" No

two years, as ourselves, at the diftance of half the circle. war;-the fleet's difmantled," was the whole that we could learn. When I asked whether a new parliament had been called, they stared at me in ftupid wonder, not feeming to comprehend that fuch a body either fuffered renovation, or needed it. "Have the French fettled their government ?"-" As to that matter I can't say; I never heard; but, d-n them, they were ready enough to join the Spaniards against us"-" Are Ruffia and Turkey at peace?"→ "That you fee does not lie in my way; I have heard talk about it, but don't remember what paffed."-For heaven's fake, why did you not bring out a bundle of newspapers: you might have procured a file at any coffee-houfe; which would have amufed you, and inftructed us ?"-" Why, really, I never thought about the matter, until we were off the Cape of Good Hope, when we spoke a man of war, who afked us the fame question, and then I wished I had."-To have profecuted inquiry farther, would have only ferved to increase difappointment and chagrin. We therefore quitted the ship, wondering and lamenting that fo large a portion of plain undifguifed honefly, should be fo totally unconnected with a common thare of intelligence, and acquaintance with the feelings and habits of other men.'

Throughout the whole of the Journal, captain Tench reprefents the profpects of the colony as more gloomy than they appeared in the eyes of former writers. It is not our bufinefs to attempt to reconcile their differences. But if after a certain number of years, it fhall be found that government must maintain thefe convicts at an immenfe expence, it may be proper to confider whether this cannot be done nearer home, in fome fituation where their labour might leffen that expence, and where the temptations to defpair cannot recur so often.

Captain Tench enters, at confiderable length, into a difcuffion of the character of the natives of Port Jackson, and having been often queftioned whether he had discovered that they had any religion, or belief in a Deity, or the immortality of the foul, he made fuch remarks and inquiries, as have enabled him to give the following opinion:

Until belief be enlightened by revelation, and chaftened by reafon, religion and fuperftition are terms of equal import. One of our earliest impreffions, is the confcioufnefs of a fuperior power. The various forms under which this impreffion has manifefted it felf, are objects of the most curious fpeculation.

The native of New South Wales believes, that particular affpects and appearances of the heavenly bodies, predict good or evil confequences to himself and his friends. He oftentimes calls the fun and moon weeree,' that is, malignant, pernicious. Should he fee the leading fived stars (many of which he can call by name)

obfcured

obfcured by vapours, he fometimes difregards the omen; and fome times draws from it the moft dreary conclufions.- I remember Abaroo running into a room, where a company was affembled, and uttering frightful exclamations of impending mifchiefs, about to light on her and her countrymen. When queftioned on the caufe of fuch agitation, fhe went to the door, and pointed to the fkies, faying, that whenever the stars wore that appearance, misfortunes to the na tives always followed. The night was cloudy, and the air difturbed by meteors. I have heard many more of them teftify fimilar apprehenfions.

• However involved in darknefs, and disfigured by error, such a belief be, no one will, I prefume, deny, that it conveys a direct implication of fuperior agency; of a power independent of, and uncontrolled by, thofe who are the objects of its vengeance :-but proofs ftop not here: when they hear the thunder roll, and view the livid glare, they flee them not; but rush out and deprecate deftruction. They have a dance and a fong appropriated to this aw ful occafion, which confift of the wildest and most uncouth noifes and geftures. Would they act fuch a ceremony did they not conceive, that either the thunder itself, or he who directs the thunder, might be propitiated by its performance? that a living intellectual principle exifts, capable of comprehending their petition, and of either granting or denying it? They never address prayers to bodies which they know to be inanimate, either to implore their protection, or avert their wrath. When the gum-tree in a tempeft nods over them; or the rock overhanging the cavern in which they fleep, threatens by its fall to cruth them, they calculate (as far as their knowledge extends) on phyfical principles, like other men, the nearnefs and magnitude of the danger, and flee it accordingly. And yet there is reafon to believe, that from accidents of this nature they fuffer more, than from lightning. Baneelon once fhewed us a cave, the top of which had fallen in, and buried under its ruins feven peo ple, who were fleeping under it.

