Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 1.djvu/223

119 PHILLIP AND THE NATIVES. The temper in which Phillip was disposed to rule the little 1788 community placed under his charge may be seen in the line of conduct he adopted towards the native race. The lively interest he took in it forms one of the most conspicuous features of his despatches. It was not merely because he had been instructed '^ by every possible means to open an intercourse with the natives and to conciliate their affec- tions," that he took every opportunity for doing so. He evidently felt a personal pleasure in the task. It was the first time in his life in which he had found himself in con- An inter- tact with " the Indians " ; and the study of their character, * " ^* customs, and language was full of interest for him. For that, quite as much as for any official reason, he entered in his journal every little incident that occurred in the course of his communications with them. The Home Secretary, let us hope, fully appreciated the very elaborate information in his despatches with respect to the aboriginals; smiling, perhaps, to find him so much absorbed in his inquiries as to their peculiar customs — as, for instance, that of cutting off Cuatoma of the two first joints of the little finger on the left hand of their women. But matters of this kind, trivial as they may seem nowadays, serve to show that he was at least sincere in professing anxiety to promote their welfare by every means in his power. The natives have ever been treated with the greatest humanity and attention, and every precaution that was possible has been His policy, taken to prevent their receiving any insults 3 and when I shall have Digitized by Google