An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales Volume I Part 57

Yen-wor-ro, He is gone.

Yen-nim-me, You are going.

Yen-nool, Relating to walking.

Yen-noong, Yen-nore-yen, Yen-nang-allea, Let us both walk.

AI-locy, Stay.

Wo-roo-wo-roo, Go away.

War-re-war-re, Pat-ta-diow, I have eaten.

Pat-td-die-mi, You have eaten.

Pat-ty, He has eaten.

Pat-ta-bow, I will eat.

Pat-td-baw-me, You will eat, or will you eat?

Pat-ta-ne, They eat.

Wul-da-diow, I have drank.

Wul-da-dic-mi, You have drank.

Nwya jee-ming-a, Give me.

Py-yay, Killed.

Jung-ara py-yay, Killed by dogs.

Par-rat-ben-ni-diow I have emptied.

Py-ya-bow, I will strike or beat.

Py-yee, He did beat.

E-ra-bow, I will throw.

E-ra, Throw you.

E-rail-leiz, Throwing.

Mahn-me-diow. I have taken it.

Mahn-iow, Shall I, or I shall take.

Goo-ra, Sunk.

Ton-ga-bil-lie, Did cry.

Wau-me, Scolding or abusing.

Wau-me-bow I will scold or abuse Wau-me-diow I have scolded or abused Wau-me-diang-ha They have scolded or abused Nang-er-ra He sleeps Nang-a Nang-a-bow I will sleep Nang-a-diow I have slept Nang-a-diem-me You have slept Nang-a-bau-me? Will you sleep?

Go-ro-da He snores Gna-na le-ma She or he breathes Al-lo-wan He lives or remains Al-lo-wah Stay here, or sit down Wal-loo-me-yen-wal-loo? Where are you going?

War-re-me-war-re Where have you been?

Gna-diow You have seen Gna-diem-me I have seen Gna-bow I will see Gna See Era-mad-jow-in-nia Forced from him Car-rah-ma Stealing Wor-ga-wee-na He whistles, or whistling Goo-lar-ra py-yel-la Snarling with anger Man-nie mong-alla Surprised Yare-ba Tired Pe-to-e Sought for Man-nie mal-lee He was startled Nwya-bow-in-nia I will give you Wan-ye-wan-yi He lies Ma-row-e He creeps Bang-a-ja-bun He did paddle Noy-ga Howling as a dog Toll Biting Co-e, Cow-e Cwoi, Cow-ana Come here Wad-be Swimming Bo-gay Diving

Ta-yo-ra, Me-diang-a Severely cold. Me-diang-a is compounded of Me-diong, a sore Mul-la-ra Married. Compounded of Mulla, a man

BEASTS

Jung-o Common name Pat-a-go-rang A large grey kang-oo-roo Bag-gar-ray Small red ditto Wal-li-bah Black ditto Tein-go Din-go Wor-re-gal Dog Boo-roo-min Grey vulpine opossum Go-ra-go-ro Red ditto Wob-bin Flying squirrel Ga-ni-mong Kang-oo-roo rat Wee-ree-a-min Large fox rat Wee-ree-am-by Bo-gul Rat or mouse Me-rea-gine Spotted rat

BIRDS

Ma-ray-ong Emu Go-ree-all A parrot Mul-go A black swan Car-rang-a bo mur-ray A pelican. When they see this bird over their heads, they sing the following words: Yoo-rong-i A ivild duck.

Goad-gang, A wild pigeon Wir-gan Bird named by us the Friar Gnoo-roo-me ta-twa-natwa na-twa--Gno-roo me ta-twa na-twa, na-twa, tar-ra wow, tar-ra wow*

[* On seeing a shoal of porpoises, they sing while the fish is above water, Note-le-bre la-la, No-te-le-bre la-la, until it goes down, when they sing the words No-tee, No-tee, until it rises again]

Go-gan-ne-gine the Laughing jack-a.s.s Po-book Musquito hawk Wau-gan Crow Jam-mul jam-mul Common hawk Gare-a-way White c.o.c.katoo Ca-rate Black ditto Ur-win-ner-ri-wing Curlew

INSECTS, REPTILES

Mar-rae-gong A spider Mi-a-nong A fly Go-ma-go-ma A beetle Gil-be-nong A gra.s.shopper Bur-roo-die-ra A b.u.t.terfly Go-na-long Caterpillar Can-nar-ray Centipede Calm Snake Po-boo-nang A black ant

PECULIARITIES OF LANGUAGE

To the men when fis.h.i.+ng they apply the word Mah-ni; to the women, Mahn.

