242 LEAVE HOLDFAST ROAD. 



am glad to hear that the opinion I so early formed 

 has at length been partially acted upon. The natives 

 will soon be open to an engagement on board a vessel, 

 and may expect to emulate the New Zealanders, 

 some of whom have risen to be mates ; and to 

 acquire the information and experience of which 

 they stand so much in need. Whereas, were their 

 knowledge confined to their own imperfect dialect, 

 not only would they be unable to extend their 

 acquaintance with other parts of the w^orld, and 

 with the arts of civilization, but they would remain, 

 as many of them now are, actually incapable of 

 communicating with many inhabitants of their own 

 districts. For it must be borne in mind, that very 

 frequently, a tribe inhabiting one valley is ignorant 

 of the language spoken in the next. So that to in- 

 struct them only in their own forms of speech, is not 

 only difficult, since, on the death of each master 

 some one else has to learn the grammar and vocabu- 

 lary to supply his place, but absolutely tends to 

 perpetuate the isolation in which the natives now 

 live ; and which is the main cause of the little 

 development of their minds, and the inferior 

 position they occupy in the scale of civilization. 



We sailed from Holdfast Road, on December 7th, 

 but in consequence of light winds, with occasional 

 very heavy squalls, it was not until the afternoon of 

 the 10th, that we got out to sea by Backstairs 

 Passage, between Cape Jervis and Kangaroo Island. 

 On the morning of the 8th, we were obliged to 



