An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales Volume I Part 51

All which means wishes for health from night to morning, and that no bones may be broken by the shock of sneezing.]

E-co-show To hiccough E-mo-a To sleep E-ta-ko-te To lie down to sleep E-a-ra To rise from sleep E-kow-hae-ra To yawn E-to-u To break wind E-ku-pa To belch E-du-a-ke To puke E-da-hee Fat Eet p.r.o.nounced as Eat Lean E-o-ra In health E-mat-tee means also death Sick E-pi Handsome, also clean E-ke-no Ugly, also dirty E-ni-a-ymi Pain in general In-ni-shou E-to-on-ga Tooth-ache E-hu-de Head-ache E-de-ka-ra-ka An itching E-huf-fe Love He-de-de Hatred, or being dissatisfied He-ma-ta-kd Fear E-ka-tou Joy E-ko-ko-pe Shame E-kow-wa Loathing E-wa-ra-wa-ra An error or mistake E-ko-cut A cut E-mo-to A blow E-hou-dang-e To faint He-kye To eat E-e-nue To drink E-matta-he-a-kye Hungry Ka-ke Satisfied E-i-ra To walk E-o-mu To run E-da-re To jump E-ka-ou To swim E-tu-ta-ke To meet any one Ke-o-ro-mi To make haste E-no-ho To sit down E-tu Standing up E-mo-ki To work Ka-ko-p-1 To shut a door Eu-wa-ke To open E-de-ding-ee To sell E-o-mi To give or reach Wha-ka-de-de I'll give you Z'Shocke-e-mai Ditto E-wa-k-a-tu To plant E-o-hoo-tee To pluck up E-da-fe To tie or bind E-wa-wat-te Untie E-ma-ca To throw away E-te-te-do To look or observe E-ko-re To break any thing, as a plate E-what-te To break any thing, as a stick E-hi-yi To tear, as paper Car-co-ree To pull down or destroy, as a building, s.h.i.+p, etc E-ko-cout To cut Ing-ha-roo To see or look for E-hu-na To hide Ea-ke-tere To find E-ke-no To stain or dirty any thing E-moo-roo To clean Eo-roo-ee To wash E-yhang-a To build a house or boat E-ka-wa Ill-tasted, bitter He-i-de-mal! Come here!

Sey-ede or E-i-ra To go E-ko-re-roo To converse Pat-too pat-too To beat, also the name of a princ.i.p.al weapon E-te-ka To tell a lie E-po-no To tell truth E-wa-ka A canoe E-shoo To paddle a canoe E-1-ka A fish E-a-ho To catch a fish E-wa-du A fish-hook made of wood E-ma-ka A fis.h.i.+ng-line E-nue Big, large E-mo-ro-ee-te Small My-ty Good Mack-row-a Bad Ki-e-dow Fit to eat E-whan-na To kick E-ha-ka To dance E-wy-ette To sing E-wa-du To dream E-ta-po-ke To drown E-ka-ya To steal E-ta-ro-na To hang one's self E-ee-ta I understand Na? Do you mean this?

Ha ya-ha What is this?

Ko-ai Who is this?

An-ga There Pah-hee A s.h.i.+p, or very large canoe E-whar-re A house E-ta-o A spear E-da-kow A tree, or piece of wood E-ma-ta A sharp stone with which they cut their hair Pas-aa-te-ra A stone E-ko-ha-tue A rock E-ho-ne Sand-beach E-a-wha A harbour E-pa-pa A board E-to-ki An axe E-whow A chissel, nail, or iron E-va-te-to-ka A door E-pu-ki A hill E-poo-poo Sh.e.l.ls E-wak-e-te-ca Ear-rings Etu-pu The flax plant when growing E-mu-ka The flax when dressed E-mu-ka Yera-ka-kee The operation of drawing the flax from the plant Eka-ka-how Cloth wove from the flax A-mo-ko The marks on their face and different parts of their bodies To-ko-hal-ya? How many?

