The Sun.
London, England, 1834-10-08 00:00:00

FITS.

LITERATURE.

11747 t,
4r4DERINGS IN NEW SOUTII WALES, 4.c.
231,
—e°r9e Bennett, Esq.—Bentley, London, 1834.
know not whether it be an advantage or a disad-
talita
ge) but books of all kinds now seem compiled
for amusement ; in due course of time it is to be
''Ped that Euclid may be made as entertaining as a
ri'°vel, and ladies carry about with them pocket-Alge-
bras •
I, in lieu of Waverley or Anastasius, thus defying
he old maxim,
" That there is no royal road to ma-
:nerasties.,,
qatia These volumes are not confined to Aus-
t„ ' though this is their leading topic : but we regret
la
y just
that they by no means enable us to come to a
-
conclusion. Amongst the conflicting accounts it
not very easy to discover whether Australia is, or is
t a desirable land for emigration. The principal
ti qiecti°lls to the country are occasional floods at one
ie, anal excessive droughts at another ; insects, that
an asn°n a disease in the eyes, called the " Blight,"
atid an
vivi abundance of blow-flies, that are in this country
n
it .rarnus, and which taint meat almost the moment
is killed. Its chief advantages are a fine climate, a
boofil in parts exceedingly productive, the power
g
and Purchasin land and labour at a moderate price,
t, 0
that most inestimable of all blessings, the
vtrt
the Y of enjoying your own produce • without
intervention of the rapacious tax-gatherer,
9.
Yet more rapacious landlord. The first appearance
the Australian 1,
• --an coast is, however, anything but pro-
be g. It not- till you get into the country that you
acquainted with its advantages. The New
„In"hand flax is particularly valuable, and it appears
Y that,
tally
when. it is better
.managed and 'more gene-
-14„,1 known, it will supersede the Russian flax in the
-tten
tivat market, Fish abounds in the rivers ; the cul-
l°:1 of the vine is advancing ; and the number of
cattle
'natters, increasing at a prodigious rate. For other
more or less curious or useful, we give the f01,,441g
,,441g miscellaneous quotations :
it tar man went out to hunt kangaroos, and having started
slifß ge male, the pursued animal took refuge in a water-hole,
ilalitesierjtlY shallow to enable him to keep his head and fore-
hichaTve water, and here awaited the attack of the dog,
reach e soused fairly under water, when he came within
dots) . Pat (for the gentleman was from the sister king-
-11,1
,1a great rage at the threatened death of the dog,
ri "are
a shot the kangaroo, but the gun missed fire ; he
°
t-I:nered the water-hole to bate the brains of the baste
,° be nli the butt-end of the gun ; but the baste' not fancy-
dogth L • us treated, turned from the soused and now senseless
ial%hir,ZlS more formidable adversary, and a struggle took place,
Arc,tr,;." the man was often thrust under water, and victory was
.ert,pall?g much in favour of the kangaroo, when some of Pat'sd
sib]ed
b4teseo.ndi.tion
eth':ns fortunately coming to his assistance, attacked an
animal with clubs, and rescued him in almost
; on recovery he vowed not to hunt the " big
at_ %in." This circumstance occurred some years since
Tete explains, on its first settlement, and when kangaroos
see 0 e.eedingly abundant. It is now a rare occurrence to
the abolle uPori these plains. Happening to meet the hero of
he °C tale (I mean the man, not the kangaroo) I asked
bv° he felt when the beast hugged him ; he replied,
,4e 'LerY comfortable—he tumbled me about famously—they
cgleti juLtY strong bastes, and don't seem to like being med-
"'ee ." Indeed many persoT when alone are afraid to
„ large " old man" kangaroo.
oTh *
.e•lnti
6// , or New Holland cassowary ( Casuarius Nome
nva de,
Lath.) were abundant about this part of the co-
: S L'ea,,, more
particularly at a place not far distant, called
arelV It is, however, to be regretted, that the birds
iead'i;-:inlng rarer as settlements advance, as they could be
-4,,i5;0-omesticated. The same remark applies also to the
tatiZri other animals, against whom a war of extermi-
altbetied;Fenla to have been declared. The emu is principally
birdfor its oil. The natives in this part of the colony call
Pr 9
°rin,' and Berebine.' The skin of a full-grown
b °-uces six or seven quarts of oil, clear, and of a beau-
isg' %tight yellow colour : the method of extracting
or try-
'Nl boil ? oil, is to pluck the feathers, cut the skin into pieces,
11 i.
Kai it it , but the aborigines prefer the flesh with the skin
bad '4l regardine it as the Esquimaux do the flesh of whales
8
441411
' Siai a luscious treat. The oil is excellent for
tiered g; it produce; no disagreeable smell; it is also consi-
-441 a good liniment for sprains or bruises in horses and
tst y, either alo
,irequired, ne, or when a st.ronger stimulating properties
inlxed with turpentine.
t•e%te. e emu crops-Ferlynge lire -The cow tir-borse,_ and pot-
pea4 great keenness of vision. The flesh is eated by Euro-
ls eas's.and preferred by some to the kangaroo ; the rump part
still t° 'tiered as delicate as fowl ; the legs coarse like beef, but
bq the Oder ; the fibula bone of the leg is used as an ornament
tatiyehaatives. The best time to hunt these birds
but
at an°ne
tOur in the morning. They are swift of
.foot ; w when
4ndett e dogs get up to them, they are speedily. overthrown
