NEW SOUTH WALES. ■ 13 
been obferved to be raifed in feveral places, like the ^ 
XI v . 
ruder kind of graves of the common people in our ' — 
church yards, Governor Phillip canfed fome of thefe 
barrows to be opened. In one of them a jav/ bone 
was found not quite confumed, but in general they 
contained only ailies. From the manner in which 
thefe aflies were difpofed, it appeared that the body 
muft have been laid at lenpth, raifed from the "round 
a fev/ inches only, or jull: enough to admit a fire under . - ; 
it; and having been confumed in this pofture, it muli 
then have been covered Ughtly over vvith mould. Fern 
is ufually fpread upon the furface, with a few ftones, to 
keep it from being difperfed by the wind. Thefe graves 
have not been found in very grc^at numbers, nor ever 
near their huts. • ,, 
When the latell accounts arrived from Port Jack- 
fou, the natives ilill avoided all intercourfe with our 
fettlem.ent, whether from diilike or from contempt is 
not perfe6lly clear : They think perhaps that we cannot 
teach them any thing of fuflicient value to make tliem 
amends for our encroachments upon their fiihing places. 
They feem. to be among themfelves perfed:ly honeft, and 
often leave their fpears and other implements upon the 
beach, in full confidence of finding them untouched. 
But the convi'fls too frequently carry tliem off, and dif- 
pofe of them to velTels coming to Engk.uid, though at the -. , 
T a - ■ hazard 
