COLONIAL INTELLIGENCE.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VI, Issue 503, 29 May 1850, Page 2

COLONIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Cannibalism. — The following extract from a letter from Lieutenant Elliott, of the 99th regt., to the Colonial Secretary of Perth under date 12th December last, confirms the statements which have been hitherto madt ai

to this horrid custom prevailing amongst the We«tern Australian savages : — "The natives on the Bowes and at Champion Bay have evinced a most friendly feeling towards us. The confi lence they place in us is wonderful, two or three of them frequently sleeping in the centre of our camps without spears ; I never allowed more than six to sleep iv the camp, but when they were in large numbers I made them go away into the bush for the night. Several of those that attacked his Excellency have been with us ; they acknowledged themselves in the wrong, and say it was done out of pure wantonness. We found out that the Governor's party had shot two men and a woman. The natives in these districts eat their dead — old men, women, and children. The heart is given to the mother, as they say it assuages her grief. They hollow out the ground and make a kind of oven, in which they bake the body, and after eating it they } throw the bones into the hole and cover them over, which accounts for no graves being seen." — Britannia

Frightful Mortality on board the "Lady Montagu." —The ship Lady Montagu, 763 tons burthen, Smith, put into this port on her way to Lima, the capital of Peru, on Friday evening last, hating a number of Chinese labourers onboard, and two cab n passengers. She is in want of fresh water and supplies. The Lady Montagu left a small port on the Canton river, on the 17th February, having on board, including passengers aud crew, not less than 500 souls. The vessel touched at Sumatra, which port she left in the beginning of March. In a few days after her departure from that port frequent cases of mortality happened on board, and several suicides took place by the emigrant Chinese, who had given themselves up to despair. The water proved sour and bad, and the fish became putrid Dysentery subsequently appeared among them, and deaths occu red daily. Upon their ai rival here the frightful number of 170 deaths had occurred from disease, suicides, aud casualties amongst the emigrants and crew, and six more had ensued since their arrival. She was immediately placed in quarantine, and communication with the shore was restricted accord'U^ to regulation. Eveiy atteu.ion was paid to fumigation and cleanliness, under the orcurs of Dr. Dawson, Principal Medical Officer. There are now 270 of the Chinese labourers lemaining; they are perfectly frpe fiom disease, but in a weak and debilitated condition. —H-jbart lo?n Courier, April 20.

Outrage by Feejee Islanders at Anatam.—The Feejee men brought to Sydney by the brig Governor are part of Mr. Fnzgerild's party, who were driven off the north end of New Caledonia, where they were employed in the Leche-de-mfr trade. Captain Paddon kept these people at Anatam, expecting Mr. Fi'Zgerald's vessel to call for them, but in consequence of their having committed a serious outia^e, by nearly murdering the wife of Mr. Martin, a master joiner, in the employ &f Captain Paddon, that gentleman, at the earnest desire of the residents on the island, deeming it prudent to ged rid of such unwelcome visitors, sent them here for the purpose of their being forwarded to their own island. There is no reason given as to the causfl of the outrage; its appears Mrs. Mar- - tin was confined to her bed through severe illness, and only two little boys were in the house when the savages entered ; one of them approached the bed on which the poor woman was lying, and with a tomahawk inflicted three dangerous wounds on her head, broke one of her arms, and cut both of her legs very deeply; another savage speared Iher through the thigh. When her husband and several white people arrived, they shot the fellow with the tomahawk, but the others escaped. When the Governor left the island there were little hopes of Mrs. Martin's recovery.—Herald, April 26.