684 NORTHMOST AUSTRALIA 



One of the newcomers was MR. FITZGERALD, an Inspector of 

 Police." Mr. Fitzgerald reported on the Mapoon Mission 

 Station : 



" It appeared to me a perfect success the result of common sense, courage and 

 good temper applied to savages. ... I feel convinced that under such management 

 the work of civilization will be extended without the assistance of police. I should 

 think it reasonable to station another missionary with Mr. Hey, to assist him in his 

 plucky and solitary life. The work accomplished exceeds anything I have seen in my 

 experience among natives extending over more than thirty years." l 



" The Government immediately afterwards," says Arthur 

 Ward, " initiated that policy which has led, step by step, to the 

 creation of an unbroken NATIVE RESERVE extending from the 

 Batavia to the Archer River, with the missionary as its administrator, 

 and the prohibition of all recruiting of lugger crews within that 

 territory." The Reserve was proclaimed in 1904 and extended 

 in 1908, and comprises an area estimated at 1,345 square miles. 



In 1896, on the instructions of Sir Horace Tozer, Home Secre- 

 tary, MR. ARCHIBALD MESTON and MR. W. E. PARRY- OKEDEN, 

 Commissioner of Police, visited the Mapoon Mission to report on 

 the aboriginal question, the former in July and the latter in October. 

 As a result, in 1897, PARRY-OKEDEN was appointed PROTECTOR OF 

 THE ABORIGINES and MESTON AND DR. ROTH ASSISTANT PROTECTORS 

 for the south and north respectively. The offices were, however, 

 only held for a few years, and the protection of the aborigines has 

 now been added to the duties of the Inspectors of Police. 



The second mission station, at WEIPA, was established in 1898, 

 under the charge of EDWIN BROWN. 



In October, 1891, HEY sailed from Mapoon in the mission 

 lugger " J. G. Ward," and selected a site for a THIRD STATION, 

 which was named Aurukun, and was opened by MR. AND MRS. 

 ARTHUR RICHTER and HARRY Louis, a Samoan, in 1904. This 

 station is situated on the right, or north, bank of the WATSON 

 RIVER at the infall of the WARD RIVER. (Lat. 13 20' S.) 



Some further geographical details have been kindly supplied 

 by Mr. Hey, to whom I applied for information : 



In 1901, Hey explored the lower reaches of the ARCHER 

 RIVER. He describes the last 6 miles as " an entanglement of 

 islands and water-courses." Above this, the river has a deep narrow 

 channel. 



In the same year, he discovered and named INA CREEK and the 

 WARD RIVER, both north of the Watson. In 1895 he named 

 JAN IE CREEK, between Mapoon and the Pennefather River. 



In 1914, he entered an inlet which is shown on the 4- mile map 

 of 1908, Sheet 21 A, on the north side of Port Musgrave, and 

 found a river which he named the NAMALATA (Messenger). 



1 I have a great respect for the judgment of Mr. H. Fitzgerald, whom I have known 

 since 1879. 



