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22 THE ABORIGINES OP AUSTRALIA. CHAPTER III. First settlement of the Colony—Claims of tho Aborigines—Extracts from Collins’s Works—Bennillong and Cole-be— Dangerous proceedings of the Aborigines—Frightful massacre by the Blacks—Notes by a University man—Mr. Trollope’s remarks—Aboriginal Police—Doom of the Queensland Savage—Massacre on Liverpool Plains—South Australian Aboriginals. The project of deporting criminals to this distant, almost unknown, portion of the world—a country whose resources were unknown, and distant 16,000 miles—was a bold measure, arising partly from necessity, and much discussed in the public Press, but the expedient has been ultmately crowned with success. Homes have been made for multitudes, British liberty and law established, and, above all, Christianity extended to a portion of the world that for ages had remained in the darkness of heathenism, shut out from commerce and the intercourse of intelligence. Strange to say, in this expatriation no provision had been made by the Government for that which is the foundation of national success—religion, and it was not until Mr. Wilberforce, with his Christian zeal, pressed the G-overnment, that a single minister of religion, Mr. Johnston, was provided, while a reckless and degraded class of men was about to be cast into the midst of a savage people, not at all calculated to raise or elevate them, but rather to depress and vitiate, and ultimately fo destroy them. "Whatever benefit the civilized world has acquired in opening up a new territory for their over peopled state, the poor unfortunate aborigines have had to suffer increased misery, wretchedness, and gradual extinction. The Bishop of Perth has well put the question : “ The darkness they were in in their original con dition was the darkness of ignorance—dark indeed, but far darker is their state when to the darkness of ignorance is added the degradation of the acquired vices of civilization.” Little or no missionary zeal prevailed in the churches. At this period vital Christianity was lost sight of under mere moral teaching, yet a few names, as in Sardis, were found for the truth, but the heathen world was but little thought of. The first mission to the Pacific was that of the London Missionary Society to Tahiti, so unscrupu lously desecrated by the French. No doubt the natives were surprised at their visitors, and were too soon convinced of their unscru pulous invasion of the land, but right had to submit to might. Various conflicts took place between the races ; a kind of guerilla warfare was carried on, and lives were sacrificed, although strict orders were given against violence or the prisoners going without bounds, and the severe punishment of 700 lashes was administered, and even hanging resorted to, for disobedience and robbery, yet temptations were too strong to check these evils. . The Governor exercised the kindest feelings toward the aborigines, so as to win their confidence, as may be seen by the following extracts from our earliest historian, Collins. Many affrays took place between the natives and the Europeans, in which life was lost on both sides, but at length the natives became more familiar, and often danced and fought in the settlement, to the amuse ment of the people; when wounded they submitted to the surgeon’s operations. In these affrays the natives exhibited much bravery and. became formidable to the settler, so that frequent conflicts took place, in which much life was lost on both sides. They carried away considerable plunder, and even made piratical attacks on vessels conveying corn, and killed the crews. It is thought