270 NEW SOUTH WALES. 



conduct, but simply from one of trie unaccountable customs or super- 

 stitions of tbese people, which holds the nearest relative of a person 

 accountable for his death, if it takes place under his care. 



From the destructive influence of their own vices, and those of the 

 community, these blacks are rapidly dying off As an instance of 

 this, Mr. Threlkeld mentioned that a tribe, which occasionally visited 

 the lake, and consisted at the time of his arrival of sixty, is now 

 reduced, after a lapse of fifteen years, to twenty, only five of whom 

 are females. 



During our travellers' stay, two natives of some note arrived : King 

 Ben and King Shincrleman. The natives had no distinctions of rank 

 among themselves, but when a native had performed any great ser- 

 vice for one of the settlers, he was rewarded by giving him a large 

 oval brass plate, with his royal title inscribed thereon. At first the 

 natives were greatly pleased and proud of this mark of distinction, 

 but as is the case every where, when the novelty was over, and these 

 honorary medals became common, they began to hold them in dis- 

 repute, and now prefer the hard silver. 



Sheep-shearing is performed in the neighbourhood of Lake Mac- 

 quarie by men who make it their business. This operation was 

 witnessed by some of our party, and was thought to be performed 

 in a slovenly manner. It generally takes place in November and 

 December. 



Some others of our gentlemen paid a visit to Peuen Beuen, the 

 seat of Mr. Stevens, near the head waters of the Hunter river. The 

 route was by steamboat to Newcastle, and thence to Maitland. The 

 river at Newcastle is about one third of a mile across, and the dis- 

 tance to Maitland, by water, about thirty miles, although it is only 

 about twenty miles by land. The tide reaches Maitland, where the 

 water is found to be brackish. 



The banks of the river are extended flats. This is one of the 

 principal agricultural districts of the colony, the soil enjoying the 

 advantages of being naturally irrigated ; but on the other hand, the 

 crops are liable to destruction from heavy floods. These floods fre- 

 quently occur, when there has been no sign of bad weather on the 

 coast ; but storms of rain occur seventy or eighty miles in the interior, 

 which raise the streams thirty or forty feet, doing great damage. 



On the way up the Hunter, a steamboat was seen building. The 

 best ship-timber is said to be the flooded gum tree. The steamboat 

 stopped at Green Hill, and they rode to Maitland, about three miles. 



