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Aborigines

Dispatch from the Right Honorable Lord Glenelg,
Secretary of State for the Colonies, to His Excellen-
cy Sir George Gipps, announcing the Appointment
of a Native Protector, and four Assistants; and pro-
posing the removal of the Van Dieman’s Land
Natives from Flinder’s’ Island to Port Phillip

No 72
Downing Street
31st January 1838

Sir,
In transmitting to you a Duplicate Copy of the
last Report of the Select Committee of the House of Commons,
on Aborigines, I have the honor to communicate to you,
that Her Majesty’s Government have directed their anxi-
ous attention to the adoption of some plan for the better
protection and civilization of the Native Tribes within
the limits of your Government

With that view, it has been resolved to appoint
at once a small number of persons qualified to fill
the office of Protector of Aborigines. I have con-
fined that number in the first instance, to one
Chief Protector, aided by four Assistant Protectors.

I would propose that the Chief Protector should
fix his principal station at Port Phillip, as
the most convenient point from whence he could
traverse the surrounding country and be in personal
communication with his Assistants; two of
whom should occupy the country to the Northward,
and

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and Eastward, and the other two to be stationed to
the Northward, and as far Westward as the boun-
daries of the Colony of South Australia

I propose to confer the Office of Chief Protector
on Mr Robinson, who, you are no doubt aware, has
for some time past been in charge of the Aboriginal
Establishment at Flinders’ Island, and who has shewn
himself to be eminently qualified for such an Office.
I shall direct the Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemans
Land to communicate my intention to Mr Robinson
and to take the necessary measures for sending
him to Sydney, if he should be prepared to un-
dertake the office. It appears to he a question
whether Mr Robinson would be willing to quit
the Establishment at Flinders’ Island, unless he
were accompanied by the Natives from Van Dieman’s
Land, in whose Superintendence he is at pre-
sent engaged. I enclose, for your general
information, a Copy of Despatch from Lieutenant
Governor Sir J. Franklin, with a report from
Mr Robinson, on the state of the Native Settlement
in that Island. It contains much interesting
information as to the condition of the Natives un-
der his charge, and also as to his mode of treating
them. You will perceive that in this Report
he strongly recommends the removal of these
Na-

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Natives to New Holland. The late Lieutenant
Governor of Van Diemans’ Land has expressed
his conviction that no evil consequences are
to be apprehended from allowing them to ac-
company Mr Robinson. In the Despatch
which is now enclosed, Sir John Franklin
states that many objections present themselves
to such a measure; and I should not feel
myself justified in directing the adoption
of it, in opposition to such a statement. If,
however, the result of the personal obser-
vations of Sir John Franklin, in the visit
which he stated himself to be about to
make to Flinders’ Island, should be such
as entirely to satisfy him that the Natives
might be so removed, without personal risk
or danger to themselves, & with their own
free consent, important advantages might
be anticipated from the formation in New
Holland of an Aboriginal Settlement compara-
tively