ments in both hands, boomerangs and waddies; at times stamping and acting as if in combat-then in retreat, then in pursuit. Sometimes they will throw themselves into distorted postures, quivering in every fibre as if under the influence of galvanism; and anon, dancing in a circle with their legs and arms extended, and holding their weapons above their heads, they emit from their mouth a sound as of rushing water. Fires blaze around the dancing ground, and are so managed as to throw a glare of light through the darkness, at certain times when particular attitudes are displayed. The men become exceedingly excited, and sometimes the scene ends with bloodshed. To-night, a black gentleman decoyed a sable lady from her lord: a heinous offence, which can only be wiped way by a similar exploit on the part of the injured husband, or by a fight, and the spearing of the gin in a limb. Such were the results on this occasion. A white man does such things with impunity: indeed the husband considers this an honour; but the black fellow cannot. The king of the tribe of Boree is the lord of three queens he certainly cannot be considered a jealous husband, as he is willing to dispose of them for a consideration, as he would his tomahawk. His majesty, who was also actively engaged in the dance, at its conclusion came up to Mr. B, and said, “B-," (they are quite independent and at their ease in their mode of addressing you,)" Who this? You come see corrobory, B—— ?" B"Mr. Hood's father," was the reply." Mr. Hood's father, O! Mr. Hood! me know him,"-(this was said with a smile of approbation,)" Mr. Hood's father, Budgeree gentleman; give me something to-morrow."

I had a good deal of talk with these strange people: the chief or king is a very handsome man, acute, intel

ligent, and clever; but suspicious, cunning, and greedy, as all savages are. The women are generally hideously ugly. They sometimes have, as an ornament, a fish-bone stuck through the cartilage of the nose, and are commonly very disgusting objects.

Several of these people offered themselves as servants to me; but, though faithful if entrusted with anything to carry or deliver, and fighting in defence of it with those of their own tribe, or any one else, they are not nice in their ideas of "mine" and "thine." They will not remain long in any place; nor, indeed, do the youths of the tribe dare to go out at all without the consent of their chief. They all have a most disagreeable smell from the oils with which they rub themselves, and are an uncleanly people. Still the blacks of New Holland are not so low in intellect, or in form, as I was led to suppose on the contrary, they are intelligent; and I have observed as perfect figures amongst them as I ever saw among whites. Their legs are often, it is true, deficient in calf, but not always so; and though of less stature than an Englishman, their proportions are as good. The men are, for the most part, entirely naked except a band round their loins; and the only covering of the women is a torn blanket, in the management of which they are very dextrous; but they do not appear to consider it necessary or proper to carry it much above the waist. They are given as wives at eleven, twelve, and thirteen, and at twenty are old and haggard. There are generally half-caste children of colour with every tribe. The youths are made men by having their front tooth knocked out, and by undergoing some other ceremonies. They then change their habits, are seldom seen with the women and children, assume a thoughtful appearance,

and are subjected to the rules and restrictions of the tribe. Some of them, indeed most of them, are scarred on the arms and breast at this period, with some sharp instrument: the wound is prevented from healing, and thus the flesh at that part becomes of a lighter shade than the rest of the body. This process of being made a man is generally gone through at the age of fifteen or sixteen; and, some moons after it is over, a gin is bestowed upon him.* During the day the men and women are apart, and at night sit in separate families; each round its own fire, though all near one another. The number of wives seldom exceeds two or three in the majority of cases there is only one; amongst themselves the marriage tie is held to be sacred, and its violation can only be expiated by blood. There are two points regarding the history of these descendants of Shem-not, I think, of Ham, as the Africans are-which have given occasion to much discussion, and which are not yet satisfactorily settled; though, for my own part, from the proofs I have obtained, I have no doubt at all regarding either of them, -these are, the destruction of their aged parents and female offspring, and their cannibalism.

I have heard a boy, who is now with me as a servant, tell of the time when an old woman "was made tumble down," their common expression for being killed he laughed at the act as an ordinary affair. The few women one sees accompanying the men of a tribe seem to corroborate the other part of this charge, which, too, is rendered probable by the necessity they are under of keeping the tribe to a number proportioned to the extent of the produce of their hunting grounds,-opossums, snakes,

*Their mode of counting the time is by moons, up to ten, as being the number of their fingers.

grubs, &c. Their wars generally originate, not in their "removing the landmarks which their fathers have set up," but in their hunting beyond their limits. The tribes are from fifty to a hundred in number, and all of them have prescribed and clearly-defined grounds appropriated to them generally thirty or forty miles square for each tribe. So numerous and distinct are the different languages, that very often neighbouring tribes do not understand each other.

Of their cannibalism I entertain no doubt. Their revenge is incomplete unless they eat their enemy. The civilised blacks deny the charge altogether; but in the same breath they will add, "White fellow bel budgeree pata," that is, the white man is not good meat. How do they know that? By inference, it would appear, that the black man is "budgeree pata." Bones and the remnants of the clothes of white men have been found in the bags of the gins; and almost all the settlers with whom I have conversed, are convinced that it is their custom to eat human flesh. Hunger, I have no doubt, originally led to this inhuman custom; and it is said, that its cravings have driven fathers to eat their own children. It is but right, however, to state that it does not appear to be any longer the custom among those blacks who are located near the settlements of Europeans. A gentleman from New England, Mr. Et, assured me he had made a great many inquiries into the subject, and from what he had heard from Mr. M'D, who lived with a tribe for several months, he was led to the belief that the New Holland blacks were not now anthropophagi. It is known that, when they have killed shepherds and others, they have left them untouched; but this may have proceeded from their knowledge that these men would be inquired after.

Different parts of the human body have undoubtedly been discovered in their possession; and I conceive that it would be unsafe for Mr. D, the gentleman who rode in the "Bonnet-rouge," to find himself complimented in a retired spot in the manner he once was, as being "budgeree pata."

I have said my belief is that these natives are not the descendants of Ham, but of Shem, and are Asiatic. They have scarcely anything in common with the African black: the hair is not woolly, but long, and hangs down about their face and ears, except when curled with grease and oil. They have not the pendulous under lip and protruding upper one, nor the flat nose; but a wide mouth, with moderate breadth and depth of lip, and an aquiline nose. The crown of the head is not so low as that of the African, but rather conical, with the forehead high and narrow, and sometimes is ridged up like the roof of a house; in short, they appear to me to be a distinct race from the blacks of Africa. Their religion is very singular they worship no idol, nor have they any religious ceremonies whatever. With regard to futurity, they have very peculiar views. They conceive the whites to be reanimated beings, who, in a former state of existence, had been the ancestors of their race. They believe also that white men never die, but that the blacks die and become white men and masters. A gentleman told me that his servant was thrown into great perplexity one day on being told that his master must die, saying, " Bel you die, sir? white fellow never die." I have not heard of their believing in a good spirit, but they believe in a bad one, that does all the evil that happens, and kills the young children. It is alleged that this last doctrine is professed, to cover their own delinquencies towards their