Page:Narrative of a Visit to the Australian Colonies.djvu/134

98 and saw some Forester Kangaroos; these are a large species, which is gregarious. The Brush Kangaroo, the commonest kind in this island, is rather solitary in its habits.—In the evening we reached George Town, where we again received much kindness from M. C. Friend and his wife, and from a magistrate named John Clark, whose guest I became till the 29th.

In this interval we put to sea, but were driven back. This gave me an opportunity of speaking to the inhabitants of George Town, on their religious state. I also visited some prisoners, employed in quarrying and burning lime, up a branch of the Tamar, called Middle Arm. The limestone is accompanied by silicious sandstone, which, as well as the limestone, contains marine fossils, and is in connexion with micacious veins of a silvery appearance.

On the 29th, we got to sea, with a light breeze. At the mouth of the Tamar there was a tremendous tide-ripple, that occasioned the cutter to pitch violently, and seemed ready to swamp the pilot's boat; the men who were in it cried out through fear, notwithstanding the boat was made fast to the vessel by a rope.—The country on the north coast, between Port Dalrymple and Port Sorell is mountainous, that between Port Sorell and Port Frederick is low toward the shore, and has a gentle rise further inland, where there is some fine pasture.—On passing one part of the coast, two of the Aborigines shewed some uneasiness and fear. This, we afterwards found, resulted from circumstances connected with the destruction of two settlers, on account of which one of these men had been in prison, but had been discharged. The other had actually been of the party, who put the settlers to death; but it appeared, that their misconduct had been such as, in a civilized country, would have rendered the case one of what is termed in law, "Justifiable homicide:" but notwithstanding this, and without further evidence than that the parties had been killed by Blacks, a verdict of wilful murder was given at the inquest, and the whole Colony was thrown into excitement through fear of the barbarous Aborigines, so that few people thought of going from home without guns or pistols. This occurred about the time of our arrival in the Colony, when many