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'one of the most trusty and sagacious'

‘… one of the most trusty and sagacious …’, 1832
The Hobart Town Courier, 28 December 1832
X079.9461/1

   We are happy to learn, that the party now
out to conciliate and bring in the remainder of
the Blacks, conducted during Mr. Robinson's
visit to Hobart town by Mr. Anthony Cotterel
and Mr. Rohinson's eldest son, has succeeded
in bringing in 8 more of them, who will be for-
warded to the general establishment on Flinder's
island. They were found on the banks
of the river Arthur on the western coast, being
part of the same tribe to which the chief Wy-
murie now in town belongs, and had it not been
for the conduct of a black named Edick who is
amongst them, the whole of the residue of them
now on that coast amounting we understand to
about 26 more, would probably have come over
to join their associates at the new colony.
Mr. Cotterel with his party being on the oppo-
site side of the rivet', which at that place near
the coast was deep and broad, experienced
some difficulty in bringing them over, and was
obliged to construct a raft fOl' that purpose.
Five men, two women and a child were in this
way conveyed across and joined with much
seeming satisfaction the friendly blacks
that formed Mr. Cotterel's party. Night
coming on their voyages across were stopped
until next day, when the raft having been carried
out by the tide and lost upon the bar, Mr.
Cotterel constructed a temporary sort of ca-
noe, which he sent over with one of the most
trusty and sagacious of his Sydney blacks,
named Stewart, who was to bring over those
that chose to come, one at a time, as it was too
small to contain with safety more than two
people. In a few minutes after reaching the
south side--the treacherous Edick and some
others rushed forward and flung their spears
at Stewart. He immediately jumped into the
river and dived out of sight (with a presence
of mind and agility worthy of the American
author, Cooper's pen, to describe). He avoided
the spears by this manoeuvre, although the
men that threw them were not more than 5 or
6 yards distant from him. Whilst under wa-
ter, he contrived to rid himself of his clothes,
consisting of a shirt and jacket. The moment
however he put his head above water to take
breath, a shower of spears and waddies were
thrown at him, but those like the former he
avoided by diving on the instant. He conti-
nued doing so until he got beyond their reach,
when he was met by one ofthe Sydney natives,
who swam to his assistance, and they happily
reached the shore without having received any
injury.
  The whole number of blacks now at large
in the island cannot, it is conceived exceed
50 or 60, and Mr. Robinson we learn feels
confident that by his intervention, he will be
able so to convince them of the advantage of
migrating to their associates in Great Island,
that they will soon voluntarily request a pas-
sage to it. When we compare ,the present
secure and tranquil condition of the remote
settler with what it was before Mr. Robinson
brought in the hostile tribes, the colony we
think cannot be too grateful for his exertions,
which have providentially proved so successful.
Not a week then passed without the melan-
choly news reaching town, that in some quar-
ter or other a murder or some other sanguinary
outrage had been committed. How far the
government has recompensed so important
services we do not exactly know, but this we
are certain of, that they could scarceely be
rewarded too highly, and considering the
length, of time he has been engaged on that
fatiguing and dangerous duty away from his
home, we do think he is entitled to some pub-
ic expression of the sense which this colony at
large entertains of his labours.
 

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