230 ANNIVERSARY OF THE COLONY. 



vities with which the inhabitants celebrate the for- 

 mation of the colony. Horse racing, and many other 

 old English sports shewed that the colonists still 

 retain the tastes and habits of home. Some of the 

 aborigines took part in the amusements of the day 

 with evident enjoyment : and we were surprised to 

 find that in throwing the spear they were excelled 

 by an English competitor. We hardly know how 

 to reconcile this fact with our own favourite theories 

 upon the perfection of the savage in the few exercises 

 of skill to which he devotes his attention, and were 

 obliged to take refuge in the inadequate suggestion 

 that the wild man requires a greater degree of ex- 

 citement than his more civilized competitor, to bring 

 out, or call into action, all the resources of his art. 

 Among the natives assembled were a small party 

 from King George's Sound : they had come to Perth, 

 bearing despatches from that place. The good 

 understanding which appeared to exist between them 

 and their fellow-countrymen in this district, led me 

 to believe that by bringing different tribes more 

 frequently together, under similar happy auspices to 

 those which convened the meeting of to-day, much 

 might be done to qualify the eager and deadly hatred 

 in which they are too prone to indulge. 



The natives in the town of Perth are most noto- 

 rious beggars : the softer sex ply this easy craft even 

 more indefatigably than the men. Their flattering 

 solicitations and undeniable importunity seldom 

 altogether fail of success, and "quibra (Le. ship) 



