NEW SOUTH WALES. 187 



prefix " Mr.," and this he thinks is chiefly owing to the habit acquired 

 when children under his authority. All others, of whatever rank, they 

 address by their Christian or surname. This does not proceed from 

 ignorance on their part, as they are known to understand the distinc- 

 tions of rank among the whites, and are continually witnessing the 

 subservience and respect exacted among them. They appear to have 

 a consciousness of independence, which causes them, on all occasions, 

 to treat even the highest with equality. On being asked to work, they 

 usually reply, " White fellow work, not black fellow T ;" and on entering 

 a room, they never remain standing, but immediately seat themselves. 



They are not great talkers, but are usually silent and reserved. 

 They are generally well-disposed, but dislike to be much spoken to, 

 particularly in a tone of raillery. An anecdote was mentioned of a 

 gentleman amusing himself with a native, by teasing him, in perfect 

 good-humour, when the man suddenly seized a billet of wood, threw 

 it at him, and then in a great rage rushed for his spear. It was with 

 great difficulty that he could be pacified, and made to know that no 

 insult was intended ; he then begged that they would not talk to him 

 in that manner, as he might become wild and ungovernable. They 

 look upon the whites with a mixture of distrust and contempt, and to 

 govern them by threats and violence is found impossible. They are 

 susceptible of being led by kind treatment, but on an injury or insult 

 they immediately take to the bush, and resume their wandering habits. 

 They do not carry on any systematic attacks, and their fears of the 

 whites are so great, that large companies of them have been dispersed 

 by small exploring parties and a few resolute stockmen. 



Though they are constantly wandering about, yet they usually con- 

 fine themselves to a radius of fifty or sixty miles from the place they 

 consider their residence. If they venture beyond this, which they 

 sometimes do with a party of whites, they always betray the greatest 

 fear of falling in with some Myall or stranger blacks, who they say 

 would put them to death immediately. 



Their great timidity has caused a false estimate to be put upon their 

 character, by ascribing to it great ferocity; and, as an instance of it, 

 it is mentioned, that if a party of natives be suddenly approached in 

 the interior, who are unacquainted with white men, and taken by sur- 

 prise, supposing that they are surrounded and doomed to death, they 

 make the most furious onset, and sell their lives as dearly as possible : 

 this arises from the panic with which they are seized, depriving them 

 temporarily of reason. 



They have not, properly speaking, any distribution into tribes. In 

 their conflicts, those speaking the same language, and who have 

 fought side by side, are frequently drawn up in battle-array against 