E-ma-ha A great many, speaking of things Ka-ta-puk-e-mai A great many, speaking of people Yen-ge-enge, (and sounded hard) Tired Eto-ho-ro-ha A whale E-he-nue Whale oil, or any other fat Emata-to-too-roo Thick E-da-ede-hi Thin E-do-aw High or tall, and long E-po-to Short E-wa-nue Wide E-wa-ete Narrow E-ti-ma-ha Heavy E-ma-ma Light E-de-ding-e Full E-ma-din-ge Empty E-ma-row Hard Ing-now-a-rey Soft E-ka-ra-de A dog E-kere A rat E-manu A bird E-wy-you Milk E-whairo Red E-ema White E-man-goe All dark colours Ka-de-da Green Ka-nap-pa Blue Ta-ah-ne-a sounded long A man Wha-hel-ne A woman E-co-ro-wa-ke An old man E-du-a-hel-ne An old woman E-Ta-ma-ree-kee A young man E-Ta-ma-hei-ne A young woman Ta-ma-i-ete A male child E-co-tero An infant Ma-tu-a-Ta-a-ne Father Ma-tu-a-wa-hei-ne Mother Tu-a-hel-ne Sister Tu-a-Can-na Elder brother Tei-ne Younger brother E-mi-yan-ga Twins Pah-pah Children call their father Hah-ty-yee Children call their mother

E seems to be used as the article, p.r.o.nounced as in the English.

A is always sounded long, as in the French.

NUMERALS Ta-hie One Du-o Two Too-roo Three Wha Four Dee-mah Five 0-no Six Whee-too Seven Wha-roo Eight E-wha Nine Ng-a-hu-du Ten Ca-te-cow signifies One Ten Ma-ta-hie Eleven Ma-duo Twelve, and so on, the numeral being preceded by Ma, until nineteen (Ma-Ew-ha) then ...

Ca-te-cow, Ca, du-o Twenty Ca-te-cow, Ca, Too-roo Thirty Ca-te-cow, Ca, Wha Forty and so on to ...

Ca-te-cow, Ca, E-wha Ninety Kah-row A hundred Carow, Ca, Ta-hie One hundred Carow, Ca, Du-o Two hundred and so on to nine hundred Kom-ma-roo A thousand Com-ma-no, Ca, Tahie One thousand Com-ma-no, Ca-du-o Two thousand and so on to nine thousand.

Ca-tee-nee Ten thousand which appears...o...b.. the extent of their numerals.

{Thus far Lieutenant-Governor King.}

From the 25th of October, the day on which the s.h.i.+ps made sail from Norfolk Island, till the 31st of the same month, nothing material occurred. On that day Mr. Raven stated to Captain Waterhouse, the commander of the _Reliance_, the necessity there was for the _Britannia's_ making the best of her way to England; and as he thought she sailed rather better than that s.h.i.+p, he requested permission to part company, which Captain Waterhouse not objecting to, we separated and made sail from them.

On the 5th of November we pa.s.sed an island named by Lieutenant Watts (who first saw it in the _Lady Penrhyn_ transport) Macauley Island.

Sunday the 6th was pa.s.sed in examining an island, which Mr. Raven was decidedly of opinion had never been seen before. It was situated in the lat.i.tude of 29 degrees 15 minutes and longitude of 181 degrees 56 minutes E. We found the land high, and it appeared to be well covered with wood.

On the south-west side of it is a bay in which, from the colour of the water, Mr. Raven thought there was good anchorage; but at this time there was too much surf breaking on the beach to render it prudent to send a boat in. The aspect on this side of the island was romantic and inviting; but on the other side the sh.o.r.e was bold, and in many parts rugged and bare. The whole appeared to consist, like Norfolk Island, of hills and dales. We conjectured that there was fresh water in the bay on the south-west side. The knowledge of the existence of this island can be of no other importance, than to cause navigators sailing in that route to keep a good look-out, particularly in the night-time, as many straggling rocks lie off the north side.

From the circ.u.mstance of its being seen on a Sunday it obtained the name of Sunday island.

Leaving this, we proceeded toward Cape Horn; but it was not till the 16th of December that we saw the southern part of the vast continent of America. Mr. Raven intended to have made the Jasons, and touched at Falkland's Islands in the hope of procuring some information respecting the Cape of Good Hope; but, after pa.s.sing Cape Horn, and finding the wind hang to the northward, he altered his course for the Island of St Helena, or the Cape of Good Hope, as circ.u.mstances might direct.

On the 21st, in lat.i.tude 51 degrees 56 minutes S and longitude 306 degrees 25 minutes E to our great surprise, we fell in with and joined our companions the _Reliance_ and _Supply_. We found that, by keeping nearer to the north end of New Zealand than we had done, they had met with more favourable winds. We now proceeded together toward the Cape of Good Hope.

On the 23rd, being about the lat.i.tude of 50 degrees S we fell in with several islands of ice; which, however, we cleared without any accident, and stood more to the northward. Mr. Raven was of opinion, that ice would always be found in or about those lat.i.tudes, and recommended that all s.h.i.+ps, after pa.s.sing Cape Horn, should keep more to the northward than we did.

