104 



NEW HOL'LAND. 



Natives. Avithout any fign of fear. They were of the common ftatiire, 

 llender, black, and with hair as frizzled as any negroe, but not 

 diitinguillied by remarkable thick lips or flat nofes, and their 

 features far from difagreeable ; their teeth were good, but very 

 •dirty ; nor did they want any of the upper fore teeth, as D ampler 

 obferved in thofe whom he faw. The hair of thefe was clotted 

 with a fort of red ointment, and their faces were painted with 

 the fame ; they had bufliy beards on their chins and upper lips, 

 which \A as another variation from the moft northern people, yet 

 the eyes of thefe were by no means affected like the miferable na- 

 tives of the environs of Sharks bay. The hair of the women was 

 cut or Ihaven, fometimes wholly, fometimes partially ; and fome 

 had a circle of hair left, like the tonfure of the Roman catholick 

 clergy. The men were quite naked, the women had the fkin of 

 the Kangaroo tied over their llioulders, and round their waifts ; 

 the fkins of both fexes were marked with fears.. 



Their habitations were little wigwams, made of flicks covered 



Dkyades. with bark ; others reminded you of thofe of the Dryades of the 

 poets : they formed a hollow in the vaft trees of the country, 

 to the height of fix or feven feet, which they effecfied by fire ; 

 they left fo much untouched that the tree grew mofl luxuriantly, 

 and gave the image of Tajfo"^ enchanted grove : this is the only 

 foreft tree of the country; the bark is white, the flem quite 

 ftrait, and clear of branches to the height of fixty feet ; it yielded 

 atranfparent gum or refin, and the leaves of the lefTer branches 

 had an aromatic fmell. The wood is very long and tough, fit 

 for fpars, oars, and even mafts, for which purpofe, could it be 



.; made lighter, none would be better. 



No 



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