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they quickly recognized us again, and began to beg for "tickpens," as they call sixpences, to buy bread with. One woman showed me her eye, which she made me understand, that one of the men had injured. They frequently treat one another with great cruelty; and if one of them die, naturally or violently, one of the same tribe makes a point of killing some one of another tribe. Thus one death among them, leads to a series; one, according to their notions, to avenge another, and to keep up a balance of power! If a man quarrel with another, or be angry with one of his own wives, he will spear the wife of his enemy, or his own wife, through the leg or thigh.

20th. We took a walk to that part of the Swan, where its bed becomes dry in the summer, except in large pools, and is covered with scrub, among which is the handsome, shrubby Hibiscus lilacinus. The harvest is now over, and it is expected that there will again, be wheat enough to supply this little Colony. This was the case last year, but many of the agriculturists being needy, were obliged to sell their corn to the merchants, who appear to be a class of men, ready to take every advantage, to enrich themselves, and they contrived to raise the price from 5s. to 30s. a bushel, before the late harvest. This Colony, suffers from selfishness and discord, as well as the others, in this part of the world, and even in a pre-eminent degree.

In our walk, several places were pointed out, as sites of the destruction of Blacks, either by their own tribes, according to their barbarous customs, or by the White Inhabitants; and others, where white men had been destroyed by the Blacks. There is now a pretty good understanding between the Aborigines and the Europeans, on the Swan; but across the Darling Range, persons do not feel themselves secure, and several Blacks have been shot, on the alleged ground of self-defence. Neither the Colonial Government, nor the Settlers generally, seem to understand, the advantage, that it would be to themselves, to bring the Aborigines into the state of an industrious peasantry, by instructing them in the relative value of money and labour, and by rewarding them proportionately to the White Labourers, for the work they

perform. The Blacks are very conscious of money having a value, but they have no idea of its relative value with labour, and they are kept in ignorance of this, by inadequate rewards being given them, for the offices they perform: these rewards are usually in flour, or broken bread. Α few of the boys assimilate themselves, in some degree, with the servants of the Settlers, and the little Blacks are often the playfellows of the white children; but even, under these circumstances, the Blacks are growing up in much the same state of barbarism as their ancestors; and it is a question, whether the white children do not learn more of barbarism from the Blacks, than the Blacks acquire of civilization from the Whites.

We examined some holes, where the Natives had been digging for roots of a Dioscorea, or Yam, for food. This plant climbs among bushes, in a strongish soil, and the Natives have a tradition, respecting its root having been conferred upon them, in which there are traces of the deluge.

In the course of the forenoon, a native youth who had been absent some days, returned to G. F. Moore's, where he usually resides: he had been ill for some time, and some of his countrymen had come, to bring him away, to be charmed! He said he had undergone this ceremony, and thought himself better for it; but he had met with a surgeon, who had put a large blister on his chest, and now, he said, he was well, except for the blister! he was very thin, and had been suffering under a pulmonary disease. Some of his countrymen had lately been committing a robbery among G. F. Moore's melons: depredations of this kind are very common.

21st. We held another meeting in the Guildford chapel, in which we laboured to turn the attention of the congregation to the teaching of the Spirit, in order that they might savingly come to Christ, and "know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable to his death." Notwithstanding, the heat was very oppressive, producing upon myself and others, a painful degree of drowsiness, the thermometer being 103° in the shade, a sense of the love of God toward his poor

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fallen children, prevailed at times, on this occasion. young man who was present, said he was sensible of this, before any thing was spoken, and unconnected with any thing that he was thinking about, in a manner in which he had never felt it before.

We called on a family who have lost most of their property in this Colony, and whose education and pursuits have been such as led them to look for gratification, chiefly from the gaities of life. Probably being driven by adverse circumstances, to more useful pursuits, may prove a blessing to the children, some of whom are advancing toward maturity. A portion of Scripture was read in another family after tea, but no settlement attained to. People generally, are so much strangers to an inward exercise, that it is difficult to get their attention turned to the one thing needful.

