Country between Moreton Bay and Port Essington. Ill 
involuntarily induced to suppose meanings which we know as 
belonging to the latter. These imitations of the human body 
were, however, too near, and too easy, and could be as well the 
produce of play and accident as conventional design. 
The gentlemen of Port Essington, comparing my own blackfel- 
lows with the natives of the place, were of course inclined to think 
that the natives of the southern part of the continent were superior 
to those of the north-west coast. I have had, however, opportunity 
of observing the native of the east coast in his natural state, and 
I rather think that the north-west coast black is more advanced ; 
I would explain this by their long intercourse with the Malays, 
who have frequently taken them to the Malay Islands. 
I shall advert now to a circumstance with which I was frequently 
struck on my meeting with the natives—I mean their perfect inca¬ 
pability of supposing that there is in existence anything stronger 
or more powerful than themselves, or that any dangerous enemy 
could be near them when walking in the open forest, which forms 
their well-known dwelling-place. Their ear, so sensitive to noises 
with the origin of which they are acquainted, to the rustling of a 
lizard or snake, or to the rapid start of a kangaroo rat, did not 
perceive the foot-fall of our horses, and we were once with our 
whole train near a camp of jabbering, laughing, moving natives, 
without their being aware of our approach. Once, a native 
walked at dusk into our camp, and was surrounded by our horses 
before he knew that other beings were present. The discharge of 
a gun made generally a great impression on them ; it seemed to 
remind them of supernatural agency. We noticed several times 
the screams of natives on hearing the reports of our guns without 
seeing us. 
Having now given you a digest of my late journey, I shall lay 
before you the plan of an expedition on which I intend to start 
in October next. Captain Sturt’s expedition has shewn that the 
interior, in the longitude of the head of the gulf, is a desert at 
least to latitude 24°, where the explorer was compelled to return. 
It would therefore not be advisable were I to attempt to cross the 
continent in that or a higher latitude ; I shall, therefore, proceed 
at once to latitude 23°, where I found the Mackenzie and Peak 
