with a number of others, was ;i siij^ht h)inj: to be remembered ; and 

 in the success of finding them he never failijd. 



Many persons have given expression to the opinion that their 

 religious beliefs were very superstitious and low — in fact they had 

 but little or no ideas respecting a futui-o state. Here, I ask, 

 would it be just to the whole of Christian England, to estimate 

 the nature and value of its theology from an attempted exposition 

 of the thirty nine articles, or Atlianasian Creed of the Church of 

 England by an ignorant, drunken, and degraded denizen of the 

 purlieus of Whitechapel 1 Yet this is precisely what has been 

 attempted with regard to the religious beliefs of the aboriginal 

 Australian, That their religion was far below Christianity goes 

 without saying. But it was far and away more simple and sublime 



and are held in respect for their venerable antiquity. The fact is 

 the adult aborigine wottld not converse with the adult European 

 about his religious beliefs. Upon this they were specially silent 

 and profoundly reticent. What he would often glibly discuss tind 

 what white men have understood to be a part of his religious 

 beliefs was no more that than the fairy tales of Scandinavia are a 

 part of the tlieology of Sweden. An adult native would sometimes 



the children I have gathered a little knowledge upon this question 

 which briefly stated, amounts to this : — They believed in a good 

 being who sent them good things, and that he specially ruled the 

 day. Also in a bad being who brought them evil things, and who 

 ruled in darkness or the night. That the moon and .stai> were 

 messengers of the good one to see that the bad one did no great, 

 injury to them. At death they believed that the thinking and 

 talking principle passed away to the east, whence came tiie sun 

 and moon ; that there they would all meet at last. And whilst 

 possessing great confidence in the good being, that all would turn 



mitting murder, theft, and avoiding Coonyownda, that is the eat- 

 ing of tabooed female animals ; they had no idea whatexer of 

 vicarious sacrifice, and the utility of prayer. This was the sn'' 

 stance of all I could leawn, and 1 believe it was all that they were 



to their limited theology; and .some tliouicht the white man w.is 

 only an aboriginal changed in colour on bring i'.m^imI ftom 1 he dead. 

 There were audacious Europeans who In.l r >■ u in>-n\} to tell 

 them that they, the white meo, had on.r l.-m l.i.nk , Irnl liunted 

 on the plains; had actually died and returnr.l from \hr .{.iiit land- 

 Such statements as these, 1)acked by diink, ^ift^ of lolxuoo and 

 immoral actions, so confused the minds of tlit- nati\es and so dis- 

 turbed their ancient beliefs, that when in after years missionaries 



