"Christchurch Telegraph," May 19.

Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 250, 21 October 1891, Page 7

"Christchurch Telegraph," May 19.

"No Australian writer who is now wielding the pen in London or the Colonies lias been so successful in the choice of a theme as a New Zealander who has recently found a London publisher—we mean Mr. Arthur James Vogan. . . . The book is undoubtedly written with a purpose. It.? leading idea is to illustrate the manner in which the Australian blacks are shot down by the squatters, especially in the back districts of Queensland, The author, in the brief preface to his readers, says, ' 1 have endeavoured to depict some of the obscurer portions of Australia's shadow life. The scenes and main incidents employed are chieily the resulr, of my personal observations and experiences; the remainder from perfectly r< liable sources.' The writer gives a brief sk< teh of Auckland city, and then transports his hero to Queensland for the purpose of finding out the last restingplace of his uncle, an explorer, and also to discover, by means of a last letter from him, a famous gold mine. This quest brings him into contact with the squatter life of the outlying district of Queensland, and also makes him an eye witness of the brutal manner in which the black population are being annihilated in the interests of civilisation and wealth. If we are to believe Mr. Vogan, the blacks of the colony of Queensland are not only shot down without remorse, but evidently with a degree of glee by both native policemen and settlers. One of the chief instruments in the slaughter of the aboriginals are the native mounted police. These consist of black 'boys,' as they are called, under the command of European inspectors, whose cruelty was never surpassed in the slavery days of America."