The Express.
London, England, 1853-01-13 00:00:00

MUSIC.

MR. VITELLCSCONCERT.
This gentleman, who is a young baritone singer,
had • concert last evening, at Crosby-hall, Bishopegate-
street. The programme consisted of an agreeable but
familiar Deleeuw:. of music, chiefly vocal, intermixed with
two or three instrumental pieces. Mrs. Alexander Newton
(who, it appears to us, has lately been making great pro-
gress in her art) sang several bravura airs with remarkable
brilliancy ; particularly the beautiful " Qul la voce," from
the "Puritani " which we have rarely. beard better exe-
cuted. Miss Lowe, a young soprano linger of uncommon
promise, distinguished herself by several excellent per-
formances: her execution of the fine air " Dearest Compa-
nions" (Care Compagne) in the " Sonnambula " was
especially good. Her voice is flexible, and of
beautiful quality, and her intonation is true ;
but she has some faults of inexperience to get
rid of. She must acquire a more distinct and round
articulation la passages of divisions • and she must divest
herself of an ungainly habit of jerking her head when she
comes to • difficult roulade, as it to force it out. She will
be the more IlZiOnl to avoid this, when she is made aware
that it detracts not a little from her exceedingly pleasing
appearance. Miss Lowe also sang, along with Mr. H.
Drayton, Fioravanti's well-known " Singing Lesson,"
which was given by both singers with much spirit. Miss
Jacobs, a young singer with a rich contralto voice, sang the
serenade, "Sweet love, arise," by Harlon, very prettily.
Herr Josighmens gave an Italian buffo song with an exu-
berance of humour which was a little tinged with coarse-
ness. Mr. Drayton sang one of Henry Russell's songs,
" Come, brothers, rouse," and sang it very well ; but
Russell's songs are very peculiar productions, and nobody
but himself can sing them with proper effect. Mr. Vitelli
sang the air, " As I view" (Vi minim) in the " Sonata-
hula " he has • very good V3ICC, but his nervous agitation
evidently prevented him from doing justice to his own powers.
Miss Cicely Nott sang a bolero called " La Pests," by Pan-
cake : • clever composition, which she executed very neatly.
The Messrs. Distin (the father and his three sons) played
on their Sax-horns a quartet on themes from the Preis-
chats :" an exquisite performance, and perfect in tone,
execution, and expression. The three younger Messrs.
Distin also appeared in • new capacity—as glee singers.
Along with Mrs. Theodore Distin they sang Horsley's
masterpiece, " By Celia's Arbour," and Festal fine old
madrigal, " Down in a fi.,wery vale," in • very finished
and beautiful manner. Two pianoforte pieces were played
by )(dile. St. Marc, whom we hive already had occasion to
notice as • young pianist of great merit.
Notwithstanding the dreadful weather, the audience
was numerous; &lathe performances were received with
great applause.

lICAL SOCIETY.

The usual monthly meeting of the members of this
moiety took place lest evening at their rooms, in Mortimer.
street; Sir BIN/AKIN Bantus, Bart., presided. After the
' trenmetion of the routine business,
Mr. Cur.!, the honorary secretary, announeed errand
dosations of books, chitty philological and ethnoiogical
worts.

Mr. CALL then read a paper by Dr. Heywood Thompson,
" On some of the Aboriginal Tribes of New Holland.. '
The anther, who was attached to the Niger expedition,
expressed his belief that these aboriginal tribes were feted
shortly to disappear. Upwaras of sixty of those tribes
which hid existed in the neighbourhood of Sidney
were now all but extinct. Any record of their physio-
logical characteristics must therefore pawns a high interest
to the ethnologist. Many once numerous and powerful
tribes now numbered not more than 100 or 200. The Mac-
quarie and Broken Bay tribes wen generally about the
middle height, the body spare, the heads and feet fair pro-
portioned, arms and legs long, head inclined to round ra-
ther than oval, the forehead round, but low. They were
all extremely animated, excitable, and revengeful, as many
of our colonials could testify. Other tribes slightly differed
in their physical characteristics, some averaging about five
feet nine inches in height. They all had body marks on
the stomach end abdomen; some were very singularly
carved, reptewfiring a shield. All the crania which the
writer had examined were remarkably thick and heavy :
most of them exhibited " waddy Motu" which wou:d have
been enough to crack anything but • New Holland skull.
(Laughter) The female cranium weighed on an average
1 lb. 4 oz.; that of the male 1 lb. 11 es., showing a marked
preponderance in the latter. Now of these tribes had
any tradition of their origin or history ; perhapsuareely any
tribe kad so taint a notion of the soul'. immortality. They
had an idea of some beings inhabiting the heavens, but only
regarded them as persecutors. They had a great fear of
death, and believed that the spirit walked about the spot
where the body was buried. Th'ir chiefs had five or six
gins, or wives, whom they regarded merely u instruments
of physical gratification. In so country was chastity less
respected; which might account for the gradual decrease
of the race. The children were looked on as a source of
trouble, and were often either put to death clandestinely,

