1777- THF pacific OCEAN. 191 



n their situation ; but, on the contrary, seemed mild 

 and cheerful, without reserve or jealousy of strangers. 

 This, however, may arise from their having little to 

 lose or care for. 



" With respect to personal activity or genius, we can 

 say but little of either. They do not seem to possess 

 the first in any remarkable degree; and as for the last, 

 they have, to a-ppearance, less than even the half- 

 animated inhabitants of Terra del Fuego, who have 

 not invention sufficient to make clothing for defend- 

 ing themselves from the rigor of their climate, though 

 furnished with the materials. The small stick, rudely 

 pointed, which one of them carried in his hand, was 

 the only thing we saw that required any mechanical 

 exertion, if we except the fixing on the feet of some 

 of them pieces of kangooroo skin, tied with thongs; 

 though it could not be learnt whether these were in 

 use as shoes, or only to defend some sore. It must 

 be owned, however, they are masters of some contriv- 

 ance, in the manner of cutting their arms and bodies 

 in lines of different lengths and directions, which are 

 raised considerably above the surface of the skin, so 

 that it is difficult to guess the method they use in 

 executing this embroidery of their persons. Their 

 not expressing that surprize which one might have 

 expected from their seeing men so much unlike 

 themselves, and things to which, we were well as- 

 sured, they had been hitherto utter strangers, their 

 indifference for our presents, and their general in- 

 attention, were sufficient proofs of their not possess- 

 ing any acuteness of understanding. 



" Their colour is a dull black, and not quite so deep 

 as that of the African Negroes. It should seem also, 

 that they sometimes heightened their black colour, 

 by smutting their bodies ; as a mark was left behind 

 on any clean substance, such as white paper, when 

 they handled it. Their hair, however, is perfectly 

 woolly, and it is clotted or divided into small parcels, 

 like that of the Hottentots, with the use of some sort 



