Issy, my excuse is better than yours and more believable. I'm also not using my regular steam powered puter', but rather a Dick Tracy wrist watch machine which has micro small Japanese type face, which I have to painstakingly translate to something resembling English on my good old 'Commodore 64'. Then I transmit the fantastic end result all the way to YOU! Are you not one fortunate lad?

"one or two idiots use the opportunity to get dirty water off their chests and post irrelevant bulldust." Well, ttbn you'll just have to stop doing that. BTW that other thing you constantly do on here, the Pope said if you keep it up you will go blind.

Happy holiday season to you both.

Hi Paul,

Is that your best shot ? No chance of actually tackling the issues then ?

i.e. what evidence is there of farming in pre-Invasion Australia ? Where are the tools ? The stories, legends, rituals, etc. ? I'm sure that Maori groups had farming rituals, digging songs, etc. ? Isn't that so ?

And what were social/political relations like in NZ between hapu over farming and land ? Sweetness and light, or the building of pas and semi-constant warfare ? Like elsewhere in early the early peasant farming world ? Hmmm, that might explain the hostilities between groups here - although hunting/gathering societies were also a bit suspicious of each other. So that wouldn't be a conclusive observation.

Take your time, no rush :)

Joe

Dear Is Mise,

Invaders or peaceful explorers?

Well here is a run down of the weaponry of your peaceful explorers;

Major T.L. Mitchell: Chief of the party : - : Rifle and pistols.
G.C. Stapylton, Esquire : Second in command : - : Carabine and pistol.
**ALEXANDER BURNETT : Overseer : Storekeeper : Carabine and pistol.
**ROBERT MUIRHEAD : Bullock-driver : Soldier and lance-corporal : Musket, bayonet and pistol.
T*Charles Hammond : Bullock-driver : - : Musket, bayonet and pistol.
T*William Thomas : Bullock-driver : Butcher : Musket, bayonet and pistol.
Richard Lane : Bullock-driver : - : Carabine and pistol.
James McLellan : Bullock-driver : - : Musket, bayonet and pistol.
Charles Webb : Bullock-driver : - : Musket, bayonet and pistol.
T*John Johnston : Blacksmith : - : Carabine.
T Walter Blanchard : Blacksmith : Measurer : Carabine and pistol.
**WILLIAM WOODS : Horse carter : Sailor : Carabine and pistol.
*Charles King : Horse carter : Measurer : Musket, bayonet and pistol.
*John Gayton : Horse carter : Cook : Carabine.
John Drysdale : Medical attendant : Barometer-carrier : Carabine.
John Roach : Collector of birds : - : Pistol (fowling-piece).
John Richardson : Collector of plants : Shepherd : Two pistols.
**JOHN PALMER : Sailor : Sailmaker : Carabine and pistol.
John Douglas : Sailor : - : Carabine.
T**Joseph Jones : Shepherd : - : Carabine.
James Taylor : Groom : Trumpeter : Carabine and pistol.
Edward Pickering : Carpenter : Barometer-carrier : Carabine.
Archibald McKean : Carpenter : Barometer-carrier : Carabine.
James Field : Shoemaker : - : Carabine.
**Anthony Brown : Cook : - : Carabine and pistol.

Advanced party of invaders in my book.

You write; "Twist as much as you like, Pascoe is still considered by many to be a liar and a charlatan."

No, not by many, only a lonely group of twisted white old men with nothing better to do.

SR,

I would have thought that invaders would have had cannon and grenades as well. A bloke with a fowling piece would be a bit useless in a battle.

Aboriginal men were warriors, ready and able to attack parties of trespassers, it happened quite a bit.

So what's your point ? That there was an invasion of Australia as a whole ? Well, of course there was, that's how you and I got here.

Any relevance to farming ? Any evidence of Aboriginal farming (or its destruction) out your way ?

Joe

Dear loudmouth2,

You picked the least armed person to make your point and you also wanted the expedition to cart around cannon on their travels. To use against what? Fortifications? Grow up. They has more weapons per person than the average soldier of the time.

They were a forward scouting party for others to come and take the land by force.

In other words, invaders.

SR, your belligerent attitude is nearing THAT point, on the patience scale.
What lands do you know of that are not usually taken by the use of force.
The blacks conveniently chose to call white mans arrival as having been something other than what it was so it enabled them to make the claims they are making and have made, to extort money from the govt.
Now I don't remember which one it was whether they want to call it peaceful transition in which case we have rights as it is their land, or whether there was conflict and bloodshed (fighting, war) then it means we invaded, and they have no right to anything.
So any forward or advance parties of explorers or settlers all had a backing of armed soldiers as a matter of due course and proto-col.
That's why it's a big con job that we are paying the blacks for anything.
We invaded, we took over, and we ended up running the place, and therefore "owning" it, all in the name of Queen Victoria.
Australia belongs to the British Royals as part of their spoils of conquering lands, which were all done in the name of the Commonwealth.
Another flaw/lie, Aussies are too lax and stupid to stand up and fight for, is the blacks by their own admission, owned nothing, they did not understand the concept of owning land.
They were nomadic, so I ask again; Why are we paying these blacks all this bloody money?
Someone make some sense of this, or have we taken our eye off the ball and allowed these pigs in Canberra, and beyond to screw us good and proper