dexterity with which they threw their spears, and the quickness of sight which was requisite to guard against them. The contest lasted until dark, when throwing the spear could no longer be accounted fair, and they beat each other with clubs, until they left off by mutual consent. In this part of the contest many severe wounds were given, and much blood was drawn from the heads of each party; but nothing material happened while they had light enough to guard against the spear. In the exercise of this weapon they are very expert, and have been seen to strike with certainty at the distance of seventy measured yards. They are thrown with great force, and where they are barbed are very formidable instruments.

The throwing-stick is about three feet long, with a hook at one end, and a shell at the other, secured by gum; and this stick remains in the hand after discharging the spear. There are two kinds of them; one is armed with the shell of a clam, which they use for the same purposes as we do a knife; the other has a hook, but no shell, and is rounded at the end. With this they dig the fern-root and yam out of the earth. They have a variety of spears, some are only pointed, others have one or more barbs, and some are armed with pieces of broken oyster-shell. Of shields they have two sorts; one cut from the bark of the gum-tree, which is not capable of resisting the spear like the other, which is made of solid wood, and hardened by fire; but it is not so much used on account of its great weight. Of clubs they have several sorts; one of which is of very large dimensions. They have yet another instrument, which they call Ta-war-rang. It is about three feet long, is narrow, but has three sides, in one of which is the handle, hollowed by fire. The other sides are rudely carved with curved and waved lines, and it is made use of in dancing, being struck upon for this purpose with a club. These, with a stone hatchet, make the whole of their weapons; in which, it was observed, each of the principal tribes had something peculiar, by which it was known to what part of the country they belonged. The same peculiarity extended

to their fishing-lines, nets, and even to their dances, songs, and dialect.

The shedding of blood, among these savages, is always followed by punishment; the party offending being compelled to expose his person to the spears of all those who choose to throw at him; for in such punishments the ties of consanguinity or friendship are of no avail. On the death of a person, whether male or female, old or young, the friends of the deceased must be punished, as if the death was occasioned by their neglect. This is sometimes carried farther than can be reconcilable with humanity, as the following instance will confirm :

A native had been murdered. His widow, being obliged to avenge his death on some of the relations of the murderer, and meeting with a little girl, who was someway related to him, took her to a retired place, where, with a club and a pointed stone, she beat her so cruelly that she was taken to the town almost dead. In the head were six or seven deep incisions, and one ear was divided to the bone, which, from the nature of the instrument with which she was beaten, had been greatly injured. The poor child died in a few days. The natives to whom this circumstance was mentioned expressed no concern at it, but seemed to think it quite right, necessary, and inevitable. It was understood that whenever women have occasion for this sanguinary revenge, they never exercise it but on their own sex, not daring to strike a male. The little victim of this revenge had, from her quiet tractable manners, been much beloved in the town; and, which is a singular trait in the inhumanity of this proceeding, had, from the death of the man, requested that his widow might be fed at the officer's hut, where she herself resided. Savage indeed must be the custom and the feelings which could arm the hand against this unoffending child's life. Her death was not avenged, perhaps because they considered it as an expiatory sacrifice.

Wat-te-wal, the man who committed the crime for which this little girl suffered so cruelly, escaped unhurt from the spears of Ben-nil-long, Cole-be, and several other natives; and was afterwards received by them as usual, and actually lived with the murdered man's widow till he was killed in the night by Cole-be.

It now remains to show, what followed where the person died a natural death.