On the 9th of January we crossed the three hundred and sixtieth degree of east longitude. Our weather now was much too moderate; for it was not till the 15th of January that we saw the coast of Africa. Some necessary precautions were taken by the king's s.h.i.+p on coming in with it; and, finding every thing as we wished, on the next day we completed our long voyage of sixteen weeks from Port Jackson by anchoring safely in Table Bay.

Here, almost the whole of our s.h.i.+p's company having been pressed, or voluntarily entered into the king's service, and with difficulty getting some necessary repairs done to the s.h.i.+p, we were compelled most reluctantly to remain for eight weeks. The place was very unhealthy, and lodging and every article of comfort extravagantly high.

A few days before we sailed, the s.h.i.+p _Ganges_, commanded by Mr.

Patrickson, arrived with convicts from Cork. She sailed from Ireland with another s.h.i.+p, the _Britannia_, having on board a similar cargo; but the master, intending to touch at Rio de Janeiro, had parted company with the _Ganges_ off Palma. We learned by the _Ganges_, that two stores.h.i.+ps, the _Sylph_ and _Prince of Wales_, had sailed in June last for New South Wales. Much as Governor Hunter wanted labourers, the provisions would be more welcome to him than the Irish convicts, who had hitherto always created more trouble than any other.

Before we sailed we had the satisfaction of seeing seventy head of very fine young Cape cattle purchased by Mr. Palmer, the commissary for the colony, to be sent thither in the _Reliance_ and _Supply_; the latter of which s.h.i.+ps sailed with her proportion a few days before we left Table Bay. These s.h.i.+ps would return well stored with useful articles for the settlement, and comforts for every officer in it.

We left the Cape on the 16th of March, and arrived at the pleasant island of St Helena on the 26th of the same month. Here we remained till the 17th of April, having waited some time for a convoy, and sailed at last without any, in company with the s.h.i.+p _Brothers_, a South-Sea whaler, who was returning loaded.

During our stay at St Helena we made several excursions into the interior part of the island. A visit from the French was daily expected; but we saw with pleasure preparations made for their reception that caused every one to treat the probability of their coming as an event more to be wished for than dreaded. From the hospitality of Governor Brooke and his family, and the pleasant society of this place, we felt a regret at leaving the island, which nothing but the prospect of soon reaching our own happy sh.o.r.es alleviated.

Every one now was anxious for the successful termination of the pa.s.sage before us. On the 27th of April we crossed the equator in the longitude of 19 degrees 02 minutes W. On the 4th of May we spoke the s.h.i.+p _Elizabeth_, (an American,) Isaac Stone master. They had only been twenty-eight days from Dover, and gave us the first intelligence we received of the victory obtained by our fleet under Earl St. Vincent over that of the Spaniards.

On the 7th of June we spoke a schooner under American colours, the _Federal George_ of Duxbury from Bourdeaux, bound to Boston. The master informed, us that the channel was full of the enemy's cruisers, who were looking out for our West-India fleet, then expected home. Though we felt persuaded that our cruisers would counteract their designs, Mr. Raven determined, from this information, and from the wind having long hung to the eastward, to stand to the northward. From this time to the 18th our weather was very unfavourable, and our wind mostly contrary. On the 18th we saw the rock laid down in the charts by the name of Isle Rokal, being then in the lat.i.tude of 57 degrees 51 minutes N and longitude 13 degrees 56 minutes W. The rock then bore N 23 degrees distant eight miles and a half. Our foul wind continued many days; but on the 23rd we found ourselves off Innishone on the north part of Ireland. Here a man came off, who, to our inquiries respecting the progress of the war, answered, that he knew nothing about war, except that the strongest party always got the better of the weakest, thus uttering a truth in the midst of the profoundest ignorance. We now determined to steer for Liverpool, at which port, after much anxiety, we arrived in safety on the 27th.

On the 29th the judge-advocate delivered at the Duke of Portland's office the dispatches with which he was charged.

He now learned, that previous to his arrival in London there had sailed for New South Wales, exclusive of the s.h.i.+ps _Sylph_ and _Prince of Wales_, _Ganges_ and _Britannia_, the _Lady Sh.o.r.e_ transport, having on board two male and sixty-six female convicts. On the 6th of last November the _Barwell_ sailed, having on board Mr. Dore, the present judge-advocate of that territory, and two hundred and ninety-eight male convicts. The _Britannia_, a s.h.i.+p belonging to the house of Enderby and Co. sailed on the 17th of last February with ninety-six female convicts on board. This s.h.i.+p went out with orders to try the whale-fishery on the coast of New South Wales for one season. If this should succeed, the settlement and the public at large will owe much to the spirited exertions of the house of Enderby to promote a beneficial commerce from that country.

