MISCELLANEOUS.

Auckland Times, Volume 3, Issue 121, 6 May 1845, Page 1

MISCELLANEOUS.

Aboriginal, Eable.- The natives of Swan River haw an a! surd t adition respecting the kangaroo, the male of which is known among the different tribes by the names of yong gore, yowart, and kobeet; and the female, waur, wa<roo, and i-ang-ga ongga, itik latter if which names, it seems extreme y probable,' was the one which pave rise to that which it is now so generally Known by. Whether those pit. terpising men who first (>b tffned the name kanga oo 'or that animal, visited this continent to the north ot King George's ijound will be better known to some of yon'r readers. '1 he word is used by the t ibes to the southward, but how fir I am not certain. The table Sates that the animal was origihally pefectly blind, and could only wa k or crawl, aim consequently became an easy prey ; but that the frog asked the kangaroo why it was too proud to niu or jum, , and anointed the eye-.ockets or sigh less' eyebal s o' the kangaroo wi'h some of n e glutinous subs>ance from off its own bodv, -nd then suiting the action to the word, to d it to hop as he did ; when the kangaroo immediately followed his example, and°thus b came so difficult tor the natives to catch

Native Dkxtkrity A very singular instance of the expertness and bo dneSs, in climniugj of the natives was observed some time a o near the south bank of the Murray River. An opossum had made its way up a tree Which was" not accessible to the native who had discovered its retreat. He commenced by ascending the tree adjoinin*, some yards disant, wtiea a' long po'e of apparently common turze wood was handed to aitd which lie by so'rne means took up the ttee, tiritil he arrived at a part where he WdS within about twelve or fourteen feet of ihe othe ; he then managed to place tfc pole securely in a fork on the boughs of each tree, and then u.»on tliib fragile path walked or crept across, killed the opossum (which lively, he devoured a. a meal), and returned, leaving what he had done. The m inner in wnicli the natives rind the identical tract* of the opossum is by examining the t ees ior the hlaihs made by the animal's c a.vs, but which aioue not genera ly warrant ah accent being m .ue, for they may have been done weeks i.etore. To get over tnis 1 difficu tv, tiie natives b'o# on the marks, and if a litt.e sand or earth fa.is oil, then they are ce tain that they are recent, tor o herwise, the sun would have dried he grants, and they would have ahen off, which, from the dew or ram of the night,' had clung to the feet of the animal, and then on io the tree. These behig attended to, the uatiVes ascend the tree, m the w. 11 knuWi manner, by cut in" iii and thrutrgh the oark smaii a ,o\xi two teel apart, and four inches wide, oy one or two. deep Sumo huge, s raight, thin* barked trees, which sfaad quite perpendi- ■, wi.hout any branches icr a c , USr

siderable distance up, are totally inaccessible to the natives, though these are extremely few, in comparison with t,he oher trees of the forest. Where it is the case, te seems plentiful, beaten tracks being numerous. Trees which lean a little, are easy to ascend, and one which I appeared a iavounte retreat lor.game, was rved to be completely covered with paths, and marks made by the naives year •year; upwards o( one hundred,and fifty cuts being visible on the trunk alone. They appear se dom or ever to cut in th« I same spot again. Native natives state if* t^^k^^^M^»J^Jfyn ldi^ r ' xm "g" f " °^°. two bcintfaryftlr nrrl f'jaa'fl nnrrifrl :^ny?S^ner yup J ft he fathe '). and " Do-ron-nop * (the mother) ; that they had a son, named " Bin-dir-wopi," who received a deadly wound, which they carerudy endeavoured to heal, but totally without success; wheeunon it was declared by Wai-'yne-yup ' that all who came after him should also in like manner as his son died. Could wound but have been hea'ed in this , being «he first, the natives think (Seaih would have had no power over them. > he place wht-re the scene occurred, and •re Bin-dir-wooi was buried, the natives imagine to have been on the southern plains between Clareece and the, Murray ; aid the instrument used is said to. I been a s ear, thrown by some unknown ] being, and directed i by some su ernatural tower. The tradition goes on to state, J that Hin-dir-wooi, the son, although deprii ved of life, and buried in his graye t did not (remain there; but r se and went to the t, to the unknown land of Spi its. across the sea. The parents followed after iheir so*:, but (as the natives suppose) were ttna'b'e to prevail upon him to return, and they consequently have remained with him ever since. Mr. Armstrong says of this tiadition, that "it is the nearest approach to truth, and the most reasonable he has yet heard among the natives;" arid it is certainly highly cu ious as showing their ] belief ihat man originally was' not macie subject to dea h, and as giving the' fist intimation we have heard of their ideas of the manner in which death was intioduced into the world. , SINGULAK. SCKME OF ABORIGINAL FeklinG. Last Febtiary the nembhour >ood tif the new gaol, presented a scene of the niotit extraordinary iaruentalions on the part of some aborigines, who had Co trie from the iiuer.or, to mourn over the late oi one of their fibe, who was incarcerated at Meloourne, and awaited his trial for murder at the next criminal sessions. Those friends and relatives of 44 Kool Kirrup" indulged in every mode of sorrow and lamentation which the !>ava"e nature ot their custom prescribes. They lace.ated iheir persons until the blood streameo bom the wounds, and during the i>ieater portion ot the night, the Surrounding bush reverberated with ih'tr meiaiichvuy dire like en -s. The spectacle was an) thing but pleasing, but at the sam« nuie betrayed ihe strong depth of feeling, which pervades the utitutbied hte»st» ot ihose unenligliiflied beings, aid ihe keen sympathy they felt Willi utard to the troubles of iheir iiii* prisoireO luoin'r. Sam Suck's Opinion of tjhe English. " * l tloii'i know,' said the Cu lonel, * it is a great country in one sense, hut then it amt in another, it might be gieat so tar as riches go, but men in size it aiiu bigger tli<iu New Y r ork i>i.4te aiter ail It's uothiti' a'liH si on the w4p. in fact, I doubt h'i so r,tl ' ** 50,,,e tolks brag on. ''«'» >" u what,' willul was.e makes a woetul want.' There's a grertt many la/v, i«iie, extravagant wonuii h.re, that's a' tact The park is chok, ful ot 'ai ad the ume, uditi' and galavanti„' about, triek.d out n. silks and satins, ad. i 'oi noihin'. Kyerjf day lb the week ean\ be thai.ksgivur day uor iudepeiidance *Uy »«' luer ' ' AU U " d "° uork mU so,u noble to uiuepence,

