In the early days of the colony a most impolitic order was issued by the Government to the settlers as to the treatment of the natives, viz., that they were not to employ them in work, in order to avoid an approach towards slavery. I do not know if this emanated from the home authorities, but I suspect it did.

At all events such bastard sentimentality was not responded to or obeyed. On the one hand were the settlers requiring a number of little jobs to be done ; and on the other the natives in want of food and the requirements of civilisation as to clothing, which they were immediately called on to respect ; their skin which nature had afforded them, with, on stated occasions, a few stripes of white or red paint, and sometimes a small girdle round the loins, being all they had previously found necessary, except when in cold weather they chose to wear wallaby or opossum rugs.

Nevertheless, if the Government had from the first treated them as the natural owners of the land and lords of the soil, to whom an ample provision had to be set apart to enable them to lead an idle and independent life, there would have been some justice if not sense in such a proposition. But as in the progress of settlement of their country by our intrusion their game must be either destroyed or driven back, they would have been without means of subsistence in the absence of an appropriate equivalent. The question is, has justice been done them ?

I say it has not, and I think the contrary will not be asserted. As to the order not to employ them, I for one, when applied to by them for food or clothing, made it a rule to give them a job more or less slight, and paid them accordingly, thinking if their necessities drove them to beg degrading habits would be set up, and that it was our duty to induce them to adopt habits of thrift and industry.

It is proper to relate that after the arrival of Colonel Gawler right steps, as far as they went, were adopted. Mr. Cronk retired as interpreter on the appointment of Captain Bromley. Dr. Wyatt, who had been appointed as Protector of Aborigines by Captain Hindmarsh, was succeeded by Dr. Moorhouse, who had his appointment from home, and who, with the scanty means supplied to him, did all in his power to ameliorate the condition of the natives and raise them in the scale of humanity, following up the attempts Dr. Wyatt had made.

But such a desirable object has scarcely ever been attended with success to any such extent as philanthropists desire, proving that low and depraved feeling and habits during ages reduce even man to a state of physical degradation from which an improvement is next to an impossibility, at any rate with adults.

One of the first steps adopted in this colony for their benefit was the establishment of a school for the young; and as some of the scholars in subsequent years became my servants, I shall with pleasure relate that some moral good arose from that establishment, and that good impressions were not lost in all instances by such scholars after many years of wandering and mixing chiefly with untaught members of their own or other tribes.

The policy of placing the school in the city, nevertheless, was accompanied with great evils and drawbacks, as it of necessity led to the adults sitting down there also, and thus the worst vices of the town were only too readily acquired and adopted by them.

If the Government, instead of a few detached sections which have been from the first set apart as aboriginal reserves, had appropriated or devoted blocks of sufficient extent near fishing and hunting grounds, and there formed native stations such as that afterwards founded at Poonindie by Archdeacon (now Bishop) Hale, and at Point McLeay under the Aborigines' Association, and had continued to carry out such a system of reserves of land, with grants of money, all over the colony, in anticipation of settlement, a righteous justification would have been gained for our occupation of their land without conquest or purchase, and in compensation for the destruction of their game, and natural habits, and laws.

We had been received as friends ; and now where are the original lords of the soil, and in what state are the few who remain in any of our settled districts ? Before any measures had been adopted for their improvement it is recorded that one white man was killed near the river below the town. This was previous to my arrival. The name of the man was Pegler. It was ascertained that he was killed by two natives named William and George, brothers. Their native names I have not learned. He was pierced through the heart by a sharpened kangaroo bone, passed in a slanting direction down from the neck, whilst under the influence of drink. This man, it was said, had insulted the natives by intruding on them at a corrobboree, and had placed himself between two black women belonging to the men who killed him, and was ordered off. On his retiring he was followed and found asleep by the two brothers, one of whom killed him. The blacks gave as a further reason that some of their dogs had been killed by a white man.

On the information reaching the Governor the Protector and another officer were sent down to enquire into the sad affair. The further particulars which I give I received from Dr. Wyatt, then acting as Protector of Aborigines. Dr. Wyatt having obtained information as to the native who actually had given the death wound, afterwards sought out the blacks, and coming upon their encampment, accompanied by Mr. G. M. Stephen, Colonial Secretary, enquired for the murderer, He was pointed out to them far up a gum tree. As the white men could not climb up to him, and the men of his tribe declined to do so, they had only to wait to see if words would bring him down.

After sometime he descended, and whilst standing amongst his tribe all in a state of excitement, on the two officials approaching him he quietly allowed them to take him into custody. The scene of his brother caressing him and shedding tears was most affecting. He was placed in charge of the marines, who allowed him to escape, and not much trouble was taken to recover him. The conduct of the man killed was proved to have been so bad that little wonder was felt as to the extreme punishment he had received. This black was subsequently hung for the murder of another white man.

