354 ACCOUNT OF THE ENGLISH COLONY [October, 



which is paid to the tribe of Cam-mer-ray, to be derived wholly from 

 their fuperiority of numbers ; but this fuperiority they have probably 

 maintained for a length of time ; and, indeed, the privilege of demand- 

 ing a tooth from the young men of other families muft have been of 

 long {landing, and coeval with the obedience which was paid to them : 

 hence their fuperiority partakes fornething of the nature of a confti- 

 tuted authority ; an authority which has the fanclion of cuftom to 

 plead for its continuance. 



Religion. 



It has been afferted by an eminent divine*, that no country has 

 yet been difcovered where fome trace of religion was not to be found. 

 From every obfervation and inquiry that could be made among thefe 

 people, they appear an exception to this opinion. It is certain, that they 

 do not worfhip either fun, moon, or ftar ; that however neceffary fire 

 may be to them, it is not an object: of adoration ; neither have they 

 refpect for any particular beaft, bird, or fifth. Nor could any object 

 ever be difcovered, either fubftantial or imaginary, that impelled them 

 to the commiflion of good actions, or deterred them from the perpe- 

 tration of what we deem crimes. There indeed exifted among them 

 fome idea of a future Mate, but not connected in any wife with religion; 

 for it had no influence whatever on their lives and actions. On their 

 being often queftioned as to what became of them after their deceafe, 

 fome anfwered that they went either on or beyond the great water j 

 but by far the greater number fignified, that they went to the clouds. 

 The author converging with Ben-nil-long after his return from Eng- 

 land, where he had obtained much knowledge of our cuftoms and 

 manners, wifhing to learn what were his ideas of the place from which 

 his countrymen came, led him to the fubjecl:, by obferving, that all 

 the white men at Port Jackfon had come from England, and then 

 afked him where the black men (or Eora) came from ? He hefitated. — 

 D'id they come from any ifland ? His anfwer was, that he knew of 

 none ; they came from the clouds (alluding, perhaps, to the abori- 



* Blair's Sermons, Vol, i. Sermon i. 



gines 



