143:
the natives and the settlers. He urged the governor to pursue a treaty, rather than continuing hostilities. His advocacy against the use of force made him increasingly unpopular with settlers and the government. In retrospect, it also revealed his misunderstanding of
Aboriginal culture, whose tribes acknowledged no leaders with whom a binding treaty might be negotiated.
103:
had been leading a number of attacks on settlers in retaliation for the killing of one of his friends. In
October 1832, Yagan and two of his compatriots were captured and sentenced to death. However, Lyon interceded, arguing that the men were fighting for their country and comparing their actions to
142:
Lyon remained on Carnac Island from 8 October until 15 November 1832, when Yagan and a companion stole an unattended dinghy and escaped to the mainland. On reporting to the governor, Lyon asserted that if he had had three more weeks with Yagan, he might have been able to negotiate a treaty between
126:
Lyon was granted access to the prisoners and spent a little over a month on Carnac Island with them. He used much of that time in an effort to learn Yagan's language. He discovered the names of many local geographic features and acquired knowledge about the
Noongars' culture and traditions. This
78:
Lyon travelled widely in the colony and had friendly contact with the local
Aboriginals. He saw the mistrust, hostility and sometimes violence with which the frontier settlers treated the Aboriginals and became an outspoken defender of their rights. He spoke in their defence at a number of public
194:, who heard him speak about the treatment of the Aboriginals in Western Australia. Backhouse was very impressed with Lyon, who elaborated his ideas in two papers on the subject that Backhouse received from him. These were rediscovered over a century later and eventually published in
226:
under the name Robert Menli Lyon. The book included most of Lyon's previous articles, speeches and letters, supplemented by a collection of rhetorical letters pleading the cause of the
Aboriginals. These letters were addressed to various authority figures, including members of the
62:. During his time in Western Australia, Milne made no claim to military rank, initially preferring to be known simply as Robert Milne. Shortly after his arrival, he adopted the name Robert Menli Lyon,
150:
in response to continued calls for punitive action against the
Aboriginals. Lyon attended and delivered "one of the most distinguished humanitarian speeches delivered in colonial Australia".
54:. He is thought to have had a career in the army in his youth and probably attained the military rank of captain. In 1829, at the age of about forty, Milne immigrated to what was then the
321:
265:
447:
243:. Lyon maintained his interest in Aboriginal welfare for many years; he was in his mid-seventies when still writing on the subject as late as 1863.
427:
417:
372:
442:
116:
300:
232:
437:
422:
113:
147:
236:
199:
79:
meetings, arguing against proposed punitive expeditions and other violent measures and instead proposing policies of
432:
288:
112:. Therefore, he argued, they were not common criminals but prisoners of war and entitled to be treated as such.
135:. It was the first information of its kind published in Western Australia and remains a valuable resource for
35:
240:
31:
34:
rights and welfare in the colony. He published the first information on the
Aboriginal language of the
412:
407:
228:
183:
379:
348:
296:
179:
59:
27:
222:
where he was known as
Captain Robert Milne. There, he wrote and published a book entitled
87:. His stance alienated him from many settlers and he became a target of hostility himself.
219:
211:
187:
109:
224:
Australia: An Appeal to the World on Behalf of the
Younger Branch of the Family of Shem
167:
55:
401:
120:
136:
133:
A Glance at the
Manners and Language of Aboriginal Inhabitants of Western Australia
105:
84:
80:
269:. Vol. VII, no. 361. Western Australia. 7 December 1839. p. 195
171:
159:
47:
316:
260:
325:. Vol. II, no. 69. Western Australia. 26 April 1834. p. 273
51:
210:
By 1838, Lyon had returned to Australia. He spent some of the year in
96:
195:
191:
163:
100:
30:
settler who became one of the earliest outspoken advocates for
119:
then agreed not to execute the men, instead exiling them to
127:
information was published in a series of editions of the
378:. Western Australian Historical Society. Archived from
178:that Lyon had applied for permission to leave the
174:. On 25 April 1834, a notice was published in the
322:The Perth Gazette and Western Australian Journal
266:The Perth Gazette and Western Australian Journal
16:Early advocate for Aboriginal rights and welfare
158:In March 1834, Lyon left Western Australia for
8:
333:– via National Library of Australia.
277:– via National Library of Australia.
