OF YAN DIEMEN'S LAND. 151 



"Van Diemen's Land as well as on the guilty, a thing 

 "not uncommon even in what are termed civilised wars. 

 " Some of those on the Settlement, who are known to 

 "have taken a part in avenging the wrongs of their 

 "countrymen, have since proved themselves to be men of 

 "kind and affectionate dispositions, and have won the 

 "return of the same kindly feelings which they have 

 "shown in their intercourse with each other." 



Instances of their good-natured readiness to please are 

 related by the Friends. One woman, on the visitors 

 expressing a wish to have a sample of the inside of the 

 fern-tree, which was an article of ordinary food with the 

 blacks, made a journey of some miles into the bush to 

 procure it. Another collected a considerable quantity of 

 fern root, and prepared it in the native manner, because 

 one of the visitors had desired to see it in the state in 

 which the blacks were, accustomed to eat it. In their 

 intercourse with each other they showed a like good 

 nature. The Friends noticed that in the daily distribu- 

 tion of food, though the division was often very unequal, 

 there was no dissatisfaction because one got more than 

 another. They showed the most perfect good temper 

 throughout. 



The absence of disturbances or crimes of violence 

 during their captivity on Flinders Island is of itself a 

 sufficient proof that the idea, so commonly entertained 

 at the time, of their untamable ferocity, was not well 

 founded. Yet, the Aborigines Committee, in 1830, in 

 their Report to the Governor, stated their belief " that 

 the Aborigines of this Colony are insensible to kindness, 

 devoid of generous feelings, bent on revenge." 



The tractability of the captive blacks at the Settle- 

 ment was remarkable. They acted like good natured 

 children, and were as imitative as monkeys. Thus, at a 

 religious service, at which some of them were present, 

 they behaved with great decorum, and during prayer 

 turned their faces to the wall in imitation of the whites. 

 When they were presented with Scotch caps, the young 

 men drew themselves up in a line and imitated the 

 manoeuvres of soldiers. They showed a great desire to 

 copy the ways of their white instructors. The men were 

 particularly anxious to be supplied with trousers, but 

 resented the offer of yellow trousers, the usual garb of 

 prisoners. They also wanted to have stools to sit upon, 