and make bread Umber short,' J know. Some on 'em ought to be kept at home, or else their homes must be bad taken care of. Who the plague lools after their uelp3 when i\\ey are away fiolickin'? Who does the presarvin', or -nakes.thft pies and apple sauce and doogfewouts ? Who does the spinniu' and cardin', or mend's thsrir husband's shirts, or darn's their stockin's ; Tell you what, old E«re fell into mischief when she had .nothin' to do ; and 1 guess some o'them flauntin* birds, if they was followed and, well watched, would be found a'scrachin',u|> other folks's gardens sometimes. If I had one on 'em, I'd cut her wings and Tceep her inside her own palin' I know. Every hen ought to be Kept within hearin* of her own rooster, for fear of. the foxes, that's a fact. Then look at the sarvanta in gold lace, and broad cloth as, fine as their master's, —why, they never do no? ih d\ but help to make a show. They don't work, and they could'nt if they would, it would sp'iie their clothes so. What on airth would be the, valy of a thousand such creturs on a farm ? Lors I I'd like to stick a. pitchfork in one o'chetu rascal's hands, and set him.to load.an.ox cart, —what a proper looking fool, he'd be, wouldn't he? It can't last, it don't stand to reason and common sense. And (hen, arter all, they hant got no Tndgin corn there, they can't raise tt, nor pumkia pies, nor squinces, uor silk worms, qor nothin'. Then as to the farmin'—Lors } only look a; fire great elephan.t-lnokin' beasts at one plough, with one great ma kin feller to hold the handle,, and another to carrv the whip, and a boy to ban the horse's hoots have, all crawliu' as if they were goin' to a funeral. What sort of a way is that to dowork?, It makes me mad to look at 'em. If there any airthly clumsy fashion of doin* a thing, that's the way they are sure to get there They are a benighted obstinate, bull-headed people, English, that's a fact, and always was.'"

The Printer.—•« t pity the printer," said my Uncle Toby. "Lie's a poor creature," ,rejoined Trim. ' How so?' said my Uncle., 'Because in the first place,' contii ued the corporal, looking j full upon my Uncle,« because he must endeavour to please every body. In the negligence of a moment perhaps, a smalt paragraph pops upon him; he hastily i throws it to tbe compositor, it is insetted, —and he is ruined to all intuits und purposes ' • Too much the case, Trim,' said my Uncle, with a deep sigh ; « too much the case ' * And please your honour,' can inufd Trim, elevating his voice, and striking into an imploring attitude, • this is not ihe whols,' i Go on, Trim,' said tny Uncle, feelingly. * The priuter, sometimes', pursued the corporal, ' hits upon a piece that pleases him mightily, aud he thinks it cannot but go down with his subscribeis. But alas, Sir, who can calculate the human mind? He inserts it, and it is all over with him. They forgive otheis, but they cannot forgive a printer. He has a host to print for, and every one sets up for a critic. The pretty Miss exclaims, 4 Why don't he give us more po'eliy, marriages, and bon mots? away with these stale pieces!' The politician claps his specs on his nose, and reads it over in search of a violent invective ; he finds none, takes off his specs, folds them, and slicks tin mi in his pockets, declaring that the paper is lit tor nothing, but to bum. So it goes. Every One thinks it ought to be printed expressly for himself, as lit is a subscriber; aud yet, after alt this complaining, would you believe it, Sir,'' sa)s tbe corporal, clasping his bauds beseechingly, ' would you believe it, Sir, there are some subscribers who do not hesitate to cheat the printer out of his pay ! Our army swoie terribly in Flanders, but they never did any thing so bad as that!' ' Never,' said my uncle Toby, emphatically*;