280 THE NATIVE BLACKFELLOW 



thrust upon him, at any rate, with the fostering hand of 

 love, though the attempt to do it with the iron fist of 

 policy may have been made, with a selfish aim in view — 

 i.e., to keep in control what is an acknowledged trouble, 

 and possible danger. 



So much I will say ; but I am glad to acknowledge 

 that on the whole, especially of late years, my countrymen 

 have treated the blackfellow with kindness and considera- 

 tion ; and many just rules and regulations have been made 

 by Colonial Legislators for his protection. There are no 

 thinking men in Australia, and few men of any class, who 

 would now tolerate the sight of the last miserable remnant 

 of native life committed to a small boat ; and, prostrated 

 with sea-sickness, rowed away to some wretched isle of a 

 few acres in extent to die out of a broken heart — executed 

 by slow torture : that is the blunt truth of it. Such was 

 the fate of the last half-dozen aborigines of Tasmania. 

 But the age of such stupid, clumsy cruelty has passed away 

 for ever, and I can boast that my countrymen have never 

 subjected the blackfellow to such injustice as the American 

 " Red-men " have suffered. Yet past generations of 

 Australians have much to answer for. My happiness is to 

 know that the present generation will endorse all that I 

 can truthfully say in favour of the doomed native. 

 For doomed he is by the immutable laws of progress, 

 which knowledge and science may help on to the coming 

 and ameliorate to the going, but cannot stop or alter. 

 The Australian negro, unlike his African brother, is for 

 some inscrutable purpose of nature barred from the 

 acceptance of civilisation and its binding rules, and there- 

 fore not even the hand of love can save him from the 

 inevitable fate which always overtakes a people unable to 

 move forwards. Like a stagnant pool which has no 

 feeder, the native race of Australia must dry up. 



It is stated by many writers that there are two distinct 

 races of aborigines in Australia. It may be so, but I have 

 never been able to perceive any difference in the blacks 

 but that which arises out of the accidents of locality and 

 circumstances. For instance, the blacks of the northern 



