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off as a preventative of sickness. It scratches glass, and does not effervesce with acids. From another specimen, the stone appears to be agate of a milky hue, semi-pellucid, and strikes fire. The vein from which it appears broken off, is one inch and a quarter thick. A third specimen contains a portion of cornelian, partially crystallized, a fragment of chalcedony, and a fragment of a crystal of white quartz."

And again in Mitchell's Expeditions into Australia, vol. 2. p. 338:-"In these girdles the men, and especially their coradjes or priests, frequently carry crystals of quartz or other shining stones, which they hold in high estimation, and very unwillingly show to any one; invariably taking care, when they do unfold them, that no woman shall see them."

Genesis, ch. xxiv. ver. 9. "And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter."

This is exactly the form that is observed in South-western Australia, when the natives swear amity to one another, or pledge themselves to aid one another in avenging a death.

One native remains seated on the ground with his heels tucked under him, in the Eastern manner; the one who is about to narrate a death to him, approaches slowly and with averted face, and seats himself cross-legged upon the thighs of the other; they are thus placed thigh to thigh, and squeezing their bodies together they place breast to breast

CUSTOM OF CIRCUMCISION.

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both then avert their faces, their eyes frequently fill with tears-no single word is spoken; and the one who is seated uppermost, places his hands under the thighs of his friend; having remained thus seated for a minute or two, he rises up and withdraws to a little distance without speaking-but an inviolable pledge to avenge the death has by this ceremony passed between the two.

One remarkable custom prevalent equally amongst the most ancient nations of whom any records are preserved, and the modern Australians, is that of naming children from some circumstance connected with their birth, or early infancy. Thus in Genesis, ch. xxx. ver. 11. "And Leah said, A troop cometh, and she called his name Gad;" &c. &c. &c.

Burckhardt observed the same custom among the Bedouins and says, "A name is given to the infant immediately on his birth; the name is derived from some trifling accident, or from some object which had struck the fancy of the mother or any of the women present at the child's birth."-Notes on the Bedouins, p. 55.

The natives of the Gulf of Carpentaria, and also those on the eastern shores of St. Vincent's Gulf, practise the rite of circumcision. That is, this

remarkable rite is known to be observed in two points of the Continent of Australia exactly opposite to one another, and which are separated by a distance of about twelve hundred miles.

The injunctions contained in Deuteronomy, ch. xxiii, ver. 12, and 13, are literally fulfilled by the natives in several parts of the continent. In addition to my own testimony on this point, I will refer to "Wilson's Voyage round the World," p. 165, where he states, "They are cleanly in their manners, and, in some respects, superior to the Europeans, fulfilling the injunction of Moses in the twelfth and thirteenth verses of the twenty-third chapter of Deuteronomy."

This passage relates to the natives of Raffles Bay on the extreme north of the continent of Australia, whereas I have observed the custom in the Southwestern parts of Australia.

They also conform strictly to the injunctions in Leviticus, ch. xv. ver. 19.

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ACCOUNT OF HIS JOURNEY WITH MR. ROE-TRANSACTIONS WITH THE NATIVES IN A CASE OF POTATOE STEALINGJUDICIAL CASE OF ASSAULT.

THE following casual anecdotes, though trivial in themselves, will assist in illustrating some of the peculiarities of the native mind and character.

Speech that the native Miago would have addressed to the aborigines of Perth, if he had landed as Governor, instead of His Excellency Mr. Hutt. He came into my room directly after the Governor had landed, and made this imaginary address.

Yiee, naga yongar Perth bak-ad-jee yuado-Moon-dee Moondee gurrang, gurrang boola: Mir-ga-na, Mir-ga-na gurrang, gurrang boola Yal-gon-ga, Yal-gon-ga, gurrang, gurrang boola; yarn bal?

:

Buck-il-bury Wattup gidjee, yam bal gurrang boola?

Bun-bury gurrang, gurrang boola.

Golam-bidie gwab-ba: Mam-me-rup wan-gow-een boola. Goo-lam-bidie wilgey nab-bow, yago mial, Goo-lam-bidie donga broo mam-me-rup meno been boola, mam-me-rup gurrang gaduck, golambidie gid-jee; Dule.

Waumma Governor yool: yahi Perth yongar bak-ad-jee yu-a-do ; gwab-ba-litch.

"Henceforth this people of Perth must not fight. Moon-dee, Moon-dee, you are always quarrelling— Mir-ga-na, Mir-ga-na, you are always quarrelling— Yal-gon-ga, Yal-gon-ga, you are quarrelsome-what is the reason of this?

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Bucklebury speared Wattup, what reason had he to be in such a passion, (or, why was he so very angry)?

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Bun-bury, you are very quarrelsome.

"The young men behave very well, the old ones are always wrangling.

"The young men paint themselves, and the women look at them; the young men are not aware of this, but the old men are very jealous-and being in a passion spear the young men this is very wrong.

"Now another Governor is come, and you people of Perth must fight no more-This is very good."

The following is Warrup's account of his journey with Mr. Roe, in search of the party left by me under Mr. Walker.-(See page 105.)

"1st day. At Dundalup we eat fish; then onwards, onwards, onwards, till we slept at Neerroba. "2nd day.-Onwards, onwards, till we reached Nowergoop, where the horses drank water; then onwards, onwards, onwards, until Manbabee, where we eat flesh and bread. Onwards, onwards, onwards, until Yungee, where we shot ducks, and the horses drank water. Onwards,

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