To defcend; is not even the ridiculous fuperftition of Colbee related in one of our journies to the Hawkefbury? And again the following instance :-Abaroo was fick; to cure her, one of her own fex flightly cut her on the forehead, in a perpendicular direction, with an oyfter fhell, fo as juft to fetch blood: fhe then put one end of a ftring to the wound, and, beginning to fing, held the other end to her own gums, which he rubbed until they bled copioufly. This blood the contended was the blood of the patient, flowing through the ftring, and that fue would thereby foon recover. Abaroo became well; and firmly believed that the owed her cure to the treatment fhe had received.-Are not thete, I fay, links, fubordinate ones indeed, of the fame golden chain? He who believes in magic, confeffes fupernatural agency: and a belief of this fort extends farther in many perfons than they are willing to allow.

3

There

There have lived men so inconfiftent with their own principles as to - deny the existence of a God, who have nevertheless turned pale at the tricks of a mountebank.

But not to multiply arguments on a fubject, where demonftration (at least to me) is inconteftible, I fhall clofe by expreffing my firm belief, that the Indians of New South Wales acknowledge the existence of a fuperintending deity. Of their ideas of the origin and duration of his exiftence; of his power and capacity; of his benignity or maleficence; or of their own emanation from him, I pretend not to speak. I have often, in common with others, tried to gain information from them on this head; but we were always repulfed by obftacles, which we could neither pass by, nor furmount. Mr. Dawes attempted to teach Abaroo fome of our notions of religion, and hoped that fhe would thereby be induced to communicate hers in return. But her levity, and love of play; in a great measure, defeated his efforts; although every thing he did learn from her, served to confirm what is here advanced. It may be remarked, that when they attended at church with us (which was a common practice) they always preferved profound filence and decency, as if confcious that fome religious ceremony on our fide was performing.

The question of, whether they believe in the immortality of the foul, will take up very little time to anfwer. They are univerfally fearful of fpirits. They call a fpirit, mawn: they often fcruple to approach a corpfe, faying that the marn will feize them, and that it faftens upon them in the night when afleep. When asked where their deceafed friends are; they always point to the fkies. To believe in after existence is to confefs the immortality of fome part of being. To enquire whether they affign a limited period to fuch future ftate would be fuperfluous: this is one of the fubtleties of speculation, which a favage may be fuppofed not to have confidered, without impeachment either of his fagacity or happiness.'

We fhall conclude our notice of this publication by an extract of fome importance and amusement.

• A short account of that clafs of men for whofe difpofal and advantage the colony was principally, if not totally, founded, seems neceffary.

If it be recollected how large a body of thefe people are now congregated, in the fettlement of Port Jackson, and at Norfolk Ifland, it will, I think, not only excite furprize, but afford fatisfaction, to learn, that in a period of four years, few crimes of a deep dye, or of a hardened nature have been perpetrated murder and unnatural fins rank not hitherto in the catalogue of their enormities: and one fuicide only has been committed.

To the honour of the female part of our community let it be recorded, that only one woman has fuffered capital punishment: on her condemnation fhe pleaded pregnancy; and a jury of venerable C. R. N. AR. (XI.) May, 1794

matrons

matron was impanneled on the fpot, to examine and pronounce her ftate; which the forewoman, a grave perfonage between 60 and 70 years old, did, by this fhort addrefs to the court; Gentlemen! fhe is as much with child as I am.' Sentence was accordingly paffed, and she was executed.

Besides the inftance of Irving, two other male convicts, William Bloodfworth, of Kingston upon Thames, and John Arfcott, of Truro, in Cornwall, were both emancipated, for their good conduct, in the years 1790 and 1791. Several men whose terms of transportation had expired, and against whom no legal impediment exifted to prevent their departure, have been permitted to enter in merchant fhips wanting hands: and, as my Rofe Hill journals teftify, many others have had grants of land affigned to them, and are become fettlers in the country.

