avy rain, which was
highly acceptable. On the 28th, it blew very fresh, and a fishing
boat, in working up the harbour, filled; fortunately, she was an
English cutter, and did not sink. A young woman, a little girl,
and two children, (all natives) were in the boat when the
accident happened: the young woman had the two children on her
shoulders in a moment, and swam on shore with them; the girl also
swam on shore, as did such of the boat's crew that could swim.
Several of the natives seeing this accident as the boat drove
towards the rocks, gave them every possible assistance, without
which, in all probability, one of the crew would have been
drowned. After clearing the boat, they collected the oars and
such articles as had been driven on shore in different places;
and in these friendly offices, Bannelong was very assiduous: this
behaviour gave Governor Phillip an opportunity of receiving him
in a more kindly manner than he had done since his bad
behaviour.

Though our colonists had never been able to learn the reason
for the females losing two joints of the little finger, they now
had an opportunity of seeing in what manner that operation is
performed. Colebe's wife brought her child to Governor Phillip's
house a few days after it was born, and as it was a female, both
the father and mother had been repeatedly told, that if the
finger was to be cut off, the governor wished to see the
operation. The child was now two months old, and a ligature was
applied round the little finger at the second joint; but two or
three days afterwards, when she brought the child again, the
ligature was either broke, or had been taken off: this being
mentioned to the mother, she took several hairs from the head of
an officer who was present, and bound them very tight round the
child's finger. After some time, a gangrene took place; and
though the child appeared uneasy when the finger was touched, it
did not cry, nor was any attention paid to it after the ligature
was applied.

It has already been observed, that this operation always took
place on the left hand of the females; but this child was an
exception, for it was the little finger on the right hand on
which the ligature was applied: this bandage was continued until
the finger was ready to drop off, when its parents carried it to
the surgeon, who, at their request, separated it with a
knife.

Making love in this country is always prefaced by a beating,
which the female seems to