438 
DEFECTS OF THE 
therefore, that by far the great majority of natives 
would prefer keeping their children to travel with 
them, and assist in hunting or fishing. It is a rare 
occurrence, for parents to send, or even willingly* 
to permit their children to go to school, and the 
masters have consequently to go round the native 
encampments to collect and bring away the children 
against their wishes. This is tacitly submitted to at 
the time, but whenever the parents remove to 
another locality, the children are informed of it, and 
at once run away to join them; so" that the good 
that has been done in school, is much more rapidly 
undone at the native camp. I have often heard the 
parents complain indignantly of their children being 
thus taken ; and one old man who had been so 
treated, but whose children had run away and joined 
him again, used vehemently to declare, that if taken 
any more, he would steal some European children 
instead, and take them into the bush to teach them ; 
he said he could learn them something useful, to 
make weapons and nets, to hunt, or to fish, but 
what good did the Europeans communicate to his 
children ? 
A third, and a very great evil, is that, after a 
* “ Mr. Gunter expressed very decidedly his opinion, that the 
blacks do not like Mr. Watson, and that they especially do not 
like him, since he has taken children from them by force : he 
would himself like to have some children under his care, if he 
could procure them by proper means: 1 — Memorandum respect- 
ing Wellington Valley, by Sir G. Gipps, November 1840. 
