WASHINGTON'S HEADQUARTERS AT CAMBRIDGE. | pound duty in America. The first cargo of this tea THE house occupied by General Washington as arrived in November; and on the next morning, the his headquarters, during the memorable siege of following notice was distributed through the town:Boston, in 1775 and 1776, is situated about halfway "FRIENDS, BRETHREN, COUNTRYMEN! between the Cambridge colleges and Mount Auburn, on the road leading from Harvard university to

Waltham. The house is a large wooden mansion, with spacious outbuildings and grounds; it stands a little back from the road, and the front of it

commands a good view of Charles river, which gracefully winds through the adjacent meadows at the distance of about a quarter of a mile. At this mansion and at Winter hill, Washington spent most of the time that the British, to use their own expression, "were fairly blocked up in Boston," the town where numerous outrages had been perpetrated by the English soldiery, upon the unarmed and inoffensive inhabitants; all of which, however, were duly remembered. It may not be uninteresting to our readers, to review, in this place, some of the more prominent events which led to the siege.

this port by the East India company, is now arrived in "That worst of plagues, the detested TEA, shipped for this harbour. The hour of destruction, or manly opposition to the machinations of tyranny, stares you in the face. Every friend to his country, to himself, to posterity, is now called upon to meet at Fanuvil Hall, at nine o'clock this day, (at which time the bells will ring,) to make a united and successful resistance to this last, worst, and most destructive measure of adminis

The meeting thus called was fully attended; resolutions were passed against those who had imported tea, and provision was made for the disposal of the vessels which were expected to arrive. The assembled body voted "to carry their votes and resolutions into As early as 1765, the passage of the stamp-act execution at the risk of their lives and property." had caused a great deal of excitement-some acts of About the first of December, another vessel arrived violence also were committed by the mob, but these with tea, and the consignees of the cargoes were were discountenanced by the leading whigs, who ordered to send it back. This, however, was not thought such acts would infallibly injure a just cause. done, and on the 16th of December, the vessels which Their pens, however, were not idle; and in the Bos-contained it were boarded by a party disguised as ton Gazette of March 17th, 1766, a writer remarks:- Indians, the chests of tea were broken open, and in "Since the stamp-act imposed on us is unconstitu- less than two hours, two hundred and forty chests, tional, shall we not then, all as one man, join in and one hundred half-chests, were staved and opposing it, and spill the last drop of our blood, if emptied into the dock. A portion of this tea, which necessity should require, rather than live to see it was brought away in the shoes of one of the Indians, take place in America!" And again, "any one after is still preserved at the Boston Atheneum. a thorough search and consideration, would, rather than lose his liberty, be bored through the centre of life with the fatal lead." On the 19th of May, news was received at Boston that the stamp-act was repealed.

:

The next important event was the passage of the Boston port bill, to which George III. assented on the 31st of March, 1774: by this bill, the landing and discharging, lading or shipping, of goods at Boston, were discontinued. The news of this bill arrived On the 5th of March, 1770, the animosity of the at Boston about the 11th of May; and on the 13th, Bostonians against the "redcoats" was increased a the following vote was passed at town meeting:little by the murder of Crispus Attucks, Samuel" VOTED, That it is the opinion of this town, that if the Gray, Jonnes Caldwell, Samuel Maverick and other colonies come into a joint resolution to stop all Patrick Carr; and their funeral solemnities which importations from Great Britain, and exportations to took place on the 8th, brought together the largest concourse of people that probably had ever assembled in America. The duty on tea, of three pence per pound, imposed on the colonists without their consent, had been met by combinations among the inhabitants not to pay the duty, and not to use the article. The British East India company, however, applied to the British government, and obtained a license to export a quantity of tea to America, not exceeding six hundred thousand pounds; they were discharged from the payment of any custom-house duties whatever in the kingdom, but were subject, however, to the payment of the three pence per

Great Britain, the same will prove the salvation of North America and her liberties. On the other hand, if they continue their exports and imports, there is high reason to fear that fraud, power, and the most odious oppressions, will rise triumphant over right, justice, social happiness, and freedom."

