686 NORTHMOST AUSTRALIA 



that the wild or " myall " aborigines are " impulsive, fickle, 

 cunning and very treacherous." " Instance after instance," he 

 observes, " of the blackest treachery could be given, though, I 

 grant, isolated instances of the most touching fidelity and even 

 noble forbearance have occurred among them ; still, as a race, like 

 nearly all savages, they are most vilely treacherous. Friendly 

 relations can only be established by affording equal protection and 

 dealing out even-handed justice to both races." He remarks, 

 however, that, especially on the east coast between Cape Grenville 

 and Princess Charlotte Bay, there are few " wild " blacks who have 

 not come more or less into contact with the white race. [My own 

 observation, I may say, leads me to the conclusion that they are 

 none the better for the contact. Beggary, thieving and prostitu- 

 tion are the usual results of the intercourse, except where it is 

 rigorously supervised by authority. R. L. J.] 



Parry-Okeden freely admitted defects in the native police 

 system as it existed when he came into office. " As the Native 

 Police has been lately working," he writes, " it has apparently 

 confined its operations to retaliatory action after the occurrence 

 of outrages, and seems to have dropped all idea of employing merely 

 deterrent or conciliatory methods ; but I intend to change all 

 that. It is the craving for animal food that urges the blacks to 

 kill cattle, and I think that in many instances they are not conscious 

 of interfering with property not belonging to them, but regard 

 cattle roaming in the bush as food natural, and, as such, their 

 lawful prey ; and in many instances there is much contributory 

 neglect of their stock on the part of the owners. The facilities 

 thus afforded for gratifying their carnivorous instincts has had 

 considerable effect in lessening the prevalence of cannibalism." 



" As an auxiliary to the work of the police," says Parry-Okeden, 

 " I strongly advocate the forming of additional mission stations, 

 to be subsidised by the Government during the continuance of 

 good work, the sites to be carefully selected and approved of by 

 Government." 



Like Meston, Parry-Okeden strongly favoured a policy of 

 cultivating an understanding with the natives, and judged that 

 in the Native Police was the readiest machinery for this purpose. 

 He condemned with abhorrence the instructions issued in 1866 

 for the guidance of the officers, and still unrescinded in 1896, 

 although evidently to a great extent tacitly relaxed, to the effect 

 that they were " to use every exertion to prevent their troopers 

 from having any communication with the aborigines in their 

 districts," and " at all times and opportunities to disperse any 

 large assembly of blacks without unnecessary violence." 



While condemning the Native Police system, as then working, 

 as unsuitable to existing conditions, Parry-Okeden vigorously 

 defended the staff, remarking : " The Native Police have had 



