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Report on the Aboriginals of Queensland / by Archibald Meston

Creator
Meston, Archibald, 1851-1924
Call Number
Nq 328.943 QUE
Created/Published
Brisbane : Govt. Printer, 1896
Images
18
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Text

189 6.  

QUEENSLAND.  

REPORT ON THE ABORIGINALS OF QUEENSLAND.  

(BY ARCHIBALD MESTON, SPECIAL COMMISSIONER UNDER INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE QUEENSLAND  

GOVERNMENT.)  

Lroaouted to “both Houses of Parliament by Command,  

TO THE HONOURABLE HORACE TOZEB, HOME SECRETARY.  

Sib,_ In acqordmice with your instructions, my work has included careful inquiry into the Working  

f* yrf ™ nous Mission Stations and various other centres where food is supplied 'to tho aboriginals  

(i overnme ™’ Ihere has also been an exhaustive investigation of the nature aud causes of the  

th ®. “F aai the settlers in the Cape York Beumsula, and the general condition  

?y 0xt ‘ 16 ™, abon ma ls. My travels hare brought me in contact with about 2,000 members of sixty  

nre different tribes, speaking thirty different dialects, and extending over degrees of latitude. The time  

occupied was exactly four months, and during that period travelled over 6,000 miles by steamer, whale  

boat^dingy, horse, and on toot. .The names and localities of all these tribes are included in an Appendix  

to tins Report,- with specimen vocabularies from dialects entirely new to Australian philology, Man? of  

the tribes were absolutely wild, and had held no intercourse whatever with white men. My only  

companion throughout the whole peninsula tour was solitary aboriginal (“ ftuoOtaringwau”) from tho  

Eoen. Iwveiyon the west coast. lie had been for some time at the MApoou Mission Station,  

ji ~o worJt 'undertaken it was necessary to possess very accurate knowledge of tho inner nature.  

ai !r ?u 0? o£ *1? atlcm mals Being among them since seven years of age, and able,  

bj speaking other dialects, to rapidly acquire sufficient temporary knowledge of new ones, and to use all  

Aeir weapons, it was possible lor me to establish friendship with even the wildest and most suspicions  

Henceforth there would be no hesitation on my part in going alone and unarmed through all  

those between whom and myself mutual confidence was created, The' prevalent mischievous delusion  

concerning the supposed "treachery of the blacks” is the result of complete ignorance of aboriginal  

character. "All war," according to Carlyle, "is misunderstanding." Such have been most of the  

miserable contests between the black and White races in Australia.  

My starting course took me by steamer direct to Thursday Island. west Indian negro, pearl-  

sheller, having taken two gins from the mainland, the Hon. John Douglas took these women back to  

Cape Grenville in the "Albatross," and invited me to accompany him. The Oape Grenville tribe  

een Luendlj to the whites, and Mr. Douglas, being consistent and generous protector  

2*J” ■ vo races, has eyer displayed; towards them that Madly xaocleratioa and intuitive delicate  

forbearmc© which so readily CJeates Bew lriemdships aud retains the'old."  

took mo to the Mapoon Mission Station at  

ths-mouth oi- the Batavia River, 120 miles down tho west coast.  

On the day of arrival we left again for Albatross Bay, taking Mr. Brown, the now missionair'  

tlackboya, and the Mission whaleboat. new Mission  

on fh« eiune ™ lt th nevr riTers and obtain my opinion in deciding  

JV Next clay we arrived in Albatross Bay, and anchored in the month of  

*tf °v J? as.the Mission River. There being absolutely nothing whatever known  

of tbisuiver, both hrattchea andthe land on both sides were carefully explored. Erom there we went  

roundtothe south-east corner of the bar, and joined the « AlUwQjing there at anchorWillft  

friendly interview with large party of natives on the south beach, they told au unpleasant tale of  

former treatment by the native police, and at least two of them still bore the old bullet wounds All  

the women and cMdren were sect away some distance White men had left bad record  

on that part of the coast. boat anchored there the sastoe night and took away six of these natives to  

waSerLTelfnelr ‘i ?v rm ay so(m affce1 ’ awiTOl swam over to the mainland, and  

lpf „ 2o i? lll fr- tO *1? ° WU £ omo ’, SW “S Port Musgrave, in defiance of sharks and  

crocodiles, and calling at the Mission Station after they had crossed.  

Bumesthl « wr’°° ee 6d J? “4 lba^ oas ” P° ox lo !’e new river which Mr! Douglas had  

SII ‘ °? th ® « I]da tie Wuth of the Bmbloy, and there  

Zt i^ at fT *S°R ld ySO lth haleboai We started up the Imhley Eiver, and next  

o, +' “^ es from the'mouth. Thorn there Mr. Brown returned  

ImbW 5! at St MlSBi 8t na emoua °l the Batavia, leaving mo at the head of the  

who accompanied me across to York. Downs Station on Myall Creek,  

tributary of the Mission River. Thom York Downs went to the Morefcoh overland Telegraph Station  

G. A, 85-1896.  

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http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-52864172

APA citation

Meston, Archibald. (1896). Report on the Aboriginals of Queensland Retrieved April 8, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-52864172

MLA citation

Meston, Archibald. Report on the Aboriginals of Queensland Brisbane: Govt. Printer, 1896. Web. 8 April 2025 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-52864172>

Harvard/Australian citation

Meston, Archibald. 1896, Report on the Aboriginals of Queensland Govt. Printer, Brisbane viewed 8 April 2025 http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-52864172

Wikipedia citation

{{Citation
  | author1=Meston, Archibald.
  | title=Report on the Aboriginals of Queensland
  | year=1896
  | section=18 p. ; 30 cm.
  | location=Brisbane
  | publisher=Govt. Printer
  | url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-52864172
  | id=nla.obj-52864172
  | access-date=8 April 2025
  | via=Trove
}}

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Since 1946 [Created/Published Date + 50 Years]

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