About this time, General Gage arrived to govern the province. Hutchinson retired; troops also were constantly coming in, and fortifications were thrown up on Boston Neck. In September, a detachment went into the country and took from a powder magazine, on Quarry Hill, about two hundred half-barrels of powder, which belonged to the province,

another detachment brought off two fieldpieces from Cambridge. The people armed themselves and assembled, but finding no enemy to contend with, returned to their homes. On the other hand, a party of provincials in the province of New Hampshire, attacked the fort at Newcastle, captured the garrison, and took from them one hundred barrels of powder, some small-arms, and sixteen pieces of cannon, all of which were secured. These facts, though trivial in themselves, were of the utmost importance when considered in relation to the great events which were soon to follow.

enemies, when the troops again proceeded for a short distance unmolested. But the alarm of the preceding night had gathered the people over an immense extent of country; and having waited for information, those nearest to the scene of action were already pressing forward to the assistance of their friends. There was but little order and no concert among the Americans; but each party, as it arrived, pushed into the fray, and hanging on the skirts of their enemies, or making spirited though ineffectual efforts to stop their progress. On either side of the highway, along the skirts of every wood or orchard, in the open fields, and from every house or barn, or cover in sight, the flash of fire-arms was to be seen, while the shots of the British grew, at each instant, feebler and less inspirited." Their ranks now became confused, when, fortunately for them, they were reinforced by Lord Percy with a thousand men; this enabled them to reach Charles river that evening; and the next day all were removed to Boston. The

six wounded, and three missing; of the redcoats, seventy-three killed, one hundred and seventy-four wounded, and one hundred and twenty-six missing

The Americans continued to come to the support of their brethren, and in June their army consisted of fifteen thousand men, commanded by General Ward. On the 17th of June was fought the battle of Bunker's Hill, (already detailed in this Magazine ;) after this battle, the main body of the British troops was stationed on Bunker's Hill; the other division of it was deeply entrenched, and strongly fortified on Boston Neck. The American army lay on both sides of Charles river; its right occupying the high ground around Roxbury, whence it extended towards Dorchester, and its left, covered by Mystick river, a space of at least twelve miles.

The next important step was that taken by the British on the 15th of April. About eight hundred soldiers left Boston in the night-time, in order to destroy some military stores collected by the provincials at Concord. Their object, however, had been suspected by the committee of safety, and reports of their movements had been sent to the interiour. The route taken by the British, led them through West Cambridge to Lexington, which lies about loss of the Americans was forty-nine killed, thirtytwelve miles to the northwest of Boston. Concord being situated in the same direction, six miles from Lexington. Their route was undisturbed until their arrival at Lexington, when a drum was heard beating to arms, and a company of provincials were discovered. The British commander, Major Fitcairn, rode up to them and cried out, "Disperse you rebels-lay down your arms and disperse." Not being obeyed, he commanded his troops to fire: the provincials received the fire without flinching; and kept their ground till another discharge from the enemy proved fatal to several of them; on this, part of the company, if not all, returned the fire, and then dispersed in different directions. The British now continued their march to Concord and arrived there about nine o'clock: here they again fired upon the militia who had assembled, and having destroyed some provisions and stores, commenced their return to Boston. But now retributive measures awaited them; to use the words of the distinguished novelist Cooper: "In place of the high and insulting confidence with which the troops had wheeled into the streets of Concord, they left them when the order was given to march, with faces bent anxiously on the surrounding heights, and with looks that bespoke a consciousness of the dangers that were likely to beset the long road that lay before them. Their apprehensions were not groundless. The troops had hardly commenced their march before a volley was fired upon them from the protection of a barn; and as they advanced volley succeeded volley, and musket answered musket, from behind every cover that offered to their assailants. At first, these desultory and feeble attacks were but little regarded; a brisk charge, and a smart fire for a few moments never failing to disperse their

General Washington took command of the army on the 2d of July, 1775; and General Gage, having resigned, he was replaced by General Howe, who was completely shut up in Boston, and compelled to pass the winter in idleness. General Washington, however, becoming tired of this inactivity, wished to make an attack on them; but a council of war being almost unanimous against this measure, he reluctantly abandoned it.

