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88 



Holland, dergo a similar punishment. Yet there arc many treach- 

 J^ew. erous and midnight murders, and as savages sleep ex- 

 "' tremely sound, this is the moment selected for ven- 

 Manners geance. It fathers appears also, that the death of eve- 

 indcustoms. T y individual, natural, accidental, or intentional, must 

 be followed by shedding some person's blood. The dis- 

 position of the New Hollanders, as described by one 

 who should know them well, is revengeful, jealous, 

 courageous, and cunning. " The inhabitant of Port 

 Jackson is seldom seen, even in the populous town of 

 Sidney, without his spear, his throwing stick, ar his 

 club. His spear is his defence against enemies ; it is 

 the weapon he uses to punish aggression, and revenge 

 insult. It is even the instrument with which he cor- 

 rects his wife in the last extreme ; for, in their passion, 

 or perhaps oftener in a fit of jealousy, they scruple not 

 to inflict death. It is the play-thing of children, and 

 in the hands of persons of all ages. It is easy to per- 

 ceive what effects this must have upon their minds. 

 They become familiarized to wounds, blood, and death, 

 and are repeatedly involved in skirmishes and dangers. 

 The native fears not death in his own person, and is 

 consequently careless of inflicting it on others : " Ne- 

 vertheless, it does not appear that the savages of New 

 Holland are animated by the same treacherous ferocity 

 as many of the neighbouring islanders. They are not 

 cannibals : Strangers on the east coast, though surpris- 

 ed when asleep, have escaped with impunity. On 

 the north coast they are more ferocious ; but the san- 

 guinary disposition of their European visitors may have 

 sometimes excited the desire of revenge. 



The New Hollanders consist of tribes inhabiting 

 different districts ; but contrary to what is known 

 among all savages still less barbarous, the right of 

 individuals to territorial possessions, which are trans- 

 mitted by inheritance, is apparently recognized. 



The whole of this vast country seems inhabited 

 only by a single race of people, intimately resembling 

 each other in person, appearance, and manners, and 

 who have not undergone the slightest change since 

 Dampier's visit in the year 1688. In every different 

 part that Europeans have landed, however, a different 

 dialect is spoken ; and these general conclusions are 

 deduced from a number of instances comparatively 

 small. Few natives consent to hold intercourse with 

 strangers. Captain Flinders circumnavigated the whole 

 coast of New Holland without having beheld a single 

 woman from the time of leaving Port Jackson until 

 his return. It has been conjectured, on very slight 

 probabilities, that New Holland has been peopled from 

 Papua. The natives of Botany Bay call themselves 

 Gal, distinguishing their tribe or family by prefixing 

 the name of the place which they inhabit. There is a 

 tribe in Abyssinia designed Galla; the Highlanders of 

 Scotland are denominated Gael ; therefore, without in- 

 vestigating the source of affinities in name among peo- 

 ple so remote from one another, we shall simply sug- 

 gest, that Gal, Gael, or Galla may signify nothing 

 more than people. The present race presents a morti- 

 fying picture of mankind sunk in the lowest state of 

 degradation, and, were we to judge hastily, we should 

 say, they are incapable of civilization. The South 

 Sea islanders have made wonderful progress in the 

 arts and civilization, from the transient visits of Eu- 

 ropeans. The natives of New Holland, who have 

 witnessed the cultivation of the earth, the erection of 

 houses, and the fabrication of apparel, for nearly thirty 

 years uninterruptedly, still go uaked, seek a precarious 



H O L 



subsistence, and shelter themselves under rocks, or in Holsteia, 

 cavt-s, from tlu j storm. Exceptions may be found, but Hoiyhead. 

 they are only of a few individuals; nor is any change """Y" 1 

 ever to be expected, but in selecting others in the ear- 

 liest childhood ; for so deeply rooted is their attach- 

 ment to savage life, that a native carried to England, 

 and supplied with every comfort, soon after his return 

 stripped himself naked, and sought for greater enjoy- 

 ments among his barbarous countrymen. See AUS- 

 TRALASIA, BOTANY BAY, and DIEME v's ISLAND, (c) 

 HOLSTEIN See DKNMARK, vol. vii. p. 6H-. 

 HOLYHEAD, is a sea-port and market-town of 

 North Wales. It is situated on a small island, on the 

 north-west side of the island of Anglesey, and denomi- 

 nated in British Caer Cylii, or the fortified place of 

 Cybi. The town consists of one principal street, with 

 detached buildings. The collegiate, now the parochial 

 church, is a handsome embattled cruciform structure, 

 consisting of a chancel, nave, aisles, and transept, with 

 a square tower, which supports a low flat spire. It ap- 

 pears to have been built about the time of Edward III. 

 An assembly-room and baths, and a large new inn and 

 hotel, have lately been opened. There is also here a 

 free- school, established in 1757. This place seems to 

 have been once in the possession of the Romans. On the 

 summit of the mountain called Pen Caer Cybi, stand* 

 a circular building, (called Caer tmr.) 60 feet in dia- 

 meter, supposed by Pennant to have been a watch- 

 tower. A long dry wall, 10 feet high, in many places 

 faced and quite entire, runs along the side of the moun- 

 tain. The precincts of the church-yard seem also to 

 be ancient. Three of the sides of the parallelogram 

 consist of massy walls, 1 7 feet high and 6 feet thick ; 

 the fourth is open to the harbour. At each angle is a 

 circular bastion tower, and round the walls are two 

 rows of round openings or oeillets, four inches in dia- 

 meter, having the inside smoothly plastered. 



As the island on which the town stands is the point 

 of land nearest to Dublin, regular packets are stationed 

 here for the accommodation of travellers passing be- 

 tween England and Ireland. The distance between 

 Holyhead and Dublin is 20 leagues, a voyage which is 

 generally performed in 12 hours, though sometimes in 

 six. In stormy weather the packets have sometimes 

 been two or three days at sea. Six packets are in the 

 constant employment of the Post-office. One goes out 

 every day except Thursday, and returns next morning. 

 These packets are well constructed and well manned, 

 so that serious accidents very seldom happen. 



The harbour of Holyhead is formed by the cliffs un- 

 der the church-yard, and a small island called Inys 

 Cybi, on which there is a light. This harbour has been 

 lately much improved. A pier has been built on the 

 eastern side of it to enable vessels to ride at anchor in 

 four fathoms of water. In connection with this improve- 

 ment, a new road has been made quite acress the coun- 

 try from Cadnant island, near Bangor ferry, to the har- 

 bour, which saves seven miles. A new light-house 

 has also been erected on a small island, or rather pro- 

 jecting rock, to the west of the head called the South 

 Stack. The light, which is a revolving one, is about 

 200 feet above the level of the sea. In order to see 

 the lighthouse, persons are wafted over by ropes in 

 a kind of basket. The promontory, called the Head, 

 is a huge mass of rocks excavated by the sea in- 

 to the most magnificent caves, one of which, called the 

 Parliament-house, is peculiarly fine. It is accessible 

 only by boats at half ebb tide, and exhibits grand re. 