They make some distinction in another instance when speaking of crying, they say the men Tong-i; the women Tong-e.

The following difference of dialect was observed between the natives at the Hawkesbury and at Sydney.

COAST INLAND ENGLISH Ca-ber-ra Co-co Head De-war-ra Ke-war-ra Hair Gnul-lo Nar-ran Forehead Mi Me Eye Go-ray Ben-ne Ear Cad-lian Gang-a Neck Ba-rong Ben-di Belly Moo-nur-ro Boom-boong Navel Boong Bay-ley b.u.t.tocks Yen-na-dah Dil-luck Moon Co-ing Con-do-in Sun Go-ra Go-ri-ba Hail Go-gen-ne-gine Go-con-de Laughing jack-a.s.s

WORDS OF A SONG

Mdng-en-ny-wau-yen-go-nah, bar-ri-boo-lah, bar-re-mah. This they begin at the top of their voices, and continue as long as they can in one breath, sinking to the lowest note, and then rising again to the highest. The words are the names of deceased persons.

E-i-ah wan-ge-wah, chian-go, wan-de-go. The words of another song, sung in the same manner as the preceding, and of the same meaning.

I met with only two or three words which bore a resemblance to any other language.

The middle head of Port Jackson is named Ca-ba Ca-ba--in Portuguese Caba signifies a head. Cam-ma-rade, a term of affection used among girls, has a strong resemblance to the French word Cammerade; and may not some similitude be traced between the word E-lee-mong, a s.h.i.+eld, and the word Telamon, the name given to the greater Ajax, on account of his being lord of the seven-fold s.h.i.+eld? How these words came into their language must be a mystery till we have a more intimate knowledge of it than I can pretend to.

I could have enlarged very much the foregoing account of the natives of New South Wales; but, both in describing their customs and in detailing their language, I have chosen to mention only those facts about which, after much attention and inquiry, I could satisfy my own mind. That they are ignorant savages cannot be disputed; but I hope they do not in the foregoing pages appear to be wholly incapable of becoming one day civilized and useful members of society.

POSTSCRIPT

Since the preceding account was printed, letters have been received from New South Wales of as late date as the 20th of August 1797. By these it appears, that his Majesty's s.h.i.+p _Reliance_, in her pa.s.sage from the Cape of Good Hope to Port Jackson, met with uncommon bad weather, which kept her out eleven weeks and one day. About the lat.i.tude of 41 degrees S and 77 degrees E longitude, the sea suddenly became violently agitated, and at last broke on board the s.h.i.+p, staving a boat which was over the stern, and doing considerable damage to the s.h.i.+p. Captain Waterhouse, however, landed safely thirty-nine head of black cattle, three mares, and near sixty sheep.

Information was also received through the same channel, that a s.h.i.+p called the _Sydney Cove_ had been fitted out for Port Jackson from Bengal; but springing a leak at sea, she was run ash.o.r.e on the southernmost part of the coast of New Holland: seventeen of the crew attempted to get to Port Jackson in their long-boat, but were driven on sh.o.r.e, and lost their boat. They then attempted to reach it by land, in which hazardous undertaking only three of them succeeded, the other either dying on the route or being killed by the natives. They were eighty days in performing this journey, and reported that in their way they had found great quant.i.ties of coal. This was afterwards confirmed by the surgeon of the _Reliance_, who went down to the wreck, and brought specimens of it back with him, having found immense strata of this useful article. Some part of the cargo was got on sh.o.r.e and housed where the s.h.i.+p was stranded.

When these letters left the colony, it continued in as flouris.h.i.+ng a state as when the _Britannia_ sailed. May it continue to prosper!

THE END