XXVI PKOCEEDINGS, SEPTEMBER. 



somewhere. In the first place a child of her age, with imperfectly 

 developed intelligence, would scarcely be likely to volunteer that 

 statement, or do more than give a mechanical assent to the question 

 when asked, without, perhaps, at all understanding its import. Again, 

 possibly the clerk writing the deposition may have understood that 

 Fanny was sister to Mary Ann instead of half-sister, and naturally 

 assumed them to be the offspring of the same parents. Besides, it 

 conflicts with all the official correspondence in which she is referred to 

 with Dr. Milligan, the medical superintendent, and Mr. Clark, the 

 catechist, in all of which the term " half-caste " never once appears, 

 and she is invariably designated an aboriginal girl, and distinguished 

 from Mary Ann, her half-sister, and an undisputed half-caste. I may 

 add, also, that Fanny wholly repudiates all knowledge or recollection 

 of the evidence referred to. The paper of Lieut. Friend, which I have 

 quoted, in which he refers to Sarah, the mother of Fanny, in support of 

 his hypothesis, as well as the official statement given of Eugene being 

 her father and Adam being her brother, should remove all doubt as to 

 Fanny being a true aboriginal. While it is not to be denied that 

 differences of opinion exist on the point, I think it must be allowed, 

 from the facts brought forward, that the weight of testimony is in its 

 favour. The characteristics of the complexion and of the hair have 

 been cited as favouring the opinion that Fanny must be deposed from 

 the pedestal claimed for her as a pure aboriginal and placed in the 

 ranks of the half-castes. Mr. Walpole states that " her colour is a very 

 dark brown," but I should rather term it a blackish-brown, and showins; 

 the true aboriginal tint. On this point it must be remembered that 

 from her infancy she has been encircled within the pale of civilised life, 

 and shielded from the severities of weather and privations to which 

 otherwise she would have been exposed, — all this, together with her 

 surroundings, must naturally have in some degree tended to exercise a 

 modifyina influence. The same as to her hair, which, if less woolly 

 and like a mop, has no doubt been combed and brushed out to some 

 small extent of its original fluffiness to reconcile it to the model of the 

 hair of the white children with whom she was brought up, and which 

 she would naturally strive to imitate. The question at issue may 

 appear, at fitst sight, to be a mere personal matter, and of comparative 

 unimportance, but it is in reality much more than that, and has acquired 

 a scientific aspect deserving of attention. There is reason to believe 

 that the theory of Strzelecki has influenced many to concurrence in his 

 views, and to disregard or overlook the cogency of facts opposed to 

 it. Lieutenant Friend, as we have seen, disputes the dictum referred 

 to, and has adduced strong evidence in support of his objection. Thus 

 an interesting problem has been presented for solution. All controversy, 

 however, must now be regarded as finally set at rest, since the adoption 

 by Parliament, after due inquiry, of two resolutions passed, respectively, 

 in sessions 1882 and 1884, by the first of which the pension of Fanny 

 Smith was increased from £24 to £50 per annum, and by the second 

 that a grant deed of the 100 acres of land she at that time occupied, 

 and for the 200 acres additional then presented to her, should be 

 issued to Fanny free of cost, both votes being passed on the ground 

 specified of her being the last survivor of the aboriginal race. 



Mr. Taylor did not doubt Mr. Barnard had made very searching 

 inquiry before submitting his paper. There was much that was new in 

 the paper, and he hoped if any members possessed any further evidence 

 respecting this much-vexed question, they would not fail to place it 

 before the Society. 



NEW DARK YIELD MICROMETER, 



In the absence of Mr. A. B. Biggs, the Secretary read a paper 

 contributed by that gentleman on "a new dark field micrometer for 



