Although I can hardly coincide with the opinion entertained by one of my officers, who had visited these islands in 1824 with M. Bik, that the Arafuras had no religion whatsoever, I will here insert some of the observations he made, as contributing greatly to give a knowledge of these people. The facts he relates are not to be doubted. "Although," says he, "I found in a house at Old Affara (a village on Vorkay, one of the southernmost of the Arrus) an image rudely formed of wood, together with a post on which different figures, such as snakes, lizards, crocodiles and human forms were carved, and which the owner stated to be intended for preserving the house from evil spirits (_Swangi_), yet it is evident that the Arafuras of Vorkay possess no religion whatsoever. There are no sacred groves or similar places on the island. They certainly hold a feast at the time in which they have perceived that the Christians of Wama hold one also, namely, at the commencement of the year, when they, in imitation of the Christians, celebrate the Advent of the new year, by arraying themselves in their best clothes, and drinking a considerable quantity of arrack. "Of the immortality of the soul they have not the least conception. To all my enquiries on this subject they answered, 'No Arafura has ever returned to us after death, therefore we know nothing of a future state, and this is the first time we have heard of it.' Their idea was, _Mati, Mati sudah_, (When you are dead there is an end of you.) Neither have they any notion of the creation of the world. They only answered, 'None of us are aware of this; we have never heard any thing about it, and therefore do not know who has done it all.' "To convince myself more fully respecting their want of knowledge of a Supreme Being, I demanded of them on whom they called for help in their need, when, far from their homes, engaged in the trepang fishery, their vessels were overtaken by violent tempests, and no human power could save them, their wives and children from destruction. The eldest among them, after having consulted the others, answered that they knew not on whom they could call for assistance, but begged me, if I knew, to be so good as to inform them. "I was at length tired of asking questions, and did my best to give them a notion of the creation of the world, and of a future state. I remarked to them how wonderful it was that a small grain of seed sprang up into a spreading tree; that the different sorts never mixed; that every thing which surrounded us was in a constantly progressive state of creation and decay; and that all these things could never have taken place but for the superintendence of an allwise Providence. The Arafuras nodded their heads to show that my words appeared to them to have much truth in them.