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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1cb296b --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #69529 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69529) diff --git a/old/69529-0.txt b/old/69529-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 4fbeea1..0000000 --- a/old/69529-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5809 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Aborigines of Australia, by -Richard Sadleir - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Aborigines of Australia - -Author: Richard Sadleir - -Release Date: December 12, 2022 [eBook #69529] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Tim Lindell, Quentin Campbell and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was - produced from images generously made available by The - Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ABORIGINES OF -AUSTRALIA *** - - - Transcriber’s Note - -In the following transcription, italic text is denoted by -_underscores_. Small capitals in the original text have been -transcribed as ALL CAPITALS. - -See end of this document for details of corrections and other changes. - - ————————————— Start of Book ————————————— - - -[Illustration: - - THE ABORIGINES - OF - AUSTRALIA - - BY - RICHARD SADLEIR, R.N., J.P. -] - - - - - THE ABORIGINES - - OF - - AUSTRALIA. - - - BY - - RICHARD SADLEIR, R.N., J.P. - - - SYDNEY: THOMAS RICHARDS, GOVERNMENT PRINTER. - - 1883. - - - - - CONTENTS. - - - CHAPTER I. - - PAGE. - -Origin—Language—Marriage formalities—Infanticide—Relationships - —Population—Spitting Tribe—Encounter Tribe—Tribal divisions - —Intelligence—Laws—Customs—Ceremony of Depilation—Funeral - customs 7 - - - CHAPTER II. - -Religion—Massacre of the crew of the “Maria”—Traditions—Cave - Figures—Superstitions—Sorcery—Diseases—Poison revenge - —Native songs—Wit and humour—Fidelity—Amusements—Corroborees - —Weapons—Manufactures—The Bogan Tribes—Native Fruits—Dwellings 14 - - - CHAPTER III. - -First settlement of the Colony—Claims of the Aborigines—Extracts - from Collins’s works—Bennillong and Cole-be—Dangerous proceedings - of the Aborigines—Frightful massacre by the Blacks—Notes by a - University Man—Mr. Trollope’s remarks—Aboriginal Police—Doom of - the Queensland Savage—Massacre on Liverpool Plains—South - Australian Aboriginals 22 - - - CHAPTER IV. - -Efforts made to civilize the Aborigines—Rev. L. E. Threlkeld—Results - of Missions—Government support of Missions—Society for propagating - the Gospel in Foreign Parts—Population in the Port Phillip District - —Examination before the Legislative Council on the Aboriginal - Question—Lieut. Sadleir’s evidence—Rev. L. E. Threlkeld’s evidence - —Captain Grey’s opinion 31 - - - CHAPTER V. - -Aborigines of Victoria—Mr. Westgarth’s remarks—Mr. Lloyd’s remarks - —Buckley’s residence among the Aboriginals 42 - - - CHAPTER VI. - -Aboriginal Friends’ Association—Mission to Lake Alexandrina - —Rev. Mr. Binney’s remarks—Extract from Mr. Foster—The Bishop of - Adelaide’s visit to the Native Institution—Report of the Committee - of the Legislature—Evidence of the Bishop—The Chief Protector - —The Right Rev. Dr. Hale’s Mission—The Poonindie Mission - —The Queensland Mission—The Maloga and Warangesda Missions - —The Government appointments—The Church of England Board of - Missions—The Queen’s Instructions—The assistance rendered - to the Aborigines by the Government 46 - - - CHAPTER VII. - -The last of the Sovereigns of the Sydney tribe, “King Bungaree” - —His son 56 - - - CHAPTER VIII. - -The aboriginal Jackey Jackey 63 - - - CHAPTER IX. - -Tasmania—The Blacks—Mr. G. A. Robinson—The capture and - transportation of the Aborigines to Flinders Island - —Their gradual decay and extinction—Lalla Rookh, - the last native 65 - - - - - THE ABORIGINES OF AUSTRALIA. - - - - - INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. - - -Shortly after my arrival in the Colony in 1826, I was appointed to a -Commission of Inquiry into the state of the Aborigines. Previous to -that, martial law had been proclaimed about Bathurst, where the blacks -had been committing serious aggressions under Monday, their chief. - -My journey, extending over 1,600 miles, occupied six months. I lived -partly with these people, so as to ascertain their number, language, -habits, &c., and proposed a scheme of reserves, as in Canada, a border -police, and missionary education, but the cost, £6,000 per annum, was -considered too much, and my suggestion was therefore not acted on. - -I was subsequently examined, together with MR. ROBINSON and the REV. -MR. THRELKELD, before the Committee of the Legislative Council, about -1837, from which much information was acquired. - -The present work is part of a large manuscript, and I have thought -it a favourable opportunity to publish it, now that fresh interest -is awakened about these people, devoting any profits to the Missions -lately established within New South Wales. - - R. S. - - - - - CHAPTER I. - -Origin—Language—Marriage formalities—Infanticide—Relationships - —Population—Spitting Tribe—Encounter Tribe—Tribal divisions - —Intelligence—Laws—Customs—Ceremony of Depilation—Funeral customs. - - -The origin of this race is difficult to trace; they seem to have no -traditions, and, although the country abounds in gold, copper, and -iron, they never appear to have reached the metal implement age. Living -principally on the chase, agriculture was not carried on by them, and -their only domestic animal was the dingo. There are no remains of -architecture amongst them; yet the same painted hand as is found in -South America affords some faint trace of their connection with that -country. The language, however, furnishes some clue; the grammatical -structure of all Australian aboriginal dialects is the same. A few -words show a connection with the Aryan rather than the Turanian race, -and are, in fact, allied, both in sound and meaning, to words used by -nations deriving their speech from the Sanscrit. - -Many examples may be given of the affinity of the aborigines’ language -and those spoken by the various Aryan nations. Possibly this may have -been caused by the intercourse with Malays, who from time to time -visited the northern coast. The diversity of dialects of the Australian -language is deemed to be proof of their high antiquity as a race, as -it is thought that a great length of time must have elapsed since they -had but one tongue. Their numbers are small in proportion to the extent -of the country, but this may have arisen from the want of food, in -the absence of any cultivation, although in a fine country with few -hardships from climate or other causes. - -Some may be descended from the Arabs who spread themselves beyond the -Indian Archipelago. From the mixture of Arab words, and the rites of -circumcision in some tribes, and from the extensive spread of the Arab, -there may be reason to suppose they have a large infusion of that blood. - -The people of the adjoining islands resemble closely the aboriginals. -They go naked, have no fixed habitation, use bone and stone implements, -have no knowledge of metals or pottery, and in stature, colour, and -appearance are similar; but they resemble more the Tasmanians, who -are of purer blood. The natives lived under fixed laws, so when the -whites arrived, and those that occupied the shore could not fall -back, as their intrusion would have added to the wants of those -behind them, they were therefore obliged to stand their ground and -take the consequences of meeting a superior race, so that their -skeletons were found in abundance in caves and amidst projecting rocks, -having fallen victims to famine, especially about Sydney, and to the -small-pox.—_Collins._ - -The Rev. Dr. Lang enters largely into the origin of this people. He -conceives they must have been originally a martial people. One thing is -remarkable, they have no idol worship. - -The aborigines afford us some information upon the original condition -of mankind—that they have descended from a higher state of existence, -and not risen from a lower state of barbarism. Their language is one -proof that it is far above, as some assert to be, the original language -of man, that of the imitation merely of the brute creation. It is -remarkable for its complexity of structure and the precision with which -it can be used. It is evidently derived from one root, although there -are different dialects. The term for river is Mawersal; so with eye, -Meyl. It is very euphonious and significant, combining great power with -simplicity. Thus, the term for a cloud is both elegant and expressive, -“Gabley maar,” the well of the sky or the fountain of the firmament. -“Moorang toeen” is to weep, the same import as “gabley maar.” The “ong” -of the Hebrew is of frequent use among these people. They have the dual -number throughout, six cases in each declension of nouns and pronouns, -and verbs with regular roots. They have names for relationship far -more copious than we have in English. If they were only developed from -a lower creation they would never have constructed this language. -They must have descended, and their language is a remnant of their -higher ancestry. Next their customs: these are of a most laborious and -cumbersome character, having many curious rites observed with great -exactness; yet they can give no account of their origin or even of -their uses, so that we may well conclude that they descended to them, -and were not invented by them. Of inventions: the present natives have -no power of invention, and have no idea of numerals; yet we find the -boomerang, and throwing-stick for the spear (woomera), the former on -scientific principles, and other things which must have descended to -them and not been invented by them, denoting a higher ancestry, from -which they still draw much, handed down by use and tradition. - -We have in these particulars strong evidence that the savages are upon -the descending scale; while from the remains of animals that once -inhabited the country, we have another evidence that in all these -kingdoms there is a retrogression rather than a progression, except -where man is elevated by copying and improving on the arts of nature -to a certain extent in painting, architecture, statuary, &c., or where -Christianity has elevated the human race. And so it is with these -natives who have embraced Christianity; they build houses and churches, -read, write, and learn agriculture, and thereby rise above the common -degeneration. - -In fact, the very ruins of past nations show that mankind has sprung -from an intellectual source and gradually descended, as with all the -Eastern nations, and more so in social proportion as they lost the -knowledge of the true God. The very licentiousness under heathen -dominion, and the very cruelties of heathen rites, the degradation of -the female sex, and constant wars, have all a downward tendency. So -that however high Greece and Rome rose, they had within them the germs -of decay. Hence the value of missions for conveying civilization and -moral exaltation, renewing as it were the life of man upon the earth, -regenerating humanity. - -The Bishop of Perth, in his appeal on behalf of the aborigines, -says:—“The darkness of ignorance is dark indeed, but far darker is -their state when to the darkness of ignorance has been added the -degradation of the chequered vices of civilization, the consciousness -of being treated and held as serfs of a race above them, while all -illumination of soul or conscience has been denied them. The primitive -state of these people was far better than their present debauched, -degraded, perishing condition.” - -The Bishop says that in the Roebourne District, which has now been for -some years occupied with cattle and sheep for some 300 miles along the -coast, there is a population of nearly 2,000 aborigines. The majority -of them are in the employ of the settlers, either on their stations -or the pearl fisheries, of which the port of Cossack is the centre, -while, in the Gascoyne and newly discovered Kimberley Districts the -natives are very numerous, although mostly in their wild state. They -are, through the Northern Districts, a fine, intelligent, able-bodied -race, and when, as in the Roebourne District, they have been brought -into the employment of the settlers, have proved valuable as shepherds, -shearers, and divers. A solitary lady (the only labourer) it appears -has gathered a few native children about her for instruction. - -The Bishop then enters into the question of missions. Says he has £500 -in hand, also £500 promised, hopes to obtain collections, and that -the Government has promised every assistance in its power, such as -reserves of land and pecuniary aid. There is therefore some promise of -commencement here. - -While they allow polygamy, they do not permit marriages within a -certain descent, and it is a crime worthy of death to marry one of -the wrong sort; the distinction of tribes by name is the distinction -of marriage. Ippai may marry Kapota or any Ippata but his own sister, -Murri may marry Buta only, Kumbo may marry Mata only. An infraction -of these laws is death. Marriage is not conducted, as generally -represented, as a forcible act, at least not in all the tribes. The -female is given in marriage at an early age (ten or twelve years old). -It is a kind of exchange; the man who obtains a wife promises to give -his sister or other relative in exchange; the parties may never have -seen each other. - -These marriages are always of different tribes. During the ceremony the -relatives camp apart. A man takes a fire-stick and conducts the bride -into the midst of the parties and gives her away, walking silently away -with downcast looks. As soon as they approach the hut is given up. The -bride and bridegroom are placed near each other, and the relatives take -their places. The party generally fall asleep; at daybreak the bride -leaves the hut for her friends, and in the evening is conducted to her -husband by their female friends; the tribes then separate and return to -their various districts. The man is bound to provide animal food, the -wife vegetables, if she pleases. The husband rubs her over with grease -to improve her appearance. If there are several wives they seldom -agree, continually quarrelling, and are regarded more as slaves, being -employed to the husband’s advantage. The woman who leaves with her own -consent to live with a man without the consent of her relations, is -regarded as a prostitute and exposed to taunts. The sale of wives is -frequent, for either money, clothes, weapons, &c. Woman gives consent -by carrying fire to her husband’s wurley and making his fire; an -unwilling wife will say, “I never made fire in his wurley.” The eldest -wife is always regarded as mistress of the hut. Marriages take place -after dark, and are always celebrated with great dancing and singing; -sometimes licentiousness takes place, but there are as loving couples -as amongst Europeans. - -Many old men have three and four wives, while the young continue -bachelors; the long suckling of children and infanticide both tend to -keep down population. - -Women near their confinement retire to be attended by women and to -be secluded. After birth, the husband attends on his wife, and often -nurses the infant, which, if spared, is most affectionately watched -over; but infanticide is very common, so much so that nearly one-half -to one-third of the infants are destroyed, and that in a shocking -manner. Red hot embers are stuffed into the child’s ears, and the -orifice is closed with sand, and then the body is burnt; sometimes -a waddy is resorted to. If there be twins, or malformation, or -illegitimate children, they are generally destroyed. - -When native children are born, they are nearly as white as Europeans. -Girls have children at the early age of fourteen. The girls wear an -apron of fringe until they bear their first child, and if they have no -child, the husband burns the apron, probably as an exposure. - -The evil of prostitution is very great. The women are in some districts -given up to promiscuous intercourse with the youths at certain seasons. - -Relationships are very intricate, and difficult to unravel. They have -the Tamilian system, which obtains amongst North-American Indians, and -the Telugu and Tamil tribes in the East Indies. - -A man looks upon the offspring of his brother as his own sons and -daughters, while he only considers those of his sister in the more -distant relationship of nephews and nieces. So, also, a woman counts -her sister’s children as her own, but those of her brother by a kinship -similar to nephews and nieces. - -Thus, children look upon their father’s brother in the light of a -father, but his sister as their aunt merely; whilst their mother’s -sister ranks as a female parent, but her brother as only their uncle. - -The scale of relationship is as follows:—Nanghai is my father; Nainkowa -is my mother; Ngaiowe is your father; Ninkuwe is your mother; Yikowalle -is his father; Narkowalle is his mother. - -Widow is Yortangi; widower is Randi; fatherless is Kukathe; motherless -is Kulgutye. - -One who has lost a child, Mainmaiyari; one bereaved of a brother or -sister, Muntyuli. - -From this scheme of relationship it seems possible that some came -from Southern India—were driven southward by the Malays. Names are -changeable, the parents sometimes bearing the name of the child. They -are also significant—Putteri is the end; Ngiampinyeri, belonging to the -back or loins; Maratinyeri, belonging to emptiness. - -Property always descends from father to son. - -Mr. Taplin observes that the general idea that there is a law by -which the savage must disappear before civilized man is not true, -and instances the South American and Dutch colonizations as still -preserving the aboriginal races. - -English settlers go forth to exercise their freedom, and the Government -does not strictly watch their actions, while it makes no particular law -for the aboriginal races suitable for their particular situation. - -English law is forced upon them; whereas the French and Dutch -Governments watchfully manage and regulate everything—the governing -power goes with them; the roads, police, everything is kept under the -governing power, even the aborigines are under the same. - -This, no doubt, in some degree has its influences, while, on the other -hand, the native laws to which they were obedient are removed, and the -power of the chiefs is destroyed, so that the aboriginal is placed -between two influences, the one to which he had always been subject is -destroyed, and a new law of which he knows nothing is substituted, and -thus he is left in a position of doubt and perplexity, while the food, -drink, clothing, and vices of the whites soon gain supremacy. - -Nothing can be more disgraceful to a civilized and professing Christian -people than this wholesale ruin of their fellow-men, which they -attribute to a law, but which is in fact a consequence criminally -brought about by our depravity, selfishness, and want of Christian -principles. The writer concludes his remarks by saying that they are -not an irreligious race; he believes that nothing but the Gospel can -save them from extinction. - -A few extracts from the lecture of Gideon Lang, delivered in Melbourne, -will throw some more light upon the habits of this race. - -He says the inhabitants of the whole continent form one people, -governed by the same laws and customs, with some allowance for the -difference of localities; every tribe, however, has its own district. -The government is most arbitrary, composed of old men and powerful men, -but degrading to women, the old men often having from five to seven -wives, which privilege is denied to young men. - -The government is administered by a council of old men, the young not -being admitted. There is also a class that go from tribe to tribe, and -their medicine men. - -The intelligence of the natives is quite underrated. Their skill and -activity in war, and their subtlety as diplomatists, Mr. Lang says, are -quite equal to the North American Indian. (Having mixed with the North -American Indians, I think this is rather exaggerated.) - -In the corroborees they have especial performances. 500 sometimes -assemble and represent a herd of cattle feeding, the performers -being painted accordingly; they lie down and chew the cud, scratch -themselves, and lick the calves, &c.; they then proceed to spear the -cattle; next are heard a troop of horses galloping; a party with faces -painted white, and bodies painted whitey-brown, some blue, others -to represent stockmen; then comes a body of natives, and a regular -sham-fight takes place, in which the natives are conquerors. But, -alas! the murderous hand of the whites has destroyed them by shooting -them down, and even resorting to poison, while by our occupation of -the country, the destruction of their game, and the introduction of -disease, they are fast dying out and disappearing. - -Governor Phillip supposed that there were 3,000 aboriginal inhabitants -within 200 square miles of Sydney, but now there is scarcely one left. - -For the whole of Australia the number is under half a million. Around -Melbourne and Sydney the population is extinct. At Port Jackson there -were but one male and three females left. And the old Brisbane tribe, -which once numbered 1,000, is now nearly extinct. The Tasmanian race -is extinct. And so the original inhabitants of this immense country -will soon cease to be known. In the north they are a finer race; but -they are likewise doomed to perish by European vices and encroachment. -Yet these men have made excellent sailors, good policemen, and -stockmen, and recently they were conveyed home to England as first-rate -cricket-players. Can they want intelligence? - -They seem very like the Gipsy race—prone to wander, therefore hard to -domesticate. This arises probably from their having to seek their food -over a widely scattered area. - -Sir G. Grey’s party met with native huts in considerable villages of a -more remarkable construction than those of South Australia, being very -nicely plastered on the outside with clay and clods of turf; there were -also well marked roads, sunken wells, and extensive warren grounds, -certainly indicative of some advance in civilization. - -The most singular tribe Mitchell met with was what he termed the -spitting tribe. These savages waived boughs violently over their heads, -spat at the travellers, and threw dust with their toes, and forming -into a circle, shouting, jumping, spitting, and throwing up dust, sang -war songs with the most hideous gestures; their faces seemed all eyes -and teeth. - -The Encounter tribe is remarkable for daring. In one case, where the -natives were pursued by two police, the blackfellows rushed on the -troopers, and knocked one down, and he was only rescued by the arrival -of the other trooper, whom the blackfellows also attacked, but were -captured. - -The sealers on the islands had stolen three women, wives of the blacks. -After a short time, two escaped in a miserable canoe; the third -attempted with her child to swim, but was drowned. - -The natives have suffered much from the whites. There are now three -classes of the natives—the old blacks, who hold fast to the customs of -the tribes; the natives who are inoculated with the worst vices of the -Europeans, being drunkards, gamblers, and utterly lawless; and lastly, -the native Christians, yearly increasing in numbers. The tendency of -Christian civilization, when adopted, is to make them more vigorous and -long-lived. - -The country is divided into tribal possessions, which none can intrude -upon, so that the tribes are confined within a space of country so -small that food often fails. - -The tribes are jealous of any invasion of territory. This accounts for -divisions of districts, as well as a variety of feature, texture of -hair, &c., the latter being sometimes, but rarely, found to be woolly -in Tasmania. Long hair is generally met with, but in the interior -whole tribes are found entirely destitute of the same, while others -are remarkable for being very hairy, except on the palms of their -hands and the soles of their feet, and a small space round the eyes; -these last are remarkable for strength and stature. Some have frizzled -hair like the Papuans, and others have hair over their shoulders like -Maccabars, while their beards are as different as the hair of their -heads; the colour of the skin varies from black to copper colour, and -again to almost white. Their features also differ; the Jewish, Celtic, -and Teutonic type are recognizable, from which the stockmen nick-name -them Paddy, Sawney, John Bull. They make good seamen, stockmen, -and policemen. The aborigines are not Papuans, but are probably -cave-dwellers; having no fixed habitation or residence, they depend -entirely upon the natural productions of the soil, game, and fish. - -The formation of their skulls is sometimes low, but in many instances -large and equal to the average of Europeans. The theory of their -inferiority is not strictly supported; few persons who have had -opportunity of judging will admit this inferiority of intelligence; it -needs only cultivation. - -They possess all the tender feelings of our common humanity, weeping -over each other’s afflictions, as fellow mortals mourning with those -who mourn. Exposed to danger and treachery, they are watchful; the -rustling of a leaf will make them start to their feet. Acknowledging -the law of retaliation, blood for blood, they seldom feel secure. - -It would appear that the aborigines of the sea-coast had never ventured -far inland, and had never passed the Blue Mountains, as they held to -the belief that the interior was inhabited by white people, and that -there were large lakes and inland seas. - -They are a very law-abiding people; the tribes are under government of -the chief elders, who are chosen or elective; they are the leaders in -war, and in fact rulers of the tribe. - -One of their laws is that none but native weapons shall be used in -their battles; another, that an unfair wound shall be punished. Capt. -Jack Harvey had bitten a man’s lips; the tribe assembled and sentenced -him to four blows of a waddy on his head, the justice of which -punishment he acknowledged. - -While the great change from their natural habits, diet, and mode of -living, when brought under the restriction of civilization, and their -natural love of freedom—the influence of the elder people on them when -they reach the age of twelve, that they must undergo the ceremonies -of piercing the nose and knocking out the tooth, &c., &c.—while these -failures (not however destitute of civilizing and Christian evidences) -are nevertheless disappointing, yet they have proved that these people -are not so degraded as represented, that they are not, as has been -openly declared, scarce human, and may therefore be destroyed—indeed, -that this is the decree of God. The fact is now incontrovertible that -they possess much capacity, considerable intelligence, and are capable -of instruction; have the same affections, the same domestic and social -relationships as ourselves; are subject to special laws, and defend -their country with patriotism. That they have not risen to something -higher is well expressed by Mr. Marsden, “They have no wants.” They -live in a fine climate, with no ferocious animals to guard against, no -mighty lakes and rivers to navigate; they are therefore in a position -needing no exertion to quicken their energies, while by their seclusion -from mankind for ages, it is only astonishing that they have not -descended still lower in the scale of humanity. - -They have much natural nobility of character, and much groundwork to -work upon. Their case is far from hopeless: Faith removes mountains. -Miracles, says Mr. Simeon, have ceased, but wonders have not. Let -any man go forth with faith and prayer and perseverance, and he will -accomplish wonders. Therefore, in great undertakings, give me the man -who loves to trample on apparent impossibilities. - -An aboriginal youth is not allowed any of the privileges of manhood, -which include not only permission to take a wife (when he can catch one -from some neighbouring tribe), but also the right to eat certain kinds -of food, before he has undergone certain ceremonies, which, as they are -extremely painful and revolting, are supposed to test his courage and -power of endurance. These differ in various tribes. Knocking out the -front teeth and tattooing the back are amongst the mildest operations. -The most painful which is in vogue amongst the South Australian blacks -is depilation. The unfortunate victim is laid on his back, his body -daubed with clay and ochre, and then the old medicine man of the tribe -deliberately plucks every hair from the body of the suffering wretch, -accompanying the business with a low monotonous chant. It is a point of -honor to endure these brutalities without a murmur, and, after their -completion, the young man is hailed as a warrior by his new comrades, -and from that time is treated as a man. - -The boys are not allowed to either cut or comb their hair until they -undergo the ceremony of manhood. They are also prohibited from eating -certain game. When I have travelled with the tribes, I have observed -when we obtained honey the young men dared not partake. When of age, -the tribes assemble at night, the youth or youths are seized; the women -trying to protect them, their beards are torn out, and their hair -combed by spears; they are then smeared with grease and red ochre. For -three days and three nights they are not allowed to sleep or eat, and -only to drink water through a reed; for six months they are obliged -to walk naked, with a slight covering round their loins; they have to -undergo three times the plucking out of the beard, and must refrain -from any food eaten by women. Everything is sacred from the touch -of women. They are not allowed to marry until the time of trial has -expired, but they are allowed promiscuous intercourse with the young -girls. - -In my travels I was shown places, on the tops of hills in general, -where the trees were marked with various devices, and there was -a circular path all round. Here the candidates were said to have -undergone various initiatory ceremonies to qualify them for manhood, -from which the women are strictly prohibited. Here, I believe, the -front teeth were knocked out by a stick placed against them, and -then a blow from a piece of wood. Thus is accomplished this piece of -dentistry. On the sea-coast, the fisherwomen have the point of the -finger cut off. Many perish undergoing these ceremonies, which are -chiefly intended to make them hardy. - -The custom of exchanging names with strangers is a pledge of affection -and protection in common use. When meeting the natives in the bush -alone or in camp, it is advisable to hold up the hands, displaying a -branch of a tree, with the view of declaring peaceable intentions. - -The tabooing of several kinds of food to the women and young men may -arise from the want which has in some instances pressed so upon them -that they have resorted to bleeding themselves to preserve life, and -indulged in cannibalism to some extent for the same purpose. - -The names of deceased persons are not mentioned during mourning, nor -the names of the mother by a man seeking marriage of the daughter, nor -can he look at his intended mother-in-law. - -Sir Thomas Mitchell seems to think that many of their customs were -of Eastern origin. Their manner of fishing is described by him, the -young men diving down, and spearing the fish under water. This I have -witnessed myself. Sir Thomas also describes their villages. The huts -are substantial, holding fifteen persons, and having large tombs for -burial-places. - -They lived much on fish, and took them and birds, especially ducks and -geese, with nets. - -The enormous powers of the aboriginals in eating is described by Mr. -Eyre, in his exploration towards King’s Island Sound. - -His native boy Wylie managed to kill a kangaroo. He commenced his -repast by eating a pound and a half of horse-flesh and a little bread, -they having had to slaughter a horse; to this repast, he added the -entrails, paunch, liver, lights, and two hind legs of the kangaroo; to -this he added the hide of the kangaroo, having singed off the hair; -and having found a dead penguin on the shore, he wound up by eating it -all, including the tough skin of the bird. Admitting that his belly was -full, he made a little fire and laid down to sleep, this apparently -being the happiest moment of his life. On an average this boy could -consume 9 lbs. of meat per day—rather a dangerous companion on short -allowance; but these people can fast as long, in proportion, as they -can gormandize. - -Funeral customs differ in tribes. The Narrinyeri tribes point out -several stars, and say they are deceased warriors who have gone up to -heaven. These are Wyungare and Nepelle, the Manchingga, and several -others; and every native expects to go to Wyirrewarre after death, so -that there can be no doubt of their belief in a future state. They -also believe the dead descend to and walk the earth, and that wicked -men will injure them. They are very much afraid of ghosts, and seldom -venture in the scrub in the dark, yet they travel long distances to -surprise an enemy. The name of the deceased must not be mentioned -until the body has decayed, lest they should be considered wanting -in feelings of respect. When a man dies they conclude that sorcery -has been exercised, so the nearest relative lies with his head on the -corpse so that he may dream of the sorcerer. Next day the body is -raised on men’s shoulders on a bier, and several names are called out -as suspected persons until the impulse of the dead body, which the -bearers pretend they cannot resist, confirms the name of the sorcerer. - -In some of the tribes the body is placed over a slow fire until the -outer skin is blistered, when it is rubbed over with grease and red -ochre and placed within the wurley in an upright position. Then great -lamentations are made, while they besmear themselves with charcoal and -oil, and the women with disgusting filth, and they all beat and cut -themselves. The corpse is then subjected to a further slow fire, to dry -the humors, while the relatives eat, drink, and sleep under it; and -there is great weeping, especially among the women. But the deceased’s -spirit must be appeased by the death of the sorcerer. Messengers pass -through the tribes to find the suspected person; this often leads to -battles, should the tribes be at variance, but otherwise a few spears -are thrown and some abuse passed; the old men then pronounce that -satisfaction has been made, and the ceremony ceases. The hair of the -dead is spun into a cord and made into a head-band; they say that thus -they smell the dead. The whole body is skinned with the nails attached, -and with this they cover the sick. - -In the Polynesian tribes there is a somewhat similar ceremony. In -these islands the body is dried and preserved in a sitting position -for months, and an offering of food, fruit, and flowers, is daily -placed before the dead body, the priest attending to the ceremonies -continually. The skeleton is finally burnt within the temple of the -family and the skull carefully kept. - -Death is certainly a terrible visitor, and people of all nations seem -to desire to retain the identity, as it were, amongst them. They do -not like to consider the separation as final, and the being with whom -they have been so familiar as removed from all intercourse. On the -death of a husband, the widow is not permitted to look at any of the -relatives for some time. Should she meet with any of the relatives, she -immediately prostrates herself on the ground and conceals herself in -her cloak. In some districts they bury the body in a sitting posture. - -In some districts they bury the dead with the face towards the east, -depositing the arms, &c., of the deceased in the grave, and tying the -legs of the corpse to the head, probably to save labour in digging. - -Their grave-yards are rather singular. They lay various casts of heads -made of gypsum or lime on the graves as marks of friends, and a number -of oblong balls connected with each end, and of the same material. - - - - - CHAPTER II. - -Religion—Massacre of the crew of the “Maria”—Traditions—Cave Figures - —Superstitions—Sorcery—Diseases—Poison Revenge—Native Songs—Wit and - Humour—Fidelity—Amusements—Corroborees—Weapons—Manufactures—The - Bogan Tribes—Native Fruits—Dwellings. - - -They are a people free from idolatry. One would suppose they would be -open to receive the Gospel, but it is not so. They are superstitious, -but not over-religious and do not seem to have such a deep sense of sin -as idolatrous nations who make expiation, and seek to be reconciled -to the Superior Being. This is a singular feature in their character. -The North-American Indians are not idolatrous, but have a belief in a -Superior Being. - -Many writers, amongst these Mr. Bennett, represent them as having no -knowledge of a Supreme Being. “They have no knowledge whatever of the -existence of a God,” but from my travelling with them I have always -considered that they have a belief in a Supreme Being. - -I find from the narrative of the Rev. Geo. Taplin, missionary to the -aborigines, there is reason to think likewise, although he seems rather -doubtful. In religious matters they are superstitious and reserved, -therefore it is only by such intercourse with them as Mr. Taplin’s that -we are likely to reach correct notions. - -He says the Narrinyeri tribes call the Supreme Being by two names, -Nurundere and Martummere: “He made all things on earth, and has -given to men the weapons of war and hunting. He instituted all rites -and ceremonies practised by them connected with life and death. The -ceremony of roasting a kangaroo, accompanied by shouting a chorus, and -brandishing spears, was instituted by Him.” - -Of Nurundere they have many traditions: “He pursued an immense fish -in Lake Alexandrina, and having caught it, he tore it into pieces and -scattered them; out of these pieces other fish came into being and had -their origin. He threw some flat stones into the lake and they became -tinuwarre fishes.” - -Wyungare, the remarkable hunter, had no father, but only a mother; -he was a red man from his infancy. Of Nepelle they have traditions. -They were both great hunters. Nepelle sought to revenge himself on -Wyungare for having taken his two wives; the latter tried to escape, -and fleeing, flung a spear into the heavens with a line attached, and -it having stuck there, he hauled himself up; and afterwards, the two -women. Three stars are pointed out as Wyungare and his wives. - -The natives told the writer that the milky-way was the smoke of a great -chief on the Murrumbidgee, who was roasting mussels there. Thus it is -evident they have many traditions of unseen Gods and great chieftains, -while the belief of some of these natives is that the milky-way is the -canoe of Nepelle floating in the heavens. - -Of the flood they seem to have some tradition. They believe that -Nurundere’s two wives ran away from him; he pursued them, and met them -at Encounter Bay, and there called upon the water to arise and drown -them. A terrible flood gathered and swept over the hills, overtaking -the fugitives, and his wives were drowned, while he was saved by -pulling to high land in his canoe. - -Nurundere also lost two of his children but recovered them after a -conflict with a blackfellow, whom he killed. - -The natives always mention his name with reverence. - -The reverend writer’s opinion is that Nurundere is some deified chief. -The natives regard thunder as his voice in anger, and the rainbow as -the production of his power. It is evident that they look to some -creative power; although, in this instance, the more intelligent blacks -told the missionary that Nurundere was a chieftain who led the tribes -down the Darling to the country they now inhabit, where he appears to -have met another tribe and had with them a battle, in which he and his -tribes were victorious. - -A writer in 1842 says that, about 200 miles from Sydney, they assembled -for a corroboree for rain, and described God as a great blackfellow, -high up in the clouds, having arms nine miles long, eyes the size of a -house, ever in motion. He never sleeps, flashes lightning, and dries up -the waterholes as punishment. They have their songs and festivals for -dry weather when on journeys, thus indicating a higher state of things. - -Every tribe has its ngaitye or tutelary genius or tribal symbol, in the -shape of a bird, beast, fish, reptile, insect, or substance. - -I hereunto add the names of tribes in Victoria:— - - Tribe. Locality. Ngaitye. - - Welinyeri Murray River Black duck and black snake with - red belly. - - Lathinyeri do. Black swan, teal, and black snake - with grey belly. - - Wunyakulde do. Black duck. - - Piltinyeri Lake Alexandrina Leeches, catfish (native pomery.) - -The Narrinyeri have for their neighbours the Wakanuwan and the Merkani -tribes; the latter are cannibals, who steal fat people particularly. -If a man has a fat wife, he is particular not to leave her exposed, -lest she should be seized; the consequence is that the other tribes -confederate against cannibal tribes, and battles are frequent; some 500 -to 800 men are mustered on each side. - -Two stray bullocks having wandered amongst the Lake tribes, they took -them for demons, in which they believed, and decamped in great terror; -they named them Wundawityeri, as beings with spears upon their heads. - -There is a very tragic history of these tribes: that the survivors -of the “Maria,” wrecked on the coast, supposed to be twenty-five in -number, men, women, and children, were induced to place themselves -under their guidance to lead them to a whaling station at Encounter -Bay. The native guides took advantage of their being separated in -crossing the Coorong, quietly placed a man behind each of the whites, -and at a signal clubbed them. The poor wanderers had marched 80 miles -from the wreck, when they were thus treacherously murdered. A party -of police were despatched; they found the camp, in which were large -quantities of clothing and other articles. The officers seized two of -the most desperate men, and then hanged them up by the neck to a tree, -and shot two others. The natives gazed for a minute at the suspended -bodies, and then fled. They never cut down the bodies, which remained -hanging until they dropped from the trees. - -In some instances, the native secures his ngaitye in the person of a -snake, he pulls out its teeth or sews up its mouth, and puts it in a -basket. These snakes have suddenly given birth to thirty young ones, -when it becomes necessary to destroy them. It seems that their belief -in Ngaitye is also peculiar to the natives of the Taowinyeri. One saw -his God in the shark, the eel, the owl, the lizard, fish, and creeping -things. How deluded and debased is man without Divine revelation, yet -we are told by philosophers and their followers that all men have to do -is to study nature, and there read the character of the Deity. But have -they ever done so through ages? Greeks, Egyptians, Romans, have all -changed the glory of God into four-footed beasts and creeping things; -even leeks and onions have been worshipped. Why should the aborigines -be an exception? Divine revelation alone teaches man the true character -of the Divine Being, “for man by wisdom cannot find out God.” - -With regard to the advantages of civilization, they do not believe -the same to be the result of a superior intellect, or of religion, -but of a resurrection from the dead. “Blackfellow by-and-by jump up -whitefellow,” is the common mode of expressing their belief. - -The Rev. A. Meyer, in his pamphlet, gives some interesting particulars -of these people. He says they do not appear to have any story as to the -origin of the world, and they believe in the transmigration of souls. -Men have been transformed into animals, even into stones; to the latter -they give the names of men and women, and point out their head, feet, -hands, and their waist and face. In one of their dances, one that had -been speared and wounded ran into the sea, and was transformed into a -whale, and ever afterwards blew the water out of the wound in his neck. -Others became fish, others became opossums; and thus they account for -the creation of animals and fish, &c., &c. - -Of the diversity of dialects, they have a tradition that when an old -woman named Wurruri died, the various nations assembled, and one tribe -ate her flesh and others ate her intestines, and they all thus acquired -different dialects. Certainly nothing here indicates the dispersion of -Babel. - -On Nurundere’s removal, he left his son behind. On discovering this, he -threw his spear to him with a line attached. The son thus succeeded in -reaching his father, and this line is the way the dead reach Nurundere, -who provides men with wives, and converts old men into young ones; -therefore they have no fear of the future. Some of the legends are very -obscene. - -They have curious legends about animals. They conceive the turtle and -the snake exchanged the venomous fangs. A battle took place between -the pelican and the magpie about fish; in the struggle the magpie was -rolled in the ashes and the pelican became besmeared with scales of -the fish, and so had white breasts. They believe in two Wood Demons; -the one assumes any shape, sometimes an old man, then a bird, to lure -individuals into his reach that he may destroy them. - -The noise on the Lake of Alexandrina is very remarkable, and the cause -was long undiscovered. Of course it is attributed by the blacks to a -water spirit. It is heard with a booming sound, resembling distant -cannon or an explosive blast, at other times like the falling of a -heavy body in the water. This now is known to be caused by a bird. - -The cave figures are very remarkable, and seem to puzzle every writer -on their origin or use. It is very probable they were connected in some -way with religious observances, which the natives are very unwilling to -divulge. - -These figures and others cut in rocks are found in several parts of -Australia, thus doing away with the supposition that they may have been -the production of strangers who have landed on portions of the shore, -as figures have been found on the eastern shores by Sir George Grey, -and also near Sydney, not only on rocks but on trees. How many of these -have been engraven on hard rocks with the want of suitable implements -it is difficult to divine. - -Sir George Grey’s description of some of these is remarkable, a rough -sketch of one of which I subjoin, being a figure painted on the roof -of caves. This figure is painted on a black ground so as to produce -a stronger effect, and covered with the most vivid red and white; -its head encircled with bright red rays inside a broad stripe of -brilliant red, crossed by lines of white, and then crossed again with -narrow stripes of deeper red; the face painted white, the eyes black, -surmounted by red and yellow lines; the body and hands outlined with -red, the body being curiously painted with red stripes and bars. The -dimensions were—head and face, 2 feet; width of face, 17 inches; length -from bottom of face to navel, 2 feet 6 inches. - -There were other paintings in the cave vividly coloured—one with four -heads, joined together with a necklace, but having no mouths, and -good-looking, executed on a white ground. Length, 3 feet 6 inches; -breadth across two upper parts, 2 feet 6 inches; lower heads, 3 feet 1½ -inch. - -There were several other paintings of singular character—one being -a disc representing a kangaroo as an offering to number one; also -spears thrown at some unknown object; the impress of a hand; an arm in -the black wall, so as to appear extended round some one in the cave, -inviting him to some more concealed mysteries. - -In another cave, approached by steps, until they reached a central -elevated stone slab, supporting a slab to uphold the roof, was a seat -at the extremity. The principal figure was that of a man 10 feet 6 -inches in length, clothed from the chin downwards in a red garment -reaching to the feet, the hands and feet being painted of a deeper red; -the face and head were enveloped in a succession of circular bandages -or rollers. - -These were vividly coloured yellow and white; the eyes were alone -represented on the face, no nose nor mouth. On the bandages were a -rolled series of lines, painted in red, regularly done, as if to -indicate some meaning. Its feet reached just in front of the natural -seat, while its head and face stared grimly down on the floor of the -cavern. There were numerous figures of kangaroos, emus, turtles, -snakes, &c., on the sides of the cave. - -From the appearance of grease on the roof just over the seat, Sir -Geo. Grey conjectures that at certain times some doctor or chief man -sits there, and that the cave is resorted to in cases of disease or -witchcraft; footsteps were seen about the place. The figures are -remarkable; the rays of the sun, as we may suppose, emanating from the -head, would lead to the belief of the worship of Baal, the God of Fire; -while some of the names of the tribes partly support this idea, such as -Binbal, Pundyil, &c., &c., &c. - -The other figures are clothed from head to foot. This is singular, -as the natives have no such garments, their opossum cloak having no -sleeves, and not reaching to the feet as here described. - -That these caves may be places of worship, like the caves in India, is -not improbable, especially when we see the offering of the kangaroo, -and the seat for some presiding person, priest, or doctor. The whole -no doubt is mysterious, but we hardly think that these people could be -entirely destitute of some form of religion, when we take these cave -figures into consideration, with the ceremony of initiating young men -to manhood, the exclusion of women, prohibition of certain food, their -belief in spirits and a future condition, the deification of their -chiefs into stars, the deification of heroes, and even of the lowest -reptiles and animals. - -One figure, representing a whale, was carved near Dawes Battery, -Sydney, besides many figures carved on rocks and cut on trees—a kind -of picture-painting. On another rock there was a figure of a man 10 -feet high, wearing a light red robe, close at the neck, reaching to his -feet. He had a pair of eyes, and his face was surrounded by a circle of -yellow, and an outward circle of white edged with red. - -There were many such paintings, and in an isolated rock was the profile -of a man cut in _solid_ stone, of a character more European than -Native, executed in a style beyond what any savage would be thought -capable of. - -Both Flinders and King, along the coast, discovered drawings of -porpoises, turtles, fish, &c., and a human head, done in charcoal or -burnt stick and something like white paint, upon the face of the rock. - -These paintings are on the coast or near it, and may be the work -probably of some persons who had visited the coast, and not of the -aboriginals themselves, as the Malays frequently visited the coast. - -The red hand seen in the caves is another singular device, which -is also met with amongst the North American Indians. But what are -most remarkable are the stone circles at Mount Elephant, Victoria, -resembling the stone monuments at Stonehenge in England. - -The stones in these structures are of ponderous masses, raised upright, -seemingly pointing to a fact that the same people were spread far and -wide, of which we know nothing at present. - -With regard to superstition, Sir G. Grey’s party had reached a stream -of fresh water, where there was abundance of mussels, but Kaiber would -not touch any of them, and was in great terror on seeing the whites -devour them. A storm of thunder set in, which made the party rather -chilly and miserable. He chanted a glowing song by way of reproach. - - Oh! wherefore would you eat the mussels? - Now the boyl-yas storm and thunder make; - Oh! wherefore would you eat the mussels? - -If boys eat proscribed food they believe they will have sore legs, or -turn grey, or suffer under some other infliction. - -The Ngia-Ngiampe, a chief, carries on trade between the tribes in the -exchange of baskets, rugs, clubs, &c. - -The umbilical cord is preserved, and this is supposed to confer some -peculiar virtue on the Ngia-Ngiampe. Those possessing these charms -never speak to each other, and employ a third person to carry on the -traffic, so that there is no danger of collusion in their dealings. - -Sorcery is practised extensively, as in the Pacific Islands. Through -fear of disease they collect and destroy all the refuse in their -vicinity; but should the disease-maker find a bone of some bird or -animal he proceeds with this to inflict disease. - -So with the Tahitians—the disease-maker picks up the parings of nails, -hair, saliva, and other secretions of the body as vehicles which -the Demon introduces into his victim, or they often exchange their -ngadhungi and each destroys it. - -When the ngaitye of a tribe is killed, if a hostile kuldukke of another -tribe gets a bone, he ties it in the corner of a wallaby’s skin and -flings at the people, and they are made sick. They state that they -could or did kill a magpie by sorcery. One day two children were at -play—one chopped off the joint of the other child’s finger; the father -swallowed it with the view that no sorcery man should get it. - -Next is the avenger. The man seeking revenge disguises himself, marking -his face over with streaks, and then with a heavy club prowls about the -hunting ground. If he sees his victim alone, he rushes on him and kills -him, breaking his bones. - -The perpetrator is called malpuri (murderer), and is subject to be put -to death by the relatives of the victim, as the avenger of blood. - -This belief in sorcery makes them careless of illness. From a belief in -its curative properties, some of the tribes take the kidney fat from -the enemies they slay. - -They have no idea of poisonous plants, and consider all deaths as the -results of sorcery. - -The diseases they suffer from are chiefly of a scrofulous nature, -dysentery, and brain fever. They have likewise skin diseases, fistulas, -itch, &c. Sulphur is one of their specifics; the wattle-bark and gum -are also much used. They likewise suffer from influenza. There is -no doubt that they were visited with small-pox before the Europeans -arrived, of which numbers died, and many more bore the marks. - -Their doctors use incantations and apply pressure to the affected -parts. They also employ the vapour bath, obtained by putting wet -water-weeds on heated stones and covering the patient with rugs. - -The poison revenge is a dreadful visitation. A spear-head is plunged -into a putrid corpse, and with feathers so dipped in the fat a wound is -inflicted on an enemy, who dies in dreadful agony, similar in effect to -blood-poisoning from dead animals amongst ourselves. To possess this -poison is the old natives’ object; they therefore often oppose the -burial of the dead. - -They appear to have a talent for extempore productions. When Sir G. -Grey’s party was in a hopeless condition for want of water and food, -the native Kaiber sat shouting to himself native songs. - - Thither, mother, Oh! I return again, - Thither, Oh! I return again. - Whither does that lone ship wander? - My young son I shall never see again. - Whither does that lone ship wander? - -Very pathetic. Their feelings are very strong, as may be seen by -Warrup’s account of the discovery of Smith’s remains, one of Sir George -Grey’s companions, which were found stretched on a high rock, where he -lay down and died. - - Away, away, we go— - I, Mr. Roe, and Kinchela— - Along the shore, away! Along the shore, away! - We see a paper, the paper of Morlimer and Spofforth. - Away we go, we see no fresh water, - Along the shore, - Away, away, away, we go along the shore! - Away, away, away, a long distance we go! - I see Mr. Smith’s footsteps ascending a sandhill, - Onward I go, regarding his footsteps. - I see Mr. Smith dead, we commence digging the earth; - Two sleeps had he been dead; - Greatly did I weep, and much I grieved, - In his blanket folding him, - We scrape away the earth. - We scrape the earth into the grave, - We scrape the earth into the grave, - A little wood we place in it, much earth we heap upon it, - Much earth we throw upon it, no dogs can dig there. - The sun had just inclined to the westward, - As we laid him in the ground.—_Grey._ - -The following is a specimen of their extempore composition on sight of -a railway train:— - - “You see the smoke in Kapunda, - The steam puffs regularly, - Showing quickly it looks like frost, - It runs like running water, - It blows like a spouting whale.” - -A settler who frequently employed aboriginal labour, having heard -some complaint of their ill-treating a white man, ordered the tribe -instantly to decamp. He was somewhat surprised at one of their number -appearing before him quite naked, ornamented with pipeclay, and -carrying two nullas. The black asked the gentleman to fight, offering -one of the nullas. The gentleman, however, determined to choose his own -weapon, and produced his gun, which he loaded with ball in presence of -the champion, and, pointing to the dial of his watch, said, “If you are -not out of this stockyard in ten minutes, I will shoot you.” The black -champion watched the hands of the watch, and when the time had nearly -expired, he gracefully said, “Good evening, massa,” and disappeared. - -As an instance of their fidelity, a squatter in the north, whose house -was surrounded by blacks threatening assault, had a domesticated -native, who had got mixed up with the savage tribe. He watched his -opportunity and seized a horse, and, with a piece of stringy-bark for -a bridle, galloped several miles to a police station, giving the -alarm. The police immediately mounted horse, galloped furiously to the -station, took a circuit round the house, and then followed on the trail -of the blacks, whom they overtook encamped; they fired into them, and -killed and wounded several. The sergeant, a white, however remained -at the station, leaving these desperadoes to do their bloody deeds of -carnage; probably he felt he could not restrain them. The fidelity of -the black, however, saved the lives of the station-holders. - -A black in Port Macquarie stole on Mr. ——, while lying on the grass. He -had pipeclayed himself, and then stealing along, made a noise like the -burring of a quail. Mr. ——, in fright, leaped on his horse and fled; -this amused the black very much. - -Mr. James R—— had a lad as coachman, who drove well, was a perfect -dandy, kept his horses in fine order, used much oil for his hair, and -prided himself on his coach and appearance, but withal went back to the -bush. A gentleman at Molesmane had a lad for several years. He could -read and write, cast up accounts, and do anything on a farm. At the age -for the ceremony of knocking out teeth he went back to the wild state. - -An aboriginal and woman had a dairy station at Monaro, were married at -church, and conducted their station like any Europeans. - -Their power of ridicule is very great. Sir George Grey’s party having -reached a friendly tribe, who supplied them with frogs and turtles, one -of them, named Imbat, enjoyed himself at the expense of Sir George Grey. - -“What for do you, who have plenty to eat and much money, walk so far -away in the bush? You are thin, your shanks are long, your belly small, -you had plenty to eat at home, why did you not stop there?” - -Sir G. Grey replied, being somewhat mortified, “You comprehend nothing; -you know nothing.” - -“I know nothing? I know how to keep myself fat. The young women look at -me and say, ‘Imbat is very handsome, he is fat.’ They look at you, and -say, ‘He is not good, long legs:’ What do you know, where is your fat, -what for do you know so much, if you can’t keep fat? I know how to keep -at home, and not walk too far in the bush; where is your fat?” “You -know how to talk;—long tongue,” was my reply, upon which, forgetting -his anger, he burst into a roar of laughter, and saying, “I know how to -make you fat,” began stuffing me with frogs and by-yu nuts. - -There was something more practical here than irony. The value of -religion under the trying circumstances of a forlorn hope in this -expedition is acknowledged by Sir G. Grey:—“I feel assured that but -for the support I derived from prayer and frequent perusals and -meditation of the Scriptures, I should never have been able to have -borne myself in such a manner as to have maintained discipline and -confidence among the rest of the party, nor in my sufferings did I ever -lose the consolation derived from the firm reliance upon the goodness -of Providence. It is only those who go forth into perils and dangers, -where human foresight and strength can little avail, find themselves -day after day protected by an unseen influence, and ever and anon -snatched from the jaws of destruction by a power which is not of this -world, who can at all estimate the knowledge of one’s weakness and -littleness, and the firm reliance and trust upon the goodness of the -Creator which the human heart is capable of feeling.” - -When seeking to determine what they were to do to extricate themselves -from their difficulties, he says, “He then strengthened his mind by -reading a few chapters in the Bible, and walked on.” - -Those who have read of Sir J. Franklin’s early explorations down the -Copper-mine River, and his return with his party, will see how this -party, in the midst of ice and snow and starvation, were supported -by religion, the Bible being the staff of their strength, and that -they were the objects of God’s care, buoyed them up under unheard-of -difficulties appalling to human nature. “What is man alone in creation -without God?” - -They are very expert in throwing the spear, at which they constantly -practise. They have a game at ball, which gives occasion for much -wrestling and activity; besides this, they have wrestling matches for -bunches of feathers. - -There are many kinds of corroborees. All have the song and the dance; -both are at times very libidinous, especially the dance of the women. -The war dances are conducted by some hundreds of men in a measured -tramp, and in a very excited state of mind. They make up their song -out of some incident or circumstance they may have seen. The effect -is very imposing: the men in a state of nudity; their bodies striped -in white, and their heads fancifully adorned; the fires lighting up -the night and casting their glare around the forest; the stately trees -spreading their shadows; the women seated and drumming rude music from -tight-rolled skins. The activity of the dancers and the strange noises, -sounds, and imitating calls altogether present a wild, unearthly, and -apparently demoniacal scene. A resident on the Macleay River gives -the following sketch of this ceremony:—“From the repugnance which the -blacks at the Macleay displayed on my looking at their performance, and -their angry refusal to allow me to see the main part of the ceremony, -I am unable to give a regular account of it, having only been able to -obtain occasional glimpses. After many preliminary grotesque mummeries -had been performed, the doctors or priests of the tribe took each a -boy, and held him for some time with his head downwards near the fire. -Afterwards, with great solemnity, they were invested with the opossum -belt; and at considerable intervals, between each presentation, they -were given the nulla-nulla, the boomerang, the spear, &c. Whilst these -arms were being conferred upon them the other natives performed a sham -fight, and pretended to hunt the pademelon, spear fish, and imitate -various other occupations, in which the weapons, lately presented -to the youth, would be of service. As their ceremonies occupied a -fortnight or more before they were concluded, many other ridiculous -scenes were undoubtedly enacted, and during all this time the women did -not dare to approach the performers. Each man was also provided with -a singular instrument, formed with a piece of hollowed wood fastened -to a long piece of flax string; by whirling this rapidly round their -heads a loud shrill noise was produced, and the blacks seemed to attach -a great degree of mystic importance to the sound of this instrument, -for they told me that if a woman heard it she would die. The conclusion -of this ceremony was a grand dance of a peculiar character, in which -the boys join, and which the women are allowed to see. This dance is -performed with much more solemnity than the ordinary corroborees. The -Yarra-hapinni tribe, which I saw execute this dance near the Clybucca -Creek, were so elaborately painted with white for the occasion that -even their very toes and fingers were carefully and regularly coloured -with concentric rings, whilst their hair was drawn up in a close knot, -and stuck all over with the snowy down of the white cockatoo, which -gave them the appearance of being decorated with white wings. In this -dance the performers arranged themselves in the form of a semicircle, -and grasping the ends of their boomerangs, which are also painted with -great minuteness and regularity, they swayed their bodies rapidly from -right to left, displaying a degree of flexibility in their limbs which -might have created the envy of many a pantomimic artist. Each movement -of their bodies to and fro was accompanied by a loud hiss, whilst a -number of other natives, similarly painted, beat time with sticks, and -kept up an incessant and obstreperous song. Every now and then the -dancers would stop and rush, crowding together into a circle, raising -their weapons with outstretched arms, and joining with frantic energy -in the song. They would then be more composed, and walk backwards and -forwards in couples, holding each other by the hand, until again roused -by an elderly native to resume the dance. It was not until midnight -that the noise ceased, which, every evening whilst the ceremonies -lasted, might be heard at a distance of two or three miles.” - -The spear is the chief weapon, and is thrown by help of a -throwing-stick (woomera), by which an increased leverage is obtained. -Some of them are barbed, and deadly in their effect. The shafts of some -are of heavy wood, others of reed. - -The shields with which they defend themselves are of either bark -or wood, and the dexterity with which they ward off the spears is -astonishing. I have seen in a case of punishment, when the criminal -had to stand all alone and to defend himself from the shower of spears -cast at him, that he stood perfectly self-possessed. On these occasions -perhaps a hundred or more natives are assembled. The criminal stands at -a certain distance until a given number of spears have been cast at him. - -The boomerang is another weapon of very singular formation. It is a -crooked blade, very like the blade of a steamer’s screw, and much on -that principle. It is cast by the hand, and gyrates through the air, -and can be so thrown as to return to the feet of the thrower; or in a -longer flight, dancing along the ground. It is particularly hard to -guard against, from the curvature of its motion. It is used for killing -birds on the wing, and can be thrown to a distance of 150 yards. The -late Sir Thomas Mitchell fashioned a propeller for a steam-boat on this -principle. - -Their manufactures are few. Their canoes are miserable vessels, made -out of a sheet of bark tied up at the ends. But having no great lakes -to cross, like in America, nor any very dangerous rivers, they answer -the purpose of ferrying two or three persons over at a time, if great -care be exercised. - -The late Admiral King describes the natives as having canoes 18 feet -long, capable of containing eight persons in some instances, made out -of trees; while the natives on the coast capture dugong, from which the -celebrated oil is procured. Some of these fish weigh from 12 lbs. to 14 -lbs.; they live on marine plants. - -There is certainly some indication here of a higher order of natives -than those generally dispersed to the south. Probably they were at one -time higher in civilization than at present. - -They make baskets and mats from the bark of the mallee tree, and the -latter also from sea-weed, which sometimes serves the purpose of a bed. -But their cloaks, made of opossum skins, prepared and sewn together -with sinews, form comfortable, and warm garments. They likewise dress -other skins—of the kangaroo and native cat, sewing them together with -the sinews of the kangaroo’s tail. Their stone axes are merely stones -ground down to an edge and fastened to a handle by gum and thread, and -require the exercise of much patience in cutting through wood, &c. - -The name given to the river Bogan is probably a corruption of Bungan. -One of the early explorers maintains that the name of the Bogan was -Bungan-Gallo. The course of the river is less circuitous than that of -the Macquarie, and the rate of the current averages about 4 miles per -hour. - -Of the many aboriginal tribes mentioned in the narratives of the old -explorers, not one can be said to exist, and the numerous wandering -remnants are dying off. The few gins and blackfellows that I saw at the -stations are very useful to the settlers, but in most cases the blacks -come and go when they please. Sir Thomas Mitchell mentions three great -tribes: 1. The Bultje, composed of many intelligent natives. This tribe -numbered about 120 in 1835. Their hunting grounds were around the head -waters of the Bogan. The local peculiarity of this tribe was that one, -or in some cases two, of the front teeth of the males were extracted -on their arriving at the age of fourteen. 2. The Myall tribe, who -inhabited the central parts about Cudduldry, at the great bend of the -Bogan to the northward. These natives had many curious customs. Some -of the young men were gaily dressed with feathers, and were apparently -formed into some sort of society or association, as they were all -called by one name, “Talambe,” and great interest was taken in them by -the other members of the tribe. What their chief or leader’s name was, -or what were their purposes, were never mentioned, nor by any accident -did any solution of the secret transpire. These natives did not extract -the front teeth. 3. The Bungan tribe, inhabiting the Bogan between -Cambelego and Mount Hopeless. They were less subtle and dissimulating -than the Myalls. 