diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'old/69529-0.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | old/69529-0.txt | 5809 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 5809 deletions
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. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for -copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very -easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation -of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project -Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away--you may -do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected -by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark -license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country other than the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - 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. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm website -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that: - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of -the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the Foundation as set -forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, -Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up -to date contact information can be found at the Foundation's website -and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without -widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our website which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This website includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. |