The Sun.
London, England, 1842-05-17 00:00:00

to insurmountable difficulties in the want of implements
stock, and seed.
" The Indians of Guiana next demand attention, to
which they have a stronger claim from this Society, as
they are numbered amongst British subjects. It
was
announced in last year's Report that the accomplished
traveller, and much esteemed honorary member of tl • •
Society, R. H. Schoinburgk; was actually
service of the British Government lb; the
that disputed boundary, the uncoil •
posed the Indians residing;enaged in t::.
settlement of
upon
it,
of which ex-
sing incursions of Brazilian silly,e. ti
o ithe kidnap-
sing
r o m
s quits received, it appears that the Pa
Commissionerr
ace, ',lisently proceeded 73it.li. . his task, yet, from
has a- 'Ni causes, the . . wish Government has
unexplains 'it not to maintain
thought it rig. •_ the boundary as defined
idna,ppnpiefirs are consequently still at li-
by him. The is. ,
berty to enjoy the s ‘ts of that uncertainty which
:t to, see perpetuated; and there
it is so much their interb
is reason to fear that the simis: long since employed by an
acute American Indian, may be,Applicrible to the Indians
of Guiana, namely, that the English and their rivals are
scissors, which are brought
like the blades of a pair of
together in apparent oppositio.l, whilst the poor Indians
are like a piece of paper placed ,!ietween them, which re-
ceives all the mischief. Mr. Sehs.mburgls while engaged
in his official duties, has not been 2inmindful of his In-
dian friends, and has exerted himself , to save from con-
demnation a native youth, supposed to have forfeited his
life by conforming to the customs of his tri.'”-', in opposi-
tion to British laws, of which he could have no k 'nowledgs.
"It becomes the painful duty of your Comm.'ttee to
state, in relation to the Indians of South America, Vint
the proceedings of the remarkable Botocudo Indian Chief,
Guido Peerane, have not been such as to realise the
pleasing anticipations which the accounts published ilia
former year were calculated to excite.
" AUSTRALASIA. .
"In the district of New South Wales, the settlers on
the rivers Ovens, Hume, and Clarence, have more or less
suffered in the loss of cattle and sheep speared by the
natives, and in addition, at the latter locality, two set-
tlers have been murdered ; while, on the other hand,
about twenty of the natives have been killed by a party
of mounted police, under the command of Major Henry •
Oakes ; and for the murder of Mr. Stapleton and his
servant, at Moreton Bay, two natives, named. Merridio
and Neugevil, have paid the forfeit of their lives on the
scaffold. A settler at New England has had 1,200 sheep
slaughtered, besides 300 driven into the bush, and his
shepherd murdered.
" In the vicinity of Port Phillip, a settler and his ser-
vant have been murdered by the natives.
" In the neighbourhood of South Australia, 800 sheep
have been carried off from one station, and a shepherd
severely wounded ; and from another 900 sheep, and
the shepherd killed. But the most deplorable accounts
of all, are the impediments thrown in the way of trans-
porting cattle and sheep over land from Sydney to
Adelaide. Vast destruction of property and loss of life,
both on the part of the Europeans and natives, has taken
place,—calamities, however, which have fallen most
heavily on the latter people, being in the proportion of
more than forty to one.
" In 'Western Australia, in consequence of a murder
having been committed on a settler by some person or
persons unknown, an attempt was made to capture a
tribe of blacks on suspicion, and, as they resisted, five of
them were shot. While government and governors
therefore, whose duty it is to watch with equa anxious
solicitude, the Aborigines and the colonists, are regard-
less of that duty, the assumed and the real proprietors of
the soil, or in other words, the colonists and the natives,
are waging wars, if not of extermination, of utter ruin to
one or other of the parties—wars which, if justifiable,
as defensive on the part of the natives, on that of the
colonists, are not only unjust, but decidedly unchristian.
" TASMANIA.
" It is always with heartfelt sorrow that your Com-
mittee allude to the natives of Van Diemen's Land. The
poor remnant of that race, amounting now only to fifty-
seven souls, are still imprisoned—for an imprisonment it
must be considered—on Minder's Island. A year or two
more, and they will be among the extinct nations. It
will then be impossible for the reflecting mind to turn
from the page which records their history, without being
strongly impressed with the feeling, that a barbarous 1
race have been consigned to a premature grave, by a
nation, rendered the more criminal, because they enjoy
the blessings of Christianity.
"NEW ZEALAND.
