This despatch from Governor Macquarie to Viscount Castlereagh contains an extensive summary of the circumstances of the colony and Governor Macquarie's observations and decisions since arriving in December 1809.This is a transcript of the despatch.

Despatch from Governor Macquarie to Viscount Castlereagh dated 30 April 1810, in Historical Records of Australia, Series 1, vol. 7 (January 1809 - June 1813), 245-329

As the colony continued to expand, Britain instructed NSW Governors that the law should protect Aboriginal people. This often did not happen. The prosecution and execution of the seven men responsible for the Myall Creek massacre was an exception, and happened partly because some white colonists were prepared to give...

Myall Creek massacre 

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 Governor Macquarie to Viscount Castlereagh dated 30 April 1810, in Historical Records of Australia, Series 1, vol. 7 (January 1809 - June 1813), 245-329

Myall Creek massacre

Frontier wars and the legal system