"In fo numerous a community many perfons of perverted genius, and of mechanical ingenuity, could not but be affembled. Let me produce the following example:-Frazer was an iron manufacturer, bred at Sheffield, of whofe abilities, as a workman, we had witnessed many proofs. The governor had written to England for a fet of locks, to be fent out for the fecurity of the public ftores, which were to be fo conftructed as to be incapable of being picked. On their arrival his excellency fent for Frazer, and bade him examine them; telling him at the fame time that they could not be picked. Frazer laughed, and afked for a crooked nail only, to open them all. A nail was brought, and in an inftant he verified his afsertion. Aftonished at his dexterity, a gentleman prefent determined to put it to farther proof. He was fent for in a hurry, fome days after, to the hofpital, where a lock of ftill fuperior intricacy and expence to the others had been provided. He was told that the key. was loft, and that the lock must be immediately picked. He examined it attentively; remarked that it was the production of a workman; and demanded ten minutes to make an inftrument to speak with it. Without carrying the lock with him, he went directly to his fhop; and at the expiration of his term returned, applied his inftrument, and open flew the lock. But it was not only in this part of his bufinefs that he excelled: he executed every branch of it in fuperior ftyle. Had not his villainy been still more notorious than his fkill, he would have proved an invaluable poffeffion to a new country. He had paffed through innumerable fcenes in life, and had played many parts. When too lazy to work at his trade, he had turned thief in fifty different fhapes; was a receiver of ftolen goods; a soldier; and a travelling conjurer. He once confeffed to me, that He had made a fet of tools, for a gang of coiners, every man of whom was hanged.

'Were the nature of the fubject worthy of farther illustration, many fimilar proofs of mifapplied talents, might be adduced.

Their love of the marvellous, has been recorded in an early part

of

of this work. The impofture of the gold finder, however prominent and glaring, nevertheless contributed to awaken attention, and to create merriment. He enjoyed the reputation of a difcoverer, until experiment detected the impofition. But others were lefs fuccefsful to acquire even momentary admiration. The execution of forgery feems to demand at least neatnefs of imitation, and dexterity of addrefs. On the arrival of the first fleet of fhips from England, feveral convicts brought out recommendatory letters from different friends. Of thefe fome were genuine, and many owed their birth to the ingenuity of the bearers. But thefe laft were all fuch bungling performances, as to produce only inftant detection, and fucceeding contempt. One of them addreffed to the governor, with the name of baron Hotham affixed to it, began "Honored Sir !"

A leading distinction, which marked the convicts on their outfet in the colony, was an ufe of what is called the flash, or kiddy language. In fome of our early courts of juftice, an interpreter was frequently neceffary to tranflate the depofition of the witnefs, and the defence of the prifoner. This language has many dialects. The fly dexterity of the pickpocket; the brutal ferocity of the footpad; the more elevated career of the highwayman; and the deadly purpose of the midnight ruffian, is each strictly appropriate in the terms which diftinguish and characterize it. I have ever been of opinion, that an abolition of this unnatural jargon would open the path to reformation. And my obfervations on these people have conftantly inftructed me, that indulgence in this infatuating cant, is more deeply affociated with depravity, and continuance in vice, than is generally fuppofed. I recollect hardly. one inftance of a return to honeft pursuits, and habits of induftry, where this miferable perverfion of our nobleft and peculiar faculty was not previously conquered.

Those persons to whom the inspection and management of our numerous and extenfive prisons in England are committed, will perform a fervice to fociety, by attending to the foregoing obfervation: Let us always keep in view, that punishment, when not directed to promote reformation, is arbitrary and unauthorized.'

Upon the whole, the author has left upon us the agreeable im preffion of his fkill and ability as an officer, and his good fenfe and humanity; the fimple delicacy of the narrative is not its leaft recommendation, and he is every where more defirous to improve and embellish his fubject, than to difplay himself.Prefixed, is a map of the hitherto explored country contiguous to Port Jackfon, from actual furveys.' The manner in which these furveys were made, is given in the Narrative, which we cannot difmifs without mentioning that the author adverts, in his Preface, to certain favourable accounts received from Port Jackfon, when this publication was nearly ready for

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