch over the movements of our con.'
mercial enterprise in every direction,Vst that enterprise
while it served us might be found tth inflict irreinedials!
-losses on the original inhabitant's of the countries whieo
we visited. Many of the friends,lie.meant
.the friends °f
man and of humanity, had not perhaps entered fully into
the merits of the Aborigines ProteCtion Society, because ,
.very strange name did not convey to every mind the ob-
jects it had in view. Some, however, who found fani
with the name, would have found as much difficulty
the Society itself did in getting another name as a sub-
stitute for it. They durst•not have called themselves ,
Society for the Protection of Barbarians, as they wishe,
to protect the inhabitants from the barbarians of our owd
country—against the superior power which art an
science gave us, and by which alone we could crush th.
in their weakness. It was deeply to be regretted that col!,
lization was so much connected with the grossest ba
barity. They could not conceal from themselves the fu„;.,
that our sailors and other individuals—settlers in di
f•
parts of the world—among the South Sea islanders;
and various uncultivated nations throughout the
earth—thought no more of shooting a human being that
shootingof a wolf or a bear. They cared no more sbo e
the one than about the other, and why ? Jttht bec3t
progress of those individuals—and to seize on those dee i
no such Society as the present existed to watch over t'd,
d
of anti-Christian and anti-English cruelty—and to 110..,
them up to the execration of the world, and ask the Legl
latures of the.different countries of the world from odurl
those civilized barbarians had gone forth, to protect by thl
own law, the'poorand helpless inhabitants from the Cl;bui
mercial cupidity and tyranny of their own subjects.. he
would be seen, then, that such an institution as-•
Aborigines Protection Society o
was loudly called. Iw
There was a civil way of promoting civilization as wei f
a barbarous way. It was not necessary when one °a
those poor ignorant savages took up his tomahawk ,ti
the settler should take up his musket. It would he tit
and much better to Show him the folly of adoptiq'ttol
mode of conduct. He (Mr. Burnett) had always f'
that those whose hearts were open to the course 44. el,
manity at home, were able to extend their humane
':
ings towards distant contries. If the humane course %e
referred to had been adopted, they would not now ha
'to deplore the death 'of the missionary, .Mr.
who fall by the clubs of the islanders of Aramang°'il,
revenge for the treatment they received from some Chr,
tians who had a short time before come to plunder the
of sandal-wood. The Rev. Gentleman, after a few tiw
ther observations, concluded by moving the resolution;eo
Rev. Mr. CARLISLE seconded the resolution in a
appropriate observations.
Mr. O'BRIEN proposed the second resolution, which
was to the effect " That the native inhabitants of our e-
,
lonies, in whatever state. of civilisation. or barbaril;
were not to be outraged by a, system of colonisaPir
which did not adequately compensate them for tbe„./
lands, or secure to them the protection and privileges:v.
British subjects ;" and, in doing so, took occasion to :ueol;
that he deeply regretted his not having hitherto. tatil,
a part in the proceedings of the Society. If coloniza.l.(L
were properly understood and well regulated, it wouldfi;
found to be not prejudicial, but beneficial to,the • ahoyo
ginal inhabitants of whatever 'Country- coloniso
England might settle in. Theirs was a Country tov\h,i,.:
they ought to be proud to belong—a country whkel .`.;
it was the first in the career of civilisation,
the first to come forward to protect. the unprOtec d
He trusted that the individuals, whose beneYolenee I'l4
humanity brought them to the present meeting, vr,°;°:(l
for the future co-operate with the Society in wori“l"'
out its objects.
Mr. O'CONNELL, who was received with loud eheeo,
was likewlel
seconded the resolution ; the subject was little under:
stood and little appreciated, and it was not by the desilltor),
manner in which the subject must necessarily be treated
the course of a speech, that much impression could
been
produced upon the public mind. Had the subject uv
properly appreciated, there was no room in the Britt
sh
metropolis which would hold the numbers which ruined
er
then have been congregated t ogether.—(C heers.) Where'
been
colonies had been settled, there the aboriginesthad bee
trampled on and oppressed. Himself ' and his 11en,
o
Friend, Mr.. O'Brien, were both aborigines. ,r
But he did not then intend to enter into the details oie
sufferings of Ireland—(Cheers)—but wherever the Whitba
man had come, there the aborigines had been firs„thae
nished, next pursned,'and at last exterminated. '-'-"'„a
was no country possessed of colonies which had
participated in this guilt.—(Cheers.) - Great Britt'',
France, and America were all alike implicated. t
(Cheers.) The Hon. and Learned Gentleman then wer.l,
into a detailed statement of the cruelties of the Aug.
