I miiHieal as any European tongue*^ Those who Hpolce it might for lo3*aity to their Ui.ws and iniitiial kindness to one ^ another pat to the bhish the beat of their detractors. fl It has been objected that ignorance of the meaning of ^ some songs they Bang proved a low order of iiiteUigenee. Yet in Europe thoiistinds flock to operatic performances of which, if they could distingnishj they wouid not understand the words. New songs amongst the Australians with appro- priate dances, w-ere to them Uke the last composition of Mozart or Eossini to Europeans* The perfection of acting was aimed at by each man in the trilre. Woe betide the imhicky wiglit who committed a mistake in the pnblic per- formance, or missed the proper turn in the air while singmg by his camp-fire. Hnmiliation followed him for weeks from the good-himioured taimts of the tribe. The words of the songs or chants were few^, bnt were often repeated as the harmony ran its round. The performance of the dances (or, as they were called in Sydney '* corobborrees,'* wlience the name became general amongst whites and blacks) was invested with traditionary interest amounting to a cult- The composer who could minister to it was an especial favonrite with his tribe, and of great repnte abroad. The usual pictorial representation of a cturobboree shows the natives with legs extended, with white lines painted on them. But no painting can portray tlje intensity and rapidity of the movement comniunjeated to these lines, while, without letting the sole of his foot leave the ground, the dancer by the same motion gradually passed laterally over the ground, and caused the muscles on his thigh to quiver. Mr. Eyre remarks that this is ** a peculiarity probably confined to the natives of Australia./' Some of them excelled others in its performance* The women beat ^ The Rev, Mr. Kidlej* who spolte it wdl, wrote : —** The inflections of verbs and nouns, the derivation and compoailion of words, the arrajige- ment of sentences, and the jiiethr>d of inipartinj^^ emphasis, inriiciitc an accuracy of thought and a force of cxpreBsiou surpassing aJI that is t couiraoidy supposed to be olitainablc by a savage race. It need hardly be Btid that a very common statement that the Anstralians Jiad no nbatract ^terins — no adjectives mich as ** hard/' '*Boft/' " cruel/' **kind,'* '* cold," "hot," *'warui/* *' severe/' ** gentle/' &c. — has no foundation. Br Milligan, indeed, while making the fitatement with regard to Tusnianiana. admits that his ignorance of their language impeded hia in<|nirie8.
