188 
MELVILLE ISLA^fD. 
CHAPTER XII. 
MELmLE ISLAND AND NORTH AUSTRALIA. 
PAPUAN CRARACTSK Or THE ABORIGINAL TASMAXIANS — NO WOOLLT- 
HAIHED TRIBES IN AUSTRAL] A DOUBTFCTL CHARACTER OF TUS 
MELVILLE ISLANOERS — CAPTAlX KING's SVBYEV INTERVIEW WITH 
Ak natives TRAITS AND CHAttACT»B.ISTIC3 — HaTABLXSBMEJ^T 
rOBJtED ON USLVILLZ ISLAND — LLEtTTENANT SOe's ACCOUNT OP THJi 
KATIVEiS — MALA YAK YOVTH — INDIAN ISLANDERS THROWN UPON 
OTE COAST^ — MAJOR CAMPBEI-L's DESCRIPTION OF THE MELVILLE 
SLANBERS PKUSONAL CHARACTERISTICS — HABITS ATfD DISPO- 
aiTlOX ' — CHARACTER OF INTERCOURSE WITH THE GARRISON — ^ 
NATIVE DREAD OF CAPTURE REASONS FOR SUPPOSING THAT THE 
SLAVE -TRAPE ONCE E?LI STED — FEMALES ■ — WEAPONS— UTESSILS — 
DOMESTIC flABITS — HABtPATlONB — FOOD — DIALECTS — BURIAL 
PLACES— SLAYS-TRADE — FRACTIO« OF THROWING SPEARB FROM THE 
TREES TRIBES OF PORT ESSINGTON AKD CARPENTARIA HILL 
TRIBES OF NORTH AUSTRALIA THE ISLANDERS OF TORRES STRAIT — 
CONCLUDING NOTE. 
The aboriginal inhabitants of Tasmania or Van 
Diem en' 3 Land, a small remnant of whom still exists 
on the Great Island of Bass's Strait, are Papuans in their 
general charaeteristics ; indeed their habits and appear- 
ance very closely correspond with tbose of the Andaman 
