AND TORRES STRAIT. 3 



the Massileg'as* reside on the York Isles and others 

 adjacent : and the Miriamf tribe hold the north- 

 easternmost islands of Torres Strait, including- Mur- 

 ray and Darnley Islands. 



The junction between the two races, or the Papuan 

 from the north and the Australian from the south, 

 is effected at Cape York by the Kowraregas, whom 

 I believe to be a Papuanized colony of Australians, 

 as will elsewhere be shewn. In fact, one might 

 hesitate whether to consider the Kowrareg-asJ as 

 Papuans or Australians, so complete is the fusion 



* I do not know what name is given to the tribe or tribes 

 inhabiting the space between the Miriam and the Kfilkalaig. 

 Dzfim (a Darnley islander) told me of a tribe called Gamle 

 inhabiting Owrid, Uta, Zogarid, Sirreb, Mekek, and Wurber ; at 

 all events the natives of Massid belong to a distinct tribe, judging 

 from their language, and are known as the Massilegas by the Kow- 

 raregas. They occasionally (as in 1848) come down to Cape 

 York on a visit to the Australians there, often extending their 

 voyage far to the southward, visiting the various sandy islets in 

 search of turtle and remaining away for a month or more. 



f Is so named from a place in Murray Island. The possessions 

 of this tribe are Mer, Dowar, Wayer, Errub, Ugar, Zapker, and 

 Edugor, all, except the two last, permanently inhabited. 



X Dr. Latham informs me that the Kowrarega language is 

 undeniably Australian, and has clearly shewn such to be the case : 

 and although the Miriam language does not show any obvious 

 affinity with the continental Australian dialects, yet the number of 

 words common to it and the Kowrarega, I find by comparison of my 

 vocabularies to be very considerable, and possibly, were we at all 

 acquainted with the grammar of .the former, other and stronger 

 affinities would appeari 



B 2 