The king's s.h.i.+ps on that station being ill calculated for the services expected from them, having on board expensive complements of men and officers, and consequently but little room for cattle; and being beside so defective and impaired by time as to be unsafe to navigate much longer; two others have been provided, newer and more capable of rendering service to the colony. One of them, the _Buffalo_, commanded by Mr. William Raven, late master of the _Britannia_, is on the point of sailing, and is to take cattle to New South Wales from the Cape of Good Hope. The other is named the _Porpoise_, and has the same service to perform. A s.h.i.+p, called the _Minerva_, is also proceeding to Cork to take in a number of Irish convicts.

Letters have been received from New South Wales, dated about six weeks after the author sailed from that colony. Governor Hunter had received by the _Sylph_ and _Prince of Wales_ stores.h.i.+ps two thousand six hundred and fifty casks of salted provisions. Several persons had been tried by the court of criminal judicature for robbing the public stores, and had been found guilty. One man had been executed for murder, and his body hung in chains on Rock Island, a small spot at the mouth of Sydney Cove, and by which every boat and s.h.i.+p coming into the cove must necessarily pa.s.s. The governor was on the point of visiting Portland Head, some high land on the banks of the Hawkesbury, where he purposed establis.h.i.+ng a settlement.

Had that river and its fertile banks been discovered before the establishment at Sydney Cove had proceeded too far to remove it, how eligible a place would it have been for the princ.i.p.al settlement! A navigable river possesses many advantages that are unknown in other situations. Much benefit, however, was to be derived from this even as an inferior settlement. Its extreme fertility would always insure a certain supply of grain; and the settlers on its banks must produce a quant.i.ty equal to the consumption of the civil and Military, and of their own families; and thus, while rendering a service to the state, they might in time become opulent farmers. Yet our pity is excited, when it is considered, that they are of so unworthy a description as has clearly been made appear in the preceding narrative. That a river justly termed the Nile of New South Wales should fall into such hands is to be lamented. In process of time, however, their productive farms will have yielded them all that they aspire to, and may then fall into the possession of persons who will look beyond the mere gratification of the moment, and cause the settlements in New South Wales to stand as high in the public estimation as any colonies in his Majesty's dominions.

APPENDICES

GENERAL REMARKS

The reader of the preceding narrative will have seen, that after many untoward occurrences, and a considerable lapse of time, that friendly intercourse with the natives which had been so earnestly desired was at length established; and having never been materially interrupted, these remote islanders have been shown living in considerable numbers among us without fear or restraint; acquiring our language; readily falling in with our manners and customs; enjoying the comforts of our clothing, and relis.h.i.+ng the variety of our food. We saw them die in our houses, and the places of the deceased instantly filled by others, who observed nothing in the fate of their predecessors to deter them from living with us, and placing that entire confidence in us which it was our interest and our pleasure to cultivate. They have been always allowed so far to be their own masters, that we never, or but rarely, interrupted them in any of their designs, judging that by suffering them to live with us as they were accustomed to do before we came among them, we should sooner attain a knowledge of their manners and customs, than by waiting till we had acquired a competent skill in their language to converse with them. On this principle, when they a.s.sembled to dance or to fight before our houses, we never dispersed, but freely attended their meetings. To them this attention of ours appeared to be agreeable and useful; for those who happened to be wounded in their contests instantly looked out for one of our surgeons, and displayed entire confidence in his skill, and great bravery in the firmness with which they bore the knife and the probe.

By slow degrees we began mutually to be pleased with, and to understand each other. Language, indeed, is out of the question; for at the time of writing this (September 1796) nothing but a barbarous mixture of English with the Port Jackson dialect is spoken by either party; and it must be added, that even in this the natives have the advantage, comprehending, with much greater aptness than we can pretend to, every thing they hear us say. From a pretty close observation, however, a.s.sisted by the use of the barbarous dialect just mentioned, the following particulars respecting the natives of New South Wales have been collected.

APPENDIX 1--GOVERNMENT AND RELIGION

GOVERNMENT

We found the natives about Botany Bay, Port Jackson, and Broken Bay, living in that state of nature which must have been common to all men previous to their uniting in society, and acknowledging but one authority. These people are distributed into families, the head or senior of which exacts compliance from the rest. In our early intercourse with them (and indeed at a much later period, on our meeting with families to whom we were unknown) we were always accosted by the person who appeared to be the eldest of the party, while the women, youths, and children, were kept at a distance. The word which in their language signifies father was applied to their old men; and when, after some time, and by close observation, they perceived the authority with which Governor Phillip commanded, and the obedience which he exacted, they bestowed on him the distinguis.h.i.+ng appellation of (Be-anna) or Father.

