pointed out and named several of the natives who were ftrangers, one of whom the governor went up to and offered to thake his hands, at which the man feemed much terrified, and immediately seized the fpear, which Ba-na-lang had laid on the ground, fixed it on the throwing-flick, and discharged it with aftonishing violence; he with all his affociates made off with the utmoft precipitation. The fpear entered the governor's right shoulder, just above the collar-bone, and came out about three inches lower down, behind the shoulder-blade. Mr. Waterhouse, who was close by the governor at the time, fuppofed that it [the wound] must be mortal, for the fpear appeared to him to be much lower down than it really was, and fuppofed, from the number of armed men, that it would be impoffible for any of the party to escape to the boat. He turned round immediately to return to the boat, as he perceived Captain Collins to go that way, calling to the boat's crew to bring up the mufkets; the governor alfo attempted to run towards the boat, holding up the fpear with both hands, to keep it off the ground, but owing to its great length, the end frequently took the ground and ftopped him (it was about twelve feet long.) Governor Phillip, in this fituation, defired Mr. Waterhouse to endeavour, if poffible, to take the fpear out, which he immediately attempted, but obferving it to be barbed, and the barb quite through, he faw it would be impoffible to draw it out; he therefore endeavoured to break it, but could not: while he was making this attempt, another spear was thrown out of the wood, and took off the skin between Mr. Waterhouse's fore-finger and thumb, which alarmed him a good deal, and he thinks added power to his exertions, for the next attempt, he broke it off. By this time, the fpears flew pretty thick, one of which he observed to fall at Captain Collins's feet, while he was calling to the boat's crew: the governor attempted to pull a piftol out of his pocket, but the fpears flew fo thick, that it was unfafe to ftop: however he got it out and fired it, upon a fuppofition, that their knowing he had fome fire-arms would deter them from any further hoftility. The whole party got down to the boat without any further accident, and in two hours they arrived at the governmenthoufe, when the furgeons were fent for: Mr. Balmain, who was the first that arrived, after examining the wound, made every body happy, by affuring them he did not apprehend any fatal confequences from it; he extracted the point of the fpear, and dreffed the wound, and in fix weeks the governor was perfectly recovered." P. 209.

Chapter IX. defcribes Captain Hunter's voyage to Batavia, with the different difcoveries and obfervations made by him on his paffage. At Batavia he applied for, and, with fome difficulty, obtained leave to purchase a veffel in which he might proceed to England. It appears, that it is one of the established regulations of the Dutch Eaft India Company not to permit any veffel which is Dutch property to go from Batavia to Europe. This, however, was, by the expedient of the purchase, avoided. Capt. H. arrived at Portfmouth April 22, 1792.

The inftitive communications of this able navigator are

clofed

clofed by a letter to the Lords of the Admiralty, giving his opinion on the best courfe from New South Wales to Europe. The route to that place is fimple and easy: it is the return which more particularly demands attention. Captain Hunter prefers the Southern route, by Cape Horn, to the Northern paffage.

The Journal of Lieutenant King commences at p. 287. This was confided to Sir Jofeph Banks and Mr. Stephens, and is published, with their permiffion, as a kind of supplement to the foregoing narrative of Capt. Hunter.

Lieutenant King was difpatched by Governor Phillip to make a fettlement in Norfolk Island; the particulars of which are described in the five first chapters of the Journal. In establishing this fettlement, Mr. King had great difficulties to encounter of various kinds, the principal of which were the irregularitics of those whom he had to govern. A plot was at one time laid to difpoffefs him of his command, and make him and his officers prifoners; but his prudent and steady conduct finally enabled him to accomplish the bufinefs he had in truft, highly to his own honour, and the benefit of his country.

