i 79 6.] OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 351 



nothing in the fate of their predeceffors to deter them from living as 

 they had feen them do, and placing the fame entire confidence in 

 their entertainers which they had done, and which it was the in- 

 tereft as well as pleafure of thofe to cultivate. They were allow- 

 ed to be in general their own mafters, and rarely interrupted in any 

 of their defigns : judging that by fuffering them to live as they had 

 been ufed to do, an earlier knowledge of their cuftoms and manners 

 would be attained, than by waiting to acquire their language. On 

 this principle, whenever they aflembled to dance or to fight before the 

 houfes, they were never difperfed • but, on the contrary, thefe meet- 

 ings were attended by all the principal people of the fettlement. This 

 attention appeared to be agreeable as well as ufeful ; for if any of 

 them were wounded in the conteft, it was their practice to look for; 

 one of the Englifh furgeons, in whom they placed entire confidence,, 

 and (hewed great bravery in the firmnefs with which they bore the 

 knife and the probe* 



By flow degrees both parties began mutually to be pleafed with, 

 and to underftand each other. Language, indeed, was out of the 

 queftion ; for at the time of writing this (September 1796,) nothing 

 but a barbarous mixture of Englifh with the Fort Jackfon dialed was 

 fpoken by either party ; and it muft be added, that even in this the 

 natives had the advantage; comprehending, with much greater apt- 

 nefs than the Englifh could' pretend to, every thing that they heard 

 them fay. From a pretty clofe obfervation, however, affifted by the 

 ufe of the barbarous dialed juft mentioned, the following particulars 

 refpe&ing the natives of New South Wales have been collected. 



Government. 



The natives about Botany Bay, Port Jackfon, and Broken Bay, 

 were found living in that ftate of nature which muft have been com- 

 mon to all men previous to their uniting in fociety, and acknowledg- 

 ing but one authority. Thefe people are diftributed into families, 

 the head or fenior of which exacts compliance from the reft. In the 



fiarly 



