# The Illustrated London News/1846/Aborigines of South Australia

Article from The Illustrated London News, 14 February 1846.
Aborigines of South Australia.
On Monday, Jan. 26, two little boy aborigines of South Australia, accompanied by Mr. Eyre, the Australian traveller, were introduced to the Queen and Prince Albert, at Buckingham Palace, by the Hon. W. E. Gladstone, Secretary for the Colonies. Her Majesty appeared much pleased with the general appearance and manners of these youthful representatives of her subjects at the antipodes, and both the Queen and Prince Albert asked numerous questions respecting them.
Both boys are between the ages of eight and ten, are well-formed, active, and intelligent. The colour of their skins is black, or very dark copper colour; their noses rather flattened, with indent below the forehead; and their mouths a little wide, with thickish lips; but the hair is fine, and of a glossy black, the eyes large and brilliant, the teeth good, and the general expression of the countenance pleasing and good-humoured.
They have been in England about eight months, and have already learnt to speak English very well. Their native names are "Warrulan," and "Pangkerin." The former is the son of a native of the Murray River, near Moorunde, named "Tenberry," who is the chief person among the aborigines inhabiting that district.
Tenberry has always been on the most friendly terms with Europeans, and it is to his influence and co-operation that they, in a great measure, owe the peaceful occupation of the Murray River, and the happy establishment of amicable relations with the once hostile, and much-dreaded tribes of the Murray, Rufus, and Darling Rivers.
When Mr. Eyre was about to quit South Australia, in December, 1844, Tenberry, with his family, and about 200 other natives of the Murray River, left their own district for Adelaide, to see that gentleman off, and to bid good-bye to the little Warrulan, the son of the chief person in their tribe, and who had been confided to Mr. Eyre’s care by his parents. When the vessel was about sailing, most of the natives went on board the ship, to inspect the arrangements and accommodations, and to say farewell once more to those whom they hardly ever expected to see
The other boy, Pangkerin, has neither father nor mother alive. He was brought over to England under the care of Mr. Anthony Forster, with whom he had been living in the Colony for some time previously but in the same vessel as Warrulan. Pangkerin does not belong to the same tribe as the other boy, but to a contiguous one; both, however, speak the same dialect, with slight variation.
After their interview with the Queen, the boys expressed a good deal of disappointment at the absence of all state or show attending Majesty. They had, a few days previously, seen the Queen going in procession to open Parliament, surrounded by and troops and with all the parade and pageant of Royalty. When, therefore, they saw a very young person dressed like any other lady, with but few attendants, they could not believe it possible that it could be the same Queen; she was too young, they thought, for a Queen; the admired the tall manly figure of Prince Albert, with his well-developed mustachios.
The aboriginal races of Australia have hitherto been much misrepresented and misunderstood, and have too often been depicted as the lowest and most degraded of mankind; forming, as it has been asserted, only a connecting link between the human family and the lower orders of the creation. This opinion is, however, as unjust as it is unfounded; for though the natives of Australia are not advanced in the scale of civilisation, they have as great natural intelligence as, and an equal capacity for improvement with, other races. Their children, as far as they have yet been tried, have been found fully as apt and quick in learning as those of Europeans.
The two little Australians now in England have been examined by several eminent phrenologists, and their developments are said to be very good, and far superior to those of the negro race generally.
It is to be hoped that the presence of these youths in England, and the honourable notice her Majesty has been pleased to take of them, will go far towards removing the unfavourable impressions heretofore entertained of the race; and, by creating an interest on behalf of people little known and greatly misunderstood, perhaps tend, in some degree, towards inducing better-directed, and more effectual, attempts to mitigate the evils which our occupation and possession of their country necessarily inflict upon them.
Australian Boy.
Mr. Eyre, who has had much experience in Australia, and who now holds the office of Resident Magistrate at the Murray River, in South Australia, has recently published a long and full account of the aborigines of that country, to which the reader may be referred for further or more detailed accounts of the physical appearance, character, habits, manners, customs, and pursuits of this interesting people.
This work was published in 1846 and is anonymous or pseudonymous due to unknown authorship. It is in the public domain in the United States as well as countries and areas where the copyright terms of anonymous or pseudonymous works are 177 years or less since publication.
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