Chapter XV. contains a more minute account of Norfolk Ifland, defcribing at length the face of the country, the water, foil, climate, timber, infects, fifh, feafons, winds, &c.: all of which are as favourable as can be imagined, or indeed wished, with refpect to a place which promifes fo many eventual advantages. The Journal of Lieut. King is rendered the more interefting, from its containing a Vocabulary of the Language of this remote and barbarous people; of which the greatest peculiarity is, that the females of each tribe are diftinguished by the word leon, added to the name which diftinguishes the chief. It is fuppofed alfo, that the word gal fignifies tribe, and that the word preceding it is the word of diftinction:

The following instances may serve to confirm these suppositions:

Chapter XVI. defcribes the voyage of this able navigator from Port Jackson to Batavia, to the Ifle of France, and thence to England. The defcription of Batavia is very entertaining; but the reprefentation of the haughty ftate and demeanour of

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the

the governor, and the abject fervility which he systematically exacts, cannot fail of exciting a smile, in which pity is mixed with contempt:

"The prefent governor-general, whofe name is William Arnold Alting, has been refident upwards of thirty years at Batavia, eleven of which he has been governor-general: I am told his private character is very amiable and refpectable, but how any man poffeffed of common feelings, can fuffer fuch humiliations from thofe around him, I cannot conceive. When any perfon approaches the general to fpeak to him, his behaviour and addrefs must be the most abject imaginable, and the refpect and profound submission which every servant of the company, and every inhabitant muft neceffarily affume on thefe occafions, are little fhort of the adoration paid to the Divinity: this homage is carried to fo great a height, that when the general enters the church, although the congregation may be at prayers, yet every perfon is obliged to get up and face him until he is feated in his pew, bowing as he paffes." P. 438.

The narrative of the governor presents itself to the attention of the reader at p. 449, forming a continuation of the history of the people and country under his charge, from the conclufion of his late voyage to the latest period. The character of Mr. Phillip requires not our eulogium; the fame prudence, the fame firmnefs, the fame qualities of mind neceffary for an individual in his arduous office, which before diftinguifhed him, appear uniformly to have accompanied him to the conclufion of the Journal which is here published.

It is doubtlefs, in the nature of things, to be prefumed, that the natives of this remote country will, by frequent and familiar communication with Europeans, be progreffively civilized. At prefent they are certainly diftinguifhed by ferocity, almost without parallel; by a perfidioufnefs which proves them deftitute almost of all focial feeling, by the groffeft and most bar barous ignorance, and by a reluctance not only to return, but even to accept any overture of kindnefs, hospitality, and friendship:

"It now appeared, that Governor Phillip did not wrong the natives, in fuppofing that they treated their women with very little tendernefs; for Bannelong had beat his wife twice very feverely in a fhort time, and for which, as far as could be learnt from the girl, he had very little reafon: ftill fhe appeared very fond of him, and he profeffed great affection for her, but laughed when he was told that it was wrong to beat a woman: he now vifited the fettlement daily, with his wife, feveral children, and half a dozen of his friends, and Colebe was generally one of the party.

"Several of these people had recently a difpute, in which one of them received two fevere wounds in the head from a fpear, and two others were wounded in the head by hatchets ; but the parties appeared two days after the affray as good friends as ever.

"It has already been obferved, that the natives have fome idea of a future ftate, and that they believe in fpirits; the following circumftance leaves no doubt but that they likewife believe in charms :Bannelong's wife one day complaining of a pain in the belly, went to the fire and fat down with her husband, who, notwithstanding his beating her occafionally, feemed to exprefs great forrow on feeing her ill, and after blowing on his hand, he warmed it, and then applied it to the part affected; beginning at the fame time a fong, which was probably calculated for the occafion: a piece of flannel being warmed and applied by a bye-ftander, rendered the warming his hand unneceffary, but he continued his fong, always keeping his mouth very near to the part affected, and frequently ftopping to blow on it, making a noife after blowing in imitation of the barking of a dog; but though be blew feveral times, he only made that noise once at every pause, and then continued his fong, the woman always making thort refponfes whenever he ceafed to blow and bark. How long this ceremony would have continued was uncertain, for Governor Phillip fent for the doctor, and fhe was perfuaded to take a little tincture of rhubarb, which gave her relief, and fo put an end to the business." P.475.

