Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2]

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Novemb

vember we were

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abant, and the next evening at sunset saw the high land of Bourbon: for the first two days we had south-

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gradually veered to east and north-east, and a

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grees 5 minutes; after which we encountered westerly winds and rough weather. On the whole we had a very quick passage to the coast of New Holland; a

Decemb

; where it was my intention to complete our wood and water previous to commencing the examination of the west coast. At four o'clock in the

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ing to us, but no further notice than a return of their call was taken until after breakfast, when we pulled towards them in the whale-boat. As we drew near the shore they came down to receive us and appeared from their gestures to invite our landing; but in this they were disappointed, for, after a little vociferation and gesture on both sides, we pulled into the harbour, whilst they walked along the beach abreast the boat. As the motions of every one of them were attentively watched it was evident that they were not armed; each wore a kangaroo-skin clo

rrel might be occasioned, we pulled off into deeper water where we remained for five minutes parleying with them, during which they plainly expressed their disappointment and mortification at our want of confidence. Upon making signs for fresh water, which they instantly understood, they called out to us "ba

passage up the east coast, visited this port in December 1820 and communicated with the na

east the boat, and kept with her until we pulled out of the entrance, when

which sport they appeared to be tolerably successful. As soon as we passed the bar three other natives made their appearance on the east side, who, upon the boat going to that shore to lay out the kedges, took their seats in it as unceremoniously as a passenger would in a ferry-boat; and upon its returning to the brig, came on board, and remained with us all the afternoon, much amused with everything they saw, and totally free from timidity or distrust. Each of our visitors was covered with a mantle of kangaroo-skin, bu

we therefore landed and dug a hole three feet deep among the grass about two yards above the highest tide-mark, for water; but it was found to be so highly coloured and muddy as it flowed in, tha

equence so nearly obliterated that the figures 1818, and two or three letters alone remained visible. There was not the least trace of our garden, for the space which it formerly occupied was covered by three or four feet of additional soil, formed of sand and decayed vegetable matter and clothed with a thic

een fresh smeared over with red ochre, which they pointed out to us as a great ornament; affording another proof that vanity is inherent in human na

as we supposed, to make a fire, and to pass the night near

shaving, he was clothed with a shirt and a pair of trousers, and christened Jack, by which name he was afterwards always called, and to which he readily answered. As soon as he reached the shore, his companions came to meet him to hear an account of what had transpired during their absence, as well as to examine his new habiliments which, as may be conceived, had effected a very considerable alteration in his appearance, a

from them, and after watching us in silence for some time, walked quietly and slowly away, followed at a distance by his friends who were lost in wonder at what could have happened t

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m in a song, to which they would frequently exclaim in full chorus the words "Cai, cai, cai, cai, caigh" which they always repeated when anything was shown that excited their surprise. Finding we had no intention of sending a boat for them they amused themselves in fishing. Two of them were watching a small seal that, having been left by the tide on the bank, was ende

e bushes, ran down towards us; and before we could land had all seated themselves in the boat ready to go on board, but they were obliged to wait whilst we landed to witness their savage feast. On going to the place we found an old man seated over the remains of the carcass, two-thirds of which had already disappeared; he was holding a long strip of the raw flesh in his left hand, and tearing it off the body with a sort of knife; a boy was also feasting with him

ket that was in the boat (to the use of which they were not strangers) he laid aside his spears, which probably were only carried for the purpose of striking fish, and assisted our people in collecting the oysters. As soon as they had procured a sufficient quantity they returned on board when, as it was breakfast time, our visitors were sent onshore, high

nd appeared quite anxious to find it; he however very soon walked away towards another part of the deck and interested himself in other things. This conduct appeared so suspicious that I sent the sailmaker to examine the old man more closely, when the lost piece was found concealed under his left arm, which was covered by the cloak he wore of kangaroo-skin. This circumstance afforded me a good opportunity of showing them our displeasure at so flagrant a breach of the confidence we had reposed in them; I therefore went up to him and, assuming as ferocious a loo

board for half an hour. In the afternoon Mr. Montgomery went to Green Island and shot a few parrakeets and waterbirds, some o