cans in forcing the Indians to emigrate beyond the ,
sissipi, and even beyond the nearer branches of the
souri,,and introduced to the meeting Oseolu, an ludtae
youth belonging to the tribe of Seminole Indians, 'it
~
murder of whose uncle, by the Americans, had "rest
sioned the Seminole war, in which the Indians had
or.l
length terrified the white man, and might-perhaps
cure from his fears that for which they could not trou
his justice.—(Cheers.) The Hon. Gentleman then
imadverted in severe terms on the conduct of Lord 11'-,
d
merston, in acknowledging Texas, and said that he Iva' ,
opinion that Texas was not so safe as was generally inn r"
gined, as the Commanchu Indians who were their net/
neighbours, had passed from the hunting into the past°rS. •
state, and as they were possessed of horses, it was exeeeal
ingly probable that the attempt to extirpate them ii-');"b
be unsuccessful. There was one region to 'whed'e
the attention of the Society had not been direct
and which contained 120 millions of inhabitant-;
he meant British India, where, with the exception of 01'
small district, the native possessed no right tolled
house which he occupied, or. the land which he tire
The consequences of the system pursued in India we t
horrible. The Hon. and Learned Gentleman then we#.ll,,
into a detail of the sufferings produced in India by the
mines, which were the consequence of misgoverinue"ci
and expressed a hope that India would not be overlouke
te
by the Society. • He then passed a high eulogy onh
conduct of Lord John Russell since he had been at thcei
head of the Colonial Department, which was receiver
with loud cheering, and concluded by expressing an 11/
dent hope that the Society might succeed in carry"
iug out its objects, which were •to make the Pre:,
gross of civilization not what it had hitherto been' t,
curse to the aborigines, but a source of blessing, e°ln—l.
and prosperity.—(Loud cheers.)
The CHAIRMAN said that British India was.under the
especial care of a Society which was an offshoot from the
present—the British India. Society.—(Cheers.)
Mr. J. S. Bucßimitiam considered that with regard
to their conduct to the aborig. England, France, an
America were all equally guilty. He denied that the 63'
rage races laboured under any mental deficieno4.'
and quoted as a proof to the, contrary ; -the instancy
of the Cherokees, who, without any aid from the Whites
press,had inll,:ne invented evdariao written t e lang manufactures.language,
tish Govermilent'not entitled to much' foeardtPittlicii,vinrntli'rl:ig;
forcing the Indian tribes in Canada to emigrate. t
voiucte.sofitinoctizegaofrda two,atrhleviltnhd!‘ainnerica.
4141
Indians, but to sec re
characterized by' a superior perception or justice er,
strict adherence to an obligation. The treatment iiiey er
periencedfrOin Penn formed a splendid licceiniCn.t9,t
general course. of conduct pursued towards them,
,andth
to,the
•
treaty entered into With hirn had' 'never been broken. }Frith
regard to British India, he had 20 years ago ,drawn the at.
tontion of the British public to the' state of that couutt,
i.';
and he had never ceased to advocate the claims of the
injured aborigines of that 'country.—(Cheers)—arid
hoped they Would-be brought within the pale of the Pr°-
teetion of that 'Society.- 'He cordially supported there
solution.—(Cheers.)
The resolution was then put, and carried unanitn°°' •
• The Rev. Dr. CamPnELL„in moving the next resolution.
said he considered this not merely a question of h"i°3:3
nity, but a question of religion, and as such all t 1
friends of missions should give their aid to this Society
e
It was most satisfactory that this Society should h.rot.
originated. in England, the country of colonies un' •
missions. ' The Rev. Gentlemen then alluded in eloclu, „`;'t
t
• terms to the efforts of Sir T. F. Buxton, and said it nai
be gratifying to him to find those principles, to
advocacy of which lie had devoted his life, ste;tl4 '!`th
theyit. They r ge
0.
among
ttthh peopleoe sidvoeie.ee
troy,of,nfNEli
raconkougeni ldtanecinnooddrn, Inee d% hfi
01 ac crt t iuo2ytnii d
sit o,
e,
lost
e
ng
hoped
tshvecisafter
x
to religiousnemp periodicals would lend.l-e-
-assistance. The Rev. Gentleman-,then proposed Off.,
which ;
rtansisfiensgtedthbe3g, rttist(udi
particularly Lord John Russell, 'to render
.)blessing instead ofa curse to the aborigines, stated that tl,
the -opinion of the Society, the plan of legislation foVil:t;
-aborigines, drawn Up hy Mr, Standish Mote and a (-/,9
mittee Of the- Society, was well deserving of attention.L.n.
Dr., Cos.rti.to Seconded the resolution, and iii
so' paid a well deserved tribute to the enblitened
nial policy of Lord J. Russell.
The SEenEtanY, before the reSoltition'''was,Pull.