tribe of people from those that live-by the' sea-side,) sometimes'
did {human flesh. „ At.my request, she .shewed me in, wh&f
manner they dispatched, their victims* which-is donp,by;Steihmg
them in the pole, of the neck with the maddie, or clubg after
which with the wemara, or instrumentjthey throw the spear with,,
beingaipied with a shell at ©ne end* they make an incieipn from
the throat dowja thefbreast to the lower part of the belly, and anoT
ther across the cdiest- This-she shewed a e by putting, her hand
in the pole .of my neck, and making4^e 'Stretch mysejlf on the
deck, whegj she went through the whole process- with the .vpry
instrument before described. Seeing her so well acquainted
with the .subject, I was in doubt whether she had notbeen.prer
sent on such an pccasibo. But &g far as I eouldjudge from her
appearance, she must have-heen too young Ip ,hji$i£, .any^gjich
knowledge previous to our first settling in tire Country, .as from
what 1 could learn, .she had always fo&edin the .neighbourhood
of Sydney, whejc such, customs are not practised, and X am convinced
th a t she only spoke from information;. However, from
these circumstance, my ,<wew implicitly believed they were all
cannibals.; and the first-mate entered the following words in
the log-book—awd without doubt they are cannibals. The natives
on board did not shew any symptoms of fear, at our inforrqgar.
tories at different times, nor were they at all anxious ftp coaceal
any thing from us, but answered ft#©Jy and without he&itsafiqn.
I t perhaps may not be improper to mention in this place,
that in Lieutenant-Colonel Collins's Account of the Settlement
of New South Wales, he says, that the natives are in the habits
of occasionally burning their dead; but whether this extends
farther than ft) their friends or relatives we- are^ypt to learn.
After repeated enquiries, I never could find out from any of the
natives» Euranabie and others of little note excepted, that they
were cannibals; though their relative situation to.New Zealand
might
tnight seem to warrant such- a eopjifeetuye: the question must
fheBeforeremainundetermin)edtiliwe;become,bettjeE‘aeqMairbted
with their manners and customs..
The* bones. I have- already mentioned as haying taken: oft
board I carefully ■ preserved, and had* them* transmitted? home to
W. L. Thomas,. Esq. a surgeon, and anatomist'erf’ the first" r e spectability.'
T© a question 1‘m'ade t© th a t ingenious/genllP-
man, w h e th e rth ^ werdthsase of a w h te man, or otherwise.
; he, said, that he; eoulds not take upon himself to affirm
if they were the "bones'of a European ©r a^natsive. of Ne#
Holland.
'njy;;:goiaig'''®ut- the- same’ Gentleman fevcMrdd; mo with
!S@md useful' queriesy which,"on myfasrrival hr New South Wabes^
I laid before William Balmain*- E&Sq. Surgeon, to the €joto®y,
and James Thompson, Esq., the Assistant Surgeon.-' The former
of these Gentlemen'/furnished Mr..Thomas with a complete set of
bones belonging to a male, and an ed to e femite- sfeeietoh^ His
©pinion of them I beg leave to-*copy "from a lbthSr-he* 'favoured
mdwith on> the subject^ which T trust wihMOt fee uniuf PfMltfng
tomyR eaders:
rr “uUpon a careful examination (says; heft I thought that the
*l impfesdon formed by the muscles on Ac bd’nCs #tei#'verftuii-
§§ disSlSelly malkdd, and that the’ bones were* §ifeMsi> and weak
14 in-proportion to their- lehgth; With 'rPspefet' to themWatiMm,
** itmudh more resembled that of the Afiiekfcdthan |Mh Euro*
■“ pean; though that of the ‘ffliate differed? vtef^- iiaaiteriaUy fonft.
*i both* approaching in its-shape nearer to the'hpe. ;The’upper
H margin of the bopey orbits-in Whieh CyM are 'lod^fed' pro'**
E je c ted Considerably, which- 'give- tfeekb' the appearance' of
i4 being compressed? ffom above, Which entirely -took' ‘a why this
44 circular shape at the inferior part; making them somewhat
**: bblotig if pin the inner to 'th##uter angles* Thd {fifeif
q- % ' - . “ very