252:
146:In June 1833, a meeting was called at
448:Scottish people of the British Empire
7:
261:"To the Editor of the Perth Gazette"
295:. St. Leonards: Allen & Unwin.
14:
95:Beginning about December 1831, a
428:Scottish emigrants to Australia
218:Milne. In 1839, he settled in
162:, where he became professor of
131:in March 1833, under the title
26:; 1789–1874) was a pioneering
1:
418:Settlers of Western Australia
351:(1961). "Yagan the Patriot".
293:This Whispering in our Hearts
443:19th-century Scottish people
237:Governor of New South Wales
200:Aboriginal Protection Board
464:
214:using the title Reverend
317:"Classified Advertising"
182:from Colonial Secretary
186:. While there, he met
438:British Army officers
423:People from Inverness
32:Indigenous Australian
229:British royal family
66:being an anagram of
373:"Robert Lyon Milne"
241:Bishop of Australia
349:Hasluck, Alexandra
342:General references
233:British Parliament
170:at the College of
91:The Yagan incident
74:Aboriginal contact
28:Western Australian
433:Scottish soldiers
180:Swan River Colony
60:Western Australia
46:Lyon was born in
20:Robert Menli Lyon
455:
394:
392:
390:
384:
377:
360:
335:
334:
332:
330:
313:
307:
306:
285:
279:
278:
276:
274:
257:
217:
463:
462:
458:
457:
456:
454:
453:
452:
398:
397:
388:
386:
382:
375:
370:
367:
365:Further reading
347:
344:
339:
338:
328:
326:
315:
314:
310:
303:
289:Reynolds, Henry
287:
286:
282:
272:
270:
259:
258:
254:
249:
220:New South Wales
215:
212:South Australia
208:
198:in 1941 by the
188:James Backhouse
156:
137:anthropologists
110:William Wallace
93:
76:
44:
17:
12:
11:
5:
461:
459:
451:
450:
445:
440:
435:
430:
425:
420:
415:
410:
400:
399:
396:
395:
385:on 7 July 2016
366:
363:
362:
361:
343:
340:
337:
336:
308:
301:
280:
251:
250:
248:
245:
207:
204:
155:
152:
117:James Stirling
92:
89:
75:
72:
43:
40:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
460:
449:
446:
444:
441:
439:
436:
434:
431:
429:
426:
424:
421:
419:
416:
414:
411:
409:
406:
405:
403:
381:
374:
369:
368:
364:
358:
354:
350:
346:
345:
341:
324:
323:
318:
312:
309:
304:
302:1-86448-581-7
298:
294:
290:
284:
281:
268:
267:
262:
256:
253:
246:
244:
242:
238:
234:
230:
225:
221:
213:
205:
203:
201:
197:
193:
189:
185:
181:
177:
176:Perth Gazette
173:
169:
165:
161:
153:
151:
149:
144:
140:
138:
134:
130:
129:Perth Gazette
124:
122:
121:Carnac Island
118:
115:
111:
107:
102:
98:
90:
88:
86:
82:
73:
71:
69:
65:
61:
57:
53:
49:
41:
39:
37:
33:
29:
25:
21:
387:. Retrieved
380:the original
371:Reece, Bob.
356:
352:
327:. Retrieved
320:
311:
292:
283:
271:. Retrieved
264:
255:
223:
209:
175:
157:
145:
141:
132:
128:
125:
106:William Tell
94:
85:conciliation
77:
67:
63:
45:
24:Robert Milne
23:
19:
18:
413:1874 deaths
408:1789 births
329:12 November
273:12 November
216:R. L.
184:Peter Broun
81:negotiation
402:Categories
353:Early Days
247:References
172:Port Louis
58:colony of
42:Early life
389:15 August
160:Mauritius
154:Influence
148:Guildford
104:those of
48:Inverness
291:(1998).
239:and the
206:Writings
114:Governor
52:Scotland
97:Noongar
56:British
359:(VII).
299:
235:, the
231:, the
196:London
192:Quaker
190:, the
99:named
38:area.
22:(born
383:(PDF)
376:(PDF)
168:Greek
164:Latin
101:Yagan
68:Milne
64:Menli
36:Perth
391:2021
331:2017
297:ISBN
275:2017
166:and
108:and
83:and
404::
355:.
319:.
263:.
202:.
139:.
123:.
70:.
50:,
393:.
357:V
305:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.