or allowed to perish through culpable neglect. They were
subject to few diseases : one was the smallpox ; but they
were free from convulsive attacks. They were liable
to consumption, whether from contact with Euro-
peans could not be determined. They had native
doctors, or charmers, whose usual remedy was sucking
the part affected, and pretending to draw out some poison.
They were buried in a sitting position, and a sugar-loaf
shaped mound was raised over the grave to a height of six
feet. The friends of the deceased moaned or howled over
the grave, an hour at a time, morning and night, for about
two months. They believed it unlucky to make reference to
deceased persona, and likely to provoke retributive visits.
Theft was not regarded as any crime; murder was punished
by death, but more from a feeling of revenge than ofjos-
ftce. Their victories over hostile tribes were celebrated by
war-songs, chanted by a kind of improvisalori, who freely
weed from tribe to tribe, their persons being held sacred.
Some of their airs were very pleasing and plaintive. They
bad redeeming points in their character—they respected
the aged, and kept the young in dee subjugation until they
were 16 years of age It was customary fur each tribe to
bold what were called burrs," or feasts in cele-
bration of the admission of youths to the rights of
manhood, te which the members of other tribes
were invited, and a variety of mystic ceremonies were guns
tinvegh. Tress ceremonies were the same, or nearly so,
t all the tribes. Little knowledge was possessed of
thillinielology of New Holland—too little to enable us to
determine the question of the common origin of the tribes.
Tribes within 100 miles, though unable to understand each
other at first, were found to converse after a little while—
proving a radical similarity in the dialects. Many of the
aborigint a were undoubtedly antbropophegi. Mr. Coulson
stated that one tribe always eat their prisoners taken is
war. Two crania had accompanied the paper, which Mr.
Cull exhibited. The thanks of the meeting were voted to
Dr. Thompson for his highly interesting paper.
Dr. HODOIIN read a letter which he had that morning
,sashed from a medical man at Melbourne, who had ipasa
tam London. He expressed his belief in the commion
origin of the tribes, and in their speedily approaching ex-
tinction. He described them as a gentle and affectionate
people ; but they could not live along with Europeans.
Another letter from Sir George Young, dated Adelaide,
Sept. 11, stated that the aborigines were highly useful as
shepherds, and, if fairly treated, there was no doubt they
would behave well. Captain Darling had explored the
Murray, and found that it was navigable for 1,000 miles.
This would give immense facilities for commerce, and for
exploring the interior of the continent. Sir George ex-
pressed a hope that a supply of iron steam-boats, suited for
river navigation, would be sent our.
The Cumastax said he had recently conversed with one
of the largest sheep farmers in Sydney when in this
country ; he stated that he employed the natives in large
numbers; they were excellent servants, and most trust.'
worthy ; but, nit being able to bear restraint long, they
were apt to desert.
Mr. 0. BatzaLirr stated that, during a residence of five
years at Twofold Bay, he had found the natives to make
very good servants, but war unable to keep them long. Be
exhibited a aeries of drawings, showing the various kiwis
of canoe in use among the natives ; those in the extreme
north of the country, who were in the habit of commusi-
eating with New Guinea. They all used paddles.
Dr. linown said the author of tho paper was mistaken
as to the Australian skulls being round, they were gene-
rally fart and oval. He referred to a large collection of
crania on the table, part of his own collection, including
skulls of New Zealanders, inhabitants of Van Diemen's
Land, and other of the South Sea Islands. Most of these
races were disappearing before the advances of European
civilisation. Some of them were very quick at acquiring
knowledge, but they had no power of combination or con-
centration.
Mr. CVLL said if the unity of the Australian race was
established, it was a most important inquiry whence they
came. Some supposed them to have come from Africa,
others from New Guinea. Many of their words were evi-
dently of Oriental or Sanserit origin; others were the same
as the Tamul language, in India; while others were un-
deniably the same as the Hebrew. The question was, to
what conclusion did a comparison of these crania conduct ?
Dr. Disown said he was of opinion that the South Sea
Islanders were all of a common origin.
After a conversation, the proceedings closed with a vote
ei thar.ka to the chairman.