The bodies of these people in general smell strongly of oil, and the darkness of their colour is much increased by dirt.  But though in these points they shew so little delicacy, they are not without emotions of disgust, when they meet with strong effluvia to which their organs are unaccustomed.  One of them, after having touched a piece of pork, held out his finger for his companions to smell, with strong marks of distaste.  Bread and meat they seldom refuse to take, but generally throw it away soon after.  Fish they always accept very eagerly.

Whether they use any particular rites of burial is not yet known, but from the following account it seems evident that they burn their dead.  The ground having been observed to be raised in several places, like the ruder kind of graves of the common people in our church yards, Governor Phillip caused some of these barrows to be opened.  In one of them a jaw bone was found not quite consumed, but in general they contained only ashes.  From the manner in which these ashes were disposed, it appeared that the body must have been laid at length, raised from the ground a few inches only, or just enough to admit a fire under it; and having been consumed in this posture, it must then have been covered lightly over with mould.  Fern is usually spread upon the surface, with a few stones, to keep it from being dispersed by the wind.  These graves have not been found in very great numbers, nor ever near their huts.

When the latest accounts arrived from Port Jackson, the natives still avoided all intercourse with our settlement, whether from dislike or from contempt is not perfectly clear:  They think perhaps that we cannot teach them any thing of sufficient value to make them amends for our encroachments upon their fishing places.  They seem to be among themselves perfectly honest, and often leave their spears and other implements upon the beach, in full confidence of finding them untouched.  But the convicts too frequently carry them off, and dispose of them to vessels coming to England, though at the hazard on one side of being prosecuted for theft, and on the other for purchasing stolen goods.  Injuries of this nature they generally revenge on such stragglers as they happen to meet; and perhaps have already learnt to distinguish these freebooters, by their blue and yellow jackets, as they very early did the soldiers by their red clothes.  Beyond these attacks they have not yet committed any open acts of hostility, except the seizing of the fish in the instance above related.  They have not attempted to annoy the settlers by setting fire to the grass, as they did when Captain Cook was on the coast; nor have they, which is more important, shown any desire to burn the crops of corn.  So absolutely indispensable to the welfare of the settlement is the preservation of the grain, that an attempt of this kind must at all events be counteracted; but in no other case will any harsh measures be adopted,