544 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1815. 
with us again, in seven canoes; 
some of them came under the 
stern, and fifteen or twenty of the 
people ascended on board, bring- 
ing in their hands, pearl-oyster 
shells, and necklaces of cowries ; 
with which, and some bows and 
arrows, they obtained more of the 
precious tooree. Wishing to se- 
cure the friendship and confidence 
of these islanders to such vessels 
as might hereafter pass through 
Torres’ Strait, and not being able 
to distinguish any chief amongst 
them, I selected the oldest man, 
and presented him with a hand- 
saw, a hammer and nails, and 
some other trifles; of all which 
we attempted to shew him the use 
but I believe without success; for 
the poor old man became fright- 
ened, on finding himself to be so 
particularly noticed. 
At this time we began to heave 
short for weighing, and made 
signs to the Indians to go down 
into their canoes, which they 
seemed unwilling to comprehend ; 
but on the seamen going aloft to 
loose the sails, they went hastily 
down the stern ladder, and ship’s 
sides, and shoved off; and before 
the anchor was up, they paddled 
back ‘to the shore, without our 
good understanding having suffer- 
ed any interruption. 
The'colour of these Indians is 
a dark chocolate ; they are active 
muscular men, about the middle 
size ,and their countenances ex- 
pressive of a quick apprehension. 
Their features and hair appeared 
to be similar to those of the na- 
tives of New South Wales, and 
they also go quite naked, but 
some of them had ornaments of 
shell work, and of plaited hair or 
fibres of bark, about their waists, 
necks and ancles. Our friend 
Bongaree could not understand 
any thing of their language, nor 
did they pay much attention to 
him; he seemed, indeed, to feel 
his own inferiority, and made but 
a poor figure amongst them. The 
arms of these people have been 
described in the voyage of Captain 
Bligh (Introduction, p. xxiii) ; as 
also the canoes, of which the an- 
nexed plate, from a drawing by 
Mr. Westall, gives a correct re- 
presentation, The two masts, 
when not wanted, are laid along 
the gunwales ; when set up, they 
stand abreast of each other in the 
fore part of the canoe, and seem- 
ed to be secured by one set of 
shrouds, with a stay from one 
mast head tothe other. The sail 
is extended between them; but 
when going with a side wind, the 
lee mast is brought aft by a back 
stay, and the sail then stands ab- 
liquely.. In other words they 
brace up by setting in the head of 
the lee mast, and perhaps the foot 
also; and can then lie within 
seven points of the wind, and 
possibly nearer. This was their 
mode, so -far as a distant view 
would admit of judging; but how 
these long canves keep to the 
wind, and make such way as they 
do, without any after-sail, I am 
at a loss to know. 
Murray’s largest island is nearly 
two miles long, by something 
more than one in breadth ; it is 
rather high land, and the hill at 
its western end, may be seen from 
a ship’s deck at the distanee of 
eight or nine leagues, in a clear 
day. The two smaller isles seem- 
ed to be single hills, rising ab- 
ruptly from the sea, and to be 
scarcely accessible; nor did we 
see upon them any fires, or other . 
marks of inhabitants. On thg 
