be most terrible and most potent in the hours of darkness. Miago had
never seen this object of his fears, but upon the authority of the elders
of his tribe, he described its visible presence as that of a huge
many-folded serpent; and in the night, when the tall forest trees moaned
and creaked in the fitful wind, he would shrink terrified by the solemn
and mysterious sounds, which then do predispose the mind to superstitious
fears, and tell how, at such a time, his countrymen kindle a fire to
avert the actual presence of the evil spirit, and wait around
it--chanting their uncouth and rhythmical incantations--with fear and
trembling, for the coming dawn.

I have preserved these anecdotes here, because I can vouch for their
authenticity, and though individually unimportant, they may serve to
throw additional light upon the manners, customs, and traditions of the
Aborigines of Australia; but to all really interested in the subject, I
would recommend a perusal of Captain Grey's second volume. I have as yet
neither space nor materials to attempt any detailed account of the
customs, superstitions, or condition of this strange people; but it would
be impossible to pass them by quite unnoticed: nor can the voyager, whose
chief object is to make their native land a field for the exertions of
British enterprise, be wholly indifferent to the manner in which our
dominion may affect them. The history of almost every colony, founded by
European energy, has been one fearful catalogue of crime; and though by
the side of the Spanish, Dutch, and Portuguese, English adventurers seem
gentle and benevolent, still cruelty and oppression have too often
disgraced our name and faith.

FUTURE PROSPECTS.

Thank Heaven, with many a doubt as to the time that must elapse ere that