QSA17617 1857 Letter from Richard Hargrave to Colonial Secretary 11 May, Letters addressed to the Government Resident by the Colonial Secretary, Sydney, on the Native Police, DR50997

Hillgrove Armidale May 11th 1857

Sir, I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 28 Ultimo, enclosing a report from Mr Bligh of the Native Police dated March 31st 1857, and think myself called on to make some remarks upon that document.

Mr Bligh states "that he had received no complaint from Mr Allan or any other of such an offence having been committed nor did he hear that any outrage had been perpetrated till he received your letter enclosing that of Mr Hargrave on the 23 Inst."

I am not aware that Mr Allan made any report to Mr Bligh on the subject as I believe he only reported it to the Police in Armidale; but I am in the position to prove that a person now in my service and who was proceeding to Grafton with horses for me and who reached there on or about the 7th March was aware of the murder and made it

it a topic of conversation on the road to Grafton and in that Township altho' he did not formally report the same to Mr Bligh; & it also appeared in the "Armidale Express" copies of which are forwarded weekly to Grafton.

The 2nd paragraph states "that the Station is not in the Districts for the protection of which his division is appointed." I am well aware of the truth of this statement but having no doubt the murder was commited by the natives of either the Clarence or McLeay Districts on the immediate borders of which Districts this murder was committed, I cannot conceive this force is intended to be confined within such exact limits & not endeavour to repress such outrages when they are especially appointed for the duty.

As regards to the distance "being considerably more than 70 miles" I beg to send in the margin a statement which from long acquaintance with the locality I believe to be as

[In margin] Miles Grafton to Nimboy 30 Nimboy - Shea's 25 Shea's to Perrots 12 Perrots to McLennans 7 McL's to Bald Hills 6 Grafton to N.P. Barrks 80 @ Urarra[?] -10 ----- 70

as near the correct distance as possible & also that the Bald Hills Station is not more than about 13 miles from the borders of the Clarence District.

As to the sufficiency of Mr Bligh's force for the requirements of his Dists I do not presume to offer any opinion but as the efficiency of this force depends not upon it's remaining in Townships but on it's being constantly in motion as the horses can perform the additional duty of patrolling the Guy faux (and not the District of New England) could be easily performed as it lays[?] en route from Grafton to the McLeay and it appears to me as fair for the inhabitants of Armidale to complain of their Police Magistrate and Chief Constable being withdrawn from their duties to enquire into an outrage committed by the Blacks as for the Officer[?] of a Corps

corps specially appointed for this service to state "that he feels confident the Aborigines will take advantage of his long and frequent absences to commit many depredations which might otherwise have been prevented."

In reply to the 4th paragraph "that I did not state whether the murders was committed by blacks or Europeans" I beg to refer to the report of Mr Comsnr Buchanan to the Attorney General dated March 7th as proof of his belief how the murder was committed and of the propriety of some protection being afforded; and so far as regards the rivers rendering the Country impassable when I reached Grafton on March 21st & saw Mr Bligh there I found no difficulty in proceeding up here next morning: and upon reference

reference to the General Post Office. I think it will be found that except on April 25th & May 2nd (days on which the mail was due to pass here from Grafton to Armidale) the weekly post has not been delayed from the country being perfectly impassable & had there been a disposition on the part of this Officer to proceed out of his District there has not been sufficient cause to justify his non-appearance yet when such an outrage has been committed.

I regret much that I should be compelled again to complain of this Corps: but when I find since my return to the District that when a black is supposed to be killed by a white man efforts are very properly made regardless of trouble & expense to the country to try the presumed murderer & yet when a white man is murdered the force is stated to be not appointed for the district although the scene of the 2 murders is only about 15