They were not permitted to come on board until four o'clock in the afternoon, excepting Jack, who was privileged to come and go as he liked, which, since it did not appear to create any jealo

head, much to the amusement of his companions but to the mortif

ver the beach, which we used when the holes were emptied of their contents; the latter were however preferred, since our people worke

e San Antonio merchant brig

er 27

now absent. During the afternoon of the 28th the wind freshened from south-west and blew so strong as to cause a considerable swell where we were lying; but towards s

never to disappoint them of anything that was promised, an attention to which is of the utmost importance in communicating with savages. Every evening that they visited us they received something, but as a biscuit was the most valuable present that could be made, each native was always p

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In the morning there was thirteen feet water at the buoy which had been moored on the deepest

entertaining but kept, as he always did, at a distance from his companions and treated them with the greatest disdain. When the time came to send them on shore he endeavoured to avoid accompanying them and as usual wa

did not manufacture spears for barter, for he was evidently convinced of the superiority of our weapons and laughed heartily whenever a bad and carelessly-made spear was offered to us for sale: for the natives, finding we took everything, were not very particular in the form or manufacturer of the articles they brought to us. He was certainly the most intelli

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ys we did not reach a birth sufficiently near the bar to make sail from, until the water had f

riend Jack came on board and appeared altogether so attached to us that some thoughts were entertained of taking him on our voyage up the west coast if he was inclined to go. As he did not want for intelligence there was not much difficulty in making him understand by signs that he might go with us, to which he appeared to assent without the least hesitation, but th

friends received the intelligence with the most careless indifference, their attention being entirely engrossed with the barter that was going

concealed behind a bush and sold it to him for a biscuit; but after he had embarked and the boat was leaving the shor

his wish to speak to the natives. He was therefore immediately landed and Mr. Baskerville, after purchasing some spears and waiting a few minutes, prepared to return on board: upon getting into the boat he looked at our volunteer but Jack, having had a taste of sea-

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ng from the anchorage. Jack and another native were down on the rocks at an early hour, hallooing and waving to us, and at eig

m half to one-eighth of a biscuit. We saw no fizgig, shield, nor boomerang; it is probable that they may have such weapons but did not produce them from a dislike at parting with them; but the knives

the water, it is more than probable that they are not much accustomed even to swimming. Captain Flinders is mistaken in stating that the natives of this place do not use the throwing-stick; but it is probable they did not produce those instruments to him, for fear of being deprived of them, for it required much persuasion on our part to prevail upon them to let us have any; they were

F THE NATIVES OF KING GEORGE THE TH

o ten feet long and barbed with a piece of hard wood, fastened on by a ligature of bark gummed over; we saw none that were not barbed

S OF KING GEORGE THE THIRD'S SOUND: METHOD OF P

ned edge to be used as a chopping or cutting instrument; the handle is from twelve to fifteen inches long, having one end scraped to a sharp point, and on each side at the othe

OF THE NATIVES OF KING GEORGE TH

edged quartz stuck on in a row with gum, thus forming a sort of ragged instrument. See Woodcut 6. It is thus used: after they have put within their teeth a sufficient mouthful of seal's flesh, the remainder is held in the

S OF THE NATIVES OF KING GEORGE

COCKBURN AT ME

n, between Bathurst

by Lieutenant J.S.

referring to Captain Lyon's drawing of the Esquimaux sledges at page 290 of Parry's Second Vo

Their habitations were probably scattered about in different parts for when the natives went away for the night they separated into several groups, not more than three or four going together, and these generally returned in company the next

owed him after they had ascertained the intention of his walk, and observed the care that he took to avoid going near their habitations, for which they evinced a great dislike; one of their encampments was about a mile and a half off but, curious as we naturally were to witness their mode of living and to see the females and children of their tribe, we never succeeded in persuading them to allow us to g

stood that it was from the sun that the fire was produced, for on one occasion when Jack requested me to show it to two or three strangers whom he had brought to visit us I explained to him that it could not be done while the sun was clouded; he then waited patiently for five minutes until the sunshine reappeared, when he instantly reminded me of the removal of the obstacle. He was a good deal surprised at my co

