152 APPEARANCE AMONG THE ABORIGINES. 



with the pits left by the small-pox. From that 

 distant period no similar disease had been ob- 

 served among them, till about the month of 

 August, 1830, when Mr. Brown, of Wallero- 

 wang, first saw this eruptive malady in five 

 blacks, near the river Castlereagh, two in 

 the incipient, and three in more advanced 

 stages. He had, however, heard of its existence 

 among the tribes to the northward six months 

 before. One of these men was afterwards seen 

 by Mr. Brown with pits like those of small -pox, 

 on different parts of his body ; and he ascer- 

 tained that the others had died of the disease. 

 Mr. Brown did not meet with any more cases 

 of the disease till the beginning of August, 1831, 

 when it manifested itself in three blacks, who 

 had been in close communication with some 

 others recently arrived from the Lachlan, and 

 who had but a short time recovered sufficiently 

 to be able to travel. These men stated that the 

 disease had been raging in their part of the 

 country, and that several had died of it. Some 

 of the Wallerowang blacks, convinced of its 

 contagious nature, had fled to Emu plains to 

 escape infection ; three of the number having 

 afterwards returned were seized with it. 



At Wellington Valley the same malady was 

 first remarked, (as near as could be ascertained,) 



