Chap. II. IMPRESSIONS OF NATIVES. ' 37 
everything remained quiet, and the excitement gradually- 
subsided. 
But the law of England had not been carried out. 
The body had not been opened, and the coroner's jury 
had not sat ; though this might have cleared up the 
doubts. The natives had been too long allowed to in- 
dulge their " immemorial and established usages," and 
in consequence a " spirit of hostility" to the white 
man was probably treasured up, which might not have 
arisen at all had the natives been made long before to 
understand, respect, and obey the institution of care- 
fully inquiring into the causes of every suspicious 
death. 
W^ith every wish that their simple friends should 
understand all these usages of civilization, what could 
the settlers do, when they had themselves to complain 
that too many of them were neglected in their own 
case ? How could they preach of the benefit of laws 
which hardly existed, while the natives had before 
them the daily proof that the only man to whose 
authority the settlers bowed supported a different 
opinion, and wished to preserve their barbarous customs 
and untaught prejudices intact ? The poor natives 
were most to be pitied. Hearing one thing from the 
colonists, who still wished to impress them with the 
advantages of civilized law, and then the contrary from 
the Police Magistrate, and his subordinates, who as- 
sured them that they should be allowed to follow their 
own wishes, is it to be wondered that they began to 
be influenced more by the words of him who had evi- 
dent power to loose and tie, who could put irons round 
people's feet and hands, who had constables and boats 
at his orders, who said to the highest among the set- 
tlers " Do ! " and it was done ? 
Mr. Davy, who had been sent by the Bishop of 
