A note on Structure
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23rd of March, 1816On the 23rd of March a letter appeared in the Gazette; signed T.P, who, from other similarly signed letters was somewhat of a Francophile. A cynical reader with the benefit of hindsight would suspect that the letter was deliberately written to massage the minds of the reader. Dog whistling has a long history in Australian politics. The letter drew upon observations of differences between Aboriginal people of Van Diemen’s Land and New Holland. As well, the letter drew the attention of the reader to the “humane laws, and a mild and conciliating deportment towards the natives” displayed by British colonial governors. I have not been able to identify T.P., the author of this letter who also wrote at least one other letter of a Francophile nature around this time. By extolling British colonial administrations the author was legitimating the British presence. By continuing the Gazette’s ongoing denigration of Aboriginal people T.P. was engaging in an early example of dog whistling, i.e., appealing to the baser nature of the populus. It was not uncommon for the Gazette to publish a letter critical of Aboriginal people in times of strife. ‘To the EDITOR of the SYDNEY GAZETTE. SIR, Every thing connected with this Country, or illustrative of its physical or moral condition, cannot but be highly interesting to the intelligent part of the Colony: -- I have therefore quoted, for the perusal of your Readers, some remarks from a publication I saw in Gaglionnani's library138 entitled "Voyage, des Decouvertes aux Terre Australes," speaking of the inhabitants of Van Diemen. - Monsieur Peron says, they are a totally different race from those of New Holland. In size they resemble pretty much Europeans, but they differ from them by their singular conformation - with a large head, especially remarkable by the great length of the diameter from the chin to the sinciput.139 with broad well formed shoulders, well marked loins, and hips generally large, they have almost universally –weak extremities, of great length, and little muscularity, and a large, prominent, and as it were distended belly.- Without chiefs, laws, or any form of Government; without arts of any kind; without any idea of agriculture, the use of metals, or domestication of animals; without clothing, or any fixed abode, or any habitation, except a miserable shed of bark to protect them from the coldness of the south winds; without other arms than the club and sagay,140 always wandering in the middle of forests, or by the sea-shore. – The inhabitant of these regions undoubtedly unites all the characters of the savage – he is truly the child of nature. The inhabitants of New Holland are a distinct race from those of Diemen. - Their stature is nearly the same, but besides other characteristics, they differ from them in having long and smooth hair, in the colour of their skin, being much taller, and the remarkable configuration of the head, which, less bulky, is compressed in the back part, while that of the people of Van Diemen's Land is elongated in the same direction. - The breast of the New Hollander is also developed, but there is the same disproportion between the limbs and the trunk, the same weakness, same slenderness of the limbs and often the tumefaction of the belly. In point of civilization they are but one step further advanced than the people of Diemen's Land, and have domesticated the dog alone. - In manual force the weakest Frenchman is equal to the strongest native of Van Diemen’s Land, and the weakest Englishman superior to the strongest New Hollander. - And in a commentary upon L'Abbé Banier’s production, entitled "Histoire Générale des Cérémonies, Mours et Coutumes Religieuses de lons les Peuples du Monde," will be seen the following observation, highly creditable to the British character: “the constituted authorities appointed from the Mother Country do not act like those sent from Spain to America ; but, on, the contrary, by humane laws, and a mild and conciliating deportment towards the natives, have been enabled to command their assistance, instead of being compelled to quell their commotions." - And in another work, by Le Chevalier Nollet, de l'Académie Royale des Sciences, entitled "Histoire et Commette des Angloises, will be found the following remark; "that in the act of governing, the English laws are wisely and widely construed for the better administration of these dependencies; since the exigencies of the moment admit of a discretionary power in the, Viceroys appointed; or otherwise, an Absolute adherence to the mere letter of the laws of the mother country would only endanger, and not secure her remote colonies." - Thus, Mr. Editor, it is evident from the authors cited, that this Colony has already excited the attention of the literati of Europe; and that it becomes every philosophical mind to improve the physical and promote the moral interests of this country, either by his conduct or talents. - If this slight research should at all encourage the well regarded scholar, in similar views, I shall be happy to renew my subject at some future period - and am, Sir, Your's, &c. T. P.’141 The Gazette on the 30th of March, reported that hostilities had moved downstream. An attack was made on the Lewis farm on the Grose River, probably around 25th March, and on farms at Lane Cove a few days later. Lewis’s farm, more widely known as Kearns’s Retreat was on the old junction of the Grose and Nepean Rivers.142 It was Obadiah Aiken’s old farm and still on the edge of settlement. In the attack Mrs. Lewis143 was decapitated and the convict servant’s body mangled. As I have mentioned elsewhere, the mutilation of bodies was common when Aboriginal people had a grievance against a particular settler. It was also entirely possible that Mrs. Lewis was decapitated in response to the settler practice of decapitating Aboriginal people and sending their heads to phrenologists in Edinburgh. Lieutenant Archibald Bell,144 on 27th November 1819, threw additional light on the matter when he told Commissioner Bigge that some work had been done by Aboriginal people for some settlers and that the promised remuneration was refused with very rough usage. Bell focused on the way in which the settlers on the Lewis farm had brought their deaths upon themselves. However, he made no mention of the part he played in capturing and executing the Aboriginal men allegedly responsible. George Bowman’s Memorandum to Mr Scott, clarified the location of the Lewis farm, highlighting the proximity of the killings to those of Cooling and Gallagher, servants to Mr. Crowley whose farm was only a short distance upstream of the Lewis’s. It suggests that the killings may have been related. 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