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pp. 428-432.
“27th. When at Dapto, we engaged a native Black, named Tommy, of the Kangaroo Ground [Kangaroo Valley], to be our guide to Bong Bong. He was of middle stature, rather broad-shouldered, and had a depressed nose, through the cartilage of which, he wore a bone. His eyes were drawn obliquely toward their inner angle, probably from the same cause which occasioned an elevated ridge downward, from one of them. When he came to us, he was dressed in a suit of ragged, European clothing; but as a part of his wages, he was fitted out with a striped shirt, a pair of canvass trowers, and a grey, woollen jacket. - On the way to Kiama, we called on several small settlers, and left them tracts. We also fell in with some of the Aborigines. The females had their hair ornamented with kangaroo’s teeth. They inquired of our guide, who we were, and where we were going, and appeared well satisfied with his explanations. All the men had the cartilage of the nose perforated: and through the perforation, they will sometimes stick the stem of a tobacco-pipe, when they have no other convenient place for carrying it ! The Cabbage Palms are very numerous in this part of the Illawarra; forming groves by the sides of the ground which has been cleared. Seaforthia elegans, known here by the native name of Bangalee, is also plentiful, but it grows in shady places. Many parts of the forest are gay with a species of Goodia, which forms a large shrub, and is covered with racemes of yellow, pea-like blossoms, tinged with orange. Some of the open, grassy forest is covered with a species of Indigo, Indigofera australis, three feet high, which is now clothed with rosy-pink flowers. Some of the species of fig, have established themselves on other large trees, and shut them in, and like those described at Moreton Bay, have become enormous forest trees. Tree-nettles are numerous, and require care in passing; we measured the trunk of one, sixteen feet in circumference. The Australian Pheasant [Lyre Bird],
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[Play Lyre Bird Call]
celebrated for its splendid tail, on account of which, it is sometimes called, the New Holland Bird of Paradise, and various species of Pigeon and Parrot, as well as the White Cockatoo, abound here. We only saw one small species of Kangaroo. The Lory Parrot [Crimson Rosella], of crimson and blue, mixed with dark colours, and the King Parrot, of crimson and green, were sitting in flocks, on the post-and-rail fences; they are very mischievous in the gardens.
“Kiama is situated on the coast, at a little boat-harbour: it consists of about a dozen cottages, built of wood, occupied by a blacksmith, a carpenter, a shoemaker, &c. and a constable’s house, where the police-magistrate holds his court. We passed a mile beyond it, to the house of a settler, where we were hospitably entertained, and had a religious interview with his establishment. The roads were too miry, to allow other persons to meet with us after sunset. Our black guide, who speaks English intelligibly, and is of an industrious disposition, joined some of his country-people in the bush, notwithstanding the inclemency of the night, preferring their company, and the shelter of a few sheets of bark, to the company of white people, in a house.
“28th. The day was showery, but we prosecuted our journey, in the course of which we passed several blacks, and called on a few settlers. One of the latter spoke very respectfully of the Society of Friends, in Ireland, but said she knew little of their principles, as they did not admit persons of other persuasions into their places of worship. We endeavoured to correct this mistaken idea, which there is reason to believe, prevails in some quarters, assuring the party, that our meetings for worship are always open to the public, notwithstanding we sometimes invite a special attendance, at the request of a minister, feeling specially the constraining influence of the love of Christ, towards persons not connected with the Society.
“In the course of our walk we noticed large masses of Acrosticum alciorne and Asplenium Nidus [Bird’s Nest Fern], growing upon the limbs of enormous Fig-trees; the latter in a large fern, with a circle of long, entire leaves. Even some of the lofty Cabbage Palms were encircled by the Acrosticum. Polypodium tenellum and quercifolium, and Niphobolus rupestris were climbing the trunks of trees, adhering to them like Ivy, and on the ground, there were Adiantum formosum and assimile, Doodia aspera, Lomaria Patersonii, and a tree-fern, of the genus Alsophila. Calanthe veratrifolia, and several other terrestrial, orchidaceous plants, also attracted our attention, in the rich district of Illawarra, from which we emerged on the coast, about seven miles north of Shoal Haven [Seven Mile Beach]. The beach was sandy and firm, and separated from a grassy swamp, by sand hills, covered with Honeysuckle, Banksia integrifolia. At Colomgatta [Coolangatta], in Shoal Haven, we were received with great hospitality by Alexander Berry, the proprietor of an extensive territory in this district, which, like that of Illawarra, is much more favourable for the grazing of horned cattle than for sheep. Among the enemies of the latter is the Wattle Tick, a hard flat insect, of a dark colour, about the tenth of an inch in diameter, and nearly circular, in the body; it insinuates itself beneath the skin, and destroys, not only sheep, but sometimes foals and calves. Paralysis of the hinder quarters often proceeds death in these cases. Sometimes it occasions painful swellings, when forcibly removed from the human body, after having fixed its anchorlike head and appendages in the skin. To prevent this inconvenience, we several times, made them let go their hold, by smearing them over with oil, or with wet tobacco-ashes.