4 and 5. Two tribes lower down the Bogan, the haunts -of one being eastward of New Year’s Range, and those of the other to -the north of the Pink Hills. Both these tribes were described as being -inoffensive, and of a friendly disposition. They were terrified at -the sight of cattle, and still more afraid of sheep. The principal -food of these various tribes consisted of opossum, kangaroo, and emu. -Fishing, which was left entirely to the gins, was effectually yet -simply performed by a moveable dam of long, twisted dry grass, through -which water only could pass. This being pushed from one end of the -pond or water-hole to the other, all the fish were necessarily driven -before it and captured. The gins further used to gather fresh-water -mussels (which abound in the mud of these holes), by lifting the shells -out of the mud with their toes. A small plant with a yellow flower, -called Tao by the natives, was pointed out to me. It grows in the -grassy places near the river, and on its root the young children used -chiefly to subsist. About as soon as they could walk, they were taught -to pick about the ground for these roots, and to dig out the larvæ of -ant-hills. Wild honey would appear to have been also plentiful. - -Adding a few notices from Mr. Eyre’s journal, and Captain Sturt’s also, -and Sir Thomas Mitchell’s exploration:—Mr. Eyre describes the food of -the natives to be often the wild fruits of the forest. Although there -is in New Holland very little of what can be called fruit, yet Mr. -Eyre speaks of a kind of plum or gooseberry which grows in the sand -near Spencer’s Gulf, which is acid and pleasant to eat, and on which -the natives live for some time. Also, a description of wild grape has -been found by the explorers. Sir Thomas Mitchell used to say all these -fruits wanted was to be “fattened.” - -Their powers as mimics are described by Sturt—in one instance equal to -if not outrivalling Liston in his best days. - -I have already shown the superstition of the natives, which is proved -by another remarkable case mentioned by Robert Austin:—The party shot -a red kangaroo. The native ranger became much excited, and begged he -might not be asked to eat of it, “For look,” said he, “its head is -truly that of a dog with the ears of a cow. Saw you ever a kangaroo -so fat, or meat that smelt so strange. No, sir, this creature is not -natural; it must be a magician of evil. Glad I am that one of my tribe -has killed one of this odious race. My father and mother never ate one. -Let the northern women eat if they like, but I must be a great fool to -put a strange devil down my throat, to give me the stomach-ache.” - -Sir George Grey describes their huts in the rain, which gave not -only some idea of shelter, but even of comfort. They afforded a very -favorable specimen of the taste of the gins, whose business it is -generally to construct the huts. The village of bowers also occupied -more space than the encampments of the natives in general. The choice -of a shady spot seemed to have been an object, and to have been -selected with care. Here then we have, at considerable distances, -natives erecting huts and living in something like communities. Can -these be of the same origin as the general population, or has the -circumstance that fruits and food may be found sufficient for support -in these localities induced the aborigines to lead a more settled life? - -Mitchell says they found a tree with a fruit resembling a small russet -apple, skin rough, the pulp a rich crimson, and covering a large stone; -an agreeable acid. So in Grey’s case, the natives seem to have stored -certain nuts. These grow in some part of the northern territory, -affording food for the natives for several months. They seem to have -some idea of measuring time, for they pointed out to Mitchell’s party -that white man (evidently Sturt’s party) had passed there, pointing to -the sun, six annual revolutions. - - - - - CHAPTER III. - -First settlement of the Colony—Claims of the Aborigines—Extracts from - Collins’s Works—Bennillong and Cole-be—Dangerous proceedings of the - Aborigines—Frightful massacre by the Blacks—Notes by a University - man—Mr. Trollope’s remarks—Aboriginal Police—Doom of the Queensland - Savage—Massacre on Liverpool Plains—South Australian Aboriginals. - - -The project of deporting criminals to this distant, almost unknown, -portion of the world—a country whose resources were unknown, and -distant 16,000 miles—was a bold measure, arising partly from necessity, -and much discussed in the public Press, but the expedient has been -ultimately crowned with success. Homes have been made for multitudes, -British liberty and law established, and, above all, Christianity -extended to a portion of the world that for ages had remained in the -darkness of heathenism, shut out from commerce and the intercourse of -intelligence. - -Strange to say, in this expatriation no provision had been made -by the Government for that which is the foundation of national -success—religion, and it was not until Mr. Wilberforce, with his -Christian zeal, pressed the Government, that a single minister of -religion, Mr. Johnston, was provided, while a reckless and degraded -class of men was about to be cast into the midst of a savage people, -not at all calculated to raise or elevate them, but rather to depress -and vitiate, and ultimately to destroy them. - -Whatever benefit the civilized world has acquired in opening up a new -territory for their over-peopled state, the poor unfortunate aborigines -have had to suffer increased misery, wretchedness, and gradual -extinction. - -The Bishop of Perth has well put the question: “The darkness they were -in in their original condition was the darkness of ignorance—dark -indeed, but far darker is their state when to the darkness of ignorance -is added the degradation of the acquired vices of civilization.” - -Little or no missionary zeal prevailed in the churches. At this period -vital Christianity was lost sight of under mere moral teaching, yet -a few names, as in Sardis, were found for the truth, but the heathen -world was but little thought of. - -The first mission to the Pacific was that of the London Missionary -Society to Tahiti, so unscrupulously desecrated by the French. - -No doubt the natives were surprised at their visitors, and were too -soon convinced of their unscrupulous invasion of the land, but right -had to submit to might. - -Various conflicts took place between the races; a kind of guerrilla -warfare was carried on, and lives were sacrificed, although strict -orders were given against violence or the prisoners going without -bounds, and the severe punishment of 700 lashes was administered, and -even hanging resorted to, for disobedience and robbery, yet temptations -were too strong to check these evils. - -The Governor exercised the kindest feelings toward the aborigines, so -as to win their confidence, as may be seen by the following extracts -from our earliest historian, Collins. - -Many affrays took place between the natives and the Europeans, in -which life was lost on both sides, but at length the natives became -more familiar, and often danced and fought in the settlement, to the -amusement of the people; when wounded they submitted to the surgeon’s -operations. - -In these affrays the natives exhibited much bravery and became -formidable to the settler, so that frequent conflicts took place, in -which much life was lost on both sides. They carried away considerable -plunder, and even made piratical attacks on vessels conveying corn, and -killed the crews. It is thought that the runaway convicts gave them -assistance. They had attacked a farm near Kissing Point, murdered a -man and woman, and having been pursued, an encounter took place near -Parramatta, headed by their chief, Pemulwy, who threw spears at one of -the soldiers. They were fired on, five natives were killed, and their -chief, Pemulwy, received five buck-shot wounds in his head and parts of -his body; he was captured and taken to the hospital. - -The chief cause of warfare was the blacks plundering the maize crops, -the whites having thinned out their game, and the blacks, driven by -hunger, retaliated. - -The animosity increased to such a degree that wanton acts of violence -were resorted to. In one instance, the natives murdered two men who -had farms. The settlers, in retaliation, seized three boys residing -with the settlers, and having obtained through them the muskets of the -murdered men, they tied their hands, and beat the boys to death in a -barn; the others escaped. The Governor, on hearing of this cruelty, had -the perpetrators tried, but from some interposing evidence, although -convicted of being guilty of killing, they were not executed, but -released on bail; they asserted that several whites had been murdered. - -The natives however were not altogether idle; they robbed, burnt down -houses, and assembled in large bodies, it is supposed instigated by -runaway convicts. - -Their government is domestic. They highly respect fathers. When they -saw respect paid to the Governor, they entitled him Be-anna, Father. On -the death of a father, the nearest of kin assumes the office, under the -title of Be-anna. - -Each family had a particular residence and name to distinguish it. -Those on the south side of Botany Bay were called Gweagal, and those -on the north side were Cam-mer-ray-gal. To this tribe belonged the -privilege of extracting the tooth for the tribes inhabiting the -sea-coast. - -As to religion, there appears an idea of a future state. They neither -worship sun, moon, nor stars. Bennillong, who had been in England, -said after death they went to the clouds; they ascended like little -children, first having perched on trees, living on fish. - -The young men often attended worship in the settlement, imitating the -clergyman with his book, being great mimics. - -They knew the distinction between good and bad. The sting-ray was bad; -the kangaroo good; cannibalism they condemned as Wee-re (bad); also -murder, for which they required satisfaction. - -Both sexes wear ornaments, both being adorned with scars over the -body, using a profusion of fat on their persons. The women ornament -themselves with strings of teeth and bones of some of the fishes. Women -have the two first joints of the little finger of the left hand cut -off. Some in colour are as black as negroes; others copper-coloured -like Malays. Their huts are miserable sheets of bark, under which they -sleep, huddled together. Their mode of living is not over cleanly. The -food is mostly fish; the men spear and the women catch with hooks made -out of the oyster-shell, and the fishing-lines from the bark of a tree. - -Marriage is rather rude; the woman is dragged away by force, but there -are many particulars about marriage as to relationship, &c., &c. - -In child-birth one female is employed in pouring cold water over the -abdomen; another ties a piece of line to the sufferer’s neck, and -takes the end in her mouth, rubbing her lips until they bleed; no -further assistance is given. The mother walks about collecting wood a -few hours after delivery. The child at six weeks receives a name from -some object, either bird, fish, or animal. From the earliest age the -boys practise at throwing the spear and other weapons. At the ages of -eight to sixteen the children undergo the operation termed Gnah-noong, -that is, of piercing the septum of the nose so as to receive a bone or -reed; and the lads, at a later period, of having the tooth knocked out. -This is a very imposing ceremony. Numbers collect on these occasions, -mostly males; they dance and are armed; the boys are seized and put in -a sitting posture all night, and some mystic rites are performed over -them; the carrahdis pretend great agony, and roll on the ground, until -at length they are delivered of a bone; the people crawl on their hands -and knees to where the boys are sitting, when they throw sand and dirt -upon them; one man carries a kangaroo skin stuffed with straw, another -carries brush-wood, others sing, while others again make artificial -tails of grass, and then leap like kangaroos, scratching and jumping -emblematic of a future chase; each then casts off the artificial tail, -seizes a boy, and places him on his shoulder until they reach where -they are to be deposited, while the men lie down upon the ground -and the boys walk over them, the former making various gestures and -grimaces. The bone is then rubbed down like a chisel, so as to scarify -the gums. The small end of a stick is then applied to the tooth and -struck with a stone; the tooth being dislodged and the gum closed, the -devotee is then encompassed with a girdle, wooden sword, and a ligature -bound round the head, in which is stuck slips of grass-tree. The boy is -not allowed to speak or eat during the operation; the people make most -hideous noises in the ears of the sufferers to drown their cries; the -patient sits on the shoulders of the man, who receives the blood which -flows down from the mouth. - -The youths are now admissible to the classes of men, and are privileged -to use the spear and club, &c. - -The shedding of blood is always followed by punishment, the offender -being obliged to stand the ceremony of spears being thrown at him; a -native murdered must be avenged. - -They have many superstitions, as may be expected. They believe in -spirits. If they sleep at a grave, they believe the deceased visits -them, seizes them and disembowels them, but that the bowels are -replaced. A shooting star is very important, and of thunder they are -very much afraid, but think that, by repeating certain words and -breathing hard, they are safe. - -Of diseases the itch is common, and there is no doubt but that they -have been visited by the small-pox, which they call gal-gal-la, of -which numbers died, and their remains were found in the caves of the -rocks around Sydney. Some of them were admitted into the Hospital, -where some died, and others recovered. - -Property consists of shields, spears, clubs, lines, and certain -localities. In disposition they are revengeful, jealous, courageous, -cunning, capable of strong attachment, susceptible of joy and sorrow. -They have some idea of the heavenly bodies, sun, moon, and stars. - -Funeral ceremonies:—In some instances the body is burnt, but mostly -the legs are tied up to the head so as to occupy little room; the -Carrahdi distorts his body and applies his mouth to different parts of -the deceased. They bury with the men their spears and throwing-sticks; -they wear tufts of grass, and as they proceed to bury, they throw their -spears and often do injuries. The body is placed so that the sun shall -shine on it, and all trees that may intercept the sun’s rays are cut -down. They do not mention the name of the deceased. - -They have some poetic talent and they compose impromptu, and have some -taste for music. - -They are quite capable of receiving instruction. - -They cannot pronounce the letters S and V. - -Amongst the public heroes of those days (about 1790) were Bennillong -and Cole-be—the former had visited England. Both were frequent inmates -of the Governor’s house, but were fond of roving. On the occasion of -a whale being stranded at Broken Bay, Bennillong sent a present of -a piece of fish to the Governor. On this His Excellency visited the -place, and found there his friends, to whom he gave several articles of -clothing. The Governor, perceiving that the natives were surrounding -him, was retiring gradually to the boat, but on lifting up his arms on -meeting a particular native, as evidence of his recognition, the native -took alarm and threw a spear at him, which struck him in the neck, -above the collarbone, and being barbed, was difficult of extraction. -Several other spears were thrown, but fortunately without effect. The -boat’s crew rushed on shore, but their muskets proved useless. The -shaft of the spear was broken off, and the remainder was extracted by -the surgeon. - -A few days after this affray, Bennillong came to a cove on the North -Shore, with his wife and companions, and stated that it was a man of -the name of Wil-le-me-ring who threw the spear at the Governor, and -that Cole-be and he had beaten him severely; and on the visit to the -Governor subsequently, Bennillong repeated the statement, observing -that it was owing to surprise that the man had committed the act. - -A few days afterwards, Bennillong waited on the Governor, with a -request that a hut near the cove should be built for him, which was -assented to. - -Some months afterwards Bennillong took to the bush again, sending a -message to the Governor that he had had a dispute with his friend -Cole-be and had been wounded, and could not appear at the Governor’s -table, requesting at the same time his clothes, together with -victuals, of which he was much in want. On his re-appearance at the -settlement some time afterwards, he had a wound in the mouth and some -teeth broken. The quarrel appears to have been occasioned by his -over-attention to his friend’s favourite wife, Boo-ree-a, and this led -to a severe castigation. Cole-be, meeting him shortly afterwards, asked -him sarcastically “if he meant that kind of conduct to be a specimen of -English manners.” As Bennillong had visited England, the sarcasm was -the more pungent. - -Bennillong, after his return from England, was asked where blackfellow -came from—did he come from an island. He said he did not know, but that -after death they returned to the clouds, ascending in the shape of -little children, first resting on the tops of trees; their favourite -food was little fishes. - -Speaking of the habit of knocking out the tooth, he said that a man of -the name of Cam-mer-ray-gal wore them round his neck, the tribe having -performed the ceremony, but as to his own teeth they were buried in the -earth. - -When Bennillong’s wife died, many spears were thrown and persons -wounded. He had a serious contest with Wil-le-me-ring, and wounded -him in the thigh. He had sent for him to attend his wife, and he had -refused, and at the death of his infant many spears were thrown, and he -said he would not be satisfied until he had revenge. - -Bennillong burnt the body of his wife Ba-rang-a-roo. - -The ashes of the wife were the next day scraped together and covered -over with great solemnity. The most affecting part of the ceremony was -that Bennillong threw his infant child into the mother’s grave, casting -a large stone on it, saying no woman could be found to nurse the child. - -On the death of the boy, Ba-loo-der-ry, whom he had watched and sung -over with Cole-be, he requested that the body might be interred in the -garden. The burial was attended with much ceremony, while the burial of -Bennillong’s wife was attended by the Governor, the Judge-Advocate, and -the surgeon. - -The natives had determined to kill Bennillong, it being supposed he had -killed a man, of which he was innocent; he therefore appealed to the -Governor to protect him. He had now given way to drink, and became more -brutal and insulting, and therefore got into troubles. On the occasion -of a fight he threw a spear amongst the soldiers and wounded one, -and would have been killed, had it not been for the Provost-Marshal. -Walking about armed, he declared he would kill the Governor. Now -Bennillong associated with troublesome characters, and was once or -twice wounded. In one of these battles, three natives were killed and -several wounded. Amongst these Bennillong was dangerously wounded, and -probably died. Thus perished Bennillong, as a drunken savage, after -all the advantages he had had of visiting England, and living at the -Governor’s House. Nor is this a solitary instance of these savages who -have enjoyed like advantages. - -We have here the failure of mere civilization, which produces only -outward effects. Religion alone can reach the heart. The gospel is the -power of God to the salvation of all who believe in and know it. - -Bennillong has been immortalized in name, a point on the North Shore -being called Bennillong Point. His history is a sad one. There is a -street in Parramatta called, I suppose, after this chief. - -The accompanying rough sketches, copied from Collins’s work, will give -some idea of the natives in person, and their numerous ceremonies, &c., -&c., &c. - -It is only fair to show what dangerous and treacherous neighbours the -aborigines are, and how the squatters and inhabitants were often placed -at their mercy. - -A numerously signed petition was presented to the Governor from the -settlers on the road to Port Phillip praying for protection, as they -had suffered much from the incursions and assaults of these people, and -stating that, if they could not obtain protection, they must take the -law into their own hands. - -The Governor immediately despatched a police force to be stationed -along the road for protection. - -As for their raids on stations, they actually drove away the sheep and -cattle from two or three stations, and in some instances violated women -and committed robberies. - -We must however consider that their laws strictly limited the tribes -to certain districts, and to intrude upon these was criminal; and this -was so strictly carried out that, on my approaching the Shoalhaven -River, my guide would on no account cross over with me. But whites, as -foreigners, would be regarded with even more hostility. - -The following account, from the _Rockhampton Bulletin_, 26 October, -1861, will show one of these murderous assaults, and at the same time -the brutal character of the aboriginal police force, who thought it -pleasant work to shoot down their countrymen:— - -“A man arrived in Rockhampton last evening (Tuesday) with intelligence -of the murder of a number of persons on Mr. Wills’s station, Nogoa, -including Mr. Wills himself. The messenger brings a written deposition -of the facts, so far as they are known, which was made on Friday last, -to Mr. Gregson, Bainworth station, by a shepherd belonging to the late -Mr. Wills. The shepherd’s name is Edward Kenny. We are informed that -Mr. Wills had only arrived on the station about a fortnight previous to -the time when the murders were committed, and Kenny states that during -that time the blacks came upon the station in considerable numbers, but -they were quiet and appeared friendly, and no notice was taken of them. -Mr. Wills used to carry a revolver himself, but although he had plenty -of firearms on the station, the men were not supplied with them. - -“On the evening of Thursday, the 17th October, Kenny was returning to -the station with his sheep, when he met Paddy, who had been shepherding -the rams. Paddy said to him, ‘There has been slaughter here to-day.’ -Kenny then went up to the station, and saw the corpse of his late -master (Mr. Wills), the overseer’s wife (Mrs. Baker), with grown-up -daughter and two children, Mrs. Manyon, and three children, and a man -named Jemmy Scotty—in all ten bodies—having evidently been killed -by the blacks. He then took a horse and rode over to Bainworth (Mr. -Gregson’s station), where he arrived about 1 p.m., on Friday last. He -does not know what became of Paddy after he left him. There were at the -time twenty-two Europeans on the station, and it is feared that others -have shared a similar fate to that of the ten above-mentioned. The -remaining eleven on the station were, the overseer (Mr. Baker), Patrick -Manyon, George Ling, Paddy, George Elliott, Harry, Tom, Davey Baker, -Charlie, Ned, and John Moon. Mr. Thomas Wills (son of the deceased) and -two men had left the station the previous Sunday morning, with drays, -on their way to Albinia Downs, for loading. - -“We are informed that the remnant of the Native Police Force, at the -camp Rockhampton, consisting of Cadet Johnson, two sergeants, and one -trooper only, will start to-morrow for Peak Downs, an officer named -Genatas with ten men being stationed there, and from thence they will -proceed to Nogoa. There is also a small company of troopers under -Lieutenant Patrick stationed at the Comet River. - -“Preparations are being made by Mr. P. F. Macdonald, of Yaamby, for -the equipment of a private party to accompany him to the scene of the -recent massacre, to assist in succouring the men left on the station, -and preserve the property from injury. A subscription, headed by Mr. P. -F. Macdonald, £100, which already amounts to £236, has been opened to -defray its expenses, and will be found at the Banks. - -“_Later intelligence._—News was received on Thursday evening that -Lieutenant Cave, with eleven troopers, arrived at the scene of the late -tragedy two days after its occurrence. Lieutenant Cave was on patrol -with the troopers at Living’s station, on the Dawson, when he heard of -the murders. He hastened off in the middle of the night, taking with -him fresh horses. Mr. Living and the settlers in the vicinity formed a -separate party, and started at once to render assistance. No further -particulars have as yet transpired.” - -In a work published in 1871—“Colonial Adventures; by a University -man,”—we have a chapter devoted to the Aborigines of Queensland, in -which the writer gives the general opinion as to the destruction of the -black race, “That God never intended them to live long on the land in -which he had placed them, therefore away with them until there be none -remaining, and we will go in and possess the land.” The writer draws a -distinction not creditable between the tame blacks and wild ones:—“The -former picked up all the worst characteristics of the white man, and -lost some of their own. They learned to drink, smoke, and become lazy, -living on the white man’s scraps. They do not hesitate to commit -murders and robberies—doing as they are done by. In short, instead of -improving their condition, we have made them more wretched and base -than ever, not over complimentary to Christianity or civilization. -In new districts taken up by the whites, almost invariably by way of -retaliation, either from the whites destroying their camps or possibly -firing on them, the black meditates revenge, and spears or kills the -first defenceless shepherd or traveller. Then the Europeans turn out -to disperse them—to shoot them down—men, women, and children. The -native police, being blacks trained to arms, delight in shooting their -fellow-men. For every white man murdered, six blacks are made to bite -the dust.” - -The writer gives a description of a shipwrecked sailor who lived with -the blacks twenty years, and experienced continual kindness, and of -their kindness to his fellow-seamen who escaped from the wreck, but -died of fever. These very men having boarded a cutter near the coast, -and one of them having stolen a tomahawk, leaped overboard with his -prize, the rest following. The crew fired upon them while swimming, and -killed two of them. - -The writer, in describing the massacre of the natives by the black -police, says:—“I have seen two large pits, covered with branches and -brush, secured by a few stones; the pits filled with dead bodies of -blacks, of all ages and both sexes.” Again, he says, “Whilst travelling -along the road, for more than a quarter of a mile the air was tainted -with the putrefaction of corpses, which lay all along the ridges, just -as they had fallen. This was in retaliation for the murder of five -shepherds. Each detachment of four or five troopers is officered by -a European, domiciled in barracks or camps. They sometimes show some -compunction in shooting women, but they are usually encouraged in this -work, as the women are often the abettors and agents in most of the -murders, and as the blacks must be exterminated, the more shot the -better.” - -The celebrated tourist, Mr. Trollope, in his work on “Queensland; a -Flying Visit,” devotes some pages to this people. He describes them as -sapient as monkeys and great mimics of white dandies. He then refers -to the opposition Cook, Dampier, and Phillip met with on their landing, -as if they had no right to defend their country. What is a virtue with -all other people is a crime in them. Comfortably accommodated in a -squatter’s residence, he says there were more settlers killed by the -blacks than blacks killed, and thus balances the account. - -Some murders have been brought before the public in Queensland which -called for immediate Government interference. Camps of aboriginals -have been attacked, the wretched beings fired upon, and on escaping to -the water, were then deliberately shot. On one occasion, one of their -number eluded the aboriginal police; at length they saw a bundle of -grass floating, into which they fired and shot the unfortunate being, -who held the grass in his mouth to conceal his head, but the stratagem -failed. In another instance, where the aboriginal police attacked the -camp, one of the women was seized and violated, and her brains dashed -out. - -In 1880, the _Sydney Mail_ wrote:—“The doom of the Queensland savage -is not merely to perish before the advance, but to actually receive -his death-blow at the hands of the British colonist. In another page, -we reprint an article from our senior morning contemporary, which -puts this fact beyond dispute. A competent and impartial special -reporter declares the condition of things as it is, and his melancholy -narrative must re-awaken regret for the fate of the race which enjoyed -an uninvaded possession of this continent for centuries, and is now -rapidly melting away in the presence of civilization. Stripped of all -exaggeration, the story of what is happening in the remote districts of -the neighbouring Colony has a horrible sound to Southerners who have -no environment of savagery, and to whom peace and plenty have become -monotonous and undervalued privileges. Yet the far north of Queensland -is not being stained more terribly with aboriginal blood than has -been our fair New South Wales. The black was improved off the face of -the lands we occupy, as pitilessly as he is now being dismissed from -his haunts on the banks of the tropical rivers. We cannot thank God -that the pioneer settlers here were more merciful than those who are -appropriating the cedar forests and auriferous deposits in Northern -Queensland. From first to last the line of contact between the two -races has been a red one. From first to last the strong Caucasian has -trodden the naked nomad like mire into his own sod. - -“It is easy to voice regret and condemnation in general terms; but -could this extermination have been altogether avoided? We think not. -What should have been done with the aboriginal? Did his possession -of the territory for centuries give him a right to possess it for -ever? Did mere possession confer a title so absolute that British -colonization must be ranked as a national crime? Surely no rational -man can defend such a view as that. The blackfellow’s title to the -country was destroyed by his savagery. Nature gives everybody a chance -of some kind, and the blackfellow had his chance. He had given to him -a magnificent continent, rich in manifold resources; but he was lord -only over snakes and kangaroos—a king of brutes, but little more than -a brute among brutes. Back of the brute there was, no doubt, the germ -of manhood; but a creature with only an undeveloped germ of manhood -cannot live among men. The blackfellow shrank from men, preferring to -dwell with marsupials. He did not understand, he did not like man—using -the word in its large sense. He fought against him as a wild brute -would fight—treacherously, savagely. In the far north, to this day, he -is not averse to eating the colonist. He has had two chances: Nature, -as before remarked, has given him a splendid country, and he has been -brought into contact with a highly civilized race; but he has proved -unworthy of both. His blood is therefore upon his own head. - -“In saying this we do not, it need hardly be insisted, endorse all that -has been meted out to the black by his white conqueror. The Briton was -a savage once, and he is not an angel now. Beneath his civilization, -there are the passions which may be developed into savagery; and there -have been too many white savages in Australia. The line of contact -between the two races is the line where Government, representing in -this matter the conscience as well as the physical force of the whole -community, should be strong, but where it has too frequently been -weak. The Queensland Government should be strong in the administration -of justice, tempered abundantly with mercy, along the line where -white and black are struggling for supremacy, and not merely able to -grapple with questions of tariffs and mail contracts in Brisbane. It -is a disgrace to a civilized people to be represented by many of the -‘boys’ who are employed to hasten the extinction of their countrymen -in the far north. The braining of children, the violation of women, -the slaughter of the wounded and the aged, the callous disregard of -all tender considerations which, when observed, shed lustre on the -strong—these are reproaches which it is humiliating to have recorded -in any part of the British Empire. They make an Englishman’s blood -boil with shame and indignation. War, whether of the open sort or -of that unrecognized kind which ‘disperses’ blackfellows, is apt to -demoralize those who are engaged in it, and what has been transpiring -for years in the ‘unsettled’ districts of Australia has had that -effect in too many cases. The business of ‘dispersing’ blackfellows -has had the result of ‘dispersing’ the conscience of whitefellows. -Troopers may have received the letter of their orders from Brisbane; -but the spirit of their atrocious deeds has been inspired by the -passion-blinded pioneers, to whom the taking of an aboriginal life is -rather meritorious. But we repeat that where, as in the far north, the -conscience of individuals is weak, the conscience of the Colony should -be all-potent. Blood-shedding would not cease, for the savagery of the -blacks will inevitably bring about their extinction; but the stain -would not be the indelible one of guilt.” - -The facts of the dreadful massacre on Liverpool Plains may be gathered -from the charge delivered by Judge Burton on passing sentence of death -upon the criminals, and exhibit barbarity horrible to think of:— - -“Prisoners at the bar, you have been found guilty of the murders of -the aborigines at Liverpool Plains—men, women, and children. The -circumstances of these murders are so atrocious that you must be -prepared for what the result must be. This is not a case where death -has ensued from drunkenness, nor the murder of one individual, but -probably of thirty poor defenceless beings. - -“The blacks round their fires at night were suddenly surrounded by -an armed body of you prisoners at the bar. The blacks fled to one -of your huts for safety. In that hut, amidst the tears, sobs, and -groans of these unhappy victims, you bound them—father, mother, and -children—together, and then led them to common destruction. - -“Nothing else but the grace of God could reach men’s hearts so hardened -as to slay father, mother, and children. To conceal the affair you -burnt the bodies, swept the place, and removed the remains, but -hundreds of birds of prey floating in the air awakened the attention -of the neighbourhood, and notwithstanding every precaution a jaw-bone -with teeth was found, while, as it rained the day before the deed, -the traces of horsemen, of men, &c., with naked feet, being blacks, -were left visible to the place, while there was no trace of the blacks -returning. This offence was not without premeditation, as it is certain -the whites were mustered from down the river to help, and on Sunday you -closed that day with the murder of these blacks. - -“I cannot but look upon you with commiseration. You were placed in a -dangerous situation, entirely removed from religious instruction, 150 -miles from any police station, by which you could have been controlled, -&c., &c.” The Judge then passed sentence of death in the usual manner. - -Certainly the case was one of great criminality and diabolical in the -execution; but these unfortunate men were left in the solitude by their -employers, without any correcting good, and were taught by influential -persons to look upon the blacks as not human beings. Religion after -all is the great panacea to heal nations, for it is righteousness that -exalteth them. - -The influence of crime on the virtuous portions of society, either as -to its costliness or insecurity of life and property, is very serious, -and demands much statesmanship; the solution of the problem lies in -conservatism. - -In 1875, the _South Australian Register_ published the following notes -on the aborigines met with on the trip of Mr. Lewis’s exploring party -to Lake Eyre, by Mr. F. W. Andrews, collecting naturalist to the -expedition:— - -“The first natives we met with after leaving Mount Margaret were on the -Macumba Creek, where a small number visited our camp in a very quiet -and friendly manner. They were young men and a boy or two. They could -not speak any English, except one or two very commonplace words, as -‘whitefellow,’ &c. Their food appeared to consist of snakes (morelia) -of the boa tribe, lizards, rats, &c., but the principal food at this -season of the year (December) appears to be the dried fruit of the -pigs’-faces (mesembryan-themum), which they gather in large quantities -and store by until wanted, or as long as it will keep. The quantity -they consume at a time is something enormous, and it appears to be -very nutritious and fattening food, no doubt from the large amount -of saccharine matter it affords. They wear no covering for the body, -except the men, some of whom wear a small fringed curtain in front of -their persons. This is sometimes made of the tail of the pouched hare -(_Peragalia lagotis_), the white tips of which are worked into a very -neat and ornamental covering. This is called ‘Thippa.’ They also wear -a similar fringe, only larger, made of wallaby or rat’s hair, which -they call ‘Unpa.’ The ends of the tails of the native rabbit or pouched -hare are carefully saved up until about forty or fifty in number are -fastened in rows, forming a very attractive adornment; they have, -however, often as many as from 150 to 200 in one bunch. The weapons -they carry with them when visiting are few and simple, consisting -of a yam-stick for digging out rats, &c., and an awkwardly-made -boomerang. I found that they had plenty of spears, and large two-handed -boomerangs like immense wooden scimitars. These they kept out of sight -on most occasions. They had some very neatly-constructed trough-like -water-vessels, which they called ‘Pirras.’ The men were finely-formed -young fellows, with pleasing and regular features, and one, in -particular, had beautifully-formed olive eyes; he was a very handsome -young fellow, and we all admired him very much. Through our native -interpreter, ‘Coppertop,’ who joined us at Strangways, we were enabled -to converse with them. They were very anxious for rain, as they could -not travel far away from the waterholes on the creeks. Travelling -further on towards Lake Eyre, we met with several wild-looking -lots—plenty of men, women, and children—all looking very hearty and -contented. The old men were about having a meeting to ‘make rain,’ and -as it looked likely for rain, they would no doubt before long be able -to again astonish their tribe by their power as ‘rain-makers.’ - -“We were now keeping a strict night-watch, as (if they meant no -mischief ‘leading to human gore’) they were diligently intent on -what they called ‘tealing.’ It was evident, by the cut timber about -the creeks, that they had axes or tomahawks, and on inquiry ‘where -blackfellow got um tomahawk,’ the answer received was, ‘him teal um -along a whitefellow.’ There is no doubt they had stolen several during -the construction of the overland telegraph. They, however, always kept -these tomahawks out of our sight. Knives, tomahawks, &c., are their -principal weaknesses; but they will steal anything they can lay their -hands (or toes) on. Our interpreter, ‘Coppertop,’ having arrived in -his own country, the Macumba, made tracks, leaving his clothes, which -were transferred to another young man who joined us. Tommy was his -name, and he had a good smattering of English, from having been with -the telegraph construction parties for some time, and was very useful -as a guide and interpreter. One day, when travelling, we met with -natives—‘outsiders,’ whose patois Tommy was unacquainted with, and he -cried out in despair, ‘Me cant hear um.’ Tommy was of a very inquiring -turn of mind, and thinking sugar was “dug up” at some ‘berry good -place,’ he one day asked the question, ‘When we catch um that big one -sandhill all same where whitefellow get um sugar?’ - -“On Willis’s or the Salt Creek we saw, in a large mob of natives, one -old man who had evidently been in the wars; his arm had been broken -in two places, and had set crooked at each fracture, giving the poor -old man a very battered appearance. The old fellow walked up and down -the camel train from one person to another, talking and gesticulating, -evidently wishing us to go on; and on our starting, he looked very -pleased, and pointed in the direction we were going, saying, ‘Appa, -appa’ (water, water), as much as to say, ‘Go on; there is plenty of -water over there for you.’ At starting, much to our amusement and -surprise, the old man said, ‘Good morning, good morning.’ This was -towards evening, but although the old man seemed to wish us away from -his own camp, he was at our camp the next morning to see us start, and -wish us good morning again. Several women at the old man’s camp were -smeared all over with burnt gypsum (plaster of Paris), making them -quite white, and giving them a horrid-looking appearance. They were in -mourning for deceased relatives. All the natives we saw looked very -healthy and fat, the children looked as clean in the skin as could be -desired, and, altogether, their appearance and physique showed them -the pictures of health and contentment. We saw one fine young man who -was blind from cataract, and the poor old man with the broken arm was -leading him about and attending to his wants. We afterwards saw, at -Kopperamana, a young hearty-looking woman, who was suffering from the -same affliction. - -“They told us that the weather last year in the winter was very cold, -but that no rain fell. They make the best wurleys I have seen anywhere, -all covered in securely, and having a hole for the exit of the smoke, -as well as the entrance hole, which is, however, small. They are -covered all over with grass, rushes, roots, earth, &c., and are quite -dry. In the summer they have only a shade constructed of boughs. During -the hot weather they were catching large quantities of fish with nets, -which they constructed very ably from rushes. These nets are mostly -fixed stationary across a favourable spot in the creek, and the fish -caught by endeavouring to pass through the meshes, when they get fixed -in the net by the mesh passing over their gills. When the supply of -fish fails, or wanting a change of food, they have roots, seeds, -herbs, caterpillars (in bushels), lizards, snakes, and numerous odds -and ends, to procure all of which in quantity requires at times much -labour, and this food-labour mostly falls to the lot of the lubras, who -have generally plenty to do, for after they have got the food to their -wurleys, there is much to do grinding or pounding seeds of acacia, -nardoo, &c. - -“Some of the large waterholes on the Salt Creek have superstitious -terrors attached to them. One blackfellow, after killing a pelican with -a boomerang, would not attempt to recover his weapon, as he said there -was a large snake in the hole always on the lookout for blackfellow. - -“At Kopperamana, the Lutheran Mission Station, only a small number, -about a dozen or so, were camped. They appeared to easily obtain -plenty of fish in the lake, but had not such a fat, hearty-looking -appearance as the natives on Salt Creek. Some were employed on the -station shepherding goats, others lamb-minding, &c., and all appeared -to be well-treated. Of their scholastic attainments I cannot say very -much, as I was informed that as they got taught any learning they went -away. One young fellow appeared to have a good idea of figures, and -counted twenty-five very fairly. Only a few natives were seen at Lake -Hope; these talk pidgin-English with fluency, well interlarded with -strong adjectives. They have plenty of fish in the lake, and the rats, -snakes, roots, &c., according to the season. Perrigundi Lake has long -been known as a so-called dangerous place for whites to camp at, unless -well armed and in pretty good force. It was at this place where a party -of stockmen from Lake Hope were attacked some years ago, while they -were asleep, and, only for the bravery and promptitude of one of the -party, the whole of them would have been killed. One young man, named -Newman, died of the spear wounds he received in this fatal affray. We -camped here two nights and one day—Saturday night and Sunday. Seven -or eight finely-made, strong young fellows paid us a visit, and were -very peaceably disposed, and fetched us some fine fish in exchange -for a little tobacco. Some of the weapons they had with them were of -the most formidable dimensions, and well adapted for knocking down -a bullock. They did not make any offer to molest us; but the sight -of our revolvers, rifles, and guns, no doubt everywhere acted as a -good warning to them, as to what they might expect if they commenced -hostilities. - -“They did not appear to pay much respect to old age, after decease, -as one of them was noticed by one of our party taking some dead wood -from an old grave to make a fire, and on being remonstrated with, he -replied, ‘All right; only old woman been tumble down.’ Proceeding on -to Lake M’Kinlay, there is a pretty numerous tribe there, but only -eight or nine visited our camp, as most of them were away hunting in -the sandhills, where they always go after the rains have left water -enough in the claypans for their subsistence while hunting. Some of -them were much frightened at the camels. They looked in excellent -health. We camped here close to the tree which M’Kinlay marked on his -journey. The tree had been partly destroyed by the blacks, but some -fine young saplings are springing up, straight and tall again, and the -old tree promises to be soon as good as ever. I think it is only an -act of justice to these poor creatures to record their peaceable and -friendly behaviour to us all the way we travelled, and we hope that -as soon as the Salt Creek country is occupied, which from its fine -grazing capabilities it immediately will be, a thoughtful and liberal -Government will send a supply of useful things to them—as blankets, -tomahawks, &c. - -“The Salt Creek tribe is numerous and powerful, and I feel convinced -that kind but firm treatment at the outset will bring about the most -desirable results. Police protection ought to be at once given to the -first settlers on this and the neighbouring creeks. It would act as a -wholesome check on the bad propensities and cupidity of the natives, -and at the same time procure their proper treatment.” - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - -Efforts made to civilize the Aborigines—Rev. L. E. Threlkeld—Results - of Missions—Government support of Missions—Society for propagating - the Gospel in Foreign Parts—Population in the Port Phillip District - —Examination before the Legislative Council on the Aboriginal Question - —Lieut. Sadleir’s evidence—Rev. L. E. Threlkeld’s evidence—Captain - Grey’s opinion. - - -The following may be considered as a brief summary of the several -attempts to christianize and civilize the aborigines. Several portions -of the Bible have been translated, but as the natives are fast -acquiring English, this need not be continued. - -The Rev. Mr. Threlkeld was a translator into the aboriginal language, -as appears from the following, but the tribes in question are now -extinct:— - - “AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL LANGUAGE. - - “_To the Editor of the Herald._ - -“Sir,—In your issue of the 2nd instant appears a short review (from the -_Sydney Mail_) on the recently published work, entitled ‘Kamilaroi and -other Australian Languages,’ by the Rev. W. Ridley, lately issued by -the New South Wales Government Printing Office. In your remarks on the -work I notice the following:— - -‘If we mistake not, the Rev. L. E. Threlkeld was the _first_ to produce -any publication on the subject of the aboriginal language, his little -work, containing ‘Specimens of the Dialect of the Aborigines of New -South Wales,’ having been given to the world in 1827. In the same year -he issued another essay, in which he endeavoured to throw the language -into grammatical shape; and in 1856 appeared his ‘Key to the Structure -of the Aboriginal Language.’ - -“As the above gives but a very brief outline of the work rendered by my -father (carried on for sixteen years under great privation and through -many trying circumstances) in the interests of the aborigines of this -Colony during his mission, commencing in January, 1825, and terminating -December, 1841, I trust you will not consider that I am needlessly -trespassing upon your columns in placing before you a few of the more -prominent results emanating from those labours, especially as it would -appear, from the recent publication, that our Government is more alive -to the importance of preserving reliable works on the dialect of the -aboriginal language that it was at the time of their publication. - -“The Rev. L. E. Threlkeld’s first production was ‘Specimens of the -Aboriginal Language,’ printed and issued for publication (as mentioned -by you) in 1827. - -“In 1829, under the auspices of the Venerable Archdeacon Broughton -(subsequently Bishop of Australia), he completed the translation of the -Gospel of St. Luke, which was revised in 1831, and the MSS. forwarded -to the Archdeacon. - -“In 1832 a selection of prayers from the Ritual of the Church of -England was translated. - -“In 1835 his ‘Australian Grammar, being a Dialect of the Languages of -the Aborigines,’ was completed, a copy of which was presented to His -late Majesty King William IV, and placed in the Royal Library. - -“In 1836 the ‘Australian Spelling Book’ was completed and printed -for the use of the aborigines. Two of the youths then attending the -Mission School could read and write in their native tongue. In the same -year ‘Selections from the Old Testament’ were also translated to form -reading lessons for the native youth. - -“In 1837 the first translation of the Gospel of St. Mark was finished. - -“At the close of the yearly report ending 1838 the following subjects -are alluded to as having occupied his attention— - - “1. Specimens of the Language } - } In print. The copies were then - “2. An Australian Grammar } expended. - - “3. The Gospel of St. Luke. - - “4. The Gospel of St. Mark. - - “5. The Gospel of St. Matthew to the 5th chapter. - - “6. A Selection of Prayers for Morning and Evening Service. - - “7. A Selection of Reading Lessons from the Old Testament. - - “8. The Australian Spelling Book. - -“In 1856 (some fifteen years after the close of the Mission) he -completed and published his last work—‘The Key to the Structure of -the Aboriginal Language’—and at the time of his death, in 1859, he -had nearly completed the final revision of the Four Gospels, with a -view to their publication. At the request of Sir George Grey, who has -always taken a lively interest in aboriginal languages, I forwarded the -manuscript to him, under the impression that he would have it printed -and forward me a copy. - -“In the annual report of 1839 allusion is made to the similarity of -the aboriginal language with the Cherokee Indian, where specimens of -the dual are given; the Cherokee habitual form of the verb agreeing -with the modification in the Australian Grammar, page 29. A comparison -of dialects is also made of the aborigines at Lake Macquarie, Manila -River, Swan River, and King George’s Sound. - - “Burwood House, March 16. - - L. E. THRELKELD.” - -The first institution, at Parramatta, was instituted by Governor -Macquarie. Next, we may regard the Rev. Mr. Cartwright’s attempt at the -Male Orphan School, which was only limited to a few children. One of -the girls, under the care of Mrs. Cartwright, made great progress in -learning, aspired to music, and was afterwards married to a stockman on -Manaro Plains. Some of the boys turned out well. - -The Rev. Mr. Threlkeld’s mission at Lake Macquarie (see his evidence -and brief notice attached); the Church Missionary Society, Wellington -Valley; Mr. Watson’s Mission of the remnant down the Macquarie; the -Moravian Missions and Roman Catholic Missions, Queensland; Sir Richard -Bourke’s Mission, Melbourne; also the Wesleyan and the Lake Mission -there; Missions in Western Australia and Adelaide; Mission by the Rev. -Mr. Ridley, Barwon and Namoi; two Missions under Mr. Matthews and the -Rev. J. B. Gribble; Tasmanian Aborigines. - -“Rev. L. E. Threlkeld, who had been associated with Rev. John Williams, -‘the martyr of Erromanga,’ in the South Sea mission, commenced a -mission among the aborigines at Lake Macquarie, near Newcastle, -and continued for eleven years to labour among them. Mr. Threlkeld -published a grammar of the language spoken by the aborigines of the -Lower Hunter, which constitutes a valuable philological record. A large -number of the natives received the elements of education from Mr. -Threlkeld, and some of his old catechumens are still to be met with -in different parts of the Colony; but no decided and permanent moral -change appears to have resulted from his long-continued labours there. -Like other tribes in the neighbourhood of colonial settlements, that -in the midst of which Mr. Threlkeld carried on his labours rapidly -decayed, and left no material for benevolent agencies to work upon. -The Revs. Messrs. Watson and Gunther, of the Church of England, for -several years conducted a mission for the aborigines in Wellington -Vale, the results of which are very similar to those of Mr. Threlkeld’s -mission. Among the aboriginal shepherds and stockmen scattered over -a wide district Mr. Watson’s old scholars may be occasionally met -with, and their training under his care has at least had the effect -of making them more intelligent and useful servants. Mr. Watson -accomplished a work of mercy for numerous half-caste children scattered -among the tribes in the western and north-western districts. Many of -these unhappy children, disowned by their fathers, and liable to be -destroyed by their mothers’ tribe, having no prospect but an early -death or a savage life, were rescued from such a fate by Mr. Watson, -and instructed in Christian knowledge and useful art.” (See Bishop -Broughton’s visit and report of this mission; also Bishop Barker’s -tour.) - -Between 1837 and 1844, the Rev. Benjamin Hurst and the Rev. Francis -Tuckfield, under the auspices of the Wesleyan Society, started on a -mission at Buntingdale, or Colac, near Geelong. They conducted a school -at which 100 aboriginal children attended, and trained the adults to -farm labour; but the spiritual good which was their chief aim was not -manifest in a decided manner. Hostile attacks by other tribes put a -stop to the work, and convinced the missionaries of the necessity of -simultaneous and enlarged efforts among all the neighbouring tribes. -Rev. William Walker, another Wesleyan Minister, laboured with great -zeal for the conversion of the aborigines in the neighbourhood of -Bathurst, and some of those brought up under his instructions made an -open profession of Christianity and adopted the habits of civilized -life. One of them was for years a preacher of the Gospel. - -In 1837 a party of nine missionaries, who had been enlisted in the work -by Pastor Gossner, of Berlin, were directed, through the exertions of -Rev. Dr. Lang, to Australia, and came with their families to Moreton -Bay. These missionaries taught the children of the aborigines the -English language, the use of the hoe, and other useful arts. Their -attempts to instil Christianity into their minds do not appear to -have been successful. The lives of the missionaries were repeatedly -endangered by the plots of the aborigines to rob and murder them. After -some years, having been compelled by the absence of external support to -devote their attention to the cultivation of the ground for the support -of their families, they gradually abandoned the attempt to evangelize -the natives. Two of them, Rev. G. Hansmann and Rev. W. Riquet, have -been since labouring successfully for the good of their own countrymen -in Victoria. Between 1853 and 1856 the Rev. W. Ridley made several -missionary tours to the aborigines on the Namoi, Barwon, and Balonne -Rivers, and Moreton Bay; in the course of which he collected and -made public information relative to the language and traditional -customs of the tribes in those districts. Mr. Ridley addressed to -the aborigines, in their native language, elementary instruction in -revealed truth; and especially among the Kamilaroi-speaking tribes on -the Namoi and Barwon—these instructions were received with attention -and thankfulness; no evidence, however, appeared of any permanent -good being effected by this brief attempt. In the Colonies of Western -Australia, South Australia, and Victoria more successful efforts have -been made. In Western Australia the Rev. George King carried on a -mission for seven years, 1842 to 1848, the results of which continue -to this day. Mr. King devoted his attention chiefly to the children; -and during the whole course of the seven years from thirteen to fifteen -children were frequently under instruction. Mr. King was obliged to -discontinue the mission on account of failing health. - -Some of these denizens of the bush have become quite industrious, -and not only have they adopted the Christian name and a few outward -forms of religion, but by active benevolence, by consistent honesty -and industry, by patient resignation and suffering, and calm hope in -the hour of death, many of them have, as may be seen by the yearly -reports of Mr. Hammond, proved the reality of the change which they -professed to have undergone. There has also been a mission carried on -up to this time, or till very recently, in the Wimmera District, in the -Western Province of Victoria, by Mr. Spieseke and other missionaries -connected with the German Moravians, from whom accounts have been -received of hopeful success in this work, followed by sad tidings of -a fatal epidemic among the tribe. For further information concerning -this and the Port Lincoln mission we may refer to the Rev. R. L. C., -of Melbourne, who has taken a lively and active interest in the work, -and who himself educated and took with him to England an aboriginal -boy, Willie Wimmera. A school, opened as a trial establishment, was -also managed during several years by the Government at Port Franklin, -in Victoria, where the Rev. Mr. Hobarton Carvosso laboured with very -great assiduity and some success in the teaching of black children. -But there are many thousands of aborigines still, on and beyond the -borders of the Colony, and there is yet time for a more enlarged, -skilful, and persevering effort to raise their condition by Christian -missions; while, in reference to the past, the painful fact cannot be -forgotten that many of the white men who first came into contact with -the aborigines were far more willing to instruct them in evil than in -good—a fact which explains to some extent the indisposition so commonly -exhibited to learn anything good. In looking to the future relation of -Australian Christianity to the aboriginal race, it cannot be reasonably -doubted that if the religion of the colonists should become in them -a vital power, regulating and inspiring all their actions, it will -speedily overcome all the difficulties which have hitherto obstructed -the endeavours made to raise the physical and spiritual condition of -the Australian aborigines. - -It would occupy too much space to enter into a detailed history of all -these attempts to civilize and christianize these people. Both the -Rev. Mr. Johnson and the Rev. Mr. Marsden and others had attempted to -domesticate some of the children, but after a residence of some time, -they returned into the bush but little benefited. - -Governor Macquarie established a school in Parramatta, in which several -children—twenty-seven girls and thirty-seven boys—were partially -educated. This school was removed to Blacktown, where land was set -apart for the natives, and inducements held out to both blacks and -whites to mass them here. Several were educated so that they could -read, write, sing hymns, and do needlework; but the white population -pressed around, and after some years of labour it had to be abandoned, -the Rev. Mr. Walker removing to Bathurst to re-establish the school -there. The Rev. Mr. Cartwright mixed the boys with the white boys in -the school. They worked well together, but a foolish apprehension -that the black children communicated disease to the whites caused its -discontinuance. - -The Rev. Mr. Threlkeld laboured in Lake Macquarie, a beautiful sheet -of water and large grant of land having been set apart for them, but -its proximity to Newcastle, and gradual dying out of the blacks, -extinguished the mission. - -The Church Missionary Society, at the instigation of the Rev. Samuel -Marsden, established the Wellington mission. The situation was -especially suited, and the labourers diligent and efficient, but after -a few years the pressure of the white population put an end to the -mission there. - -The Rev. Mr. Watson gathered up the remnant, and recommenced the -mission on his own station down the Macquarie. Bishop Broughton visited -that establishment, and was highly gratified with the success and -management, but it also died out, I suspect, with the death of Mr. -Watson. - -The Moravian Mission in Queensland was established by the Rev. Dr. Lang -there, settled at Brisbane, but afterwards removed to the Bunya Bunya -country, where natives congregate for the fruit of the pine. The salary -promised by the Government was withdrawn, and that, with the influx of -the squatters and their threats to the natives, caused the breaking up -of the mission. - -The Roman Catholic Mission was commenced at Stradbroke Island by -Archbishop Polding, in 1842, who brought out two Italian priests to -establish it, but they soon became tired of the occupation, and retired -from the charge. - -The mission of Sir R. Bourke to Melbourne, after some trial, had to be -given up, owing to rapid pressure of the white population. - -The Wesleyan Mission there, after much labour, had likewise to be given -up, for a similar reason. - -The mission of the Rev. Mr. Ridley, who acquired the language, and -itinerated and preached to them, had likewise to be given up. Mr. -Ridley has left a valuable work on their language. - -Two or three missions were established—one in Western Australia, -another near Adelaide; and two others, under Mr. Matthews and the -Rev. Mr. Gribble, are now under the consideration of the Government, -which has appointed the Honorable G. Thornton, M.L.C., Commissioner, -and the Board of Missions, under the Church Synod, so that some hope -remains that many, especially children, may be rescued from gradual -destruction, hitherto the result of civilized Christianity with them. -It may naturally be asked what is the reason of these failures in -the attempts which have been made in various portions of New South -Wales, Victoria, &c. The answer is in the constant encroachment and -pressure of the whites and their rapid settlement in an open country, -coupled with the helplessness of the natives when brought within their -influences, dependent as they are on gratuitous support, and the vices -and diseases of the white population which are so fatal to them. - -The Government support of missions to 1838 appears to be— - - Wellington Valley £500 0 0 - Lake Macquarie 186 0 0 besides land - Moreton Bay {450 0 0 - {310 19 2 - Port Phillip 534 17 0 - Provisions and clothing 440 17 11 - Wesleyan—Port Phillip 600 0 0 - ———————————— - General support £2,691 16 11 - ———————————— - -In April, 1844, the Society for propagating the Gospel in Foreign -Parts proposed to Lord Stanley to combine with the Colonial Government -for supporting missions and schools for the European and aboriginal -population of New South Wales, the Society offering to defray a certain -portion of the expense. Four clergymen were to be maintained by the -Church Societies on a salary of £250 per annum, and £50 for horse -allowance, each; total, £1,200. Expenses to be borne by Government -of four additional clergymen as before, £1,200. Two missionaries—one -for the whites, and the other for the aboriginal population—were -to be placed at each station: at Western Port, two; at Goulburn, -two; at Mount Rouse, two; at River Lodden, two. At each station, -four schoolmasters. The missionaries at each station were to devote -themselves to the white and black population within a reasonable -distance. - -From the report of the Port Phillip District Committee of the Society -for promoting Christian Knowledge, the following tables represent the -numbers and localities of the white and aboriginal population in and -about the Port Phillip District in 1844:— - - WHITE POPULATION IN THE BUSH. - - Mount Rouse. The Lodden. The Goulburn. Dandenong. Total. - Within Circuits 1,046 1,102 750 290 3,188 - Beyond Circuits 270 270 250 167 957 - Moving population 250 250 250 250 1,000 - ————— ————— ————— ——— - Totals 1,566 1,622 1,250 707 - - Total British population entirely destitute of religious ordinances 5,145 - On purchased lands 1,000 - In villages and farms near town 2,000 - ————— 3,000 - ————— - Total British population 8,145 - - - ABORIGINAL OR BLACK POPULATION. - - Mount Rouse. The Lodden. The Goulburn. Dandenong. Total. - At stations 400 300 400 200 1,300 - Accessible beyond - the limits of - occupation 800 800 1,000 ... 2,600 - ————— ————— ————— ——— ————— - Totals 1,200 1,100 1,400 200 - - Total black population 3,900 - White population 8,145 - ————— - 12,045 - -These proposals were communicated to His Excellency Sir George Gipps, -together with a letter from the Immigration Office with the views of -the Land Commissioner on the project; but the result of this truly -liberal and Christian proposal seems to have met with no response. - -I may here venture to add my own testimony to that of the Rev. Mr. -Threlkeld and Mr. Robinson upon this subject, as given in evidence -before a Committee of the Legislative Council, in the year 1838; -also Captain Grey’s opinion. I fear Mr. Robinson’s evidence is not -obtainable; but the wonderful achievement of that gentleman in -accomplishing single-handed what the whole power of the Van Diemen’s -Land Government could not succeed in with a large military force, -backed by the settlers, and at a heavy cost, is one of the noblest -triumphs of moral over physical power probably ever accomplished. I -have described this in the “Reminiscences of Tasmania.” - - - _Examination before the Committee of the Legislative - Council, 1838.—Extracts from the Minutes of Evidence - on the Aborigines Question._ - - Lieutenant Richard Sadleir, R.N., Liverpool, examined:— - -When I first arrived here, in 1826, I was employed on a tour of inquiry -as to the state of the aborigines, by order of the Home Government, and -under the immediate direction of Mr. Archdeacon Scott. - -I proceeded first into Argyle, and examined into the numbers of the -tribes, and as to their intercourse with the whites, and the cause of -the disputes with them. - -From the Murrumbidgee, I struck off to Bathurst, pursuing the same -inquiries, and from thence, I went 80 miles below Wellington Valley, on -the Macquarie River; afterwards to the head of Hunter’s River, which I -traced down to Newcastle. - -I had with me only one man, two horses, and a cart. - -I sometimes ventured from 30 to 60 miles beyond the stations of the -whites, and on one occasion reached a tribe consisting of about 100 -persons, at the Cataract, on the Macquarie, who had never seen white -people. I made them presents, and was received in a friendly manner, -and remained with them for the night. - -I had intended to have proceeded further, but was apprehensive of -danger in doing so, and therefore returned, accompanied for some -distance by the tribe, who, however, would not go to the establishment -at Wellington Valley, but took alarm about 9 miles from thence, and -left me. - -I think it would be dangerous for a single individual to go amongst -the native tribes beyond the white settlements. It would be a perilous -undertaking, but one which I have already ventured upon myself, and -it is a well-known fact that whites have lived amongst them for years, -as in the case of Buckley, and some bushrangers. There would be a -difficulty in communicating with any but the tribe whose language -had been previously acquired, from the difference of dialect, nor -can I conceive that an individual could effect any extensive good -by so exposing himself. The only instance I have ever heard of was -that of Mr. Robinson, of Van Diemen’s Land. It is, however, certain -that a small body of Europeans may travel amongst them well armed and -maintaining a conciliatory spirit, as in the case of Mr. Eyre and -others, in their journeys to South Australia, and also Captain Sturt -and Mr. Cunningham. Indeed we see stock stations extended amongst them, -where there have been but a very few white persons, and those persons -having shown a spirit of conciliation, have not been molested; whereas -in other instances, where, in all probability a different spirit had -been exhibited, aggression has followed. Impressed, therefore, with -this opinion, I wrote to the Moravians to say that I thought their -system of missions would be well suited to this people, inviting them -to send out a missionary, conceiving that if small bodies of stockmen -(men of depraved habits) could venture to reside amongst them, a small -community of virtuous people, such as the Moravians, would not only be -secure, but likely to effect much good. - -Respecting the office of Protectors, if they are persons qualified to -fill the office, and Magistrates, I conceive that they may be of great -benefit both to the whites and the aborigines, as at present both -parties have much reason to complain of the impossibility of obtaining -justice; the natives have to endure a variety of wrongs, without any -means of redress but by retaliation; and the whites are placed in -much the same situation; the consequence is that there ever has been, -and must continue to be, a system of reprisal, often leading to the -most atrocious acts of violence on both sides; but more especially -inexcusable on the part of the whites, who have in several instances -practised barbarities on these people, revolting to human nature, which -have been overlooked, in consequence of there being no public officer -to apprehend and prosecute the parties. - -I have known cases of this kind, but not being in the Commission of -the Peace, I could not act, but could only content myself with making -them known to the Government, who could not adopt measures promptly -enough to bring the parties to justice. My opinion is that a Protector -(supposing him to be a man of influence and energy), residing on -the outskirts of the white population, would prevent a number of -the feuds and violences daily taking place between the white and -aboriginal population—would preserve order and law amongst the whites -themselves—would impress the aborigines with a proper opinion of our -character as a people (the very opposite of which is the case now, the -aborigines being brought first in contact with the most unprincipled of -our countrymen), and would, from their opportunities of observation, be -enabled to suggest to Government, from time to time, such measures as -would not only prevent that too general feeling of Lynch law, but serve -to ameliorate the condition of the aboriginal population, and afford -security to the whites themselves. - -My own experience convinces me that much of the evil which at present -exists may be prevented by the residence of officers on the frontiers, -whose peculiar province it would be to ascertain the sources of these -evils, and then suggest the means of preventing them. - -But I must further add, that I conceive the duties laid down in Lord -Glenelg’s despatch are in many instances unsuitable to the office of -Protectors, being of a missionary character, and that they are likewise -too onerous for any one individual to perform. I likewise think -the salary for Assistant Protectors too small to ensure men of the -proper qualifications, the office being one not only requiring moral -character, but likewise men of address and standing in society. - -Other expenses besides mere salary will be requisite for the -Protectors. They must have either an European or aboriginal police; -also, have funds for presents, &c., so that the expense cannot be -estimated at less than £500 per annum for each Protector. - -I further conceive that a summary of our laws should be translated into -the dialects of the aborigines and frequently promulgated amongst them; -for as they are subject to our laws, without any voice in framing them, -it is but justice that they should be made acquainted with them. - -Respecting the removal of the Flinders Island blacks, this appears to -be a matter of necessity, as they are dying away rapidly, and must -shortly become extinct; therefore justice and humanity require their -removal, if the cause or causes of the prevailing fatality cannot be -overruled. Wearing English clothing, want of their usual allowance of -animal food, situation, nostalgia, or _mal du pays_, may all contribute -to this end; some of these causes therefore can be removed, but others -are beyond the power of control. - -If the necessity for their removal be however admitted, the question -whether they ought to be located in Van Diemen’s Land or removed -here, becomes the next subject of consideration. It appears from -the inquiries I have been able to make, that locating them in Van -Diemen’s Land would revive the old feelings of hostility and awaken -recollections of past violences, and that therefore it would be an -impolitic act. The bringing them to this Colony consequently appears -to be the only resource left. What their influence would be upon the -uncivilized tribes appears to me to be very problematical; and how -far it would be possible to preserve them when introduced within the -pale of our white population, from the destroying influence of that -population, as well as with what feelings of jealousy a foreign tribe -may be viewed by the aboriginal natives here, are questions which our -present experience would lead us to hesitate coming to any conclusion -on. - -I conceive, in both these instances, we must depend upon the ability -and experience of Mr. Robinson, whose extraordinary success should -certainly establish confidence in his plans, and who appears to -consider the assistance of some of these natives essential to his -success in the wider field of action which this Colony throws open to -him. - -The expense of the maintenance of these natives should most certainly -be borne entirely by the Van Diemen’s Land Government, for the benefit -of their removal is theirs, and not ours. - -In viewing the question of the aborigines, I conceive that justice, -mercy, self-interest, and religion all demand of us that expense -and exertion should not be spared in attempting something for their -amelioration. - -In the first place we claim them as our subjects, and bring them under -the administration of our laws; therefore, as our subjects, they ought -to have protection. While, secondly, as we deprive them of their -lands and means of subsistence, in justice we ought to remunerate -them. While, thirdly, as a question of humanity, nothing can be more -dreadful to contemplate, or more disgraceful to a Christian and -civilized nation, than the wholesale destruction which has been going -on for the last fifty years, and must continue, unless some plan be -devised to prevent it, for the next hundred years. While, fourthly, as -a matter of self-interest, it is a strange contradiction of things to -be destroying, on the one hand, thousands of our fellow-creatures, who -may be made useful members of society; and, on the other hand, in such -great want of population as to be pressed to introduce, at considerable -expense, races of Pagans but little superior to them, in either their -moral or physical powers. Besides which, policy should lead us to -adopt measures calculated to encourage the peaceable extension of our -territory. - -On the score of religion it is not necessary to enlarge, for the -command is, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every -creature.” - -A knowledge of their language is essential to preaching the Gospel, -and we know that our Divine Master bestowed the gift of tongues on his -Apostles. This, therefore, is one of the first things which should -occupy the teacher’s attention. - -In following these views of the question, two things present themselves -to our notice:— - - 1. The measures to be pursued to those aborigines _within_ the pale - of white population. - - 2. The measures to be pursued to those _without_ the pale of white - population. - -Those within the pale of white population must, within a very few -years, be utterly destroyed, if the most prompt measures be not taken, -so much so that I conceive that there is scarce an alternative between -coercion and destruction. I would therefore beg to recommend a clause -to be introduced into the Vagrant Act, empowering their transportation, -under peculiar circumstances, to distant parts of the Colony—say -Moreton Bay, Port Phillip, &c.; it being a well-known fact that, when -sent to a distance, they can be made to work, and, from their great -apprehension of strange tribes, their erratic habits can be restrained. - -I have no hesitation in saying, that they would thus be made useful -servants; their children would be brought under the full and favourable -influence of education; that they may be taught trades, to tend cattle, -sheep, &c. The measure should be entered upon cautiously at first, -removing the tribes in the vicinity of towns, and then extending its -operation in a manner so as not to provoke open hostility on their -parts. The numbers of each tribe should be ascertained, and, if -possible, the whole tribe should be removed at once. - -The children unprovided for, may be placed in the orphan schools, where -there have been already several brought up, some of the boys having -made good sailors, and some bullock-drivers, &c. - -Much may likewise probably be done in removing them by conciliation, -insomuch that I am inclined to think the enforcement of the Vagrant -Act may be limited to the most vicious characters and those in the -neighbourhood of towns; but I look upon it that the removal of those -living within the precincts of white population can alone rescue them -from destruction, as vice, disease, and want of food are making fearful -inroads upon them. - -Of those without the pale of white population, measures should be taken -to prepare and preserve them from the encroachments of the whites, -and I know of none so well calculated to effect this as missionary -colonization, alluded to by Mr. Roberts. - -These missionary colonies should be placed at 100 miles in advance -of the white population, in suitable situations, and large blocks of -country should be reserved for the natives, forming territories of -refuge for them. The white population pressing upon them would help -to force the natives into these reserves; and those portions of land -would also prove places for those within the pale of civilization to be -either translated or transported to. - -These missionary establishments, like those of the Moravians, should -embrace within themselves all the means of protection, as well as the -means of colonization, and would no doubt be supported to a great -extent by the religious community at Home. They may have sheep, cattle, -husbandry, trades, &c. - -In America and Canada such a principle has been acknowledged as that -of reserving portions of land. The Indians have their own places of -worship, schools, saw-mills, farms, &c.; also in Upper Canada the -Indians on the Grand River are settled on a block of land, and in a -state of civilization; and in South America, we are aware that the -Jesuits pursued a somewhat similar system of colonization; with marked -success. - -That much can be done by moral and religious influence alone on -savages, we have the evidence of William Penn, of the Missionary -Societies, amongst the Esquimaux, Hottentots, &c.; and though hitherto, -the progress of civilization has proved the destruction of savage -nations, yet this is no proof that such is the decree of Providence, -but rather, that the system of colonization has hitherto been unjust, -selfish, and unchristian. - -The expense of all this machinery is a matter of importance, though in -comparison with the destruction of life, the demoralizing influence of -the present state of things, it scarcely deserves attention; yet, to -provide for this, I would venture to propose what I conceive would not -be felt as a very heavy tax: that the rent of lands be doubled, from -£1 per section to £2; that the minimum price of land sold be advanced -6d. or 1s. per acre; that town allotments in the interior be raised £1 -each; that the penalty on drunkards be increased from 5s. to 10s. or -£1, according to the circumstances of the individuals. - -The natives ought to be compensated out of the land fund, the land -being their property until usurped by us; likewise, those crimes most -destructive to them, such as drunkenness, &c., should be heavily taxed, -with the hope to check them. Persons selling them spirits may be -likewise fined. - -The whole amount required would not in all probability exceed £10,000, -with aid from Home, and if we deduct from thence, the destruction and -insecurity of life and property, the expense which from time to time -has been incurred by the hostility of the natives, the necessity of a -police force on the outskirts, which has been computed at the increased -expense of £15,000 this year, the actual increase of expense would be -but very small. - -As many prejudices prevail to the injury of this people, and many -arguments have been advanced against their moral and intellectual -qualifications, it may be well briefly to remark, that the trials -to civilize and christianize them have hitherto been made, without -exception, under either mistaken principles or great disadvantages. -The idea entertained in establishing the Blacktown School, that the -females, being civilized, would be the means of civilizing the male -population, still savage, went upon a principle directly opposed to -what our knowledge of the savage character teaches, namely, that the -female has scarcely any influence over man in his uncivilized state, -and the result proved the absurdity of the theory; for after all the -pains, and the proof that the natives are susceptible of at least -intellectual if not moral improvement (many having been taught to read, -work, draw, and sing, &c.), the act of uniting or marrying them to the -unreclaimed natives defeated the objects of the institution, for they -were carried into the bush, and there speedily relapsed back again into -their savage habits; while, on the other hand, all the establishments -(even that recently formed at Port Phillip) have been, by some strange -fatality, placed either close to towns or in the very heart of a dense -white population,—an oversight most fatal to their success. - -That little good has resulted from such attempts, is therefore not to -be wondered at, but that these several attempts have not been without -their benefit, is a fact too often overlooked; they have proved -beyond the possibility of contradiction, that the natives, however -despicable they may be in the estimation of phrenologists and others, -are capable of intellectual improvement. Sir G. McKenzie, a celebrated -phrenologist, having received a skull from Patrick Hill, Esq., speaks -of their intellectual abilities as by no means despicable. The -insurmountable difficulty hitherto has been, not that of teaching them, -but that of locating them—their propensity to wander breaking through -all restraint; wherefore the necessity of removing them to a distance -from their native place. - -The charge of laziness, likewise so often preferred, is no more -peculiarly applicable to them than to other savages, all of whom -are given to extreme indolence, but whose energies are more or less -drawn out by climate, physical peculiarity of country, and other -circumstances calculated to develop character, which do not exist -in this Colony; while the opinion too generally received, that -they possess no religious notions or belief, and therefore are not -susceptible of moral impressions, is also, I conceive, most unfounded. -Their ceremonies, superstitions, and belief of a future state, -exclusion of women from many of their rites, and their belief in evil -spirits, all tend to show the unreasonableness of such a conclusion. - -That the question under consideration involves the destiny of perhaps -100,000 or 200,000 of our fellow-beings, is a serious consideration, -and one which should cause us to pause before we venture to abandon -them to what must inevitably take place—destruction. - -The numbers now within the influence of the white population, embracing -Port Phillip and Moreton Bay, cannot be less, I conceive, than from -eight to ten thousand souls, for I found within a given space near -Wellington Valley, in 1826, nine tribes, consisting of 1,658 souls. - -That a dreadful destruction of life has taken place since, there is no -doubt; but that still in the interior, within the reach of the white -population, a considerable body of natives is to be found, I feel -myself borne out by the various inquiries I have made. - - The Reverend Lancelot Edward Threlkeld examined:— - -I reside at Lake Macquarie, and have done so nearly fourteen years, -during which I have been engaged in acquiring a knowledge