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Governor Macquarie’s Interest
in the Civilisation of Aborigines
Progress of the Native Institution at Parramatta
Governor Macquarie Dispatch to Earl Bathurst – Dated 24/3/1819
The Native Institution at Parramatta for the support and instruction of the
children of the Aborigines of the Colony, has succeeded far beyond my most
sanguine expectations, the children having made very great progress in all those
useful and necessary branches of instruction they are taught, evincing good
natural understandings, and an aptitude for learning whatever is proposed to be
taught them. There are now eighteen healthy boys and girls in this Institution,
well clothed, and well instructed in the common branches of education, including
needle work for the girls, and knowledge of agriculture for the boys, there
being a large field and garden attached to the school house for them to work in.
Nothing has yet been done in this Colony that has so much conciliated the adult
natives to the interests of the British Government generally, as the
Establishment of this Institution, as they appear to be highly gratified and
delighted beyond description with the content and happy appearance of their
children.
The adults now regularly attend the annual meeting of the natives at Parramatta
on the 28th of December of each year, on which occasion the children of the
Institution are paraded in the presence of their parents, read before them, and
produce specimens of their progress in education.
At the last meeting held at Parramatta, there were present 284 natives from the
different parts of the Colony, some having come not less than one hundred miles
for that purpose, and all without arms, manifesting thereby their pacific
disposition and confidence in the protection of this government. In short these
people are now perfectly peaceable and inoffensive, and some few men amongst
them have become settlers and cultivate land on their own account, which I do
everything in my power to encourage.
As they, however, suffer very much during the cold weather from want of
clothing, I respectfully solicit Your Lordship to authorize me to issue each
man, woman and child, who attend the annual congress on the 28th of December of
each year, one suit of course of slop clothing; they seem particularly partial
to a red colour, and therefore I would request Your Lordship to be pleased to
direct about 350 suits of course cloth of that colour to be sent out here
annually for the use of the native tribes, each suit of slops for about 200 men
to consist of a frock or loose jacket, a pair of pantaloons or trousers, and a
common leather cap for the head; for about 100 women, a jacket and petticoat;
and for 50 children a long frock or shirt. I conceive such a yearly donation
from Government would attach these poor people very strongly to our interests by
making them comfortable and comparatively happy.
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