State Library of NSW
[Page 93] 284
He can converse easily and fluently withthe natives in the neighbourhood of Lismore: and says that the same language withslight variations is spoken on the Tweed:and extends inland from the seaboardof the Richmond & Tweed Districts for about150 miles- but the language spoken bythe natives in the Clarence seaboard, andinland, is quite distinct from that ofthe Richmond -(3) Mr McQuilty could nodoubt, if applied to by the Anthropologicalsociety, supply a complete vocabularyof the Richmond River language - andthis might be suggested to the Society.Mr McQuilty would need clerical assistancein writing the native words, as it is oftendifficult to convey the sound, or pronounciation by any arrangement of letters-(4) The letter "u" is frequentlyused, but it is not pronounced as in"tune", or as it is in "fun", but usuallyas it would be if the "double O" in "moon"were sounded very short.When the "u" comes before or after the"double R" it is sounded as in "lung"The construction and spelling of the wordsas given in the list indicate as nearlyas possible the accentuation. I thinkthe opportunity should not be lost ofobtaining further information of thisinteresting and euphonious languagefrom Mr McQuilty: who can alsosupply many particulars of the strangecustoms & laws of the various tribes-
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