of the -language of the aboriginal natives, and instructing them; for six years -of that period, my undertaking was carried on under the auspices of -the London Missionary Society; but owing to the heavy expense of the -mission, amounting to about £500 per annum for my own support, and that -of such natives as I could persuade to remain with me, for the double -purpose of obtaining from them a knowledge of their language, and to -give me an opportunity of endeavouring to civilize and instruct them, -the Society being disappointed in the amount of aid expected from other -quarters, and regarding the expense as encroaching too much upon their -funds, relinquished the mission; and for nearly two years I was left to -my own resources and the assistance of some friends, without other aid, -when General Darling obtained the authority of the Secretary of State -for an allowance of £150 a year, and £36 in lieu of rations for four -convict servants, which has been granted to me during the last eight -years. - -The mission has thus occasioned an expense to the London Society, for -the first six years, of about £3,000; and for the eight following -years, to the Colonial Government (at the rate of £186 per annum), of -about £1,488, or about £4,488 for the fourteen years, exclusive of my -own outlay. - -For the probable result of the mission, if pecuniary aid sufficient -to carry out my plans had been continued, I beg leave to refer to the -opinion of Messrs. Backhouse and Walker, who visited my station, as -given in their letter to the Society, dated 21 May, 1836. - -The native languages throughout New South Wales are, I feel persuaded, -based upon the same origin; but I have found the dialects of various -tribes differ from that of those which occupy the country around Lake -Macquarie, that is to say, of those tribes occupying the limits bounded -by the North Head of Port Jackson, on the south, and Hunter’s River on -the north, and extending inland about 60 miles, all of which speak the -same dialect. - -The natives of Port Stephens use a dialect a little different, but not -so much as to prevent our understanding each other; but at Patrick’s -Plains the difference is so great, that we cannot communicate with each -other; there are blacks who speak both dialects. - -The dialect of the Sydney and Botany Bay natives varies in a slight -degree, and in that of those further distant, the difference is -such that no communication can be held between them and the blacks -inhabiting the district in which I reside. - -From information obtained from Mr. Watson, of Wellington Valley, I -learn that the language of the tribes of that district is also derived -from the same general origin, but their various dialects also differ -very much, and the use of any one dialect is very limited. - -During the period of my connection with the London Missionary Society, -I generally had about three or four tribes resident around me upon -10,000 acres of land, granted in trust for the use of the aborigines; -and I have occasionally employed from ten to sixty blacks in burning -off timber and clearing the land, at which work they would continue -for a fortnight together, being the employment they appeared to like -best. Since that period, I have not been able to employ more than half -a dozen at a time, having no funds at my disposal for their support. - -I have generally found that they would continue at their work for eight -or ten days at a time, when some other object called them away, and -they remained absent for as many weeks. Two lads whom I was teaching -to read and write, in which they had made some progress, remained -with me for six months, when they went away, and after an absence of -nearly a year returned, and they are now at work at my residence, where -they will probably stay until some native custom or report of hostile -intention from a neighbouring tribe or tribes will again call them away. - -In respect to the office of Protectors, I think too much is expected in -the duties which are to devolve on them. I consider a Protector as a -legal advocate, to watch over the rights and interests of the natives, -and to protect them from aggression, which I think would be sufficient -occupation for any individual. - -The object contemplated respecting the moral and religious improvement -of the natives by instruction, would be more properly the duty of -persons appointed specially for that purpose, and would fully occupy -their time. - -To illustrate the subject, and show the necessity of legal protectors, -I state the following circumstance:—I was directed by the Government -to send a man of mine to Patrick’s Plains, to give evidence respecting -the alleged murder of three black women by their own countrymen. I had -to attend myself, and the distance I had to travel was 200 miles, which -detained me a week. I was informed on the road of a murder at Liverpool -Plains, which took place a year before, when, after some depredations -committed by the blacks in spearing cattle, a party of stockmen went -out, took a black prisoner, tied his arms behind him, and then fastened -him to the stirrup of a stockman on horseback; when the party arrived -near their respective stations, they separated, leaving the stockman -to conduct his prisoner to his hut. The black, when he found they were -alone, was reluctant to proceed, and the stockman took his knife from -his pocket, stuck the black through the throat, and left him for dead. -The black crawled to the station of a gentleman at the Plains, told his -tale, and expired. Another instance was mentioned to me, of a stockman -who boasted to his master of having killed six or eight blacks with his -own hands, when in pursuit of them with his companions; for which his -master discharged him. These cases alone, if I had authority to act, -would have taken me some months from home, merely to investigate the -matter at that distant place. - -Thus I am firmly of opinion that a Protector of Aborigines will be -fully employed in investigating cases, which are so numerous and -shocking to humanity, and in maintaining their civil rights. I am -certain that the duties attached to the office of Protector of the -Aborigines are more than any single individual can perform. - -Mr. Threlkeld advocated the removal of the natives from Flinders -Island, and says “I have no hesitation in saying that I think the -establishment itself may be beneficial, as an example to the other -blacks, who will in all probability visit it.” - - - _Captain Grey’s opinion._ - -He states, in his recommendations to Lord John Russell for the -treatment of the aboriginal population, that the people are capable -of being civilized, but that all the systems hitherto pursued have -been erroneous, and that the error lay in treating them as British -subjects, in as far as British property was concerned, but in all that -related to themselves they have been left to the exercise of their own -customs and laws; but as their traditions and laws are peculiar, and -such as cannot raise them from a state of barbarity, however it may be -intended, and the plea of their being a conquered people may appear -plausible, this state of things is inadmissible, and the natives from -the moment they become British subjects should be taught, as far as -possible, that British law is to supersede their own, for he says, -until this is enforced, the natives will ever have at disposal the -means within themselves of effectually preventing the civilization of -any individual of their tribes, even those who may be disposed to adopt -European habits, &c. Capt. Grey then refers, in support of this view, -to instances of persons, especially girls betrothed in their infancy, -who after adopting European customs have been compelled to relinquish -them and to return to a state of barbarism. He likewise shows the -effect on the mind of these people when they are punished for offences -such as theft, murder, &c., committed upon Europeans, while they are -freely permitted to be guilty of those very acts upon themselves. - -For the enforcement of law and protection of both races, Capt. Grey -recommends the establishment of a mounted police; also, that native -evidence, under peculiar restrictions, should be admissible in our -Courts of justice. Capt. Grey states some instances of injustice under -which natives have laboured in consequence of their evidence not being -admissible; also, of their being puzzled as to our forms of law—that -when they pleaded guilty they were punished, and when some were induced -from the consequences they saw resulting from this line of conduct -to plead not guilty were punished likewise, they became perfectly -confounded; further, the natives not being tried by their own people, -but by those likely to be prejudiced against them, and relying chiefly -upon an ignorant interpreter, he recommends counsel to be provided for -them. - -The preventives to their civilization Captain Grey sums up as -follows:—The irregular demand for their labour, the inadequate payment -they often receive for it, not being able to comprehend the variable -value of labour regulated by the skill required. - -He then proceeds to point out the difficulty of instructing the -aboriginal population, showing that it can scarce be expected that -individuals would undertake the task; and even if they did, the natives -would only be employed in the most menial offices, and that in forming -native institutions, and these could be only local and partial; he -therefore proposes a scale of remuneration to all who may undertake -to instruct these people, arguing that as the expense of introducing -labour is already provided for, this plan would occasion but little -additional expense in obtaining labour, while a fresh good would arise -out of it in converting those who would be otherwise hostile and -useless into good subjects. - -The disposal of these remunerations to be subject to the following -restrictions:— - -A deposition before a Magistrate, a certificate from the Government -of the District, and a further certificate from the Protector of -the Aborigines, as to the residence and attainments of the natives -employed, and on whose behalf remuneration has been applied for; thus -civilization would proceed (Capt. Grey observes) upon an extensive -scale, not being confined to mere institutions or isolated attempts. In -densely peopled districts the natives may be collected together, but -in the more thinly inhabited districts, as this may be attended with -danger, the employment should be of a description not to congregate. -Capt. Grey concludes by observing that some of these plans have been -already brought into operation in Western Australia; and further, that -in the selection of work for these people it must be of a description -suitable to their unsettled habits, possessing variety, such as opening -out new roads and clearing old ones, some of the party being engaged -hunting and fishing so as to provide food for the others; and as -remuneration to the natives for these labours, &c., he proposes that -any native being constantly employed for three years at the house of -a settler should receive a grant of land in the district of which he -may be a resident, also a sum of money to be laid out in the stocking -of the same; that rewards should be given to those natives who may be -content to live with one wife, and who would register the birth of -their children; and that some competent person should be employed to -instruct some of the native youths so as to fit them for interpreters -in Courts of law. - -Many of these observations of Capt. Grey are deserving of attention, -and, as Lord John Russell in a despatch to Sir George Gipps suggests, -appear fit for adoption, subject to such modifications as the varying -circumstances of the Colony may suggest; but they have never been acted -upon: expense overrules every other consideration. - - - - - CHAPTER V. - -Aborigines of Victoria—Mr. Westgarth’s remarks—Mr. Lloyd’s remarks - —Buckley’s residence among the Aboriginals. - - -Dr. Leichhardt visited the Moravian Mission in 1843, and said no -better persons could be found than the seven families and twenty-one -children to establish a colony; a little land surely might be granted -them. The Rev. Dr. Lang describes these missionaries as travelling -about, and preaching to the settlers; but this mission broke up also. -Dr. Leichhardt describes the northern natives as a fine race of men, -and the mode of preparing their food as remarkable, especially one -poisonous plant. - -Sir Richard Bourke had established in Melbourne an Aboriginal -Institution, of which the Bishop says, “Some of the boys appear to -be acquiring some knowledge already, and of the most elementary -truths of religion, which it may be hoped will lead to their future -improvement; but there are no apparent signs as yet of any impression -having been made upon the adult natives, many of whom are attached to -the place, and derive advantage from the stores of provisions which -are distributed amongst them; but they have in no respect broken off -their savage usages.” The time was too short to have expected any -such changes. Missions amongst barbarians have generally been slow -in effecting results, but this institution, as I told Sir Richard -Bourke, in an interview with him, was placed under most disadvantageous -circumstances, being too near the white population, who would -counteract all religious instruction and vitiate all these unhappy -people. - -That Sir Richard Bourke felt a great interest in these people is -certain. He made a trial of what may be hoped on their behalf, by -confining some adult aborigines, who had committed some serious -offences, on an island in the Sydney Harbour, placing them under the -care of Mr. Langhan, who by this means acquired their language and -became acquainted with their habits, and was thus trained to the office -of Superintendent of the Port Phillip Institution. But my prognostic -became, unfortunately, too true. Had the Institution been more -judiciously placed it might have had better results, but it had to be -abandoned—the fate of almost all attempts hitherto made on behalf of -this unfortunate race. - -The rapid increase of white population alone must in a very few years -have crushed such an infant Institution, when it increased in 1836 from -Batman with a following of 244 persons to, in 1873, 700,472 persons. A -Board for the Protection of the Aborigines having been appointed, the -following is the report to Parliament:—“The Aborigines of Victoria.—The -Board for the Protection of Aborigines in Victoria has submitted a -report to Parliament, of which the following are extracts:—‘It is a -matter for congratulation that the condition of the aborigines in -all parts of the Colony is as satisfactory as could be expected, -having regard to the habits of this people, and the great difficulty -experienced by the local guardians and superintendents of stations in -keeping them under control when they are induced by old associations or -superstitions, or tempted by the lower class of whites, to wander from -the spots where in health they are supplied with good food and suitable -clothing, and in sickness tended with the same care as is bestowed -on Europeans. For many years the Board has conducted experiments at -the several stations, with the object of producing crops that would -necessitate neither heavy nor sustained labours—labours that the -aborigines as a rule are not fitted to undertake—and which would yield -a return sufficient at least to pay for the support of the natives. At -Coranderrk a great many different crops have been grown. At one time it -was expected that tobacco would yield largely; grain has been grown, -fruits of various sorts have been cultivated, and at some expense an -attempt was made to establish a dairy. All these, however, failed to -give such results as were satisfactory to the Board. It was not until -the assistance of Mr. Frederick Search was obtained that any fair -prospects presented themselves. He examined the lands at Coranderrk, -and recommended that a hop plantation should be established under the -care of a competent hop-grower. Owing to his skill and knowledge, -and with the assistance of Mr. Burgess—who has proved himself -thoroughly competent to manage hop grounds and prepare the produce for -market—success has at last been achieved. The crop sent to market -during the season just passed, 15,244 lbs. in weight, has realized -good prices. The first lot was sold at auction for 1s. 10½d. per lb., -and the condition in which it was presented to buyers elicited the -highest praise from experts. The gross sum derived from the season’s -crop was £1,140 6s. 3d. From this has to be deducted commission, -discount, &c., and the wages of the hop-pickers, leaving a net sum of -£983 5s. 10d. The cost of the experiment has been small. Next year -the results will, it is anticipated, be far more satisfactory. The -plantation has been extended, and arrangements will be made for drying -the hops rapidly, and for sending them earlier to market. The condition -of the aborigines, from the foundation of the Colony, was never as -prosperous as at the present time. Useful employments have been found -for the adults of both sexes; the children are educated and trained by -competent teachers; and the material interests of both the aged and -the young are carefully guarded. The wise liberality of the Parliament -of Victoria may perhaps induce the Governments of the neighbouring -Colonies to enact laws similar to those under which the natives of -Victoria are now prosperous, and to provide means for the support of -the aboriginal population and for the education of the children.’” I -have not been able to learn the result of this experiment so full of -promise, but the project was discontinued. - -Mr. Westgarth does not appear to be over-attached to these unfortunate -people, and considers, with many others, it is the decree of Heaven -that they should perish before the civilized population. But this is -merely an excuse for the demoralizing influence of civilization, with -its multiplied evils, for we have the fact before us in the Sandwich -Islands, Tahiti, and where there has been a native society under -missionary enterprise, that this was not the case, but that life and -morality would be fostered with the advance of civilization under the -power of Christianity. - -Let us not cast upon Heaven a destruction which is our own, and say -they are doomed by Divine decree, where the guilt lies with ourselves. - -The native population in 1860 was about 2,000, but in 1859 was computed -at from 6,000 to 7,000. The Select Committee assigns the cause of -diminution to be drunkenness, and the exposure and consequent disease -too often resulting from this vice. - -Mr. Westgarth says that in 1861 only thirteen natives were residents -within municipal towns; and in the gold districts, in the same year, -there were but 147. We may ask who slew the others?—the pestilential -vices of the European Christians. - -Several efforts have been put forward on behalf of these people, but -with little success. The Government in 1838 instituted a protectorate; -three years afterwards, they formed a native police force, and in 1846, -a native school. During thirteen years, £60,000 was expended without -any important results. - -The Wesleyans formed a mission at Buntingdale in 1838, where they were -partially successful; but, in spite of cottages and gardens, daily -employment, and daily food, the blacks returned with renewed relish to -their native wilds. - -There was also an Anglical Episcopal Mission in 1853, but all alike -unsuccessful, with the exception of the Moravians, commenced in 1851, -at Lake Boga, near the Murray, removed since to the Wimmera. This -district contains about one-third of the population of the Colony. At -Cooper’s Creek there were about 300, and about 120 more within the -neighbourhood, all speaking the same language. Mr. Westgarth winds up -his summary by asking what is the destiny of these unfortunate savages, -and there can be but little doubt but that the aboriginal race will -entirely disappear before civilization at a gallop. - -Mr. Lloyd describes the rapid destruction of these people. In 1837, the -Barrabool Hill tribe mustered upwards of 300 sleek healthy blacks. In -1853, his second visit, he met only nine gins and one sickly infant. -On inquiring what had become of them, the answer was, “All dead, all -dead,” and they chanted the following sorrowful dirge: “The stranger -white man come in his great swimming corong and landed with his -dedabul-boulganas (large animals), and his anaki boulganas (little -animals). He came with his boom-booms (double guns), his miam-miams -(tents), blankets, and tomahawks; and the dedabul ummageet (great white -stranger) took away the long-inherited hunting-grounds of the poor -Barrabool coolies and their children, &c., &c.” Then having worked -themselves into a frenzy, they, in wild tones, shaking their heads and -holding up their hands in bitter sorrow, exclaimed, “Coolie! coolie! -coolie! Now where are your fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters? Dead, -all gone! dead!” In broken English they then said, “Never mind Mitter -Looyed, tir, by-’n-by all dem blackfella come back whitefella like it -you.” They seemed to think that they had discovered the reality of -their belief in a resurrection or transmigration. Only nine women, -seven men, and one child out of 300 remained. How fearful the account! -The sheep-farmers destroyed their game and their support. The law of -the man-slayer prevailed here. Mr. Lloyd gives a painful history of one -black who had been speared. One dark night, the dog barked the alarm, -the avenger had traced out his victim and drove a spear through him and -killed him. Mr. Lloyd gives another of the poetic laments:— - - The land’s rightful owners, now wretched and poor, - Beg their morsels of food at their white brother’s door; - Those hunters who carolled so blythely at morn, - Now wander dejected, rejected, forlorn. - To their fathers the best and the bravest have gone, - And dark-eyed Zitella sits weeping alone— - And dark-eyed Zitella sits weeping alone! - -Thus the aboriginal natives melted away like snow before the sun; from -no congenial heat, but from the practices of inhuman selfishness. - -What a contrast the European settlement in 1858! Scarce a black in -existence for 3 miles, while the white population numbered 488,769 -souls, with 4,000,000 sheep, 400,000 head of cattle, 184,000 horses, -with imports and exports of £14,000,000 and £13,000,000 respectively, -on the graveyard of the aborigines. - -The earth was never intended to be kept waste, but the evil is as to -the way of settling it—this is the perplexing question. - -One of the singular circumstances of a European of the name of Buckley -living with these aboriginals for a long period is worthy of mention -here. Buckley enlisted as a soldier, but was transported for having in -his possession a parcel of stolen clothes, which a female had asked -him to take charge of. He was sent to Westport, and with two others -effected his escape from the ship, and after wandering about the bush -nearly starved, he fell in with a family of the aborigines, with whom -he lived a month or two, but being desirous of reaching Sydney, he left -them and wandered to the Yan Yean, where Melbourne now stands; from -thence he wandered to Geelong, where he met a tribe of blacks, who were -much astonished to see him, but treated him with kindness, and took him -with them to the Barwon River, where they, 200 blacks, viewed him with -much astonishment. The blacks supposed he had been a black, changed -to white—a supposition very general. They treated him kindly and gave -him a wife, but fearing jealousy, he transferred her to another man. -Shortly afterwards, he and one of his companions, long separated, met, -but this man behaved so badly towards the women, that Buckley insisted -on his leaving the tribe, which he did, and he heard afterwards that -he was dead. Buckley lived some years with the Geelong tribe, and -acquired their language, always impressing on them that he had been a -blackfellow, so as to secure his safety. He says, “Having the best hut, -and a good fire, the children congregated about me, and I told them of -English ships, tools, and wars, &c., to which both adults and children -listened with wonder, but they did not like the idea that I should -leave them. On their missing me once, when I went to wash, they made -great search, and when they found me, an old man burst into tears, and -rejoiced at the discovery. Their numbers had greatly decreased, owing -to their wars and cruelties. Their expeditions are generally in the -night; men, women, and children are then murdered wholesale. I often -reflected on the goodness of Providence in preserving me, but I did not -venture to instruct them, fearing that they would injure me; they do -not think of a superintending Providence.” - -They believe, he says, in two spirits, whom they treat with great -respect. One of these they believe resides in a certain marsh, and is -the author of all their songs; he communicates by his songs, and these -songs are circulated through the tribes, and they have them new every -year. The other spirit they believe has charge of the pole that props -up the sky, and they stand in dread lest the sky should fall down -and destroy them. Just before the Europeans came to Port Phillip, in -1836, there was much conversation about this spirit—that he had sent a -message to the effect that in order to repair the sky-props, he needed -immediately some tomahawks, which were to be made out of the carts used -by the sealers at Western Port. On this report, the natives went down -to Western Port and stole a cart, such as the sealers used, and made -tomahawk handles out of the spokes of the wheels. - -Although Buckley had heard that the whalers now visited Western Port, -he had become so reconciled to his way of living, that he lost all -desire to return to civilization, and feared meeting with any of the -white people. - -He became such an adept at fishing, that he supplied not only his own -tribe but others with food. The tribe he lived with were cannibals. -They ate the flesh of enemies they had slain, not to satisfy hunger, -but from a belief that they obtained some particular virtue thereby; -but some were content with rubbing the fat into their bodies. - -Promiscuous intercourse was common, and the husband often consented to -it, and then beat his wife for submitting to it. - -They warned their children from going where the dead were buried; and -when an infant they loved died, they placed the body in a hollow tree -until it had shrunk up so that they could carry it about. The same -practice exists in the north. - -Their principal food is the wombat, an animal that burrows, which they -kill by thrusting a boy feet foremost into the hole, who, when reaching -the animal, pushes it to the end of the hole, and then makes a noise -so that the men above may mark the spot, and make an entrance for the -purpose of seizing the animal. The porcupine is another dainty, roasted -on the fire; the flesh is excellent. - -About eight years before the settlement at Port Phillip, some Europeans -had gone up the river in a boat, landed, and left a tomahawk behind -them. Buckley was much agitated at the news. - -When the European settlers with Mr. Batman arrived, Buckley did not -discover himself for some time, as he had no desire to leave the -blacks. He, however, suddenly appearing to some horsemen with his -spears and opossum cloak, and being a very large man, astonished -the whites by his visit. For some time he could not endure European -clothing. He was appointed by the Governor as overseer of the blacks at -the mission institution, at a salary of £60 per annum, having received -his freedom, but never appeared happy. He afterwards was appointed as -constable at Hobart Town, where he died. It appears he had lived nearly -thirty years in that savage condition. - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - -Aboriginal Friends’ Association—Mission to Lake Alexandrina - —Rev. Mr. Binney’s remarks—Extract from Mr. Foster—The Bishop - of Adelaide’s visit to the Native Institution—Report of the - Committee of the Legislature—Evidence of the Bishop—The Chief - Protector—The Right Rev. Dr. Hale’s Mission—The Poonindie - Mission—The Queensland Mission—The Maloga and Warangesda - Missions—The Government appointments—The Church of England - Board of Missions—The Queen’s Instructions—The assistance - rendered to the Aborigines by the Government. - - -In 1859, the Aboriginal Friends’ Association of Adelaide determined to -establish an institution for the instruction and evangelization of the -lake tribes, and having engaged the Rev. G. Taplin as their missionary, -he selected a peninsula formed by Lake Alexandrina, Lake Albert, and -the Coorong, a spot isolated and separated from European settlements by -15 miles of water. This was a favourite resort of the natives. - -Mr. Taplin encamped amongst the natives for some time while his house -was building, and observed there was a mixture of two tribes. The one -tribe was tall, with small features and straight hair; while the other -had coarse features, clumsy limbs, and curly hair. The former proved -more intelligent than the other. One of the natives having killed -another in a fray, a shepherd’s opinion was that he ought to be hanged, -although the death was occasioned by the law of revenge, and the man -considered that the heathenish practice should be put down, and they be -made Christians. “Surely,” said he, “it is our duty to make Christians -of them. I say hang them.” - -Mr. Taplin commenced divine worship amongst them. They believed in a -God called Nurundere, who was a deified blackfellow of gigantic vices. -The natives however attended while the missionary went through the -“Peep o’ Day,” and “Line upon Line,” and such productions as met their -capacity. - -They had not mixed with Europeans, and when the clock struck, they were -alarmed and ran away. - -At first Mr. Taplin visited their camp and talked to them, and then -provided employment for them at fencing, and found a market for their -fish, but the old men at first opposed these measures, jealous lest -they should lose their influence. The Government granted supplies of -flour and stores, while, to check infanticide, tea and sugar were given -to the mother, until the infant was twelve months old. - -The first death that occurred, the corpse was placed upright in the -hut, filling the air with pestilence, while the women were smeared -with filth and ashes, and set up a wailing, and the old men basted the -corpse with bunches of feathers, dipped in grease. - -On parties from a distance visiting the place, loud wailing took place, -the women throwing themselves on the ground, crying out, “Your friend -is gone; he will speak to you no more.” - -They were told the dead would rise again. They started, were troubled, -and cried “No.” - -On the Sabbath, they crowded to attend worship, and paid much -attention. One of them asked, “How do we know that the Bible is God’s -book? Whitefellow tell us plenty of lies.” - -The first indication of any religious impression was, a woman dying -sent for the missionary to read to her “out of the very good book.” -This was the first glimmering of light. - -The missionary, in his attendance on the sick and dying, saw all stages -of darkness of mind, from horror to some cases of calm Christian -composure, while the prayers were listened to with solemnity and -thanks. On his telling one that she must die, the response of another -old woman was, “Well, let us eat plenty of flour; let us eat, drink, -for to-morrow we may die.” Quite an epicurean trait of reasoning. - -One young man, who first embraced the Gospel, declared he would not -grease himself or paint himself with red ochre, and that he would eat -with the women. This gave great offence, and they threatened to kill -him, but he remained firm, and became a useful man, but early died of -consumption. The congregations were at first strangely dressed—some -with blankets, others with skins, some again with vests, and sometimes -they wore long coats. - -In 1860 the school-house was built and teaching commenced. The children -were naked, and wild like monkeys, climbing the rafters and over the -walls, but good-tempered. They, however, were washed and had their hair -cut, which met with much opposition. - -After a time the children listened to the Scriptures, and much -impression was made upon their mind. Order was now secured as to school -hours and working hours. On Sunday there was service twice a day and -Sabbath school, which consisted of 63 boys and 65 girls. There were 23 -boys and 20 girls boarders. - -As the young men embraced religion and cast off heathenism, the old -men became incensed, and resorted to assassination to uphold their -power. Captain Jack is described as a prominent character—courageous -and fearless, but rapacious. He, however, attached himself to the -mission, and was very useful in subduing conflicts. His objection to -Christianity was, that he had two wives—one lame and helpless, the -other the mother of two children—and did not know which to divorce. -“Which of them must I give up?” No doubt this was a great difficulty. - -Several instances of Christians’ deaths are mentioned; in fact, these -people felt the rescue Christianity afforded from the misery of the -life they led, and thus were convinced of its value. - -One of the great difficulties was the fights. There were ceremonial -and funeral fights, and casual fights. The routine of the school would -be going on as usual when the news of a fight would be brought. Off -would go all the children, servants, and labourers to the battle-field. -Perhaps they would be going to bed, when there was a shout and yell and -a blaze, and then a general scrimmage would commence. One battle lasted -for six days. - -Very few were killed in these fights, but many were badly wounded. -Fighting, however, gradually passed away, and religion took its place. -A Bible class was formed. Some adults were baptised—forty-one natives; -of these, three relapsed into heathenism. - -2nd January, 1866.—The Lord’s Supper was administered. Seven formed the -first communion, but the Church had increased to fifty-three members; -there were thirty-three natives and twenty whites. - -The next advance was that of marriage solemnized with Christian rites. -The missionary not being legally empowered to marry, and his church and -congregation being of a mixed character, the native marriages were not -recognized by law, so that when a Christian native had his wife forced -away from him by the heathen blacks, he had no redress; but this was -afterwards arranged by the missionaries being appointed registrars. -The heathen blacks tried to counteract this. An instance of this kind -soon arose: Laelinyeri had been legally married to Charlotte. On this, -a party of blacks came down the Murray River to the station, and -encamped, pretending a friendly visit, especially to the newly-married -couple. Suddenly they seized Charlotte by force in the absence of her -husband, and carried her off rapidly to an island on the lower lake, -about 10 miles from the station. There they defied the husband, and -declared they would give her away to another man. The missionary, with -the husband and others, crossed in a boat, and found Charlotte sitting -under a bush, having escaped. On landing, the missionary was confronted -by some sixty blacks drawn up, armed with spears, and looking fierce. -He sent for his gun, and the other two men. He told Charlotte to -follow him, which she did; and just as they were embarking, Jack the -Fisherman jumped out of the ranks, swearing and jumping, and calling -on the other blacks to come to the rescue, but not a man moved. Having -sent Charlotte on board the cutter, the missionary walked up to the -blacks and had a friendly chat with them, and, after staying half an -hour, they sailed for home. This bold attempt put an end to any further -interference, except in another case, when a young man married a young -woman in defiance of the native custom. His father and mother declared -they would murder them both, but all ended in threats, and they -ultimately became reconciled to the young couple. - -The missionaries now entered upon cultivation and sheep-farming, -civilization going hand-in-hand with the Gospel. The sales of produce -were soon increased. In 1866, £198 17s. 4d.; 1867, £73 10s. 4d.; 1868, -£98 12s. 9d.; 1869, £314 17s. 6d.; 1870, £501 9s. 8d.; 1871, £332 17s. -1d.; 1872, £276 13s. 10d.; 1873, £841 3s. 1d. The produce account was -very fluctuating, owing to the seasons. - -In 1865, the South Australian Government gave a lease of 730 acres to -the Institution. The Christian natives now began to build cottages for -themselves. Two stone cottages were first built and thatched, out of -their savings. Mrs. Smith, of Dunesk, a friend of the late missionary, -Mr. Reid, who was drowned, sent out £40, to be divided between the two -converts, the first of Mr. Reid’s labours. - -The project of building a place of worship was now set on foot by the -natives. £30 was raised, while Mrs. Smith sent out £50, and £100 for -cottages; and, with the help of friends from Adelaide, the chapel -was built, at a cost of £148. More cottages were built. The town was -called Reid Town, in commemoration of the missionary. They had a -native stonemason, but the demand for houses exceeded the means of -construction. - -Their Christianity led to Christian marriages, Christian worship, -Christian homes, and Christian burial. Those who commenced as children, -grew up to men and women, and became heads of families. “Some,” says -the missionary, “passed away to rest, who came to them painted savages. -Many death-beds could be described, where natives died in a sure and -certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life, through Jesus Christ -our Lord.” - -The contrast between savage life and a Christian life was here -exhibited in the strongest light. The night corroboree, with the songs -and chants and beating time, with rolling eyes and gleaming teeth, -the stamping, beating, brandishing of weapons, and wild excitement, -like demons, compared with the sound of the hymn and song in the -native deacon’s cottage. The parties gathered for Saturday evening -prayer-meeting; even the school children in their sleeping-room singing -Lyte’s beautiful hymn— - - “Abide with me; fast falls the even-tide”— - -surely displays most fully the power of the Gospel over the minds of -the hitherto hopeless beings; that they are redeemable from savage -life; that those who labour for them, labour not in vain in the Lord. A -few extracts here, from visitors, are confirmatory of these statements, -preceded by the observations of the Rev. Mr. Binney, a visitor to the -colonies. - -It is satisfactory to record any sympathy for this ill-used race, -and to find, however only partial have been the efforts made for -their reclamation, yet that something has been done, and that the -early prejudice against them has been considerably abated; in fact, -from intercourse with them and with the Indians of North America, I -consider, although they are inferior, yet they possess much talent, -great affection, uncommon quickness of perception, and capacity for -improvement. - -On the writer’s arrival in New South Wales in 1826, at a public meeting -it was declared by men of position that the blackfellow was not a -human being, and that there was no more guilt in shooting him than in -shooting a native dog. Many cruelties were consequently perpetrated on -them, although they were shielded by the Government. - -A public breakfast was given to the Rev. Mr. Binney, at Adelaide, -previous to his departure, and, in his address of thanks, he stated -that he, in his simplicity, coming from England, prayed for the -aborigines, prayed for the persecuted natives of the land which we had -come to take. It twice happened that a minister said, “I was surprised -yet pleased to hear prayer for the aborigines; I have never heard -it before; we seem to have got into a state of apathy about them, -and given them up as hopeless. So that even the Christian Church had -forgotten them before God, and considered them to be a doomed people -like the Canaanites of old.” - -Mr. B. then drew a vivid picture of the great change which had been -effected since the introduction of Europeans to the displacement of the -aboriginal population. - -“In travelling about the thought struck me, looking at this magnificent -country, all this was, little more than twenty years ago, the run of -the savage, his trail and his lair. Here, amongst these hills and these -plains, amidst these woods, the savage ran and caught his game, erected -his wurleys, lay down for the night, passed on without a hand to grasp, -or any eye to see, or an understanding to develop, or intelligent -faculty to conjecture the meaning of the mystic character, written -everywhere upon God’s earth and sky around him. Here he had been living -for ages on this magnificent property as it were, but unable to see it, -without a hand to touch it, or an understanding to modify it, or to -work it into form of utility and enjoyment. He had been so for ages, -and he would have remained so, for I do not believe that degraded man -himself ever rose to even the first step of civilization. - -“Although I could not but feel a pang for the disappearance of the -natives, I thought it right that you should take possession of the -property, and with your hearts and hands directed by your intelligence, -use the rich materials of the earth which God has given you.” - -This lucid and poetical passage in the speech suggests much reflection. -That the land should be occupied and turned to account there is no -question, but as the savage is helpless to raise himself, we ask, is -the Church guiltless in leaving him for ages in this condition? - -Mr. Foster, from whose work I quote, says it was a special instruction -of the Home Government, on the establishment of South Australia, that -the aborigines should be properly cared for, and for that purpose a -Chief Inspector was appointed at Adelaide, and a Sub-Inspector in the -country districts. Aboriginal reserves were made at various places for -the natives, and supplies of flour and blankets, &c., were distributed -periodically, schools were established and missionary efforts were -entered upon, and have been continued up to the present time with, in -some cases, gratifying results. The Government did their duty so far, -but all these efforts failed as to a general effect, and were only -partial, owing to their nomadic habits, undomestic life, and pulmonary -complaints, to which must be added European vices and diseases. - -Missionary enterprise was dead in the Church, and she failed to -discharge her obligation. Any change effected was not by her missions, -but by civilization, which carried with it the seeds of death and -destruction. New diseases, as lately at the Fijis, where 35,000 have -perished by measles, but still worse, the avarice of men in introducing -intoxicating drinks, and the lust of men in violating the law of -chastity, and the destruction of native food, have been a fearful -consequence. Verily, say what we may, as a Christian people, instead of -benefiting the race we have destroyed them, as a man told Mr. Binney—he -had lived amongst them many years—“that the last man of the tribe died -the week before last.” - -Four missionaries from Dresden arrived in the Colony in 1838 and 1842, -Messrs. Teechelmann, Klose, Meyer, and Schürmann, so that missions -were commenced at Adelaide and 12 miles south of Adelaide, at Port -Lincoln, and Encounter Bay; and at Walker’s Villa was established -a Sunday-school, numerously attended by native children, in which -Governor Grey took a great interest. - -At Mr. Klose’s school, fourteen children could read polysyllables, -fourteen more were in addition, three in subtraction, nine in -multiplication, and two in division. Most of the children could repeat -the Lord’s Prayer and Ten Commandments, and narrate the history of -the Creation, the fall of our first parents, and other portions of -the Old and New Testament. A few could write by dictation, many knew -geography, the boundaries and divisions of the earth, proving their -ability, and that they are not such demented beings as has been too -generally represented. But this progress was discouraged, and that by a -portion of the Press, who ridiculed these efforts as worthless for all -practical purposes, and as the jargon of the missionaries, and that, if -the report of the Protectors were true, they were more deeply versed in -the holy mysteries than the Bench of Bishops, by a long chalk. - -However, they were not forsaken. The native institutions at Poonindie, -at Port Lincoln, under the Church of England, and the native -institution at Lake Alexandrina, under the auspices of the Aboriginal -Friends’ Association, still exist. Of these I will have to make some -further mention. - -The Poonindie Mission was founded in 1850 by Archdeacon Hale, now -Bishop of Brisbane, who invested largely his private means, and -isolated himself to carry out this undertaking. He purchased a number -of sheep and cattle, and ultimately made the station self-supporting, -the Government setting aside 24,000 acres of land, as a reserve. - -After six years’ labour, he was succeeded in 1856 by Dr. Hammond. The -Government at first rendered pecuniary assistance, but afterwards -withdrew it, as the enterprise was rather of a private nature, and no -returns had been furnished to justify its continuance. - -In 1858, there were under his tuition eleven married couples, nine -unmarried boys, and two unmarried girls, making a total of fifty -persons. They had 6,000 sheep, 250 head of cattle, and 35 horses; but -the finances of the mission were in an unsatisfactory condition. - -The Bishop of Adelaide, on his visit in 1858, was much pleased with the -mission. There was a village of aborigines, living happily together, -cultivating and providing for their own support, not neglecting their -spiritual interests, but worshipping God, cheerful and content. There -was a good woolshed, a carpenter’s shop, with tools, and grinding-mill, -brick-kiln, stockyard, and dairy. - -The Bishop says, “God has indeed blessed the labours of that good, -self-denying man, the Bishop of Perth. What difficulties he must have -had to contend with, freaks of temper, &c.” - -The Point M’Cleary Institution was under the care of Mr. Taplin, a -devoted missionary. In 1862, there was a Sabbath service performed -there, attended by forty-three worshippers. The boys looked very smart -in their new jumpers of blue serge, and clean moleskin trousers, -and serge green caps. The service was conducted in the aboriginal -language. Praise, prayer, and reading the Scriptures, and a short -address finished the worship. The singing was good, and joined in by -the whole congregation. At that time there were 150 natives at the -station—47 males and 58 females. The number of children at school was -25. According to Dr. Walker’s report, there were 425 persons. - -Mr. Taplin expressed himself greatly encouraged by the feeling for -spiritual things, so much so, that he was warranted in baptizing some -of them and their household. - -This cheering statement had its counterpoise—that the mortality amongst -the blacks was considerable. More children had died amongst them within -the last twelve months, than for the three previous years. A large -number were infants, and out of thirty-six children who left the school -in 1856, six had died. Many adults had died also—twenty-one during the -year, of those who had come to the station for medicine and comforts. -Numbers died from influenza. It is well to be able to relate that these -unfortunate beings had been cared for in their distress. - -The report of a Committee of the Legislature in 1860 stated, amongst -other things of interest, that the following were amongst the causes of -their decrease:—1st. Infanticide to a limited extent; 2nd. Introduction -of European diseases, especially aggravated by syphilis; 3rd. -Introduction of intoxicating liquors, in despite of existing law; 4th. -Promiscuous intercourse of the sexes between themselves and Europeans; -5th. Disproportion of the sexes. - -It is singular that some of these reasons are found to operate in the -same way to diminish the population of the Sandwich Islands. - -The Chief Protector was armed with additional powers to try and -check these evils, to pay periodical visits, and to hold Courts for -dispensing justice summarily. - -The Bishop of Adelaide, having been examined before the Committee, -stated his belief in their capacity to understand Christianity, but not -the metaphysical difficulties; that the natives had never been known to -be drunk at the Poonindie Station, during the whole time of Mr. Hale -being in charge, although they went with the drays, and ran into the -township. He further stated that he had faith in the conversion of the -natives; he had attended them in their dying moments, and believed, in -many instances, that they were converted. - -Mr. Moorhouse, who had been seventeen years Chief Protector, stated -his doubts of their attaining knowledge beyond a certain point, -although in two cases he witnessed evidences of their conversion, when -dying. Several natives were examined, and gave very sensible answers -to questions. “We like Port Lincoln because we are away from the old -blacks. Tell why? Because we don’t like to be wicked. Are they wicked? -Yes, fighting and doing anything, robbing, swearing, and drinking.” -Several questions they would not answer, especially those relating to -the dead. - -Some severe affrays took place in the northern district through -destitution, the long-continued drought having deprived them of means -of support. They committed depredations on the settlers’ sheep and -cattle. - -The estimated population within 60 miles was as follows:— - - In the year 1841 ... ... ... 650 natives - ” 1842 ... ... ... 630 ” - ” 1843 ... ... ... 560 ” - ” 1844 ... ... ... 550 ” - ” 1845 ... ... ... 520 ” - ” 1854 ... ... ... 230 ” - ” 1855 ... ... ... 210 ” - ” 1856 ... ... ... 180 ” - -From all the centres of population they disappeared, forcing on us the -melancholy reflection that in a few years the very existence of the -original possessors of the land will be amongst the traditions of the -past. - -It will be seen by the accompanying sketch of Port Lincoln, and the -extract attached, that the South Australian Government has taken up the -cause of the aborigines with much zeal, granting money and land for -this object. It is to be hoped that some of these unfortunate beings -will be rescued from the doom of total extinction, which many have long -consigned them to. - -In February, 1876, the mission to Lake Condah was commenced. The -report of this mission, under the care of the Rev. H. Stable, is very -encouraging. The men having returned from shearing, a new branch of -labour, they, together with the women and children, attended church, -morning and evening, and service on Sabbath regularly. There were some -under religious feelings, but the general want of feeling towards the -Gospel was very evident. The children attended school, and had made -progress, and the neighbouring free-selectors attended Divine worship. - -There were thirty-two men, twenty women, seventeen boys, and -twenty-three girls, in all ninety-two natives on the station. The men -had been engaged in cleaning, growing hops and arrowroot, and stripping -bark. There were 255 head of cattle attached to the mission, by which -milk and butter were supplied. The next testimony is from the official -visitors, 1876. “My wife and self dropped down upon the mission station -to breakfast. No human beings appeared. There were eighteen dogs of -various sizes, colours, and ages to greet us. The chapel service had -just closed, and the congregation streamed out from the place of -worship. - -“The only idle persons were one decrepid old man, and a white-haired -woman. The men were putting up a strong fence of rails and posts, and -did sixteen panels a day. Lime-burning had been introduced, by which -they were enabled to whitewash their houses. - -“The children in the choir were sixteen girls and eleven boys, and they -have a brass band in progress. The men enjoy cricket as a pastime, and -the school is progressing. To some of these poor creatures the mission -is like a paradise.” - -The subjoined brief account of Poonindie mission, originated by the -Right Rev. Dr. Hale, who for years devoted himself to the aborigines’ -cause, as well as Mrs. Hale, will show how capable these people are of -civilization under Christian culture. - -The Rev. R.L.K. thus describes his visit in 1874:—“After a toilsome -ride and wading through much scrub, we reached the station. It was -pleasant, too, to chat with the married women about the age and the -number of the teeth, &c., of their babies, and to stroke the little -heads. They were as black as you please, but evidently perfectly clean -and wholesome. I was also introduced to a little boy, about eleven -years of age, the first boy in the Colony of Victoria who had passed -the examination required by the late Government regulations, and whom -dear Mr. H. evidently took a pleasure in addressing as ‘a man, by Act -of Parliament.’ - -“The picnic party consisted of about forty-five blacks of different -ages. About forty more were enjoying their holiday elsewhere. Several -were on the river fishing. One I afterwards met in her own house. -On our return to the station, I visited the different buildings—the -church, with its harmonium, at which one of the black women (an -importation from the institution at Adelaide) presides—the barracks, -where the unmarried sleep—the school, as well as the common garden, -which, unlike some gardens, was wholly free from weeds. But what I -think pleased me most was the house of one of the married couples. -The only one at home was the wife, a half-caste (such are generally -the most difficult to deal with), who had been very wild when she -first came. When I saw her, she was evidently in ‘her right mind,’ -and was also, as her kind instructors said, giving every evidence of -genuine piety, ‘sitting at the feet of Jesus.’ Her house was a model -of neatness and order. The garden at the back was in good keeping, a -fine crop of arrowroot bearing testimony to careful cultivation. As I -returned from the garden through the house, I was attracted by some -photographs hanging on the fire-place, and going to examine them, I -found a collecting card, inviting subscriptions for the Presbyterian -mission vessel. (The station is supported by the Presbyterian Church, -though the missionaries themselves are Moravians.) The good woman -seemed much pleased when my brother, who had now joined me, put down -his name, with mine, for a small contribution. It was to this cottage -that Mr. Trollope was taken, when he visited Raumiac. ‘Oh,’ said he, -‘this is the show cottage. I want to see another.’ He went into the -next, but the woman there was sick; so he went on to the third. ‘Ah,’ -he said, ‘I see they are all alike. I am quite satisfied.’ - -“There are about forty-five blacks constantly resident at Raumiac, -and about forty men not yet regularly attached to it. They belong to -several different tribes, speaking different dialects; but they are all -taught in English. - -“They are contributing to the maintenance of the station by their herd -of cattle and their cultivation, principally of arrowroot. It is hoped, -ere long, the station may become self-supporting. The amusement of an -evening is generally chess, at which the blacks are great proficients. - -“I did not see Mr. Hagenauer’s assistant. He was away with his family -on a fishing excursion, the day being a holiday. - -“Mr. Hagenauer and his wife seem eminently qualified for their work. It -was really refreshing to hear the terms of Christian affection in which -Mrs. H. spoke of her charge. I cannot doubt that love has been a very -important instrument in the success which has attended her own and her -husband’s efforts to rescue some of those wandering sheep, and fit them -to sing the praises of our common Redeemer. To Him shall be all the -glory. - -“We returned as we had come—the canoe, the marsh, the thistle, the -leaps, &c., &c.—and reached our hospitable quarters at Clydebank at -about 8 p.m. The next morning, after welcoming the New Year, in a glass -of ‘Poor man’s wine’ (a good old Scotch custom, as I was informed), we -started homewards, and reached Nambrok in the afternoon, after a hot, -dusty drive, agreeably interrupted by a lunch at Mr. W. Pearson’s. - - “February 26, 1874. - - R.L.K.” - -The following reports, which were laid upon the table of the Diocesan -Synod of Adelaide at the opening of the Session in 1873, will, we -think, prove interesting to our readers, as showing that the despised -aborigines of Australia are not altogether beyond the reach of -Christian care and kindness. - - - _Annual Report of Mr. Hawkes to his Co-trustees, 1873._ - -The year past has been signalized by an event causing great joy to the -natives and all persons associated with the institution, being the -visit of the reverend founder of the Poonindie Native Institution, the -Right Reverend Matthew Hale, Bishop of Perth, Western Australia, who -arrived at the scene of his former labours after an absence of sixteen -years, accompanied by the Bishop of Adelaide, in November last. On this -occasion the natives took the opportunity of presenting a beautiful -silver tea-service to Bishop Hale, as a token of their love and esteem. - -The result of the inspection by the Bishops was embodied in a pamphlet, -entitled “A Visit to Poonindie,” written at the Mission House, on 22 -November, 1872, giving a short history of the foundation, trials, and -final success of the native establishment. Five hundred copies have -been published for general distribution. - -On 31st March last there were at the mission station, in residence, -eighty-six natives. - -I am thankful to be able to say that we have had no cases of diphtheria -at the mission. The general health of the natives has been good; cases -of slight cold or sore throat are promptly and carefully attended to. -Mr. Hammond’s thorough knowledge of the native habit and constitution -enables him to check sickness at an early stage by his able and -judicious treatment. - -The balance-sheet showed a profit for the year of £826 19s. 3d. - -The stock at the station on 31st March last consists of 9,499 sheep, -valued at 5s. each; 130 head of cattle, at 60s. each, including two -well-bred bulls, Gaylard and Canowie; 25 horses, valued at £5 each; -20 pigs, best Berkshire breed, valued at 20s. each; the total value -of which is £2,909 15s. The lambing last season was on an average of -92 per cent. There will be at least 1,500 sheep to sell before next -lambing, after making every allowance for rations, &c. All land farmed -at Poonindie to present time is 332 acres; grubbed, cleared, ploughed, -and now lying in fallow as virgin soil, 60 acres; being grubbed, -cleared, and ploughed this year as fallow for sowing with wheat next -year, 60 acres; land under crop with wheat in January, 1873, 180 -acres; land under crop for hay in January, 1873, 30 acres. We have no -land sown with artificial grasses, but we intend to try some kinds -next year. There are 215 acres of land under cultivation this year, -including hay and lucerne crops. Next year about 75 acres of new land -will be added to the cultivation, and a part of the land in fallow will -be brought into use again. - -I am glad to give my testimony to the zeal and interest shown by Mr. -Holden and Mr. W. Newland in their respective positions for the welfare -of the natives and the institution; also, to Mrs. Holden for her kind -and ready help, and to Mr. Hammond for his valuable services as medical -officer. - -It is my intention to provide for the natives the means of learning -useful trades. As our numbers increase we shall find the importance -of having persons on the station who can supply boots and shoes, and -execute blacksmiths’ and carpenters’ work of the best kind. - -I congratulate my co-trustees on the result of the past year’s -operations. - - G. W. HAWKES, - Acting Trustee. - - - Poonindie Native Institution, Port Lincoln, 9 June, 1873. - -Dear Sir, - -I beg, in accordance with your request, to forward a brief report in -reference to the wurley natives of Port Lincoln District, who from time -to time seek aid and shelter at this institution. - -I would state in this report I make no reference to those natives -who have settled down with us from this district, who get constant -employment, rations, and wages from the institution. - -On referring to my books, I find the wurley natives have received cash -payments for work done on the station during (say) the last fifteen -months, one hundred pounds eight shillings and fivepence (£100 8s. -5d.), and during the same period they received by rations and clothes -one hundred and eighty-two pounds nine shillings and eightpence (£182 -9s. 8d.), making a total of two hundred and eighty-two pounds eighteen -shillings and one penny (£282 18s. 1d.) - -If you should ask the question—“What do the wurley natives do with this -ready cash?” They spend it in clothes at Port Lincoln, and in each case -that has come under my notice they have spent the money judiciously. - -I must not omit to mention the repeated relief the institution has -given to the wurley natives in times of sickness, such as oatmeal, -sago, arrowroot; in short, everything that is recommended by our -medical officer. They receive constant medical attendance from Dr. -Hammond, at the cost of the institution. - -Many cases I might refer to where the poor sick wurley natives have -been brought from a distance for the comforts and attention received at -Poonindie. One man is now in the institution who has been ill for over -twelve months. He is unable to work; in fact, for weeks he is confined -to his bed. - -When a wurley native dies he is placed in a coffin and buried in our -cemetery, which you know is fenced and well cared for. - -I beg to state we at all times hold out every inducement to the wurley -natives, so that they may look upon Poonindie Institution as their -home. From time to time, first one, and then another of them leaves the -camp life and joins the institution permanently. - -In conclusion, I have but to say, whenever the wurley natives are with -us they attend the services in our little church. Their conduct is good -throughout the district, so much so that there has not been a single -wurley native had to appear at Port Lincoln Court for over five years, -either for drunkenness or anything else. - - R. W. HOLDEN, - Superintendent of Poonindie Native Institution. - -The following extract on the Aboriginal Mission Station, at Poonindie, -is from the recent work of the Misses Florence and Rosamond Hill—“What -we saw in Australia”:— - -“Early in the history of South Australia, a school for the aborigines -was established in Adelaide, and continued in operation for some years. -The pupils displayed much aptness for elementary knowledge, but it -was found that, on quitting school, they did not take to any settled -occupation. Most of them returned to their wild life, while the few -who hung about the town were shiftless and destitute. The present -Bishop of Perth, Dr. Hale, was, at that time, Archdeacon of Adelaide. -Taking great interest in the native school, and deeply lamenting its -failure to reclaim its pupils from savagery, he cast about for some -permanent method of civilizing them. He resolved to form them into an -agricultural community, and to establish them in a district, remote -from the evils he feared. The form of government was to be patriarchal, -and Christianity its guiding spirit. Besides aiding it with his fortune -and influence, he resolved, with generous self-devotion, to be himself -the pastor of this humble flock. - -“In September, 1850, Dr. Hale, bringing with him eleven aboriginals, -five married couples and a single man, who had all been educated at -this school in Adelaide, settled on the banks of the Tod, where the -present little village gradually arose. - -“Here a run with about 5,000 sheep was purchased by the Archdeacon. -Government added an extensive tract of land, forming an aboriginal -reserve, and the Colonial Treasury and the S. P. G. made important -contributions to the funds. Under the direction of skilled white -workmen, some of the natives erected the present buildings, while -others were being instructed in the various duties of the farm. A -native school which had existed for some years in the district, under -a German missionary, being amalgamated with Poonindie, increased the -number of inmates, while individuals were from time to time persuaded -to leave their tribes, and join the mission. In spite of numerous -deaths during its early existence, the population exceeded sixty when -the Archdeacon left, and had reached almost a hundred at the time of -our visit, many infants having been born of late years, while the -deaths have much diminished. - -“The ex-scholars from Adelaide formed the nucleus of an educated class, -and one of these, Conwillan, was able, when the Archdeacon was absent, -to conduct service in the mission church with such propriety, that -white settlers in the neighbourhood used regularly to attend. A day -school for the children was soon established, classes were formed for -the women, and the men and older boys who are at work during the day -attend a night school. The necessity for amusements was not forgotten; -music was encouraged. Some of the young men lead the singing at church -with their flutes, while the tones of the violin and concertina are -not unfamiliar in the settlement. Occasionally there is dancing, and -harmless indoor games are indulged in. Cricket seems for many years -to have occupied as prominent a position as at Harrow or Eton. Drink -is strictly forbidden. No drink, of course, can be obtained in the -village, but we believe no Poonindie native has been known to break the -rule, when sent to the township on errands. - -“Besides the permanent inhabitants of the station, we heard of ‘wurley -natives,’ who, while retaining their ordinary mode of life, still hang -about the mission, sometimes, we believe, attending school and church. -The Poonindie estate now contains 12,000 acres.” - -A Government reserve of 113 acres has been granted for an Institution -for the Aborigines near Mackay, Queensland. - -A school-house has been built 80 ft. by 12 ft., and a Protector’s -quarters also, and furniture provided. The work has been chiefly done -by the natives. The scholars are taught to labour—to burn lime, and -draw wood and water. - -The adult natives get employment from the settlers around, and they -plant the sweet potato and supply fish. - -We hope that this small attempt may increase and rescue many of this -race from destruction. The Government has since befriended the mission, -and Bishop Hale, who is still their friend, by resolution of the -General Synod, took primary charge of it. - -The Warangesda mission was commenced by Mr. Gribble, (now ordained), -chiefly on his own resources and with the help of his wife. He erected -buildings, and fenced ground for cultivation. The chief object seems -to be to rescue the young females from impending ruin, and in this he -has been successful, so much so that the numbers were so great as to -press upon him, beyond his means of support. The history of some of -these young females is full of interest; how they have accommodated -themselves to discipline and domestic life. But Mr. Gribble could -not meet the urgent demands, and was obliged therefore to refuse -admittance. The school was accepted by the State as a State school, was -afforded help, and contributions were made from various sources to the -amount of £671 7s. 2d. - -“This mission has become a church mission, but it is doubtful whether -the Government can render help under the withdrawal of State aid, it -being now a denominational institution. There appears to be more than -80 blacks on the books of the mission. 600 acres have been obtained -from the Government, and 400 more have been promised.”