of the Aborigines of Australia. 39 



prevent the members of one tribe from mixing with those of another. 

 Their mutual animosities are deep rooted and incurable. They should, 

 therefore, be taken in hand tribe by tribe ; and not a tribe here and 

 there, but at one and the same time, as those who are not in charge 

 will decoy the others. 



Missions in the vicinity of squatting stations will not answer, on 

 account of the many inducements presented to the natives to ramble 

 from the establishment ; those planted far in the interior would, how- 

 ever, require the assistance of a police force. 



There is undoubtedly more hope of success with the children than 

 the grown-up blacks ; but it appears to be absolutely necessary to 

 withdraw the former from association with their parents and the 

 tribe. Little can be otherwise accomplished towards the improve- 

 ment of their condition. " The boys are invariably practising to 

 throw the spear and bomerang, and look forward with evident pleasure 

 to the time when they may be permitted to join in a hunt or a fight ; 

 the charms of both seem to be equal." Mr Robinson remarks, that, 

 when out of their own districts, the Aborigines have been found ex- 

 ceedingly tractable ; and he thinks that interchange of locality with 

 those of Port Philip and the middle district would prove beneficial. 



Distributing of Clothing and Provisions. — It had been the practice 

 of Government to distribute considerable numbers of blankets among 

 the Aborigines ; but within the last two or three years this liberality 

 had been much restricted, under an impression that the privilege 

 was generally abused or disregarded by the blacks. One of the 

 queries of the Committee's circular relates to this subject, and the 

 evidence afforded by the answers is almost unanimously to the con- 

 trary effect. The Aborigines have a strong partiality for blankets. 

 They will patch and mend them to the last. Other descriptions of 

 dress are passed about from one to another, and soon disappear ; 

 and they have been known to make fires and burn very good clothes 

 on leaving town. An oppossum rug has frequently been given in 

 exchange for a blanket. 



In the Broulee district, blankets had been issued regularly since 

 1837 up to last year (1844) ; and in expectation of the usual supply, 

 the Aborigines of that district had made no suitable provision for 

 winter, so that many old people perished in consequence. Mr Dunlop 

 describes the plaintive but indignant remonstrance of the native chief 

 at the discontinuance of the miserable dole on the part of the Govern- 

 ment " to his very few old women and six young ones, all so cold — 

 no hut, no blanket, no light fire on white fellow's ground. *' Women 

 and children and old men are particularly objects for the distribution 

 of blankets. In some instances the men are apt to barter them away 

 for spirits or tobacco. Some of the witnesses considered that none 

 who were able to work should get a blanket, without giving an equi- 

 valent in labour. 



Captain Fyans, on the other hand, thinks they are sometimes the 



