Aborigines of Van Diemen's Land, 1830-1840 - Page 257
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[Page 257]
Since writing the above my attention has been directed to a production published in London in 1822 by Mr George William Evans, then Surveyor General of the Island of Van Dieman's Land. In this work an account is given of the "Original Population" of this island, partly by the Author himself and partly from the publications of Lieutenant Jeffries and Mr Wentworth, the latter gentleman having about 20 years since in London published a very clever work on New South Wales and Van Dieman's Land.
It may reasonably be supposed that at the earlier periods of the Colony, when the settlers had not spread widely over the island, the knowledge of the Aborigines must have been very scanty. It does not ap and many erroneous opinions formed. No part of the Western Coast, and other portions of the interior are not even as much as mentioned. It is said that "the Aborigines do not appear to have Chiefs. Those of Adventure Bay have the body tatooed". What I have already stated sufficiently demonstrates that the Chiefs exercise great authority over their respective tribes, and as to tatooing, they know not what it is. The mistake must have originated in the circumstances that the different tribes are known by certain marks on their bodies. For instance those of Oyster Bay have in the small of their backs something like "Ring Dollars" and another tribe have distinguishing impressions on the thickest parts of