his first wife Ba-rang-a-roo, who, I suppose, was at the time of her
decease turned fifty. I have attended them on both occasions. The
interment of Ba-loo-der-ry was accompanied with many curious ceremonies.
From being one day in apparent perfect health, he was brought in the next
extremely ill, and attended by Bennillong, whom we found singing over
him, and making use of those means which ignorance and superstition
pointed out to him to recover his health. Ba-loo-der-ry lay extended on
the ground, appearing to be in much pain. Bennillong applied his mouth to
those parts of his patient's body which he thought were affected,
breathing strongly on them, and singing: at times he waved over him some
boughs dipped in water, holding one in each hand, and seemed to treat him
with much attention and friendship. On the following morning he was
visited by a car-rah-dy, who came express from the north shore. This man
threw himself into various distortions, applied his mouth to different
parts of his patient's body, and at length, after appearing to labour
much, and to be in great pain, spit out a piece of a bone about an inch
and a half long (which he had previously procured). Here the farce ended,
and Ba-loo-der-ry's friends took the car-rah-dy with them and entertained
him with such fare as they had to give him. He was at this time at our
hospital; during the night his fever increased, and his friends, thinking
he would be better with them, put him into a canoe, intending to take him
to the north shore; but he died as they were carrying him over. This was
immediately notified to us by a violent clamour among the women and
children; and Bennillong soon after coming into the town, it was agreed
upon between him and the governor that the body should be buried in the
governor's garden.

In the afternoon it was brought over in a canoe, and deposited in a hut
at the bottom of the garden, several natives attending, and the women and
children lamenting and howling most dismally. The body was wrapped up in
the jacket which he usually wore, and some pieces of blanketting tied
round it with bines. The men were all armed, and, without any
provocation, two of them had a contest with clubs; at the same time a few
blows passed between some of the women. Boo-roong had her head cut by
Go-roo-ber-ra, the mother of the deceased. Spears were also thrown, but
evidently as part of a ceremony, and not with an intention of doing
injury to any one. At t