[50] A few months before the extermination of the Tasmanians, an inhabitant of Hobart Town wrote a letter to Rienzi, copied by him in _Océanie_, p. 558. The author foresaw that a conflict was inevitable. He observes, “Several of the children have been sent to the schools of Hobart Town. When once arrived at the age of puberty, an irresistible instinct compels them to return to their solitudes.” We know of no other particulars regarding the attempts made by the English to civilise the natives. This fact, similar to those of Australia, comes from a source which cannot be suspected, since the writer of the letter, as well as M. Rienzi, are well disposed towards the natives. [51] D’Omalius d’Halloy, _Des Races Humaines ou Éléments d’Ethnographie_, p. 108, Paris, 1859. [52] Quoy et Gaimard, _Voy. de l’Astrolabe en 1826-29_, t. i, p. 46, Paris, 1836. [53] Gliddon, _The Monogenists and the Polygenists_, 443. [54] _Voyage au Pole et dans l’Océanie_, t. ii, p. 109, Paris, 1846. [55] _Loc. cit._, p. 109. [56] Cunningham, _Two Years in New South Wales_, 3rd edit., v. ii, p. 17, Lond., 1828. [57] Lessen, _Voyage autour du Monde sur la Corvette la Coquille_, executed by order of the French Government, t. ii, p. 278, Paris, 1830. The description of New Holland and its inhabitants fully occupying nearly eighty pages. [58] It would be superfluous to indicate the origin of these various nicknames. We may however mention, that _sterlings_ are the free settlers born in Europe, and the _currencies_ such as are born in the colony. The pound sterling was formerly of more value than the pound currency. _V._ Cunningham, p. 46. [59] These names have here a special acceptation, and designate by no means natural or legitimate children. [60] The _canaries_ are recently arrived convicts, the _government men_ established convicts, the _emancipists_ liberated convicts, the _bushrangers_ fugitive convicts. [61] _Loc. cit._, p. 108. [62] MacGillivray, _Narration of the Voyage of H.M.S. Rattlesnake_, vol, i, p. 151, 1852, cited in Waitz, _Anthropologie_, p. 203. [63] Malte-Brun, _Abrégé de Géographie Universelle_, p. 883, Paris, 1844. [64] Cunningham, _loc. cit._, vol, ii, p. 65. [65] Malte-Brun, _Abrégé de Géographie_. In reality the disproportion between the free individuals of the two sexes was more considerable than is indicated in the above account, for children are included. But the number of the children of the free population amounted in 1828, to 6,837, according to Wentworth (Rienzi, _l’Océanie_, p. 543). Supposing that this number only amounted to 7,000 in 1830--say 3,500 boys and 3,500 girls--there would remain for the adult free population about 10,000 men and 4,000 women,--two women for five men. [66] Henricq, _Histoire de l’Oceanie_, Paris, 1845. [67] Lesson, _Voyage autour du Monde_, t. ii, p. 291. It was in 1824 that the author lived in New South Wales. Under the name of Port Jackson he comprises all the region of which Sydney is the capital.