This document contains a despatch from the Duke of Portland to Governor Hunter. It contains the 'Charter for a court of criminal judicature at Norfolk Island' as Enclosure No. 1 (pages 3-7).This is a transcript of the despatch.

Despatch from the Duke of Portland to Governor Hunter dated 31 January 1797, in Historical Records of Australia Series 1, vol. 2 (1797 - 1800), 1-7

As the colonial legal system developed in the early years of the New South Wales colony, its application to Aboriginal people was inconsistent. There were different approaches to the question of whether Aboriginal people could be tried under the law or were protected by the law.

Document

Despatch from the Duke of Portland to Governor Hunter dated 31 January 1797, in Historical Records of Australia Series 1, vol. 2 (1797 - 1800), 1-7

Frontier wars and the legal system