The singular manner these men had also of holding the face turned upwards, in order to escape the plague of flies, fully confirmed the truth of old Dampier's account of the manners of these people when he first discovered this part of the world. The eldest was the spokesman, or rather the signsman of the party, and this is always the custom, so far as we have had an opportunity of judging. The word they make use of in bowing (which they did quite in an Eastern style) appeared to be irru irru: their breasts were scarred with deep horizontal cuts, such as we had previously noticed on the natives in Roebuck Bay. I was so much struck with the resemblance between these people and the natives of Tierra del Fuego, that I have been tempted to believe that the stream of population flowed thitherward from the continent of America. I ought to mention that when Captain Wickham and myself left the ship, in the hope of inducing the natives to return with us, Miago, hearing of the expected visit, immediately went below, and dressed himself to the best possible advantage. No sooner did the boat come alongside, than he appeared at the gangway, inquiring with the utmost possible dignity, "where blackfellas?" and was evidently and deeply mortified that he had no opportunity of astonishing the natives. There has been a marked change in the weather, since the sun crossed the equator: we have had no repetitions of the easterly squalls, before so prevalent, and the winds have been almost regular in the following order. From 3 P.M. to 1 A.M. a light breeze from South-South-West which freshening alters to South-East where it remains till 8 A.M., from that hour gradually decreasing, and at the same time changing to North-East and North. The thermometer, for some days past has ranged from 72 to 89 degrees; a temperature which we thought a few months ago intolerable, was now quite agreeable. We looked forward with the utmost anxiety to the result of our arrival at Port George the Fourth, as there, or at least in that neighbourhood, we hoped to hear some tidings of our friends Grey and Lushington, who, when we separated from them at the Cape, intended to land in Hanover Bay, establish a depot for stores, and from thence penetrate if possible into the interior. THEIR PEACEABLE DISPOSITION. I had no fear on the subject of any hostility from the natives, for in our own experience, we had as yet always found them inoffensive and peaceable; while should they prove otherwise, I was satisfied that a very slight acquaintance with the effects of gunpowder would be quite sufficient to quell their warlike propensities, but I did fear that they had chosen a very unfavourable point for debarkation, and that many causes would combine to arrest their progress into the interior. How unhappily my anticipations were verified, will be seen hereafter.