—_Extracted from -the report of the Board of Missions._ - -The Maloga mission is under the management of Mr. Matthews and his -wife. Quoting from the report of 1878:—Last report our numbers were -comparatively small, but a considerable increase has been made since. -The aborigines at the mission have been principally employed in cutting -timber for the purpose of erecting huts for themselves. Some have made -fair progress in carpenter’s work. They assemble round the fire in -winter to hear “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” read to them. Mrs. Matthews and Miss -Prane attend the Sunday school. A number of blacks from the bush were -present at the evening services. - -A picnic was held on the Queen’s Birthday, the children and adults -playing rounders, racing, skipping, and indulging in lots of swinging. -They lit a bonfire and fired salutes in honor of Her Majesty. - -All the young men are working vigorously, fencing and hut-building. A -poor old lubra named Molly is dying in the camp; we send her medical -comforts. Received various remittances; total, £1 0s. 6d. - -Dan and Susannah, the first married couple, were glad to return with -us, and a half-caste girl Lizzie. The old blacks were opposed to our -taking the children. - -Harriet wrote her first letter to-day to a lady in Melbourne. She was -proud of her first literary effort. To-night we sat round the fire, and -sang for two hours without intermission. - -Reached Ulapa home-station. A good number of children desire to go with -us. Eleven young people made up their minds to return with us. - -A number of young men left for shearing, although 12 miles away. Most -of them walk back to Sunday service. - -Jemmy, half-caste, manifested faith in Christ. He had been very -troublesome; he is now all day singing hymns. A great change of -character. Eight of the young men have now experienced a change. They -sat down with us at the Lord’s table. - -The children are approaching proficiency in spelling, arithmetic, and -writing. They also know upwards of forty tunes. - -Our Government grant of £400 is nearly exhausted; we are therefore -obliged to limit our expenses. Several old people left to obtain fish, -but shortly afterwards, the last payment of £400 from the Government -came, as well as flour, sugar, and rice, but it seems that will only -meet present wants. - -The marriage customs of the blacks caused some altercation when three -couples presented themselves for marriage, but the objections were -overruled, although they went so far as to threaten to burn down the -huts, and fifteen blacks came down the river to interfere about the -marriage; however, they became pacified. There are ten young and -married with us now, and there are thirty-eight aborigines in the camp. -Our income for the month has been £4 4s. 6d. We have passed through -years of trial. - -In perusing the report, it is wonderful how supplies came from various -quarters, unsolicited, just in time to relieve their wants. They lived -by faith. - -From these extracts we learn that the employment and the working of -the institution is the practical success of the power of religion. The -mission is still making its way, and an influential committee has been -formed in Sydney to promote its interests. - -The other missions in Victoria and South Australia I have already -described. We see, after all the failures, that the cause is not -hopeless. - -First, we must not be satisfied with civilization. Religion can alone -change the native. The Ethiopian cannot change his skin, but God can -change the heart. Civilization will follow religion. Next, the missions -must be secluded from towns and white population. Lastly, the land fund -is a legitimate source of provision. We have possessed their lands, and -therefore should compensate from that source. - -Her Majesty, in her Instructions to the Governor, has expressed -herself—“That you do by all lawful means prevent and restrain all -violence, &c., against them, and take such measures as may appear -necessary for the further conversion of them to the Christian faith, -and their advancement to civilization.” - -The Government has taken up the question and appointed the Honorable -G. Thornton, Esq., M.L.C., Aboriginal Protector, while the Church -of England Synod has appointed a Board of Missions, including the -Aboriginal Mission. May we not hope for some success? - -There is, besides, the New South Wales Aboriginal Protection -Association of which His Excellency Lord Augustus Loftus, G.C.B., -is Patron, the Honorable Sir John Robertson, K.C.M.G., President, -together with the Honorable W. J. Foster, M.P., Vice-President, and an -influential Council. - -A penalty is imposed on publicans who sell liquor to them. They are -supplied with blankets, at a cost of £3,300 annually. The coast tribes -are provided with fishing-boats and tackle to the amount of £51. In -Sydney they are supplied with food and clothing from time to time, -amounting to £350; and throughout the Colony with medical attendance -and medicine. They receive passages on railways free. Two schools have -been established, and assistance has been given to Societies on their -behalf. Thus they have not been left utterly uncared for. - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - -The last of the Sovereigns of the Sydney Tribe “King Bungaree”—His son. - - -My acquaintance with His Majesty was very short. As was his usual -habit, he visited the ship “Thames” in which I arrived in the Colony. -His sable Majesty, in his native barge, a bark canoe, presented himself -to make the usual inquiries as to the name of the captain, and to -inspect the steward’s pantry, receiving tribute of various articles of -food and raiment; and although he was adorned with a cocked hat and -brass plate, I could not help contrasting, to his disadvantage, His -Majesty’s appearance with that of the North-American chieftains with -whom I had been in the habit of mixing; however, years of drunkenness -and some starvation no doubt had had their effect in emaciating -his frame—the blessings which civilization has bestowed upon the -unfortunate aboriginal population. - -The following spirited sketch is copied from the _S. M. Herald_, being -an extract from Dickens’ _All the Year Round_, evidently the production -of an Australian:— - -There are few old Australian colonists to whom the name of Bungaree -is not familiar, but I conceive it right that the whole world should -know something of this departed monarch, and of his habits and -peculiarities. Honored as I was by his favour, politely greeted as -I always was whenever I met His Majesty in the streets of Sydney, -flattered as I was when he invited me occasionally to accompany him in -his boat to “go kedge fiss,” I consider myself as well qualified to -become his biographer, as was Mr. Boswell to write the life of Doctor -Johnson, or Lord John Russell that of Thomas Moore. - -King Bungaree and myself were contemporaries; but there was a vast -difference between our ages. When I first knew him he was an old man, -over sixty, and I a boy of twelve. It would be false to say that I -cannot account for the great liking the king always had for me, for the -truth is I was in the habit of lending him small sums of money, bread -and meat, and not unfrequently a glass of rum. Many a time have I slyly -visited the larder and the decanters on the sideboard, to minister to -the wants of the monarch. I used the word “lend,” because the king -never said “give.” It was invariably “len’ it half a dump” (7½d.), -“len’ it glass o’ grog,” “len’ it loaf o’ bread,” “len’ it ole shirt.” -It is needless, perhaps, to state that, although in some respects -the memory of King Bungaree was as extraordinary as that of the late -King George the Third, he was utterly oblivious of the extent of his -obligations, so far as repayment was concerned. - -In person, King Bungaree was about 5 feet 8 inches high, not very stout -and not very thin, except as to his legs, which were mere spindles. -His countenance was benignant to the last degree, and there was a kind -and humorous sparkle in his eye (especially when it was lighted up by -liquor) which was, to say the least of it, very cheerful to behold. - -King Bungaree’s dress consisted of the cocked hat and full-dress coat -of a general officer or colonel, an old shirt, and—that was all. I -never saw him in pantaloons, or shoes, or stockings. Once, I remember, -he wore a worsted sock on his left foot, but that was in consequence of -having wounded himself by treading on a broken bottle. - -As the king was a person of irregular habits, he generally slept, as -well as fished, in his clothes, and his tailor’s bill would not have -been enormous, even if he had had a tailor; but, as he “borrowed” -his uniform, as well as his money, bread, and rum, his finances were -in no way embarrassed. Every new Governor, from Governor Macquarie -down to Governor Gipps (during whose administration Bungaree died), -supplied him with an old cocked-hat and full-dress coat; and almost -every colonel commanding a regiment instantly complied when his Majesty -pronounced these words, “Len’ it cock-’at—len’ it coat—len’ it ole -shirt.” Around his neck was suspended, by a brass chain, a brass plate. -On this plate, which was shaped like a half-moon, were engraven in -large letters the words, “Bungaree, King of the Blacks.” On the plate -there was also engraven the arms of the Colony of New South Wales—an -emu and a kangaroo. - -In point of intelligence and natural ability, King Bungaree was far -from deficient. He was, in truth, a clever man, and not only did -he understand all that was said to him in English, but he spoke -the language so as to be completely understood, except when his -articulation was impaired by the too copious use of ardent spirits, or -other fermented liquors. - -His Majesty changed his manners every five years; or rather, they -were changed with every Administration. Bungaree, like many of the -aborigines of New South Wales, was an amazing mimic. The action, the -voice, the bearing, the attitude, the walk of _any_ man, he could -personate with astonishing minuteness. It mattered not whether it -was the Attorney-General stating a case to a Jury, the Chief Justice -sentencing a culprit to be hanged, a colonel drilling a regiment in -the barrack-square, a Jew bargaining for old clothes, a drunken sailor -resisting the efforts of the police to quiet him—King Bungaree could, -in mere dumb show, act the scene in such a way as to give you a perfect -idea of it. Now, as the Governor, for the time-being, was the first -and most important person in the Colony, it was from that functionary -that King Bungaree took his cue, and, after having seen the Governor -several times and talked to him, Bungaree would adopt His Excellency’s -manner of speech and bearing to the full extent of his wonderful power. -When I first knew Bungaree, General Darling was Governor of New South -Wales. Bungaree then walked the streets with his arms folded across -his breast, his body erect, his pace slow and measured, with something -of a military swagger in it, and the only salute he vouchsafed was -a dignified, but very slight, inclination of his head. Even when -His Majesty was so intoxicated that he could not walk straight, it -was impossible not to recognize the faithfulness of the copy to the -original. His mode of speech, too, was curt, and somewhat abrupt. Even -the words “Len it glass o’ grog” came forth rather in the tone of a -command than of a request. But when General Darling left, and General -Bourke became his successor, how very different was the demeanour and -the deportment of King Bungaree! He walked briskly up George-street, -with his left hand on his hip and his right arm moving to and fro, took -off his cocked-hat periodically in recognition of salutes (most of -them imaginary), and when he neared the guard-house at the bottom of -Church Hill, he would raise his right hand in the air and shake it, as -a signal to the sentry not to turn out the guard to present arms to him. - -The reader will have gleaned that King Bungaree was not temperate -in his habits. Candour compels me to say that he was by no means -particular as to the nature of his beverage. The only liquid to which -he had seemingly any aversion was pure water. Rum, gin, brandy, wine, -beer, chili vinegar, mushroom catsup, or “bull,” he would take in any -quantity from any person who could be prevailed upon to “lend” it -to him; and, unfortunately, in order to get rid of His Majesty, the -supply, in many instances, immediately followed the demand, and the -king was too often to be seen stretched at full length on a dust-heap -near the wharves, fast asleep and covered by myriads of flies, his -cocked-hat doing the duty of a pillow, except when some little boy -tore out the crown, and then pulled it over the king’s ankles, putting -him, in fact, in felt stocks. So strong was this monarch’s passion for -drink, that I am perfectly satisfied that he would, at any moment, -have abdicated his sovereignty for an old sugar-mat, wherewith to make -“bull,” although he would never have renounced his right to the title -of “King of the Blacks,” or that brass plate, which he regarded as his -“patent.” - -With the cares of State, Bungaree never troubled himself. His -sovereignty, to all intents and purposes, was a matter of sound and of -mere form. His subjects never treated him with respect or obedience. -His tyranny, in the strictly classical acceptation of the term, was -confined simply to his queens, five in number. These ladies were all -much younger than the king, and were named, respectively, “Onion,” -“Boatman,” “Broomstick,” “Ask-about,” and “Pincher.” These names, of -course, were not given to them in their baptism (whatever may have -been the aboriginal character of that rite), but were dictated, most -probably, by the caprice of some of King Bungaree’s European advisers, -on the various occasions of his consulting them on the point, and -“borrowing” something of which he fancied he stood in need. Whether -the queens were much attached to the monarch or the monarch to them, -I cannot venture to say, nor can I form an opinion whether they -bore the king company in his inebriation out of courtesy, or from a -natural desire to drink; but this I can state, with the positiveness -of a biographer who derives his sources of information from personal -knowledge, that I never saw their Majesties (the queens) sober, when -His Majesty King Bungaree was drunk. The dress of these royal ladies -was exceedingly grotesque. With the exception of a faded satin slip, an -old bedgown, or a flannel petticoat, whatever beauty King Bungaree’s -queens possessed was, in every sense of the word, in its unadornment -“adorned the most.” The only “foreign aid of ornament” that even Onion, -the most fastidious of them, as regarded personal appearance, ever -resorted to, was a short clay pipe intertwined with her hair, which, in -point of colour and fineness, bore a strong resemblance to the tail or -mane of an unbroken, unhandled, bay colt. - -I have mentioned that I sometimes, when a boy, accepted the invitations -of King Bungaree to go out with him in his boat to “kedge fiss.” His -was a very old boat, a “loan” from Governor Macquarie, who cultivated -Bungaree’s acquaintance, if not Bungaree himself; and upon all these -occasions the queens used to pull the rickety craft, while the king sat -in the stern-sheets, and steered. The queens, by turns, not only pulled -the oars (only two) of the boat, but when the anchor—a large piece of -stone tied to an old rope—was let go, they baited the hooks, threw over -the lines, and caught the bream and yellowtails, with which the harbour -abounded in those days. Bungaree, meanwhile, sat still, smoked his -pipe, and occasionally gave an approving nod or a kind word to the wife -who hooked the fish fastest. When out in his boat, during Sir Richard -Bourke’s administration, King Bungaree bore a stronger resemblance -to Charles the Second than to any other monarch of whom I have read -in history. He was cheerful, merry, facetious, gallant (except as to -pulling and fishing), and amorous, without anything like coarseness, -in his outbreaks of affection. Fish constituted King Bungaree’s coin. -The harbour of Port Jackson was his treasure-chest. When a sufficient -quantity had been caught to purchase a loaf or two, and enough brown -sugar to make a bucketful of “bull,” the anchor was weighed, and the -boat rowed to shore. Fresh fish for tea was always marketable, and the -queens had never any difficulty in disposing of them at the public or -private houses, receiving in return whatever articles they required to -supply their own and the king’s immediate wants. - -I must here record a little anecdote of King Bungaree. When His -Majesty’s ships, the “Warspite,” the “Success,” frigate, and some -smaller craft anchored in Sydney, Bungaree went on board all these -vessels, to welcome to his dominions the various commanders. The -Commodore, Sir James Brisbane, having heard of King Bungaree, and being -informed of his approach, gave the order that he should be received -with all the honors and formality accorded to persons of royal blood, -save the firing a salute and manning the yards. The officers, who -entered into the joke, were all assembled on the quarter-deck; the -First Lieutenant stood at the gangway, the Commodore, in his full-dress -coat and cocked-hat, took his place at the capstan, the boatswain -piped the side in the shrillest ear-piercing tones, and the drums and -fifes made music to the air of “God save the King!” The moment King -Bungaree placed his foot on the “Warspite’s” well-holystoned planks, -the Commodore uncovered his venerable head, and placing his cocked-hat -beneath his left arm, with admirably acted humility, advanced, and -offered King Bungaree his right hand. The king, who was then wearing -his coat buttoned up to the neck, _à la_ Sir Ralph Darling, received -the homage which was paid him by the Commodore, with just the amount of -formal _empressement_ that the Governor himself would have exhibited, -under the circumstance of being similarly greeted. Having bowed, rather -stiffly, to each of the officers on the quarter-deck, and having cast -an approving though cold glance at the guns, the hammock-nettings, and -the rigging, King Bungaree condescended to inquire the Commodore’s -name. “My name is Brisbane,” said the Commodore, meekly. Bungaree, for -at least two minutes, surveyed the Commodore from head to foot, with a -contemptuous expression of countenance. He had known one Brisbane (Sir -Thomas), who had only lately left the Colony, which he had governed -for five years. That there could be two Brisbanes—that the world was -big enough to hold two—King Bungaree could not believe. At length -His Majesty spoke as follows, “What you mean, sa? You Brisbane, sa? -What for you, capping of big ship like this, sa, tell King Bungaree -one big lie, sa? I know Brisbane, sa. He great frien’-o’-mine, sa. -He len’ me this cock-hat, sa, this coat, sa, this shirt, sa. No, -sa; not this shirt, sa. King Bungaree never tell a lie, sa. Capping -Crotty, of 3rd Buffs, sa, len’ me this shirt, sa.” Captain Crotty was -not a very tall man, and the garment to which Bungaree last alluded -scarcely reached the monarch’s knees. “No, sa; you are not Governor -Brisbane, sa. I show these gennelmen Governor Brisbane, sa.” Divesting -himself, for the nonce, of the airs and manners of Sir Ralph Darling, -Bungaree put on those of Sir Thomas Brisbane, walked the deck, spoke -to several of the officers, and, taking a telescope from the hand of -the signal-midshipman of the day, looked through it into the heavens, -and exclaimed, “Ah!” Sir Thomas Brisbane was a great astronomer, and -while in New South Wales had been constantly star-gazing. The Commodore -was so struck with King Bungaree’s imitation of his own first cousin, -that he stood aghast; while the officers, unable any longer to preserve -their gravity, indulged in a hearty peal of laughter. - -“No, sa,” resumed Bungaree, addressing the Commodore, and acting -General Darling, “you _not_ Brisbane. But you very good man, I dessay. -Never mind, I forgive you. I now feel very thirsty. Len’ it glass o’ -grog.” Several glasses of the ship’s rum, well diluted with water, were -“lent” to His Majesty, and several pipes of tobacco. After remaining -about an hour on board the “Warspite,” Bungaree was piped over the -side, taking with him “loans” to the extent of five old shirts, a -handkerchief full of biscuit, and a cold leg of mutton. A marine -officer offered to “lend” him an old coat; but, after examining the -loan, and discovering that it did not belong to an officer entitled to -two epaulettes, Bungaree shook his head, and remarked that it “would -not do.” But, going to the gangway, he threw the garment down into his -boat, in which his queens were sitting. Onion picked up the old red -coat, and, as the day was rather cold, put it on, and wore it in the -streets of Sydney habitually. - -[The writer having been sent to England to be _civilized_ and -_educated_, proceeds to give a humorous description of his translation -from the wilds of Australia to the wonders of the Old Country; and as -his expatriation lasted for seven years, to perfect his education at -Oxford, or Cambridge, he lost sight of Bungaree for some considerable -time.] - -However, before the expiration of our sentence of seven years, we -all became not only reconciled to Old England, its sports, its -institutions, and sensible of its manifold advantages over those of -any other portion of the earth; but when we had taken our degrees, and -had been (in consideration, seemingly, of abjuring the Pope) invested -with black gowns and white horsehair wigs, we left her shores and our -friends with something like regret. After a passage of one hundred and -nine days, I again placed my foot on the land of my birth. But, oh! -what a change was everywhere observable! A change, according to my -idea, very much for the worse. The ships in the harbour, instead of -numbering only ten or eleven, numbered upwards of forty or fifty. The -streets were crowded with emigrants of both sexes, and of the lowest -order of the people, who, under the “bounty system,” had been swept out -of the streets of London, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and minor cities -or towns. Old buildings, many of them weather-boarded houses, which had -been familiar to my sight from childhood, had been pulled down, and on -their sites were erected rows of shops or merchants’ warehouses. So -vast had been the tide of emigration to Australia, so busy had been the -population during the term of my exile, that I scarcely recognized my -native land. - -I had not been in Sydney more than three days when, to my great joy, -I espied at a distance the cocked-hat and old red coat of poor old -King Bungaree. He was coming up George-street. His gait was very -shaky, but it was still Bungaree’s gait. When I met him, I took off my -hat and saluted him. He peered into my face a few seconds, and then, -recollecting me, offered me his hand, shook mine rather coldly, and -said rapidly, “Oh! well, what can I do for you? I very busy now; no -time to spare; talk to you some other day; yes, yes, good morning.” -This change in Bungaree, which I could not at the moment account for, -pained me. I thought that, amidst all the changes, observable in every -direction, Bungaree at least would have remained himself. However, -notwithstanding His Majesty’s remark that he wished to get rid of me, -he entered into conversation, and presently, in his old confidential -way, said, “Len’ it a sisspence.” I complied, and requesting him to -call upon me soon, at my mother’s house, bade him “good-day.” He was -then alone. None of his queens were with him. But I had no time to ask -him many questions, for I was on my way to Government House, to pay -my respects to Sir George Gipps, and deliver a packet which had been -entrusted to my care. Whether His Excellency had not looked at my card, -or whether he had mistaken me for some one else, I don’t know; but I -had scarcely made my bow, when I was greeted with, “Oh! well, what -can I do for you? I am very busy just now, have not a single moment -to spare; talk to you some other day. Yes, yes, I am now off to the -Council. Good morning.” - -I had never seen Sir George before, but I instantly recognized my -altered King Bungaree. This anecdote, a few weeks afterwards, reached -Sir George’s ears through a lady, and he was not a little amused by it. - -On the following day, at 10 a.m., His Majesty, King Bungaree, was -announced. I received him in the back yard, for my mother would -never allow him to come into the house. He was, on this occasion, -accompanied by two of his queens, “Broomstick” and “Pincher.” Having -“lent” the king and each of the queens a “glass o’ rum,” I proceeded to -interrogate him. - -“Well, King Bungaree,” I said, “where’s ‘Onion,’ and the other queens, -‘Boatman’ and ‘Ask-about?’” “Onion’s dead,” he replied. “Two emigrant -mans get drunk, and kill her with brickbat on top o’ rocks. Boatman’s -got leg broke and can’t walk, and Ask-about stop along with her on -North Shore, to len’ it bread and drink o’ water.” - -“Who lent you that coat?” “One colonel up in Barrack-square.” - -“Has not the Governor lent you a coat?” “Not yet; but he len’ it -by-and-by. At present he only len’ it, ‘Very busy now; yes, yes; good -morning.’” - -“What do you think of Sir George Gipps?” “When that my frien’ Doctor -Lang write a book about all the gubbernors, he one day met it in -Domain, and len’ it half a dump. He then laugh and say, ‘King -Bungaree, what you think of Gubbernor Bourke?’ and I say to him, -‘Stop a bit. He no yet leave the colney. When he go, then I tell you, -master.’ Gubbernor Gipps only just come. Stop till he go, then I speak.” - -Doctor Lang, in his admirable work, the History of New South Wales, -relates this in his preface or concluding chapter, observing that -he took King Bungaree’s hint, and reserved Sir Richard Bourke’s -Administration for some future edition. - -King Bungaree (after swallowing another “loan”), in reply to my -questions, said that when the tribe to which he belonged first beheld -the big ships, some thought they were sea monsters; others that they -were gigantic birds, and the sails were their wings; while many -declared that they were a mixture of gigantic fish and gigantic bird, -and that the boats which were towed astern were their young ones. He -heightened his description by _acting_ the consternation of the tribe -on that occasion. He told me they were too much terrified to offer any -hostile demonstrations, and that when they first heard the report of -a musket, and of a ship’s gun, they fancied those weapons were living -agents of the white man; that where the town of Sydney was situated, -kangaroos formerly abounded, and that these animals were seldom speared -or interfered with; that fish and oysters and the native fruits were -their chief articles of food, and that animals—the kangaroo and -opossum—were killed only to supply the little amount of clothing then -required amongst them; that the use of the hook and line was unknown -until the establishment of the Colony; and that a spear, constructed -for the especial purpose, was the only means they had of taking fish in -the shallow waters of the bays. The deep-sea fish—the “schnapper,” the -“king-fish,” the “grounder,” and the rock cod—were beyond their reach. -Mullet, whiting, and mackerel, which came in large shoals within range -of the spear, were the only species they had tasted. Sometimes a shark, -which had followed the smaller fish into the shallow water, and swam -with his fins above the surface, would fall a victim to the spear. - -Each tribe rarely numbered more than fifty or sixty, and the chief was, -by right, the oldest man in it. When they increased and multiplied -beyond that number, fifty or sixty, there was a new tribe formed, and -they occupied a distinct tract of land, to which they were required -to confine themselves. This tract of land rarely exceeded an area of -40 miles in extent. Strange to say, the tribes beyond Parramatta did -not understand the language of the Sydney (Woolloomooloo) tribe. The -tribes on the north shore had no communication with the tribes on the -south shore, except when they invaded each other—which was seldom—and -did battle. On these occasions they swam the harbour, carrying their -spears, waddies (clubs), boomerangs, and shields on their heads. The -object of these invasions was to plunder each other of women. King -Bungaree denied that they were cannibals; but admitted that they -roasted and _tasted_ the enemies whom they slew in battle. The waddies -and spears of the different tribes were not exactly alike in make, -but the boomerang was of uniform construction; and I know, of my -own personal experience subsequently acquired, that amongst all the -savage tribes of New Holland, the use of the boomerang is universal. -Sir Thomas Mitchell, late Surveyor-General of Australia, and a very -able mathematician, when he first saw the flight of a boomerang, -and examined the weapon, exclaimed, “The savage who invented this, -in whatever time, was gifted by the Creator with a knowledge which -He has withheld from civilized man.” And, writing of the boomerang -propeller, Sir Thomas says, “That rotary motion can be communicated -to an instrument, acting as a screw, so as to be sustained in air, -without causing that fluid to recede, is suggested by the flight of -the boomerang, a missile which few in this country can have seen used, -or seen at all. This is a thin flat weapon, shaped somewhat like a -new moon, but not so pointed at the cusps, and more resembling in the -middle an elbow than an arc, being about two feet long, two inches -broad, seldom so much as a quarter of an inch thick, and made of hard, -heavy wood. The natives of Australia throw this to great distances, -and to great heights in the air, imparting to it two sorts of motion, -one of which is direct, the other rotary, by which last the missile -revolves round its own centre of gravity, having a twist into the plane -of a very fine screw. The effect of this almost imperceptible screw on -air, all who have been witnesses to a boomerang’s flight will remember. -To those who have not, we can only say that the rotary motion survives -the direct impetus with which the weapon is made to ascend, so as to -make it screw its way back to the very spot from whence it was thrown, -thus enabling mere gravitation to undo all the effect of the thrower’s -arm in sending it upwards.” - -When I was a boy, Bungaree had been a matter of mere amusement to -me. Now I was a man, he was an object of interest; able as he was to -remember the first big ships that entered Sydney harbour, when the -penal settlement was founded; the sensations of the tribe to which -he, then a boy, belonged when they beheld them; and the terror which -prevailed when the savage, for the first time, saw the face and -clothed form of the white man. He had often talked to me of these and -other such matters; but I was then too young to take any interest in -his discourse, further than what related to the best bays to fish -in, or the localities in which “five-corners,” “ground berries,” and -“gollions” (native fruits) were most plentiful. As for fish, even if I -had had now any desire to catch them, I could not have done it in any -of the bays of Sydney harbour. Like the kangaroo and the emu, they had -retreated beyond the bounds of civilized and busy life. They were now -only to be caught in the bays _outside_ “the Heads.” As to the native -fruits I have mentioned, I doubt whether I could have obtained a quart -within five miles of Sydney, had I offered five guineas for it. - -The children, male and female, of the aborigines were taught, or rather -made, to swim by being put into deep water soon after they were born. -As swimmers and divers, I do not think the blacks of New South Wales -were superior to the Arabs at Aden, or the Cingalese at Ceylon, but -they were certainly equal to them. A captain of a ship in the harbour -of Port Jackson once lost a case of claret overboard—a six-dozen case. -The ship was anchored in eight fathoms of water. Four blacks dived -down and brought it up, each man holding a corner of the chest on the -palm of his left hand. Incredible as it may seem, they were under the -surface of the stream for more than three minutes. I can remember one -day, when out with King Bungaree in his boat, losing a penknife with -which I was cutting bait on the gunwale. Queen Onion cried out, “I -get it!” and, dropping from the boat’s bow in her bedgown, she lifted -her hands and went down like a stone or a shot. After being lost to -sight for at least a minute and a half, up she came, like a bundle of -old clothes, with the penknife in her mouth. We were then fishing off -Garden Island, where the water is very deep. I doubt if there were less -than fifteen fathoms under our keel. - -The power of “tracking” was still left to old King Bungaree and his -tribe, but they rarely or never exercised it. Their savage and simple -natures had been contaminated and corrupted by their more civilized -fellow-creatures, and their whole thoughts seemed to be centered in -how they could most speedily become intoxicated and sleep off its -effects. Bread and rum, Bungaree said, were at first distasteful to -his palate; but after a while “he liked ’em berry much, and did not -care for nothing else.” King Bungaree was the only _old_ aboriginal I -ever saw in the vicinity of Sydney. Drink and its effects destroyed the -majority of both sexes long before they attained the prime of life. How -the race continued to be propagated within 50 miles of Sydney, even -when I last left the Colony, in 1843, was more than I could understand. -It was otherwise, however, in the far distant interior. Some of the -wild tribes in the squatting districts (where rum and tobacco were too -precious to be given to the blacks, either out of freak or a misplaced -generosity) were as fine specimens of the human shape as any sculptor -could desire as models. In addition to the elegance of their forms, -their eyes were brilliant and piercing, their teeth white as snow, -their agility superhuman, and their love of innocent mirth perfectly -childlike. - -Of King Bungaree’s principles and opinions I scarcely know what to -say; nor even, as his biographer, am I particularly anxious to dilate -on the subject. But I may mention that he one day confessed to me -that, of all the Governors who ever swayed the destinies of New South -Wales, General Macquarie was the greatest man. On probing him for his -reasons, I discovered that the kind-hearted old officer, whom he held -in such respect and veneration, was his greatest creditor. The General, -according to His Majesty’s account (and I believe him implicitly), had -“lent” him more cocked-hats, more coats, more shirts, more loaves of -bread, and more glasses of grog, than any other ruler in Australia; -and, further, he told me it was General Macquarie who “lent” him that -brass plate which he wore for so many, many years, and which was no -doubt found on His Majesty’s breast when he breathed his last. - -The writer does not give any account of the king’s death and burial. -It seems that he died on Garden Island, that a coffin was made for his -remains at the dock-yard, and that the interment took place with his -wife Gooseberry in an orchard at Ryde. Whether any memorial remains I -am not aware, but a stone was placed over his place of sepulture. - -We have Bungaree, not as king, but as the humble attendant of Flinders. -Flinders represents the scarcity of provisions. The price of fresh -meat was so exorbitant that he could not purchase it for his crew. He -paid £3 for a sheep, 30 or 40 lbs. weight; pork, 9d. per lb.; 9d. for -pollard; Indian corn, 5s. a bushel. What a change has taken place. Now -we are exporting meat to England, and at one time boiling down much -cattle and sheep, merely for their fat. - -Flinders observes, in preparing for his voyage:—“Bungaree, the -intelligent native who had accompanied me three years before in my -voyage to the north, was selected again, together with a youth named -Nambare. I had before experienced much advantage from the presence of -a native from Port Jackson, in bringing about a friendly intercourse -with the natives on the other parts of the coast. Bungaree the worthy, -a brave fellow who sailed with me in the ‘Norfolk,’ volunteered again; -and the other was Nambare, a good-natured lad, of whom Colonel Collins -has made mention in his account of New South Wales.” I presume this -youth must have been the well-known Bungaree, of immortal memory. - -The following memoir will supply further particulars of this -chieftain’s son:—A Mr. Coxen, who had been very kind to Bungaree, -adopted his son, whom he called after his father, and sent him to -school with his own sons to the Normal Institution, one of the leading -schools of the Colony, in Sydney, of which Mr. Gordon was head-master, -thereby giving him the same chance as any European, mixing as he did -on an equality with other boys, and receiving the same attention to -his studies and habits. He was a boarder with some ninety others, and -was, in fact, treated as any young gentleman ought to be. He was not -clever mentally, for after six years he only reached the rule of three; -could not understand Euclid or foreign languages, but was clever at -any manipulations with the pen or pencil. He wrote a beautiful hand, -but his spelling was defective. He was clever at all games requiring -physical activity, but strange withal, he was exceedingly lazy. He was -quick to learn by rote, but did not quite understand all he learned by -it. As a specimen of his race he was rather small, and not so quick -as many others would have been, had they had the same advantages. He -was sent to England to college, but the cold weather and his laziness -caused ill health. He returned to the Colonies, and like all his race -who have no tribe (having been brought up among white children), he -took to stock-riding, occasionally surprising some newly-arrived -squatter by exhibiting his writing and knowledge of cyphering. The last -heard of him is that he is like any other bushman, making a cheque and -knocking it down at the grog shops. It will be easy to guess what will -be his end. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - - The aboriginal Jackey Jackey. - - -This native accompanied the expedition of Mr. Kennedy from Rockingham -Bay to Cape York, in 1848, one of the most calamitous attempts at -discovery on record, except perhaps Leichhardt’s. - -The expedition was over-equipped with twenty-eight horses, three carts, -100 sheep, and ample supplies of all sorts—more like an expedition for -settlement than a mere exploring party. - -They landed at Rockingham Bay, thirteen in number. Jackey was a native -of Patrick’s Plains, and proved himself intelligent, faithful, and -trustworthy throughout this very disastrous expedition, in which all -but two perished besides Jackey Jackey, who survived after he had -faithfully led on the expedition, and, as we shall see by the sequel, -watched over Kennedy’s dying moments. - -After landing, they pursued their way through swamps and mangrove bush, -through which they had to cut their way to make a passage for their -sheep, &c. At length they had to abandon their carts and heavy luggage. -Jackey Jackey always in the front, the natives proving hostile, they -reached a native camp, quite a village, the gunyahs neatly built, of -a conical form, about 5½ feet diameter, 6 feet high, substantial, to -keep out the rain, with stone ovens for baking, &c., much superior to -the usual huts, indicating a better class of natives, but not less -ferocious. - -The party were now reduced to killing their horses, lean and miserable -as they were, seldom meeting any game or fish, and they were attacked -by sickness, and the sheep fell away. Their situation became each day -more critical, and it became necessary to appoint an advance party to -try and reach Cape York. Thus they parted at Weymouth Bay, Kennedy and -his party pushing on, leaving eight of their party there, a few of the -horses and other stores to subsist on; the object being to reach Cape -York, and there to meet a vessel in waiting, and so relieve them. - -The party here were left under Mr. Carron, the botanist, to whom we are -chiefly indebted for the sequel of this unfortunate expedition. Six of -the men died, leaving Carron and another, who had been wounded, to be -mercifully delivered when at the very extremities of existence. Such -was their extremity that, the kangaroo dog being very weak, they killed -him, and lived on him two days. The natives, they say, were a much -finer race than they had yet seen. - -Three more of the party were left behind at Pudding-pan Hill, they -being unable to travel, while Jackey Jackey and Mr. Kennedy pressed -forward until they came in sight of Port Albany, Kennedy stating -to Jackey Jackey “A ship is there—you see that island there.” Thus -close to deliverance, it was here Kennedy met his death. A party of -natives surrounded them, and Kennedy was wounded by a spear in the -back. Jackey pulled out the spear and fired at the blacks, wounding -one of them. The blacks speared Kennedy in the leg and then in the -right side; Jackey cut the spear out. The horses got speared also, and -became unmanageable. “Mr. Kennedy became stupid through his wounds, -and I carried him into the scrub. He said ‘Don’t carry me a good way.’ -I asked him, ‘Are you well now?’ He replied, ‘I don’t care for the -spear-wound in my leg, but for the wounds in my side and back; I am -bad inside.’ I told him blackfellows always die when they are speared -in the back. ‘Mr. Kennedy, are you going to leave me?’ He said, ‘Yes, -my boy, I am going to leave you; you take my books to the captain, but -not the big ones; the Governor will give you anything for them.’ Then I -tied up the papers, and Mr. K. said, ‘Give me paper and I will write,’ -but he fell back and died. I cried a good deal until I got well, that -was about an hour, and then I buried him—covered him over with logs and -grass, and my shirt and trousers. I then went on. Sometimes I had to -walk in the water; then through scrub. Many spears were thrown at me. -At length I reached Port Albany, where I was recognized by the captain -of the waiting vessel.” - -Having related, the death of poor Kennedy, the vessel was immediately -got under weigh, and proceeded to where the three men had been left, -but were unsuccessful in their search. Found a canoe with a cloak in -it, and other cloaks of the natives; therefore concluded that the -three unfortunate men had been murdered. They therefore sped their -way to the relief of Mr. Carron and his party, Weymouth Bay, where -they rescued Messrs. Carron and Goddard, the only survivors of that -party. These two men were unable to move without assistance, and had -despaired of relief. They had seen a vessel standing into the bay, and -made signals, but she altered her course, and so all hope of rescue -was given up. The discovery of these two men is well described. Jackey -Jackey led the party. After landing he was very tired. At last he -exclaimed, “I see camp.” Well done, Jackey. Suddenly he exclaimed, “I -see two whitefellows sit down in camp.” When they came up to them they -were two of the most pitiable beings possible. They were the only two -left of the eight; six had perished. Jackey Jackey said, “You see the -blackfellow there; you leave the tent and go to the vessel as fast as -you can.” The captain went into the tent to try and remove some things, -but Jackey Jackey said, “You leave him tent everything altogether; get -the two whitefellows into the boat quickly.” They took, however, some -important things, and then started in the boat. Carron’s legs were -terribly swollen. The vessel then proceeded to Sydney. - -The Government despatched Captain Simpson in the “Freak,” with Jackey -Jackey as a guide, to recover the journals and papers of poor Kennedy. -Search was made along the coast for the three men, but unavailingly. -The pillaged camp was found, with books and everything scattered about. -They found the remains of Walsh and Niblet, who were unburied; these -they buried. They only found in the search along the coast a leather -pistol-holster, marked 37. Jackey was confident that these three men -had been murdered. The next object was to recover Kennedy’s journals -and papers. In this Jackey Jackey displayed his usual intelligence. On -their track he pointed out the place where he had left the saddle-bags, -but these could not be found; but a sextant and horizon-glass were -found. Jackey told the party to look out for broken spears, and shortly -they found the place where Kennedy told Jackey not to carry him any -farther; also the place where Jackey had washed his wounds, and where -he had given Jackey his instructions about his papers. The sextant and -some other scientific things were found. The party found the papers and -diary, but not Kennedy’s grave. Poor Jackey was very quiet, and felt -deeply through the day, and tears started from his eyes when searching -for the remains, while his feelings against the natives were very -bitter. The papers had been pulled out of the tree, probably by a rat, -and were somewhat injured. - -“I cannot close my extracts without mentioning the exemplary conduct -of Jackey Jackey. I have always found him quiet, obliging, and very -respectful. When on shore he was very attentive, and his mind fixed on -one object. The sagacity and knowledge he displayed were astonishing. -When he found the place we were in search of he was never flushed, but -quiet and unobtrusive. He was much concerned at not being able to find -the remains of his master, to whom he was sincerely attached. - - J. B. SIMPSON, - Master of the ‘Freak.’” - -The melancholy condition to which Mr. Carron, the botanist, and Goddard -were reduced, and their delivery, is well described by the survivor. -“Six weeks,” he says, “had expired since Mr. Kennedy left us. Our shot -was all but expended. This morning we ate the two pigeons and boiled -the tea-leaves. Lap, the sheep-dog, remained our only companion, and -him we determined to kill, however poor; but a native now advanced and -gave me a piece of dirty paper. This was a note from Captain Dodson, -then in the bay. Joy filled our minds, and I gave the native an -answer, but he threw it away and joined the other natives, probably to -murder us. Just then I saw Captain Dodson and Dr. Vallack and Jackey -approaching, with a man named Barrett, who had been wounded a few days -before. I was reduced almost to a skeleton; the elbow-bone of my right -arm was through the skin; the bone of my hip also; my legs were swollen -enormously; I was carried to the boat.” - -He then describes the few things he saved. Here it was he heard of -the tragic death of poor Kennedy. It would ill become me to add -anything to the artless narrative of the faithful and true-hearted -Jackey, who, having tended Kennedy’s last moments and closed his eyes, -was perhaps the most interested bewailer of his unhappy fate. The -character throughout of Jackey Jackey is one of fidelity, sympathy, and -affectionate endurance, seldom equalled; while he must be regarded as -not only the guide, but the untiring deliverer of the remnant of the -party. - -All I can learn of Jackey Jackey’s subsequent history is, that on his -arrival in Sydney, the Government presented him with a brass plate and -inscription, which I understand is now in the Museum. He returned to -his tribe, Patrick’s Plains, where he died of consumption. Thus came to -an early grave this noble-minded man, whom, for fidelity and affection -under severe trials, few white men could excel. - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - -Tasmania—The Blacks—Mr. G. A. Robinson—The capture and transportation - of the Aborigines to Flinders Island—Their gradual decay and - extinction—Lalla Rookh, the last native. - - -Tasman had discovered the island of Tasmania and given it the name of -Van Diemen’s Land, after the Governor of Batavia, by whom he had been -commissioned to explore the “Great South Land.” - -The next visitor was a Frenchman, named Captain Marion du Fresne, -who on landing was assailed with showers of stones and spears, and -retaliated by volleys of musketry, which killed and wounded several -natives. This was the first blood shed, never to be forgotten by the -natives. The celebrated discoverer Captain Cook visited the island in -1777. He and Captain Bligh left pigs, vines, oranges, apples, plums, -onions, and potatoes, to which Captain Furneaux made additions. - -Captain Cook describes the natives—their women naked, their bodies -marked with scars, their heads partially shaved; they lived like -beasts. No doubt their condition was very miserable, but it was made -more so by European contact. - -Even Flinders’ interview with the natives was unfortunate; while -Captain De Surville, who anchored in Doubtless Bay, and was received by -crowds of natives, who supplied them with food and water, and treated -their sick with tenderness, nevertheless, repaid their services with -cruelty, under the suspicion that they had stolen a boat. The chief -Paginni, having been invited on board, was placed in irons. They then -burnt down the village and carried the chief to sea, who died of a -broken heart. De Surville, afterwards, was drowned in the surf when -landing at Callao in 1791. Thus, unfortunately, the very first visit of -the European was a visitation of blood, while the introduction of large -bodies of criminals added crime and disease to their wretchedness. - -From these causes arose an undying hatred on the part of natives to -Europeans; in fact, nothing short of a guerrilla war. - -Government sought to conciliate and benefit these people, and no doubt -much was done, but with very unsatisfactory results. - -From the diary of the Rev. Robert Knopwood we learn that our people -went to their camp, probably by way of reprisal, and attacked the -natives at Burke’s house, where a large body of natives had assembled -and were, in pursuit of kangaroo, shooting with spears. Mistaking this -for a war attack, an inexperienced officer ordered the soldiers to fire -into them, and numbers were wounded and slain. This led to fearful -consequences. - -Shortly afterwards two Europeans were put to death by the natives, and -the attack was attributed by the Governor in his proclamation, 1813, to -the frequent ill-treatment by the bushrangers. - -Another calamitous event took place. The natives came into town, under -the leadership of a prisoner named Campbell, who cohabited with a -native woman; they were kindly received by the Government, and many -presents were bestowed on them; the children associated and played with -the white children, but the conduct of the bushrangers to the native -women led to serious consequences. “Bad men,” they said, “had stolen -their piccaninnies.” - -In 1816 it is recorded that the natives now manifested much hostility -to the up-country settlers, killing and driving away their cattle. -Quarrels arose between them and the stockmen. Spears were exchanged -for the more deadly fire of musketry. The natives now entered on a -marauding warfare, stopped drays and travellers, and made regular -attacks on the huts. - -The Lieut.-Governor issued a proclamation in which he enumerated the -ill-treatment sometimes received—that they killed the men and pursued -the women and compelled them to abandon their children; and still more -horrible, the editor of a Wellington paper said, “We have ourselves -heard old hands declare it was not an uncommon practice to shoot them -to supply food for their dogs.” Females were not only the object of -their lust, but of their barbarity. The lash and the chain were the -harsh expedients of their savage love. - -Lemon, one of the leaders of the bushrangers, fearing that the natives -would disclose their retreats, bound them to trees and used them as -targets. These barbarities led to numerous murders of the whites; but -certainly the whites, even the soldiers, who cast one of their infants -into the flames, and a bushranger who cut off the head of a woman’s -husband, strung it round her neck, and made her walk before him, could -not be exceeded in atrocious conduct by the barbarians. - -Mr. Bonwick, in his narrative, sums up the determination of the blacks -to scatter blood, conflagration, death, and ruin throughout every -district of the Colony; so, for some time afterwards, blood was freely -shed, and homesteads were doomed to the flames. Inquests were held -daily, and country property had fallen in value to zero. - -A Government proclamation was issued in 1826 referring to these -outrages, and giving instructions how to act, but all these -proclamations, however well intended, were no better than waste paper. - -The savage, unrelenting and revengeful, proceeded at once to the -great black war. Two natives were captured and executed, while some -thirty-seven other persons were sentenced to death at the same -Sessions. It was proposed to give up one district to the blacks, but -this could not be accomplished, as they could not be confined to any -boundary. - -Black Tom was catechised by the Governor, and replied, “Your -stock-keepers kill plenty of blacks.” “But,” said the Governor, “you -kill men, women, and children.” “White men kill plenty of men, women, -and piccaninny.” “We want to be friendly to you.” Tom, laughing, said, -“All the same as white man, you catch it and kill it.” On hearing the -proclamation read, Tom, laughing, said, “You make proclamation, ha, ha, -ha! I never see that foolish. When he see dat he can’t read, who tell -him?” “You tell him, Tom.” “No, me like see you tell him yourself. He -soon spear me.” - -Here is a savage not destitute of human intellect. The Governor must -have felt that he met more than his match. - -As the blacks could not read, as Tom said, sign-boards were put up -exhibiting blacks spearing whites, and then hanging to a tree; the -Governor, with a cocked-hat and uniform, with soldiers superintending; -white women nursing black babies. How the blacks must have been -convulsed with fun, and turned all into a corroboree! - -Then came the Line scheme. Captain Welsh and Mr. G. A. Robinson -succeeded even at this early period in opening friendly intercourse -with one tribe, but this seems to have been objected to, as not driving -the natives far enough away. - -We must now introduce some noted characters, Mosquito, and Black -Jack, his colleague. The former was a native of New Holland, of great -physical powers, vigorous intellect, and of indomitable will. The -other, Jack, was able to read and write. When taking to the bush, he -exclaimed, “I’ll kill all the whites”; and Mosquito had associated with -convicts in New South Wales, and adopted all their vices of drinking -and swearing. An associate of Mosquito’s, known by the settlers as -Bulldog, and he cruelly ill-used and then murdered a woman; then ripped -up the body of the woman to destroy the infant. For want of evidence -they were simply transported—Mosquito to Van Diemen’s Land in 1813. He -was there employed to track bushrangers, a kind of blood-hound, but -the constables, his associates, became jealous of his skill; he was -therefore sent away to Hobart Town; and there became head and leader of -the mob, who hung about the town. He lived with several women, whom he -employed for various purposes, but one Gooseberry, a superior woman, -was his chief wife. He murdered her in a fit of jealousy. The monster -cut off the breasts of one of his gins, because she would suckle her -infant against his will. He sent his blacks to rob and slaughter. He -and his people kept the land in a state of terror. They spared neither -age nor sex, while it was impossible to catch them in the trackless -wilderness. He induced a native civilized lad to join his party, but -he was soon captured and sentenced to Macquarie Harbour, the Tasmanian -hell, but escaped, and was afterwards employed by the Government as a -black tracker. - -The outrages of these men were terrible, and a party of soldiers and -officers was formed to destroy them. In their search they came upon -a black party, stole on them at night, fired into them volleys, and -killed and wounded several. A sergeant seized a child, saying, “If you -are not mischievous now, you will be,” and dashed the child’s brains -out against a tree. Both parties became alike ferocious. Mosquito was -captured at length, being badly wounded, and, with Black Jack, tried -at Hobart Town. Mosquito was found guilty, Black Jack not guilty, but -the latter was tried on a second charge of murder, and both were -sentenced to death. They pleaded to be sent to a penal settlement, -but in vain—they were both executed. The chaplain who attended (the -Rev. W. Bedford) exhorted them to pray. Black Jack exclaimed, “Pray -yourself; I am too b——y frightened to pray.” After this example of -justice, many natives came into town to implore pardon. The black war -however went on, so that, during the temporary absence of the husbands -the quick-eyed natives stole down the chimneys or through the other -entrances of the houses, murdered all within, and plundered the places. -On the husband’s return he found his home a slaughterhouse. No one was -safe, and at length it was felt that something of a general character -must be done. - -Two or three persons—including the celebrated Batman, who first -passed over to Port Phillip and settled in that portion of New South -Wales—went out with a party for a year, captured several natives and -shot some; also the names of Robertson, Jorgenson, Hopkins, Eldon, -Grant, and others, must be mentioned as adventurers in the cause, who -took the field, but all in vain. Within six years 121 outrages of the -blacks were recorded in Oaklands district alone; twenty-one inquests -upon murdered persons were held between 1827 and 1830; some women -in self-defence took the musket and beat the attacking parties off, -although they attempted to fire the houses. - -Another proclamation was issued, offering rewards for the capture of -offenders, but, in spite of 3,000 armed persons forming a cordon not -more than sixty yards apart, the natives escaped. An occasional cry -was heard from the sentinels, “Look out, look out.” Every man seized -his gun and rushed forward, while the General galloped up, shouting, -“What is the matter?” “Don’t know; there has been a breaking of sticks -in that scrub.” “Fire, fire, fire.” A poor frightened cow rushed out, -occasioning peals of laughter. The Governor was facetiously called -Colonel George Black-string. They captured two natives only; the rest -had escaped in a fog. The army broke up, and the people were in no way -relieved from their danger. - -It was at this critical time that Mr. Robinson, a mechanic, made an -application to be permitted to go forth, unarmed, and by peaceful means -attempt to induce the natives to surrender. He was of course derided, -called a madman, a fool; but, although he had a little family depending -on him, he could not abandon his self-imposed duty. The state of the -natives was such that they lived worse than dogs, and were deprived -of food. Their gins were debauched by the cruel white men. The black -visitors to Tasmania had treated the natives with great cruelty. -Military and civil had been in the field from the 4th of October to -26th November, but the attempt entirely failed. The expense was near -£50,000; some say £70,000. - -Mr. Robinson proposed a plan of conciliation—to make a visit first -to Port Davey, and become known to the other tribes. He obtained a -long-boat, but this was wrecked. He carried no arms, but took with him -two natives, and set off at 12 o’clock at night with these guides to -cross the country, and the next morning the whole tribe joined him. -This was in 1830. He placed thirty-four natives on Swan Island, and -having been supplied with a cutter, he visited the islands, and rescued -many women from the sealers, who used them brutally, flogging them if -they did not cook properly. - -Next, he removed the Big River tribe and the Oyster Bay tribes to -Gun-carriage Island. On approaching these tribes, they ran down the -hill with spears, shouting. His party fled, and he alone confronted -these exasperated savages. They had known that he was the blackfellows’ -friend, and so became pacified. On one occasion only he fled, and was -saved by an old woman, who towed him over the river on a log. - -Mr. J. Bonwick’s description of one interview is too lucid to pass over. - -The leader Robinson had ventured under the shadow of the Frenchman’s -Gap, 5,000 feet high, in the uninhabited district of the western -interior. There he met the last tribe, and the most dangerous of the -natives. He had with him his stripling son, McGeary, Stanfield, and an -Hawaiian Islander. - -The stout-looking but handsome chief, Montpeliata, glared at them and -grasped his spear, 18 feet long; while fifteen powerful men, with their -spears and waddies, filled with all the hate and loathing for white -men which such a war had excited, were ill restrained by the voice -and gesture of their head. They rattled their spears, shouted their -war-cry, and menaced the mission party. The women kept in rear, each -carrying a bundle of spears, and 150 dogs growled at the intruders. - -It was a moment of trial to the stoutest nerves. The whites trembled, -and the friendly natives were about to fly. One word from that stern -chief and they would have been transfixed with spears. “I think,” -whispered McGeary, “we shall soon be in the resurrection.” “I think we -shall,” replied Robinson. - -The chief advancing, shouted, “Who are you?” “We are gentlemen,” was -the reply. “Where are your guns?” “We have none.” Still suspicious, -although astonished, the chief inquired, “Where are your piccaninnies -(pistols)?” “We have none.” There was then a pause. The chief, seeing -some blacks belonging to the white party running away, shouted, -“Come back!” This was the first gleam of hope. Meanwhile some of the -courageous female guides had glided round and were holding quiet -earnest converse with their wilder sisters. The great chief now walked -to the rear to confer with the old women. The whole party waited with -suspense for the result, on which their lives depended. In a few -minutes the women threw up their hands three times, as a token of -peace. Down fell the spears, and the impulsive natives rushed forward -to embrace relatives and friends, while the chiefs grasped each other’s -hands in brotherly embrace. It was a jubilee of joy. A feast followed, -and a corroboree closed the eventful day. Well may Robinson say this -was the happiest evening of his life. - -These poor people had fought for the soil; numbers had perished. They -had resisted 3,500 men well armed, but pacific measures had subdued -them: a noble victory of moral influence. The tribe had yielded as -friends, not captives. They delivered up sixteen stand of arms taken -from bushrangers, together with their spears; the latter were returned -to them. - -Robinson marched his friends to Bothwell. The inhabitants were -terrified, until he assured them that there was nothing to fear. After -a night’s rest he proceeded to Hobart Town, where he was greeted with -shouts of triumph and of welcome. Portraits were taken; the muse was -awakened to commemorate the bloodless victory; and then followed an -entertainment at Government House. - -In January, 1835, vessels were provided to convey them to Flinders -Island. This island is 40 miles long by 12 to 18 miles wide. Here -everything possible was done for them. As to religious and other -instruction, a Quakers’ deputation which visited the island describes -the state of society:—“A large party of native women took tea with us -at the Commandant’s. After tea they washed up the tea things, and put -everything in order. The catechist has translated into one of their -dialects a large portion of the first three chapters of Genesis. They -are daily instructed by the catechist.” Dr. Ross gives a sketch of -these people:—The females superintend the domestic matters. Each family -has a hut, windows, chairs, and tables manufactured by themselves -of the timber of the island, and they send to Launceston skins of -kangaroos and birds, and in exchange obtain useful articles. They -cultivate one large garden, moving the hoe to one of their melodies, -and have cleared a road several miles into the interior. An aboriginal -fund has been established, a Police Court to settle differences, and -a market formed for sale of articles. Mr. Robinson gives a sermon -entirely composed by one of them. - -But, alas, fearful mortality reduced the number down to fifty persons, -and they were fast disappearing, not from want of attention, but they -suffered much from nostalgia, and sighed after their country, which -they could see not very far off. They were consequently removed to -Oyster Cove; twelve men, twenty-two women and ten children. This -place is but a few miles from Hobart Town; it had been a penal -settlement. In time, the new settlement seemed to thrive. Mr. Clarke, -the catechist, wrote to say—they are now comfortable; have a full -supply of provisions; are able to till their gardens; sow beans and -potatoes; and the women can all make their own clothes, cook their -food, and make the houses comfortable, and are contented. But both Mr. -and Mrs. Clarke died, and the place became the dark valley of death. -In 1854, there remained only three men, eleven women, and two boys, -at a cost of £2,000 per annum to the Colony; the place became a ruin; -the unfortunate people were supplied with spirits—became drunken and -abandoned. The Governor often visited the station, as well as Lady -Denison, and brought them up to town in their carriages; but all in -vain, their doom was cast. - -Their condition was pitifully described by Mary Ann, a half-caste, wife -of Walter:—“We had souls in Flinders, but we have none here; there we -were looked after, here we are thrown into the scum of society; they -have brought us amongst the scum of the earth (alluding to convicts); -it would be better if some one came and read to us, and prayed with us; -we are tempted to drink; nobody cares for us.” The Bishop had appointed -a clergyman, but he was unpopular. - -Mary Ann’s description of poor Clarke’s death is very affecting:—“With -grief for the loss of his wife and the degradation of the people, he -took to his bed of death. Then,” said the faithful creature, weeping, -“Father Clarke died. I attended him, along with his daughter, night -and day. All the people wanted to do something; all loved him; and he -talked and prayed with us, and told me what to read. He had the room -full of us, and bade us good-bye. He did love us.” The writer had -to comfort her. She shook her head mournfully, and with bitterness -replied, “No one cares for the native’s soul, now Father Clarke is -gone.” Soon Mary Ann and Walter followed. - -The description of this couple and their fate is truly affecting. -Walter was engaged in conveying the mail from Huron to Hobart Town. -They lived in a three-roomed cottage. Mary Ann had it very neat, clean, -and gave guests a welcome. The floor was covered with a carpet, the -walls decorated with pictures, and the Bible and other books lay on -the table. Melancholy to think, both this man and wife became victims -to drink; he was drowned, and she, a noble woman, was soon cut off by -intemperance. One solitary man and one woman remained, King Billy and -his wife. - -The last public appearance of the king was at the Governor’s Ball, at -Government House, accompanied by three aboriginal females. - -In 1868, he accompanied the Duke of Edinburgh to Hobart Town, in a -blue suit of clothes, with gold lace round his hat, walking proudly -with the Duke, as one possessing royal blood; but he was seldom sober. -He also perished. He took to the sea and became a celebrated whaler, -but on getting his wages, £12 13s., he commenced drinking, and died of -cholera. He was followed to the grave by a large concourse of people, -mostly sailors. There still remained one woman, Lalla Rookh. - -Truganina, or Lalla Rookh, as she was sometimes called, the last of -the aborigines of Tasmania, died on the 8th instant (says the _Hobart -Town Mercury_, of May, 1876) of paralysis, at the residence of her -protectress, Mrs. Dandridge, in Macquarie-street. The death of this -last scion of a once numerous race is an event in the history of -Tasmania of no common interest, and it may well serve to “point a moral -and adorn a tale” on the question of the gradual but certain extinction -of the aboriginal races of these southern lands. Of Truganina we shall -no doubt hear many interesting narratives, now that she has departed -this world, but at present we must content ourselves with a few brief -facts concerning her life and death, leaving it to others, who have -leisure and opportunity, to favour the public with more extended -notices respecting her. That she was a queen is an admitted fact, and -that she had five husbands, all kings, is generally known. The last of -these partners of her joys and sorrows was the celebrated King Billy, -who died in March, 1869, and was the sole remaining male representative -of the Tasmanian aboriginals. It is a singular fact that Truganina -assisted “Black Robinson” in his efforts to induce the few natives, -then alive, to place themselves under the care of the Government. She -accompanied “Black Robinson” on a visit to the natives, distributing -presents of various kinds; and when they paid a second visit they were -warmly received, and the natives eventually consented to be taken care -of by the State. Truganina has seen them all die. She could tell many -very exciting stories of her life, and used to amuse those friends who -visited her with relating them. At one time, with other natives, she -was in Victoria, then known as Port Phillip. A murder was committed, -and though she always said she was innocent, she and another woman -and some males were sentenced to be hanged. Fortunately for her, she -had saved a lady and two children from the fury of the blacks on one -occasion, and this coming to the ears of the authorities, her life -was spared. Twenty years ago, when Mr. Dandridge, who succeeded Dr. -Milligan, took charge of the Oyster Cove Aboriginal Station, there -were sixteen survivors of the race, including Truganina, who belonged -to the Bruni Island tribe. Fifteen of them died during the life of Mr. -Dandridge. Nearly three years ago he, with his wife and family, removed -to Hobart Town, bringing Truganina with them, and the citizens soon -became familiar with the form of Her Majesty. She appeared at public -gatherings on several occasions, and frequently went out for walks, -always in charge of some member of the family with which she lived. -Her short, stout figure, red turban, and dusky features were known -far and wide, and always attracted great attention. She was partial -to conversation, and was always willing to give such information as -was within her knowledge. The death of Mr. Dandridge, two years ago, -was the occasion of great sorrow to her, and she never ceased to mourn -his loss. Since then she has been under the care of Mrs. Dandridge, -the Government having for many years granted £60 per annum for her -maintenance. She suffered a good deal from bad health of late. Though -sometimes very weak, she always rallied, and promised to live many -years. Within the last ten days, however, she had a presentiment that -she was going to die, but it did not seem to give her great concern. -She passed away as peacefully as a child, and though she was about -seventy-three years old, she did not look half that age after her death. - -One of the aborigines pathetically describes the destruction of the -people:—“All blackfellow gone. All this my country. A very pretty -place; many piccaninnies run about; plenty of blackfellow there; -corroboree; great fight; all cause about only me tell now. Poor them, -tumble down all; bury her like a lady. Put her in coffin like English. -I feel a lump in my throat when I talk of her, but bury her like a -lady, master.” - -Mr. Howitt says we actually turned out these inhabitants of Van -Diemen’s Land because we saw it was a goodly heritage; and our best -justification is that if we did not transport them we must burn them -out with our liquid fire, and poison them with disease and vice. It is -a powerful and, in some respects, a mysterious history. The only hope -appears to be when the Gospel precedes colonization, but even then, if -the tide sets in too soon, destruction follows. Let us look to European -Christianity. How many so-called Christians are little better than -savages, for with all the appliances by which they are surrounded, the -law only restrains them from violence. However many the failures, yet -the capacity for advancement of these people renders it no longer a -question of doubt whether they are no better than dogs. - - [Sketches.] - - Sydney: Thomas Richards, Government Printer.—1883 - -[Illustration: CAVE FIGURE] - -[Illustration: CAVE FIGURE] - -[Illustration: BUSH LIFE: BLACKS VISITING THE SHEPHERD’S HUT] - -[Illustration: ABORIGINAL MISSION STATION PORT LINCOLN, SOUTH - AUSTRALIA] - -[Illustration: ABORIGINAL CUSTOMS: THE CEREMONY OF DEPILATION—FROM - SKETCH BY W. A. CAWTHORNE] - -[Illustration: CEREMONY IN CONNECTION WITH THE EXTRACTION OF THE FRONT - TOOTH] - -[Illustration: CEREMONY IN CONNECTION WITH THE EXTRACTION OF THE FRONT - TOOTH] - - ————————————— End of Book ————————————— - - - - - Transcriber’s Note (continued) - - -Punctuation errors have been corrected. Inconsistencies in spelling, -grammar, capitalisation, and hyphenation are as they appear in the -original publication except where noted below: - - Page 18 – “illtreating” changed to “ill-treating” (ill-treating a - white man) - - Page 18 – “sand-hill” changed to “sandhill” (ascending a sandhill) - - Page 20 – “woomarah” changed to “woomera” (throwing-stick (woomera)) - - Page 22 – “ultmately” changed to “ultimately” (and ultimately to - destroy them) - - Page 22 – “guerilla” changed to “guerrilla” (a kind of guerrilla - warfare) - - Page 22 – “septem” changed to “septum” (piercing the septum of the - nose) - - Page 24 – “smallpox” changed to “small-pox” (visited by the - small-pox) - - Page 24 – “Willemering” changed to “Wil-le-me-ring” (the name of - Wil-le-me-ring) - - Page 25 – “Cam-mer-ra-gal” changed to “Cam-mer-ray-gal” (a man of - the name of Cam-mer-ray-gal) - - Page 27 – “Phillips” changed to “Phillip” (Cook, Dampier, and Phillip) - - Page 49 – “Binnie” changed to “Binney” (as a man told Mr. Binney) - - Page 53 – “recommeded” changed to “recommended” (recommended by - our medical) - - Page 57 – “Askabout” changed to “Ask-about” (“Broomstick,” “Ask-about,” - and “Pincher.”) - - Page 65 – “there” changed to “their” (their heads partially shaved) - - Page 65 – “black-fellows” changed to “blackfellows” (the blackfellows’ - friend) - - Page 65 – “guerilla” changed to “guerrilla” (a guerrilla war) - - ———— - -The common and scientific names used in the original publication for -references to species of Australian flora and fauna have been left -unchanged in this transcription. These names may appear differently in -modern references perhaps because a species has been reclassified as -belonging to a different genus or it has a newer common name or the -spelling and hyphenation have changed. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ABORIGINES OF -AUSTRALIA *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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-} - -/* === QGC additions to standard CSS === */ - -p { text-indent: 1em; } - -.p0 { margin-top: 0em; } -.p1 { margin-top: 1em; } -.p2 { margin-top: 2em; } -.b1 { margin-bottom: 1em; } -.b2 { margin-bottom: 2em; } - -.hanging2 { - padding-left: 2em; - text-indent: -2em; -} - -table.toc { - font-size: small; -} - -table.p32 { - margin-left: 4em; - margin-right: auto; -} - -table.p34 { - margin-left: 4em; - margin-right: auto; -} - -table.p35 { - margin-left: 4em; - margin-right: auto; -} - -table.p50 { - margin-left: 4em; - margin-right: auto; - border-spacing: 0px; - padding-top: 0px; - padding-bottom: 0px; -} - -.tdcb { text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom; } -.tdrb { text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom; } -.tdlm { text-align: left; vertical-align: middle; } - -td.border-top { - border-top: 1px solid black; - border-collapse: collapse; -} - -td.border-bottom { - border-bottom: 1px solid black; - border-collapse: collapse; -} - -hr.double-thin { - width: 12%; - border-top: double; - margin-left: 44%; - margin-right: 44%; - margin-top: 1.5em; -} - -.pagenum { font-family: serif; } - -.illowe35 { width: 35em; } -.illowe30 { width: 30em; } - -.large { font-size: large; } -.small { font-size: small; } -.x-small { font-size: x-small; } - -.bold { font-weight: bold; } - -.noindent { text-indent: 0em; } - -a { text-decoration: none; } -a.underline { text-decoration: underline; } - -/* === Transcriber's notes === */ -.transnote { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; - font-size: small; -} - -.transnote-end { - background-color: #E6E6FA; - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; - color: black; - padding: 0.5em; - margin-bottom: 5em; - font-size: small; - font-family: sans-serif, serif; -} - -p.TN-style-1 { - text-indent: 0em; - margin-top: 1.5em; - font-size: small; -} - -p.TN-style-2 { - text-align: left; - margin-top: 1.0em; - text-indent: -1em; - margin-left: 3em; - font-size: small; -} - -@media print { .transnote { - margin-left: 2.5%; - margin-right: 2.5%; - } -} - -@media print { .transnote-end { - margin-left: 2.5%; - margin-right: 2.5%; - } -} - -.x-ebookmaker .transnote { - margin-left: 5%; - margin-right: 5%; -} - -.x-ebookmaker .transnote-end { - margin-left: 5%; - margin-right: 5%; -} - -/* Poetry indents */ -.poetry .indent0 {text-indent: -3em;} - - - </style> -</head> -<body> -<p style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Aborigines of Australia, by Richard Sadleir</p> -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: The Aborigines of Australia</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Richard Sadleir</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: December 12, 2022 [eBook #69529]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: Tim Lindell, Quentin Campbell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ABORIGINES OF AUSTRALIA ***</div> - -<div class="figcenter illowe35 x-ebookmaker-drop"> - <a rel="nofollow" href="images/cover.jpg"> - <img class="w100" src="images/cover.jpg" alt=""> - </a> -</div> - -<div class="transnote chapter p4"> -<a id="top"></a> -<p class="noindent center TN-style-1 bold">Transcriber’s Note</p> - -<p class="noindent center TN-style-1">The cover image was restored by Thiers Halliwell and is placed in the public domain.</p> - -<hr class="r10"> - -<p class="noindent center TN-style-1">Click any image to see a larger version.</p> - -<hr class="r10"> - -<p class="noindent center TN-style-1">See <a class="underline" href="#TN">end -of this document</a> for details of corrections and other changes.</p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<div class="figcenter illowe35 p2 b2" style="max-width: 65.5em;" id="i_032"> - <a rel="nofollow" href="images/frontispiece_grayscale.jpg"> - <img class="w100" src="images/frontispiece_grayscale.jpg" alt=""> - </a> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h1 class="nobreak" id="TITLE"><span style="font-size: 120%">THE ABORIGINES</span><br><br> -<span style="font-size: 40%">OF</span><br><br> -<span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: 200">AUSTRALIA.</span></h1> - -<p class="noindent center p4"> -<span style="font-size: 70%">BY</span><br><br><br> -<span style="font-size: 110%">RICHARD SADLEIR, R.N., J.P.</span><br><br></p> - -<hr class="r5"> - -<p class="noindent center p2">SYDNEY: THOMAS RICHARDS, GOVERNMENT PRINTER.<br> -<br> -1883.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CONTENTS">CONTENTS.</h2> - -<table class="toc"> - <tr> - <td class="tdcb" colspan="3">CHAPTER I.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdrb" colspan="3"><span class="x-small">PAGE.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><p class="hanging2">Origin⁠—Language⁠—Marriage formalities⁠—Infanticide⁠—Relationships⁠—Population⁠—Spitting Tribe⁠—Encounter -Tribe⁠—Tribal divisions⁠—Intelligence⁠—Laws⁠—Customs⁠—Ceremony of Depilation⁠—Funeral customs</p></td> - <td class="tdl">  </td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_7">7</a></td> - </tr> - <tr style="height: 2.5em;"> - <td class="tdcb" colspan="3">CHAPTER II.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><p class="hanging2">Religion⁠—Massacre of the crew of the “Maria”—Traditions⁠—Cave Figures⁠—Superstitions⁠—Sorcery⁠—Diseases⁠—Poison -revenge⁠—Native songs⁠—Wit and humour⁠—Fidelity⁠—Amusements⁠—Corroborees⁠—Weapons⁠—Manufactures⁠—The -Bogan Tribes⁠—Native Fruits⁠—Dwellings</p></td> - <td class="tdl">  </td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_14">14</a></td> - </tr> - <tr style="height: 2.5em;"> - <td class="tdcb" colspan="3">CHAPTER III.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><p class="hanging2">First settlement of the Colony⁠—Claims of the Aborigines⁠—Extracts from Collins’s works⁠—Bennillong and Cole-be⁠—Dangerous -proceedings of the Aborigines⁠—Frightful massacre by the Blacks⁠—Notes by a University Man⁠—Mr. -Trollope’s remarks⁠—Aboriginal Police⁠—Doom of the Queensland Savage⁠—Massacre on Liverpool Plains⁠—South -Australian Aboriginals</p></td> - <td class="tdl">  </td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_22">22</a></td> - </tr> - <tr style="height: 2.5em;"> - <td class="tdcb" colspan="3">CHAPTER IV.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><p class="hanging2">Efforts made to civilize the Aborigines⁠—Rev. L. E. Threlkeld⁠—Results of Missions⁠—Government support of -Missions⁠—Society for propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts⁠—Population in the Port Phillip District⁠—Examination -before the Legislative Council on the Aboriginal Question⁠—Lieut. Sadleir’s evidence⁠—Rev. L. E. -Threlkeld’s evidence⁠—Captain Grey’s opinion</p></td> - <td class="tdl">  </td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_31">31</a></td> - </tr> - <tr style="height: 2.5em;"> - <td class="tdcb" colspan="3">CHAPTER V.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><p class="hanging2">Aborigines of Victoria⁠—Mr. Westgarth’s remarks⁠—Mr. Lloyd’s remarks⁠—Buckley’s residence among the Aboriginals</p></td> - <td class="tdl">  </td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_42">42</a></td> - </tr> - <tr style="height: 2.5em;"> - <td class="tdcb" colspan="3">CHAPTER VI.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><p class="hanging2">Aboriginal Friends’ Association⁠—Mission to Lake Alexandrina⁠—Rev. Mr. Binney’s remarks⁠—Extract from Mr. -Foster⁠—The Bishop of Adelaide’s visit to the Native Institution⁠—Report of the Committee of the Legislature⁠—Evidence -of the Bishop⁠—The Chief Protector⁠—The Right Rev. Dr. Hale’s Mission⁠—The Poonindie -Mission⁠—The Queensland Mission⁠—The Maloga and Warangesda Missions⁠—The Government appointments⁠—The -Church of England Board of Missions⁠—The Queen’s Instructions⁠—The assistance rendered to the -Aborigines by the Government</p></td> - <td class="tdl">  </td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_46">46</a></td> - </tr> - <tr style="height: 2.5em;"> - <td class="tdcb" colspan="3">CHAPTER VII.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><p class="hanging2">The last of the Sovereigns of the Sydney tribe, “King Bungaree”—His son</p></td> - <td class="tdl">  </td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_56">56</a></td> - </tr> - <tr style="height: 2.5em;"> - <td class="tdcb" colspan="3">CHAPTER VIII.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><p class="hanging2">The aboriginal Jackey Jackey</p></td> - <td class="tdl">  </td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_63">63</a></td> - </tr> - <tr style="height: 2.5em;"> - <td class="tdcb" colspan="3">CHAPTER IX.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><p class="hanging2">Tasmania⁠—The Blacks⁠—Mr. G. A. Robinson⁠—The capture and transportation of the Aborigines to Flinders -Island⁠—Their gradual decay and extinction⁠—Lalla Rookh, the last native</p></td> - <td class="tdl">  </td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_65">65</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<p class="noindent center bold nobreak"><span style="font-size: 190%">THE ABORIGINES OF AUSTRALIA.</span></p> - -<hr class="double-thin"> - -<h2 id="INTRODUCTORY_REMARKS">INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.</h2> - -<p class="noindent large"><span class="smcap">Shortly</span> after my arrival in the Colony in 1826, I was appointed to a Commission of -Inquiry into the state of the Aborigines. Previous to that, martial law had been -proclaimed about Bathurst, where the blacks had been committing serious aggressions -under Monday, their chief.</p> - -<p class="large">My journey, extending over 1,600 miles, occupied six months. I lived partly -with these people, so as to ascertain their number, language, habits, &c., and proposed -a scheme of reserves, as in Canada, a border police, and missionary education, but the -cost, £6,000 per annum, was considered too much, and my suggestion was therefore -not acted on.</p> - -<p class="large">I was subsequently examined, together with <span class="smcap">Mr. Robinson</span> and the <span class="smcap">Rev. -Mr. Threlkeld</span>, before the Committee of the Legislative Council, about 1837, from -which much information was acquired.</p> - -<p class="large">The present work is part of a large manuscript, and I have thought it a favourable -opportunity to publish it, now that fresh interest is awakened about these people, -devoting any profits to the Missions lately established within New South Wales.</p> - -<p class="large right">R. S.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_7">[7]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I.</h2> - - -<p class="hanging2 small p3 b2">Origin⁠—Language⁠—Marriage formalities⁠—Infanticide⁠—Relationships⁠—Population⁠—Spitting -Tribe⁠—Encounter Tribe⁠—Tribal divisions⁠—Intelligence⁠—Laws⁠—Customs⁠—Ceremony of Depilation⁠—Funeral customs.</p> - -<p class="noindent"><span class="smcap">The</span> origin of this race is difficult to trace; they seem to have no traditions, and, although the country -abounds in gold, copper, and iron, they never appear to have reached the metal implement age. Living -principally on the chase, agriculture was not carried on by them, and their only domestic animal was the -dingo. There are no remains of architecture amongst them; yet the same painted hand as is found in -South America affords some faint trace of their connection with that country. The language, however, -furnishes some clue; the grammatical structure of all Australian aboriginal dialects is the same. A -few words show a connection with the Aryan rather than the Turanian race, and are, in fact, allied, -both in sound and meaning, to words used by nations deriving their speech from the Sanscrit.</p> - -<p>Many examples may be given of the affinity of the aborigines’ language and those spoken by the -various Aryan nations. Possibly this may have been caused by the intercourse with Malays, who from time -to time visited the northern coast. The diversity of dialects of the Australian language is deemed to be -proof of their high antiquity as a race, as it is thought that a great length of time must have elapsed since -they had but one tongue. Their numbers are small in proportion to the extent of the country, but this -may have arisen from the want of food, in the absence of any cultivation, although in a fine country with -few hardships from climate or other causes.</p> - -<p>Some may be descended from the Arabs who spread themselves beyond the Indian Archipelago. -From the mixture of Arab words, and the rites of circumcision in some tribes, and from the extensive -spread of the Arab, there may be reason to suppose they have a large infusion of that blood.