30 Of the Checks to Population in the Bk. i. 



own party. The woman thus treated becomes his 

 wife, is incorporated into the tribe to which he 

 belongs, and but seldom quits him for another. 

 The outrage is not resented by the relations of 

 the female, who only retaliate by a similar out- 

 rage when it is in their power.* 



The union of the sexes takes place at an early 

 age ; and instances were known to our colonists 

 of very young girls having been much and shame- 

 fully abused by the males. f 



The conduct of the husband to his wife or wives, 

 seems to be nearly in character with this strange 

 and barbarous mode of courtship. The females 

 bear on their heads the traces of the superiority 

 of the males, which is exercised almost as soon as 

 they find strength in their arms to inflict a blow. 

 Some of these unfortunate beings have been ob- 

 served with more scars on their shorn heads, cut 

 in every direction, than could well be counted. 

 Mr. Collins feelingly says, " The condition of 

 " these women is so wretched, that I have often, 

 " on seeing a female child borne on its mother's 

 " shoulders, anticipated the miseries to which it 

 " was born, and thought it would be a mercy to 

 " destroy it. "J In another place, speaking of 

 Bennilong's wife being delivered of a child, he 

 says, " I here find in my papers a note, that for 

 " some offence Bennilong had severely beaten 



* Collins's New South Wales, Appen. p. 559. 

 t Id. Appen. p. 563. 

 } Id. Appen. p. 583. 



