FOR CIVILISING THE NATIVES. 241 



barriers between the various tribes. That the same 

 mistake should have been made in South Australia 

 was the more remarkable, as public opinion seems 

 to run completely counter to it. It appears evident 

 indeed, that if the object was to benefit and civilize 

 the aboriginal inhabitant, the right course to take, 

 was to give him an instrument which he could 

 employ to enlarge his mind and extend his experi- 

 ence. It was wrong to expect that much good could 

 be done by confining him within the sphere in 

 which his thoughts had been accustomed to move ; 

 or at any rate, to limit the expansion of his know- 

 ledge, within the bounds of a dialect which was only 

 imperfectly understood by the masters who taught it. 

 I am aware that the excellent men who adopted 

 this plan, were fearful of allowing the natives 

 to acquire a facility of communicating with the 

 vicious part of the white population ; but had they 

 taken a more enlarged view, and considered the 

 absolute impossibility of preventing a certain amount 

 of intercourse, — had they had more confidence in 

 the better part of their own race, and reflected on 

 the immense advantage which the inquisitive savage 

 would derive from being enabled to put questions to 

 men who could enlighten him by their answers, 

 they would more speedily have effected their benevo- 

 lent intentions. I am of opinion that no surer 

 method of raising the Australian in the scale of 

 civilization could have been devised, than to put 

 him in possession of the English language ; and I 



VOL. II. R 