</p> - -<p>The people of the adjoining islands resemble closely the aboriginals. They go naked, have no fixed -habitation, use bone and stone implements, have no knowledge of metals or pottery, and in stature, colour, -and appearance are similar; but they resemble more the Tasmanians, who are of purer blood. The natives -lived under fixed laws, so when the whites arrived, and those that occupied the shore could not fall back, -as their intrusion would have added to the wants of those behind them, they were therefore obliged to -stand their ground and take the consequences of meeting a superior race, so that their skeletons were -found in abundance in caves and amidst projecting rocks, having fallen victims to famine, especially about -Sydney, and to the small-pox.—<i>Collins.</i></p> - -<p>The Rev. Dr. Lang enters largely into the origin of this people. He conceives they must have been -originally a martial people. One thing is remarkable, they have no idol worship.</p> - -<p>The aborigines afford us some information upon the original condition of mankind—that they have -descended from a higher state of existence, and not risen from a lower state of barbarism. Their language -is one proof that it is far above, as some assert to be, the original language of man, that of the imitation -merely of the brute creation. It is remarkable for its complexity of structure and the precision with which -it can be used. It is evidently derived from one root, although there are different dialects. The term -for river is Mawersal; so with eye, Meyl. It is very euphonious and significant, combining great power -with simplicity. Thus, the term for a cloud is both elegant and expressive, “Gabley maar,” the well of the -sky or the fountain of the firmament. “Moorang toeen” is to weep, the same import as “gabley maar.” -The “ong” of the Hebrew is of frequent use among these people. They have the dual number throughout, -six cases in each declension of nouns and pronouns, and verbs with regular roots. They have names for -relationship far more copious than we have in English. If they were only developed from a lower creation -they would never have constructed this language. They must have descended, and their language is a -remnant of their higher ancestry. Next their customs: these are of a most laborious and cumbersome -character, having many curious rites observed with great exactness; yet they can give no account of their<span class="pagenum" id="Page_8">[8]</span> -origin or even of their uses, so that we may well conclude that they descended to them, and were not -invented by them. Of inventions: the present natives have no power of invention, and have no idea of -numerals; yet we find the boomerang, and throwing-stick for the spear (woomera), the former on scientific -principles, and other things which must have descended to them and not been invented by them, denoting -a higher ancestry, from which they still draw much, handed down by use and tradition.</p> - -<p>We have in these particulars strong evidence that the savages are upon the descending scale; while -from the remains of animals that once inhabited the country, we have another evidence that in all these -kingdoms there is a retrogression rather than a progression, except where man is elevated by copying and -improving on the arts of nature to a certain extent in painting, architecture, statuary, &c., or where -Christianity has elevated the human race. And so it is with these natives who have embraced Christianity; -they build houses and churches, read, write, and learn agriculture, and thereby rise above the common -degeneration.</p> - -<p>In fact, the very ruins of past nations show that mankind has sprung from an intellectual source and -gradually descended, as with all the Eastern nations, and more so in social proportion as they lost the -knowledge of the true God. The very licentiousness under heathen dominion, and the very cruelties of -heathen rites, the degradation of the female sex, and constant wars, have all a downward tendency. So -that however high Greece and Rome rose, they had within them the germs of decay. Hence the value of -missions for conveying civilization and moral exaltation, renewing as it were the life of man upon the earth, -regenerating humanity.</p> - -<p>The Bishop of Perth, in his appeal on behalf of the aborigines, says:⁠—“The darkness of ignorance -is dark indeed, but far darker is their state when to the darkness of ignorance has been added the degradation -of the chequered vices of civilization, the consciousness of being treated and held as serfs of a race -above them, while all illumination of soul or conscience has been denied them. The primitive state of -these people was far better than their present debauched, degraded, perishing condition.”</p> - -<p>The Bishop says that in the Roebourne District, which has now been for some years occupied with -cattle and sheep for some 300 miles along the coast, there is a population of nearly 2,000 aborigines. The -majority of them are in the employ of the settlers, either on their stations or the pearl fisheries, of which -the port of Cossack is the centre, while, in the Gascoyne and newly discovered Kimberley Districts the -natives are very numerous, although mostly in their wild state. They are, through the Northern Districts, -a fine, intelligent, able-bodied race, and when, as in the Roebourne District, they have been brought into -the employment of the settlers, have proved valuable as shepherds, shearers, and divers. A solitary lady -(the only labourer) it appears has gathered a few native children about her for instruction.</p> - -<p>The Bishop then enters into the question of missions. Says he has £500 in hand, also £500 -promised, hopes to obtain collections, and that the Government has promised every assistance in its power, -such as reserves of land and pecuniary aid. There is therefore some promise of commencement here.</p> - -<p>While they allow polygamy, they do not permit marriages within a certain descent, and it is a crime -worthy of death to marry one of the wrong sort; the distinction of tribes by name is the distinction of -marriage. Ippai may marry Kapota or any Ippata but his own sister, Murri may marry Buta only, -Kumbo may marry Mata only. An infraction of these laws is death. Marriage is not conducted, as -generally represented, as a forcible act, at least not in all the tribes. The female is given in marriage -at an early age (ten or twelve years old). It is a kind of exchange; the man who obtains a wife -promises to give his sister or other relative in exchange; the parties may never have seen each other.</p> - -<p>These marriages are always of different tribes. During the ceremony the relatives camp apart. A -man takes a fire-stick and conducts the bride into the midst of the parties and gives her away, walking silently -away with downcast looks. As soon as they approach the hut is given up. The bride and bridegroom are -placed near each other, and the relatives take their places. The party generally fall asleep; at daybreak -the bride leaves the hut for her friends, and in the evening is conducted to her husband by their female -friends; the tribes then separate and return to their various districts. The man is bound to provide -animal food, the wife vegetables, if she pleases. The husband rubs her over with grease to improve her -appearance. If there are several wives they seldom agree, continually quarrelling, and are regarded more -as slaves, being employed to the husband’s advantage. The woman who leaves with her own consent to -live with a man without the consent of her relations, is regarded as a prostitute and exposed to taunts. -The sale of wives is frequent, for either money, clothes, weapons, &c. Woman gives consent by carrying -fire to her husband’s wurley and making his fire; an unwilling wife will say, “I never made fire in his -wurley.” The eldest wife is always regarded as mistress of the hut. Marriages take place after dark, and -are always celebrated with great dancing and singing; sometimes licentiousness takes place, but there are -as loving couples as amongst Europeans.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_9">[9]</span></p> - -<p>Many old men have three and four wives, while the young continue bachelors; the long suckling -of children and infanticide both tend to keep down population.</p> - -<p>Women near their confinement retire to be attended by women and to be secluded. After birth, -the husband attends on his wife, and often nurses the infant, which, if spared, is most affectionately -watched over; but infanticide is very common, so much so that nearly one-half to one-third of the infants -are destroyed, and that in a shocking manner. Red hot embers are stuffed into the child’s ears, and the -orifice is closed with sand, and then the body is burnt; sometimes a waddy is resorted to. If there be -twins, or malformation, or illegitimate children, they are generally destroyed.</p> - -<p>When native children are born, they are nearly as white as Europeans. Girls have children at the -early age of fourteen. The girls wear an apron of fringe until they bear their first child, and if they have -no child, the husband burns the apron, probably as an exposure.</p> - -<p>The evil of prostitution is very great. The women are in some districts given up to promiscuous -intercourse with the youths at certain seasons.</p> - -<p>Relationships are very intricate, and difficult to unravel. They have the Tamilian system, which -obtains amongst North-American Indians, and the Telugu and Tamil tribes in the East Indies.</p> - -<p>A man looks upon the offspring of his brother as his own sons and daughters, while he only considers -those of his sister in the more distant relationship of nephews and nieces. So, also, a woman counts -her sister’s children as her own, but those of her brother by a kinship similar to nephews and nieces.</p> - -<p>Thus, children look upon their father’s brother in the light of a father, but his sister as their aunt -merely; whilst their mother’s sister ranks as a female parent, but her brother as only their uncle.</p> - -<p>The scale of relationship is as follows:⁠—Nanghai is my father; Nainkowa is my mother; Ngaiowe is -your father; Ninkuwe is your mother; Yikowalle is his father; Narkowalle is his mother.</p> - -<p>Widow is Yortangi; widower is Randi; fatherless is Kukathe; motherless is Kulgutye.</p> - -<p>One who has lost a child, Mainmaiyari; one bereaved of a brother or sister, Muntyuli.</p> - -<p>From this scheme of relationship it seems possible that some came from Southern India—were driven -southward by the Malays. Names are changeable, the parents sometimes bearing the name of the child. -They are also significant—Putteri is the end; Ngiampinyeri, belonging to the back or loins; Maratinyeri, -belonging to emptiness.</p> - -<p>Property always descends from father to son.</p> - -<p>Mr. Taplin observes that the general idea that there is a law by which the savage must disappear -before civilized man is not true, and instances the South American and Dutch colonizations as still preserving -the aboriginal races.</p> - -<p>English settlers go forth to exercise their freedom, and the Government does not strictly watch -their actions, while it makes no particular law for the aboriginal races suitable for their particular -situation.</p> - -<p>English law is forced upon them; whereas the French and Dutch Governments watchfully manage -and regulate everything—the governing power goes with them; the roads, police, everything is kept under -the governing power, even the aborigines are under the same.</p> - -<p>This, no doubt, in some degree has its influences, while, on the other hand, the native laws to which -they were obedient are removed, and the power of the chiefs is destroyed, so that the aboriginal is -placed between two influences, the one to which he had always been subject is destroyed, and a new law of -which he knows nothing is substituted, and thus he is left in a position of doubt and perplexity, while the -food, drink, clothing, and vices of the whites soon gain supremacy.</p> - -<p>Nothing can be more disgraceful to a civilized and professing Christian people than this wholesale -ruin of their fellow-men, which they attribute to a law, but which is in fact a consequence criminally brought -about by our depravity, selfishness, and want of Christian principles. The writer concludes his remarks -by saying that they are not an irreligious race; he believes that nothing but the Gospel can save them -from extinction.</p> - -<p>A few extracts from the lecture of Gideon Lang, delivered in Melbourne, will throw some more -light upon the habits of this race.</p> - -<p>He says the inhabitants of the whole continent form one people, governed by the same laws and -customs, with some allowance for the difference of localities; every tribe, however, has its own district. -The government is most arbitrary, composed of old men and powerful men, but degrading to women, -the old men often having from five to seven wives, which privilege is denied to young men.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_10">[10]</span></p> - -<p>The government is administered by a council of old men, the young not being admitted. There is -also a class that go from tribe to tribe, and their medicine men.</p> - -<p>The intelligence of the natives is quite underrated. Their skill and activity in war, and their -subtlety as diplomatists, Mr. Lang says, are quite equal to the North American Indian. (Having mixed -with the North American Indians, I think this is rather exaggerated.)</p> - -<p>In the corroborees they have especial performances. 500 sometimes assemble and represent a herd -of cattle feeding, the performers being painted accordingly; they lie down and chew the cud, scratch -themselves, and lick the calves, &c.; they then proceed to spear the cattle; next are heard a troop of horses -galloping; a party with faces painted white, and bodies painted whitey-brown, some blue, others to represent -stockmen; then comes a body of natives, and a regular sham-fight takes place, in which the natives are -conquerors. But, alas! the murderous hand of the whites has destroyed them by shooting them down, -and even resorting to poison, while by our occupation of the country, the destruction of their game, and the -introduction of disease, they are fast dying out and disappearing.</p> - -<p>Governor Phillip supposed that there were 3,000 aboriginal inhabitants within 200 square miles -of Sydney, but now there is scarcely one left.</p> - -<p>For the whole of Australia the number is under half a million. Around Melbourne and Sydney -the population is extinct. At Port Jackson there were but one male and three females left. And the old -Brisbane tribe, which once numbered 1,000, is now nearly extinct. The Tasmanian race is extinct. And -so the original inhabitants of this immense country will soon cease to be known. In the north they are -a finer race; but they are likewise doomed to perish by European vices and encroachment. Yet these -men have made excellent sailors, good policemen, and stockmen, and recently they were conveyed home -to England as first-rate cricket-players. Can they want intelligence?</p> - -<p>They seem very like the Gipsy race—prone to wander, therefore hard to domesticate. This arises -probably from their having to seek their food over a widely scattered area.</p> - -<p>Sir G. Grey’s party met with native huts in considerable villages of a more remarkable construction -than those of South Australia, being very nicely plastered on the outside with clay and clods of turf; -there were also well marked roads, sunken wells, and extensive warren grounds, certainly indicative of -some advance in civilization.</p> - -<p>The most singular tribe Mitchell met with was what he termed the spitting tribe. These savages -waived boughs violently over their heads, spat at the travellers, and threw dust with their toes, and forming -into a circle, shouting, jumping, spitting, and throwing up dust, sang war songs with the most hideous -gestures; their faces seemed all eyes and teeth.</p> - -<p>The Encounter tribe is remarkable for daring. In one case, where the natives were pursued by two -police, the blackfellows rushed on the troopers, and knocked one down, and he was only rescued by the -arrival of the other trooper, whom the blackfellows also attacked, but were captured.</p> - -<p>The sealers on the islands had stolen three women, wives of the blacks. After a short time, two -escaped in a miserable canoe; the third attempted with her child to swim, but was drowned.</p> - -<p>The natives have suffered much from the whites. There are now three classes of the natives—the -old blacks, who hold fast to the customs of the tribes; the natives who are inoculated with the worst vices -of the Europeans, being drunkards, gamblers, and utterly lawless; and lastly, the native Christians, yearly -increasing in numbers. The tendency of Christian civilization, when adopted, is to make them more vigorous -and long-lived.</p> - -<p>The country is divided into tribal possessions, which none can intrude upon, so that the tribes are -confined within a space of country so small that food often fails.</p> - -<p>The tribes are jealous of any invasion of territory. This accounts for divisions of districts, as well -as a variety of feature, texture of hair, &c., the latter being sometimes, but rarely, found to be woolly in -Tasmania. Long hair is generally met with, but in the interior whole tribes are found entirely destitute -of the same, while others are remarkable for being very hairy, except on the palms of their hands and the -soles of their feet, and a small space round the eyes; these last are remarkable for strength and stature. -Some have frizzled hair like the Papuans, and others have hair over their shoulders like Maccabars, while -their beards are as different as the hair of their heads; the colour of the skin varies from black to copper -colour, and again to almost white. Their features also differ; the Jewish, Celtic, and Teutonic type are -recognizable, from which the stockmen nick-name them Paddy, Sawney, John Bull. They make good -seamen, stockmen, and policemen. The aborigines are not Papuans, but are probably cave-dwellers; -having no fixed habitation or residence, they depend entirely upon the natural productions of the soil, -game, and fish.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_11">[11]</span></p> - -<p>The formation of their skulls is sometimes low, but in many instances large and equal to the average -of Europeans. The theory of their inferiority is not strictly supported; few persons who have had opportunity -of judging will admit this inferiority of intelligence; it needs only cultivation.</p> - -<p>They possess all the tender feelings of our common humanity, weeping over each other’s afflictions, -as fellow mortals mourning with those who mourn. Exposed to danger and treachery, they are watchful; -the rustling of a leaf will make them start to their feet. Acknowledging the law of retaliation, blood for -blood, they seldom feel secure.</p> - -<p>It would appear that the aborigines of the sea-coast had never ventured far inland, and had never -passed the Blue Mountains, as they held to the belief that the interior was inhabited by white people, and -that there were large lakes and inland seas.</p> - -<p>They are a very law-abiding people; the tribes are under government of the chief elders, who are -chosen or elective; they are the leaders in war, and in fact rulers of the tribe.</p> - -<p>One of their laws is that none but native weapons shall be used in their battles; another, that an -unfair wound shall be punished. Capt. Jack Harvey had bitten a man’s lips; the tribe assembled and -sentenced him to four blows of a waddy on his head, the justice of which punishment he acknowledged.</p> - -<p>While the great change from their natural habits, diet, and mode of living, when brought under the -restriction of civilization, and their natural love of freedom—the influence of the elder people on them -when they reach the age of twelve, that they must undergo the ceremonies of piercing the nose and -knocking out the tooth, &c., &c.—while these failures (not however destitute of civilizing and Christian -evidences) are nevertheless disappointing, yet they have proved that these people are not so degraded as -represented, that they are not, as has been openly declared, scarce human, and may therefore be -destroyed—indeed, that this is the decree of God. The fact is now incontrovertible that they possess much -capacity, considerable intelligence, and are capable of instruction; have the same affections, the same -domestic and social relationships as ourselves; are subject to special laws, and defend their country with -patriotism. That they have not risen to something higher is well expressed by Mr. Marsden, “They have -no wants.” They live in a fine climate, with no ferocious animals to guard against, no mighty lakes and -rivers to navigate; they are therefore in a position needing no exertion to quicken their energies, while -by their seclusion from mankind for ages, it is only astonishing that they have not descended still lower -in the scale of humanity.</p> - -<p>They have much natural nobility of character, and much groundwork to work upon. Their case is -far from hopeless: Faith removes mountains. Miracles, says Mr. Simeon, have ceased, but wonders have -not. Let any man go forth with faith and prayer and perseverance, and he will accomplish wonders. -Therefore, in great undertakings, give me the man who loves to trample on apparent impossibilities.</p> - -<p>An aboriginal youth is not allowed any of the privileges of manhood, which include not only permission -to take a wife (when he can catch one from some neighbouring tribe), but also the right to eat -certain kinds of food, before he has undergone certain ceremonies, which, as they are extremely painful and -revolting, are supposed to test his courage and power of endurance. These differ in various tribes. -Knocking out the front teeth and tattooing the back are amongst the mildest operations. The most painful -which is in vogue amongst the South Australian blacks is depilation. The unfortunate victim is laid -on his back, his body daubed with clay and ochre, and then the old medicine man of the tribe deliberately -plucks every hair from the body of the suffering wretch, accompanying the business with a low monotonous -chant. It is a point of honor to endure these brutalities without a murmur, and, after their completion, -the young man is hailed as a warrior by his new comrades, and from that time is treated -as a man.</p> - -<p>The boys are not allowed to either cut or comb their hair until they undergo the ceremony of -manhood. They are also prohibited from eating certain game. When I have travelled with the tribes, -I have observed when we obtained honey the young men dared not partake. When of age, the tribes -assemble at night, the youth or youths are seized; the women trying to protect them, their beards are -torn out, and their hair combed by spears; they are then smeared with grease and red ochre. For three -days and three nights they are not allowed to sleep or eat, and only to drink water through a reed; for six -months they are obliged to walk naked, with a slight covering round their loins; they have to undergo three -times the plucking out of the beard, and must refrain from any food eaten by women. Everything is sacred -from the touch of women. They are not allowed to marry until the time of trial has expired, but they are -allowed promiscuous intercourse with the young girls.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_12">[12]</span></p> - -<p>In my travels I was shown places, on the tops of hills in general, where the trees were marked with -various devices, and there was a circular path all round. Here the candidates were said to have undergone -various initiatory ceremonies to qualify them for manhood, from which the women are strictly prohibited. -Here, I believe, the front teeth were knocked out by a stick placed against them, and then a blow from a -piece of wood. Thus is accomplished this piece of dentistry. On the sea-coast, the fisherwomen have the -point of the finger cut off. Many perish undergoing these ceremonies, which are chiefly intended to make -them hardy.</p> - -<p>The custom of exchanging names with strangers is a pledge of affection and protection in common -use. When meeting the natives in the bush alone or in camp, it is advisable to hold up the hands, -displaying a branch of a tree, with the view of declaring peaceable intentions.</p> - -<p>The tabooing of several kinds of food to the women and young men may arise from the want which -has in some instances pressed so upon them that they have resorted to bleeding themselves to preserve -life, and indulged in cannibalism to some extent for the same purpose.</p> - -<p>The names of deceased persons are not mentioned during mourning, nor the names of the mother -by a man seeking marriage of the daughter, nor can he look at his intended mother-in-law.</p> - -<p>Sir Thomas Mitchell seems to think that many of their customs were of Eastern origin. Their -manner of fishing is described by him, the young men diving down, and spearing the fish under water. -This I have witnessed myself. Sir Thomas also describes their villages. The huts are substantial, holding -fifteen persons, and having large tombs for burial-places.</p> - -<p>They lived much on fish, and took them and birds, especially ducks and geese, with nets.</p> - -<p>The enormous powers of the aboriginals in eating is described by Mr. Eyre, in his exploration -towards King’s Island Sound.</p> - -<p>His native boy Wylie managed to kill a kangaroo. He commenced his repast by eating a pound -and a half of horse-flesh and a little bread, they having had to slaughter a horse; to this repast, he added -the entrails, paunch, liver, lights, and two hind legs of the kangaroo; to this he added the hide of the -kangaroo, having singed off the hair; and having found a dead penguin on the shore, he wound up by -eating it all, including the tough skin of the bird. Admitting that his belly was full, he made a little fire -and laid down to sleep, this apparently being the happiest moment of his life. On an average this boy -could consume 9 lbs. of meat per day—rather a dangerous companion on short allowance; but these -people can fast as long, in proportion, as they can gormandize.</p> - -<p>Funeral customs differ in tribes. The Narrinyeri tribes point out several stars, and say they are -deceased warriors who have gone up to heaven. These are Wyungare and Nepelle, the Manchingga, and -several others; and every native expects to go to Wyirrewarre after death, so that there can be no doubt -of their belief in a future state. They also believe the dead descend to and walk the earth, and that wicked -men will injure them. They are very much afraid of ghosts, and seldom venture in the scrub in the dark, -yet they travel long distances to surprise an enemy. The name of the deceased must not be mentioned -until the body has decayed, lest they should be considered wanting in feelings of respect. When a man -dies they conclude that sorcery has been exercised, so the nearest relative lies with his head on the corpse -so that he may dream of the sorcerer. Next day the body is raised on men’s shoulders on a bier, and -several names are called out as suspected persons until the impulse of the dead body, which the bearers -pretend they cannot resist, confirms the name of the sorcerer.</p> - -<p>In some of the tribes the body is placed over a slow fire until the outer skin is blistered, when it is -rubbed over with grease and red ochre and placed within the wurley in an upright position. Then great -lamentations are made, while they besmear themselves with charcoal and oil, and the women with disgusting -filth, and they all beat and cut themselves. The corpse is then subjected to a further slow fire, to dry -the humors, while the relatives eat, drink, and sleep under it; and there is great weeping, especially among -the women. But the deceased’s spirit must be appeased by the death of the sorcerer. Messengers pass -through the tribes to find the suspected person; this often leads to battles, should the tribes be at -variance, but otherwise a few spears are thrown and some abuse passed; the old men then pronounce that -satisfaction has been made, and the ceremony ceases. The hair of the dead is spun into a cord and -made into a head-band; they say that thus they smell the dead. The whole body is skinned with the -nails attached, and with this they cover the sick.</p> - -<p>In the Polynesian tribes there is a somewhat similar ceremony. In these islands the body is dried -and preserved in a sitting position for months, and an offering of food, fruit, and flowers, is daily placed -before the dead body, the priest attending to the ceremonies continually. The skeleton is finally burnt -within the temple of the family and the skull carefully kept.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_13">[13]</span></p> - -<p>Death is certainly a terrible visitor, and people of all nations seem to desire to retain the identity, -as it were, amongst them. They do not like to consider the separation as final, and the being with whom -they have been so familiar as removed from all intercourse. On the death of a husband, the widow is not -permitted to look at any of the relatives for some time. Should she meet with any of the relatives, she -immediately prostrates herself on the ground and conceals herself in her cloak. In some districts they -bury the body in a sitting posture.</p> - -<p>In some districts they bury the dead with the face towards the east, depositing the arms, &c., of -the deceased in the grave, and tying the legs of the corpse to the head, probably to save labour in -digging.</p> - -<p>Their grave-yards are rather singular. They lay various casts of heads made of gypsum or lime -on the graves as marks of friends, and a number of oblong balls connected with each end, and of the same -material.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_14">[14]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II.</h2> - - -<p class="hanging2 small p3 b2">Religion⁠—Massacre of the crew of the “Maria”—Traditions⁠—Cave Figures⁠—Superstitions⁠—Sorcery⁠—Diseases⁠—Poison -Revenge⁠—Native Songs⁠—Wit and Humour⁠—Fidelity⁠—Amusements⁠—Corroborees⁠—Weapons⁠—Manufactures⁠—The -Bogan Tribes⁠—Native Fruits⁠—Dwellings.</p> - -<p class="noindent"><span class="smcap">They</span> are a people free from idolatry. One would suppose they would be open to receive the Gospel, -but it is not so. They are superstitious, but not over-religious and do not seem to have such a deep -sense of sin as idolatrous nations who make expiation, and seek to be reconciled to the Superior Being. -This is a singular feature in their character. The North-American Indians are not idolatrous, but have -a belief in a Superior Being.</p> - -<p>Many writers, amongst these Mr. Bennett, represent them as having no knowledge of a Supreme -Being. “They have no knowledge whatever of the existence of a God,” but from my travelling with -them I have always considered that they have a belief in a Supreme Being.</p> - -<p>I find from the narrative of the Rev. Geo. Taplin, missionary to the aborigines, there is reason to -think likewise, although he seems rather doubtful. In religious matters they are superstitious and -reserved, therefore it is only by such intercourse with them as Mr. Taplin’s that we are likely to reach -correct notions.</p> - -<p>He says the Narrinyeri tribes call the Supreme Being by two names, Nurundere and Martummere: -“He made all things on earth, and has given to men the weapons of war and hunting. He instituted all -rites and ceremonies practised by them connected with life and death. The ceremony of roasting a -kangaroo, accompanied by shouting a chorus, and brandishing spears, was instituted by Him.”</p> - -<p>Of Nurundere they have many traditions: “He pursued an immense fish in Lake Alexandrina, and -having caught it, he tore it into pieces and scattered them; out of these pieces other fish came into being -and had their origin. He threw some flat stones into the lake and they became tinuwarre fishes.”</p> - -<p>Wyungare, the remarkable hunter, had no father, but only a mother; he was a red man from his -infancy. Of Nepelle they have traditions. They were both great hunters. Nepelle sought to revenge -himself on Wyungare for having taken his two wives; the latter tried to escape, and fleeing, flung a spear -into the heavens with a line attached, and it having stuck there, he hauled himself up; and afterwards, -the two women. Three stars are pointed out as Wyungare and his wives.</p> - -<p>The natives told the writer that the milky-way was the smoke of a great chief on the Murrumbidgee, -who was roasting mussels there. Thus it is evident they have many traditions of unseen Gods and -great chieftains, while the belief of some of these natives is that the milky-way is the canoe of Nepelle -floating in the heavens.</p> - -<p>Of the flood they seem to have some tradition. They believe that Nurundere’s two wives ran away -from him; he pursued them, and met them at Encounter Bay, and there called upon the water to arise -and drown them. A terrible flood gathered and swept over the hills, overtaking the fugitives, and his -wives were drowned, while he was saved by pulling to high land in his canoe.</p> - -<p>Nurundere also lost two of his children but recovered them after a conflict with a blackfellow, -whom he killed.</p> - -<p>The natives always mention his name with reverence.</p> - -<p>The reverend writer’s opinion is that Nurundere is some deified chief. The natives regard thunder -as his voice in anger, and the rainbow as the production of his power. It is evident that they look to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_15">[15]</span> -some creative power; although, in this instance, the more intelligent blacks told the missionary that -Nurundere was a chieftain who led the tribes down the Darling to the country they now inhabit, where he -appears to have met another tribe and had with them a battle, in which he and his tribes were victorious.</p> - -<p>A writer in 1842 says that, about 200 miles from Sydney, they assembled for a corroboree for rain, and -described God as a great blackfellow, high up in the clouds, having arms nine miles long, eyes the size of a -house, ever in motion. He never sleeps, flashes lightning, and dries up the waterholes as punishment. -They have their songs and festivals for dry weather when on journeys, thus indicating a higher state of -things.</p> - -<p>Every tribe has its ngaitye or tutelary genius or tribal symbol, in the shape of a bird, beast, fish, -reptile, insect, or substance.</p> - -<p>I hereunto add the names of tribes in Victoria:⁠—</p> - -<table> - <tr style="font-size: small;"> - <td class="tdc">Tribe.</td> - <td class="tdc">Locality.</td> - <td class="tdc">Ngaitye.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Welinyeri   </td> - <td class="tdl">Murray River   </td> - <td class="tdl">Black duck and black snake with red belly.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Lathinyeri   </td> - <td class="tdc">do.  </td> - <td class="tdl">Black swan, teal, and black snake with grey belly.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Wunyakulde   </td> - <td class="tdc">do.  </td> - <td class="tdl">Black duck.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Piltinyeri   </td> - <td class="tdl">Lake Alexandrina   </td> - <td class="tdl">Leeches, catfish (native pomery.)</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>The Narrinyeri have for their neighbours the Wakanuwan and the Merkani tribes; the latter are -cannibals, who steal fat people particularly. If a man has a fat wife, he is particular not to leave her -exposed, lest she should be seized; the consequence is that the other tribes confederate against cannibal -tribes, and battles are frequent; some 500 to 800 men are mustered on each side.</p> - -<p>Two stray bullocks having wandered amongst the Lake tribes, they took them for demons, in which -they believed, and decamped in great terror; they named them Wundawityeri, as beings with spears upon -their heads.</p> - -<p>There is a very tragic history of these tribes: that the survivors of the “Maria,” wrecked on the -coast, supposed to be twenty-five in number, men, women, and children, were induced to place themselves -under their guidance to lead them to a whaling station at Encounter Bay. The native guides took advantage -of their being separated in crossing the Coorong, quietly placed a man behind each of the whites, and at a -signal clubbed them. The poor wanderers had marched 80 miles from the wreck, when they were thus -treacherously murdered. A party of police were despatched; they found the camp, in which were large -quantities of clothing and other articles. The officers seized two of the most desperate men, and then hanged -them up by the neck to a tree, and shot two others. The natives gazed for a minute at the suspended -bodies, and then fled. They never cut down the bodies, which remained hanging until they dropped from -the trees.</p> - -<p>In some instances, the native secures his ngaitye in the person of a snake, he pulls out its teeth or -sews up its mouth, and puts it in a basket. These snakes have suddenly given birth to thirty young ones, when -it becomes necessary to destroy them. It seems that their belief in Ngaitye is also peculiar to the natives -of the Taowinyeri. One saw his God in the shark, the eel, the owl, the lizard, fish, and creeping things. -How deluded and debased is man without Divine revelation, yet we are told by philosophers and their -followers that all men have to do is to study nature, and there read the character of the Deity. But have -they ever done so through ages? Greeks, Egyptians, Romans, have all changed the glory of God into four-footed -beasts and creeping things; even leeks and onions have been worshipped. Why should the aborigines -be an exception? Divine revelation alone teaches man the true character of the Divine Being, “for man -by wisdom cannot find out God.”</p> - -<p>With regard to the advantages of civilization, they do not believe the same to be the result of a -superior intellect, or of religion, but of a resurrection from the dead. “Blackfellow by-and-by jump up -whitefellow,” is the common mode of expressing their belief.</p> - -<p>The Rev. A. Meyer, in his pamphlet, gives some interesting particulars of these people. He says -they do not appear to have any story as to the origin of the world, and they believe in the transmigration -of souls. Men have been transformed into animals, even into stones; to the latter they give the names -of men and women, and point out their head, feet, hands, and their waist and face. In one of their -dances, one that had been speared and wounded ran into the sea, and was transformed into a whale, and -ever afterwards blew the water out of the wound in his neck. Others became fish, others became opossums; -and thus they account for the creation of animals and fish, &c., &c.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_16">[16]</span></p> - -<p>Of the diversity of dialects, they have a tradition that when an old woman named Wurruri died, the -various nations assembled, and one tribe ate her flesh and others ate her intestines, and they all thus -acquired different dialects. Certainly nothing here indicates the dispersion of Babel.</p> - -<p>On Nurundere’s removal, he left his son behind. On discovering this, he threw his spear to him with a -line attached. The son thus succeeded in reaching his father, and this line is the way the dead reach -Nurundere, who provides men with wives, and converts old men into young ones; therefore they have no -fear of the future. Some of the legends are very obscene.</p> - -<p>They have curious legends about animals. They conceive the turtle and the snake exchanged -the venomous fangs. A battle took place between the pelican and the magpie about fish; in the struggle -the magpie was rolled in the ashes and the pelican became besmeared with scales of the fish, and so had -white breasts. They believe in two Wood Demons; the one assumes any shape, sometimes an old man, -then a bird, to lure individuals into his reach that he may destroy them.</p> - -<p>The noise on the Lake of Alexandrina is very remarkable, and the cause was long undiscovered. -Of course it is attributed by the blacks to a water spirit. It is heard with a booming sound, -resembling distant cannon or an explosive blast, at other times like the falling of a heavy body in the -water. This now is known to be caused by a bird.</p> - -<p>The cave figures are very remarkable, and seem to puzzle every writer on their origin or use. It is -very probable they were connected in some way with religious observances, which the natives are very -unwilling to divulge.</p> - -<p>These figures and others cut in rocks are found in several parts of Australia, thus doing away with -the supposition that they may have been the production of strangers who have landed on portions of the -shore, as figures have been found on the eastern shores by Sir George Grey, and also near Sydney, not -only on rocks but on trees. How many of these have been engraven on hard rocks with the want of -suitable implements it is difficult to divine.</p> - -<p>Sir George Grey’s description of some of these is remarkable, a rough sketch of one of which I subjoin, -being a figure painted on the roof of caves. This figure is painted on a black ground so as to produce -a stronger effect, and covered with the most vivid red and white; its head encircled with bright red -rays inside a broad stripe of brilliant red, crossed by lines of white, and then crossed again with -narrow stripes of deeper red; the face painted white, the eyes black, surmounted by red and yellow lines; -the body and hands outlined with red, the body being curiously painted with red stripes and bars. The -dimensions were—head and face, 2 feet; width of face, 17 inches; length from bottom of face to navel, -2 feet 6 inches.</p> - -<p>There were other paintings in the cave vividly coloured—one with four heads, joined together with -a necklace, but having no mouths, and good-looking, executed on a white ground. Length, 3 feet 6 -inches; breadth across two upper parts, 2 feet 6 inches; lower heads, 3 feet 1½ inch.</p> - -<p>There were several other paintings of singular character—one being a disc representing a kangaroo -as an offering to number one; also spears thrown at some unknown object; the impress of a hand; an -arm in the black wall, so as to appear extended round some one in the cave, inviting him to some more -concealed mysteries.</p> - -<p>In another cave, approached by steps, until they reached a central elevated stone slab, supporting -a slab to uphold the roof, was a seat at the extremity. The principal figure was that of a man 10 feet -6 inches in length, clothed from the chin downwards in a red garment reaching to the feet, the hands and -feet being painted of a deeper red; the face and head were enveloped in a succession of circular bandages -or rollers.</p> - -<p>These were vividly coloured yellow and white; the eyes were alone represented on the face, no -nose nor mouth. On the bandages were a rolled series of lines, painted in red, regularly done, as if to -indicate some meaning. Its feet reached just in front of the natural seat, while its head and face stared -grimly down on the floor of the cavern. There were numerous figures of kangaroos, emus, turtles, snakes, -&c., on the sides of the cave.</p> - -<p>From the appearance of grease on the roof just over the seat, Sir Geo. Grey conjectures that at -certain times some doctor or chief man sits there, and that the cave is resorted to in cases of disease or witchcraft; -footsteps were seen about the place. The figures are remarkable; the rays of the sun, as we may -suppose, emanating from the head, would lead to the belief of the worship of Baal, the God of Fire; while -some of the names of the tribes partly support this idea, such as Binbal, Pundyil, &c., &c., &c.</p> - -<p>The other figures are clothed from head to foot. This is singular, as the natives have no such -garments, their opossum cloak having no sleeves, and not reaching to the feet as here described.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_17">[17]</span></p> - -<p>That these caves may be places of worship, like the caves in India, is not improbable, especially -when we see the offering of the kangaroo, and the seat for some presiding person, priest, or doctor. The -whole no doubt is mysterious, but we hardly think that these people could be entirely destitute of some -form of religion, when we take these cave figures into consideration, with the ceremony of initiating young -men to manhood, the exclusion of women, prohibition of certain food, their belief in spirits and a future -condition, the deification of their chiefs into stars, the deification of heroes, and even of the lowest -reptiles and animals.</p> - -<p>One figure, representing a whale, was carved near Dawes Battery, Sydney, besides many figures -carved on rocks and cut on trees—a kind of picture-painting. On another rock there was a figure of a -man 10 feet high, wearing a light red robe, close at the neck, reaching to his feet. He had a pair of eyes, -and his face was surrounded by a circle of yellow, and an outward circle of white edged with red.</p> - -<p>There were many such paintings, and in an isolated rock was the profile of a man cut in <i>solid</i> stone, -of a character more European than Native, executed in a style beyond what any savage would be -thought capable of.</p> - -<p>Both Flinders and King, along the coast, discovered drawings of porpoises, turtles, fish, &c., and a -human head, done in charcoal or burnt stick and something like white paint, upon the face of the rock.</p> - -<p>These paintings are on the coast or near it, and may be the work probably of some persons who -had visited the coast, and not of the aboriginals themselves, as the Malays frequently visited the coast.</p> - -<p>The red hand seen in the caves is another singular device, which is also met with amongst the -North American Indians. But what are most remarkable are the stone circles at Mount Elephant, -Victoria, resembling the stone monuments at Stonehenge in England.</p> - -<p>The stones in these structures are of ponderous masses, raised upright, seemingly pointing to a -fact that the same people were spread far and wide, of which we know nothing at present.</p> - -<p>With regard to superstition, Sir G. Grey’s party had reached a stream of fresh water, where there -was abundance of mussels, but Kaiber would not touch any of them, and was in great terror on seeing -the whites devour them. A storm of thunder set in, which made the party rather chilly and miserable. -He chanted a glowing song by way of reproach.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Oh! wherefore would you eat the mussels?</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Now the boyl-yas storm and thunder make;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Oh! wherefore would you eat the mussels?</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>If boys eat proscribed food they believe they will have sore legs, or turn grey, or suffer under some -other infliction.</p> - -<p>The Ngia-Ngiampe, a chief, carries on trade between the tribes in the exchange of baskets, rugs, -clubs, &c.</p> - -<p>The umbilical cord is preserved, and this is supposed to confer some peculiar virtue on the Ngia-Ngiampe. -Those possessing these charms never speak to each other, and employ a third person to carry -on the traffic, so that there is no danger of collusion in their dealings.</p> - -<p>Sorcery is practised extensively, as in the Pacific Islands. Through fear of disease they collect and -destroy all the refuse in their vicinity; but should the disease-maker find a bone of some bird or animal -he proceeds with this to inflict disease.</p> - -<p>So with the Tahitians—the disease-maker picks up the parings of nails, hair, saliva, and other -secretions of the body as vehicles which the Demon introduces into his victim, or they often exchange -their ngadhungi and each destroys it.</p> - -<p>When the ngaitye of a tribe is killed, if a hostile kuldukke of another tribe gets a bone, he ties it in -the corner of a wallaby’s skin and flings at the people, and they are made sick. They state that they -could or did kill a magpie by sorcery. One day two children were at play—one chopped off the joint of -the other child’s finger; the father swallowed it with the view that no sorcery man should get it.</p> - -<p>Next is the avenger. The man seeking revenge disguises himself, marking his face over with streaks, -and then with a heavy club prowls about the hunting ground. If he sees his victim alone, he rushes on -him and kills him, breaking his bones.</p> - -<p>The perpetrator is called malpuri (murderer), and is subject to be put to death by the relatives of -the victim, as the avenger of blood.</p> - -<p>This belief in sorcery makes them careless of illness. From a belief in its curative properties, -some of the tribes take the kidney fat from the enemies they slay.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_18">[18]</span></p> - -<p>They have no idea of poisonous plants, and consider all deaths as the results of sorcery.</p> - -<p>The diseases they suffer from are chiefly of a scrofulous nature, dysentery, and brain fever. They -have likewise skin diseases, fistulas, itch, &c. Sulphur is one of their specifics; the wattle-bark and gum -are also much used. They likewise suffer from influenza. There is no doubt that they were visited with -small-pox before the Europeans arrived, of which numbers died, and many more bore the marks.</p> - -<p>Their doctors use incantations and apply pressure to the affected parts. They also employ the -vapour bath, obtained by putting wet water-weeds on heated stones and covering the patient with -rugs.</p> - -<p>The poison revenge is a dreadful visitation. A spear-head is plunged into a putrid corpse, and -with feathers so dipped in the fat a wound is inflicted on an enemy, who dies in dreadful agony, similar -in effect to blood-poisoning from dead animals amongst ourselves. To possess this poison is the old -natives’ object; they therefore often oppose the burial of the dead.</p> - -<p>They appear to have a talent for extempore productions. When Sir G. Grey’s party was in a -hopeless condition for want of water and food, the native Kaiber sat shouting to himself native songs.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Thither, mother, Oh! I return again,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Thither, Oh! I return again.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Whither does that lone ship wander?</div> - <div class="verse indent0">My young son I shall never see again.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Whither does that lone ship wander?</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>Very pathetic. Their feelings are very strong, as may be seen by Warrup’s account of the discovery -of Smith’s remains, one of Sir George Grey’s companions, which were found stretched on a high rock, -where he lay down and died.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Away, away, we go—</div> - <div class="verse indent0">I, Mr. Roe, and Kinchela—</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Along the shore, away! Along the shore, away!</div> - <div class="verse indent0">We see a paper, the paper of Morlimer and Spofforth.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Away we go, we see no fresh water,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Along the shore,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Away, away, away, we go along the shore!</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Away, away, away, a long distance we go!</div> - <div class="verse indent0">I see Mr. Smith’s footsteps ascending a sandhill,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Onward I go, regarding his footsteps.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">I see Mr. Smith dead, we commence digging the earth;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Two sleeps had he been dead;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Greatly did I weep, and much I grieved,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">In his blanket folding him,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">We scrape away the earth.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">We scrape the earth into the grave,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">We scrape the earth into the grave,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">A little wood we place in it, much earth we heap upon it,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Much earth we throw upon it, no dogs can dig there.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The sun had just inclined to the westward,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">As we laid him in the ground.—<i>Grey.</i></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>The following is a specimen of their extempore composition on sight of a railway train:⁠—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“You see the smoke in Kapunda,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The steam puffs regularly,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Showing quickly it looks like frost,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">It runs like running water,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">It blows like a spouting whale.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>A settler who frequently employed aboriginal labour, having heard some complaint of their -ill-treating a white man, ordered the tribe instantly to decamp. He was somewhat surprised at one of -their number appearing before him quite naked, ornamented with pipeclay, and carrying two nullas. The -black asked the gentleman to fight, offering one of the nullas. The gentleman, however, determined to -choose his own weapon, and produced his gun, which he loaded with ball in presence of the champion, and, -pointing to the dial of his watch, said, “If you are not out of this stockyard in ten minutes, I will -shoot you.” The black champion watched the hands of the watch, and when the time had nearly expired, -he gracefully said, “Good evening, massa,” and disappeared.</p> - -<p>As an instance of their fidelity, a squatter in the north, whose house was surrounded by blacks -threatening assault, had a domesticated native, who had got mixed up with the savage tribe. He watched -his opportunity and seized a horse, and, with a piece of stringy-bark for a bridle, galloped several miles to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_19">[19]</span> -a police station, giving the alarm. The police immediately mounted horse, galloped furiously to the -station, took a circuit round the house, and then followed on the trail of the blacks, whom they overtook -encamped; they fired into them, and killed and wounded several. The sergeant, a white, however remained -at the station, leaving these desperadoes to do their bloody deeds of carnage; probably he felt he could -not restrain them. The fidelity of the black, however, saved the lives of the station-holders.</p> - -<p>A black in Port Macquarie stole on Mr. ——, while lying on the grass. He had pipeclayed himself, -and then stealing along, made a noise like the burring of a quail. Mr. ——, in fright, leaped on his -horse and fled; this amused the black very much.</p> - -<p>Mr. James R⁠—⁠— had a lad as coachman, who drove well, was a perfect dandy, kept his horses in -fine order, used much oil for his hair, and prided himself on his coach and appearance, but withal went -back to the bush. A gentleman at Molesmane had a lad for several years. He could read and write, -cast up accounts, and do anything on a farm. At the age for the ceremony of knocking out teeth he -went back to the wild state.</p> - -<p>An aboriginal and woman had a dairy station at Monaro, were married at church, and conducted -their station like any Europeans.</p> - -<p>Their power of ridicule is very great. Sir George Grey’s party having reached a friendly tribe, -who supplied them with frogs and turtles, one of them, named Imbat, enjoyed himself at the expense of -Sir George Grey.</p> - -<p>“What for do you, who have plenty to eat and much money, walk so far away in the bush? You -are thin, your shanks are long, your belly small, you had plenty to eat at home, why did you not stop -there?”</p> - -<p>Sir G. Grey replied, being somewhat mortified, “You comprehend nothing; you know nothing.”</p> - -<p>“I know nothing? I know how to keep myself fat. The young women look at me and say, ‘Imbat -is very handsome, he is fat.’ They look at you, and say, ‘He is not good, long legs:’ What do you know, where -is your fat, what for do you know so much, if you can’t keep fat? I know how to keep at home, and not -walk too far in the bush; where is your fat?” “You know how to talk;—long tongue,” was my reply, -upon which, forgetting his anger, he burst into a roar of laughter, and saying, “I know how to make you -fat,” began stuffing me with frogs and by-yu nuts.</p> - -<p>There was something more practical here than irony. The value of religion under the trying circumstances -of a forlorn hope in this expedition is acknowledged by Sir G. Grey:⁠—“I feel assured that -but for the support I derived from prayer and frequent perusals and meditation of the Scriptures, I should -never have been able to have borne myself in such a manner as to have maintained discipline and confidence -among the rest of the party, nor in my sufferings did I ever lose the consolation derived from the -firm reliance upon the goodness of Providence. It is only those who go forth into perils and dangers, -where human foresight and strength can little avail, find themselves day after day protected by an unseen -influence, and ever and anon snatched from the jaws of destruction by a power which is not of this world, who -can at all estimate the knowledge of one’s weakness and littleness, and the firm reliance and trust upon the -goodness of the Creator which the human heart is capable of feeling.”</p> - -<p>When seeking to determine what they were to do to extricate themselves from their difficulties, he -says, “He then strengthened his mind by reading a few chapters in the Bible, and walked on.”</p> - -<p>Those who have read of Sir J. Franklin’s early explorations down the Copper-mine River, and his -return with his party, will see how this party, in the midst of ice and snow and starvation, were supported -by religion, the Bible being the staff of their strength, and that they were the objects of God’s care, -buoyed them up under unheard-of difficulties appalling to human nature. “What is man alone in -creation without God?”</p> - -<p>They are very expert in throwing the spear, at which they constantly practise. They have a game -at ball, which gives occasion for much wrestling and activity; besides this, they have wrestling matches for -bunches of feathers.</p> - -<p>There are many kinds of corroborees. All have the song and the dance; both are at times very -libidinous, especially the dance of the women. The war dances are conducted by some hundreds of men -in a measured tramp, and in a very excited state of mind. They make up their song out of some incident or -circumstance they may have seen. The effect is very imposing: the men in a state of nudity; their bodies -striped in white, and their heads fancifully adorned; the fires lighting up the night and casting their glare -around the forest; the stately trees spreading their shadows; the women seated and drumming rude -music from tight-rolled skins. The activity of the dancers and the strange noises, sounds, and -imitating calls altogether present a wild, unearthly, and apparently demoniacal scene. A resident on<span class="pagenum" id="Page_20">[20]</span> -the Macleay River gives the following sketch of this ceremony:⁠—“From the repugnance which the blacks -at the Macleay displayed on my looking at their performance, and their angry refusal to allow me to see -the main part of the ceremony, I am unable to give a regular account of it, having only been able to obtain -occasional glimpses. After many preliminary grotesque mummeries had been performed, the doctors or -priests of the tribe took each a boy, and held him for some time with his head downwards near the fire. -Afterwards, with great solemnity, they were invested with the opossum belt; and at considerable intervals, -between each presentation, they were given the nulla-nulla, the boomerang, the spear, &c. Whilst these -arms were being conferred upon them the other natives performed a sham fight, and pretended to hunt the -pademelon, spear fish, and imitate various other occupations, in which the weapons, lately presented to the -youth, would be of service. As their ceremonies occupied a fortnight or more before they were concluded, -many other ridiculous scenes were undoubtedly enacted, and during all this time the women did not dare -to approach the performers. Each man was also provided with a singular instrument, formed with a piece -of hollowed wood fastened to a long piece of flax string; by whirling this rapidly round their heads a loud -shrill noise was produced, and the blacks seemed to attach a great degree of mystic importance to the -sound of this instrument, for they told me that if a woman heard it she would die. The conclusion of -this ceremony was a grand dance of a peculiar character, in which the boys join, and which the women are -allowed to see. This dance is performed with much more solemnity than the ordinary corroborees. The -Yarra-hapinni tribe, which I saw execute this dance near the Clybucca Creek, were so elaborately painted -with white for the occasion that even their very toes and fingers were carefully and regularly coloured -with concentric rings, whilst their hair was drawn up in a close knot, and stuck all over with the snowy -down of the white cockatoo, which gave them the appearance of being decorated with white wings. In -this dance the performers arranged themselves in the form of a semicircle, and grasping the ends of their -boomerangs, which are also painted with great minuteness and regularity, they swayed their bodies rapidly -from right to left, displaying a degree of flexibility in their limbs which might have created the envy of -many a pantomimic artist. Each movement of their bodies to and fro was accompanied by a loud hiss, -whilst a number of other natives, similarly painted, beat time with sticks, and kept up an incessant and -obstreperous song. Every now and then the dancers would stop and rush, crowding together into a circle, -raising their weapons with outstretched arms, and joining with frantic energy in the song. They would -then be more composed, and walk backwards and forwards in couples, holding each other by the hand, -until again roused by an elderly native to resume the dance. It was not until midnight that the noise -ceased, which, every evening whilst the ceremonies lasted, might be heard at a distance of two or three miles.”</p> - -<p>The spear is the chief weapon, and is thrown by help of a throwing-stick (woomera), by which an -increased leverage is obtained. Some of them are barbed, and deadly in their effect. The shafts of some -are of heavy wood, others of reed.</p> - -<p>The shields with which they defend themselves are of either bark or wood, and the dexterity with -which they ward off the spears is astonishing. I have seen in a case of punishment, when the criminal -had to stand all alone and to defend himself from the shower of spears cast at him, that he stood perfectly -self-possessed. On these occasions perhaps a hundred or more natives are assembled. The criminal stands -at a certain distance until a given number of spears have been cast at him.</p> - -<p>The boomerang is another weapon of very singular formation. It is a crooked blade, very like -the blade of a steamer’s screw, and much on that principle. It is cast by the hand, and gyrates through -the air, and can be so thrown as to return to the feet of the thrower; or in a longer flight, dancing along -the ground. It is particularly hard to guard against, from the curvature of its motion. It is used for killing -birds on the wing, and can be thrown to a distance of 150 yards. The late Sir Thomas Mitchell fashioned -a propeller for a steam-boat on this principle.</p> - -<p>Their manufactures are few. Their canoes are miserable vessels, made out of a sheet of bark tied -up at the ends. But having no great lakes to cross, like in America, nor any very dangerous rivers, they -answer the purpose of ferrying two or three persons over at a time, if great care be exercised.</p> - -<p>The late Admiral King describes the natives as having canoes 18 feet long, capable of containing -eight persons in some instances, made out of trees; while the natives on the coast capture dugong, from -which the celebrated oil is procured. Some of these fish weigh from 12 lbs. to 14 lbs.; they live on -marine plants.</p> - -<p>There is certainly some indication here of a higher order of natives than those generally dispersed -to the south. Probably they were at one time higher in civilization than at present.</p> - -<p>They make baskets and mats from the bark of the mallee tree, and the latter also from sea-weed, -which sometimes serves the purpose of a bed. But their cloaks, made of opossum skins, prepared and -sewn together with sinews, form comfortable, and warm garments. They likewise dress other skins—of -the kangaroo and native cat, sewing them together with the sinews of the kangaroo’s tail. Their stone<span class="pagenum" id="Page_21">[21]</span> -axes are merely stones ground down to an edge and fastened to a handle by gum and thread, and require -the exercise of much patience in cutting through wood, &c.</p> - -<p>The name given to the river Bogan is probably a corruption of Bungan. One of the early explorers -maintains that the name of the Bogan was Bungan-Gallo. The course of the river is less circuitous than -that of the Macquarie, and the rate of the current averages about 4 miles per hour.</p> - -<p>Of the many aboriginal tribes mentioned in the narratives of the old explorers, not one can be said -to exist, and the numerous wandering remnants are dying off. The few gins and blackfellows that I saw -at the stations are very useful to the settlers, but in most cases the blacks come and go when they please. -Sir Thomas Mitchell mentions three great tribes: 1. The Bultje, composed of many intelligent natives. -This tribe numbered about 120 in 1835. Their hunting grounds were around the head waters of the -Bogan. The local peculiarity of this tribe was that one, or in some cases two, of the front teeth of the -males were extracted on their arriving at the age of fourteen. 2. The Myall tribe, who inhabited the -central parts about Cudduldry, at the great bend of the Bogan to the northward. These natives had -many curious customs. Some of the young men were gaily dressed with feathers, and were apparently -formed into some sort of society or association, as they were all called by one name, “Talambe,” and great -interest was taken in them by the other members of the tribe. What their chief or leader’s name was, or -what were their purposes, were never mentioned, nor by any accident did any solution of the secret -transpire. These natives did not extract the front teeth. 3. The Bungan tribe, inhabiting the Bogan -between Cambelego and Mount Hopeless. They were less subtle and dissimulating than the Myalls. -4 and 5. Two tribes lower down the Bogan, the haunts of one being eastward of New Year’s Range, and -those of the other to the north of the Pink Hills. Both these tribes were described as being inoffensive, -and of a friendly disposition. They were terrified at the sight of cattle, and still more afraid of sheep. -The principal food of these various tribes consisted of opossum, kangaroo, and emu. Fishing, which was -left entirely to the gins, was effectually yet simply performed by a moveable dam of long, twisted dry -grass, through which water only could pass. This being pushed from one end of the pond or water-hole -to the other, all the fish were necessarily driven before it and captured. The gins further used to gather -fresh-water mussels (which abound in the mud of these holes), by lifting the shells out of the mud with -their toes. A small plant with a yellow flower, called Tao by the natives, was pointed out to me. It -grows in the grassy places near the river, and on its root the young children used chiefly to subsist. -About as soon as they could walk, they were taught to pick about the ground for these roots, and to dig -out the larvæ of ant-hills. Wild honey would appear to have been also plentiful.</p> - -<p>Adding a few notices from Mr. Eyre’s journal, and Captain Sturt’s also, and Sir Thomas Mitchell’s -exploration:⁠—Mr. Eyre describes the food of the natives to be often the wild fruits of the forest. -Although there is in New Holland very little of what can be called fruit, yet Mr. Eyre speaks of a kind of -plum or gooseberry which grows in the sand near Spencer’s Gulf, which is acid and pleasant to eat, and on -which the natives live for some time. Also, a description of wild grape has been found by the explorers. -Sir Thomas Mitchell used to say all these fruits wanted was to be “fattened.”</p> - -<p>Their powers as mimics are described by Sturt—in one instance equal to if not outrivalling -Liston in his best days.</p> - -<p>I have already shown the superstition of the natives, which is proved by another remarkable case -mentioned by Robert Austin:⁠—The party shot a red kangaroo. The native ranger became much excited, and -begged he might not be asked to eat of it, “For look,” said he, “its head is truly that of a dog with the ears -of a cow. Saw you ever a kangaroo so fat, or meat that smelt so strange. No, sir, this creature is not -natural; it must be a magician of evil. Glad I am that one of my tribe has killed one of this odious -race. My father and mother never ate one. Let the northern women eat if they like, but I must be a -great fool to put a strange devil down my throat, to give me the stomach-ache.”</p> - -<p>Sir George Grey describes their huts in the rain, which gave not only some idea of shelter, but even -of comfort. They afforded a very favorable specimen of the taste of the gins, whose business it is generally -to construct the huts. The village of bowers also occupied more space than the encampments of the -natives in general. The choice of a shady spot seemed to have been an object, and to have been selected -with care. Here then we have, at considerable distances, natives erecting huts and living in something like -communities. Can these be of the same origin as the general population, or has the circumstance that -fruits and food may be found sufficient for support in these localities induced the aborigines to lead a -more settled life?</p> - -<p>Mitchell says they found a tree with a fruit resembling a small russet apple, skin rough, the pulp a -rich crimson, and covering a large stone; an agreeable acid. So in Grey’s case, the natives seem to have -stored certain nuts. These grow in some part of the northern territory, affording food for the natives for -several months. They seem to have some idea of measuring time, for they pointed out to Mitchell’s party -that white man (evidently Sturt’s party) had passed there, pointing to the sun, six annual revolutions.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_22">[22]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III.</h2> - - -<p class="hanging2 small p3 b2">First settlement of the Colony⁠—Claims of the Aborigines⁠—Extracts from Collins’s Works⁠—Bennillong and Cole-be⁠—Dangerous -proceedings of the Aborigines⁠—Frightful massacre by the Blacks⁠—Notes by a University man⁠—Mr. -Trollope’s remarks⁠—Aboriginal Police⁠—Doom of the Queensland Savage⁠—Massacre on Liverpool Plains⁠—South -Australian Aboriginals.</p> - -<p class="noindent"><span class="smcap">The</span> project of deporting criminals to this distant, almost unknown, portion of the world—a country -whose resources were unknown, and distant 16,000 miles—was a bold measure, arising partly from -necessity, and much discussed in the public Press, but the expedient has been ultimately crowned with -success. Homes have been made for multitudes, British liberty and law established, and, above all, -Christianity extended to a portion of the world that for ages had remained in the darkness of heathenism, -shut out from commerce and the intercourse of intelligence.</p> - -<p>Strange to say, in this expatriation no provision had been made by the Government for that which -is the foundation of national success—religion, and it was not until Mr. Wilberforce, with his Christian -zeal, pressed the Government, that a single minister of religion, Mr. Johnston, was provided, while a -reckless and degraded class of men was about to be cast into the midst of a savage people, not at all -calculated to raise or elevate them, but rather to depress and vitiate, and ultimately to destroy them.</p> - -<p>Whatever benefit the civilized world has acquired in opening up a new territory for their over-peopled -state, the poor unfortunate aborigines have had to suffer increased misery, wretchedness, and -gradual extinction.</p> - -<p>The Bishop of Perth has well put the question: “The darkness they were in in their original condition -was the darkness of ignorance—dark indeed, but far darker is their state when to the darkness of -ignorance is added the degradation of the acquired vices of civilization.”</p> - -<p>Little or no missionary zeal prevailed in the churches. At this period vital Christianity was lost -sight of under mere moral teaching, yet a few names, as in Sardis, were found for the truth, but the heathen -world was but little thought of.</p> - -<p>The first mission to the Pacific was that of the London Missionary Society to Tahiti, so unscrupulously -desecrated by the French.</p> - -<p>No doubt the natives were surprised at their visitors, and were too soon convinced of their unscrupulous -invasion of the land, but right had to submit to might.</p> - -<p>Various conflicts took place between the races; a kind of guerrilla warfare was carried on, and lives -were sacrificed, although strict orders were given against violence or the prisoners going without bounds, and -the severe punishment of 700 lashes was administered, and even hanging resorted to, for disobedience -and robbery, yet temptations were too strong to check these evils.</p> - -<p>The Governor exercised the kindest feelings toward the aborigines, so as to win their confidence, -as may be seen by the following extracts from our earliest historian, Collins.</p> - -<p>Many affrays took place between the natives and the Europeans, in which life was lost on both sides, -but at length the natives became more familiar, and often danced and fought in the settlement, to the amusement -of the people; when wounded they submitted to the surgeon’s operations.</p> - -<p>In these affrays the natives exhibited much bravery and became formidable to the settler, so that -frequent conflicts took place, in which much life was lost on both sides. They carried away considerable -plunder, and even made piratical attacks on vessels conveying corn, and killed the crews. It is thought<span class="pagenum" id="Page_23">[23]</span> -that the runaway convicts gave them assistance. They had attacked a farm near Kissing Point, murdered -a man and woman, and having been pursued, an encounter took place near Parramatta, headed by their chief, -Pemulwy, who threw spears at one of the soldiers. They were fired on, five natives were killed, and their -chief, Pemulwy, received five buck-shot wounds in his head and parts of his body; he was captured and -taken to the hospital.</p> - -<p>The chief cause of warfare was the blacks plundering the maize crops, the whites having thinned -out their game, and the blacks, driven by hunger, retaliated.</p> - -<p>The animosity increased to such a degree that wanton acts of violence were resorted to. In one -instance, the natives murdered two men who had farms. The settlers, in retaliation, seized three boys -residing with the settlers, and having obtained through them the muskets of the murdered men, they tied -their hands, and beat the boys to death in a barn; the others escaped. The Governor, on hearing of this -cruelty, had the perpetrators tried, but from some interposing evidence, although convicted of being guilty of -killing, they were not executed, but released on bail; they asserted that several whites had been murdered.</p> - -<p>The natives however were not altogether idle; they robbed, burnt down houses, and assembled in -large bodies, it is supposed instigated by runaway convicts.</p> - -<p>Their government is domestic. They highly respect fathers. When they saw respect paid to the -Governor, they entitled him Be-anna, Father. On the death of a father, the nearest of kin assumes -the office, under the title of Be-anna.</p> - -<p>Each family had a particular residence and name to distinguish it. Those on the south side of -Botany Bay were called Gweagal, and those on the north side were Cam-mer-ray-gal. To this tribe belonged -the privilege of extracting the tooth for the tribes inhabiting the sea-coast.</p> - -<p>As to religion, there appears an idea of a future state. They neither worship sun, moon, nor stars. -Bennillong, who had been in England, said after death they went to the clouds; they ascended like little -children, first having perched on trees, living on fish.</p> - -<p>The young men often attended worship in the settlement, imitating the clergyman with his book, -being great mimics.</p> - -<p>They knew the distinction between good and bad. The sting-ray was bad; the kangaroo good; -cannibalism they condemned as Wee-re (bad); also murder, for which they required satisfaction.</p> - -<p>Both sexes wear ornaments, both being adorned with scars over the body, using a profusion of -fat on their persons. The women ornament themselves with strings of teeth and bones of some of the -fishes. Women have the two first joints of the little finger of the left hand cut off. Some in colour -are as black as negroes; others copper-coloured like Malays. Their huts are miserable sheets of bark, -under which they sleep, huddled together. Their mode of living is not over cleanly. The food is mostly -fish; the men spear and the women catch with hooks made out of the oyster-shell, and the fishing-lines -from the bark of a tree.