PORT ES61NGT0N. 357 



cupy themselves only in trade, if there is sufficient 

 encouragement held out to them. 



During our stay a report was brought into the 

 settlement by the natives that there was a large 

 vessel wrecked on the main land, near the Alligator 

 Rivers, which was accompanied by so many details 

 of place and circumstance that Captain Stanley was 

 induced to send Lieut. Vallack, of the Britomart, 

 away in the decked tender to procure informa- 

 tion, and to render all assistance in his power. 

 He was accompanied by several of the Port Essing- 

 ton natives ; and on arriving at the Eastern 

 River, found that there was no foundation for 

 the report. But having got so far away from the 

 settlement, he ascended the river some little dis- 

 tance, and towards sunset came on a tribe of natives. 

 The anchor was let go, and signs were made to 

 induce them to approach, for some time without suc- 

 cess. At last, however, encouraged by seeing so many 

 of their own countrymen, two or three of the more 

 courajjeous ventured to draw near. The scene that 

 followed was a curious illustration of the slight com- 

 munication that exists between natives of different 

 tribes, and also of the great difference in their lan- 

 guage, as the strangers could hold no conversation 

 with the people from Port Essington, who, when 

 they found their own dialect was not understood, 

 tried to explain themselves in such few words of 

 broken English as were then used at the colony, and 

 seemed very much surprised at their want of sue- 



