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Rh in slipping their handcuffs and. attempted to make their escape, in which one succeeded, but the other was shot by the sentry. Feeling anxious to proceed to the Guyder, where the ravages were stated to be greater, and having permitted the rest to depart, with the exception of one man, who promised to conduct me to the other tribe of the Guyder blacks, I then proceeded to Mr. Bell's station on the river Guyder, which I reached in four days. Mr. Bell requested me to stay a few days, as the blacks were very troublesome in spearing the cattle. Being, however, anxious to proceed to Mr. Cobb's station, I left Ensign Colban and a party of men to search the woods for the natives, which they did, but without success, returning to me in two days. In about four days I reached Mr. Cobb's station on the Big River; I found every thing in disorder; the shepherds were afraid to take their flocks out of sight of the hut; in fact, the statements in Mr. Paterson's communication are fully borne out. Learning from. Mr. Lamb, the superintendent at Mr. Cobb's station, that the blacks were at some distance in the interior, he having followed them, after the murder, a short distance, Mr. Lamb, Mr. Hall, and Mr. Scott's men undertaking to accompany me, I provisioned the mounted policemen for 15 days, and determined to pursue them. On the fourth day. I came upon a man sleeping under a tree; seeing four spears leaning against it, I suspected that others were in the neighbourhood, I accordingly secured him, and afterwards four others (three with their women); from them I learnt that the main body of the tribe were at some considerable distance on other wakes. Keeping the men as guides, I proceeded in quest of the rest of the tribe, hearing all. from these respecting the sheep taken. On the second evening after taking the men, I came up with the main body of a river called the Bogy, which runs through a wood, but so open that the men could ride through: I rode down upon them, but no sooner did they perceive us than they speared one of the troopers through the calf of the leg, and showed evident intentions of spearing many more. I then felt it necessary, for the safety of my men, to use sharp measures, and reluctantly gave orders to fire, and regret much to state that a few fell in consequence. On entering their encampment I destroyed a great number of their spears. I must not omit to mention that Mr. Lamb fully indentified [sic] several articles belonging to his station, taken away from the hut by these blacks. After resting a day, we proceeded on our return to Mr. Cobb's station, guided by some of the blacks, by a more direct route, feeling anxious to return as soon as possible, apprehending rain, which, owing to the flatness of the country, would have prevented our travelling. I have parted with my guides, after rewarding them much to their satisfaction, and explaining to them that we had no wish or intention to injure them, but to prevent a recurrence of the outrages that had been committed. On reaching Mr. Cobb's station I considered it prudent to rest my men and horses for three days. I then proceeded to the Australian Company's station on the Peel River (which, although rather out of my road, afforded me an opportunity of getting my horses shod), and from thence to Jerry's Plains, which I reached after 53 days' duty.

The Honourable

The Colonial Secretary, &c. &c. &c.

Present:—His Excellency the. Governor, the Honourable Colonel Snodgrass,, the Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of Australia, the Honourable the Colonial Secretary, the Honourable the Colonial Treasurer.

His Excellency the Governor informed the Council that he felt it to be his duty to submit to them a report which he had received from Major Nunn, of the mounted police, dated the 5th instant, giving an account of a rencontre between a party of the police under his orders and a tribe of the native blacks, in which, in consequence of their having speared one of his men, and displayed evident intentions of spearing more, he judged it necessary for the safety of his party to order them to fire, when, he regrets much to state that a few of the blacks fell.

His Excellency also laid before the Council a despatch from Lord Glenelg, dated the 26th of July, and received in this colony the 24th of February last.

His Excellency likewise laid before the Council a copy of the printed Report made during the last Session of the Imperial Parliament by a Committee of the House of Commons, on the subject of the treatment of the aborigines in British colonies.

His Excellency then stated, that as Lord Glenelg had in his despatch above mentioned recommended an inquiry in every case in which an aboriginal native should come to a violent