</p> - -<p>Marriage is rather rude; the woman is dragged away by force, but there are many particulars -about marriage as to relationship, &c., &c.</p> - -<p>In child-birth one female is employed in pouring cold water over the abdomen; another ties a piece -of line to the sufferer’s neck, and takes the end in her mouth, rubbing her lips until they bleed; no further -assistance is given. The mother walks about collecting wood a few hours after delivery. The child at -six weeks receives a name from some object, either bird, fish, or animal. From the earliest age the boys -practise at throwing the spear and other weapons. At the ages of eight to sixteen the children undergo -the operation termed Gnah-noong, that is, of piercing the septum of the nose so as to receive a bone or -reed; and the lads, at a later period, of having the tooth knocked out. This is a very imposing ceremony. -Numbers collect on these occasions, mostly males; they dance and are armed; the boys are seized and -put in a sitting posture all night, and some mystic rites are performed over them; the carrahdis -pretend great agony, and roll on the ground, until at length they are delivered of a bone; the people -crawl on their hands and knees to where the boys are sitting, when they throw sand and dirt upon -them; one man carries a kangaroo skin stuffed with straw, another carries brush-wood, others sing, -while others again make artificial tails of grass, and then leap like kangaroos, scratching and jumping -emblematic of a future chase; each then casts off the artificial tail, seizes a boy, and places him on his -shoulder until they reach where they are to be deposited, while the men lie down upon the ground and -the boys walk over them, the former making various gestures and grimaces. The bone is then rubbed down -like a chisel, so as to scarify the gums. The small end of a stick is then applied to the tooth and struck -with a stone; the tooth being dislodged and the gum closed, the devotee is then encompassed with a girdle, -wooden sword, and a ligature bound round the head, in which is stuck slips of grass-tree. The boy is not<span class="pagenum" id="Page_24">[24]</span> -allowed to speak or eat during the operation; the people make most hideous noises in the ears of the -sufferers to drown their cries; the patient sits on the shoulders of the man, who receives the blood which -flows down from the mouth.</p> - -<p>The youths are now admissible to the classes of men, and are privileged to use the spear and -club, &c.</p> - -<p>The shedding of blood is always followed by punishment, the offender being obliged to stand the -ceremony of spears being thrown at him; a native murdered must be avenged.</p> - -<p>They have many superstitions, as may be expected. They believe in spirits. If they sleep at a -grave, they believe the deceased visits them, seizes them and disembowels them, but that the bowels are -replaced. A shooting star is very important, and of thunder they are very much afraid, but think that, -by repeating certain words and breathing hard, they are safe.</p> - -<p>Of diseases the itch is common, and there is no doubt but that they have been visited by the small-pox, -which they call gal-gal-la, of which numbers died, and their remains were found in the caves of the -rocks around Sydney. Some of them were admitted into the Hospital, where some died, and others -recovered.</p> - -<p>Property consists of shields, spears, clubs, lines, and certain localities. In disposition they are -revengeful, jealous, courageous, cunning, capable of strong attachment, susceptible of joy and sorrow. -They have some idea of the heavenly bodies, sun, moon, and stars.</p> - -<p>Funeral ceremonies:⁠—In some instances the body is burnt, but mostly the legs are tied up to the -head so as to occupy little room; the Carrahdi distorts his body and applies his mouth to different parts -of the deceased. They bury with the men their spears and throwing-sticks; they wear tufts of grass, and as -they proceed to bury, they throw their spears and often do injuries. The body is placed so that the sun -shall shine on it, and all trees that may intercept the sun’s rays are cut down. They do not mention the -name of the deceased.</p> - -<p>They have some poetic talent and they compose impromptu, and have some taste for music.</p> - -<p>They are quite capable of receiving instruction.</p> - -<p>They cannot pronounce the letters S and V.</p> - -<p>Amongst the public heroes of those days (about 1790) were Bennillong and Cole-be—the former had -visited England. Both were frequent inmates of the Governor’s house, but were fond of roving. On the -occasion of a whale being stranded at Broken Bay, Bennillong sent a present of a piece of fish to the -Governor. On this His Excellency visited the place, and found there his friends, to whom he gave several -articles of clothing. The Governor, perceiving that the natives were surrounding him, was retiring -gradually to the boat, but on lifting up his arms on meeting a particular native, as evidence of his recognition, -the native took alarm and threw a spear at him, which struck him in the neck, above the collarbone, -and being barbed, was difficult of extraction. Several other spears were thrown, but fortunately -without effect. The boat’s crew rushed on shore, but their muskets proved useless. The shaft of the -spear was broken off, and the remainder was extracted by the surgeon.</p> - -<p>A few days after this affray, Bennillong came to a cove on the North Shore, with his wife and -companions, and stated that it was a man of the name of Wil-le-me-ring who threw the spear at the -Governor, and that Cole-be and he had beaten him severely; and on the visit to the Governor subsequently, -Bennillong repeated the statement, observing that it was owing to surprise that the man had committed -the act.</p> - -<p>A few days afterwards, Bennillong waited on the Governor, with a request that a hut near the -cove should be built for him, which was assented to.</p> - -<p>Some months afterwards Bennillong took to the bush again, sending a message to the Governor that -he had had a dispute with his friend Cole-be and had been wounded, and could not appear at the Governor’s -table, requesting at the same time his clothes, together with victuals, of which he was much in want. -On his re-appearance at the settlement some time afterwards, he had a wound in the mouth and some teeth -broken. The quarrel appears to have been occasioned by his over-attention to his friend’s favourite wife, -Boo-ree-a, and this led to a severe castigation. Cole-be, meeting him shortly afterwards, asked him -sarcastically “if he meant that kind of conduct to be a specimen of English manners.” As Bennillong had -visited England, the sarcasm was the more pungent.</p> - -<p>Bennillong, after his return from England, was asked where blackfellow came from—did he come -from an island. He said he did not know, but that after death they returned to the clouds, ascending in -the shape of little children, first resting on the tops of trees; their favourite food was little fishes.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_25">[25]</span></p> - -<p>Speaking of the habit of knocking out the tooth, he said that a man of the name of Cam-mer-ray-gal -wore them round his neck, the tribe having performed the ceremony, but as to his own teeth they were -buried in the earth.</p> - -<p>When Bennillong’s wife died, many spears were thrown and persons wounded. He had a serious -contest with Wil-le-me-ring, and wounded him in the thigh. He had sent for him to attend his wife, and -he had refused, and at the death of his infant many spears were thrown, and he said he would not be -satisfied until he had revenge.</p> - -<p>Bennillong burnt the body of his wife Ba-rang-a-roo.</p> - -<p>The ashes of the wife were the next day scraped together and covered over with great solemnity. -The most affecting part of the ceremony was that Bennillong threw his infant child into the mother’s grave, -casting a large stone on it, saying no woman could be found to nurse the child.</p> - -<p>On the death of the boy, Ba-loo-der-ry, whom he had watched and sung over with Cole-be, he -requested that the body might be interred in the garden. The burial was attended with much ceremony, -while the burial of Bennillong’s wife was attended by the Governor, the Judge-Advocate, and the -surgeon.</p> - -<p>The natives had determined to kill Bennillong, it being supposed he had killed a man, of which he -was innocent; he therefore appealed to the Governor to protect him. He had now given way to drink, -and became more brutal and insulting, and therefore got into troubles. On the occasion of a fight he -threw a spear amongst the soldiers and wounded one, and would have been killed, had it not been for -the Provost-Marshal. Walking about armed, he declared he would kill the Governor. Now Bennillong -associated with troublesome characters, and was once or twice wounded. In one of these battles, three natives -were killed and several wounded. Amongst these Bennillong was dangerously wounded, and probably -died. Thus perished Bennillong, as a drunken savage, after all the advantages he had had of visiting England, -and living at the Governor’s House. Nor is this a solitary instance of these savages who have enjoyed -like advantages.</p> - -<p>We have here the failure of mere civilization, which produces only outward effects. Religion alone -can reach the heart. The gospel is the power of God to the salvation of all who believe in and know it.</p> - -<p>Bennillong has been immortalized in name, a point on the North Shore being called Bennillong -Point. His history is a sad one. There is a street in Parramatta called, I suppose, after this chief.</p> - -<p>The accompanying rough sketches, copied from Collins’s work, will give some idea of the natives in -person, and their numerous ceremonies, &c., &c., &c.</p> - -<p>It is only fair to show what dangerous and treacherous neighbours the aborigines are, and how the -squatters and inhabitants were often placed at their mercy.</p> - -<p>A numerously signed petition was presented to the Governor from the settlers on the road to Port -Phillip praying for protection, as they had suffered much from the incursions and assaults of these people, -and stating that, if they could not obtain protection, they must take the law into their own hands.</p> - -<p>The Governor immediately despatched a police force to be stationed along the road for protection.</p> - -<p>As for their raids on stations, they actually drove away the sheep and cattle from two or three -stations, and in some instances violated women and committed robberies.</p> - -<p>We must however consider that their laws strictly limited the tribes to certain districts, and to -intrude upon these was criminal; and this was so strictly carried out that, on my approaching the Shoalhaven -River, my guide would on no account cross over with me. But whites, as foreigners, would be -regarded with even more hostility.</p> - -<p>The following account, from the <i>Rockhampton Bulletin</i>, 26 October, 1861, will show one of these -murderous assaults, and at the same time the brutal character of the aboriginal police force, who thought -it pleasant work to shoot down their countrymen:⁠—</p> - -<p>“A man arrived in Rockhampton last evening (Tuesday) with intelligence of the murder of a number -of persons on Mr. Wills’s station, Nogoa, including Mr. Wills himself. The messenger brings a written -deposition of the facts, so far as they are known, which was made on Friday last, to Mr. Gregson, -Bainworth station, by a shepherd belonging to the late Mr. Wills. The shepherd’s name is Edward -Kenny. We are informed that Mr. Wills had only arrived on the station about a fortnight previous to -the time when the murders were committed, and Kenny states that during that time the blacks came upon -the station in considerable numbers, but they were quiet and appeared friendly, and no notice was taken -of them. Mr. Wills used to carry a revolver himself, but although he had plenty of firearms on the station, -the men were not supplied with them.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_26">[26]</span></p> - -<p>“On the evening of Thursday, the 17th October, Kenny was returning to the station with his sheep, -when he met Paddy, who had been shepherding the rams. Paddy said to him, ‘There has been slaughter -here to-day.’ Kenny then went up to the station, and saw the corpse of his late master (Mr. Wills), -the overseer’s wife (Mrs. Baker), with grown-up daughter and two children, Mrs. Manyon, and three -children, and a man named Jemmy Scotty—in all ten bodies—having evidently been killed by the blacks. -He then took a horse and rode over to Bainworth (Mr. Gregson’s station), where he arrived about -1 p.m., on Friday last. He does not know what became of Paddy after he left him. There were at the -time twenty-two Europeans on the station, and it is feared that others have shared a similar fate to that of -the ten above-mentioned. The remaining eleven on the station were, the overseer (Mr. Baker), Patrick -Manyon, George Ling, Paddy, George Elliott, Harry, Tom, Davey Baker, Charlie, Ned, and John Moon. -Mr. Thomas Wills (son of the deceased) and two men had left the station the previous Sunday morning, -with drays, on their way to Albinia Downs, for loading.</p> - -<p>“We are informed that the remnant of the Native Police Force, at the camp Rockhampton, consisting -of Cadet Johnson, two sergeants, and one trooper only, will start to-morrow for Peak Downs, an -officer named Genatas with ten men being stationed there, and from thence they will proceed to Nogoa. -There is also a small company of troopers under Lieutenant Patrick stationed at the Comet River.</p> - -<p>“Preparations are being made by Mr. P. F. Macdonald, of Yaamby, for the equipment of a private -party to accompany him to the scene of the recent massacre, to assist in succouring the men left on the -station, and preserve the property from injury. A subscription, headed by Mr. P. F. Macdonald, £100, -which already amounts to £236, has been opened to defray its expenses, and will be found at the -Banks.</p> - -<p>“<i>Later intelligence.</i>—News was received on Thursday evening that Lieutenant Cave, with eleven -troopers, arrived at the scene of the late tragedy two days after its occurrence. Lieutenant Cave was on -patrol with the troopers at Living’s station, on the Dawson, when he heard of the murders. He hastened -off in the middle of the night, taking with him fresh horses. Mr. Living and the settlers in the vicinity -formed a separate party, and started at once to render assistance. No further particulars have as yet -transpired.”</p> - -<p>In a work published in 1871—“Colonial Adventures; by a University man,”—we have a chapter -devoted to the Aborigines of Queensland, in which the writer gives the general opinion as to the destruction -of the black race, “That God never intended them to live long on the land in which he had placed -them, therefore away with them until there be none remaining, and we will go in and possess the land.” -The writer draws a distinction not creditable between the tame blacks and wild ones:⁠—“The former picked -up all the worst characteristics of the white man, and lost some of their own. They learned to drink, -smoke, and become lazy, living on the white man’s scraps. They do not hesitate to commit murders -and robberies—doing as they are done by. In short, instead of improving their condition, we have made -them more wretched and base than ever, not over complimentary to Christianity or civilization. In new -districts taken up by the whites, almost invariably by way of retaliation, either from the whites destroying -their camps or possibly firing on them, the black meditates revenge, and spears or kills the first defenceless -shepherd or traveller. Then the Europeans turn out to disperse them—to shoot them down—men, women, -and children. The native police, being blacks trained to arms, delight in shooting their fellow-men. For -every white man murdered, six blacks are made to bite the dust.”</p> - -<p>The writer gives a description of a shipwrecked sailor who lived with the blacks twenty years, and -experienced continual kindness, and of their kindness to his fellow-seamen who escaped from the wreck, -but died of fever. These very men having boarded a cutter near the coast, and one of them having stolen a -tomahawk, leaped overboard with his prize, the rest following. The crew fired upon them while swimming, -and killed two of them.</p> - -<p>The writer, in describing the massacre of the natives by the black police, says:⁠—“I have seen two -large pits, covered with branches and brush, secured by a few stones; the pits filled with dead bodies of -blacks, of all ages and both sexes.” Again, he says, “Whilst travelling along the road, for more than a -quarter of a mile the air was tainted with the putrefaction of corpses, which lay all along the ridges, just as -they had fallen. This was in retaliation for the murder of five shepherds. Each detachment of four or -five troopers is officered by a European, domiciled in barracks or camps. They sometimes show some -compunction in shooting women, but they are usually encouraged in this work, as the women are often -the abettors and agents in most of the murders, and as the blacks must be exterminated, the more shot -the better.”</p> - -<p>The celebrated tourist, Mr. Trollope, in his work on “Queensland; a Flying Visit,” devotes some -pages to this people. He describes them as sapient as monkeys and great mimics of white dandies. He<span class="pagenum" id="Page_27">[27]</span> -then refers to the opposition Cook, Dampier, and Phillip met with on their landing, as if they had no -right to defend their country. What is a virtue with all other people is a crime in them. Comfortably -accommodated in a squatter’s residence, he says there were more settlers killed by the blacks than blacks -killed, and thus balances the account.</p> - -<p>Some murders have been brought before the public in Queensland which called for immediate -Government interference. Camps of aboriginals have been attacked, the wretched beings fired upon, and -on escaping to the water, were then deliberately shot. On one occasion, one of their number eluded the -aboriginal police; at length they saw a bundle of grass floating, into which they fired and shot the unfortunate -being, who held the grass in his mouth to conceal his head, but the stratagem failed. In another -instance, where the aboriginal police attacked the camp, one of the women was seized and violated, and her -brains dashed out.</p> - -<p>In 1880, the <i>Sydney Mail</i> wrote:⁠—“The doom of the Queensland savage is not merely to perish -before the advance, but to actually receive his death-blow at the hands of the British colonist. In -another page, we reprint an article from our senior morning contemporary, which puts this fact beyond -dispute. A competent and impartial special reporter declares the condition of things as it is, and his -melancholy narrative must re-awaken regret for the fate of the race which enjoyed an uninvaded possession -of this continent for centuries, and is now rapidly melting away in the presence of civilization. -Stripped of all exaggeration, the story of what is happening in the remote districts of the neighbouring -Colony has a horrible sound to Southerners who have no environment of savagery, and to whom peace -and plenty have become monotonous and undervalued privileges. Yet the far north of Queensland is not -being stained more terribly with aboriginal blood than has been our fair New South Wales. The black -was improved off the face of the lands we occupy, as pitilessly as he is now being dismissed from his -haunts on the banks of the tropical rivers. We cannot thank God that the pioneer settlers here were -more merciful than those who are appropriating the cedar forests and auriferous deposits in Northern -Queensland. From first to last the line of contact between the two races has been a red one. From -first to last the strong Caucasian has trodden the naked nomad like mire into his own sod.</p> - -<p>“It is easy to voice regret and condemnation in general terms; but could this extermination have -been altogether avoided? We think not. What should have been done with the aboriginal? Did his -possession of the territory for centuries give him a right to possess it for ever? Did mere possession -confer a title so absolute that British colonization must be ranked as a national crime? Surely no -rational man can defend such a view as that. The blackfellow’s title to the country was destroyed by his -savagery. Nature gives everybody a chance of some kind, and the blackfellow had his chance. He had -given to him a magnificent continent, rich in manifold resources; but he was lord only over snakes and -kangaroos—a king of brutes, but little more than a brute among brutes. Back of the brute there was, no -doubt, the germ of manhood; but a creature with only an undeveloped germ of manhood cannot live -among men. The blackfellow shrank from men, preferring to dwell with marsupials. He did not understand, -he did not like man—using the word in its large sense. He fought against him as a wild brute -would fight—treacherously, savagely. In the far north, to this day, he is not averse to eating the -colonist. He has had two chances: Nature, as before remarked, has given him a splendid country, and -he has been brought into contact with a highly civilized race; but he has proved unworthy of both. His -blood is therefore upon his own head.</p> - -<p>“In saying this we do not, it need hardly be insisted, endorse all that has been meted out to the -black by his white conqueror. The Briton was a savage once, and he is not an angel now. Beneath his -civilization, there are the passions which may be developed into savagery; and there have been too many -white savages in Australia. The line of contact between the two races is the line where Government, -representing in this matter the conscience as well as the physical force of the whole community, should -be strong, but where it has too frequently been weak. The Queensland Government should be strong in -the administration of justice, tempered abundantly with mercy, along the line where white and black are -struggling for supremacy, and not merely able to grapple with questions of tariffs and mail contracts in -Brisbane. It is a disgrace to a civilized people to be represented by many of the ‘boys’ who are employed -to hasten the extinction of their countrymen in the far north. The braining of children, the -violation of women, the slaughter of the wounded and the aged, the callous disregard of all tender considerations -which, when observed, shed lustre on the strong—these are reproaches which it is humiliating -to have recorded in any part of the British Empire. They make an Englishman’s blood boil with shame -and indignation. War, whether of the open sort or of that unrecognized kind which ‘disperses’ blackfellows, -is apt to demoralize those who are engaged in it, and what has been transpiring for years in the -‘unsettled’ districts of Australia has had that effect in too many cases. The business of ‘dispersing’ -blackfellows has had the result of ‘dispersing’ the conscience of whitefellows. Troopers may have<span class="pagenum" id="Page_28">[28]</span> -received the letter of their orders from Brisbane; but the spirit of their atrocious deeds has been inspired -by the passion-blinded pioneers, to whom the taking of an aboriginal life is rather meritorious. But we -repeat that where, as in the far north, the conscience of individuals is weak, the conscience of the Colony -should be all-potent. Blood-shedding would not cease, for the savagery of the blacks will inevitably bring -about their extinction; but the stain would not be the indelible one of guilt.”</p> - -<p>The facts of the dreadful massacre on Liverpool Plains may be gathered from the charge delivered -by Judge Burton on passing sentence of death upon the criminals, and exhibit barbarity horrible to think -of:⁠—</p> - -<p>“Prisoners at the bar, you have been found guilty of the murders of the aborigines at Liverpool -Plains—men, women, and children. The circumstances of these murders are so atrocious that you must -be prepared for what the result must be. This is not a case where death has ensued from drunkenness, -nor the murder of one individual, but probably of thirty poor defenceless beings.</p> - -<p>“The blacks round their fires at night were suddenly surrounded by an armed body of you prisoners -at the bar. The blacks fled to one of your huts for safety. In that hut, amidst the tears, sobs, and groans -of these unhappy victims, you bound them—father, mother, and children—together, and then led them to -common destruction.</p> - -<p>“Nothing else but the grace of God could reach men’s hearts so hardened as to slay father, mother, -and children. To conceal the affair you burnt the bodies, swept the place, and removed the remains, but -hundreds of birds of prey floating in the air awakened the attention of the neighbourhood, and -notwithstanding every precaution a jaw-bone with teeth was found, while, as it rained the day before the -deed, the traces of horsemen, of men, &c., with naked feet, being blacks, were left visible to the place, -while there was no trace of the blacks returning. This offence was not without premeditation, as it is -certain the whites were mustered from down the river to help, and on Sunday you closed that day with -the murder of these blacks.</p> - -<p>“I cannot but look upon you with commiseration. You were placed in a dangerous situation, -entirely removed from religious instruction, 150 miles from any police station, by which you could have -been controlled, &c., &c.” The Judge then passed sentence of death in the usual manner.</p> - -<p>Certainly the case was one of great criminality and diabolical in the execution; but these unfortunate -men were left in the solitude by their employers, without any correcting good, and were taught by influential -persons to look upon the blacks as not human beings. Religion after all is the great panacea to heal -nations, for it is righteousness that exalteth them.</p> - -<p>The influence of crime on the virtuous portions of society, either as to its costliness or insecurity -of life and property, is very serious, and demands much statesmanship; the solution of the problem lies -in conservatism.</p> - -<p>In 1875, the <i>South Australian Register</i> published the following notes on the aborigines met with on -the trip of Mr. Lewis’s exploring party to Lake Eyre, by Mr. F. W. Andrews, collecting naturalist -to the expedition:⁠—</p> - -<p>“The first natives we met with after leaving Mount Margaret were on the Macumba Creek, where -a small number visited our camp in a very quiet and friendly manner. They were young men and a boy -or two. They could not speak any English, except one or two very commonplace words, as ‘whitefellow,’ -&c. Their food appeared to consist of snakes (morelia) of the boa tribe, lizards, rats, &c., but the principal -food at this season of the year (December) appears to be the dried fruit of the pigs’-faces (mesembryan-themum), -which they gather in large quantities and store by until wanted, or as long as it will keep. The -quantity they consume at a time is something enormous, and it appears to be very nutritious and fattening -food, no doubt from the large amount of saccharine matter it affords. They wear no covering for the -body, except the men, some of whom wear a small fringed curtain in front of their persons. This is sometimes -made of the tail of the pouched hare (<i>Peragalia lagotis</i>), the white tips of which are worked into a -very neat and ornamental covering. This is called ‘Thippa.’ They also wear a similar fringe, only -larger, made of wallaby or rat’s hair, which they call ‘Unpa.’ The ends of the tails of the native rabbit -or pouched hare are carefully saved up until about forty or fifty in number are fastened in rows, forming -a very attractive adornment; they have, however, often as many as from 150 to 200 in one bunch. The -weapons they carry with them when visiting are few and simple, consisting of a yam-stick for digging out -rats, &c., and an awkwardly-made boomerang. I found that they had plenty of spears, and large -two-handed boomerangs like immense wooden scimitars. These they kept out of sight on most occasions. -They had some very neatly-constructed trough-like water-vessels, which they called ‘Pirras.’ The -men were finely-formed young fellows, with pleasing and regular features, and one, in particular, had -beautifully-formed olive eyes; he was a very handsome young fellow, and we all admired him very much.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_29">[29]</span> -Through our native interpreter, ‘Coppertop,’ who joined us at Strangways, we were enabled to converse -with them. They were very anxious for rain, as they could not travel far away from the waterholes on -the creeks. Travelling further on towards Lake Eyre, we met with several wild-looking lots—plenty of -men, women, and children—all looking very hearty and contented. The old men were about having a -meeting to ‘make rain,’ and as it looked likely for rain, they would no doubt before long be able to again -astonish their tribe by their power as ‘rain-makers.’</p> - -<p>“We were now keeping a strict night-watch, as (if they meant no mischief ‘leading to human gore’) -they were diligently intent on what they called ‘tealing.’ It was evident, by the cut timber about the -creeks, that they had axes or tomahawks, and on inquiry ‘where blackfellow got um tomahawk,’ the -answer received was, ‘him teal um along a whitefellow.’ There is no doubt they had stolen several -during the construction of the overland telegraph. They, however, always kept these tomahawks out of -our sight. Knives, tomahawks, &c., are their principal weaknesses; but they will steal anything they can -lay their hands (or toes) on. Our interpreter, ‘Coppertop,’ having arrived in his own country, the -Macumba, made tracks, leaving his clothes, which were transferred to another young man who joined us. -Tommy was his name, and he had a good smattering of English, from having been with the telegraph construction -parties for some time, and was very useful as a guide and interpreter. One day, when travelling, -we met with natives—‘outsiders,’ whose patois Tommy was unacquainted with, and he cried out in despair, -‘Me cant hear um.’ Tommy was of a very inquiring turn of mind, and thinking sugar was “dug up” at -some ‘berry good place,’ he one day asked the question, ‘When we catch um that big one sandhill -all same where whitefellow get um sugar?’</p> - -<p>“On Willis’s or the Salt Creek we saw, in a large mob of natives, one old man who had evidently been -in the wars; his arm had been broken in two places, and had set crooked at each fracture, giving the poor -old man a very battered appearance. The old fellow walked up and down the camel train from one person -to another, talking and gesticulating, evidently wishing us to go on; and on our starting, he looked -very pleased, and pointed in the direction we were going, saying, ‘Appa, appa’ (water, water), as -much as to say, ‘Go on; there is plenty of water over there for you.’ At starting, much to our amusement -and surprise, the old man said, ‘Good morning, good morning.’ This was towards evening, but -although the old man seemed to wish us away from his own camp, he was at our camp the next morning to -see us start, and wish us good morning again. Several women at the old man’s camp were smeared all over -with burnt gypsum (plaster of Paris), making them quite white, and giving them a horrid-looking appearance. -They were in mourning for deceased relatives. All the natives we saw looked very healthy and fat, -the children looked as clean in the skin as could be desired, and, altogether, their appearance and physique -showed them the pictures of health and contentment. We saw one fine young man who was blind from -cataract, and the poor old man with the broken arm was leading him about and attending to his wants. We -afterwards saw, at Kopperamana, a young hearty-looking woman, who was suffering from the same -affliction.</p> - -<p>“They told us that the weather last year in the winter was very cold, but that no rain fell. They make -the best wurleys I have seen anywhere, all covered in securely, and having a hole for the exit of the smoke, -as well as the entrance hole, which is, however, small. They are covered all over with grass, rushes, roots, -earth, &c., and are quite dry. In the summer they have only a shade constructed of boughs. During the -hot weather they were catching large quantities of fish with nets, which they constructed very ably from -rushes. These nets are mostly fixed stationary across a favourable spot in the creek, and the fish caught by -endeavouring to pass through the meshes, when they get fixed in the net by the mesh passing over their -gills. When the supply of fish fails, or wanting a change of food, they have roots, seeds, herbs, caterpillars -(in bushels), lizards, snakes, and numerous odds and ends, to procure all of which in quantity -requires at times much labour, and this food-labour mostly falls to the lot of the lubras, who have generally -plenty to do, for after they have got the food to their wurleys, there is much to do grinding or pounding -seeds of acacia, nardoo, &c.</p> - -<p>“Some of the large waterholes on the Salt Creek have superstitious terrors attached to them. One -blackfellow, after killing a pelican with a boomerang, would not attempt to recover his weapon, as he said -there was a large snake in the hole always on the lookout for blackfellow.</p> - -<p>“At Kopperamana, the Lutheran Mission Station, only a small number, about a dozen or so, were -camped. They appeared to easily obtain plenty of fish in the lake, but had not such a fat, hearty-looking -appearance as the natives on Salt Creek. Some were employed on the station shepherding goats, others -lamb-minding, &c., and all appeared to be well-treated. Of their scholastic attainments I cannot say very -much, as I was informed that as they got taught any learning they went away. One young fellow appeared -to have a good idea of figures, and counted twenty-five very fairly. Only a few natives were seen at Lake -Hope; these talk pidgin-English with fluency, well interlarded with strong adjectives. They have plenty<span class="pagenum" id="Page_30">[30]</span> -of fish in the lake, and the rats, snakes, roots, &c., according to the season. Perrigundi Lake has long -been known as a so-called dangerous place for whites to camp at, unless well armed and in pretty good -force. It was at this place where a party of stockmen from Lake Hope were attacked some years ago, -while they were asleep, and, only for the bravery and promptitude of one of the party, the whole of them -would have been killed. One young man, named Newman, died of the spear wounds he received in this -fatal affray. We camped here two nights and one day—Saturday night and Sunday. Seven or eight -finely-made, strong young fellows paid us a visit, and were very peaceably disposed, and fetched us some -fine fish in exchange for a little tobacco. Some of the weapons they had with them were of the most -formidable dimensions, and well adapted for knocking down a bullock. They did not make any offer to -molest us; but the sight of our revolvers, rifles, and guns, no doubt everywhere acted as a good warning -to them, as to what they might expect if they commenced hostilities.</p> - -<p>“They did not appear to pay much respect to old age, after decease, as one of them was noticed by -one of our party taking some dead wood from an old grave to make a fire, and on being remonstrated with, -he replied, ‘All right; only old woman been tumble down.’ Proceeding on to Lake M’Kinlay, there is a -pretty numerous tribe there, but only eight or nine visited our camp, as most of them were away hunting -in the sandhills, where they always go after the rains have left water enough in the claypans for their -subsistence while hunting. Some of them were much frightened at the camels. They looked in excellent -health. We camped here close to the tree which M’Kinlay marked on his journey. The tree had been -partly destroyed by the blacks, but some fine young saplings are springing up, straight and tall again, and -the old tree promises to be soon as good as ever. I think it is only an act of justice to these poor creatures -to record their peaceable and friendly behaviour to us all the way we travelled, and we hope that as soon as -the Salt Creek country is occupied, which from its fine grazing capabilities it immediately will be, a -thoughtful and liberal Government will send a supply of useful things to them—as blankets, tomahawks, -&c.</p> - -<p>“The Salt Creek tribe is numerous and powerful, and I feel convinced that kind but firm treatment -at the outset will bring about the most desirable results. Police protection ought to be at once given to -the first settlers on this and the neighbouring creeks. It would act as a wholesome check on the bad -propensities and cupidity of the natives, and at the same time procure their proper treatment.”</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_31">[31]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV.</h2> - - -<p class="hanging2 small p3 b2">Efforts made to civilize the Aborigines⁠—Rev. L. E. Threlkeld⁠—Results of Missions⁠—Government support of Missions⁠—Society -for propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts⁠—Population in the Port Phillip District⁠—Examination before the -Legislative Council on the Aboriginal Question⁠—Lieut. Sadleir’s evidence⁠—Rev. L. E. Threlkeld’s evidence⁠—Captain -Grey’s opinion.</p> - -<p class="noindent"><span class="smcap">The</span> following may be considered as a brief summary of the several attempts to christianize and -civilize the aborigines. Several portions of the Bible have been translated, but as the natives are fast -acquiring English, this need not be continued.</p> - -<p>The Rev. Mr. Threlkeld was a translator into the aboriginal language, as appears from the following, -but the tribes in question are now extinct:⁠—</p> - -<p class="center p2"> -“<span class="smcap">Australian Aboriginal Language.</span><br> -<br> -“<i>To the Editor of the Herald.</i><br> -</p> - -<p>“Sir,—In your issue of the 2nd instant appears a short review (from the <i>Sydney Mail</i>) on the recently -published work, entitled ‘Kamilaroi and other Australian Languages,’ by the Rev. W. Ridley, lately -issued by the New South Wales Government Printing Office. In your remarks on the work I notice the -following:⁠—</p> - -<p>‘If we mistake not, the Rev. L. E. Threlkeld was the <i>first</i> to produce any publication on the subject -of the aboriginal language, his little work, containing ‘Specimens of the Dialect of the Aborigines -of New South Wales,’ having been given to the world in 1827. In the same year he issued another essay, -in which he endeavoured to throw the language into grammatical shape; and in 1856 appeared his ‘Key -to the Structure of the Aboriginal Language.’</p> - -<p>“As the above gives but a very brief outline of the work rendered by my father (carried on for -sixteen years under great privation and through many trying circumstances) in the interests of the -aborigines of this Colony during his mission, commencing in January, 1825, and terminating December, -1841, I trust you will not consider that I am needlessly trespassing upon your columns in placing before -you a few of the more prominent results emanating from those labours, especially as it would appear, -from the recent publication, that our Government is more alive to the importance of preserving reliable -works on the dialect of the aboriginal language that it was at the time of their publication.</p> - -<p>“The Rev. L. E. Threlkeld’s first production was ‘Specimens of the Aboriginal Language,’ printed -and issued for publication (as mentioned by you) in 1827.</p> - -<p>“In 1829, under the auspices of the Venerable Archdeacon Broughton (subsequently Bishop of -Australia), he completed the translation of the Gospel of St. Luke, which was revised in 1831, and the -MSS. forwarded to the Archdeacon.</p> - -<p>“In 1832 a selection of prayers from the Ritual of the Church of England was translated.</p> - -<p>“In 1835 his ‘Australian Grammar, being a Dialect of the Languages of the Aborigines,’ was completed, -a copy of which was presented to His late Majesty King William IV, and placed in the Royal Library.</p> - -<p>“In 1836 the ‘Australian Spelling Book’ was completed and printed for the use of the aborigines. -Two of the youths then attending the Mission School could read and write in their native tongue. In -the same year ‘Selections from the Old Testament’ were also translated to form reading lessons for the -native youth.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_32">[32]</span></p> - -<p>“In 1837 the first translation of the Gospel of St. Mark was finished.</p> - -<p>“At the close of the yearly report ending 1838 the following subjects are alluded to as having -occupied his attention—</p> - -<table class="p32"> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">“1.</td> - <td class="tdl">Specimens of the Language</td> - <td class="tdlm" rowspan="2"><span style="font-size: 200%;">}</span></td> - <td class="tdlm" rowspan="2">In print. The copies were then expended.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">“2.</td> - <td class="tdl">An Australian Grammar</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">“3.</td> - <td class="tdl" colspan="3">The Gospel of St. Luke.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">“4.</td> - <td class="tdl" colspan="3">The Gospel of St. Mark.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">“5.</td> - <td class="tdl" colspan="3">The Gospel of St. Matthew to the 5th chapter.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">“6.</td> - <td class="tdl" colspan="3">A Selection of Prayers for Morning and Evening Service.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">“7.</td> - <td class="tdl" colspan="3">A Selection of Reading Lessons from the Old Testament.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">“8.</td> - <td class="tdl" colspan="3">The Australian Spelling Book.</td> - </tr> -</table> - - -<p>“In 1856 (some fifteen years after the close of the Mission) he completed and published his last -work—‘The Key to the Structure of the Aboriginal Language’—and at the time of his death, in 1859, -he had nearly completed the final revision of the Four Gospels, with a view to their publication. At the -request of Sir George Grey, who has always taken a lively interest in aboriginal languages, I forwarded -the manuscript to him, under the impression that he would have it printed and forward me a copy.</p> - -<p>“In the annual report of 1839 allusion is made to the similarity of the aboriginal language with the -Cherokee Indian, where specimens of the dual are given; the Cherokee habitual form of the verb agreeing -with the modification in the Australian Grammar, page 29. A comparison of dialects is also made of the -aborigines at Lake Macquarie, Manila River, Swan River, and King George’s Sound.</p> - -<p>“Burwood House, March 16.</p> - -<p class="right b2"> -L. E. THRELKELD.”<br> -</p> - -<p>The first institution, at Parramatta, was instituted by Governor Macquarie. Next, we may regard -the Rev. Mr. Cartwright’s attempt at the Male Orphan School, which was only limited to a few children. -One of the girls, under the care of Mrs. Cartwright, made great progress in learning, aspired to music, and -was afterwards married to a stockman on Manaro Plains. Some of the boys turned out well.</p> - -<p>The Rev. Mr. Threlkeld’s mission at Lake Macquarie (see his evidence and brief notice attached); -the Church Missionary Society, Wellington Valley; Mr. Watson’s Mission of the remnant down the -Macquarie; the Moravian Missions and Roman Catholic Missions, Queensland; Sir Richard Bourke’s -Mission, Melbourne; also the Wesleyan and the Lake Mission there; Missions in Western Australia and -Adelaide; Mission by the Rev. Mr. Ridley, Barwon and Namoi; two Missions under Mr. Matthews and -the Rev. J. B. Gribble; Tasmanian Aborigines.</p> - -<p>“Rev. L. E. Threlkeld, who had been associated with Rev. John Williams, ‘the martyr of Erromanga,’ -in the South Sea mission, commenced a mission among the aborigines at Lake Macquarie, near -Newcastle, and continued for eleven years to labour among them. Mr. Threlkeld published a grammar of -the language spoken by the aborigines of the Lower Hunter, which constitutes a valuable philological -record. A large number of the natives received the elements of education from Mr. Threlkeld, and some -of his old catechumens are still to be met with in different parts of the Colony; but no decided and permanent -moral change appears to have resulted from his long-continued labours there. Like other tribes -in the neighbourhood of colonial settlements, that in the midst of which Mr. Threlkeld carried on his -labours rapidly decayed, and left no material for benevolent agencies to work upon. The Revs. Messrs. -Watson and Gunther, of the Church of England, for several years conducted a mission for the aborigines -in Wellington Vale, the results of which are very similar to those of Mr. Threlkeld’s mission. Among -the aboriginal shepherds and stockmen scattered over a wide district Mr. Watson’s old scholars may be -occasionally met with, and their training under his care has at least had the effect of making them more -intelligent and useful servants. Mr. Watson accomplished a work of mercy for numerous half-caste -children scattered among the tribes in the western and north-western districts. Many of these unhappy -children, disowned by their fathers, and liable to be destroyed by their mothers’ tribe, having no prospect -but an early death or a savage life, were rescued from such a fate by Mr. Watson, and instructed in -Christian knowledge and useful art.” (See Bishop Broughton’s visit and report of this mission; also -Bishop Barker’s tour.)</p> - -<p>Between 1837 and 1844, the Rev. Benjamin Hurst and the Rev. Francis Tuckfield, under the -auspices of the Wesleyan Society, started on a mission at Buntingdale, or Colac, near Geelong. They conducted -a school at which 100 aboriginal children attended, and trained the adults to farm labour; but the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_33">[33]</span> -spiritual good which was their chief aim was not manifest in a decided manner. Hostile attacks by other -tribes put a stop to the work, and convinced the missionaries of the necessity of simultaneous and enlarged -efforts among all the neighbouring tribes. Rev. William Walker, another Wesleyan Minister, laboured -with great zeal for the conversion of the aborigines in the neighbourhood of Bathurst, and some of those -brought up under his instructions made an open profession of Christianity and adopted the habits of -civilized life. One of them was for years a preacher of the Gospel.</p> - -<p>In 1837 a party of nine missionaries, who had been enlisted in the work by Pastor Gossner, of -Berlin, were directed, through the exertions of Rev. Dr. Lang, to Australia, and came with their families to -Moreton Bay. These missionaries taught the children of the aborigines the English language, the use of -the hoe, and other useful arts. Their attempts to instil Christianity into their minds do not appear to -have been successful. The lives of the missionaries were repeatedly endangered by the plots of the -aborigines to rob and murder them. After some years, having been compelled by the absence of external -support to devote their attention to the cultivation of the ground for the support of their families, they -gradually abandoned the attempt to evangelize the natives. Two of them, Rev. G. Hansmann and Rev. -W. Riquet, have been since labouring successfully for the good of their own countrymen in Victoria. -Between 1853 and 1856 the Rev. W. Ridley made several missionary tours to the aborigines on the Namoi, -Barwon, and Balonne Rivers, and Moreton Bay; in the course of which he collected and made public -information relative to the language and traditional customs of the tribes in those districts. Mr. Ridley -addressed to the aborigines, in their native language, elementary instruction in revealed truth; and especially -among the Kamilaroi-speaking tribes on the Namoi and Barwon—these instructions were received with -attention and thankfulness; no evidence, however, appeared of any permanent good being effected by this -brief attempt. In the Colonies of Western Australia, South Australia, and Victoria more successful -efforts have been made. In Western Australia the Rev. George King carried on a mission for seven years, -1842 to 1848, the results of which continue to this day. Mr. King devoted his attention chiefly to the -children; and during the whole course of the seven years from thirteen to fifteen children were frequently -under instruction. Mr. King was obliged to discontinue the mission on account of failing health.</p> - -<p>Some of these denizens of the bush have become quite industrious, and not only have they adopted -the Christian name and a few outward forms of religion, but by active benevolence, by consistent honesty -and industry, by patient resignation and suffering, and calm hope in the hour of death, many of them -have, as may be seen by the yearly reports of Mr. Hammond, proved the reality of the change which they -professed to have undergone. There has also been a mission carried on up to this time, or till very -recently, in the Wimmera District, in the Western Province of Victoria, by Mr. Spieseke and other -missionaries connected with the German Moravians, from whom accounts have been received of hopeful -success in this work, followed by sad tidings of a fatal epidemic among the tribe. For further information -concerning this and the Port Lincoln mission we may refer to the Rev. R. L. C., of Melbourne, -who has taken a lively and active interest in the work, and who himself educated and took with -him to England an aboriginal boy, Willie Wimmera. A school, opened as a trial establishment, was -also managed during several years by the Government at Port Franklin, in Victoria, where the Rev. Mr. -Hobarton Carvosso laboured with very great assiduity and some success in the teaching of black children. -But there are many thousands of aborigines still, on and beyond the borders of the Colony, and there is -yet time for a more enlarged, skilful, and persevering effort to raise their condition by Christian missions; -while, in reference to the past, the painful fact cannot be forgotten that many of the white men who first -came into contact with the aborigines were far more willing to instruct them in evil than in good—a fact -which explains to some extent the indisposition so commonly exhibited to learn anything good. In looking -to the future relation of Australian Christianity to the aboriginal race, it cannot be reasonably doubted -that if the religion of the colonists should become in them a vital power, regulating and inspiring all their -actions, it will speedily overcome all the difficulties which have hitherto obstructed the endeavours made -to raise the physical and spiritual condition of the Australian aborigines.</p> - -<p>It would occupy too much space to enter into a detailed history of all these attempts to civilize -and christianize these people. Both the Rev. Mr. Johnson and the Rev. Mr. Marsden and others had -attempted to domesticate some of the children, but after a residence of some time, they returned into the -bush but little benefited.</p> - -<p>Governor Macquarie established a school in Parramatta, in which several children—twenty-seven girls -and thirty-seven boys—were partially educated. This school was removed to Blacktown, where land was -set apart for the natives, and inducements held out to both blacks and whites to mass them here. Several -were educated so that they could read, write, sing hymns, and do needlework; but the white population -pressed around, and after some years of labour it had to be abandoned, the Rev. Mr. Walker removing<span class="pagenum" id="Page_34">[34]</span> -to Bathurst to re-establish the school there. The Rev. Mr. Cartwright mixed the boys with the white -boys in the school. They worked well together, but a foolish apprehension that the black children communicated -disease to the whites caused its discontinuance.</p> - -<p>The Rev. Mr. Threlkeld laboured in Lake Macquarie, a beautiful sheet of water and large grant of -land having been set apart for them, but its proximity to Newcastle, and gradual dying out of the blacks, -extinguished the mission.</p> - -<p>The Church Missionary Society, at the instigation of the Rev. Samuel Marsden, established the -Wellington mission. The situation was especially suited, and the labourers diligent and efficient, but -after a few years the pressure of the white population put an end to the mission there.</p> - -<p>The Rev. Mr. Watson gathered up the remnant, and recommenced the mission on his own station -down the Macquarie. Bishop Broughton visited that establishment, and was highly gratified with the -success and management, but it also died out, I suspect, with the death of Mr. Watson.</p> - -<p>The Moravian Mission in Queensland was established by the Rev. Dr. Lang there, settled at -Brisbane, but afterwards removed to the Bunya Bunya country, where natives congregate for the fruit of -the pine. The salary promised by the Government was withdrawn, and that, with the influx of the -squatters and their threats to the natives, caused the breaking up of the mission.</p> - -<p>The Roman Catholic Mission was commenced at Stradbroke Island by Archbishop Polding, in 1842, -who brought out two Italian priests to establish it, but they soon became tired of the occupation, and -retired from the charge.</p> - -<p>The mission of Sir R. Bourke to Melbourne, after some trial, had to be given up, owing to rapid -pressure of the white population.</p> - -<p>The Wesleyan Mission there, after much labour, had likewise to be given up, for a similar reason.</p> - -<p>The mission of the Rev. Mr. Ridley, who acquired the language, and itinerated and preached to -them, had likewise to be given up. Mr. Ridley has left a valuable work on their language.</p> - -<p>Two or three missions were established—one in Western Australia, another near Adelaide; and -two others, under Mr. Matthews and the Rev. Mr. Gribble, are now under the consideration of the -Government, which has appointed the Honorable G. Thornton, M.L.C., Commissioner, and the Board of -Missions, under the Church Synod, so that some hope remains that many, especially children, may be -rescued from gradual destruction, hitherto the result of civilized Christianity with them. It may naturally -be asked what is the reason of these failures in the attempts which have been made in various portions -of New South Wales, Victoria, &c. The answer is in the constant encroachment and pressure of the -whites and their rapid settlement in an open country, coupled with the helplessness of the natives -when brought within their influences, dependent as they are on gratuitous support, and the vices and -diseases of the white population which are so fatal to them.</p> - -<p>The Government support of missions to 1838 appears to be—</p> - -<table class="p34 b1"> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Wellington Valley</td> - <td class="tdr"> </td> - <td class="tdr">£500</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdl"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Lake Macquarie</td> - <td class="tdr"> </td> - <td class="tdr">186</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdl"> besides land</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl" rowspan="2">Moreton Bay</td> - <td class="tdr" rowspan="2"><span style="font-size: 200%;">{</span></td> - <td class="tdr">450</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdl"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">310</td> - <td class="tdr">19</td> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdl"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Port Phillip</td> - <td class="tdr"> </td> - <td class="tdr">534</td> - <td class="tdr">17</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdl"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Provisions and clothing</td> - <td class="tdr"> </td> - <td class="tdr">440</td> - <td class="tdr">17</td> - <td class="tdr">11</td> - <td class="tdl"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Wesleyan—Port Phillip</td> - <td class="tdr"> </td> - <td class="tdr">600</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdr">0</td> - <td class="tdl"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"><span style="margin-left: 3em;">General support</span></td> - <td class="tdr"> </td> - <td class="tdr border-top border-bottom">£2,691</td> - <td class="tdr border-top border-bottom">16</td> - <td class="tdr border-top border-bottom">11</td> - <td class="tdl"> </td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>In April, 1844, the Society for propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts proposed to Lord Stanley -to combine with the Colonial Government for supporting missions and schools for the European and -aboriginal population of New South Wales, the Society offering to defray a certain portion of the -expense. Four clergymen were to be maintained by the Church Societies on a salary of £250 per annum, -and £50 for horse allowance, each; total, £1,200. Expenses to be borne by Government of four additional -clergymen as before, £1,200. Two missionaries—one for the whites, and the other for the aboriginal -population—were to be placed at each station: at Western Port, two; at Goulburn, two; at Mount -Rouse, two; at River Lodden, two. At each station, four schoolmasters. The missionaries at each -station were to devote themselves to the white and black population within a reasonable distance.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_35">[35]</span></p> - -<p>From the report of the Port Phillip District Committee of the Society for promoting Christian -Knowledge, the following tables represent the numbers and localities of the white and aboriginal population -in and about the Port Phillip District in 1844:⁠—</p> - -<table class="p35"> - <tr> - <td class="tdc" colspan="6"><span class="smcap">White Population in the Bush.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl" style="font-size: small;"> </td> - <td class="tdc" style="font-size: small;">Mount Rouse.</td> - <td class="tdc" style="font-size: small;">The Lodden.</td> - <td class="tdc" style="font-size: small;">The Goulburn.</td> - <td class="tdc" style="font-size: small;">Dandenong.</td> - <td class="tdc" style="font-size: small;">Total.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Within Circuits</td> - <td class="tdr">1,046 </td> - <td class="tdr">1,102 </td> - <td class="tdr">750 </td> - <td class="tdr">290 </td> - <td class="tdr">3,188 </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Beyond Circuits</td> - <td class="tdr">270 </td> - <td class="tdr">270 </td> - <td class="tdr">250 </td> - <td class="tdr">167 </td> - <td class="tdr">957 </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Moving population</td> - <td class="tdr">250 </td> - <td class="tdr">250 </td> - <td class="tdr">250 </td> - <td class="tdr">250 </td> - <td class="tdr">1,000 </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"> </td> - <td class="tdr">—— </td> - <td class="tdr">—— </td> - <td class="tdr">—— </td> - <td class="tdr">—— </td> - <td class="tdr"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">  Totals</td> - <td class="tdr">1,566 </td> - <td class="tdr">1,622 </td> - <td class="tdr">1,250 </td> - <td class="tdr">707 </td> - <td class="tdr"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl" colspan="5">Total British population entirely destitute of religious ordinances</td> - <td class="tdr">5,145 </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl" colspan="4">On purchased lands</td> - <td class="tdr">1,000</td> - <td class="tdr"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl" colspan="4">In villages and farms near town</td> - <td class="tdr">2,000</td> - <td class="tdr"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl" colspan="4"> </td> - <td class="tdr">——</td> - <td class="tdr"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl" colspan="5"> </td> - <td class="tdr">3,000 </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl" colspan="5"> </td> - <td class="tdr">—— </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl" colspan="5">  Total British population</td> - <td class="tdr">8,145 </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl" colspan="6"> </td> - <tr> - <td class="tdc" colspan="6"><span class="smcap">Aboriginal or Black Population.</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl" style="font-size: small;"> </td> - <td class="tdc" style="font-size: small;">Mount Rouse.</td> - <td class="tdc" style="font-size: small;">The Lodden.</td> - <td class="tdc" style="font-size: small;">The Goulburn.</td> - <td class="tdc" style="font-size: small;">Dandenong.</td> - <td class="tdc" style="font-size: small;">Total.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">At stations</td> - <td class="tdr">400 </td> - <td class="tdr">300 </td> - <td class="tdr">400 </td> - <td class="tdr">200 </td> - <td class="tdr">1,300 </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Accessible beyond the limits of occupation</td> - <td class="tdr">800 </td> - <td class="tdr">800 </td> - <td class="tdr">1,000 </td> - <td class="tdr">...   </td> - <td class="tdr">2,600 </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl"> </td> - <td class="tdr">—— </td> - <td class="tdr">—— </td> - <td class="tdr">—— </td> - <td class="tdr">—— </td> - <td class="tdr">—— </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">  Totals</td> - <td class="tdr">1,200 </td> - <td class="tdr">1,100 </td> - <td class="tdr">1,400 </td> - <td class="tdr">200 </td> - <td class="tdr"> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl" colspan="5">    Total black population</td> - <td class="tdr">3,900 </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl" colspan="5">    White population</td> - <td class="tdr">8,145 </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr" colspan="6">—— </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr" colspan="6">12,045 </td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>These proposals were communicated to His Excellency Sir George Gipps, together with a letter -from the Immigration Office with the views of the Land Commissioner on the project; but the result of this -truly liberal and Christian proposal seems to have met with no response.</p> - -<p>I may here venture to add my own testimony to that of the Rev. Mr. Threlkeld and Mr. Robinson -upon this subject, as given in evidence before a Committee of the Legislative Council, in the year 1838; -also Captain Grey’s opinion. I fear Mr. Robinson’s evidence is not obtainable; but the wonderful -achievement of that gentleman in accomplishing single-handed what the whole power of the Van Diemen’s -Land Government could not succeed in with a large military force, backed by the settlers, and at a -heavy cost, is one of the noblest triumphs of moral over physical power probably ever accomplished. I -have described this in the “Reminiscences of Tasmania.”</p> - - -<p class="noindent center p1"> -<i>Examination before the Committee of the Legislative Council, 1838.—Extracts from the Minutes of Evidence -on the Aborigines Question.</i></p> - -<p class="noindent center">Lieutenant Richard Sadleir, R.N., Liverpool, examined:⁠—</p> - -<p class="noindent"><span class="smcap">When</span> I first arrived here, in 1826, I was employed on a tour of inquiry as to the state of the aborigines, -by order of the Home Government, and under the immediate direction of Mr. Archdeacon Scott.</p> - -<p>I proceeded first into Argyle, and examined into the numbers of the tribes, and as to their intercourse -with the whites, and the cause of the disputes with them.</p> - -<p>From the Murrumbidgee, I struck off to Bathurst, pursuing the same inquiries, and from thence, -I went 80 miles below Wellington Valley, on the Macquarie River; afterwards to the head of Hunter’s -River, which I traced down to Newcastle.</p> - -<p>I had with me only one man, two horses, and a cart.</p> - -<p>I sometimes ventured from 30 to 60 miles beyond the stations of the whites, and on one occasion -reached a tribe consisting of about 100 persons, at the Cataract, on the Macquarie, who had never seen -white people. I made them presents, and was received in a friendly manner, and remained with them for -the night.</p> - -<p>I had intended to have proceeded further, but was apprehensive of danger in doing so, and therefore -returned, accompanied for some distance by the tribe, who, however, would not go to the establishment -at Wellington Valley, but took alarm about 9 miles from thence, and left me.</p> - -<p>I think it would be dangerous for a single individual to go amongst the native tribes beyond the -white settlements. It would be a perilous undertaking, but one which I have already ventured upon<span class="pagenum" id="Page_36">[36]</span> -myself, and it is a well-known fact that whites have lived amongst them for years, as in the case of -Buckley, and some bushrangers. There would be a difficulty in communicating with any but the tribe -whose language had been previously acquired, from the difference of dialect, nor can I conceive that an -individual could effect any extensive good by so exposing himself. The only instance I have ever heard -of was that of Mr. Robinson, of Van Diemen’s Land. It is, however, certain that a small body of -Europeans may travel amongst them well armed and maintaining a conciliatory spirit, as in the case of -Mr. Eyre and others, in their journeys to South Australia, and also Captain Sturt and Mr. Cunningham. -Indeed we see stock stations extended amongst them, where there have been but a very few white -persons, and those persons having shown a spirit of conciliation, have not been molested; whereas in -other instances, where, in all probability a different spirit had been exhibited, aggression has followed. -Impressed, therefore, with this opinion, I wrote to the Moravians to say that I thought their system of -missions would be well suited to this people, inviting them to send out a missionary, conceiving that if -small bodies of stockmen (men of depraved habits) could venture to reside amongst them, a small -community of virtuous people, such as the Moravians, would not only be secure, but likely to effect much -good.</p> - -<p>Respecting the office of Protectors, if they are persons qualified to fill the office, and Magistrates, -I conceive that they may be of great benefit both to the whites and the aborigines, as at present both -parties have much reason to complain of the impossibility of obtaining justice; the natives have to endure -a variety of wrongs, without any means of redress but by retaliation; and the whites are placed in much -the same situation; the consequence is that there ever has been, and must continue to be, a system of -reprisal, often leading to the most atrocious acts of violence on both sides; but more especially inexcusable -on the part of the whites, who have in several instances practised barbarities on these people, revolting to -human nature, which have been overlooked, in consequence of there being no public officer to apprehend -and prosecute the parties.</p> - -<p>I have known cases of this kind, but not being in the Commission of the Peace, I could not act, but -could only content myself with making them known to the Government, who could not adopt measures -promptly enough to bring the parties to justice. My opinion is that a Protector (supposing him to be a -man of influence and energy), residing on the outskirts of the white population, would prevent a number -of the feuds and violences daily taking place between the white and aboriginal population—would preserve -order and law amongst the whites themselves—would impress the aborigines with a proper opinion of our -character as a people (the very opposite of which is the case now, the aborigines being brought first in -contact with the most unprincipled of our countrymen), and would, from their opportunities of observation, -be enabled to suggest to Government, from time to time, such measures as would not only prevent -that too general feeling of Lynch law, but serve to ameliorate the condition of the aboriginal population, -and afford security to the whites themselves.</p> - -<p>My own experience convinces me that much of the evil which at present exists may be prevented -by the residence of officers on the frontiers, whose peculiar province it would be to ascertain the sources -of these evils, and then suggest the means of preventing them.</p> - -<p>But I must further add, that I conceive the duties laid down in Lord Glenelg’s despatch are in -many instances unsuitable to the office of Protectors, being of a missionary character, and that they are -likewise too onerous for any one individual to perform. I likewise think the salary for Assistant Protectors -too small to ensure men of the proper qualifications, the office being one not only requiring -moral character, but likewise men of address and standing in society.</p> - -<p>Other expenses besides mere salary will be requisite for the Protectors. They must have either an -European or aboriginal police; also, have funds for presents, &c., so that the expense cannot be estimated -at less than £500 per annum for each Protector.</p> - -<p>I further conceive that a summary of our laws should be translated into the dialects of the -aborigines and frequently promulgated amongst them; for as they are subject to our laws, without any -voice in framing them, it is but justice that they should be made acquainted with them.</p> - -<p>Respecting the removal of the Flinders Island blacks, this appears to be a matter of necessity, as -they are dying away rapidly, and must shortly become extinct; therefore justice and humanity require -their removal, if the cause or causes of the prevailing fatality cannot be overruled. Wearing English -clothing, want of their usual allowance of animal food, situation, nostalgia, or <i>mal du pays</i>, may all -contribute to this end; some of these causes therefore can be removed, but others are beyond the power -of control.</p> - -<p>If the necessity for their removal be however admitted, the question whether they ought to be -located in Van Diemen’s Land or removed here, becomes the next subject of consideration. It appears<span class="pagenum" id="Page_37">[37]</span> -from the inquiries I have been able to make, that locating them in Van Diemen’s Land would revive the -old feelings of hostility and awaken recollections of past violences, and that therefore it would be an -impolitic act. The bringing them to this Colony consequently appears to be the only resource left. -What their influence would be upon the uncivilized tribes appears to me to be very problematical; and -how far it would be possible to preserve them when introduced within the pale of our white population, -from the destroying influence of that population, as well as with what feelings of jealousy a foreign tribe -may be viewed by the aboriginal natives here, are questions which our present experience would lead us -to hesitate coming to any conclusion on.</p> - -<p>I conceive, in both these instances, we must depend upon the ability and experience of Mr. -Robinson, whose extraordinary success should certainly establish confidence in his plans, and who appears -to consider the assistance of some of these natives essential to his success in the wider field of action -which this Colony throws open to him.</p> - -<p>The expense of the maintenance of these natives should most certainly be borne entirely by the -Van Diemen’s Land Government, for the benefit of their removal is theirs, and not ours.</p> - -<p>In viewing the question of the aborigines, I conceive that justice, mercy, self-interest, and religion -all demand of us that expense and exertion should not be spared in attempting something for their -amelioration.</p> - -<p>In the first place we claim them as our subjects, and bring them under the administration of our -laws; therefore, as our subjects, they ought to have protection. While, secondly, as we deprive them of -their lands and means of subsistence, in justice we ought to remunerate them. While, thirdly, as a -question of humanity, nothing can be more dreadful to contemplate, or more disgraceful to a Christian and -civilized nation, than the wholesale destruction which has been going on for the last fifty years, and must -continue, unless some plan be devised to prevent it, for the next hundred years. While, fourthly, as a -matter of self-interest, it is a strange contradiction of things to be destroying, on the one hand, thousands -of our fellow-creatures, who may be made useful members of society; and, on the other hand, in such great -want of population as to be pressed to introduce, at considerable expense, races of Pagans but little -superior to them, in either their moral or physical powers. Besides which, policy should lead us to adopt -measures calculated to encourage the peaceable extension of our territory.</p> - -<p>On the score of religion it is not necessary to enlarge, for the command is, “Go ye into all the -world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.”</p> - -<p>A knowledge of their language is essential to preaching the Gospel, and we know that our Divine -Master bestowed the gift of tongues on his Apostles. This, therefore, is one of the first things which -should occupy the teacher’s attention.</p> - -<p>In following these views of the question, two things present themselves to our notice:⁠—</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span style="margin-left: 2em;">1.</span> The measures to be pursued to those aborigines <i>within</i> the pale of white population.<br> -<span style="margin-left: 2em;">2.</span> The measures to be pursued to those <i>without</i> the pale of white population. -</p> - -<p>Those within the pale of white population must, within a very few years, be utterly destroyed, if -the most prompt measures be not taken, so much so that I conceive that there is scarce an alternative -between coercion and destruction. I would therefore beg to recommend a clause to be introduced into -the Vagrant Act, empowering their transportation, under peculiar circumstances, to distant parts of the -Colony—say Moreton Bay, Port Phillip, &c.; it being a well-known fact that, when sent to a distance, -they can be made to work, and, from their great apprehension of strange tribes, their erratic habits can -be restrained.</p> - -<p>I have no hesitation in saying, that they would thus be made useful servants; their children would -be brought under the full and favourable influence of education; that they may be taught trades, to -tend cattle, sheep, &c. The measure should be entered upon cautiously at first, removing the tribes in the -vicinity of towns, and then extending its operation in a manner so as not to provoke open hostility on -their parts. The numbers of each tribe should be ascertained, and, if possible, the whole tribe should be -removed at once.</p> - -<p>The children unprovided for, may be placed in the orphan schools, where there have been already -several brought up, some of the boys having made good sailors, and some bullock-drivers, &c.</p> - -<p>Much may likewise probably be done in removing them by conciliation, insomuch that I am inclined -to think the enforcement of the Vagrant Act may be limited to the most vicious characters and those in -the neighbourhood of towns; but I look upon it that the removal of those living within the precincts of -white population can alone rescue them from destruction, as vice, disease, and want of food are making -fearful inroads upon them.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_38">[38]</span></p> - -<p>Of those without the pale of white population, measures should be taken to prepare and preserve -them from the encroachments of the whites, and I know of none so well calculated to effect this as -missionary colonization, alluded to by Mr. Roberts.</p> - -<p>These missionary colonies should be placed at 100 miles in advance of the white population, in -suitable situations, and large blocks of country should be reserved for the natives, forming territories of -refuge for them. The white population pressing upon them would help to force the natives into these -reserves; and those portions of land would also prove places for those within the pale of civilization to -be either translated or transported to.</p> - -<p>These missionary establishments, like those of the Moravians, should embrace within themselves -all the means of protection, as well as the means of colonization, and would no doubt be supported to a -great extent by the religious community at Home. They may have sheep, cattle, husbandry, trades, &c.</p> - -<p>In America and Canada such a principle has been acknowledged as that of reserving portions of -land. The Indians have their own places of worship, schools, saw-mills, farms, &c.; also in Upper Canada -the Indians on the Grand River are settled on a block of land, and in a state of civilization; and in South -America, we are aware that the Jesuits pursued a somewhat similar system of colonization; with marked -success.</p> - -<p>That much can be done by moral and religious influence alone on savages, we have the evidence of -William Penn, of the Missionary Societies, amongst the Esquimaux, Hottentots, &c.; and though hitherto, -the progress of civilization has proved the destruction of savage nations, yet this is no proof that such is -the decree of Providence, but rather, that the system of colonization has hitherto been unjust, selfish, -and unchristian.</p> - -<p>The expense of all this machinery is a matter of importance, though in comparison with the destruction -of life, the demoralizing influence of the present state of things, it scarcely deserves attention; -yet, to provide for this, I would venture to propose what I conceive would not be felt as a very heavy -tax: that the rent of lands be doubled, from £1 per section to £2; that the minimum price of land -sold be advanced 6d. or 1s. per acre; that town allotments in the interior be raised £1 each; that the -penalty on drunkards be increased from 5s. to 10s. or £1, according to the circumstances of the individuals.