New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-01-17
The Natives Of Australia

4 writer IN Fraser's Magazine who has been
" prospecting among the natives Of New South
Whales, gives some curious accounts of their
habits and customs. After referring to their
dexterity in throwing spears, he describes their
agility IN climbing trees, which they perform in
the following novel manner g The native strikes
on the trunk Of the tree with his tomahawk,
just tWo strokes, one obliquely downwards, the
other horizontal, Sc as to cut out little wedge
Of the bark, and leave step just large enough
TO admit the great toe On this he stands, and
reaching up five feet, cuts another step. tt is
wonderful to gee how quickly he will IN this way
literally walk up the trunk Of high tree, with
out ever touching the branches Tree climbing
is an essential accomplishment to an Australian
native, as much Of their subsistence Is derived
from opossums, who swarm in every gum tree
forest"
After this, the writer describes a camp Of
natives he subsequently saw in the Government
domain at Sydney. We give it in his own words.
iney are inferior IN stature and muscular
dayelopement to the Maories, and their black
sAins and w0olly heads mark them az Of tha
| negro family; but was agreeably surprised
at the neatnesa q their figures, and their grace
ful' active motions They are particularly
GOOD horsemen, and exceedingly fond Of being
about horses. But in all moral and intellectual
qualities, they are further below the PoIynesean
races, than these latter are below Europeans.
| The Australian never learns any Of the arts Of
| industry and civilization; he never has been
| known to cultivate the ground, or to build q
house, or to reside permanently on any spot
| he never accumulaSes money, nor has he indeed
! any notion properly speaking Of earning it.
4 Those who are employed by the settlers receive
no wages-only their board and clothing, with
| an occasional present Of money to buy tobacco
and spirits. Even the native police, who are
stationed on the border to keep down the depre-
dations of the wild blacks get only nominal
pay. They are delighted to serve for short pc
riods for the pleasure of riding about in uni
form; but they stick to nothing long. Various
attempts have been made toattach and fix them,
but all have failed. Like the gipsies, they are
| untameable. They travel about the country,
| sleeping always IN the open air, and living on
yans and other roots. kangarees-when they
can get then--but above all, on opossums, and
never encamping leng in one place. Each tribe
has its hunting grourd, and q trespasser is in
| Yariably punished with death if caught. They
hang about towns and stations for the sake Of
the otal, etc, and occasionally do little jobs to
earn as reward spirits or sugar or tobacco.
| Like the Maories, their numbers are rapidly di-
nlinishing, which is not, as in the Maories case,
surprising or unaccountable There is one other
difference which is worth remarking, namely,
that the Australian blacks are not, and never
can be in the slightest degree formidable, as q
nation, to the settlers collectively; because
they have not the least capacity, or even idea,
Of combination, and because they never possess
the means of procuring firearms or ammuni-
ton. The New zealanders, on the contrary.
are, almost without exception, well armed with
foWlng- pieces and nuskets. while, though there
has never been anything like q national feeling
or federation, embracing all the tribe, still
there is ample capacity for forming such ALI.
| ance; indeed, have no doubt at all but that j
would be formed, if they had cause which en-
> listed general sympathy.
/" 1t is remarkable that neither in New Zea-
land nor in Australia, does the simple eontriY
ance of bows and arrows appear to have beer
/ \ adopted before the introduction of firearms
: The use of spears and tomahawks as missile.
prevailed universally; but these are very de
i fective in comparison. There are, am told,
n good number of half-breeds who are good look
IS ing and intelligent. but hear also that the,
: almost invariably prefer the savage to the civil
/. lied mode of life. / have heard one instance 0
full blooded native settling down into respect
= ability, as a shepherd, and what is more won
!. !. derful, getting an Enghshwoman to marry him
I mention this the more particularly, as l neve
heard Of any similar case, and 1 never knew al
9 instance in New Zealand of white woman ei
ther marrying, or having Illicit intereours
with q native. All the half castles are white
!, On the fathers side. @.z