Dr. Wyatt had devoted much time and attention to gain a knowledge of the language of the blacks, and succeeded in obtaining about 1,000 words. In this research he discovered that they had found the necessity for creating fresh words, to represent objects new to them, one for instance for trousers, quite a new article, their new word expressed leg-covering, thus showing much ingenuity. Dr. Wyatt, accompanied with Mr. Mann, then Advocate -General, was subsequently directed by the Governor to visit Encounter Bay, to enquire into the murder of a sailor of the name of Driscol, belonging to the ship South Australia.

The native who killed Driscol was found by them to be in confinement on board the ship in irons, and evidently under very harsh treatment. It appeared on enquiry that a fight had occurred between Driscol and the black man about one of his lubras ; that the sailor had been guilty of very bad conduct; and that on making a criminal assault on the native's favorite lubra a desperate fight took place, which resulted in the death of the white man ; so that this case was not taken to the Supreme Court, as it could only have resulted in a verdict of manslaughter.

As to the mode of taking the life of Pegler, Dr. Wyatt has recently explained to me that they adopted a most artistic mode of performing the operation in that the first case we have an account of. I have to relate a subsequent case of deliberate murder performed on the same principle, only the instrument was passed upwards into the vitals. I will endeavor to describe the instrument which had such deadly effect with so little to be seen on the surface of the skin of the murdered men. It was made in one case out of the shank-bone of a kangaroo; in the other of the shank-bone of an emu, say 12 or 15 inches in length, shaved down by pieces of quartz or glass, as it were split in half, and one end worked to an extremely fine point, which the close texture and strength of the bones allowed, in the form of a scoop, the sides also carrying fine sharp edges. I was told soon after I arrived that the old men or doctors of the tribes had devised this mode of taking and shutting up the lives of the white men, so as on the withdrawal of the instrument, and pressing down the small half circular flap, little blood could escape, and the spirit would not pass out, as they believed, to trouble them.

In relating circumstances exhibiting their original and native habits, I can mention one described to me by Dr. Wyatt of a very touching character. It has been always asserted that one of the shocking customs of the natives of this continent was infanticide. I give the facts related to me by the doctor, which prove that the destruction of recently born female children was a tribal policy and custom, a sad crime against nature and motherly feelings. Amongst the early settlers were many who had the kindest feelings towards a race of human beings only just one step removed above the beasts that perish.

One lady especially interested in their behalf, having heard that a lubra had been confined of a female child, and that the tribe were about to kill it, sent to Dr. Wyatt, urging him to visit the blacks' encampment without delay, with which request the Protector immediately complied. Arrived at the wurlies on the north side of the river, the woman was pointed out to him. He found her sitting up with the recently-born female child lying on the bare ground by her side, nothing having been done to the poor uncovered infant. Close at hand stood a vile looking blackfellow, just on the point of killing the child. A stop being put on proceedings, the mother was remonstrated with, to which she replied that the act decided on by the tribe had her consent, as one of their customs.

Dr. Wyatt observed a stout boy, about four years of age, standing and taking nourishment from the mother's breast. He had been advised by the kind and motherly woman who had sent him down to endeavor to get the mother to put the infant to her breast. After some persuasion she did this, and then motherly affections were excited, as the lady had predicted, and the life of the child was saved.

It is well here to mention that I have on several occasions seen a boy of three or four years of age standing up and taking his nourishment from the mother in a similar manner, and on my enquiring where the recent infant was, I have been told that it was dead, and I admit that at the time I did not suspect that the child had been killed.

From Dr. Wyatt I have been informed that the reasons given to him for such a barbarous custom were that the tribes being generally at war, they stole females from one another, and so each tribe wished to have as few young girls to tempt their enemies as possible. Such barbarous customs are almost too revolting to be related, but a true history demands it.

As the tribes on the settled part of the country became partially civilised I believe such a cruel custom was seldom, if ever, resorted to, but a kind of barter took the place of it, of which I became cognizant. A young man having a sister could exchange her for a girl of another tribe, with the father, the brother, or cousin of the girl he desired to acquire, giving his own relative in exchange. Such cases I became aware of in my intercourse with the natives as an employer of them.

I have now to relate the sad murder of a quiet and confiding shepherd, which I have alluded to, by three blacks, in order to obtain a sheep. With a friend, Mr. Osmond Gilles, I had formed a joint sheep station about four miles to the north of Adelaide, each having a separate flock and shepherd, we dividing the expense of the hut. My friend's shepherd's name was Duffield; my flock, under the charge of a man named Miles, ran west; Duffield's flock ran east. This was, at that time, the farthest out-station.