Bone-da, a very fine youth, died of a cold, which settling in his face, terminated in a mortification. It was understood that some blood must be shed on the occasion; and some weeks after a large party of natives belonging to different tribes being assembled at Pan-ner-rong (which in the language of the country signifies blood), the spot where they had often chosen for their battles, after dancing and feasting over night, early in the morning, Mo-roo-ber-ra the brother, and Cole-be, another relation of the dead youth, seized upon a lad named Tar-ra-bil-long, and with a club each gave him a wound in his head which laid his skull bare. The sister of Bone-da had her share in the bloody rite, pushing at the guiltless boy with a short spear, and leaving him in such a state, that the surgeons of the settlement pronounced, from the nature of his wounds, that his recovery was rather doubtful. On being spoke to about the business, he said he did not weep or ery out like a boy, but, like a man, cried Ki-yah when they struck him; that the persons who treated him in this unfriendly manner were no longer his enemies, but would eat or drink or sit with him as friends. A few days after a relation of Bone-da (an old man) received a severe wound on the back of his head, given him on account of the boy's decease; neither youth nor age, kindred nor friendship, appearing to afford any exemption from those sanguinary customs.

When Bennillong's wife died, many spears were thrown and several men wounded. Bennillong himself had a severe contest with Wil-le-mer-ring, whom he wounded in the thigh. He had sent for him as a car-rah-dy to attend her when she was ill; but he either could not or would not obey

Q

the summons. Bennillong had chosen the time for celebrating these funeral games in honour of his deceased wife, when a whale-feast had assembled a large number of natives together, among whom were several people from the northward, who spoke a dialect very different from that with which they were acquainted at Port Jackson.

Some officers happening once to be present in the lower part of the harbour when a child died, perceived the men immediately retire, and throw their spears at one another with much apparent anger, while the females began their usual lamentations.

When Bennillong's infant child died, several spears were thrown, and Bennillong, at the decease of her mother, said repeatedly that he should not be satisfied until he had sacrificed some one to her manes.

A native having wounded a young woman, the wife of another man, and she having some time after exchanged a perilous and troublesome life for the repose and quiet of the grave, a contest ensued on account of her decease; when the offender was severely wounded, and afterwards led to the hospital by the very man from whom he received his wound.

A combat, occasioned by a Botany Bay native possessing himself of the wife of a Port Jackson savage, took place, which was attended with more ceremony than usual. The delinquent arrived, accompanied by a large party of his own friends, from the south shore of Botany Bay. Many of his associates in arms were entire strangers at Sydney; but the Yoo-lahng was the place of rendezvous.

At night they all danced, that is to say, both parties; but not mixed together: one side waiting until the other had concluded. In the manner of dancing, of announcing themselves as ready to begin, and also in their song, there was an evident difference.

The Sydney natives appeared to have some apprehension of the event not proving favourable to them; for, perceiving an officer present with a gun, one of them strenuously urged

him, if any thing should happen to him, to shoot the Botany Bay black fellows. Some other guns making their appearance, the strangers were alarmed and uneasy, until assured that they were intended merely for the security of those who carried them. The time for this business was just after ten in the forenoon: Car-ru-ey and Cole-be were seated at one end of the Yoo-lahng, each armed with a spear and throwing-stick, and provided with a shield. Here they sat until one of their opponents got up; they then also rose, and put themselves en garde. Some of the spears which were thrown at them they picked up and threw back; and others they returned with extraordinary violence. The affair was over before two o'clock, and less mischief than usual had been done. It was understood, however, that another meeting would take place on the same occasion.

In this, as in all contests among them, the point of honour was rigidly observed. But spears were not the only instruments of warfare on these occasions. They had also to combat with words, in which the women sometimes bore a part. During this latter engagement, when any very offensive word met their ears, they would suddenly place themselves in the attitude of throwing the spear, and at times let it drop on the ground without discharging: at others, they threw it with all their strength; but always scrupulously observing the situation of the person opposed, and never throwing at him until he covered himself with his shield. The most unaccountable trait in this business was, the party thrown at providing his enemy with weapons; for they repeatedly, when a spear flew harmless beyond them, picked it up and flung it carelessly back to their adversary. Whether this was done in contempt, or from a scarcity of spears, is uncertain. This rigid attention to the point of honour, when fairly opposed to each other, is difficult to reconcile with their treacherous and midnight murders.

They have great difficulty in procuring fire, and are therefore seldom without it. The process of procuring it is at