a complete account of the settlement-第46章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


r　his　unalienable　station　in　the　universe。

Of　the　language　of　New　South　Wales　I　once　hoped　to　have　subjoined　to　this　work　such　an　exposition　as　should　have　attracted　public　notice；　and　have　excited　public　esteem。　　But　the　abrupt　departure　of　Mr。　Dawes；　who；　stimulated　equally　by　curiosity　and　philanthropy；　had　hardly　set　foot　on　his　native　country　when　he　again　quitted　it　to　encounter　new　perils　in　the　service　of　the　Sierra　Leona　company；　precludes　me　from　executing　this　part　of　my　original　intention；　in　which　he　had　promised　to　co…operate　with　me；　and　in　which　he　had　advanced　his　researches　beyond　the　reach　of　competition。　　The　few　remarks　which　I　can　offer　shall　be　concisely　detailed。

We　were　at　first　inclined　to　stigmatised　this　language　as　harsh　and　barbarous　in　its　sounds。　Their　combinations　of　words　in　the　manner　they　utter　them；　frequently　convey　such　an　effect。　　But　if　not　only　their　proper　names　of　men　and　places；　but　many　of　their　phrases　and　a　majority　of　their　words；　be　simply　and　unconnectedly　considered；　they　will　be　found　to　abound　with　vowels　and　to　produce　sounds　sometimes　mellifluous　and　sometimes　sonorous。　　What　ear　can　object　to　the　names　of　Colbee；　（pronounced　exactly　as　Colby　is　with　us）　Bereewan；　Bondel；　Imeerawanyee；　Deedora；　Wolarawaree；　or　Baneelon；　among　the　men；　or　to　Wereeweea；　Gooreedeeana；　Milba*；　or　Matilba；　among　the　women。　　Parramatta；　Gweea；　Cameera；　Cadi；　and　Memel；　are　names　of　places。　　The　tribes　derive　their　appellations　from　the　places　they　inhabit。　　Thus　Cemeeragal；　means　the　men　who　reside　in　the　bay　of　Cameera；　Cedigal；　those　who　reside　in　the　bay　of　Cadi；　and　so　of　the　others。　　The　women　of　the　tribe　are　denoted　by　adding　'eean'　to　any　of　the　foregoing　words。　　A　Cadigaleean　imports　a　woman　living　at　Cadi；　or　of　the　tribe　of　Cadigal。　　These　words；　as　the　reader　will　observe；　are　accented　either　on　the　first　syllable　or　the　penultima。　In　general；　however；　they　are　partial　to　the　emphasis　being　laid　as　near　the　beginning　of　the　word　as　possible。

＇*Mrs。　Johnson；　wife　of　the　chaplain　of　the　settlement；　was　so　pleased　with　this　name　that　she　christened　her　little　girl；　born　in　Port　Jackson；　Milba　Maria　Johnson。＇

Of　compound　words　they　seem　fond。　　Two　very　striking　ones　appear　in　the　journal　to　the　Hawkesbury。　　Their　translations　of　our　words　into　their　language　are　always　apposite；　comprehensive；　and　drawn　from　images　familiar　to　them。　　A　gun；　for　instance；　they　call　'gooroobeera'；　that　is；　a　stick　of　fire。　　Sometimes　also；　by　a　licence　of　language；　they　call　those　who　carry　guns　by　the　same　name。　　But　the　appellation　by　which　they　generally　distinguished　us　was　that　of　'bereewolgal'；　meaning　men　come　from　afar。　　When　they　salute　any　one　they　call　him　'dameeli'；　or　namesake；　a　term　which　not　only　implies　courtesy　and　good…will；　but　a　certain　degree　of　affection　in　the　speaker。　　An　interchange　of　names　with　any　one　is　also　a　symbol　of　friendship。　　Each　person　has　several　names；　one　of　which；　there　is　reason　to　believe；　is　always　derived　from　the　first　fish　or　animal　which　the　child；　in　accompanying　its　father　to　the　chase　or　a　fishing；　may　chance　to　kill。

Not　only　their　combinations；　but　some　of　their　simple　sounds；　were　difficult　of　pronunciation　to　mouths　purely　English。　　Diphthongs　often　occur。　　One　of　the　most　common　is　that　of　'ae'；　or　perhaps；　'ai'；　pronounced　not　unlike　those　letters　in　the　French　verb　'hair'；　to　hate。　The　letter　'y'　frequently　follows　'd'　in　the　same　syllable。　　Thus　the　word　which　signifies　a　woman　is　'dyin'；　although　the　structure　of　our　language　requires　us　to　spell　it　'deein'。

But　if　they　sometimes　put　us　to　difficulty；　many　of　our　words　were　to　them　unutterable。　　The　letters　's'　and　'v'　they　never　could　pronounce。　　The　latter　became　invariably　'w'；　and　the　former　mocked　all　their　efforts；　which　in　the　instance　of　Baneelon　has　been　noticed；　and　a　more　unfortunate　defect　in　learning　our　language　could　not　easily　be　pointed　out。