22nd. We visited J. Drummond, who was formerly Curator of a Botanic Garden, that has been given up: he now employs himself in collecting native seeds and plants. We also called on a gardener, formerly employed in collecting plants at the Cape of Good Hope, and obtained a fine melon of him for sixpence, which was very grateful, and relieving to thirst, occasioned by the great heat, which began to be very oppressive before we reached the Peninsula. In the cool of the evening we returned to Perth, calling, before entering the town, upon a young person, who was ill, and residing alone, in a dilapidated house, which was very clean, and bore the marks of being inhabited by one who had been accustomed to better accommodation. Much of the bush, on the road, had been recently burnt, and one house had been consumed by fire. The Natives are now setting fire to the scrub, in various places, to facilitate their hunting, and to afford young herbage to the Kangaroos. In places where water stands during the winter, there are several species of the beautiful pink or yellow blossomed Fringed Myrtles.

In some places, between Perth and Guildford, the Zamias are very fine, their trunks, which are always blackened by fire, being six or eight feet in circumference, and as much in height, and surmounted by fine crests, of stiff, pinnate,

palm-like leaves, four feet long or more. They generally grow in considerable numbers, within a few feet of each other, either among the Gum-trees, or in pieces of richer and more humid soil, on flats, along with large Grass-trees, and large shrubs. In this part of Australia, the Natives bury, or macerate, the nuts, till the rinds become half decomposed, in which state they eat the rind, rejecting the kernel; but in N. S. Wales, they pound and macerate the kernels, and then roast and eat, the rough paste.

I have heard, from persons of respectable authority, that in the Swan River Country, as well as at King Georges Sound, the Natives have their private property, clearly distinguished into hunting-grounds, the boundaries of which are definite, trees being often recognized by them as landmarks, and that the possession rests in the head of a family. Several of these families residing in a district, form what the white people call a Tribe; but these tribes are not subject to any recognized chief, though a man of prowess will often gain great ascendancy among them. A young man, who resided some years at King Georges Sound, told me, that several tribes of Blacks assembled there, once a year, and held a sort of fair; and that as different tribes excelled each other in the manufacture of weapons, such as spears, throwing sticks or woomeras, kylers or boomrings, shields, and waddies, these formed the articles of exchange, as well as the red-ochre, with which, combined with grease, they besmear themselves, and which is only found in certain localities. In Western Australia, the Blacks perforate the cartilage of the noses of the boys, when about twelve, or fourteen years of age; a kangaroo-bone, of the thickness of a goose-quill, is occasionally worn through the hole; they also mark their bodies by cutting them; but those of the Swan River are not so tasteful in this respect, as those of some other parts of Australia.

CHAPTER XLVI.

Swan River.-Drunkenness.-Fights of the Aborigines.-Temperance Meeting. -Evils connected with the use of Spirits.-Explorators.-Weapons of the Blacks. Retribution.-Amount of Black Population, &c.-Jelly-fish.-Education.-Visit of the Blacks.-Birds, &c.—Aurora australis.-Intemperance of Seamen. Revenge and Expiation of Injuries among the Aborigines.-Embarkation.-Peaceful Retrospect.

1st mo. 23rd. We returned by a boat, to the Old Ferry, three miles from Freemantle, and walked the remainder of the way, which is over rough limestone and sand, and were glad to reach our former quarters again, notwithstanding, in some respects, they are far from what we could desire; especially in being at this time, the resort of a number of noisy, drunken sailors, belonging to a whaler, and some other vessels in the roads.

26th. Having received an invitation to attend another temperance meeting, at Perth, we returned thither. A large party of the Murray River Natives were crossing the Melville Water, at the Ferry, above Freemantle, as we passed. They were returning from Perth, were they had been to fight with the Natives of that neighbourhood, respecting a woman who had been carried off by the latter, and who was dreadfully speared by one of the party. While under excitement, they also killed a man, known by the name of Dobbin, who had rendered himself an object of dislike, by committing a robbery, some months ago, on a white man's premises. The white man went out on the spur of the moment, fired at the first Blacks he came at, and shot an unoffending young man. For this offence he was tried, and though not found guilty of murder, he was removed to King Georges

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