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in New Zealand; declaring Mr. Kendal a resident magistrate at the Bay of Islands; and investing Ruatara, Hongi,
and Korokoro with power and authority to aid Kendal)
Macquarie (Dec. 1814) announced in the Gazette his intention to form a school for the aborigines. He wished to hold
public conference with the tribes, and requested them to
meet him at the market-place at Parramatta. All constables were directed to acquaint the natives, who assembled
in large numbers. It was determined to found a school,
and children were handed over for tuition. The meeting at
Parramatta became annual, and blankets were in after years
distributed to the failing remnants of the tribes. Even after
the meeting at Parramatta there remained a few Hofers
among the natives, who would not trust the Napoleon of the
South, and Macquarie outlawed them, offering £10 for their
capture "or destruction." Like a more ancient persecutor,
he could say: "Nil opus captivis, solam internecionem gentis finem bello fore."
Not long after Macquarie's conference there were hostilities. One instance will show their nature. A score of the evicted lords of the soil descended upon a farm at Bringelly, and carried off maize and other property. Seven white men crossed the Nepean on the following day to obtain vengeance. They had scarcely crossed the river when the natives darted from ambush, and disarmed every man before a shot could be fired. Two white men escaped unwounded. On the following day more farms were plundered; the occupants flying at the approach of the marauders. A farmer's wife, who was in a barn, took refuge in a loft. A servant assisted in barring out the assailants, who were beginning to tear off the roof (composed of sheets of bark), when the servant recognized one of them, and entreated them to show mercy. The prayer was granted. The blacks said, "they would not kill them this time"; and, as they departed, said "good-bye" to the astonished whites.
In March 1816 Macquarie reported that the mountain tribes had killed five white men. He would employ the military. In June he informed Lord Bathurst that he had sent military detachments "either to apprehend or destroy" the natives at the Nepean, the Hawkesbury, and the Grose.