hair was dressed in different ways; sometimes it was clotted with red pigment and seal oil, clubbed up behind, and bound round with a fillet of opossum-fur, spu

ment that caused a most disgusting effluvia; but the only colouring matter that our friend Jack used

one had several escalop shells hanging about him, the noise o

at least three or four hundred times round the stomach; very few however possessed this ornament; and it is not improbable that the natives who had their hair clubbe

r language was obtained, of which some of the words are compared with those

ained at a subsequent visit on our r

rly part of the morning the wind was usually light from the northward and at ten o'clock, gradually dying away, was succeeded by a wind from the sea, generally from S

e weather. The easterly winds were dry; westerly ones the reverse. The moisture of the atmosphere, for want of a better hygrometer, was ascertained with tolerable precision by the state of a small piece of sea-weed, the weigh

en 64 and 74 degrees, but the usual e

Janu

equently sounded but as there was not more than ten feet and a h

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e lifted and the brig warped over the bar to an anchorage in three and a half fathoms off the outer watering-place, to await a favourable opportunity of goi

was much raised by our firing off a nine-pounder loaded with shot, the splash of which in the water caused the greatest astonishment, and one of them was extremely vehement and noisy in explaining it to his companions. Upon repeating this exhibition they paid particular attention to the operation of loading the gun, and expressed the greatest sur

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of the day shifted the main topmast. We had left the anchorage on the other side of the sound too early for our friends the natives, who had promised last evening to bring us a hawk's nest that was built

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, and the air was so stagnant as scarcely to be respired, although we were at a considerable elevation, and in the vicinity of a constant current of pure atmospheric air on the ridge. After traversing the whole length of this sandy vale, which is one-third of a mile in extent, in our route towards Bald Head, with scarcely a plant to attract our attention, we perceived at its extremity some remarkably fine specimens of Candollea cuneiformis, Labil., which had, in spite of the poverty and looseness of the drifting sand, risen to large spreading trees, sixteen feet high, of robu

t point of the range, and to observe another expanse, or extensive cavity, of bare white sand below us, to the South-East, the termination of which we afterwards found to be the Bald Head, of Captain Vancouver. This part is of remarkable appearance from seaward, having on either side of its bare sandy summit a contrasting brushy vegetation: from the sea however a very small part only of its extensive surface of sand can be p

Cunningham m

odytes minor) and a nest of iguanas. The bottle deposited here at our last visit in 1818 was found suspended where it had been left and brought on board, when another memorandum

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some natives were heard calling to us, and upon our pulling to the part whence the sound came, we found two men and a boy. After some time they were discovered to be three of our Oyster-H

bodies of ants and other small insects. Whether this fluid can be considered a secretion of the plant, as appears really to be the fact with reference to the nepenthes, or pitcher-plant of India,** deposited by it through its vessels into the pitchers; or even a secretion of the ascidia themselves; or whether it is not simply rainwater lodged in these reservoirs, as a provision from which the plant might derive support in seasons of protracted drought, when those marshy lands (in which this vegetable is alone to be found) are partially dried of the moisture that is indispensable to its existence, may perhaps be presumed by the following observations. The opercula, shaped like some species of oyster, or escalop-shells, I found in some pitchers to be very closely shut upon their orifices, although their cavities, upon examination, contained but very little water, and the state of the weather was exceedingly cloudy, and at intervals showery; if, therefore, the appendages are really cisterns, to receive an elemental fluid for the nourishment of the plant in times of drought, it is natural to suppose that this circumstance would operate upon the ramified vessels of the lids, so as to draw them up, and allow the rain

64 and Brown's General Remarks in

's Introduction to

us; all the plants were very small and weak, and showed no disposition to pr

Cunningham m

nly a few oysters were obtained, on account of the banks being seldom uncovered, and the presence of the natives which prevented my trusting the people out of my sight for fear of a quarrel. Shellfish of other sorts were obtained at Mistaken Island in abundance, of which the most common were a patella and an haliotis; the