180 cook's VOYAGE TO JAN. 



wretches as the natives whom Dampier mentions to 

 have seen on its western coast. * 



Some of our present groupe wore loose round 

 their necks three or four folds of small cord, made of 

 the fur of some animal; and others of them had a 

 narrow slip of the kangooroo skin tied round their 

 ancles. I gave to each of them a string of beads, 

 and a medal; which 1 thought they received with 

 some satisfaction. They seemed to set no value on 

 iron, or on iron tools. They were even ignorant of 



colour with the hair, and bushy and thick. See Vol. II. p. 211. 

 of this Edition of Cook's Voyages. 



It may be necessary to mention here, on the authority of 

 Captain King, that Captain Cook was very unwilling to allow that 

 the hair of the natives now met with in Adventure Bay was woolly, 

 fancying that his people, who first observed this, had been deceived, 

 from its being clotted with grease and red ochre. But Captain 

 King prevailed upon him afterward to examine carefully the hair 

 of the boys, which was generally, as well as that of the women, free 

 from this dirt ; and then he owned himself satisfied that it was 

 naturally woolly. Perhaps we may suppose it possible, that he 

 himself had been deceived when he was in Endeavour River, from 

 this very circumstance; as he expressly says, that they saw none 

 that was not matted and filthy. 



* And yet Dampier's New Hollanders, on the western coast, 

 bear a striking resemblance to Captain Cook's at Van Diemen's 

 Land, in many remarkable instances: 



1st, As to their becoming familiar with the strangers. 



2dly, As to their persons; being straight-bodied, and thin; their 

 skin black ; and black, short, curled hair, like the negroes of 

 Guinea; with wide mouths. 



3dly, As to their wretched condition; having no houses, no 

 garment, no canoes, no instrument to catch large fish; feeding on 

 broiled muscles, cockles, and periwinckles; having no fruits of the 

 earth ; their weapons a straight pole, sharpened and hardened at 

 the end, &c. &c. 



The chief peculiarities of Dampier's miserable wretches are, 1st, 

 Their eye-lids being always half closed, to keep the flies out, which 

 were excessively troublesome there: and, 2dly, Their wanting the 

 two fore-teeth of the upper jaw, and their having no beards. See 

 Dampier s Voyages, vol. i. p. 464, &c. There seems to be no 

 reason for supposing that Dampier was mistaken in the above ac- 

 count of what he saw. 



