'Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society, from January 1847 to May 1849. Edited by the Secretary. Volume VIII.' [‎376] (485/496)

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and is quite free of all danger, the soundings Measurements of the depth of a body of water. being even and regular, the
holding ground excellent,—the bottom stiff blue clay : the anchorage is
also well sheltered from the south-east trade, though it is open to the
northwest and northeast winds, but during the season when it blows from
those quarters a vessel might shift her berth under the lee of one of the
neighbouring islands. The land about Raffles’ Bay is very low, but
densely wooded, the forest extending inland as far as the eye could
reach. Saw several large columns ofsmoke ascending from amidst the trees,
which we supposed were the signal-fires of the natives warning each
other of our approach, as nothing of the kind was observed until we
were close in shore. Shortly after we came to an anchor, seven natives
were perceived walking steadily along the beach carrying a blazing torch
in their hands, now and then halting for the purpose of setting the bush
on fire. As soon as they got abreast of the vessels, they squatted down on
the locks and kept gazing attentively at us, but, unlike the natives of
Murray’s and Wednesday Isle, they waved no palm branches or made other
friendly signs for us to land. A gig, however, was dispatched to the
shore, in the hopes of obtaining an amicable interview with the natives,
which was effected, and three very readily came off to the Tigris.
They were all quite naked, and each carried a spear, and a small basket
neatly made of a peculiar kind of palm leaf, which contained some
bulbous and fern roots, supposed to be their food. They had all lost
two fiont teeth, and their bodies were horridly scarred : two had several
streaks of white chalk drawn across the breast and forehead. They
were, the most miserable looking savages we had as yet seen—infinitely
infeiioi to those of Wednesday Island : in fact, they appeared but one
degree removed from the brute creation. Their hair was thick and bushy,
and hung in stiff matted locks over their shoulders: the cheek bones
w ere high, the eyes deeply sunk in their sockets, forehead unusually low,
and their legs thin and lanky, exhibiting so great a want of muscular
power that those limbs seemed incapable of supporting the body. They
wore no sort of ornament, and only felt proud of the innumerable welts
or cicatnxes with which their persons were covered. Their features and
their appearance altogether was most revolting, and yet, at the same time,
excited a degree of pity, for the poor wretches seemed to be in a state
of starvation, their ribs actually protruding through the skin, and they
made such frequent signs of hunger that we gave them as much boiled
lice and biscuit as they could eat, and the ravenous manner in which
iey devoured the food fully proved the fact. One of these natives called
imself Wellington, and another Waterloo;—two names which I suppose