In Australian TropicsEarly history of N.T. and explorations; Detailed account of intercepting Macassan proas around coast of Arnhem Land whilst author was Sub-Collector of Customs for 14 years; Names of proas and masters, Malay camps & smoke houses along coast & nearby islands; Natives employed by Malays in trepang fishing and collecting tortoiseshell, relationships between Malays and Aborigines; influences (physical & cultural); Habit of exchanging children between tribes (Roper R. & Normanton) for the purpose of learning each others language & customs; Description of native camps at Fort Dundas (1895) shelters, finding of bark water bags, types of canoes used; Platform burial at Daly R.; Sacred burial site on Maria Island; Geographical features, vegetation, climate etc., general ecology, depredations & murders by natives; Cannibalism practiced by Fitzmaurice River tribes. |
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Common terms and phrases
Adelaide afterwards alligator amongst anchored arrived ashore Australia bank beach beast birds boat Borroloola Bowen Straits boys buffalo bush camp canoes Cape Cape Don Captain cargo carried cattle Chinese crew Customs cutter Daly River Donegan eggs Ellengowan evidently feet fellow fire fish Fort Dundas grass Gulf of Carpentaria H. W. Christie head horses hundred jungle killed landed look M'Arthur M'Leod Macassar mainland Malays mangroves master Melville Island miles morning natives never niggers night north coast Northern Territory owner party Paul Foelsche pearls Pinder police Port Darwin Port Essington proas Queensland realised reef river Robinson Roper round sailed seemed settlement shooting shot sight skipper soon spears spot station steamer struck swamps things Thursday Island tide timber tobacco trees trepang tropical turn turtle vessel Victoria River voyage wind yards yelling
Popular passages
Page 5 - And I have heard it said among the Dutch, that their East India Company have long since forbidden, and under the greatest penalties, any further attempts of discovering that continent, having already more trade in those parts than they can turn to account, and fearing some more populous nation of Europe might make great establishments of trade in some of those unknown regions ; which might ruin or impair what they have already in the Indies.
Page 136 - We expected to have a quick trip ; but alas ! the ' best laid schemes of mice and men gang aft agley,
Page 15 - Flinders, we learned that they were prows from Macassar, and the six Malay commanders shortly afterwards came on board in a canoe. It happened fortunately that my cook was a Malay, and through his means I was able to communicate with them. The chief of the six prows was a short, elderly man, named Pobassoo; he said there were upon the coast, in different divisions, sixty prows, and that Salloo was the commander in chief.
Page 18 - They carry a month's water in joints of bamboo, and their food is rice, cocoa-nuts, and dried fish, with a few fowls for the chiefs. My numberless questions were answered patiently and with apparent sincerity. Pobassoo even stopped one day longer, at my desire, than he had intended, for the north-west monsoon, he said, would not blow quite a month longer, and he was rather late.
Page 18 - Rottee, but about twenty years ago one of the proas was driven by the north-west monsoon to the coast of New Holland, and finding the trepang to be abundant, they afterwards returned, and had continued to fish there since that time.
Page 17 - ... ship here before. This road was the first rendezvous for his division, to take in water previously to going into the Gulph. One of their prows had been lost the year before, and much inquiry was made concerning the pieces of wreck we had seen; and a canoe's rudder being produced, it was recognised as having belonged to her. They sometimes had skirmishes with the native inhabitants of the coast; Pobassoo himself had been formerly speared in the knee, and a man had been slightly wounded since their...
Page 15 - Bay that they had fire arms, strengthened the supposition ; and combining this with the appearance of the vessels, I set them down for piratical Ladrones who secreted themselves here from pursuit, and issued out as the season permitted, or prey invited them. Impressed with this idea, we tacked to work up for the road ; and our pendant and ensign being hoisted, each of them hung out a small white flag.
Page 44 - Seychelles, the officer at the main crow's-nest reported a vessel of some sort about five miles to windward. Something strange in her appearance made the skipper haul up to intercept her. As we drew nearer, we made her out to be a Malay " prahu ; " but, by the look of her, she was deserted.
Page 17 - ... slips of bamboo, dried in the sun, and afterwards in smoke, when it is fit to be put away in bags, but requires frequent exposure to the sun. A thousand trepang make a picol, of about 125 Dutch pounds; and 100 picols are a cargo for a proa.
Page 13 - Jr., a graduate of West Point. Gov. Winans has in former years shown himself capable of close application to the duties which lay before him, and his judicious decisions and wise course when attempting to bring about a worthy object, are well known to those who are acquainted with the history of the State. Although it is often said that it is scarcely safe to judge of a man until his career is closed, yet Gov.