SOMERSET AND ITS BACKGROUND 347 



sion Island and the mainland, was the base. In these days there 

 was a LEPER STATION on DAYMAN ISLAND, south of Possession 

 Island. 1 



I am tempted to add a few words on the subject of NATIVE 

 " BOYS " IN THE EMPLOYMENT OF WHITE MEN. On many occasions 

 I have been impressively cautioned by miners and others never 

 to trust police or missionary boys, who not only had the inborn 

 treacherous instincts of their race, but were dangerous because 

 they " knew too much." I have had no experience of ex- missionary 

 boys, but I have had several ex-troopers in my employment. 

 These I found capable enough, but, as a rule, unwilling to work their 

 best. My impression is that without the semi- military discipline 

 of the barracks and the incentive of competition with their fellows, 

 they are apt to become lazy and to give themselves airs. There 

 is also the undoubted fact that they are dangerous from their 

 familiarity with the weak points in the white man's armour. This 

 danger would probably be even more marked in the case of boys 

 who had mixed with white ships' crews. With this class of boys 

 I have not come in contact, unless I did so in the case of Captain 

 Billy of Camisade Creek. Lastly, I have observed again and again 

 that senile debility sets in, at least as regards the intellectual 

 powers, among Australian aborigines at a very early age. 



When the complete tale of Somerset comes to be written, it 

 must of necessity form one of the most striking chapters in the 

 history of the founding of the British dominions overseas. For- 

 tunately, as has been pointed out in the preceding chapter, the 

 material exists in the diary, covering a period of over half a century, 

 left by the late Frank Jardine. It is to be hoped that the diary 

 will be edited and published without delay. 



1 Letter from J. McLaren, Utingu, 23rd November, 1915. 