</p> - -<p>The natives ought to be compensated out of the land fund, the land being their property until -usurped by us; likewise, those crimes most destructive to them, such as drunkenness, &c., should be -heavily taxed, with the hope to check them. Persons selling them spirits may be likewise fined.</p> - -<p>The whole amount required would not in all probability exceed £10,000, with aid from Home, and -if we deduct from thence, the destruction and insecurity of life and property, the expense which from -time to time has been incurred by the hostility of the natives, the necessity of a police force on the outskirts, -which has been computed at the increased expense of £15,000 this year, the actual increase of -expense would be but very small.</p> - -<p>As many prejudices prevail to the injury of this people, and many arguments have been advanced -against their moral and intellectual qualifications, it may be well briefly to remark, that the trials to -civilize and christianize them have hitherto been made, without exception, under either mistaken -principles or great disadvantages. The idea entertained in establishing the Blacktown School, that the -females, being civilized, would be the means of civilizing the male population, still savage, went upon a -principle directly opposed to what our knowledge of the savage character teaches, namely, that the female -has scarcely any influence over man in his uncivilized state, and the result proved the absurdity of the -theory; for after all the pains, and the proof that the natives are susceptible of at least intellectual if -not moral improvement (many having been taught to read, work, draw, and sing, &c.), the act of uniting -or marrying them to the unreclaimed natives defeated the objects of the institution, for they were carried -into the bush, and there speedily relapsed back again into their savage habits; while, on the other hand, all -the establishments (even that recently formed at Port Phillip) have been, by some strange fatality, placed -either close to towns or in the very heart of a dense white population,—an oversight most fatal to their -success.</p> - -<p>That little good has resulted from such attempts, is therefore not to be wondered at, but that these -several attempts have not been without their benefit, is a fact too often overlooked; they have proved beyond -the possibility of contradiction, that the natives, however despicable they may be in the estimation -of phrenologists and others, are capable of intellectual improvement. Sir G. McKenzie, a celebrated -phrenologist, having received a skull from Patrick Hill, Esq., speaks of their intellectual abilities as -by no means despicable. The insurmountable difficulty hitherto has been, not that of teaching them, but -that of locating them—their propensity to wander breaking through all restraint; wherefore the necessity -of removing them to a distance from their native place.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_39">[39]</span></p> - -<p>The charge of laziness, likewise so often preferred, is no more peculiarly applicable to them than to -other savages, all of whom are given to extreme indolence, but whose energies are more or less drawn out -by climate, physical peculiarity of country, and other circumstances calculated to develop character, -which do not exist in this Colony; while the opinion too generally received, that they possess no religious -notions or belief, and therefore are not susceptible of moral impressions, is also, I conceive, most unfounded. -Their ceremonies, superstitions, and belief of a future state, exclusion of women from many -of their rites, and their belief in evil spirits, all tend to show the unreasonableness of such a conclusion.</p> - -<p>That the question under consideration involves the destiny of perhaps 100,000 or 200,000 of our -fellow-beings, is a serious consideration, and one which should cause us to pause before we venture to -abandon them to what must inevitably take place—destruction.</p> - -<p>The numbers now within the influence of the white population, embracing Port Phillip and Moreton -Bay, cannot be less, I conceive, than from eight to ten thousand souls, for I found within a given space -near Wellington Valley, in 1826, nine tribes, consisting of 1,658 souls.</p> - -<p>That a dreadful destruction of life has taken place since, there is no doubt; but that still in the -interior, within the reach of the white population, a considerable body of natives is to be found, I feel -myself borne out by the various inquiries I have made.</p> - -<p class="noindent center p1">The Reverend Lancelot Edward Threlkeld examined:⁠—</p> - -<p>I reside at Lake Macquarie, and have done so nearly fourteen years, during which I have been -engaged in acquiring a knowledge of the language of the aboriginal natives, and instructing them; for -six years of that period, my undertaking was carried on under the auspices of the London Missionary -Society; but owing to the heavy expense of the mission, amounting to about £500 per annum for my own -support, and that of such natives as I could persuade to remain with me, for the double purpose of -obtaining from them a knowledge of their language, and to give me an opportunity of endeavouring to -civilize and instruct them, the Society being disappointed in the amount of aid expected from other -quarters, and regarding the expense as encroaching too much upon their funds, relinquished the mission; -and for nearly two years I was left to my own resources and the assistance of some friends, without other -aid, when General Darling obtained the authority of the Secretary of State for an allowance of £150 a -year, and £36 in lieu of rations for four convict servants, which has been granted to me during the last -eight years.</p> - -<p>The mission has thus occasioned an expense to the London Society, for the first six years, of about -£3,000; and for the eight following years, to the Colonial Government (at the rate of £186 per annum), -of about £1,488, or about £4,488 for the fourteen years, exclusive of my own outlay.</p> - -<p>For the probable result of the mission, if pecuniary aid sufficient to carry out my plans had been -continued, I beg leave to refer to the opinion of Messrs. Backhouse and Walker, who visited my station, -as given in their letter to the Society, dated 21 May, 1836.</p> - -<p>The native languages throughout New South Wales are, I feel persuaded, based upon the same -origin; but I have found the dialects of various tribes differ from that of those which occupy the country -around Lake Macquarie, that is to say, of those tribes occupying the limits bounded by the North Head -of Port Jackson, on the south, and Hunter’s River on the north, and extending inland about 60 miles, -all of which speak the same dialect.</p> - -<p>The natives of Port Stephens use a dialect a little different, but not so much as to prevent our -understanding each other; but at Patrick’s Plains the difference is so great, that we cannot communicate -with each other; there are blacks who speak both dialects.</p> - -<p>The dialect of the Sydney and Botany Bay natives varies in a slight degree, and in that of those -further distant, the difference is such that no communication can be held between them and the blacks -inhabiting the district in which I reside.</p> - -<p>From information obtained from Mr. Watson, of Wellington Valley, I learn that the language of -the tribes of that district is also derived from the same general origin, but their various dialects also -differ very much, and the use of any one dialect is very limited.</p> - -<p>During the period of my connection with the London Missionary Society, I generally had about -three or four tribes resident around me upon 10,000 acres of land, granted in trust for the use of the -aborigines; and I have occasionally employed from ten to sixty blacks in burning off timber and clearing -the land, at which work they would continue for a fortnight together, being the employment they appeared -to like best. Since that period, I have not been able to employ more than half a dozen at a time, having -no funds at my disposal for their support.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_40">[40]</span></p> - -<p>I have generally found that they would continue at their work for eight or ten days at a time, -when some other object called them away, and they remained absent for as many weeks. Two lads whom -I was teaching to read and write, in which they had made some progress, remained with me for six months, -when they went away, and after an absence of nearly a year returned, and they are now at work at my -residence, where they will probably stay until some native custom or report of hostile intention from a -neighbouring tribe or tribes will again call them away.</p> - -<p>In respect to the office of Protectors, I think too much is expected in the duties which are to -devolve on them. I consider a Protector as a legal advocate, to watch over the rights and interests of the -natives, and to protect them from aggression, which I think would be sufficient occupation for any -individual.</p> - -<p>The object contemplated respecting the moral and religious improvement of the natives by instruction, -would be more properly the duty of persons appointed specially for that purpose, and would fully -occupy their time.</p> - -<p>To illustrate the subject, and show the necessity of legal protectors, I state -the following circumstance:⁠—I -was directed by the Government to send a man of mine to Patrick’s Plains, to give evidence -respecting the alleged murder of three black women by their own countrymen. I had to attend myself, and -the distance I had to travel was 200 miles, which detained me a week. I was informed on the road of a -murder at Liverpool Plains, which took place a year before, when, after some depredations committed by -the blacks in spearing cattle, a party of stockmen went out, took a black prisoner, tied his arms behind -him, and then fastened him to the stirrup of a stockman on horseback; when the party arrived near their -respective stations, they separated, leaving the stockman to conduct his prisoner to his hut. The black, -when he found they were alone, was reluctant to proceed, and the stockman took his knife from his -pocket, stuck the black through the throat, and left him for dead. The black crawled to the station of a -gentleman at the Plains, told his tale, and expired. Another instance was mentioned to me, of a stockman -who boasted to his master of having killed six or eight blacks with his own hands, when in pursuit of them -with his companions; for which his master discharged him. These cases alone, if I had authority to act, -would have taken me some months from home, merely to investigate the matter at that distant place.</p> - -<p>Thus I am firmly of opinion that a Protector of Aborigines will be fully employed in investigating -cases, which are so numerous and shocking to humanity, and in maintaining their civil rights. I am certain -that the duties attached to the office of Protector of the Aborigines are more than any single individual -can perform.</p> - -<p>Mr. Threlkeld advocated the removal of the natives from Flinders Island, and says “I have no -hesitation in saying that I think the establishment itself may be beneficial, as an example to the other -blacks, who will in all probability visit it.”</p> - -<p class="noindent center p1"><i>Captain Grey’s opinion.</i></p> - -<p>He states, in his recommendations to Lord John Russell for the treatment of the aboriginal population, -that the people are capable of being civilized, but that all the systems hitherto pursued have been -erroneous, and that the error lay in treating them as British subjects, in as far as British property was -concerned, but in all that related to themselves they have been left to the exercise of their own customs -and laws; but as their traditions and laws are peculiar, and such as cannot raise them from a state of -barbarity, however it may be intended, and the plea of their being a conquered people may appear plausible, -this state of things is inadmissible, and the natives from the moment they become British subjects should -be taught, as far as possible, that British law is to supersede their own, for he says, until this is enforced, -the natives will ever have at disposal the means within themselves of effectually preventing the civilization -of any individual of their tribes, even those who may be disposed to adopt European habits, &c. Capt. -Grey then refers, in support of this view, to instances of persons, especially girls betrothed in their -infancy, who after adopting European customs have been compelled to relinquish them and to return to -a state of barbarism. He likewise shows the effect on the mind of these people when they are punished -for offences such as theft, murder, &c., committed upon Europeans, while they are freely permitted to be -guilty of those very acts upon themselves.</p> - -<p>For the enforcement of law and protection of both races, Capt. Grey recommends the establishment -of a mounted police; also, that native evidence, under peculiar restrictions, should be admissible in our -Courts of justice. Capt. Grey states some instances of injustice under which natives have laboured in -consequence of their evidence not being admissible; also, of their being puzzled as to our forms of law—that -when they pleaded guilty they were punished, and when some were induced from the consequences<span class="pagenum" id="Page_41">[41]</span> -they saw resulting from this line of conduct to plead not guilty were punished likewise, they became perfectly -confounded; further, the natives not being tried by their own people, but by those likely to be -prejudiced against them, and relying chiefly upon an ignorant interpreter, he recommends counsel to be -provided for them.</p> - -<p>The preventives to their civilization Captain Grey sums up as follows:⁠—The irregular demand for -their labour, the inadequate payment they often receive for it, not being able to comprehend the variable -value of labour regulated by the skill required.</p> - -<p>He then proceeds to point out the difficulty of instructing the aboriginal population, showing that it -can scarce be expected that individuals would undertake the task; and even if they did, the natives would -only be employed in the most menial offices, and that in forming native institutions, and these could be -only local and partial; he therefore proposes a scale of remuneration to all who may undertake to instruct -these people, arguing that as the expense of introducing labour is already provided for, this plan would -occasion but little additional expense in obtaining labour, while a fresh good would arise out of it in -converting those who would be otherwise hostile and useless into good subjects.</p> - -<p>The disposal of these remunerations to be subject to the following restrictions:⁠—</p> - -<p>A deposition before a Magistrate, a certificate from the Government of the District, and a further -certificate from the Protector of the Aborigines, as to the residence and attainments of the natives employed, -and on whose behalf remuneration has been applied for; thus civilization would proceed (Capt. Grey -observes) upon an extensive scale, not being confined to mere institutions or isolated attempts. In densely -peopled districts the natives may be collected together, but in the more thinly inhabited districts, as this -may be attended with danger, the employment should be of a description not to congregate. Capt. Grey -concludes by observing that some of these plans have been already brought into operation in Western -Australia; and further, that in the selection of work for these people it must be of a description suitable to -their unsettled habits, possessing variety, such as opening out new roads and clearing old ones, some of -the party being engaged hunting and fishing so as to provide food for the others; and as remuneration to -the natives for these labours, &c., he proposes that any native being constantly employed for three years -at the house of a settler should receive a grant of land in the district of which he may be a resident, also a -sum of money to be laid out in the stocking of the same; that rewards should be given to those natives -who may be content to live with one wife, and who would register the birth of their children; and that -some competent person should be employed to instruct some of the native youths so as to fit them for -interpreters in Courts of law.</p> - -<p>Many of these observations of Capt. Grey are deserving of attention, and, as Lord John Russell in -a despatch to Sir George Gipps suggests, appear fit for adoption, subject to such modifications as the -varying circumstances of the Colony may suggest; but they have never been acted upon: expense overrules -every other consideration.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_42">[42]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V.</h2> - - -<p class="noindent center small p3 b2">Aborigines of Victoria⁠—Mr. Westgarth’s remarks⁠—Mr. Lloyd’s remarks⁠—Buckley’s residence among the Aboriginals.</p> - -<p class="noindent"><span class="smcap">Dr. Leichhardt</span> visited the Moravian Mission in 1843, and said no better persons could be found than -the seven families and twenty-one children to establish a colony; a little land surely might be granted them. -The Rev. Dr. Lang describes these missionaries as travelling about, and preaching to the settlers; but this -mission broke up also. Dr. Leichhardt describes the northern natives as a fine race of men, and the -mode of preparing their food as remarkable, especially one poisonous plant.</p> - -<p>Sir Richard Bourke had established in Melbourne an Aboriginal Institution, of which the -Bishop says, “Some of the boys appear to be acquiring some knowledge already, and of the most elementary -truths of religion, which it may be hoped will lead to their future improvement; but there are no -apparent signs as yet of any impression having been made upon the adult natives, many of whom are -attached to the place, and derive advantage from the stores of provisions which are distributed amongst -them; but they have in no respect broken off their savage usages.” The time was too short to have -expected any such changes. Missions amongst barbarians have generally been slow in effecting results, -but this institution, as I told Sir Richard Bourke, in an interview with him, was placed under most disadvantageous -circumstances, being too near the white population, who would counteract all religious -instruction and vitiate all these unhappy people.</p> - -<p>That Sir Richard Bourke felt a great interest in these people is certain. He made a trial of what may -be hoped on their behalf, by confining some adult aborigines, who had committed some serious offences, -on an island in the Sydney Harbour, placing them under the care of Mr. Langhan, who by this means -acquired their language and became acquainted with their habits, and was thus trained to the office of -Superintendent of the Port Phillip Institution. But my prognostic became, unfortunately, too true. Had -the Institution been more judiciously placed it might have had better results, but it had to be abandoned—the -fate of almost all attempts hitherto made on behalf of this unfortunate race.</p> - -<p>The rapid increase of white population alone must in a very few years have crushed such an infant -Institution, when it increased in 1836 from Batman with a following of 244 persons to, in 1873, 700,472 persons. -A Board for the Protection of the Aborigines having been appointed, the following is the report to Parliament:⁠—“The -Aborigines of Victoria.—The Board for the Protection of Aborigines in Victoria has submitted -a report to Parliament, of which the following are extracts:⁠—‘It is a matter for congratulation -that the condition of the aborigines in all parts of the Colony is as satisfactory as could be expected, -having regard to the habits of this people, and the great difficulty experienced by the local guardians and -superintendents of stations in keeping them under control when they are induced by old associations or -superstitions, or tempted by the lower class of whites, to wander from the spots where in health they are -supplied with good food and suitable clothing, and in sickness tended with the same care as is bestowed -on Europeans. For many years the Board has conducted experiments at the several stations, with the -object of producing crops that would necessitate neither heavy nor sustained labours—labours that the -aborigines as a rule are not fitted to undertake—and which would yield a return sufficient at least to pay -for the support of the natives. At Coranderrk a great many different crops have been grown. At one -time it was expected that tobacco would yield largely; grain has been grown, fruits of various sorts have -been cultivated, and at some expense an attempt was made to establish a dairy. All these, however, failed -to give such results as were satisfactory to the Board. It was not until the assistance of Mr. Frederick -Search was obtained that any fair prospects presented themselves. He examined the lands at Coranderrk, -and recommended that a hop plantation should be established under the care of a competent hop-grower. -Owing to his skill and knowledge, and with the assistance of Mr. Burgess—who has proved himself -thoroughly competent to manage hop grounds and prepare the produce for market—success has at last<span class="pagenum" id="Page_43">[43]</span> -been achieved. The crop sent to market during the season just passed, 15,244 lbs. in weight, has realized -good prices. The first lot was sold at auction for 1s. 10½d. per lb., and the condition in which it was -presented to buyers elicited the highest praise from experts. The gross sum derived from the season’s -crop was £1,140 6s. 3d. From this has to be deducted commission, discount, &c., and the wages of the -hop-pickers, leaving a net sum of £983 5s. 10d. The cost of the experiment has been small. Next year -the results will, it is anticipated, be far more satisfactory. The plantation has been extended, and -arrangements will be made for drying the hops rapidly, and for sending them earlier to market. The -condition of the aborigines, from the foundation of the Colony, was never as prosperous as at the present -time. Useful employments have been found for the adults of both sexes; the children are educated and -trained by competent teachers; and the material interests of both the aged and the young are carefully -guarded. The wise liberality of the Parliament of Victoria may perhaps induce the Governments of the -neighbouring Colonies to enact laws similar to those under which the natives of Victoria are now -prosperous, and to provide means for the support of the aboriginal population and for the education of -the children.’” I have not been able to learn the result of this experiment so full of promise, but the -project was discontinued.</p> - -<p>Mr. Westgarth does not appear to be over-attached to these unfortunate people, and considers, -with many others, it is the decree of Heaven that they should perish before the civilized population. But -this is merely an excuse for the demoralizing influence of civilization, with its multiplied evils, for we -have the fact before us in the Sandwich Islands, Tahiti, and where there has been a native society under -missionary enterprise, that this was not the case, but that life and morality would be fostered with the -advance of civilization under the power of Christianity.</p> - -<p>Let us not cast upon Heaven a destruction which is our own, and say they are doomed by Divine -decree, where the guilt lies with ourselves.</p> - -<p>The native population in 1860 was about 2,000, but in 1859 was computed at from 6,000 to 7,000. -The Select Committee assigns the cause of diminution to be drunkenness, and the exposure and consequent -disease too often resulting from this vice.</p> - -<p>Mr. Westgarth says that in 1861 only thirteen natives were residents within municipal towns; and -in the gold districts, in the same year, there were but 147. We may ask who slew the others?—the -pestilential vices of the European Christians.</p> - -<p>Several efforts have been put forward on behalf of these people, but with little success. The -Government in 1838 instituted a protectorate; three years afterwards, they formed a native police force, -and in 1846, a native school. During thirteen years, £60,000 was expended without any important -results.</p> - -<p>The Wesleyans formed a mission at Buntingdale in 1838, where they were partially successful; -but, in spite of cottages and gardens, daily employment, and daily food, the blacks returned with renewed -relish to their native wilds.</p> - -<p>There was also an Anglical Episcopal Mission in 1853, but all alike unsuccessful, with the exception -of the Moravians, commenced in 1851, at Lake Boga, near the Murray, removed since to the -Wimmera. This district contains about one-third of the population of the Colony. At Cooper’s Creek -there were about 300, and about 120 more within the neighbourhood, all speaking the same language. Mr. Westgarth -winds up his summary by asking what is the destiny of these unfortunate savages, and there -can be but little doubt but that the aboriginal race will entirely disappear before civilization at a gallop.</p> - -<p>Mr. Lloyd describes the rapid destruction of these people. In 1837, the Barrabool Hill tribe -mustered upwards of 300 sleek healthy blacks. In 1853, his second visit, he met only nine gins and one sickly -infant. On inquiring what had become of them, the answer was, “All dead, all dead,” and they chanted the -following sorrowful dirge: “The stranger white man come in his great swimming corong and landed with -his dedabul-boulganas (large animals), and his anaki boulganas (little animals). He came with his boom-booms -(double guns), his miam-miams (tents), blankets, and tomahawks; and the dedabul ummageet -(great white stranger) took away the long-inherited hunting-grounds of the poor Barrabool coolies and -their children, &c., &c.” Then having worked themselves into a frenzy, they, in wild tones, shaking their -heads and holding up their hands in bitter sorrow, exclaimed, “Coolie! coolie! coolie! Now where are -your fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters? Dead, all gone! dead!” In broken English they then said, -“Never mind Mitter Looyed, tir, by-’n-by all dem blackfella come back whitefella like it you.” They -seemed to think that they had discovered the reality of their belief in a resurrection or transmigration. -Only nine women, seven men, and one child out of 300 remained. How fearful the account! The -sheep-farmers destroyed their game and their support. The law of the man-slayer prevailed here. Mr. -Lloyd gives a painful history of one black who had been speared. One dark night, the dog barked the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_44">[44]</span> -alarm, the avenger had traced out his victim and drove a spear through him and killed him. Mr. Lloyd -gives another of the poetic laments:⁠—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">The land’s rightful owners, now wretched and poor,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Beg their morsels of food at their white brother’s door;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Those hunters who carolled so blythely at morn,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Now wander dejected, rejected, forlorn.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">To their fathers the best and the bravest have gone,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And dark-eyed Zitella sits weeping alone—</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And dark-eyed Zitella sits weeping alone!</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noindent">Thus the aboriginal natives melted away like snow before the sun; from no congenial heat, but from the -practices of inhuman selfishness.</p> - -<p>What a contrast the European settlement in 1858! Scarce a black in existence for 3 miles, while -the white population numbered 488,769 souls, with 4,000,000 sheep, 400,000 head of cattle, 184,000 -horses, with imports and exports of £14,000,000 and £13,000,000 respectively, on the graveyard of the -aborigines.</p> - -<p>The earth was never intended to be kept waste, but the evil is as to the way of settling it—this is -the perplexing question.</p> - -<p>One of the singular circumstances of a European of the name of Buckley living with these -aboriginals for a long period is worthy of mention here. Buckley enlisted as a soldier, but was transported -for having in his possession a parcel of stolen clothes, which a female had asked him to take -charge of. He was sent to Westport, and with two others effected his escape from the ship, and after -wandering about the bush nearly starved, he fell in with a family of the aborigines, with whom he lived -a month or two, but being desirous of reaching Sydney, he left them and wandered to the Yan Yean, -where Melbourne now stands; from thence he wandered to Geelong, where he met a tribe of blacks, who -were much astonished to see him, but treated him with kindness, and took him with them to the Barwon -River, where they, 200 blacks, viewed him with much astonishment. The blacks supposed he had been -a black, changed to white—a supposition very general. They treated him kindly and gave him a wife, but -fearing jealousy, he transferred her to another man. Shortly afterwards, he and one of his companions, -long separated, met, but this man behaved so badly towards the women, that Buckley insisted on his -leaving the tribe, which he did, and he heard afterwards that he was dead. Buckley lived some years with -the Geelong tribe, and acquired their language, always impressing on them that he had been a blackfellow, -so as to secure his safety. He says, “Having the best hut, and a good fire, the children congregated about -me, and I told them of English ships, tools, and wars, &c., to which both adults and children listened with -wonder, but they did not like the idea that I should leave them. On their missing me once, when I went -to wash, they made great search, and when they found me, an old man burst into tears, and rejoiced at -the discovery. Their numbers had greatly decreased, owing to their wars and cruelties. Their expeditions -are generally in the night; men, women, and children are then murdered wholesale. I often reflected on -the goodness of Providence in preserving me, but I did not venture to instruct them, fearing that they -would injure me; they do not think of a superintending Providence.”</p> - -<p>They believe, he says, in two spirits, whom they treat with great respect. One of these they believe -resides in a certain marsh, and is the author of all their songs; he communicates by his songs, and -these songs are circulated through the tribes, and they have them new every year. The other spirit they -believe has charge of the pole that props up the sky, and they stand in dread lest the sky should fall -down and destroy them. Just before the Europeans came to Port Phillip, in 1836, there was much conversation -about this spirit—that he had sent a message to the effect that in order to repair the sky-props, -he needed immediately some tomahawks, which were to be made out of the carts used by the sealers at -Western Port. On this report, the natives went down to Western Port and stole a cart, such as the -sealers used, and made tomahawk handles out of the spokes of the wheels.</p> - -<p>Although Buckley had heard that the whalers now visited Western Port, he had become so reconciled -to his way of living, that he lost all desire to return to civilization, and feared meeting with any of the -white people.</p> - -<p>He became such an adept at fishing, that he supplied not only his own tribe but others with food. -The tribe he lived with were cannibals. They ate the flesh of enemies they had slain, not to satisfy hunger, -but from a belief that they obtained some particular virtue thereby; but some were content with rubbing -the fat into their bodies.</p> - -<p>Promiscuous intercourse was common, and the husband often consented to it, and then beat his -wife for submitting to it.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_45">[45]</span></p> - -<p>They warned their children from going where the dead were buried; and when an infant they loved -died, they placed the body in a hollow tree until it had shrunk up so that they could carry it about. The -same practice exists in the north.</p> - -<p>Their principal food is the wombat, an animal that burrows, which they kill by thrusting a boy feet -foremost into the hole, who, when reaching the animal, pushes it to the end of the hole, and then makes a -noise so that the men above may mark the spot, and make an entrance for the purpose of seizing the -animal. The porcupine is another dainty, roasted on the fire; the flesh is excellent.</p> - -<p>About eight years before the settlement at Port Phillip, some Europeans had gone up the river in -a boat, landed, and left a tomahawk behind them. Buckley was much agitated at the news.</p> - -<p>When the European settlers with Mr. Batman arrived, Buckley did not discover himself for some -time, as he had no desire to leave the blacks. He, however, suddenly appearing to some horsemen with -his spears and opossum cloak, and being a very large man, astonished the whites by his visit. For -some time he could not endure European clothing. He was appointed by the Governor as overseer of -the blacks at the mission institution, at a salary of £60 per annum, having received his freedom, but never -appeared happy. He afterwards was appointed as constable at Hobart Town, where he died. It appears -he had lived nearly thirty years in that savage condition.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_46">[46]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI.</h2> - - -<p class="hanging2 small p3 b2">Aboriginal Friends’ Association⁠—Mission to Lake Alexandrina⁠—Rev. Mr. Binney’s remarks⁠—Extract from Mr. Foster⁠—The -Bishop of Adelaide’s visit to the Native Institution⁠—Report of the Committee of the Legislature⁠—Evidence of the -Bishop⁠—The Chief Protector⁠—The Right Rev. Dr. Hale’s Mission⁠—The Poonindie Mission⁠—The Queensland Mission⁠—The -Maloga and Warangesda Missions⁠—The Government appointments⁠—The Church of England Board of Missions⁠—The -Queen’s Instructions⁠—The assistance rendered to the Aborigines by the Government.</p> - -<p class="noindent"><span class="smcap">In</span> 1859, the Aboriginal Friends’ Association of Adelaide determined to establish an institution for the -instruction and evangelization of the lake tribes, and having engaged the Rev. G. Taplin as their missionary, -he selected a peninsula formed by Lake Alexandrina, Lake Albert, and the Coorong, a spot isolated and -separated from European settlements by 15 miles of water. This was a favourite resort of the -natives.</p> - -<p>Mr. Taplin encamped amongst the natives for some time while his house was building, and observed -there was a mixture of two tribes. The one tribe was tall, with small features and straight hair; while -the other had coarse features, clumsy limbs, and curly hair. The former proved more intelligent than the -other. One of the natives having killed another in a fray, a shepherd’s opinion was that he ought to be -hanged, although the death was occasioned by the law of revenge, and the man considered that the -heathenish practice should be put down, and they be made Christians. “Surely,” said he, “it is our duty to -make Christians of them. I say hang them.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Taplin commenced divine worship amongst them. They believed in a God called Nurundere, -who was a deified blackfellow of gigantic vices. The natives however attended while the missionary went -through the “Peep o’ Day,” and “Line upon Line,” and such productions as met their capacity.</p> - -<p>They had not mixed with Europeans, and when the clock struck, they were alarmed and ran away.</p> - -<p>At first Mr. Taplin visited their camp and talked to them, and then provided employment for them -at fencing, and found a market for their fish, but the old men at first opposed these measures, jealous lest -they should lose their influence. The Government granted supplies of flour and stores, while, to check -infanticide, tea and sugar were given to the mother, until the infant was twelve months old.</p> - -<p>The first death that occurred, the corpse was placed upright in the hut, filling the air with pestilence, -while the women were smeared with filth and ashes, and set up a wailing, and the old men basted the -corpse with bunches of feathers, dipped in grease.</p> - -<p>On parties from a distance visiting the place, loud wailing took place, the women throwing themselves -on the ground, crying out, “Your friend is gone; he will speak to you no more.”</p> - -<p>They were told the dead would rise again. They started, were troubled, and cried “No.”</p> - -<p>On the Sabbath, they crowded to attend worship, and paid much attention. One of them asked, -“How do we know that the Bible is God’s book? Whitefellow tell us plenty of lies.”</p> - -<p>The first indication of any religious impression was, a woman dying sent for the missionary to read -to her “out of the very good book.” This was the first glimmering of light.</p> - -<p>The missionary, in his attendance on the sick and dying, saw all stages of darkness of mind, from -horror to some cases of calm Christian composure, while the prayers were listened to with solemnity and -thanks. On his telling one that she must die, the response of another old woman was, “Well, let us eat -plenty of flour; let us eat, drink, for to-morrow we may die.” Quite an epicurean trait of reasoning.</p> - -<p>One young man, who first embraced the Gospel, declared he would not grease himself or paint himself -with red ochre, and that he would eat with the women. This gave great offence, and they threatened<span class="pagenum" id="Page_47">[47]</span> -to kill him, but he remained firm, and became a useful man, but early died of consumption. The congregations -were at first strangely dressed—some with blankets, others with skins, some again with vests, and -sometimes they wore long coats.</p> - -<p>In 1860 the school-house was built and teaching commenced. The children were naked, and wild -like monkeys, climbing the rafters and over the walls, but good-tempered. They, however, were washed and -had their hair cut, which met with much opposition.</p> - -<p>After a time the children listened to the Scriptures, and much impression was made upon their -mind. Order was now secured as to school hours and working hours. On Sunday there was service twice -a day and Sabbath school, which consisted of 63 boys and 65 girls. There were 23 boys and 20 girls -boarders.</p> - -<p>As the young men embraced religion and cast off heathenism, the old men became incensed, and -resorted to assassination to uphold their power. Captain Jack is described as a prominent character—courageous -and fearless, but rapacious. He, however, attached himself to the mission, and was very useful -in subduing conflicts. His objection to Christianity was, that he had two wives—one lame and helpless, the -other the mother of two children—and did not know which to divorce. “Which of them must I give up?” -No doubt this was a great difficulty.</p> - -<p>Several instances of Christians’ deaths are mentioned; in fact, these people felt the rescue -Christianity afforded from the misery of the life they led, and thus were convinced of its value.</p> - -<p>One of the great difficulties was the fights. There were ceremonial and funeral fights, and casual -fights. The routine of the school would be going on as usual when the news of a fight would be brought. -Off would go all the children, servants, and labourers to the battle-field. Perhaps they would be going to -bed, when there was a shout and yell and a blaze, and then a general scrimmage would commence. One -battle lasted for six days.</p> - -<p>Very few were killed in these fights, but many were badly wounded. Fighting, however, gradually -passed away, and religion took its place. A Bible class was formed. Some adults were baptised—forty-one -natives; of these, three relapsed into heathenism.</p> - -<p>2nd January, 1866.—The Lord’s Supper was administered. Seven formed the first communion, -but the Church had increased to fifty-three members; there were thirty-three natives and twenty whites.</p> - -<p>The next advance was that of marriage solemnized with Christian rites. The missionary not being -legally empowered to marry, and his church and congregation being of a mixed character, the native -marriages were not recognized by law, so that when a Christian native had his wife forced away from him by -the heathen blacks, he had no redress; but this was afterwards arranged by the missionaries being appointed -registrars. The heathen blacks tried to counteract this. An instance of this kind soon arose: Laelinyeri -had been legally married to Charlotte. On this, a party of blacks came down the Murray River to the -station, and encamped, pretending a friendly visit, especially to the newly-married couple. Suddenly they -seized Charlotte by force in the absence of her husband, and carried her off rapidly to an island on the -lower lake, about 10 miles from the station. There they defied the husband, and declared they would -give her away to another man. The missionary, with the husband and others, crossed in a boat, and -found Charlotte sitting under a bush, having escaped. On landing, the missionary was confronted by -some sixty blacks drawn up, armed with spears, and looking fierce. He sent for his gun, and the other -two men. He told Charlotte to follow him, which she did; and just as they were embarking, Jack the -Fisherman jumped out of the ranks, swearing and jumping, and calling on the other blacks to come to the -rescue, but not a man moved. Having sent Charlotte on board the cutter, the missionary walked up to -the blacks and had a friendly chat with them, and, after staying half an hour, they sailed for home. This -bold attempt put an end to any further interference, except in another case, when a young man married -a young woman in defiance of the native custom. His father and mother declared they would murder -them both, but all ended in threats, and they ultimately became reconciled to the young couple.</p> - -<p>The missionaries now entered upon cultivation and sheep-farming, civilization going hand-in-hand -with the Gospel. The sales of produce were soon increased. In 1866, £198 17s. 4d.; 1867, £73 10s. 4d.; -1868, £98 12s. 9d.; 1869, £314 17s. 6d.; 1870, £501 9s. 8d.; 1871, £332 17s. 1d.; 1872, £276 13s. 10d.; -1873, £841 3s. 1d. The produce account was very fluctuating, owing to the seasons.</p> - -<p>In 1865, the South Australian Government gave a lease of 730 acres to the Institution. The -Christian natives now began to build cottages for themselves. Two stone cottages were first built and -thatched, out of their savings. Mrs. Smith, of Dunesk, a friend of the late missionary, Mr. Reid, who -was drowned, sent out £40, to be divided between the two converts, the first of Mr. Reid’s labours.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_48">[48]</span></p> - -<p>The project of building a place of worship was now set on foot by the natives. £30 was raised, -while Mrs. Smith sent out £50, and £100 for cottages; and, with the help of friends from Adelaide, the -chapel was built, at a cost of £148. More cottages were built. The town was called Reid Town, in -commemoration of the missionary. They had a native stonemason, but the demand for houses exceeded -the means of construction.</p> - -<p>Their Christianity led to Christian marriages, Christian worship, Christian homes, and Christian -burial. Those who commenced as children, grew up to men and women, and became heads of families. -“Some,” says the missionary, “passed away to rest, who came to them painted savages. Many death-beds -could be described, where natives died in a sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life, through -Jesus Christ our Lord.”</p> - -<p>The contrast between savage life and a Christian life was here exhibited in the strongest light. -The night corroboree, with the songs and chants and beating time, with rolling eyes and gleaming teeth, -the stamping, beating, brandishing of weapons, and wild excitement, like demons, compared with the -sound of the hymn and song in the native deacon’s cottage. The parties gathered for Saturday evening -prayer-meeting; even the school children in their sleeping-room singing Lyte’s beautiful hymn—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Abide with me; fast falls the even-tide”—</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noindent">surely displays most fully the power of the Gospel over the minds of the hitherto hopeless beings; that -they are redeemable from savage life; that those who labour for them, labour not in vain in the Lord. A -few extracts here, from visitors, are confirmatory of these statements, preceded by the observations of the -Rev. Mr. Binney, a visitor to the colonies.</p> - -<p>It is satisfactory to record any sympathy for this ill-used race, and to find, however only partial -have been the efforts made for their reclamation, yet that something has been done, and that the early -prejudice against them has been considerably abated; in fact, from intercourse with them and with the -Indians of North America, I consider, although they are inferior, yet they possess much talent, great -affection, uncommon quickness of perception, and capacity for improvement.</p> - -<p>On the writer’s arrival in New South Wales in 1826, at a public meeting it was declared by men of -position that the blackfellow was not a human being, and that there was no more guilt in shooting him -than in shooting a native dog. Many cruelties were consequently perpetrated on them, although they -were shielded by the Government.</p> - -<p>A public breakfast was given to the Rev. Mr. Binney, at Adelaide, previous to his departure, and, -in his address of thanks, he stated that he, in his simplicity, coming from England, prayed for the -aborigines, prayed for the persecuted natives of the land which we had come to take. It twice happened -that a minister said, “I was surprised yet pleased to hear prayer for the aborigines; I have never heard -it before; we seem to have got into a state of apathy about them, and given them up as hopeless. -So that even the Christian Church had forgotten them before God, and considered them to be a doomed -people like the Canaanites of old.”</p> - -<p>Mr. B. then drew a vivid picture of the great change which had been effected since the introduction -of Europeans to the displacement of the aboriginal population.</p> - -<p>“In travelling about the thought struck me, looking at this magnificent country, all this was, -little more than twenty years ago, the run of the savage, his trail and his lair. Here, amongst these hills -and these plains, amidst these woods, the savage ran and caught his game, erected his wurleys, lay down -for the night, passed on without a hand to grasp, or any eye to see, or an understanding to develop, or -intelligent faculty to conjecture the meaning of the mystic character, written everywhere upon God’s -earth and sky around him. Here he had been living for ages on this magnificent property as it were, but -unable to see it, without a hand to touch it, or an understanding to modify it, or to work it into form of -utility and enjoyment. He had been so for ages, and he would have remained so, for I do not believe that -degraded man himself ever rose to even the first step of civilization.</p> - -<p>“Although I could not but feel a pang for the disappearance of the natives, I thought it right that -you should take possession of the property, and with your hearts and hands directed by your intelligence, -use the rich materials of the earth which God has given you.”</p> - -<p>This lucid and poetical passage in the speech suggests much reflection. That the land should be -occupied and turned to account there is no question, but as the savage is helpless to raise himself, we ask, -is the Church guiltless in leaving him for ages in this condition?</p> - -<p>Mr. Foster, from whose work I quote, says it was a special instruction of the Home Government, -on the establishment of South Australia, that the aborigines should be properly cared for, and for that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_49">[49]</span> -purpose a Chief Inspector was appointed at Adelaide, and a Sub-Inspector in the country districts. -Aboriginal reserves were made at various places for the natives, and supplies of flour and blankets, &c., -were distributed periodically, schools were established and missionary efforts were entered upon, and have -been continued up to the present time with, in some cases, gratifying results. The Government did their -duty so far, but all these efforts failed as to a general effect, and were only partial, owing to their nomadic -habits, undomestic life, and pulmonary complaints, to which must be added European vices and diseases.</p> - -<p>Missionary enterprise was dead in the Church, and she failed to discharge her obligation. Any -change effected was not by her missions, but by civilization, which carried with it the seeds of death and -destruction. New diseases, as lately at the Fijis, where 35,000 have perished by measles, but still worse, -the avarice of men in introducing intoxicating drinks, and the lust of men in violating the law of chastity, -and the destruction of native food, have been a fearful consequence. Verily, say what we may, as a -Christian people, instead of benefiting the race we have destroyed them, as a man told Mr. Binney—he -had lived amongst them many years—“that the last man of the tribe died the week before last.”</p> - -<p>Four missionaries from Dresden arrived in the Colony in 1838 and 1842, Messrs. Teechelmann, -Klose, Meyer, and Schürmann, so that missions were commenced at Adelaide and 12 miles south of -Adelaide, at Port Lincoln, and Encounter Bay; and at Walker’s Villa was established a Sunday-school, -numerously attended by native children, in which Governor Grey took a great interest.</p> - -<p>At Mr. Klose’s school, fourteen children could read polysyllables, fourteen more were in addition, -three in subtraction, nine in multiplication, and two in division. Most of the children could repeat the -Lord’s Prayer and Ten Commandments, and narrate the history of the Creation, the fall of our first parents, -and other portions of the Old and New Testament. A few could write by dictation, many knew geography, -the boundaries and divisions of the earth, proving their ability, and that they are not such demented -beings as has been too generally represented. But this progress was discouraged, and that by a portion -of the Press, who ridiculed these efforts as worthless for all practical purposes, and as the jargon of the -missionaries, and that, if the report of the Protectors were true, they were more deeply versed in the holy -mysteries than the Bench of Bishops, by a long chalk.</p> - -<p>However, they were not forsaken. The native institutions at Poonindie, at Port Lincoln, under the -Church of England, and the native institution at Lake Alexandrina, under the auspices of the Aboriginal -Friends’ Association, still exist. Of these I will have to make some further mention.</p> - -<p>The Poonindie Mission was founded in 1850 by Archdeacon Hale, now Bishop of Brisbane, who -invested largely his private means, and isolated himself to carry out this undertaking. He purchased a -number of sheep and cattle, and ultimately made the station self-supporting, the Government setting aside -24,000 acres of land, as a reserve.</p> - -<p>After six years’ labour, he was succeeded in 1856 by Dr. Hammond. The Government at first -rendered pecuniary assistance, but afterwards withdrew it, as the enterprise was rather of a private nature, -and no returns had been furnished to justify its continuance.</p> - -<p>In 1858, there were under his tuition eleven married couples, nine unmarried boys, and two -unmarried girls, making a total of fifty persons. They had 6,000 sheep, 250 head of cattle, and 35 horses; -but the finances of the mission were in an unsatisfactory condition.</p> - -<p>The Bishop of Adelaide, on his visit in 1858, was much pleased with the mission. There was a -village of aborigines, living happily together, cultivating and providing for their own support, not -neglecting their spiritual interests, but worshipping God, cheerful and content. There was a good -woolshed, a carpenter’s shop, with tools, and grinding-mill, brick-kiln, stockyard, and dairy.</p> - -<p>The Bishop says, “God has indeed blessed the labours of that good, self-denying man, the Bishop -of Perth. What difficulties he must have had to contend with, freaks of temper, &c.”</p> - -<p>The Point M’Cleary Institution was under the care of Mr. Taplin, a devoted missionary. In 1862, -there was a Sabbath service performed there, attended by forty-three worshippers. The boys looked very -smart in their new jumpers of blue serge, and clean moleskin trousers, and serge green caps. The service -was conducted in the aboriginal language. Praise, prayer, and reading the Scriptures, and a short address -finished the worship. The singing was good, and joined in by the whole congregation. At that time -there were 150 natives at the station—47 males and 58 females. The number of children at school was -25. According to Dr. Walker’s report, there were 425 persons.</p> - -<p>Mr. Taplin expressed himself greatly encouraged by the feeling for spiritual things, so much so, -that he was warranted in baptizing some of them and their household.</p> - -<p>This cheering statement had its counterpoise—that the mortality amongst the blacks was -considerable. More children had died amongst them within the last twelve months, than for the three -previous years. A large number were infants, and out of thirty-six children who left the school in 1856,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_50">[50]</span> -six had died. Many adults had died also—twenty-one during the year, of those who had come to the -station for medicine and comforts. Numbers died from influenza. It is well to be able to relate that -these unfortunate beings had been cared for in their distress.</p> - -<p>The report of a Committee of the Legislature in 1860 stated, amongst other things of interest, that -the following were amongst the causes of their decrease:⁠—1st. Infanticide to a limited extent; 2nd. -Introduction of European diseases, especially aggravated by syphilis; 3rd. Introduction of intoxicating -liquors, in despite of existing law; 4th. Promiscuous intercourse of the sexes between themselves and -Europeans; 5th. Disproportion of the sexes.</p> - -<p>It is singular that some of these reasons are found to operate in the same way to diminish the -population of the Sandwich Islands.</p> - -<p>The Chief Protector was armed with additional powers to try and check these evils, to pay -periodical visits, and to hold Courts for dispensing justice summarily.</p> - -<p>The Bishop of Adelaide, having been examined before the Committee, stated his belief in their -capacity to understand Christianity, but not the metaphysical difficulties; that the natives had never been -known to be drunk at the Poonindie Station, during the whole time of Mr. Hale being in charge, although -they went with the drays, and ran into the township. He further stated that he had faith in the -conversion of the natives; he had attended them in their dying moments, and believed, in many instances, -that they were converted.</p> - -<p>Mr. Moorhouse, who had been seventeen years Chief Protector, stated his doubts of their attaining -knowledge beyond a certain point, although in two cases he witnessed evidences of their conversion, when -dying. Several natives were examined, and gave very sensible answers to questions. “We like Port -Lincoln because we are away from the old blacks. Tell why? Because we don’t like to be wicked. -Are they wicked? Yes, fighting and doing anything, robbing, swearing, and drinking.” Several questions -they would not answer, especially those relating to the dead.</p> - -<p>Some severe affrays took place in the northern district through destitution, the long-continued -drought having deprived them of means of support. They committed depredations on the settlers’ sheep -and cattle.</p> - -<p>The estimated population within 60 miles was as follows:⁠—</p> - -<table class="p50"> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">In the year</td> - <td class="tdr">1841</td> - <td class="tdl">... ... ...</td> - <td class="tdr">650</td> - <td class="tdl">natives</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">1842</td> - <td class="tdl">... ... ...</td> - <td class="tdr">630</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">1843</td> - <td class="tdl">... ... ...</td> - <td class="tdr">560</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">1844</td> - <td class="tdl">... ... ...</td> - <td class="tdr">550</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">1845</td> - <td class="tdl">... ... ...</td> - <td class="tdr">520</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">1854</td> - <td class="tdl">... ... ...</td> - <td class="tdr">230</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">1855</td> - <td class="tdl">... ... ...</td> - <td class="tdr">210</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">1856</td> - <td class="tdl">... ... ...</td> - <td class="tdr">180</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>From all the centres of population they disappeared, forcing on us the melancholy reflection that in a -few years the very existence of the original possessors of the land will be amongst the traditions of the past.</p> - -<p>It will be seen by the accompanying sketch of Port Lincoln, and the extract attached, that the South -Australian Government has taken up the cause of the aborigines with much zeal, granting money and land -for this object. It is to be hoped that some of these unfortunate beings will be rescued from the doom of -total extinction, which many have long consigned them to.</p> - -<p>In February, 1876, the mission to Lake Condah was commenced. The report of this mission, under -the care of the Rev. H. Stable, is very encouraging. The men having returned from shearing, a new branch -of labour, they, together with the women and children, attended church, morning and evening, and service -on Sabbath regularly. There were some under religious feelings, but the general want of feeling towards -the Gospel was very evident. The children attended school, and had made progress, and the neighbouring -free-selectors attended Divine worship.</p> - -<p>There were thirty-two men, twenty women, seventeen boys, and twenty-three girls, in all ninety-two -natives on the station. The men had been engaged in cleaning, growing hops and arrowroot, and stripping -bark. There were 255 head of cattle attached to the mission, by which milk and butter were supplied. The -next testimony is from the official visitors, 1876. “My wife and self dropped down upon the mission station -to breakfast. No human beings appeared. There were eighteen dogs of various sizes, colours, and -ages to greet us. The chapel service had just closed, and the congregation streamed out from the place -of worship.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_51">[51]</span></p> - -<p>“The only idle persons were one decrepid old man, and a white-haired woman. The men were putting -up a strong fence of rails and posts, and did sixteen panels a day. Lime-burning had been introduced, -by which they were enabled to whitewash their houses.</p> - -<p>“The children in the choir were sixteen girls and eleven boys, and they have a brass band in progress. -The men enjoy cricket as a pastime, and the school is progressing. To some of these poor creatures the -mission is like a paradise.”</p> - -<p>The subjoined brief account of Poonindie mission, originated by the Right Rev. Dr. Hale, who for -years devoted himself to the aborigines’ cause, as well as Mrs. Hale, will show how capable these people are -of civilization under Christian culture.</p> - -<p>The Rev. R.L.K. thus describes his visit in 1874:⁠—“After a toilsome ride and wading through -much scrub, we reached the station. It was pleasant, too, to chat with the married women about the age -and the number of the teeth, &c., of their babies, and to stroke the little heads. They were as black as -you please, but evidently perfectly clean and wholesome. I was also introduced to a little boy, about -eleven years of age, the first boy in the Colony of Victoria who had passed the examination required by the -late Government regulations, and whom dear Mr. H. evidently took a pleasure in addressing as ‘a man, -by Act of Parliament.’</p> - -<p>“The picnic party consisted of about forty-five blacks of different ages. About forty more were -enjoying their holiday elsewhere. Several were on the river fishing. One I afterwards met in her own -house. On our return to the station, I visited the different buildings—the church, with its harmonium, -at which one of the black women (an importation from the institution at Adelaide) presides—the barracks, -where the unmarried sleep—the school, as well as the common garden, which, unlike some gardens, -was wholly free from weeds. But what I think pleased me most was the house of one of the married couples. -The only one at home was the wife, a half-caste (such are generally the most difficult to deal with), who had -been very wild when she first came. When I saw her, she was evidently in ‘her right mind,’ and was -also, as her kind instructors said, giving every evidence of genuine piety, ‘sitting at the feet of Jesus.’ -Her house was a model of neatness and order. The garden at the back was in good keeping, a fine crop of -arrowroot bearing testimony to careful cultivation. As I returned from the garden through the house, I -was attracted by some photographs hanging on the fire-place, and going to examine them, I found a collecting -card, inviting subscriptions for the Presbyterian mission vessel. (The station is supported by the -Presbyterian Church, though the missionaries themselves are Moravians.) The good woman seemed much -pleased when my brother, who had now joined me, put down his name, with mine, for a small contribution. -It was to this cottage that Mr. Trollope was taken, when he visited Raumiac. ‘Oh,’ said he, ‘this is the -show cottage. I want to see another.’ He went into the next, but the woman there was sick; so he went -on to the third. ‘Ah,’ he said, ‘I see they are all alike. I am quite satisfied.’</p> - -<p>“There are about forty-five blacks constantly resident at Raumiac, and about forty men not yet regularly -attached to it. They belong to several different tribes, speaking different dialects; but they are all -taught in English.</p> - -<p>“They are contributing to the maintenance of the station by their herd of cattle and their cultivation, -principally of arrowroot. It is hoped, ere long, the station may become self-supporting. The -amusement of an evening is generally chess, at which the blacks are great proficients.</p> - -<p>“I did not see Mr. Hagenauer’s assistant. He was away with his family on a fishing excursion, the -day being a holiday.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Hagenauer and his wife seem eminently qualified for their work. It was really refreshing to -hear the terms of Christian affection in which Mrs. H. spoke of her charge. I cannot doubt that love -has been a very important instrument in the success which has attended her own and her husband’s efforts -to rescue some of those wandering sheep, and fit them to sing the praises of our common Redeemer. -To Him shall be all the glory.</p> - -<p>“We returned as we had come—the canoe, the marsh, the thistle, the leaps, &c., &c.—and reached -our hospitable quarters at Clydebank at about 8 p.m. The next morning, after welcoming the New Year, -in a glass of ‘Poor man’s wine’ (a good old Scotch custom, as I was informed), we started homewards, -and reached Nambrok in the afternoon, after a hot, dusty drive, agreeably interrupted by a lunch at Mr. -W. Pearson’s.</p> - -<p class="noindent"><span style="margin-left: 4em;">“February 26, 1874.</span></p> - -<p class="right b1"><span style="margin-right: 2em;">R.L.K.”</span></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_52">[52]</span></p> - -<p>The following reports, which were laid upon the table of the Diocesan Synod of Adelaide at the -opening of the Session in 1873, will, we think, prove interesting to our readers, as showing that the -despised aborigines of Australia are not altogether beyond the reach of Christian care and kindness.</p> - - -<p class="noindent center p1"><i>Annual Report of Mr. Hawkes to his Co-trustees, 1873.</i></p> - -<p>The year past has been signalized by an event causing great joy to the natives and all persons -associated with the institution, being the visit of the reverend founder of the Poonindie Native Institution, -the Right Reverend Matthew Hale, Bishop of Perth, Western Australia, who arrived at the scene of his -former labours after an absence of sixteen years, accompanied by the Bishop of Adelaide, in November -last. On this occasion the natives took the opportunity of presenting a beautiful silver tea-service to -Bishop Hale, as a token of their love and esteem.</p> - -<p>The result of the inspection by the Bishops was embodied in a pamphlet, entitled “A Visit to -Poonindie,” written at the Mission House, on 22 November, 1872, giving a short history of the foundation, -trials, and final success of the native establishment. Five hundred copies have been published for general -distribution.</p> - -<p>On 31st March last there were at the mission station, in residence, eighty-six natives.</p> - -<p>I am thankful to be able to say that we have had no cases of diphtheria at the mission. The general -health of the natives has been good; cases of slight cold or sore throat are promptly and carefully attended -to. Mr. Hammond’s thorough knowledge of the native habit and constitution enables him to check -sickness at an early stage by his able and judicious treatment.</p> - -<p>The balance-sheet showed a profit for the year of £826 19s. 3d.</p> - -<p>The stock at the station on 31st March last consists of 9,499 sheep, valued at 5s. each; 130 head of -cattle, at 60s. each, including two well-bred bulls, Gaylard and Canowie; 25 horses, valued at £5 -each; 20 pigs, best Berkshire breed, valued at 20s. each; the total value of which is £2,909 15s. -The lambing last season was on an average of 92 per cent. There will be at least 1,500 sheep to sell before -next lambing, after making every allowance for rations, &c. All land farmed at Poonindie to present time -is 332 acres; grubbed, cleared, ploughed, and now lying in fallow as virgin soil, 60 acres; being grubbed, -cleared, and ploughed this year as fallow for sowing with wheat next year, 60 acres; land under crop -with wheat in January, 1873, 180 acres; land under crop for hay in January, 1873, 30 acres. We have no -land sown with artificial grasses, but we intend to try some kinds next year. There are 215 acres of land -under cultivation this year, including hay and lucerne crops. Next year about 75 acres of new -land will be added to the cultivation, and a part of the land in fallow will be brought into use again.</p> - -<p>I am glad to give my testimony to the zeal and interest shown by Mr. Holden and Mr. W. Newland -in their respective positions for the welfare of the natives and the institution; also, to Mrs. Holden for her -kind and ready help, and to Mr. Hammond for his valuable services as medical officer.</p> - -<p>It is my intention to provide for the natives the means of learning useful trades. As our numbers -increase we shall find the importance of having persons on the station who can supply boots and shoes, and -execute blacksmiths’ and carpenters’ work of the best kind.</p> - -<p>I congratulate my co-trustees on the result of the past year’s operations.</p> - -<p class="right"> -<span style="margin-right: 5em;">G. W. HAWKES,</span><br> -Acting Trustee. -</p> - -<p class="right p2">Poonindie Native Institution, Port Lincoln, 9 June, 1873.</p> - -<p>Dear Sir,</p> - -<p>I beg, in accordance with your request, to forward a brief report in reference to the wurley -natives of Port Lincoln District, who from time to time seek aid and shelter at this institution.</p> - -<p>I would state in this report I make no reference to those natives who have settled down with us -from this district, who get constant employment, rations, and wages from the institution.</p> - -<p>On referring to my books, I find the wurley natives have received cash payments for work done on -the station during (say) the last fifteen months, one hundred pounds eight shillings and fivepence -(£100 8s. 5d.), and during the same period they received by rations and clothes one hundred and eighty-two -pounds nine shillings and eightpence (£182 9s. 8d.), making a total of two hundred and eighty-two pounds -eighteen shillings and one penny (£282 18s. 1d.)</p> - -<p>If you should ask the question—“What do the wurley natives do with this ready cash?” They -spend it in clothes at Port Lincoln, and in each case that has come under my notice they have spent the -money judiciously.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_53">[53]</span></p> - -<p>I must not omit to mention the repeated relief the institution has given to the wurley natives in -times of sickness, such as oatmeal, sago, arrowroot; in short, everything that is recommended by our medical -officer. They receive constant medical attendance from Dr. Hammond, at the cost of the institution.</p> - -<p>Many cases I might refer to where the poor sick wurley natives have been brought from a distance -for the comforts and attention received at Poonindie. One man is now in the institution who has been ill -for over twelve months. He is unable to work; in fact, for weeks he is confined to his bed.</p> - -<p>When a wurley native dies he is placed in a coffin and buried in our cemetery, which you know is -fenced and well cared for.</p> - -<p>I beg to state we at all times hold out every inducement to the wurley natives, so that they may look -upon Poonindie Institution as their home. From time to time, first one, and then another of them leaves -the camp life and joins the institution permanently.</p> - -<p>In conclusion, I have but to say, whenever the wurley natives are with us they attend the services -in our little church. Their conduct is good throughout the district, so much so that there has not been a -single wurley native had to appear at Port Lincoln Court for over five years, either for drunkenness or -anything else.</p> - -<p class="right b1"> -<span style="margin-right: 5em;">R. W. HOLDEN,</span><br> -Superintendent of Poonindie Native Institution. -</p> - -<p>The following extract on the Aboriginal Mission Station, at Poonindie, is from the recent work of -the Misses Florence and Rosamond Hill—“What we saw in Australia”:⁠—</p> - -<p>“Early in the history of South Australia, a school for the aborigines was established in Adelaide, -and continued in operation for some years. The pupils displayed much aptness for elementary knowledge, -but it was found that, on quitting school, they did not take to any settled occupation. Most of them -returned to their wild life, while the few who hung about the town were shiftless and destitute. The -present Bishop of Perth, Dr. Hale, was, at that time, Archdeacon of Adelaide. Taking great interest in -the native school, and deeply lamenting its failure to reclaim its pupils from savagery, he cast about for -some permanent method of civilizing them. He resolved to form them into an agricultural community, -and to establish them in a district, remote from the evils he feared. The form of government was to be -patriarchal, and Christianity its guiding spirit. Besides aiding it with his fortune and influence, he resolved, -with generous self-devotion, to be himself the pastor of this humble flock.</p> - -<p>“In September, 1850, Dr. Hale, bringing with him eleven aboriginals, five married couples and a -single man, who had all been educated at this school in Adelaide, settled on the banks of the Tod, where -the present little village gradually arose.</p> - -<p>“Here a run with about 5,000 sheep was purchased by the Archdeacon. Government added an -extensive tract of land, forming an aboriginal reserve, and the Colonial Treasury and the S. P. G. made -important contributions to the funds. Under the direction of skilled white workmen, some of the natives -erected the present buildings, while others were being instructed in the various duties of the farm. A -native school which had existed for some years in the district, under a German missionary, being amalgamated -with Poonindie, increased the number of inmates, while individuals were from time to time -persuaded to leave their tribes, and join the mission. In spite of numerous deaths during its early -existence, the population exceeded sixty when the Archdeacon left, and had reached almost a hundred at -the time of our visit, many infants having been born of late years, while the deaths have much diminished.</p> - -<p>“The ex-scholars from Adelaide formed the nucleus of an educated class, and one of these, Conwillan, -was able, when the Archdeacon was absent, to conduct service in the mission church with such propriety, -that white settlers in the neighbourhood used regularly to attend. A day school for the children was soon -established, classes were formed for the women, and the men and older boys who are at work during the day -attend a night school. The necessity for amusements was not forgotten; music was encouraged. Some -of the young men lead the singing at church with their flutes, while the tones of the violin and concertina -are not unfamiliar in the settlement. Occasionally there is dancing, and harmless indoor games are -indulged in. Cricket seems for many years to have occupied as prominent a position as at Harrow or -Eton. Drink is strictly forbidden. No drink, of course, can be obtained in the village, but we believe -no Poonindie native has been known to break the rule, when sent to the township on errands.</p> - -<p>“Besides the permanent inhabitants of the station, we heard of ‘wurley natives,’ who, while -retaining their ordinary mode of life, still hang about the mission, sometimes, we believe, attending school -and church. The Poonindie estate now contains 12,000 acres.”</p> - -<p>A Government reserve of 113 acres has been granted for an Institution for the Aborigines near -Mackay, Queensland.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_54">[54]</span></p> - -<p>A school-house has been built 80 ft. by 12 ft., and a Protector’s quarters also, and furniture -provided. The work has been chiefly done by the natives. The scholars are taught to labour—to burn -lime, and draw wood and water.</p> - -<p>The adult natives get employment from the settlers around, and they plant the sweet potato and -supply fish.</p> - -<p>We hope that this small attempt may increase and rescue many of this race from destruction. The -Government has since befriended the mission, and Bishop Hale, who is still their friend, by resolution of -the General Synod, took primary charge of it.</p> - -<p>The Warangesda mission was commenced by Mr. Gribble, (now ordained), chiefly on his own -resources and with the help of his wife. He erected buildings, and fenced ground for cultivation. The -chief object seems to be to rescue the young females from impending ruin, and in this he has been -successful, so much so that the numbers were so great as to press upon him, beyond his means of support. -The history of some of these young females is full of interest; how they have accommodated themselves -to discipline and domestic life. But Mr. Gribble could not meet the urgent demands, and was obliged -therefore to refuse admittance. The school was accepted by the State as a State school, was afforded -help, and contributions were made from various sources to the amount of £671 7s. 2d.</p> - -<p>“This mission has become a church mission, but it is doubtful whether the Government can -render help under the withdrawal of State aid, it being now a denominational institution. There -appears to be more than 80 blacks on the books of the mission. 600 acres have been obtained from the -Government, and 400 more have been promised.”—<i>Extracted from the report of the Board of Missions.</i></p> - -<p>The Maloga mission is under the management of Mr. Matthews and his wife. Quoting from the -report of 1878:⁠—Last report our numbers were comparatively small, but a considerable increase has been -made since. The aborigines at the mission have been principally employed in cutting timber for the -purpose of erecting huts for themselves. Some have made fair progress in carpenter’s work. They -assemble round the fire in winter to hear “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” read to them. Mrs. Matthews and -Miss Prane attend the Sunday school. A number of blacks from the bush were present at the evening -services.</p> - -<p>A picnic was held on the Queen’s Birthday, the children and adults playing rounders, racing, -skipping, and indulging in lots of swinging. They lit a bonfire and fired salutes in honor of Her Majesty.</p> - -<p>All the young men are working vigorously, fencing and hut-building. A poor old lubra named -Molly is dying in the camp; we send her medical comforts. Received various remittances; total, £1 0s. 6d.</p> - -<p>Dan and Susannah, the first married couple, were glad to return with us, and a half-caste girl -Lizzie. The old blacks were opposed to our taking the children.</p> - -<p>Harriet wrote her first letter to-day to a lady in Melbourne. She was proud of her first literary -effort. To-night we sat round the fire, and sang for two hours without intermission.</p> - -<p>Reached Ulapa home-station. A good number of children desire to go with us. Eleven young -people made up their minds to return with us.