Proceedings . 179 



of a transmigration of the souls of depai'ted blacks iato the bodies of white men 

 whom they have most closely resembled in appearance or manners, and whom, 

 they named accordingly after those of their friends who had died.. This belief, I 

 think, arose from their being otherwise unable to account for our appearance 

 amongst them, as when occasionally taunting them with the absurdity of the 

 notion, they have with some warmth answered by asking, how could you have 

 known the way to this country miless you had been here before ? 



" Eeligion, I may safely say, they have none. They believe in an evU spirit; 

 and the Boyala men, or doctors, have considerable influence over them. 



" They disbeheve altogether in natm'al deaths, that is death from natural causes. 

 If a man tumbles out of a tree and breaks his neck, they think that his life has 

 been charmed away by the Boyala men from another tribe, and the duty of aveng- 

 ing his death devolves upon his brother or nearest relative. This leads to con- 

 stant feuds and numberless treacherous murders. Every attempt has been made 

 by the Government through the Protectors to check the evils arising from this 

 barbarous superstition, hitherto, however, with but partial success, as the obligation 

 they feel under to avenge then- relative's death is very strong. One man I recol- 

 lect whose brother was killed, struggled hard against this feeling, which in the end, 

 however, prevailed. He wasted away, said he could not sleep, and that his 

 brother's spu'it continued to haunt him wherever he went, and to upbraid him with 

 cowardice for not avenging his death ; an act which in the end he felt himself 

 compelled to accomplish. 



" The Government of "Western Australia have latterly, I regret to say, resorted 

 to hanging aborigines guilty of this offence. I much doubt the propriety of inter- 

 fering to such an extent in quarrels purely inter se — it would seem to be a subject 

 for the Missionary to deal with, not the hangman. Of the intelligence and apti- 

 tude of the aborigines for learning, I am favoiu'ably impressed ; their powers of 

 imitation enable them, with very little practice, to assist in all the ordinary occupa- 

 tions of a settler's life. At school they are quick at learning the rudiments of 

 education, and wUl generally learn to read in a much shorter time than a white 

 child of the same age. A curious circumstance occurred at Perth connected with 

 education; — a labouring man married an aboriginal girl who had been educated at 

 the Wesleyan mission establislunent, and who after marriage taught her husband 

 to read. It is much to be deplored that all the efforts hitherto made permanently 

 to improve then- condition have met with but little success. In Western Australia 

 great exertions were made in this good cause by the Wesleyans, aided by the Local 

 Government; but after a residence of a year or two at the institution, Perth, where 

 they were well cared for, a large proportion of them died within a brief period of 

 each other of some complaint of the lungs. Indeed, their predisposition to pulmonary 

 complaints is rather surprising : very many die of influenza, and it is evident that 

 they are more susceptible of these diseases now than formerly ; a condition which 

 may, I think, be partly accoimted for from the fact that the bush blacks are worse 

 clad now than before the country was settled. Formerly, every man had a good 

 kangaroo-skin cloak : that garment has now given place to some cast-off clothes 