They　use　the　ellipsis　in　speaking　very　freely；　always　omitting　as　many　words　as　they　possibly　can；　consistent　with　being　understood。　　They　inflect　both　their　nouns　and　verbs　regularly；　and　denote　the　cases　of　the　former　and　the　tenses　of　the　latter；　not　like　the　English　by　auxiliary　words；　but　like　the　Latins　by　change　of　termination。　　Their　nouns；　whether　substantive　or　adjective；　seem　to　admit　of　no　plural。　　I　have　heard　Mr。　Dawes　hint　his　belief　of　their　using　a　dual　number；　similar　to　the　Greeks；　but　I　confess　that　I　never　could　remark　aught　to　confirm　it。　The　method　by　which　they　answer　a　question　that　they　cannot　resolve　is　similar　to　what　we　sometimes　use。　　Let　for　example　the　following　question　be　put：　'Waw　Colbee　yagoono？'Where　is　Colbee　to…day？　　'Waw；　baw！'Where；　indeed！　would　be　the　reply。　　They　use　a　direct　and　positive　negative；　but　express　the　affirmative　by　a　nod　of　the　head　or　an　inclination　of　the　body。

Opinions　have　greatly　differed；　whether　or　not　their　language　be　copious。　In　one　particular　it　is　notoriously　defective。　　They　cannot　count　with　precision　more　than　four。　　However　as　far　as　ten；　by　holding　up　the　fingers；　they　can　both　comprehend　others　and　explain　themselves。　　Beyond　four　every　number　is　called　great；　and　should　it　happen　to　be　very　large；　great　great；　which　is　an　Italian　idiom　also。　　This　occasions　their　computations　of　time　and　space　to　be　very　confused　and　incorrect。　　Of　the　former　they　have　no　measure　but　the　visible　diurnal　motion　of　the　sun　or　the　monthly　revolution　of　the　moon。

To　conclude　the　history　of　a　people　for　whom　I　cannot　but　feel　some　share　of　affection。　　Let　those　who　have　been　born　in　more　favoured　lands　and　who　have　profited　by　more　enlightened　systems；　compassionate；　but　not　despise　their　destitute　and　obscure　situation。　　Children　of　the　same　omniscient　paternal　care；　let　them　recollect　that　by　the　fortuitous　advantage　of　birth　alone　they　possess　superiority：　　that　untaught；　unaccommodated　man　is　the　same　in　Pall　Mall　as　in　the　wilderness　of　New　South　Wales。　And　ultimately　let　them　hope　and　trust　that　the　progress　of　reason　and　the　splendor　of　revelation　will　in　their　proper　and　allotted　season　be　permitted　to　illumine　and　transfuse　into　these　desert　regions；　knowledge；　virtue　and　happiness。




CHAPTER　XVIII。



Observations　on　the　Convicts。


A　short　account　of　that　class　of　men　for　whose　disposal　and　advantage　the　colony　was　principally；　if　not　totally；　founded；　seems　necessary。

If　it　be　recollected　how　large　a　body　of　these　people　are　now　congregated　in　the　settlement　of　Port　Jackson　and　at　Norfolk　Island；　it　will；　I　think；　not　only　excite　surprise　but　afford　satisfaction；　to　learn；　that　in　a　period　of　four　years　few　crimes　of　a　deep　dye　or　of　a　hardened　nature　have　been　perpetrated。　　Murder　and　unnatural　sins　rank　not　hitherto　in　the　catalogue　of　their　enormities；　and　one　suicide　only　has　been　committed。

To　the　honour　of　the　female　part　of　our　community　let　it　be　recorded　that　only　one　woman　has　suffered　capital　punishment。　　On　her　condemnation　she　pleaded　pregnancy；　and　a　jury　of　venerable　matrons　was　impanneled　on　the　spot；　to　examine　and　pronounce　her　state；　which　the　forewoman；　a　grave　personage　between　sixty　and　seventy　years　old；　did；　by　this　short　address　to　the　court；　'Gentlemen！　she　is　as　much　with　child　as　I　am。'　Sentence　was　accordingly　passed；　and　she　was　executed。

Besides　the　instance　of　Irving；　two　other　male　convicts；　William　Bloodsworth；　of　Kingston　upon　Thames；　and　John　Arscott；　of　Truro；　in　Cornwall；　were　both　emancipated　for　their　good　conduct；　in　the　years　1790　and　1791。　　Several　men　whose　terms　of　transportation　had　expired；　and　against　whom　no　legal　impediment　existed　to　prevent　their　departure；　have　been　permitted　to　enter　in　merchant　ships　wanting　hands：　　and　as　my　Rose　Hill　journals　testify；　many　others　have　had　grants　of　land　assigned　to　them；　and　are　become　settlers　in　the　country。

In　so　numerous　a　community　many　persons　of　perverted　genius　and　of　mechanical　ingenuity　could　not　but　be　assembled。　　Let　me　produce　the　following　example。　　Frazer　was　an　iron　manufacturer；　bred　at　Sheffield；　of　whose　abilities　as　a　workman　we　had　witnessed　many　proofs。　　The　governor　had　written　to　England　for　a　set　of　locks　to　be　sent