198 
A VOYAGE TO 
[ North Coast. 
1803. 
January. 
Saturday 22 
purposes. The corpse was found lying at the water’s edge, not 
. lengthwise, as a body washed up, but with the head on shore and 
the feet touching the surf. The arms were crossed under the head, 
with the face downward, in the posture of a man who was just able 
to crawl out of the water and die ; and I very much apprehend this 
to have been one of the two natives who had leaped out of the canoe, 
and were thought to have escaped. He was of the middle size, rather 
slender, had a prominent chest, small legs, and similar features to 
the inhabitants of other parts of this country ; and he appeared to have 
been circumcised ! A musket ball had passed through the shoulder 
blade, from behind; and penetrating upwards, had lodged in the neck. 
The canoe was of bark, but not of one piece, as at Port Jackson ; 
it consisted of two pieces, sewed together lengthwise, with the seam 
on one side; the two ends were also sewed up, and made tight with 
gum. Along each gunwale was lashed a small pole ; and these 
were spanned together in five places, with creeping vine, to preserve 
the shape, and to strengthen the canoe. Its length was thirteen and 
a half, and the breadth two and a half feet ; and it seemed capable 
of carrying six people, being larger than those generally used at 
Port Jackson. 
It does not accord with the usually timid character of the natives 
of Terra Australis, to suppose the Indians came over from Isle 
Woodah for the purpose of making an attack; yet the circumstance 
of their being without women or children,— their following so briskly 
after Mr. Westall,— and advancing armed to the wooders, all imply 
that they rather sought than avoided a quarrel. I can account for 
this unusual conduct only by supposing, that they might have had 
differences with, and entertained no respectful opinion of the Asiatic 
visitors, of whom we had found so many traces, some almost in sight 
of this place. 
The body of Thomas Morgan who died so unfortunately, was 
this day committed to the deep with the usual ceremony ; and the 
island was named after him, Morgan’s Island. The basis stone is 
