up the English language with facility, and readily conforming himself to our customs and the discipline of the ship.  He was very cleanly in his personal habits, and paid much attention to his dress, which was always kept neat and tidy.  I was often much amused and surprised by the oddity and justness of his remarks upon the many strange sights which a voyage of this kind brought before him.’  The Nemesis steamer underweigh puzzled him at first; he then thought it was ’all same big cart, only got him shingles (wooden roofing-tiles, so called) on wheels!’ Neinmal spoke of his countrymen as ‘big fools,’ and held white men in such estimation, that he volunteered for a voyage to England; but having been prevented, returned to Port Essington, where he learned to read and write.  His superiority rendered him obnoxious to the older members of his family; and one day, while on a visit to his tribe, ’he was roused from sleep to find himself surrounded by a host of savages thirsting for his blood.  They told him to rise, but he merely raised himself upon his elbow, and said:  “If you want to kill me, do so where I am; I won’t get up.  Give me a spear and club, and I’ll fight you all one by one!” He had scarcely spoken, when he was speared from behind; spear after spear followed, and as he lay writhing on the ground, his savage murderers literally dashed him to pieces with their clubs.’

In June 1849, the Rattlesnake and Bramble were at work in the Louisiade Archipelago, finding out the safest channels and anchorages among its numerous rocks, shoals, and reefs.  The natives of some of the islands had never seen Europeans before, yet seemed little inclined to acknowledge the superiority of their visitors.  They manifested but little alarm on witnessing the effects of firearms; and on one occasion attacked two of the ship’s boats with a courage and self-reliance extraordinary under the circumstances.  In general characteristics, they resemble the Torres Strait islanders:  some of them friz their hair up into a mop two feet in diameter, wear a comb nearly a yard long, and bunches of dogs’ teeth hanging behind, by way of ornament, and take no little pride in adorning their persons with paint and tattoo-marks, and flowers and plants of strong odour.  Bracelets of various kinds are a favourite decoration, and among these the most curious ’is that made of a human lower jaw, with one or more collar-bones closing the upper side, crossing from one angle to the other.  Whether these are the jaws of former friends or enemies,’ says Mr Macgillivray, ’we had no means of ascertaining; no great value appeared to be attached to them; and it was observed, as a curious circumstance, that none of these jaws had the teeth discoloured by the practice of betel-chewing.’