AND THE NATIVES. 125 opimon on that point was expressed by Captain Hnnter 1700 and Surgeon WHte^ based on the fact that the natives fre- quently attacked white men whom they happened to meet unarmed^ while they never interfered with those who car- ried arms. These attacks^ however, were probably — as Phillip always believed — acts of retaliation. In the first Treachery or months of the settlement the canoes and spears, which they had been accustomed to leave on the beaches, were fre- quently carried ofE by the convicts and the seamen of the transports ; for which revenge was taken whenever an op- portunity ofEered, according to native law. The aggressors, in all cases, were necessarily the men who had not only driven the natives out of their hunting-grounds, but had taken away their means of living— especially the fish.* Phillip recognised their right to that kind of property by Native ordering the boating parties always to give the natives a share of any fish that might be caught. He relates that on one occasion — Twenty of the natives came down to the beach, each armed Seizing fish with a number of spears, and seized on a part of the fish caught in j^iuon. the seine. While the greatest number were seizing the fish, several stood at a small distance with their spears poised, ready to throw them if any resistance had been made ; but the coxswain very pi-udently permitted them to take what they chose, and they parted good friends. They at present find it very difficult to support themselves. If we compare this passage with one in Cook's Voyage, under date 19 July, 1770, describing an attempt made by the natives on the Endeavour Eiver to seize some turtle on seidn^ board his ship, there will be no difficulty in understanding Endeavour, the native view of the matter. In both cases it is evident that the act — ^which to the European mind would present the
- ' ' Still it is impoBsible that the Grovemment should forget that the original
aggression was our own ; and that we have never yet performed the saored dnty of making any systematic or considerable attempt to impart to the former ooonpants of New South Wales the blessing of Christianity, or the knowledge of the arts and advantages of civilised life." — Lord John Rnssell to Sir George Gipps, 21 December, 1839L Digitized by Google
