A note on Structure
-1816: Comings and Goings
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- 1 st of January, 1814: will any white man or woman keep me company
- 1812-1815: Interaction
1812-1816: Comings and Goings23rd of May, 1812: Daniel MoowattyeDaniel Moowattye, the Aboriginal lad taken to England by George Caley returned to Sydney in May 1812. Despite his veneer of civilization he disappointed his mentors by taking to the bush, further reinforcing settler disappointment in their efforts.25 1st of January, 1814: will any white man or woman keep me company?The editor’s contemplation of the impossibility of civilising “the native by bringing him into our way of life” in the following passage was framed within the conventional discourse of degenerate savagery. It reinforced, and vented the frustration of settlers at the resistance of Aboriginal people to the supposed attractions of civilisation. It was, however, quite unusual in that it reflected a conversation with a Aboriginal man who pointed out the contradiction in settler expectations of civilisation when no white woman would form a relationship with him. The fact that the Aboriginal man spoke English and had been to sea did not appear to have registered with the editor as being evidence of civilisation. ‘A well known native who has been many short voyages to sea, and always acquitted himself well, was a few days since asked why, upon his return to port, he should prefer rejoining his native acquaintances? His reply went no further than to oppose one interrogatory to another: "Will you, said he, keep me company: or will any white man or woman keep me company? white women will marry white men; but no white woman will have me; then why wish me to keep away from my own people, when no other will look upon me? Whether this was a rational argument or not let the civilized man enquire. It is in point the best reply that could have been urged to the presumed impracticability of their civilization: in support of which opinion, examples have been produced of some who have been reared from infancy among us, at length abandoning our customs for their own. But how did they live among us? not as equals, but as creatures not possibly to be associated with. If we admit that they possess ideas, would it be fair or rational to imagine that when the judgment forms itself, and the time arrives when man naturally looks forward to the pleasures of social life, a poor creature possessed of reflection and manly faculties could still submit to a state of abstraction from his kindred, and in preference to a state of equality among them, voluntarily devote himself to abject insignificancy and endless celibacy? What would any of us civilized folks think of a black man who under contrasted circumstances could argue so illiberaly? We despise their manners, customs, and general habits, because we prefer our own and is it not a clear case that they reverse the matter? We consider them as a degenerate species of mankind, because they prefer the state of nature to the refinements of art; and if we come closely to challenge our conceptions in this particular, we shall perceive, that this contempt of their manners is subject to all the variations of our own particular circumstances and conditions; or to speak a little more intelligibly, that the white man who is obliged to content himself with the bare necessaries of life, administered in slender proportion to himself and family, does not set that very great value upon his difference of condition which the easy, gaudy, and voluptuous do. To those who enjoy every thing they wish for, privation appears a punishment; and yet we know, that bread and water in a state of complete starvation would be more acceptable than wine and custards to the sated appetite. Diogenes broke his cup, when he found he could do without it: and who was Diogenes? a philosopher, a casuist, a censor, who received his food from the hand of nature only, and was nevertheless held so high in estimation by the conqueror of the world, that in an excess of admiration he exclaimed, "Were I not Alexander, I should wish to be Diogenes." If, then, our most esteemed philosophers have been regarded for their temperance and moderation, why despise the native, to whom this mode of life is natural and unaffected. With habits so diametrically at variance we can as little hope to civilize the native by bringing him into our way of life, as he can hope to barbarize us by reversing the position; Desirable, therefore, as it may be, to give them a relish for improvement, yet under such contrasted prejudices it is scarcely to be hoped for a considerable length of time at least.’26 On 17th August 1814, Thomas Campbell, the colonial Secretary wrote to Lieutenant Governor Davey requesting that Mosquito be returned from Van Diemen’s Land. Phillip, Mosquito’s brother, sailed in the Kangaroo to bring Mosquito home. Davey did not return Mosquito.27 On Friday the 19th of August, 1814 “His Majesty’s brig Kangaroo, Captain Jeffries, sailed for the Derwent.”28 1812-1815: Interaction11th of January, 1812: Aboriginal complaintsThe following passage is illuminating in that a group of Aboriginal people felt able to complain to Matthew Locke, the chief constable and he responded to their complaint. The outcome of the complaint remains unknown. The passage indicates that an ongoing negotiated truce was in place; in the past and indeed in the future, an offence against a Aboriginal was likely to be reciprocated in kind, as the author was aware of. The passage is also of importance in that it reinforces my contention that the authorities were determined to prevent the convict settlers taking the law into their own hands.29 ‘A few days ago a party of Natives went to the house of Mr. Locke, Chief Constable at Windsor, with a representation that one of their tribe had been fired at and supposed to be killed, at Richmond. They appeared very positive in the truth of their information, and vehemently solicited an immediate cognizance of the complaint; with which Mr. L readily complied. Attended by a party of his sub-ordinates, he went accordingly to the farm whereat the circumstance was alleged to have taken place, and as not traces were visible that could give colour to the information, the enquiry was extended to the surrounding hamlets; the consequence of which was, that a white man and woman were taken in to Windsor, where, as stated by the latest accounts from thence, they awaited an investigation of the challenge.-Whether the Natives were correct in their information or otherwise a short period doubtless will developpe: that it may be unfounded we sincerely wish, as it is our undoubted duty to avoid every excitement to acts of hostility from these uninformed tribes, who, acting from momentary impulse upon all occasions, have it ever in their power to reek their vengeance upon the solitary unoffending settler, or the unguarded traveller. These considerations should restrain the civilized inhabitant even in cases where excessive provocarion30 might shelter him from the imputation of inhumanity; but should this be obvious, the aggression becomes an act of cruelty beyond the hope of palliative.’31 Directory: docs docs -> Application for acem docs -> Observational Assessment of Teaching Practices Teaching Assessment Initiative Proposal Submitted to The Teachers for a New Era project docs -> Traditional British values docs -> From Warfighters to Crimefighters: The Origins of Domestic Police Militarization docs -> Borzoi Club of America Register of Merit Program I. What is a Register Of Merit docs -> Protecting the rights of the child in the context of migration docs -> United Nations E/C. 12/Esp/5 docs -> 9th May 1950 the schuman declaration docs -> Getting To Outcomes® in Services for Homeless Veterans 10 Steps for Achieving Accountability Download 3.05 Mb. Share with your friends:
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