Miles had followed me from England, and stipulated that I should furnish him with a gun and a brace of small pocket-pistols, with suitable ammunition. He held the blacks in such dread, that he would not allow them to come near him. He never went out without his gun in his hand and pistols in his pocket, and when he chanced to meet any of the blacks, he would wave them off to keep at a distance, and would produce from his pocket one of his pistols, and say, "Picaninny gun, plenty more."

I give these particulars to account for the cautious and planned proceedings the murderers adopted to kill his comrade Duffield, who, unfortunately for himself, acted on all occasions in a confiding manner with the natives, and gave every encouragement to them, allowing them to walk about with him, saying when his mate remonstrated with him, 'Poor creatures, we are taking their country from them!' but he put his trust in them once too often.

He never carried arms. On their attack on him they acted as if they thought he might have picaninny guns in his pocket. On the alarming news being brought to me that Duffield was lying on the plain dying or dead, I lost no time in going out with a conveyance, and found the poor fellow prone and suffering the greatest agony, and brought him into town that he might have all the attention his case required.

With much difficulty he told me that three black men were walking with him quietly, one on each side of him and one behind, conversing in friendly terms. One of them asked him suddenly for a sheep. On his saying ' No,' he received a severe blow from the one behind him with a heavy waddy, and fell down insensible, but shortly became conscious, and felt he had been pierced upwards, from just below his ribs. He said he saw one of them with-draw the instrument he used.

He spoke with such difficulty that I thought his vitals had been pierced ; yet on examining him at the spot he pointed out, I could perceive very small marks of blood, and the wound was closed, and was to all appearance such as would be seen after a heavy pressure of a man's thumb nail ; the small flap must have been pressed down, as I have stated in Dr. Wyatt s account of the death-wound inflicted on Pegler; but in this case a most treacherous and cruel action was committed without provocation.

Duffield was without loss of time placed under medical treatment. On examination it was found that the fine and sharp instrument used had been passed a short distance under the skin and then pressed downwards, and had passed through the lungs. I must explain that Duffield, as he informed me, was on his back, that is on his head and shoulders, that a black named Rodney was placed between his legs, which were held up by a black behind Rodney's back, and so the sharp bone was conveniently used. The instrument used was a finely sharpened and thin leg-bone of an emu. Every attention was exercised to relieve the sufferer, but nothing could save him ; he lingered about forty-eight hours.

Singular to relate, the shepherd's faithful dog, unaided, gathered the scattered sheep, took them home, crossed the river with them, and placed them in the fold, less only three, stolen or lost.

Duffield gave the name of the principal murderer as Rodney, a villainous fellow, who had not long before this killed his lubra ; Cronk, the interpreter, found her body and buried it. Whilst I was attending on the poor sufferer Duffield, unknown to me a meeting of the inhabitants took place, as great excitement was caused, and some intemperate men proposed that a party should go out armed and take summary vengeance on the blacks.

Unfortunately, at this time the Governor, Colonel Gawler, was away from the seat of government on an exploring expedition. Dr. Wyatt, the Protector, was also absent at Encounter Bay, with Mr. Mann, the Advocate-General, on official business, enquiring into the death of Driscol, as related. In this unfortunate complication of difficulties, moderate measures were happily adopted at the meeting, as by a resolution passed, in the absence of the proper authorities, four gentlemen were requested to investigate the matter, viz., Messrs. D. McLaren, J. B. Hack, and one whose name I forget, with Mr. John Brown, Immigration Agent. Mr. Brown for some time declined, not wishing to interfere out of his department, but eventually was persuaded to act, desirous to prevent any retaliatory action.

On the return of Governor Gawler he sent to Mr. Brown a written censure on his conduct, and calling for an apology or his resignation. Mr. Brown's explanation not being satisfactory, he was summarily dismissed. I am not able to say if misunderstandings antecedent assisted to cause the Governor to take this severe step, but I have reason to think such was the case.

Although Rodney was such a barbarous aboriginal, he was allowed to escape after being captured, and as far as I remember did not turn up again. He might have been killed by his own tribe, as was customary among them, to get rid of a troublesome member.

I am sorry so say that the above sad murders, harrowing as they were, were exceeded far in atrocity by others as committed by the natives, and bring one instance of a brutal murder of an old black man by an overland white man, on whom retribution soon fell.

There were also a few instances of more serious collisions between the two races. On the whole, however, I can say that this colony stands alone in the infrequency of such sad occurrences as compared with other communities in this part of the world, which had gone forth to carry out the divine command 'to increase and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it.'