be made Bush constables, and put on the police staff. He suggested, also, that the same power should be granted to Black Bill, a Tasmanian guide. He procured better rations for them.
Anxious for home and rest, he retired awhile in October 1830, transferring his Sydney Blacks to his friend Mr. Cottrell. The Governor, in his despatch of November 20th, is pleased to refer to his labours thus: "Mr. Batman treated the savages with the utmost kindness, distributing to them clothing and food. They were placed under no restraint, but all the indulgence that had been pledged was manifested toward them. Mr. Batman, who has taken the most lively interest in conciliating these wretched people, and has been one of the few who supposed that they might be influenced by kindness, was, with his family, most assiduous in cultivating the best understanding."
But he never lost his interest in the work. His year of success was that in which Mr. Robinson had been able to accomplish little. After this, the operations were left in the hands of the latter, though the Ben Lomond squatter actively laboured for the good of the unhappy race. He objected to the system of clearing the island of all of them without exception, and pleaded hard for the retention of youth educated by settlers, and devoted to their service. This brought him into collision with Mr. Robinson, who was ever jealous of his intimacy with Colonel Arthur and the higher officials, and who formally complained of his keeping two Native lads on his farm near Ben Lomond, for he would not return them at the mission leader's orders.
A passage-at-arms occurred. Mr. Robinson was backed by the Aborigines' Committee of Hobart Town, while his rival had the ear of officialdom. Mr. Batman declared that he was not obstructive, but that he acted as the guardian of the boys, because their mothers, on being forwarded to Flinders Island, refused to take the lads from the kind care of the Blacks' friend. The Committee wrote to Ben Lomond, urging the removal of the two, stating that Mr. Robinson had intimated the clamour among the exiles at their absence. Lieutenant Darling, the beloved Commandant at Flinders, espoused the side of Batman, and addressed a letter to him, March 25th, 1834, declaring that the mother of Jackey had told him, in answer to his question: "No—no—no! let him stay at Mr. Batman's, till he gets a long fellow." Mr. Darling
