Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-08-22

"A L4AnG 0I hb NhbNhCag hO LAOubCbs ~
Tools no Religion, and no Mar
FiaEe.
London Times
Seventeen years ago Narcisse Pierre Pei
letter, the son Of shoemaker in a small
town in the department of La Vendee,
went to sea, and, after a few months was
wrecked with large cargo Of Chinese
coolies. By miracle and prompt ude he
survived the brutality of his own captain,
the cannibals who ate up most Of the Chi
nese, starvation, and more fatal thirst, 20
fall into the hands of a native Australian
tribe.
In the settled portions of that continent
a native is as great a curiosity as in this
metropolis, but the aboriginal races still
have much to themselves the parts nearer
the equator. This was about thirteen de-
grees South, not far from Torres Strait,
New Guinea, and the LOuisiade Archipela-
20. The sayages were very kind TO the
poor dying lad adopted him into their
tribe, found him a valuable member of So
ciety, and were proud Of their possess on.
He acquired titles Of honor, inscribed upon
his SKIN and carried in his nose and ears,
be learnt to carve canoes, and obtained an
acknowledged pTe-eminenCe in strength,
skill and counsel.
The tribe is a republic in too stridest
sense Of the word, acknowledging no
| superiority, and fortunately Offering small
field for the ambition which leads TO higher
political developments. They have no
clothes, except a fringe in the case Of
woman; no houses, except umbrellas eX-
| tempOrized out of leaves when 1t rains
| heavily; no tools, except bits Of hoop iron
/ found in wrecks; DO arts and sciences;
very small vocabulary, and an arithmetic
| stuIping short at ten, and indicated by
! pointing to various parts Of the bOiy.
/ They have no religion, no history, no social
| institutions, not even marriage. Regarded
! from our point Of view, life is there one
| great negative, and the only wonder is they
! get on as we'll as they do. The women,
! however, 90 10 the wall, as in all savage
life; they are the property Of the stronger,
| two or three at a time, and are put out OF
| the way, as a useless horse is with us, when
! no longer useful or agreeable. This IS ami
\ mai life.
| Narcisse Pelletier was quickly absorbed
| in the new current Of his existence. He
became pure and simple savage, and as
| much forgot that he had ever been any
! thing else as if he had lived in a long
dream. lie could not speak q word OF
French; lost reckoning Of days and years;
knew not his own age; perched on a rail
like bird; had restless monkey eyes; clave
| with strong instinct 10 his adopted frateTni-
ty, and only remembered his relations as
beings Of another world who must long
since have passed away.
But Narcisse Pelletier has returned TO
life. On tine l1th of April in the present
year the John Bell schooner, engaged in
the beChe de mer fishery, anchored at Night
Island, small island off the northeast
coast of Queensland, 10 which beats were
dispatched from the ship in search Of water.
The sailors sent on this duty encountered
in the bush party of aboriginal blacks,
with whom they found white man, who was
like the blacks, perfectly naked, and appear,
ed TO be completely identified with them
I'm language and habits. The white say
ace was induced to enter one of the ships's
boats, and the John Bell brought her prize
TO Somerset, the settlement at Cape York
where be was clothed and cared for by the
resident magistrate. The dream Of the
long night is passed away and is forgotten
To day takes up the thread OF yesterday,
and foTgets the gap between. Narcisse L
J already reading French novels.