ar efforts made with regard to the
latter might be attended with no beneficial result.

11. Again, it would be unfair to consider the laws of the natives of
Australia as any indication of the real character of this people; for
many races who were at one period subject to the most barbarous laws
have, since new institutions have been introduced amongst them, taken
their rank among the civilized nations of the earth.

12. To punish the aborigines severely for the violation of laws of which
they are ignorant would be manifestly cruel and unjust; but to punish
them in the first instance slightly for the violation of these laws would
inflict no great injury on them, whilst by always punishing them when
guilty of a crime, without reference to the length of period that had
elapsed between its perpetration and their apprehension, at the same time
fully explaining to them the measure of punishment that would await them
in the event of a second commission of the same fault, would teach them
gradually the laws to which they were henceforth to be amenable, and
would show them that crime was always eventually, although it might be
remotely, followed by punishment.

13. I imagine that this course would be more merciful than that at
present adopted; namely, to punish them for the violation of a law they
are ignorant of, when this violation affects a European, and yet to allow
them to commit this crime as often as they like when it only regards
themselves; for this latter course teaches them not that certain actions,
such, for instance, as murder, etc., are generally criminal, but only
that they are criminal when exercised towards the white people, and the
impression consequently excited in their minds is that these acts only
excite our detestation when exercised towards ourselves, and that their
criminality consists not in having committed a certain odious action, but
in having violated our prejudices.

14. In the vicinity of towns where there is a certain judicial force, and
where, on account of the facility of obtaining food, the natives always
congregate, it would, by a steady and determined line of conduct, be
comparatively easy to enforce an observance of the British laws; but,
even partially to attain this object in the remote and thinly settled
districts, it is necessary that each colony should possess an efficient
mounted police, a portion of whom should be constantly in movement from
district to district, whilst another po