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Background to Governor Macquarie’s Policy Regarding
the Natives
[Governor Macquarie’s Dispatch to Earl Bathurst - Dated 18/3/1816]
I am much concerned to be under the necessity of
reporting to your Lordship that the native blacks of this Country, inhabiting
the distant interior parts, have lately broke out in open hostility against the
British settlers residing on the banks of the River Nepean near the Cow
Pastures, and have committed most daring acts of violence on their persons and
depredations on their property, in defending which no less than five white men
have been lately killed by the natives, who have not been known to act in such a
ferocious sanguinary manner for many years past.
I have uniformly made it my study since my first arrival in the Colony to do
everything in my power to conciliate the native tribes by showing them on all
occasions much kindness and frequently supplying them with provisions and slops.
Indeed I had entertained very sanguine hopes of being enabled to civilise a
great proportion of them in a few years by the establishment of the Native
Institution and School at Parramatta for their children and setting some few
grown up men and women on lands in the neighbourhood of Sydney; but I begin to
entertain a fear that I shall find thus a more arduous task than I at first
imagined though I am still determined to persevere in my original plan of
endeavouring to domesticate and civilize these wild rude people.
In the mean time it will be absolutely necessary to inflict exemplary and severe
punishments on the mountain tribes who have lately exhibited so sanguinary a
spirit against the settlers. With this view it is my intention, as soon as I
shall have ascertained what tribes committed the late murders and depredations,
to send s strong detachment of troops to drive them to a distance from the
settlements of the white men, and to endeavour to take some of them prisoners in
order to be punished for their late atrocious conduct, so as to strike them with
terror against committing similar acts of violence in future.
Many of the settlers have entirely abandoned their farms in consequence of the
late alarming outrages. In order, however, to induce them to return to their
farms, I have sent some small parties of troops as guards of protection for
those farms which are most exposed to the incursions of the Natives; but these
have of late become so very serious that nothing short of some signal and severe
examples being made will prevent their frequent recurrence. However painful,
this measure is now become absolutely necessary.
Unwilling hitherto to proceed to any acts of severity towards these people, and
if possible to conciliate and keep on friendly terms with them, I have forgiven
or overlooked many of their occasional acts of violence and atrocity, exclusive
of numberless petty thefts and robberies committed by them on the defenceless
settlers for the last three years.
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