“29th. I did not feel comfortable in having proceeded to Shoal Haven, without having made an attempt to assemble the few persons, settled about the boat-harbour at Kiama. An undue fear of prolonging our visit beyond its proper bounds, and discouragement at the state of the roads, induced me to put by, a little exercise on their account, which I afterwards felt a painful burden, though I did not apprehend it required of me to return to the place; I felt it the more, when I found we could not assemble the people at Shoal Haven before the 2nd of 11th month.
“We walked with our intelligent host, to the top of Colomgatta Hill [Coolangatta Hill], from which his house takes its name. From this elevation, which is basaltic, there is a fine view, embracing the inlets of Shoal Haven and Crook Haven, and the Pigeon House Peak, to the south. In the distance, in this direction the country changes from flat, into low ridges, and becomes less fertile. About the Pigeon House Peak, is probably, the limit of the Australian Palms. The Cabbage Tree of Tasmania is Richea, and only allied to palms, in bearing a single head, on a tall stem. On Colomgatta, a Zamia, supposed to be Z. spiralis, forms a trunk, or root-stock, three to four feet high, and as much round. Its crest of palm-like, pinnate leaves, are very beautiful. The Rock Lily, Dendronium speciosum. was in blossom on a rock, on the side of the hill; the spike of white flowers fading into pale yellow, was as thick as my arm, and a foot long. In returning from gathering it, I encountered a N. S. Wales Black Snake, Coluber porphyryaceus; and destroyed it by throwing large stones at it. It is accounted a very venomous species.
“From the first settlement of this place, Alexander Berry has succeeded in maintaining a good understanding with the natives, who, he says, believe in transmutation after death. This first claimed his notice, when he had wounded a Porpoise, which some Blacks, who were with him in the boat, tried to dissuade him from firing at. On landing, the men told the women what he had done, at which they made great lamentation; and he learned from them, that they regarded the Porpoises, as having been the ancient chiefs of the neighbourhood, who, when they had died, had changed into these animals; and who, they said, drove fish on shore for them, sometimes, whales, when the people were very hungry !
“10th mo. 1st. [1st November, 1836]. Yesterday, we took some steps to invite the persons on the opposite side of the Shoal Haven River, to a meeting for public worship, to be held at Colomgatta [Coolangatta], on First-day. In walking in the brush, we measured three Stinging-trees, Urtica gigas, eighteen, twenty, and twenty-one feet in circumference. Probably these are the largest nettles in the world, and possibly the most severe. Happening to come in contact with the leaf of one, with my hand, it occasioned about as much pain as the sting of a wasp. The leaves are large, some of them six inches across, and heart shaped. The stinging hairs are not the most numerous; they are readily distinguished from the others, by the poison vesicles, at the base, on holding them between the eye and the light. We killed several Black Snakes, that were basking on a sunny bank. When disturbed, they raise their heads, and distend their necks, presenting a terrific aspect; but a smart blow across the back, with a stout switch, soon despatches them. One of the Aborigines, who has learned to saw, at A. Berry’s sawing establishment, came to Colomgatta [Coolangatta] to-day, and asked for some seed potatoes. He said, he had cleared a piece of land, and sowed some pumpkins, and he wanted to grow some potatoes, and ‘sit down,’ for it was ‘no good’ to wander about, as his countrymen did. A. Berry was much pleased with this spontaneous offer to settle, he having often tried in vain, to persuade some of these people to adopt such a course.
“2nd. About ninety persons assembled under the verandah, at Colomgatta [Coolangatta], with whom we had a satisfactory meeting. The only native Black who was present, was Lewis, a man we became acquainted with in V. D. Land, who was employed in assisting to collect the Natives. No families in N. S. Wales, who assemble for public worship, appear to take any pains to collect the Blacks along with them. The idea that the Blacks cannot understand a dissertation in English, is one obstacle, and their want of personal cleanliness is another; but neither of these are insurmountable difficulties. I feel persuaded, that if worldly emolument was to be had by civilizing and instructing the Aborigines, they would soon be civilized and instructed; but generally, there is a great neglect, on the part of the white population, with regard to their own spiritual state, and consequently with respect to those around them. especially the Blacks.”
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