Ixxxviii Appendix. 



and painted, which are capable of holding 40 or 50 men. They are kept very 

 carefully hauled up under sheds, and have the appeai'ance of being but seldom 

 used. 



" With these people our intercourse was of a most satisfactory and pleasant 

 nature. At first they were a little shy, but this was speedily got over, and a 

 free interchange of barter went on, pieces of hoop-iron being the great medium 

 of exchange. They eagerly gave their handsome stone hatchets and other 

 valuables for a piece of the coveted iron, with which many tons of the finest 

 yams were also bought. Looking glasses seemed at first to alarm them. On 

 all possible occasions I gave our ship's company liberty to go on shore and mix 

 freely with the natives, and the results were all I could desire — perfect good 

 feeling and confidence on both sides ; nor was there a single instance of our 

 men insulting the women, or of the natives making immoral offers. The 

 greater part of our surveys being done in boats, I had frequent occasion to 

 land in my six-oared galley at large populous villages, 18 or 20 miles from the 

 ship, surrounded by large crowds, yet we were always received in the same 

 friendly, hospitable spirit as if in sight of the ship, nor do I think they 

 had any idea that we possessed weapons more powerful than their own. 

 They would, if possible, pilfer when on board, but in bartering were 

 strictly honest. Taking them altogether they are as genial and pleasant a 

 race of savages as could well be met. At the same time I have no doubt they 

 do a little cannibalism among themselves. They took pains to make us 

 understand, as an event they were proud of, that they had eaten the former 

 owners of the skulls hung up in their villages, and of the human bone 

 ornaments which they wore ; but as the skulls are few and apparently of 

 ancient date, and they have superabundance of food, I am inclined to think it 

 is only on very rare occasions that they make a raid or do any fighting among ■ 

 themselves. I never saw a wounded man amongst them. I think it not at 

 all unlikely that the inhabitants of the large outlying islands stand very much 

 in relation to the New Guinea men as the Danes and Norsemen of old did to 

 the ancient Britons. On one occasion, when lying in Fortescue Strait, we 

 were visited by some large island canoes, and immediately they appeared every 

 mother's son of the New Guinea men cleai'ed out, and were seen no more until 

 the strangers had left. 



" We could not trace any sign of religious worship amongst any of these 

 copper-coloured races, unless stringing up thousands of cocoa-nuts on poles 

 fixed on the reef in front of their villages- — in fact, everywhere — may be 

 regai'ded as a propitiatory ofifering. They never were out after dark, and 

 probably, like other savages, have a belief in and dread of devils and evil 

 spirits, but no knowledge of any good spirit. At Killerton Island, before 

 they opened a fi-iendly intercourse, they brought a dog on board and knocked 



