§ Mr. Fowell Buxton, in bringing forward his motion, respecting the treatment of the Aboriginal inhabitants in the British Colonies, begged to state why that motion had been delayed so long. There were certain papers respecting the Commissioners appointed to determine the frontier line of the Cape of Good Hope, which it was highly important should be produced. He had moved for them in the last Session, and again in the early part of the present Session, but they had not yet been laid upon the Table. The subject was one which deeply interested a large body—he might say many millions—of persons, and was therefore entitled to the most serious consideration of the House. When he had last addressed the House upon the subject, he had adverted to the cruel oppression which had been practised on the unhappy individuals in question by depriving them of their lands and other property. He had on that occasion expressed his hope that a different kind of policy would be adopted towards them, and his conviction that humanity would be found a course not only more consonant to good feeling, but productive of more advantage than severity. He now repeated his firm opinion that kindness would be far preferable—that it would be far safer, far cheaper, and far more profitable, than coercion. He repeated, that the question was one which demanded the most serious consideration; the lives and property of not 550 fewer than four or five millions of human beings being concerned in the proper settlement of it. In the Indian islands and the Cape of Good Hope there were at least a million; in Australia there were from two to three millions; and in New Zealand and other situations a great many; so that he was fully justified in the assertion which he had made, that the lives and property of four or five millions of human beings were implicated in the question. It was a circumstance well worthy the consideration of the House, that wherever the influence of this country extended in any part of the world, there the aboriginal population was rapidly decreasing. He had evidence to prove that fact beyond all contradiction. [The hon. Gentleman read a number of extracts from various works, to prove that position.] The first quotation was from a work on America, in which it was stated that a village near the city of Quebec contained the last of the Huron Indians; famine and gunpowder had done their work amongst them, and aggression and oppression had nearly completed what these had left undone. In another district, as large perhaps as the whole of Europe, the same consequences had ensued. A writer, in whom he (Mr. Buxton) could place the utmost reliance, Dr. Laing, stated that from the habits of intemperance, and from the diseases which the Aborigines of New South Wales had contracted, in consequence of their connexion with the European settlers in that country, their numbers had decreased to an amazing extent, and were still rapidly diminishing. This was especially the case in the neighbourhood of Sydney. At the Cape of Good Hope he could state, upon the authority of Mr. Barrow, that the numbers of the original inhabitants were still more rapidly on the decline; and in Van Diemen's Land, of which we only took possession in 1803, scarcely one of the original inhabitants remained. By a letter which he had recently received from that country, he was informed that all that remained of a tribe formerly 500 strong, were two or three men, as many women, and a few children. These unhappy persons declared themselves to be the last of their race, and complained that the white men had rooted them out of the soil. If the time at which he was addressing the House gave him the least reason to hope that the House was dis- 551 posed to listen to details of that description, he could give a great variety of instances of the same kind; but he thought he should not appeal in vain to the House to take the Report into its serious consideration, when he said that the lives and possessions of many millions of persons had fallen under the influence which had been exerted over them, in consequence of the establishment of British Colonies in the soil of which they were previously the undisputed lords. Of the 120,000 square miles now occupied or claimed by this country at the Cape of Good Hope, only a few acres were originally purchased; and he was enabled to state, upon the authority of a gentleman who had spent some time in that country in 1832, that the native inhabitants of the place had, nearly disappeared before the face of the white intruders. Thus it would appear that British influence, wherever exerted in the colonies, was uniformly injurious to those who, upon every ground of justice and right, were entitled to protection in the possession of their lands. He (Mr. Buxton) required no more than that we should act justly towards these people. Unless some milder and more benevolent policy were adopted, he was sure the time could not be far distant when these unhappy races would become wholly extinct. Was it fit that we should use our mighty power to accomplish such an end? When he brought forward the Report last, he had alluded to the Report of the military expeditions which occasionally took place at the Cape of Good Hope, and had predicted, that unless these incursions upon the territories of the natives were put an end to, some very serious consequences would ensue. Any one who had read the communications from the Gape during the last two or three months, would see how completely his predictions had been fulfilled. Letters recently received from Caffre land informed them that the patrol system (the name given to military expeditions in the Indians' country) still continued, and that the worst consequences resulted from it. One of his correspondents informed him of the cause of the late war between the Caffres and the colonists. It appeared that some horses had been stolen from the colonists, who sent an expedition into the country headed by an ensign, an extremely young officer, who went to the first Indian 552 village and demanded the horses. The Indians replied that they knew nothing about them, but the young officer, without any further investigation, at once proceeded to take possession of their property. This was resisted and a skirmish ensued, in which the young gentleman received a wound. This was considered a great offence. Another expedition was fitted out against them; their cattle was seized, a tumult ensued, and the patrol found some difficulty in escaping. This commenced the hostilities which had since led to so much bloodshed. He did not wish to make a charge against any individual. He complained only of the system. He said it was a system wholly unworthy of this great nation. There was one other fact connected with the recent disturbances at the Cape which he wished to mention before he sat down. No persons in the midst of these disturbances were placed in a situation of greater danger, or were more completely under the power of the barbarian population, than the European Missionaries, who were scattered about the country in various quarters, yet it so happened that not one of those missionaries had been touched in person or in property, and whilst the hostilities continued, they had it in their power to render great assistance to many Europeans who were travelling in those remote districts. Such, indeed, was the influence of these worthy and pious men, that they were employed, and successfully employed, as negotiators between the colonists and the hostile barbarians. He merely mentioned that fact to show that proper behaviour on the part of Europeans produced a corresponding one on the part of the black population. Considering that this question affected the interests of many millions of people, and extended over a vast portion of the globe, he thought it was every way worthy the serious consideration of the House, and he hoped he should not be thought going too far when he moved for a Committee to inquire into the subject. The hon. Gentleman concluded by moving for the appointment of a Select Committee.
§ Sir George Greydid not rise to object to the principle of the Motion, or even to oppose it. He thought the question one deeply affecting the character of the nation, and one which, therefore, demanded the attention of the House of Commons. Still, as on the 1st of July last year the hon. 553 Gentleman (Mr. Buxton) would not move for the appointment of a Select Committee, but preferrred the shorter course of moving an Address to his Majesty upon the subject; the question for the hon. Gentlemen now to consider was, whether on the 14th of July, a fortnight later in the Session, he would move for the appointment of a Committee, which could have no prospect of prosecuting its inquiries with success, and which could arrive at no satisfactory conclusion before it would necessarily become extinct by the prorogation of Parliament. At the same time, entertaining a strong feeling upon the subject, he (Sir George Grey) should be content to grant the Motion now, upon condition that the Committee, when appointed, should examine only those witnesses who were about to leave the country, and that they should make no Report until the next Session of Parliament, when, upon a Motion of the hon. Member for Weymouth, the Committee might be immediately re-appointed. He, however, could not suffer it to go forth to the world that nothing but injury had resulted to the Indian tribes from their connexion with our colonies. He thought that our Colonial Government had not been of a character to reflect discredit upon the country; and, as regarded the native Indians, he believed that the greatest blessings had, in many instances, flowed from it.
§ Mr. Fowell Buxtonagreed with the right hon. Baronet in thinking the present an unseasonable period for the appointment of a Committee upon the subject; but he had felt himself compelled to bring forward the Motion, because the documents for which he had twice moved had not yet been produced. He was perfectly ready to accede to the terms proposed by the right hon. Baronet, namely, that the Committee should be appointed—that it should make no Report this Session, and that it should only take evidence of persons about to quit the country.
§ Motion agreed to.
§ Committee to be named on the following day.