This t.i.tle being conferred solely on him (although they perceived the authority of masters over their servants) places the true sense of the word beyond a doubt, and proves, that to those among them who enjoyed that distinction belonged the authority of a chief.

When any of these came into the town, we have been immediately informed of their arrival, and they have been pointed out to our notice in a whisper, and with an eagerness of manner which, while it drew our attention, impressed us with an idea that we were looking at persons to whom some consequence was attached even among the savages of New Holland.

Another acceptation of the word Be-anna, however, soon became evident; for we observed it to be frequently applied by children to men who we knew had not any children of their own. On inquiry we were informed, that in case a father should die, the nearest of kin, or some deputed friend, would take the care of his children; and for this reason those children styled them Be-anna, though in the lifetime of their natural parent. This Bennillong (the native who was some time in England) confirmed to us at the death of his first wife, by consigning the care of his infant daughter Dil-boong (who at the time of her mother's decease was at the breast) to his friend Governor Phillip, telling him that he was to become the Be-anna or Father of his little girl. Here, if the reader pauses for a moment to consider the difference between the general conduct of our baptismal sponsors (to whose duties this custom bears much resemblance) and the humane practice of these uncivilised people, will not the comparison suffuse his cheek with something like shame, at seeing the enlightened Christian so distanced in the race of humanity by the untutored savage, who has. .h.i.therto been the object of his pity and contempt? But sorry am I to recollect, and as a faithful narrator to be impelled to relate, one particular in their customs that is wholly irreconcilable with the humane duties which they have prescribed to themselves in the above instance; duties which relate only to those children who, in the event of losing the mother, could live without her immediate aid. A far different lot is reservea ror such as are at triat time at the breast, or in a state ot absolute helplessness, as will be seen hereafter.

We have mentioned their being divided into families. Each family has a particular place of residence, from which is derived its distinguis.h.i.+ng name. This is formed by adding the monosyllable Gal to the name of the place: thus the southern sh.o.r.e of Botany Bay is called Gwea, and the people who inhabit it style themselves Gweagal. Those who live on the north sh.o.r.e of Port Jackson are called Cam-mer-ray-gal, that part of the harbour being distinguished from others by the name of Cam-mer-ray. Of this last family or tribe we have heard Bennillong and other natives speak (before we knew them ourselves) as of a very powerful people, who could oblige them to attend wherever and whenever they directed. We afterwards found them to be by far the most numerous tribe of any within our knowledge. It so happened, that they were also the most robust and muscular, and that among them were several of the people styled Car-rah-dy and Car-rah-di-gang, of which extraordinary personages we shall have to speak particularly, under the article _Superst.i.tion_.

To the tribe of Cam-mer-ray also belonged the exclusive and extraordinary privilege of exacting a tooth from the natives of other tribes inhabiting the sea-coast, or of all such as were within their authority. The exercise of this privilege places these people in a particular point of view; and there is no doubt of their decided superiority over all the tribes with whom we were acquainted. Many contests or decisions of honour (for such there are among them) have been delayed until the arrival of these people; and when they came, it was impossible not to observe the superiority and influence which their numbers and their muscular appearance gave them over the other tribes.

These are all the traces that could ever be discovered among them of government or subordination; and we may imagine the deference which is paid to the tribe of Cam-mer-ray to be derived wholly from their superiority of numbers; but this superiority they may have maintained for a length of time before we knew them; and indeed the privilege of demanding a tooth from the young men of other families must have been of long standing, and coeval with the obedience which was paid to them: hence their superiority partakes something of the nature of a const.i.tuted authority; an authority which has the sanction of custom to plead for its continuance.

RELIGION

It has been a.s.serted by an eminent divine*, that no country has yet been discovered where some trace of religion was not to be found. From every observation and inquiry I could make among these people, from the first to the last of my acquaintance with them, I can safely p.r.o.nounce them an exception to this opinion. I am certain that they do not wors.h.i.+p either sun, moon, or star; that, however necessary fire may be to them, it is not an object of adoration; neither have they respect for any particular beast, bird, or fish. I never could discover any object, either substantial or imaginary, that impelled them to the commissioin of good actions, or deterred them from the perpetration of what we deem crimes.