e savage himself was, curiously enough, doing precisely
the same thing with the biscuit, the taste of which was, perhaps, no
more agreeable to him than that of the whale to the Englishman. The
commencement of the trigonometrical operations necessary for surveying
the bay was beheld by the Australian with indifference, if not with
contempt; and he quitted the strangers, apparently satisfied that from
people who could thus seriously occupy themselves there was no great
danger to be feared.

But, whatever may be urged respecting the variety of tastes and the
want of a settled and uniform standard of appeal respecting them;
however it may be argued the rich and luscious fat of a noble whale may
intrinsically surpass the lean and mouldy flavour of dry sea-biscuit;
nevertheless, in many other matters of greater importance, it must be
confessed that the manners and habits of the natives of the Bush are
extremely wretched and evil. And the Christian European, while he dares
not _despise_ them, cannot do otherwise than _pity_ them. The fact has
been already noticed, that these miserable children of nature scarcely
ever wear anything deserving of the name of clothing; and, in many parts
of New Holland, their huts, usually constructed by the women, and
composed of little better materials than bark, or wood, and boughs,[42]
reeds, or clay, scarcely merit the title of human habitations. But it is
not so much in their outward state, as in their moral and social habits,
that this race of men are most pitiable and degraded. One subject which
has been frequently observed to mark the difference not so much between
civilized and uncivilized men, as that between Christians and heathens,
must especially be noticed. Cruel as is _the treatment of women_ in many
other parts of the globe, the inhabitants of Australia seem to go beyond
all other barbarians in this respect. From the best and wisest people of
christian Europe down to the vilest and most degraded tribes of heathen
Australia, a regular scale might be formed of the general mode of
behaviour to the weaker sex among these various nations; and, mostly, it
would be found that the general superiority or inferiority of each
nation is not untruly indicated by the kindness or cruelty with which
their females are usually treated.

[42] See Nehemiah viii. 14, 15.

From their earliest infancy the female children are engaged or betrothed
to a future husband, and in case of his death, they be