There feems reafon to fear that thefe favages not only beat their women for the most trifling offences, with unrelenting barbarity, but frequently put them to death without remorfe in themselves, and without exciting the commiferation of fpectators. See pp. 482, 3, 4.

It is, perhaps, not unworthy of remark, that on the 27th of December 1790, the weather was fo hot, that the thermometer at 1029 in the fhade.

The peculiarity of the females lofing two joints of the little finger, feems hitherto to defy explanation. In the mean time the process of the operation is thus explained :

Though our colonists had never been able to learn the reafon for the females lofing two joints of the little finger, they now had an opportunity of feeing in what manner that operation is performed. Colebe's wife brought her child to Governor Phillip's houfe a few days after it was born, and as it was a female, both the father and mother had been repeatedly told, that if the finger was to be cut off, the governor wifhed to fee the operation. The child was now two

months old, and a ligature was applied round the little finger at the fecond joint; but two or three days afterwards, when the brought the child again, the ligature was either broke, or had been taken off: this being mentioned to the mother, fhe took feveral hairs from the head of an officer who was prefent, and bound them very tight round the child's finger. After fome time, a gangrene took place; and though the child appeared uneafy when the finger was touched, it did not cry, nor was any attention paid to it after the ligature was applied. It has already been obferved, that this operation always took place on the left hand of the females; but this child was an ex

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ception,

ception, for it was the little finger on the right hand on which the ligature was applied: this bandage was continued until the finger was ready to drop off, when its parents carried it to the furgeon, who, at their requeft, feparated it with a knife.-Making love in this country is always prefaced by a beating, which the female feems to receive as a matter of courfe. The native girl, who still refided occafionally at the clergyman's, had been absent two days, when fhe returned with a bad wound on the head, and fome fevere bruifes on her shoulder; the girl whofe life Governor Phillip had faved, returned with her; fhe alfo had a wound on her head, and one of her arms was much bruifed by a blow with a club: the ftory they told was, that two men who frequently vifited the fettlement, wanted to sleep with them, and on their refufing, had, as ufual on fuch occafions, beat them moft unmercifully." P.510.

This fingular people are remarkable for their agility in climbing trees and their mode of doing this is fo extraordinary, that it well deferves infertion in our account:

:

"Colebe and Ballederry, in defcribing that tribe on the fecond day's journey, had called them climbers of trees, and men who lived by hunting; certainly, no perfons can better deserve the appellation of climbers, if we may judge from what was feen of Go-me-bee-re, who, for a biscuit, in a very few minutes cut his notches in the bark of a tree and mounted it with furprifing agility, though an old man. Thefe notches are cut in the bark little more than an inch deep, which receives the ball of the great toe; the firft and fecond notches are cut from the ground; the reft they cut as they ascend, and at fuch a distance from each other, that when both their feet are in the notches, the right foot is raised nearly as high as the middle of the left thigh when they are going to raife themfelves a step, their hatchet is held in the mouth, in order to have the use of both their hands; and, when cutting the notch, the weight of the body refts on the ball of the great toe: the fingers of the left hand are also fixed in a notch cut on the fide of the tree for that purpose, if it is too large to admit their clafping it fufficiently with the left arm to keep the body close to the tree.In this manner do thefe people climb trees, whofe circumference is ten or fifteen feet, or upwards, after an opoffum or a fquirrel, though they rife to the height of fixty or eighty feet before there is a fingle branch." P.5 20.

Pages 549, 50, 51, give a catalogue of the firft fettlers in New South Wales, which may not improbably be, one time or other, regarded as a curiofity alike rare and valuable. At prefent it is doubtlefs of far greater importance to be affured that a whale fishery has been established on the coaft of this fettle

ment.

The Journal of Governor Phillip is followed by that of Lieut. Ball, which gives an account of a voyage from Port Jackfon by the route of Cape Horn, made in a fhorter time than had ever

been