ENUMERATION OF THE ADVANTAGES WHICH THEY OFFER TO EMIGRANTS, AS WELL WITH REFERENCE TO EACH OTHER, AS TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE CANADAS ; AND DIRECTIONS AND ADVICE TO EMIGRANTS. THE THIRD EDITION. WITH AN APPENDIX, CONTAINING THE ACTS OF PARLIAMENT, AND OTHER DOCUMENTS EMBELLISHED WITH NEW MAPS, AND A VIEW of Sydney. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. II. BY W. C. WENTWORTH, ESQ. A NATIVE OF NEW SOUTH WALES. LONDON: STOR LIBRARY NEW-YORK PRINTED FOR GEO. B. WHITTAKER, AVE-MARIA-LANE. 1824. PART II. STATISTICAL ACCOUNT OF THE SETTLEMENTS IN AUSTRALASIA. VAN DIEMEN'S LAND. VAN DIEMEN'S LAND is situated, between 40° 42, and 43° 43, of south latitude, and between 145° 31 and 148° 22 of east longitude. The honour of discovering this Island also belongs to the Dutch; but the survey of it has been effected principally by the English. The Aborigines of this country are, if possi ble, still more barbarous and uncivilized than those of Australia. They subsist entirely by hunting, and have no knowledge whatever of the art of fishing. Even the rude bark canoe, which their neighbours possess, is quite unknown to them; and whenever they want to pass any sheet of water, they are compelled to construct a wretched raft for the occasion, VOL. II. B L Their arms and hunting implements also indicate an inferior degree of civilization. The womera, or throwing stick, which enables the natives of Port Jackson to cast their spears with such amazing force and precision, is not used by them. Their spears, too, instead of being made with the bulrush, and only pointed with hard wood, are composed entirely of it, and are consequently more ponderous. In using them they grasp the centre: but they neither throw them so far, nor so dexterously, as the natives of the parent colony. This circumstance was the more fortunate, as they maintained until lately the most rancorous and inflexible hatred and hostility towards the colonists. This deep rooted enmity, however, did not arise so much from the ferocious nature of these savages, as from the inconsiderate and unpardonable conduct of our countrymen shortly after the foundation of the settlement on the river Derwent. At first the natives evinced the most friendly disposition towards the new-comers; and would probably have been actuated by the same amicable feeling to this day, had not the military officer intrusted with the command, directed a discharge of grape and canister shot to be made among a large body, who were approaching, as he imagined, with hostile designs; but, as it has since been believed with much greater probability, |