.30 SUPERSTITIONS. 



SO far as to recognise in several of our officers and 

 others in the ship^ the g-hosts of departed friends to 

 whom they mig-ht have home some fancied resem- 

 blance^ andj in consequence^ under the new names of 

 Tamu^ Tarka^ &c. the}^ were claimed as relations, 

 and entitled to all the pri^dleg'es of such. 



Among- many superstitions held by the Prince of 

 Wales islanders, they are much afraid of shooting' 

 stars, believing- them to be g"hosts which in breaking 

 up produce young- ones of their own kind. After 

 sneezing-, they make violent g-estures with the hands 

 and arms ; if a joint cracks, they imag-ine that some 

 one is speaking- of them or wishing- them well in the 

 direction in which the arm is pointing-. 



The only tradition which I heard of occurs among- 

 the Kowrareg-as, and is worth mentioning- for its 

 singularity. The first man created was a great 

 giant named Adi, who, while fishing off Hammond 

 Island, was caught by the rising tide and drowned, 

 Hammond Rock springing up immediately after to 

 mark the spot. His wives, who were watching- him 

 at the time, resolved to drown thems3lves, and were 

 changed into some dry rocks upon an adjacent reef 

 named after them Iplle, or the wives. 



According- to Gi'om ague is prevalent in Muralug 

 during the rainy season, but is not much dreaded, 

 as it is supposed to remove former complaints, such 

 as the sores prevalent among children. At Cape 

 York I have seen people affected with this com- 

 plaint, but to what extent it occurs in that neigh- 



