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[Page 93] 284
He can converse easily and fluently with
the natives in the neighbourhood of Lismore:
and says that the same language with
slight variations is spoken on the Tweed:
and extends inland from the seaboard
of the Richmond & Tweed Districts for about
150 miles- but the language spoken by
the natives in the Clarence seaboard, and
inland, is quite distinct from that of
the Richmond -
(3) Mr McQuilty could no
doubt, if applied to by the Anthropological
society, supply a complete vocabulary
of the Richmond River language - and
this might be suggested to the Society.
Mr McQuilty would need clerical assistance
in writing the native words, as it is often
difficult to convey the sound, or pronounciation
by any arrangement of letters-
(4) The letter "u" is frequently
used, but it is not pronounced as in
"tune", or as it is in "fun", but usually
as 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 words
as given in the list indicate as nearly
as possible the accentuation. I think
the opportunity should not be lost of
obtaining further information of this
interesting and euphonious language
from Mr McQuilty: who can also
supply many particulars of the strange
customs & laws of the various tribes-