Historical document: On the rights of the Aborigines of Australia: a lecture

The following is the text of a lecture by Richard Windeyer, taken from the manuscript in the Mitchell Library, Sydney (Call No. NPL MA 1400). It is catalogued as c. 1842, however 1844 is more likely. On 29th April 1844 there was an advertisement in the Sydney Morning Herald for a course of lectures at the City Theatre in Market Street arranged by the Commercial Reading-Rooms & Library: 'R. Windeyer Esq MC June 7 Rights of the Aborigines'. Windeyer had spoken on the topic in 1842 in a debate, but what follows is the text of the later lecture in full. It has been prepared by Jim Windeyer, and is here presented with as little editorial intervention as possible. In the manuscript Richard Windeyer makes reference to excerpts from other sources but does not transcribe them. As these passages are essential to his argument (and it is likely that he read them in his lecture), they have been included.