</p> - -<p>A number of young men left for shearing, although 12 miles away. Most of them walk back to -Sunday service.</p> - -<p>Jemmy, half-caste, manifested faith in Christ. He had been very troublesome; he is now all day -singing hymns. A great change of character. Eight of the young men have now experienced a change. -They sat down with us at the Lord’s table.</p> - -<p>The children are approaching proficiency in spelling, arithmetic, and writing. They also know -upwards of forty tunes.</p> - -<p>Our Government grant of £400 is nearly exhausted; we are therefore obliged to limit our expenses. -Several old people left to obtain fish, but shortly afterwards, the last payment of £400 from the Government -came, as well as flour, sugar, and rice, but it seems that will only meet present wants.</p> - -<p>The marriage customs of the blacks caused some altercation when three couples presented themselves -for marriage, but the objections were overruled, although they went so far as to threaten to burn -down the huts, and fifteen blacks came down the river to interfere about the marriage; however, they -became pacified. There are ten young and married with us now, and there are thirty-eight aborigines in -the camp. Our income for the month has been £4 4s. 6d. We have passed through years of trial.</p> - -<p>In perusing the report, it is wonderful how supplies came from various quarters, unsolicited, just in -time to relieve their wants. They lived by faith.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_55">[55]</span></p> - -<p>From these extracts we learn that the employment and the working of the institution is the practical -success of the power of religion. The mission is still making its way, and an influential committee has -been formed in Sydney to promote its interests.</p> - -<p>The other missions in Victoria and South Australia I have already described. We see, after all the -failures, that the cause is not hopeless.</p> - -<p>First, we must not be satisfied with civilization. Religion can alone change the native. The -Ethiopian cannot change his skin, but God can change the heart. Civilization will follow religion. Next, -the missions must be secluded from towns and white population. Lastly, the land fund is a legitimate -source of provision. We have possessed their lands, and therefore should compensate from that source.</p> - -<p>Her Majesty, in her Instructions to the Governor, has expressed herself—“That you do by all -lawful means prevent and restrain all violence, &c., against them, and take such measures as may appear -necessary for the further conversion of them to the Christian faith, and their advancement to civilization.”</p> - -<p>The Government has taken up the question and appointed the Honorable G. Thornton, Esq., M.L.C., -Aboriginal Protector, while the Church of England Synod has appointed a Board of Missions, including -the Aboriginal Mission. May we not hope for some success?</p> - -<p>There is, besides, the New South Wales Aboriginal Protection Association of which His Excellency -Lord Augustus Loftus, G.C.B., is Patron, the Honorable Sir John Robertson, K.C.M.G., President, -together with the Honorable W. J. Foster, M.P., Vice-President, and an influential Council.</p> - -<p>A penalty is imposed on publicans who sell liquor to them. They are supplied with blankets, at -a cost of £3,300 annually. The coast tribes are provided with fishing-boats and tackle to the amount of £51. -In Sydney they are supplied with food and clothing from time to time, amounting to £350; and throughout -the Colony with medical attendance and medicine. They receive passages on railways free. Two -schools have been established, and assistance has been given to Societies on their behalf. Thus they have -not been left utterly uncared for.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_56">[56]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII.</h2> - - -<p class="noindent center small p3 b2">The last of the Sovereigns of the Sydney Tribe “King Bungaree”⁠—His son.</p> - -<p class="noindent"><span class="smcap">My</span> acquaintance with His Majesty was very short. As was his usual habit, he visited the ship -“Thames” in which I arrived in the Colony. His sable Majesty, in his native barge, a bark canoe, presented -himself to make the usual inquiries as to the name of the captain, and to inspect the steward’s -pantry, receiving tribute of various articles of food and raiment; and although he was adorned with a -cocked hat and brass plate, I could not help contrasting, to his disadvantage, His Majesty’s appearance with -that of the North-American chieftains with whom I had been in the habit of mixing; however, years of -drunkenness and some starvation no doubt had had their effect in emaciating his frame—the blessings which -civilization has bestowed upon the unfortunate aboriginal population.</p> - -<p>The following spirited sketch is copied from the <i>S. M. Herald</i>, being an extract from Dickens’ -<i>All the Year Round</i>, evidently the production of an Australian:⁠—</p> - -<p>There are few old Australian colonists to whom the name of Bungaree is not familiar, but I -conceive it right that the whole world should know something of this departed monarch, and of his habits -and peculiarities. Honored as I was by his favour, politely greeted as I always was whenever I met -His Majesty in the streets of Sydney, flattered as I was when he invited me occasionally to accompany -him in his boat to “go kedge fiss,” I consider myself as well qualified to become his biographer, as was -Mr. Boswell to write the life of Doctor Johnson, or Lord John Russell that of Thomas Moore.</p> - -<p>King Bungaree and myself were contemporaries; but there was a vast difference between our ages. -When I first knew him he was an old man, over sixty, and I a boy of twelve. It would be false to say -that I cannot account for the great liking the king always had for me, for the truth is I was in the -habit of lending him small sums of money, bread and meat, and not unfrequently a glass of rum. Many -a time have I slyly visited the larder and the decanters on the sideboard, to minister to the wants of the -monarch. I used the word “lend,” because the king never said “give.” It was invariably “len’ it half -a dump” (7½d.), “len’ it glass o’ grog,” “len’ it loaf o’ bread,” “len’ it ole shirt.” It is needless, perhaps, -to state that, although in some respects the memory of King Bungaree was as extraordinary as that of the -late King George the Third, he was utterly oblivious of the extent of his obligations, so far as repayment -was concerned.</p> - -<p>In person, King Bungaree was about 5 feet 8 inches high, not very stout and not very thin, except -as to his legs, which were mere spindles. His countenance was benignant to the last degree, and there -was a kind and humorous sparkle in his eye (especially when it was lighted up by liquor) which was, to -say the least of it, very cheerful to behold.</p> - -<p>King Bungaree’s dress consisted of the cocked hat and full-dress coat of a general officer or colonel, -an old shirt, and—that was all. I never saw him in pantaloons, or shoes, or stockings. Once, I remember, -he wore a worsted sock on his left foot, but that was in consequence of having wounded himself by -treading on a broken bottle.</p> - -<p>As the king was a person of irregular habits, he generally slept, as well as fished, in his clothes, and his -tailor’s bill would not have been enormous, even if he had had a tailor; but, as he “borrowed” his uniform, -as well as his money, bread, and rum, his finances were in no way embarrassed. Every new Governor, -from Governor Macquarie down to Governor Gipps (during whose administration Bungaree died), supplied<span class="pagenum" id="Page_57">[57]</span> -him with an old cocked-hat and full-dress coat; and almost every colonel commanding a regiment instantly -complied when his Majesty pronounced these words, “Len’ it cock-’at—len’ it coat—len’ it ole shirt.” -Around his neck was suspended, by a brass chain, a brass plate. On this plate, which was shaped like a -half-moon, were engraven in large letters the words, “Bungaree, King of the Blacks.” On the plate -there was also engraven the arms of the Colony of New South Wales—an emu and a kangaroo.</p> - -<p>In point of intelligence and natural ability, King Bungaree was far from deficient. He was, in -truth, a clever man, and not only did he understand all that was said to him in English, but he spoke the -language so as to be completely understood, except when his articulation was impaired by the too copious -use of ardent spirits, or other fermented liquors.</p> - -<p>His Majesty changed his manners every five years; or rather, they were changed with every Administration. -Bungaree, like many of the aborigines of New South Wales, was an amazing mimic. The -action, the voice, the bearing, the attitude, the walk of <i>any</i> man, he could personate with astonishing -minuteness. It mattered not whether it was the Attorney-General stating a case to a Jury, the Chief -Justice sentencing a culprit to be hanged, a colonel drilling a regiment in the barrack-square, a Jew -bargaining for old clothes, a drunken sailor resisting the efforts of the police to quiet him—King Bungaree -could, in mere dumb show, act the scene in such a way as to give you a perfect idea of it. Now, as the -Governor, for the time-being, was the first and most important person in the Colony, it was from that -functionary that King Bungaree took his cue, and, after having seen the Governor several times and -talked to him, Bungaree would adopt His Excellency’s manner of speech and bearing to the full extent -of his wonderful power. When I first knew Bungaree, General Darling was Governor of New South -Wales. Bungaree then walked the streets with his arms folded across his breast, his body erect, his pace -slow and measured, with something of a military swagger in it, and the only salute he vouchsafed was a -dignified, but very slight, inclination of his head. Even when His Majesty was so intoxicated that he -could not walk straight, it was impossible not to recognize the faithfulness of the copy to the original. -His mode of speech, too, was curt, and somewhat abrupt. Even the words “Len it glass o’ grog” came -forth rather in the tone of a command than of a request. But when General Darling left, and General -Bourke became his successor, how very different was the demeanour and the deportment of King Bungaree! -He walked briskly up George-street, with his left hand on his hip and his right arm moving to and fro, -took off his cocked-hat periodically in recognition of salutes (most of them imaginary), and when he -neared the guard-house at the bottom of Church Hill, he would raise his right hand in the air and shake -it, as a signal to the sentry not to turn out the guard to present arms to him.</p> - -<p>The reader will have gleaned that King Bungaree was not temperate in his habits. Candour compels -me to say that he was by no means particular as to the nature of his beverage. The only liquid to -which he had seemingly any aversion was pure water. Rum, gin, brandy, wine, beer, chili vinegar, -mushroom catsup, or “bull,” he would take in any quantity from any person who could be prevailed -upon to “lend” it to him; and, unfortunately, in order to get rid of His Majesty, the supply, in many -instances, immediately followed the demand, and the king was too often to be seen stretched at full -length on a dust-heap near the wharves, fast asleep and covered by myriads of flies, his cocked-hat doing -the duty of a pillow, except when some little boy tore out the crown, and then pulled it over the king’s -ankles, putting him, in fact, in felt stocks. So strong was this monarch’s passion for drink, that I am -perfectly satisfied that he would, at any moment, have abdicated his sovereignty for an old sugar-mat, -wherewith to make “bull,” although he would never have renounced his right to the title of “King of the -Blacks,” or that brass plate, which he regarded as his “patent.”</p> - -<p>With the cares of State, Bungaree never troubled himself. His sovereignty, to all intents and -purposes, was a matter of sound and of mere form. His subjects never treated him with respect or -obedience. His tyranny, in the strictly classical acceptation of the term, was confined simply to his -queens, five in number. These ladies were all much younger than the king, and were named, respectively, -“Onion,” “Boatman,” “Broomstick,” “Ask-about,” and “Pincher.” These names, of course, were not -given to them in their baptism (whatever may have been the aboriginal character of that rite), but were -dictated, most probably, by the caprice of some of King Bungaree’s European advisers, on the various -occasions of his consulting them on the point, and “borrowing” something of which he fancied he stood in -need. Whether the queens were much attached to the monarch or the monarch to them, I cannot venture -to say, nor can I form an opinion whether they bore the king company in his inebriation out of courtesy, -or from a natural desire to drink; but this I can state, with the positiveness of a biographer who derives -his sources of information from personal knowledge, that I never saw their Majesties (the queens) sober, -when His Majesty King Bungaree was drunk. The dress of these royal ladies was exceedingly grotesque. -With the exception of a faded satin slip, an old bedgown, or a flannel petticoat, whatever beauty King<span class="pagenum" id="Page_58">[58]</span> -Bungaree’s queens possessed was, in every sense of the word, in its unadornment “adorned the most.” -The only “foreign aid of ornament” that even Onion, the most fastidious of them, as regarded personal -appearance, ever resorted to, was a short clay pipe intertwined with her hair, which, in point of colour -and fineness, bore a strong resemblance to the tail or mane of an unbroken, unhandled, bay colt.</p> - -<p>I have mentioned that I sometimes, when a boy, accepted the invitations of King Bungaree to go -out with him in his boat to “kedge fiss.” His was a very old boat, a “loan” from Governor Macquarie, -who cultivated Bungaree’s acquaintance, if not Bungaree himself; and upon all these occasions the -queens used to pull the rickety craft, while the king sat in the stern-sheets, and steered. The queens, -by turns, not only pulled the oars (only two) of the boat, but when the anchor—a large piece of stone -tied to an old rope—was let go, they baited the hooks, threw over the lines, and caught the bream and -yellowtails, with which the harbour abounded in those days. Bungaree, meanwhile, sat still, smoked his -pipe, and occasionally gave an approving nod or a kind word to the wife who hooked the fish fastest. -When out in his boat, during Sir Richard Bourke’s administration, King Bungaree bore a stronger resemblance -to Charles the Second than to any other monarch of whom I have read in history. He was cheerful, -merry, facetious, gallant (except as to pulling and fishing), and amorous, without anything like coarseness, -in his outbreaks of affection. Fish constituted King Bungaree’s coin. The harbour of Port Jackson was -his treasure-chest. When a sufficient quantity had been caught to purchase a loaf or two, and enough -brown sugar to make a bucketful of “bull,” the anchor was weighed, and the boat rowed to shore. Fresh -fish for tea was always marketable, and the queens had never any difficulty in disposing of them at the -public or private houses, receiving in return whatever articles they required to supply their own and the -king’s immediate wants.</p> - -<p>I must here record a little anecdote of King Bungaree. When His Majesty’s ships, the “Warspite,” -the “Success,” frigate, and some smaller craft anchored in Sydney, Bungaree went on board all these -vessels, to welcome to his dominions the various commanders. The Commodore, Sir James Brisbane, -having heard of King Bungaree, and being informed of his approach, gave the order that he should be -received with all the honors and formality accorded to persons of royal blood, save the firing a salute -and manning the yards. The officers, who entered into the joke, were all assembled on the quarter-deck; -the First Lieutenant stood at the gangway, the Commodore, in his full-dress coat and cocked-hat, took -his place at the capstan, the boatswain piped the side in the shrillest ear-piercing tones, and the drums -and fifes made music to the air of “God save the King!” The moment King Bungaree placed his foot on -the “Warspite’s” well-holystoned planks, the Commodore uncovered his venerable head, and placing his -cocked-hat beneath his left arm, with admirably acted humility, advanced, and offered King Bungaree his -right hand. The king, who was then wearing his coat buttoned up to the neck, <i>à la</i> Sir Ralph Darling, -received the homage which was paid him by the Commodore, with just the amount of formal <i>empressement</i> -that the Governor himself would have exhibited, under the circumstance of being similarly greeted. -Having bowed, rather stiffly, to each of the officers on the quarter-deck, and having cast an approving -though cold glance at the guns, the hammock-nettings, and the rigging, King Bungaree condescended to -inquire the Commodore’s name. “My name is Brisbane,” said the Commodore, meekly. Bungaree, for at -least two minutes, surveyed the Commodore from head to foot, with a contemptuous expression of countenance. -He had known one Brisbane (Sir Thomas), who had only lately left the Colony, which he had -governed for five years. That there could be two Brisbanes—that the world was big enough to hold two—King -Bungaree could not believe. At length His Majesty spoke as follows, “What you mean, sa? You -Brisbane, sa? What for you, capping of big ship like this, sa, tell King Bungaree one big lie, sa? I -know Brisbane, sa. He great frien’-o’-mine, sa. He len’ me this cock-hat, sa, this coat, sa, this shirt, sa. -No, sa; not this shirt, sa. King Bungaree never tell a lie, sa. Capping Crotty, of 3rd Buffs, sa, len’ -me this shirt, sa.” Captain Crotty was not a very tall man, and the garment to which Bungaree last -alluded scarcely reached the monarch’s knees. “No, sa; you are not Governor Brisbane, sa. I show -these gennelmen Governor Brisbane, sa.” Divesting himself, for the nonce, of the airs and manners of -Sir Ralph Darling, Bungaree put on those of Sir Thomas Brisbane, walked the deck, spoke to several of -the officers, and, taking a telescope from the hand of the signal-midshipman of the day, looked through it -into the heavens, and exclaimed, “Ah!” Sir Thomas Brisbane was a great astronomer, and while in New -South Wales had been constantly star-gazing. The Commodore was so struck with King Bungaree’s -imitation of his own first cousin, that he stood aghast; while the officers, unable any longer to preserve -their gravity, indulged in a hearty peal of laughter.</p> - -<p>“No, sa,” resumed Bungaree, addressing the Commodore, and acting General Darling, “you <i>not</i> -Brisbane. But you very good man, I dessay. Never mind, I forgive you. I now feel very thirsty. Len’ -it glass o’ grog.” Several glasses of the ship’s rum, well diluted with water, were “lent” to His Majesty, -and several pipes of tobacco. After remaining about an hour on board the “Warspite,” Bungaree was<span class="pagenum" id="Page_59">[59]</span> -piped over the side, taking with him “loans” to the extent of five old shirts, a handkerchief full of -biscuit, and a cold leg of mutton. A marine officer offered to “lend” him an old coat; but, after -examining the loan, and discovering that it did not belong to an officer entitled to two epaulettes, -Bungaree shook his head, and remarked that it “would not do.” But, going to the gangway, he threw -the garment down into his boat, in which his queens were sitting. Onion picked up the old red coat, -and, as the day was rather cold, put it on, and wore it in the streets of Sydney habitually.</p> - -<p>[The writer having been sent to England to be <i>civilized</i> and <i>educated</i>, proceeds to give a humorous -description of his translation from the wilds of Australia to the wonders of the Old Country; and as his -expatriation lasted for seven years, to perfect his education at Oxford, or Cambridge, he lost sight of -Bungaree for some considerable time.]</p> - -<p>However, before the expiration of our sentence of seven years, we all became not only reconciled -to Old England, its sports, its institutions, and sensible of its manifold advantages over those of any other -portion of the earth; but when we had taken our degrees, and had been (in consideration, seemingly, of -abjuring the Pope) invested with black gowns and white horsehair wigs, we left her shores and our friends -with something like regret. After a passage of one hundred and nine days, I again placed my foot on the -land of my birth. But, oh! what a change was everywhere observable! A change, according to my idea, -very much for the worse. The ships in the harbour, instead of numbering only ten or eleven, numbered -upwards of forty or fifty. The streets were crowded with emigrants of both sexes, and of the lowest order -of the people, who, under the “bounty system,” had been swept out of the streets of London, Dublin, -Edinburgh, Glasgow, and minor cities or towns. Old buildings, many of them weather-boarded houses, -which had been familiar to my sight from childhood, had been pulled down, and on their sites were erected -rows of shops or merchants’ warehouses. So vast had been the tide of emigration to Australia, so busy -had been the population during the term of my exile, that I scarcely recognized my native land.</p> - -<p>I had not been in Sydney more than three days when, to my great joy, I espied at a distance the -cocked-hat and old red coat of poor old King Bungaree. He was coming up George-street. His gait was -very shaky, but it was still Bungaree’s gait. When I met him, I took off my hat and saluted him. He -peered into my face a few seconds, and then, recollecting me, offered me his hand, shook mine rather -coldly, and said rapidly, “Oh! well, what can I do for you? I very busy now; no time to spare; talk to -you some other day; yes, yes, good morning.” This change in Bungaree, which I could not at the -moment account for, pained me. I thought that, amidst all the changes, observable in every direction, -Bungaree at least would have remained himself. However, notwithstanding His Majesty’s remark that he -wished to get rid of me, he entered into conversation, and presently, in his old confidential way, said, -“Len’ it a sisspence.” I complied, and requesting him to call upon me soon, at my mother’s house, bade -him “good-day.” He was then alone. None of his queens were with him. But I had no time to ask him -many questions, for I was on my way to Government House, to pay my respects to Sir George Gipps, and -deliver a packet which had been entrusted to my care. Whether His Excellency had not looked at my -card, or whether he had mistaken me for some one else, I don’t know; but I had scarcely made my bow, -when I was greeted with, “Oh! well, what can I do for you? I am very busy just now, have not a -single moment to spare; talk to you some other day. Yes, yes, I am now off to the Council. Good -morning.”</p> - -<p>I had never seen Sir George before, but I instantly recognized my altered King Bungaree. -This anecdote, a few weeks afterwards, reached Sir George’s ears through a lady, and he was not a little -amused by it.</p> - -<p>On the following day, at 10 a.m., His Majesty, King Bungaree, was announced. I received him in -the back yard, for my mother would never allow him to come into the house. He was, on this occasion, -accompanied by two of his queens, “Broomstick” and “Pincher.” Having “lent” the king and each of -the queens a “glass o’ rum,” I proceeded to interrogate him.</p> - -<p>“Well, King Bungaree,” I said, “where’s ‘Onion,’ and the other queens, ‘Boatman’ and ‘Ask-about?’” -“Onion’s dead,” he replied. “Two emigrant mans get drunk, and kill her with brickbat on -top o’ rocks. Boatman’s got leg broke and can’t walk, and Ask-about stop along with her on North Shore, -to len’ it bread and drink o’ water.”</p> - -<p>“Who lent you that coat?” “One colonel up in Barrack-square.”</p> - -<p>“Has not the Governor lent you a coat?” “Not yet; but he len’ it by-and-by. At present he -only len’ it, ‘Very busy now; yes, yes; good morning.’”</p> - -<p>“What do you think of Sir George Gipps?” “When that my frien’ Doctor Lang write a book -about all the gubbernors, he one day met it in Domain, and len’ it half a dump. He then laugh and say,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_60">[60]</span> -‘King Bungaree, what you think of Gubbernor Bourke?’ and I say to him, ‘Stop a bit. He no yet leave -the colney. When he go, then I tell you, master.’ Gubbernor Gipps only just come. Stop till he go, -then I speak.”</p> - -<p>Doctor Lang, in his admirable work, the History of New South Wales, relates this in his preface -or concluding chapter, observing that he took King Bungaree’s hint, and reserved Sir Richard Bourke’s -Administration for some future edition.</p> - -<p>King Bungaree (after swallowing another “loan”), in reply to my questions, said that when the -tribe to which he belonged first beheld the big ships, some thought they were sea monsters; others that -they were gigantic birds, and the sails were their wings; while many declared that they were a mixture of -gigantic fish and gigantic bird, and that the boats which were towed astern were their young ones. He -heightened his description by <i>acting</i> the consternation of the tribe on that occasion. He told me they -were too much terrified to offer any hostile demonstrations, and that when they first heard the report of -a musket, and of a ship’s gun, they fancied those weapons were living agents of the white man; that -where the town of Sydney was situated, kangaroos formerly abounded, and that these animals were -seldom speared or interfered with; that fish and oysters and the native fruits were their chief articles of -food, and that animals—the kangaroo and opossum—were killed only to supply the little amount of -clothing then required amongst them; that the use of the hook and line was unknown until the establishment -of the Colony; and that a spear, constructed for the especial purpose, was the only means they had -of taking fish in the shallow waters of the bays. The deep-sea fish—the “schnapper,” the “king-fish,” -the “grounder,” and the rock cod—were beyond their reach. Mullet, whiting, and mackerel, which came -in large shoals within range of the spear, were the only species they had tasted. Sometimes a shark, -which had followed the smaller fish into the shallow water, and swam with his fins above the surface, -would fall a victim to the spear.</p> - -<p>Each tribe rarely numbered more than fifty or sixty, and the chief was, by right, the oldest man in -it. When they increased and multiplied beyond that number, fifty or sixty, there was a new tribe formed, -and they occupied a distinct tract of land, to which they were required to confine themselves. This tract -of land rarely exceeded an area of 40 miles in extent. Strange to say, the tribes beyond Parramatta -did not understand the language of the Sydney (Woolloomooloo) tribe. The tribes on the north shore -had no communication with the tribes on the south shore, except when they invaded each other—which -was seldom—and did battle. On these occasions they swam the harbour, carrying their spears, waddies -(clubs), boomerangs, and shields on their heads. The object of these invasions was to plunder each other -of women. King Bungaree denied that they were cannibals; but admitted that they roasted and <i>tasted</i> -the enemies whom they slew in battle. The waddies and spears of the different tribes were not exactly -alike in make, but the boomerang was of uniform construction; and I know, of my own personal experience -subsequently acquired, that amongst all the savage tribes of New Holland, the use of the boomerang is -universal. Sir Thomas Mitchell, late Surveyor-General of Australia, and a very able mathematician, when -he first saw the flight of a boomerang, and examined the weapon, exclaimed, “The savage who invented -this, in whatever time, was gifted by the Creator with a knowledge which He has withheld from civilized -man.” And, writing of the boomerang propeller, Sir Thomas says, “That rotary motion can be communicated -to an instrument, acting as a screw, so as to be sustained in air, without causing that fluid to recede, -is suggested by the flight of the boomerang, a missile which few in this country can have seen used, or -seen at all. This is a thin flat weapon, shaped somewhat like a new moon, but not so pointed at the cusps, -and more resembling in the middle an elbow than an arc, being about two feet long, two inches broad, -seldom so much as a quarter of an inch thick, and made of hard, heavy wood. The natives of Australia -throw this to great distances, and to great heights in the air, imparting to it two sorts of motion, one of -which is direct, the other rotary, by which last the missile revolves round its own centre of gravity, having -a twist into the plane of a very fine screw. The effect of this almost imperceptible screw on air, all who -have been witnesses to a boomerang’s flight will remember. To those who have not, we can only say that -the rotary motion survives the direct impetus with which the weapon is made to ascend, so as to make it -screw its way back to the very spot from whence it was thrown, thus enabling mere gravitation to undo -all the effect of the thrower’s arm in sending it upwards.”</p> - -<p>When I was a boy, Bungaree had been a matter of mere amusement to me. Now I was a man, -he was an object of interest; able as he was to remember the first big ships that entered Sydney harbour, -when the penal settlement was founded; the sensations of the tribe to which he, then a boy, belonged -when they beheld them; and the terror which prevailed when the savage, for the first time, saw the face -and clothed form of the white man. He had often talked to me of these and other such matters; but I -was then too young to take any interest in his discourse, further than what related to the best bays to fish -in, or the localities in which “five-corners,” “ground berries,” and “gollions” (native fruits) were most<span class="pagenum" id="Page_61">[61]</span> -plentiful. As for fish, even if I had had now any desire to catch them, I could not have done it in any -of the bays of Sydney harbour. Like the kangaroo and the emu, they had retreated beyond the bounds -of civilized and busy life. They were now only to be caught in the bays <i>outside</i> “the Heads.” As to the -native fruits I have mentioned, I doubt whether I could have obtained a quart within five miles of Sydney, -had I offered five guineas for it.</p> - -<p>The children, male and female, of the aborigines were taught, or rather made, to swim by being -put into deep water soon after they were born. As swimmers and divers, I do not think the blacks of -New South Wales were superior to the Arabs at Aden, or the Cingalese at Ceylon, but they were -certainly equal to them. A captain of a ship in the harbour of Port Jackson once lost a case of claret -overboard—a six-dozen case. The ship was anchored in eight fathoms of water. Four blacks dived down -and brought it up, each man holding a corner of the chest on the palm of his left hand. Incredible as it -may seem, they were under the surface of the stream for more than three minutes. I can remember one -day, when out with King Bungaree in his boat, losing a penknife with which I was cutting bait on the -gunwale. Queen Onion cried out, “I get it!” and, dropping from the boat’s bow in her bedgown, she -lifted her hands and went down like a stone or a shot. After being lost to sight for at least a minute -and a half, up she came, like a bundle of old clothes, with the penknife in her mouth. We were then -fishing off Garden Island, where the water is very deep. I doubt if there were less than fifteen fathoms -under our keel.</p> - -<p>The power of “tracking” was still left to old King Bungaree and his tribe, but they rarely or -never exercised it. Their savage and simple natures had been contaminated and corrupted by their more -civilized fellow-creatures, and their whole thoughts seemed to be centered in how they could most speedily -become intoxicated and sleep off its effects. Bread and rum, Bungaree said, were at first distasteful to -his palate; but after a while “he liked ’em berry much, and did not care for nothing else.” King -Bungaree was the only <i>old</i> aboriginal I ever saw in the vicinity of Sydney. Drink and its effects destroyed -the majority of both sexes long before they attained the prime of life. How the race continued to be -propagated within 50 miles of Sydney, even when I last left the Colony, in 1843, was more than I could -understand. It was otherwise, however, in the far distant interior. Some of the wild tribes in the -squatting districts (where rum and tobacco were too precious to be given to the blacks, either out of -freak or a misplaced generosity) were as fine specimens of the human shape as any sculptor could desire -as models. In addition to the elegance of their forms, their eyes were brilliant and piercing, their teeth -white as snow, their agility superhuman, and their love of innocent mirth perfectly childlike.</p> - -<p>Of King Bungaree’s principles and opinions I scarcely know what to say; nor even, as his -biographer, am I particularly anxious to dilate on the subject. But I may mention that he one day -confessed to me that, of all the Governors who ever swayed the destinies of New South Wales, General -Macquarie was the greatest man. On probing him for his reasons, I discovered that the kind-hearted -old officer, whom he held in such respect and veneration, was his greatest creditor. The General, according -to His Majesty’s account (and I believe him implicitly), had “lent” him more cocked-hats, more coats, -more shirts, more loaves of bread, and more glasses of grog, than any other ruler in Australia; and, -further, he told me it was General Macquarie who “lent” him that brass plate which he wore for so -many, many years, and which was no doubt found on His Majesty’s breast when he breathed his last.</p> - -<p>The writer does not give any account of the king’s death and burial. It seems that he died on -Garden Island, that a coffin was made for his remains at the dock-yard, and that the interment took -place with his wife Gooseberry in an orchard at Ryde. Whether any memorial remains I am not aware, -but a stone was placed over his place of sepulture.</p> - -<p>We have Bungaree, not as king, but as the humble attendant of Flinders. Flinders represents the -scarcity of provisions. The price of fresh meat was so exorbitant that he could not purchase it for his -crew. He paid £3 for a sheep, 30 or 40 lbs. weight; pork, 9d. per lb.; 9d. for pollard; Indian corn, 5s. a -bushel. What a change has taken place. Now we are exporting meat to England, and at one time -boiling down much cattle and sheep, merely for their fat.</p> - -<p>Flinders observes, in preparing for his voyage:⁠—“Bungaree, the intelligent native who had accompanied -me three years before in my voyage to the north, was selected again, together with a youth named -Nambare. I had before experienced much advantage from the presence of a native from Port Jackson, -in bringing about a friendly intercourse with the natives on the other parts of the coast. Bungaree the -worthy, a brave fellow who sailed with me in the ‘Norfolk,’ volunteered again; and the other was -Nambare, a good-natured lad, of whom Colonel Collins has made mention in his account of New South -Wales.” I presume this youth must have been the well-known Bungaree, of immortal memory.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_62">[62]</span></p> - -<p>The following memoir will supply further particulars of this chieftain’s son:⁠—A Mr. Coxen, who -had been very kind to Bungaree, adopted his son, whom he called after his father, and sent him to school -with his own sons to the Normal Institution, one of the leading schools of the Colony, in Sydney, -of which Mr. Gordon was head-master, thereby giving him the same chance as any European, mixing as he -did on an equality with other boys, and receiving the same attention to his studies and habits. He was -a boarder with some ninety others, and was, in fact, treated as any young gentleman ought to be. He was -not clever mentally, for after six years he only reached the rule of three; could not understand Euclid -or foreign languages, but was clever at any manipulations with the pen or pencil. He wrote a beautiful -hand, but his spelling was defective. He was clever at all games requiring physical activity, but strange -withal, he was exceedingly lazy. He was quick to learn by rote, but did not quite understand all he -learned by it. As a specimen of his race he was rather small, and not so quick as many others would -have been, had they had the same advantages. He was sent to England to college, but the cold weather -and his laziness caused ill health. He returned to the Colonies, and like all his race who have no tribe -(having been brought up among white children), he took to stock-riding, occasionally surprising some -newly-arrived squatter by exhibiting his writing and knowledge of cyphering. The last heard of him is -that he is like any other bushman, making a cheque and knocking it down at the grog shops. It will be -easy to guess what will be his end.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_63">[63]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII.</h2> - - -<p class="noindent center small p3 b2">The aboriginal Jackey Jackey.</p> - -<p class="noindent"><span class="smcap">This</span> native accompanied the expedition of Mr. Kennedy from Rockingham Bay to Cape York, in 1848, one -of the most calamitous attempts at discovery on record, except perhaps Leichhardt’s.</p> - -<p>The expedition was over-equipped with twenty-eight horses, three carts, 100 sheep, and ample -supplies of all sorts—more like an expedition for settlement than a mere exploring party.</p> - -<p>They landed at Rockingham Bay, thirteen in number. Jackey was a native of Patrick’s Plains, -and proved himself intelligent, faithful, and trustworthy throughout this very disastrous expedition, in -which all but two perished besides Jackey Jackey, who survived after he had faithfully led on the expedition, -and, as we shall see by the sequel, watched over Kennedy’s dying moments.</p> - -<p>After landing, they pursued their way through swamps and mangrove bush, through which they -had to cut their way to make a passage for their sheep, &c. At length they had to abandon their carts -and heavy luggage. Jackey Jackey always in the front, the natives proving hostile, they reached a native -camp, quite a village, the gunyahs neatly built, of a conical form, about 5½ feet diameter, 6 feet high, -substantial, to keep out the rain, with stone ovens for baking, &c., much superior to the usual huts, -indicating a better class of natives, but not less ferocious.</p> - -<p>The party were now reduced to killing their horses, lean and miserable as they were, seldom meeting -any game or fish, and they were attacked by sickness, and the sheep fell away. Their situation became each -day more critical, and it became necessary to appoint an advance party to try and reach Cape York. Thus -they parted at Weymouth Bay, Kennedy and his party pushing on, leaving eight of their party there, a -few of the horses and other stores to subsist on; the object being to reach Cape York, and there to meet -a vessel in waiting, and so relieve them.</p> - -<p>The party here were left under Mr. Carron, the botanist, to whom we are chiefly indebted for the -sequel of this unfortunate expedition. Six of the men died, leaving Carron and another, who had been -wounded, to be mercifully delivered when at the very extremities of existence. Such was their extremity -that, the kangaroo dog being very weak, they killed him, and lived on him two days. The natives, they say, -were a much finer race than they had yet seen.</p> - -<p>Three more of the party were left behind at Pudding-pan Hill, they being unable to travel, while -Jackey Jackey and Mr. Kennedy pressed forward until they came in sight of Port Albany, Kennedy stating -to Jackey Jackey “A ship is there—you see that island there.” Thus close to deliverance, it was here -Kennedy met his death. A party of natives surrounded them, and Kennedy was wounded by a spear in -the back. Jackey pulled out the spear and fired at the blacks, wounding one of them. The blacks -speared Kennedy in the leg and then in the right side; Jackey cut the spear out. The horses got -speared also, and became unmanageable. “Mr. Kennedy became stupid through his wounds, and I carried -him into the scrub. He said ‘Don’t carry me a good way.’ I asked him, ‘Are you well now?’ He -replied, ‘I don’t care for the spear-wound in my leg, but for the wounds in my side and back; I am bad -inside.’ I told him blackfellows always die when they are speared in the back. ‘Mr. Kennedy, are you -going to leave me?’ He said, ‘Yes, my boy, I am going to leave you; you take my books to the captain, -but not the big ones; the Governor will give you anything for them.’ Then I tied up the papers, and -Mr. K. said, ‘Give me paper and I will write,’ but he fell back and died. I cried a good deal until I got -well, that was about an hour, and then I buried him—covered him over with logs and grass, and my shirt -and trousers. I then went on. Sometimes I had to walk in the water; then through scrub. Many -spears were thrown at me. At length I reached Port Albany, where I was recognized by the captain of the -waiting vessel.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_64">[64]</span></p> - -<p>Having related, the death of poor Kennedy, the vessel was immediately got under weigh, and -proceeded to where the three men had been left, but were unsuccessful in their search. Found a canoe -with a cloak in it, and other cloaks of the natives; therefore concluded that the three unfortunate men -had been murdered. They therefore sped their way to the relief of Mr. Carron and his party, Weymouth -Bay, where they rescued Messrs. Carron and Goddard, the only survivors of that party. These two men -were unable to move without assistance, and had despaired of relief. They had seen a vessel standing -into the bay, and made signals, but she altered her course, and so all hope of rescue was given up. The -discovery of these two men is well described. Jackey Jackey led the party. After landing he was very -tired. At last he exclaimed, “I see camp.” Well done, Jackey. Suddenly he exclaimed, “I see two -whitefellows sit down in camp.” When they came up to them they were two of the most pitiable beings -possible. They were the only two left of the eight; six had perished. Jackey Jackey said, “You see the -blackfellow there; you leave the tent and go to the vessel as fast as you can.” The captain went into the -tent to try and remove some things, but Jackey Jackey said, “You leave him tent everything altogether; -get the two whitefellows into the boat quickly.” They took, however, some important things, and then -started in the boat. Carron’s legs were terribly swollen. The vessel then proceeded to Sydney.</p> - -<p>The Government despatched Captain Simpson in the “Freak,” with Jackey Jackey as a guide, to -recover the journals and papers of poor Kennedy. Search was made along the coast for the three men, -but unavailingly. The pillaged camp was found, with books and everything scattered about. They found -the remains of Walsh and Niblet, who were unburied; these they buried. They only found in the search -along the coast a leather pistol-holster, marked 37. Jackey was confident that these three men had been -murdered. The next object was to recover Kennedy’s journals and papers. In this Jackey Jackey -displayed his usual intelligence. On their track he pointed out the place where he had left the saddle-bags, -but these could not be found; but a sextant and horizon-glass were found. Jackey told the party -to look out for broken spears, and shortly they found the place where Kennedy told Jackey not to carry -him any farther; also the place where Jackey had washed his wounds, and where he had given Jackey -his instructions about his papers. The sextant and some other scientific things were found. The party -found the papers and diary, but not Kennedy’s grave. Poor Jackey was very quiet, and felt deeply -through the day, and tears started from his eyes when searching for the remains, while his feelings -against the natives were very bitter. The papers had been pulled out of the tree, probably by a rat, and -were somewhat injured.</p> - -<p>“I cannot close my extracts without mentioning the exemplary conduct of Jackey Jackey. I have -always found him quiet, obliging, and very respectful. When on shore he was very attentive, and his -mind fixed on one object. The sagacity and knowledge he displayed were astonishing. When he found -the place we were in search of he was never flushed, but quiet and unobtrusive. He was much concerned -at not being able to find the remains of his master, to whom he was sincerely attached.</p> - -<p class="right b1"> -<span style="margin-right: 5em;"><span class="smcap">J. B. Simpson</span>,</span><br> -Master of the ‘Freak.’”<br> -</p> - -<p>The melancholy condition to which Mr. Carron, the botanist, and Goddard were reduced, and their -delivery, is well described by the survivor. “Six weeks,” he says, “had expired since Mr. Kennedy left -us. Our shot was all but expended. This morning we ate the two pigeons and boiled the tea-leaves. -Lap, the sheep-dog, remained our only companion, and him we determined to kill, however poor; but a -native now advanced and gave me a piece of dirty paper. This was a note from Captain Dodson, then in -the bay. Joy filled our minds, and I gave the native an answer, but he threw it away and joined the -other natives, probably to murder us. Just then I saw Captain Dodson and Dr. Vallack and Jackey -approaching, with a man named Barrett, who had been wounded a few days before. I was reduced -almost to a skeleton; the elbow-bone of my right arm was through the skin; the bone of my hip also; -my legs were swollen enormously; I was carried to the boat.”</p> - -<p>He then describes the few things he saved. Here it was he heard of the tragic death of poor -Kennedy. It would ill become me to add anything to the artless narrative of the faithful and true-hearted -Jackey, who, having tended Kennedy’s last moments and closed his eyes, was perhaps the most -interested bewailer of his unhappy fate. The character throughout of Jackey Jackey is one of fidelity, -sympathy, and affectionate endurance, seldom equalled; while he must be regarded as not only the guide, -but the untiring deliverer of the remnant of the party.</p> - -<p>All I can learn of Jackey Jackey’s subsequent history is, that on his arrival in Sydney, the Government -presented him with a brass plate and inscription, which I understand is now in the Museum. He -returned to his tribe, Patrick’s Plains, where he died of consumption. Thus came to an early grave -this noble-minded man, whom, for fidelity and affection under severe trials, few white men could excel.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_65">[65]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX.</h2> - - -<p class="noindent center small p3 b2">Tasmania⁠—The Blacks⁠—Mr. G. A. Robinson⁠—The capture and transportation of the Aborigines to Flinders Island⁠—Their -gradual decay and extinction⁠—Lalla Rookh, the last native.</p> - -<p class="noindent"><span class="smcap">Tasman</span> had discovered the island of Tasmania and given it the name of Van Diemen’s Land, after the -Governor of Batavia, by whom he had been commissioned to explore the “Great South Land.”</p> - -<p>The next visitor was a Frenchman, named Captain Marion du Fresne, who on landing was assailed -with showers of stones and spears, and retaliated by volleys of musketry, which killed and wounded several -natives. This was the first blood shed, never to be forgotten by the natives. The celebrated discoverer -Captain Cook visited the island in 1777. He and Captain Bligh left pigs, vines, oranges, apples, plums, -onions, and potatoes, to which Captain Furneaux made additions.</p> - -<p>Captain Cook describes the natives—their women naked, their bodies marked with scars, their -heads partially shaved; they lived like beasts. No doubt their condition was very miserable, but it was -made more so by European contact.</p> - -<p>Even Flinders’ interview with the natives was unfortunate; while Captain De Surville, who -anchored in Doubtless Bay, and was received by crowds of natives, who supplied them with food and -water, and treated their sick with tenderness, nevertheless, repaid their services with cruelty, under the -suspicion that they had stolen a boat. The chief Paginni, having been invited on board, was placed -in irons. They then burnt down the village and carried the chief to sea, who died of a broken heart. De -Surville, afterwards, was drowned in the surf when landing at Callao in 1791. Thus, unfortunately, the -very first visit of the European was a visitation of blood, while the introduction of large bodies of criminals -added crime and disease to their wretchedness.</p> - -<p>From these causes arose an undying hatred on the part of natives to Europeans; in fact, nothing -short of a guerrilla war.</p> - -<p>Government sought to conciliate and benefit these people, and no doubt much was done, but with -very unsatisfactory results.</p> - -<p>From the diary of the Rev. Robert Knopwood we learn that our people went to their camp, probably -by way of reprisal, and attacked the natives at Burke’s house, where a large body of natives had assembled -and were, in pursuit of kangaroo, shooting with spears. Mistaking this for a war attack, an inexperienced -officer ordered the soldiers to fire into them, and numbers were wounded and slain. This led to fearful -consequences.</p> - -<p>Shortly afterwards two Europeans were put to death by the natives, and the attack was attributed -by the Governor in his proclamation, 1813, to the frequent ill-treatment by the bushrangers.</p> - -<p>Another calamitous event took place. The natives came into town, under the leadership of a -prisoner named Campbell, who cohabited with a native woman; they were kindly received by the Government, -and many presents were bestowed on them; the children associated and played with the white -children, but the conduct of the bushrangers to the native women led to serious consequences. “Bad -men,” they said, “had stolen their piccaninnies.”</p> - -<p>In 1816 it is recorded that the natives now manifested much hostility to the up-country settlers, -killing and driving away their cattle. Quarrels arose between them and the stockmen. Spears were exchanged -for the more deadly fire of musketry. The natives now entered on a marauding warfare, stopped -drays and travellers, and made regular attacks on the huts.</p> - -<p>The Lieut.-Governor issued a proclamation in which he enumerated the ill-treatment sometimes -received—that they killed the men and pursued the women and compelled them to abandon their children; -and still more horrible, the editor of a Wellington paper said, “We have ourselves heard old hands<span class="pagenum" id="Page_66">[66]</span> -declare it was not an uncommon practice to shoot them to supply food for their dogs.” Females were -not only the object of their lust, but of their barbarity. The lash and the chain were the harsh -expedients of their savage love.</p> - -<p>Lemon, one of the leaders of the bushrangers, fearing that the natives would disclose their retreats, -bound them to trees and used them as targets. These barbarities led to numerous murders of the whites; -but certainly the whites, even the soldiers, who cast one of their infants into the flames, and a bushranger -who cut off the head of a woman’s husband, strung it round her neck, and made her walk before him, could -not be exceeded in atrocious conduct by the barbarians.</p> - -<p>Mr. Bonwick, in his narrative, sums up the determination of the blacks to scatter blood, conflagration, -death, and ruin throughout every district of the Colony; so, for some time afterwards, blood was -freely shed, and homesteads were doomed to the flames. Inquests were held daily, and country property -had fallen in value to zero.</p> - -<p>A Government proclamation was issued in 1826 referring to these outrages, and giving instructions -how to act, but all these proclamations, however well intended, were no better than waste paper.</p> - -<p>The savage, unrelenting and revengeful, proceeded at once to the great black war. Two natives were -captured and executed, while some thirty-seven other persons were sentenced to death at the same -Sessions. It was proposed to give up one district to the blacks, but this could not be accomplished, as -they could not be confined to any boundary.</p> - -<p>Black Tom was catechised by the Governor, and replied, “Your stock-keepers kill plenty of blacks.” -“But,” said the Governor, “you kill men, women, and children.” “White men kill plenty of men, women, -and piccaninny.” “We want to be friendly to you.” Tom, laughing, said, “All the same as white man, you -catch it and kill it.” On hearing the proclamation read, Tom, laughing, said, “You make proclamation, -ha, ha, ha! I never see that foolish. When he see dat he can’t read, who tell him?” “You tell him, Tom.” -“No, me like see you tell him yourself. He soon spear me.”</p> - -<p>Here is a savage not destitute of human intellect. The Governor must have felt that he met more -than his match.</p> - -<p>As the blacks could not read, as Tom said, sign-boards were put up exhibiting blacks spearing -whites, and then hanging to a tree; the Governor, with a cocked-hat and uniform, with soldiers superintending; -white women nursing black babies. How the blacks must have been convulsed with fun, and -turned all into a corroboree!</p> - -<p>Then came the Line scheme. Captain Welsh and Mr. G. A. Robinson succeeded even at this early -period in opening friendly intercourse with one tribe, but this seems to have been objected to, as not driving -the natives far enough away.</p> - -<p>We must now introduce some noted characters, Mosquito, and Black Jack, his colleague. The -former was a native of New Holland, of great physical powers, vigorous intellect, and of indomitable -will. The other, Jack, was able to read and write. When taking to the bush, he exclaimed, “I’ll kill all -the whites”; and Mosquito had associated with convicts in New South Wales, and adopted all their -vices of drinking and swearing. An associate of Mosquito’s, known by the settlers as Bulldog, and he -cruelly ill-used and then murdered a woman; then ripped up the body of the woman to destroy the -infant. For want of evidence they were simply transported—Mosquito to Van Diemen’s Land in 1813. -He was there employed to track bushrangers, a kind of blood-hound, but the constables, his associates, -became jealous of his skill; he was therefore sent away to Hobart Town; and there became head and -leader of the mob, who hung about the town. He lived with several women, whom he employed for -various purposes, but one Gooseberry, a superior woman, was his chief wife. He murdered her in a fit -of jealousy. The monster cut off the breasts of one of his gins, because she would suckle her infant -against his will. He sent his blacks to rob and slaughter. He and his people kept the land in a state of -terror. They spared neither age nor sex, while it was impossible to catch them in the trackless wilderness. -He induced a native civilized lad to join his party, but he was soon captured and sentenced to Macquarie -Harbour, the Tasmanian hell, but escaped, and was afterwards employed by the Government as a black -tracker.</p> - -<p>The outrages of these men were terrible, and a party of soldiers and officers was formed to destroy -them. In their search they came upon a black party, stole on them at night, fired into them volleys, and -killed and wounded several. A sergeant seized a child, saying, “If you are not mischievous now, you will -be,” and dashed the child’s brains out against a tree. Both parties became alike ferocious. Mosquito was -captured at length, being badly wounded, and, with Black Jack, tried at Hobart Town. Mosquito was -found guilty, Black Jack not guilty, but the latter was tried on a second charge of murder, and both were<span class="pagenum" id="Page_67">[67]</span> -sentenced to death. They pleaded to be sent to a penal settlement, but in vain—they were both executed. -The chaplain who attended (the Rev. W. Bedford) exhorted them to pray. Black Jack exclaimed, “Pray -yourself; I am too b⁠—⁠—⁠y frightened to pray.” After this example of justice, many natives came into -town to implore pardon. The black war however went on, so that, during the temporary absence of the -husbands the quick-eyed natives stole down the chimneys or through the other entrances of the houses, -murdered all within, and plundered the places. On the husband’s return he found his home a slaughterhouse. -No one was safe, and at length it was felt that something of a general character must be done.</p> - -<p>Two or three persons—including the celebrated Batman, who first passed over to Port Phillip and -settled in that portion of New South Wales—went out with a party for a year, captured several natives -and shot some; also the names of Robertson, Jorgenson, Hopkins, Eldon, Grant, and others, must be -mentioned as adventurers in the cause, who took the field, but all in vain. Within six years 121 outrages of -the blacks were recorded in Oaklands district alone; twenty-one inquests upon murdered persons were -held between 1827 and 1830; some women in self-defence took the musket and beat the attacking parties -off, although they attempted to fire the houses.</p> - -<p>Another proclamation was issued, offering rewards for the capture of offenders, but, in spite of 3,000 -armed persons forming a cordon not more than sixty yards apart, the natives escaped. An occasional cry -was heard from the sentinels, “Look out, look out.” Every man seized his gun and rushed forward, while -the General galloped up, shouting, “What is the matter?” “Don’t know; there has been a breaking -of sticks in that scrub.” “Fire, fire, fire.” A poor frightened cow rushed out, occasioning peals of laughter. -The Governor was facetiously called Colonel George Black-string. They captured two natives only; the -rest had escaped in a fog. The army broke up, and the people were in no way relieved from their danger.</p> - -<p>It was at this critical time that Mr. Robinson, a mechanic, made an application to be permitted to go -forth, unarmed, and by peaceful means attempt to induce the natives to surrender. He was of course derided, -called a madman, a fool; but, although he had a little family depending on him, he could not abandon -his self-imposed duty. The state of the natives was such that they lived worse than dogs, and were -deprived of food. Their gins were debauched by the cruel white men. The black visitors to Tasmania had -treated the natives with great cruelty. Military and civil had been in the field from the 4th of October to -26th November, but the attempt entirely failed. The expense was near £50,000; some say £70,000.</p> - -<p>Mr. Robinson proposed a plan of conciliation—to make a visit first to Port Davey, and become -known to the other tribes. He obtained a long-boat, but this was wrecked. He carried no arms, but took -with him two natives, and set off at 12 o’clock at night with these guides to cross the country, and the -next morning the whole tribe joined him. This was in 1830. He placed thirty-four natives on Swan -Island, and having been supplied with a cutter, he visited the islands, and rescued many women from the -sealers, who used them brutally, flogging them if they did not cook properly.</p> - -<p>Next, he removed the Big River tribe and the Oyster Bay tribes to Gun-carriage Island. On -approaching these tribes, they ran down the hill with spears, shouting. His party fled, and he alone -confronted these exasperated savages. They had known that he was the blackfellows’ friend, and so -became pacified. On one occasion only he fled, and was saved by an old woman, who towed him over the -river on a log.</p> - -<p>Mr. J. Bonwick’s description of one interview is too lucid to pass over.</p> - -<p>The leader Robinson had ventured under the shadow of the Frenchman’s Gap, 5,000 feet high, in -the uninhabited district of the western interior. There he met the last tribe, and the most dangerous of -the natives. He had with him his stripling son, McGeary, Stanfield, and an Hawaiian Islander.</p> - -<p>The stout-looking but handsome chief, Montpeliata, glared at them and grasped his spear, 18 feet -long; while fifteen powerful men, with their spears and waddies, filled with all the hate and loathing for -white men which such a war had excited, were ill restrained by the voice and gesture of their head. They -rattled their spears, shouted their war-cry, and menaced the mission party. The women kept in rear, -each carrying a bundle of spears, and 150 dogs growled at the intruders.</p> - -<p>It was a moment of trial to the stoutest nerves. The whites trembled, and the friendly natives -were about to fly. One word from that stern chief and they would have been transfixed with spears. “I -think,” whispered McGeary, “we shall soon be in the resurrection.” “I think we shall,” replied Robinson.</p> - -<p>The chief advancing, shouted, “Who are you?” “We are gentlemen,” was the reply. “Where are -your guns?” “We have none.” Still suspicious, although astonished, the chief inquired, “Where are your -piccaninnies (pistols)?” “We have none.” There was then a pause. The chief, seeing some blacks -belonging to the white party running away, shouted, “Come back!” This was the first gleam of hope. -Meanwhile some of the courageous female guides had glided round and were holding quiet earnest converse<span class="pagenum" id="Page_68">[68]</span> -with their wilder sisters. The great chief now walked to the rear to confer with the old women. -The whole party waited with suspense for the result, on which their lives depended. In a few minutes -the women threw up their hands three times, as a token of peace. Down fell the spears, and the -impulsive natives rushed forward to embrace relatives and friends, while the chiefs grasped each other’s -hands in brotherly embrace. It was a jubilee of joy. A feast followed, and a corroboree closed the eventful -day. Well may Robinson say this was the happiest evening of his life.</p> - -<p>These poor people had fought for the soil; numbers had perished. They had resisted 3,500 men -well armed, but pacific measures had subdued them: a noble victory of moral influence. The tribe had -yielded as friends, not captives. They delivered up sixteen stand of arms taken from bushrangers, together -with their spears; the latter were returned to them.</p> - -<p>Robinson marched his friends to Bothwell. The inhabitants were terrified, until he assured them -that there was nothing to fear. After a night’s rest he proceeded to Hobart Town, where he was greeted -with shouts of triumph and of welcome. Portraits were taken; the muse was awakened to commemorate -the bloodless victory; and then followed an entertainment at Government House.</p> - -<p>In January, 1835, vessels were provided to convey them to Flinders Island. This island is 40 -miles long by 12 to 18 miles wide. Here everything possible was done for them. As to religious and -other instruction, a Quakers’ deputation which visited the island describes the state of society:⁠—“A large -party of native women took tea with us at the Commandant’s. After tea they washed up the tea things, -and put everything in order. The catechist has translated into one of their dialects a large portion of the -first three chapters of Genesis. They are daily instructed by the catechist.” Dr. Ross gives a sketch of -these people:⁠—The females superintend the domestic matters. Each family has a hut, windows, chairs, -and tables manufactured by themselves of the timber of the island, and they send to Launceston skins of -kangaroos and birds, and in exchange obtain useful articles. They cultivate one large garden, moving the -hoe to one of their melodies, and have cleared a road several miles into the interior. An aboriginal fund -has been established, a Police Court to settle differences, and a market formed for sale of articles. Mr. -Robinson gives a sermon entirely composed by one of them.</p> - -<p>But, alas, fearful mortality reduced the number down to fifty persons, and they were fast disappearing, -not from want of attention, but they suffered much from nostalgia, and sighed after their -country, which they could see not very far off. They were consequently removed to Oyster Cove; twelve -men, twenty-two women and ten children. This place is but a few miles from Hobart Town; it had been a -penal settlement. In time, the new settlement seemed to thrive. Mr. Clarke, the catechist, wrote to -say—they are now comfortable; have a full supply of provisions; are able to till their gardens; sow beans -and potatoes; and the women can all make their own clothes, cook their food, and make the houses comfortable, -and are contented. But both Mr. and Mrs. Clarke died, and the place became the dark valley of -death. In 1854, there remained only three men, eleven women, and two boys, at a cost of £2,000 per -annum to the Colony; the place became a ruin; the unfortunate people were supplied with spirits—became -drunken and abandoned. The Governor often visited the station, as well as Lady Denison, and brought -them up to town in their carriages; but all in vain, their doom was cast.</p> - -<p>Their condition was pitifully described by Mary Ann, a half-caste, wife of Walter:⁠—“We had souls in -Flinders, but we have none here; there we were looked after, here we are thrown into the scum of society; -they have brought us amongst the scum of the earth (alluding to convicts); it would be better if some -one came and read to us, and prayed with us; we are tempted to drink; nobody cares for us.” The Bishop -had appointed a clergyman, but he was unpopular.</p> - -<p>Mary Ann’s description of poor Clarke’s death is very affecting:⁠—“With grief for the loss of his -wife and the degradation of the people, he took to his bed of death. Then,” said the faithful creature, -weeping, “Father Clarke died. I attended him, along with his daughter, night and day. All the people -wanted to do something; all loved him; and he talked and prayed with us, and told me what to read. He -had the room full of us, and bade us good-bye. He did love us.” The writer had to comfort her. She -shook her head mournfully, and with bitterness replied, “No one cares for the native’s soul, now Father -Clarke is gone.” Soon Mary Ann and Walter followed.</p> - -<p>The description of this couple and their fate is truly affecting. Walter was engaged in conveying -the mail from Huron to Hobart Town. They lived in a three-roomed cottage. Mary Ann had it very neat, -clean, and gave guests a welcome. The floor was covered with a carpet, the walls decorated with pictures, -and the Bible and other books lay on the table. Melancholy to think, both this man and wife became -victims to drink; he was drowned, and she, a noble woman, was soon cut off by intemperance. One -solitary man and one woman remained, King Billy and his wife.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_69">[69]</span></p> - -<p>The last public appearance of the king was at the Governor’s Ball, at Government House, accompanied -by three aboriginal females.</p> - -<p>In 1868, he accompanied the Duke of Edinburgh to Hobart Town, in a blue suit of clothes, with -gold lace round his hat, walking proudly with the Duke, as one possessing royal blood; but he was seldom -sober. He also perished. He took to the sea and became a celebrated whaler, but on getting his wages, -£12 13s., he commenced drinking, and died of cholera. He was followed to the grave by a large concourse -of people, mostly sailors. There still remained one woman, Lalla Rookh.</p> - -<p>Truganina, or Lalla Rookh, as she was sometimes called, the last of the aborigines of Tasmania, died -on the 8th instant (says the <i>Hobart Town Mercury</i>, of May, 1876) of paralysis, at the residence of her -protectress, Mrs. Dandridge, in Macquarie-street. The death of this last scion of a once numerous race is -an event in the history of Tasmania of no common interest, and it may well serve to “point a moral and -adorn a tale” on the question of the gradual but certain extinction of the aboriginal races of these -southern lands. Of Truganina we shall no doubt hear many interesting narratives, now that she has -departed this world, but at present we must content ourselves with a few brief facts concerning her life -and death, leaving it to others, who have leisure and opportunity, to favour the public with more extended -notices respecting her. That she was a queen is an admitted fact, and that she had five husbands, all -kings, is generally known. The last of these partners of her joys and sorrows was the celebrated King -Billy, who died in March, 1869, and was the sole remaining male representative of the Tasmanian -aboriginals. It is a singular fact that Truganina assisted “Black Robinson” in his efforts to induce the -few natives, then alive, to place themselves under the care of the Government. She accompanied “Black -Robinson” on a visit to the natives, distributing presents of various kinds; and when they paid a second -visit they were warmly received, and the natives eventually consented to be taken care of by the State. -Truganina has seen them all die. She could tell many very exciting stories of her life, and used to amuse -those friends who visited her with relating them. At one time, with other natives, she was in Victoria, -then known as Port Phillip. A murder was committed, and though she always said she was innocent, she -and another woman and some males were sentenced to be hanged. Fortunately for her, she had saved a -lady and two children from the fury of the blacks on one occasion, and this coming to the ears of the -authorities, her life was spared. Twenty years ago, when Mr. Dandridge, who succeeded Dr. Milligan, -took charge of the Oyster Cove Aboriginal Station, there were sixteen survivors of the race, including -Truganina, who belonged to the Bruni Island tribe. Fifteen of them died during the life of Mr. -Dandridge. Nearly three years ago he, with his wife and family, removed to Hobart Town, bringing -Truganina with them, and the citizens soon became familiar with the form of Her Majesty. She appeared -at public gatherings on several occasions, and frequently went out for walks, always in charge of some -member of the family with which she lived. Her short, stout figure, red turban, and dusky features -were known far and wide, and always attracted great attention. She was partial to conversation, and was -always willing to give such information as was within her knowledge. The death of Mr. Dandridge, two -years ago, was the occasion of great sorrow to her, and she never ceased to mourn his loss. Since then -she has been under the care of Mrs. Dandridge, the Government having for many years granted £60 per -annum for her maintenance. She suffered a good deal from bad health of late. Though sometimes very -weak, she always rallied, and promised to live many years. Within the last ten days, however, she had a -presentiment that she was going to die, but it did not seem to give her great concern. She passed away as -peacefully as a child, and though she was about seventy-three years old, she did not look half that age -after her death.</p> - -<p>One of the aborigines pathetically describes the destruction of the people:⁠—“All blackfellow gone. -All this my country. A very pretty place; many piccaninnies run about; plenty of blackfellow there; -corroboree; great fight; all cause about only me tell now. Poor them, tumble down all; bury her like -a lady. Put her in coffin like English. I feel a lump in my throat when I talk of her, but bury her like -a lady, master.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Howitt says we actually turned out these inhabitants of Van Diemen’s Land because we saw -it was a goodly heritage; and our best justification is that if we did not transport them we must burn them -out with our liquid fire, and poison them with disease and vice. It is a powerful and, in some respects, -a mysterious history. The only hope appears to be when the Gospel precedes colonization, but even -then, if the tide sets in too soon, destruction follows. Let us look to European Christianity. How many -so-called Christians are little better than savages, for with all the appliances by which they are surrounded, -the law only restrains them from violence. However many the failures, yet the capacity for advancement -of these people renders it no longer a question of doubt whether they are no better than dogs.</p> - -<p class="noindent center small p1">[Sketches.]</p> - -<hr class="r50"> - -<p class="noindent center small p0">Sydney: Thomas Richards, Government Printer.—1883</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<div class="figcenter illowe30 p2 b2" style="max-width: 65.5em;" id="i_070fp_1"> - <a rel="nofollow" href="images/i_070fp_1_for_book.jpg"> - <img class="w100" src="images/i_070fp_1_for_book.jpg" alt=""> - </a> - <div class="caption"> - <p class="noindent center">CAVE FIGURE</p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<div class="figcenter illowe30 p2 b2" style="max-width: 65.5em;" id="i_070fp_2"> - <a rel="nofollow" href="images/i_070fp_2_for_book.jpg"> - <img class="w100" src="images/i_070fp_2_for_book.jpg" alt=""> - </a> - <div class="caption"> - <p class="noindent center">CAVE FIGURE</p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<div class="figcenter illowe35 p2 b2" style="max-width: 65.5em;" id="i_070fp_3"> - <a rel="nofollow" href="images/i_070fp_3_for_book.jpg"> - <img class="w100" src="images/i_070fp_3_for_book.jpg" alt=""> - </a> - <div class="caption"> - <p class="noindent center">BUSH LIFE: BLACKS VISITING THE SHEPHERD’S HUT</p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<div class="figcenter illowe35 p2 b2" style="max-width: 65.5em;" id="i_070fp_4"> - <a rel="nofollow" href="images/i_070fp_4_for_book.jpg"> - <img class="w100" src="images/i_070fp_4_for_book.jpg" alt=""> - </a> - <div class="caption"> - <p class="noindent center">ABORIGINAL MISSION STATION PORT LINCOLN, SOUTH AUSTRALIA</p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<div class="figcenter illowe35 p2 b2" style="max-width: 65.5em;" id="i_070fp_5"> - <a rel="nofollow" href="images/i_070fp_5_for_book.jpg"> - <img class="w100" src="images/i_070fp_5_for_book.jpg" alt=""> - </a> - <div class="caption"> - <p class="noindent center">ABORIGINAL CUSTOMS: THE CEREMONY OF DEPILATION—FROM SKETCH BY W. A. CAWTHORNE</p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<div class="figcenter illowe35 p2 b2" style="max-width: 65.5em;" id="i_070fp_6"> - <a rel="nofollow" href="images/i_070fp_6_for_book.jpg"> - <img class="w100" src="images/i_070fp_6_for_book.jpg" alt=""> - </a> - <div class="caption"> - <p class="noindent center">CEREMONY IN CONNECTION WITH THE EXTRACTION OF THE FRONT TOOTH</p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<div class="figcenter illowe35 p2 b2" style="max-width: 65.5em;" id="i_070fp_7"> - <a rel="nofollow" href="images/i_070fp_7_for_book.jpg"> - <img class="w100" src="images/i_070fp_7_for_book.jpg" alt=""> - </a> - <div class="caption"> - <p class="noindent center">CEREMONY IN CONNECTION WITH THE EXTRACTION OF THE FRONT TOOTH</p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="transnote-end chapter p4"> - -<p class="center bold TN-style-1"><a id="TN"></a>Transcriber’s Note (continued)</p> - -<p class="TN-style-1">Punctuation errors have been corrected. Inconsistencies in spelling, -grammar, capitalisation, and hyphenation are as they appear in the -original publication except where noted below:</p> - -<p class="TN-style-2">Page 18 – “illtreating” changed to “ill-treating” (ill-treating a white man)</p> -<p class="TN-style-2">Page 18 – “sand-hill” changed to “sandhill” (ascending a sandhill)</p> -<p class="TN-style-2">Page 20 – “woomarah” changed to “woomera” (throwing-stick (woomera))</p> -<p class="TN-style-2">Page 22 – “ultmately” changed to “ultimately” (and ultimately to destroy them)</p> -<p class="TN-style-2">Page 22 – “guerilla” changed to “guerrilla” (a kind of guerrilla warfare)</p> -<p class="TN-style-2">Page 22 – “septem” changed to “septum” (piercing the septum of the nose)</p> -<p class="TN-style-2">Page 24 – “smallpox” changed to “small-pox” (visited by the small-pox)</p> -<p class="TN-style-2">Page 24 – “Willemering” changed to “Wil-le-me-ring” (the name of Wil-le-me-ring)</p> -<p class="TN-style-2">Page 25 – “Cam-mer-ra-gal” changed to “Cam-mer-ray-gal” (a man of the name of Cam-mer-ray-gal)</p> -<p class="TN-style-2">Page 27 – “Phillips” changed to “Phillip” (Cook, Dampier, and Phillip)</p> -<p class="TN-style-2">Page 49 – “Binnie” changed to “Binney” (as a man told Mr. Binney)</p> -<p class="TN-style-2">Page 53 – “recommeded” changed to “recommended” (recommended by our medical)</p> -<p class="TN-style-2">Page 57 – “Askabout” changed to “Ask-about” (“Broomstick,” “Ask-about,” and “Pincher.”)</p> -<p class="TN-style-2">Page 65 – “there” changed to “their” (their heads partially shaved)</p> -<p class="TN-style-2">Page 65 – “black-fellows” changed to “blackfellows” (the blackfellows’ friend)</p> -<p class="TN-style-2">Page 65 – “guerilla” changed to “guerrilla” (a guerrilla war)</p> - -<hr class="r10"> - -<p class="TN-style-1">The common and scientific names used in the original publication for -references to species of Australian flora and fauna have been left -unchanged in this transcription. These names may appear differently in -modern references perhaps because a species has been reclassified as belonging -to a different genus or it has a newer common name or the spelling and hyphenation have changed.</p> - -<hr class="r10"> - -<p class="TN-style-1"><a class="underline" href="#top">Back to top</a></p> -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ABORIGINES OF AUSTRALIA ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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