" Your Committee feel convinced, from the impartial
and accurate information they have received, that if ever
a nation of barbarians could be rescued from their own
helpless situation, and from the baneful influence of colo-
nization; and be destined to contradict the fallacious
dogma of the necessary extermination of coloured men
by European settlement, the New Zealanders arc that
nation • a result your Committee especially anticipate,
from the fact, that the New Zealanders are an agricultural
people, and accustomed to fixed habitations. But they
are, at the same time perfectly aware, that this advan-
-1 tage over other barbarous races is of no avail, if a
sufficiency of land is not secured to them, on a uniform
principle of reserves, alike applicable to the lands of the
Government, of the New Zealand Land Company, and
of private purchasers. As the most vital point therefore
in future legislation, must be regarded that of the native
territorial rights. No act of the Legislature has as yet
appeared, setting forth the intentions of Government re-
garding native reserves in the districts purchased by the
local government of New Zealand.
" The appointment of Mr. Halswell as a Commissioner
of native hinds by the New Zealand Company, has not
produced the expected beneficial result, for on the arrival
of that gentleman in New Zealand, he was restricted to
Port Nicholson, and to a nominal situation, as sub-pro-
tector of that district, under the orders of Mr. Clark, the
chief-protector, appointed by Governor Hobson.
" AFRICA.
" That large corner of the African continent which
forms the British colony of the Cape, is in itself an Eng-
land beyond the seas, and the dwellers in Caffraria are
among the most important of the aboriginal nations of
the earth. To them especial attention is therefore due.
In the last year's Report your Committee had to treat
of the Caffre contracts with the Governor, who met the
chiefs for the especial purpose of modifying the treaties,
so that Colonist ancrtaffre might find them useful, and
consider them as binding. Almost monthly accounts
have beets received from the colony, yet scarcely one
authenticated case throughout the year of actual aggres-
sion on the part of the Caffres, nor of any infraction of the
treaties on either side has occurred.
" In performing the last act of their official duties in
concluding this Report, your Committee desire very
closely but respectfully to press upon your consideration
. the state -of the great cause in which you are engaged,
as sketched in the Report, and the very weak and low
condition of your Society in relation to it. Whilst such
a Society attests the existence of acknowledged evils, it
seems to behove us all in good earnest to make efforts
for their correction. The work is confessedly difficult,
but it must not be regarded as impracticable, when as yet
no effort has been made from which any signal success
could reasonably be anticipated. Noble acts have indeed
been performed, but they have unhappily been isolated,
and consequently almost fruitless. May your counte-
nance and support be given to future Committees, in such
a manner as to strengthen their hands, and inspire in-
creasing zeal and energy. They then may reasonably
hope to diffuse knowledge and right feeling amongst
then' countrymen, and they may plead with success
when they pray that the Government, amidst numerous
and pressing cares, may deem it worthy of its notice, to
legislate for a just and systematic conduct towards the
Aborigines of' our colonies—a work which would be no
less honourable to those engaged in it, than cheering to
the friends of humanity, and fraught with blessings to
the feeble races of man."
Dr. GARNIER then moved, "That the Report now
produced be printed, under the direction of the Com-
mittee."
A. B. WRIGHT, Esq., briefly seconded the motion,
which was carried unanimously.
The Rev. J. BURNETT then moved the following
resolution :—" That this Society, whilst gratefully
acknowledging the adoption of various measures for
the protection of the Aborigines, on the part of the
Government, cannot be insensible to the fact—that
their claims, and the necessity of strenuous interpo-
sition for their preservation and improvement, remain
unabated, and feels most anxious that there may be
no remission in efforts in their behalf, until, as res-
pects this country at least, an improved system shall
have been adopted, by which, in the British Colonies
and their vicinity, the Aborigines may fully partici-
pate in the protection and privileges of British law,
and the fostering care of the mother country." He
was persuaded that the real objects of the Society
were not understood by the public in general ; if they
were the public would feel at not having given ft
greater support. The Society had been formed for
protection of the Aborigines all over the world, and
surely that object ought to excite kind and generous
sympathy. It was impossible to make any progress
in discovery without coining into contact with the
native population ; and it was impossible to proceed
in our researches without either being affiliated to
them, or else resorting to the most deadly warfare.—
(Hear, hear.) It had often been regretted that we
possess no better knowledge of the natives of the inte-
rior of South America and of New Holland. If the
natives knew what they had too much reason to ex-
pect from us, they would rejoice at our not having
penetrated their fastnesses.—(Hear, hear.) It was said
that they were barbarians. Admitting the fact, it
formed no reason why we should take away their
lives ' • but as we had found means of entrapping
their .lions and tigers, and wolves and hyaenas, so let
us now find some means of attaching them to our-
selves by kind and generous treatment. He was
ashamed to be obliged to admit that his country had
not been the schoolmaster of the aboriginal tribes of
the world, but their executioner.—(Hear, hear.) He
pointed out that, with respect to improvements, it was