484111sPatched. The formation of their nest is simple ; they
space select a situation in a scrub, upon the hills, where a
'3ticits is scraped similar to those formed by brooding hens
the tend leaves which alone form the nest, are left round
ts r: eared place • here the eggs are deposited without regard
it is gularity the number varying from nine to thirteen ; and
beLlenriou's circumstance, that there is always an odd num-
!let, :sk° nests having been discovered with nine, others with
uNer,-,' and others again with thirteen. It is now ascertained
4rs -f", doubt that the e gs are hatched by incubation. They
'arge size, and ofga beautiful bluish green colour."
a
Ltei4.' the residence of Mr. Davies I had an opportunity of
specithen of the orang-utan, which had been
Banjarmassinq, on the south coast of Borneo.
-:741 was a male, and measured two ft et four inches in
please'mg the first specimen I had seen alive. I was much
°ther;" With its intellectual appearance as compared with
tdge, °f the monke
7tribe. He was seen to some disadvan-
i'enti he was suffering from a severe cold; and not being
Ns 'a the usual haunt, was at last discovered in one of the
garde enveloped in a sheet. When we uncovered him, he re-
/',4S 'flalis With a piteous countenance, as if to inform us he
eyes were suffused with tears, cough, and
\t'hain .eirtY hot and d with a pulse at one hundred and twenty.
4101?; ',the natural' standard of the healthy pulse of this ani-
Od (I'd :le was evidently most desirous of being wrapped up,
Ack got care Chid be caressed by strangers, but turned his
t°l,l tep-la," them g his head and face. His usual. place
,134 Was on' a mat in the verandah, but feeling ill,
.he
rui ht claim reater indulgence, so took pnssession
1-11Rlie bgd aTh g large anterior mass of brain gave a
f;t_heoutigehgtr,e:
_aoacf sintelligeetnscoe to the animal's countenance,
much of the human character as
ernihaad o
synndactyla, or Ungka ape ; but, concealing
4s);t, „..Iver Portion of the countenance, the upper part and eyes
ivssti with an
intelligent expression. I observe it can thrust f?r-
h° illln-1.11)8 in imitation of the action of kissing, but cannot give
°Jdti I,l!'se to them • neither does it lap liquid when in the act
''ve Pnr -ing• When ;tinning about it often exercises its destruc-
I° the `Tensity by destroying trees in the gardens.of!he houses
tialit ; and some of the owners not evincing much
,gless„/ to the monkey tribe, threatened to shoot the ag-
i'gr 1;4 so, to save the life of the animal, a large bamboo
„,eeritl .?onstructed, in which he was confined, but,. born to
Isn'elstia ' sr!e screamed with rage on being placed in it, and,
bLa thelt"ls muscular power, soon demolished the cage, and
b as quiet as before, being perfectly docile when at li-
tho
ut savage under restraint.,
INoinetinaes made himself a nest in a large tree near
ggs and, watching when any one approached with fruit
it 'hd o'ilveuld come down and endeavour to steal them. He
ta 11, offee, and runs eagerly after the servants to procure
Ore ate natives are very fond of the animal, and it appears
iti;j'rarteil',,ed to them than to Europeans.. Not being found
is' to regarded as a great curiosity ; the natives assbign--
4 bee' geater degree of intelligence. The. animal, ay
ro
e, P, the c:Lited to the commander of a ship to take to
~servants declared that it had overheard the con-
;il,4nelio`;' its being about to migrat.e,. and always appeared
of its present illness
th*tit wh
was the cause this entleman visited the,,house, adding,
~.
*
eoti, rhe
-e t --Nes state, that once every year the mountains
th;4e!°,l':ltter? occasioning rain, thunder, lightning, earth-
Nio4 1(
sits ti violent storms ; the Urong Salle, or Fire King,
ele ieg tisPon the mountain, surrounded by hideous demons,
so jellfs ,qtehneois.e and uproar ioned by the conflict of the
the nd t winds blow in violent tornados ; the thunder is
ta: terris„ ,°.eccasion the earth to tremble under_ the feet of
al tors,e''lleot_ inhabitants ; the rain causes treme!idousnamrrouinn_
vastefore tist' inundating habitations and plantations, carrying
eg
Of -,tlon n ern in their impetuous course, and spreadingconflict
nilint
-ceomund. In the midst of this dreadfula o
horrible
the 4s huts, the mountains meet with
telht ,1 Ong Lne forked lightning plays around them—
Salle or Fire King, surrounded by his s. a-
n-aajuseghs f and sports in the scene. The mountains
4t g their, or a minute, when they again separate, re-
tittle former position. No person dare ascend the hill
Itetliki all; there sits the Fire King and his dethons, an. d
/t 4be 4;ll'3'abli ndst his eyes upon him, that instant he
uck I'l c
With ness.
11°t beill "
e be easily understood that these extracts have
Welto: solely confined to the account of Australia, and
the come with the author to China, where, though
„ grouro •
"4rrative ". Is more familiar, we scarcely know that his
age,
ar Is less
amusing. Yet how is it that many
whitil °coupied by a long tale of the Ungka ape,
recoile a already
c, appeared in print, and, if we rightly
g It to,
~ /lairs Fragments of Voyages ?" Leav-
ceed t° Noers to settle this (lA' cult question, we pro-
abitat gtive. au extract, which amusingly shows the
of the Celestial Empire to be as great