262 R. H. MATHEWS AND M. M. EVERITT. 



The percentage of gold is, of course, reduced by the presence of 

 mineral matter, but assays made of Klondyke gold after the 

 melting of the metal gave in one case, only *749 gold and '246 silver 

 and in another -820 of gold and -174 of silver. — (Mineral Industries 

 1898.) 



The ORGANISATION, LANGUAGE and INITIATION 



CEREMONIES of the ABORIGINES op the 



SOUTH-EAST COAST of N. S. WALES. 



By R. H. Mathews, l.s., and Miss M. M. Everitt. 



[Bead before the Royal Society of N. S. Wales, December 5, 1900.'] 



The aboriginal tribes whose customs form the subject of this 

 treatise, formerly inhabited the south-eastern coastal district of 

 New South Wales, from the Hawkesbury River to Cape Howe, 

 extending inland to the Blue Mountains, and thence southerly by 

 a line passing approximately through the following places, viz. r 

 Hartley, Crookwell, Yass, and Kiandra. In the following pages 

 we propose to give a cursory outline of the social organisation, 

 language, initiation ceremonies, and some other customs gathered 

 by ourselves among the remnants of the tribes within the region 

 referred to. 



It may tend to increase the value of our work if we state the 

 sources of our information. The organisation we obtained by 

 personal inquiry from a large number of different natives, among 

 whom the following old men may be mentioned : — "Jerry Murphy," 

 a native of Bega, and also a resident for many years at Cooma; 

 "Steve," of Braid wood; "Budthong," of Shoalhaven • "Timbery," 

 of Wollongong ; "Ned Carroll," of Goulburn; and from many 

 others, including some old women. We have given considerable 



