Miscellaneous papers relating to Aborigines, ca. 1839-1871 - Page 5

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[Page 5]

  

The natives of King George Sound as describ'd by Capt King to have all the elements of a commercial people. During his stay they busied themselves daily in manufacturing spears knives & hammers for barter; the value of each article being from  ½ to 1/8 of a biscuit. They  did not rush to  the exchange as soon as the have completed a single article as is very generall the case with rude nations but they waited until they had made a quantity, and then presented themselves to trade displaying evident traces of [indecipherable] which if properly cultivated would turn to account. Capt King collected from these people altogether 100 spears 30 throwing sticks, 40 hammers, 150 knives & a few hand clubs  one of the natives named Jock (copy B. p.17-).

Captain Sturt gives similar testimony on behalf of the natives of yallowway as well as disposition to trade. He occasionally exchangd pieces of iron hoop for 2 kinds of fish the one a bream the other a barbell & the eagerness with which they met our advances to the barter says Capt Sturt is a strong proof of the natural disposition towards this 1st step in civilization

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