"The effective regular force of the Americans, now amounted to upwards of fourteen thousand men : in addition to which the commander-in-chief called out about six thousand of the militia of Massachusetts; With these troops he determined to take possession of the heights of Dorchester, whence it would be in his power greatly to annoy the ships in the harbour, and the soldiers in the town. By taking this position, from which the enemy would inevitably attempt to drive him, he expected to bring on a gene

On the

ral action, during which he intended to cross over THE NEW HOLLANDERS from the Cambridge side, with four thousand chosen "The proper study of mankind is man.' men, and attack Boston. To conceal his design and few being of lofty stature; the women THE New Hollanders are of the middle height, are small to divert the attention of the garrison, a heavy bom- and well made, as indeed is generally the case with bardment of the town and lines of the enemy was the males; the hands and feet are small, the shoulbegun on the evening of the 2d of March, 1776, and ders finely rounded, but the belly is frequently prorepeated on the two succeeding nights. tuberant and the arms long: the features are not night of the 4th, immediately after the firing began, considered fascinating, which, added to an easiness unpleasant in youth: in some women, the smile may be a considerable detachment, under the command of of manner and a harmonious voice, (especially proGeneral Thomas, passing from Roxbury, took silent nouncing the English language,) has rendered several possession of Dorchester heights. The ground was of the unfortunate aborigines favourites with the white men. The colour of the skin and hair is in general almost impenetrably hard, but the night was mild, black, but some tribes have been seen of lighter coland by labouring with great diligence, their works our, approaching that of a malay with hair of a redwere so far advanced by morning, as to cover them, dish cast. Some have large beards, but many pluck out in a great measure, from the shot of the enemy. the hair by the roots. As is the case with all savWhen the British, after daybreak, discovered these ages, the hair is the principal part for decoration: works, which were magnified to their view by a which is matted together with gum, and formed into some divide the hair into small parcels, each of hazy atmosphere, nothing could exceed their aston-lengths like the thrums of a mop: others, by means of ishment. No alternative now remained but to aban- yellow gum, fasten on the head the front teeth of a don the town, or to dislodge the provincials. General Howe, with his usual spirit, chose the latter part of the alternative, in which design he was foiled by a tremendous storm. A council of war was call-back, &c., are covered at an early age with scars or ed next morning, and it was agreed to evacuate the town as soon as possible. A fortnight elapsed before this measure was effected. Meanwhile, the Americans strengthened and extended their works; on the morning of the 17th of March, the British discovered a breastwork that had been thrown up in the night, at Nooks Hill, Dorchester, which perfectly commanded Boston Neck and the south part of the town. Delay was no longer safe: by four o'clock in the morning, the king's troops began to embark, and before ten, all of them were under full sail; leaving behind them stores to the value of thirty thousand pounds. As the rear embarked, General Washington marched triumphantly into Boston where he was joyfully received as a deliverer."

It is now many years since we rambled over the grounds which were the seat of the scenes described. Time, and the levelling hand of modern improvement, have done much to erase all marks of the struggle. A few years ago, Governour Hutchinson's house was still standing, and on Boston common, you might perceive the spot where the troops of Earl Percy were encamped. Brattlestreet church presents in its front an iron monument of the bombardment of 1776, and the entrenchments on Dorchester heights are tolerably preserved. In ranging also over the diversified country around Boston, you frequently meet with gentle elevations and slight depressions, which mark the lines of the American encampment. But most of the memorials, like most of the actors in those scenes, have passed away.

Exemplary crimes require exemplary justice.

kangaroo, the jaw-bones of a fish, human teeth,
feathers, pieces of wood, tails of dogs, &c. Oil of
any quality is used with avidity for preserving the
skin from moschetoes, &c., and the breasts, arms,

wealed cicatrices of every variety of form. The
males of most tribes have the front tooth struck out
observed with a joint of the little finger cut off.
on attaining puberty, and the women are frequently
When going to war, or grieving for a deceased friend,
or occasionally even for ornament, white and yellow
pigments are applied in streaks over the whole body,
according to the taste of the decorators, such as a
down and across the thighs and legs. In general it
large white circle round each eye, waiving lines
may be said, that the whole of the Aborigines of this
vast island are of the same stock, though it is not a
that tribes within short distances of each other, un-
little singular that their language differs so much,
less inhabiting the bank of the same river, are quite
strangers to each other, while almost every large
community or family as they may be termed, has its
own peculiar dialect. Of their numbers, it is diffi-
cult to form a correct idea; depending however, as
they do, entirely on the chase, or fishing, or on gum,
or bulbous roots, and subject to the effects of long
droughts, the country is very thinly peopled, and their
number cannot exceed five thousand. In some pla-
ces, as in Cumberland county, no houses are con-
structed, an overhanging rock, or a slip of bark pla-
ced upright against a tree, serving for temporary
shelter. To the northwest and southwest, houses
have been found rudely constructed of bark, but
without any kind of furniture or ornament.
In many
places a log of wood, or a wide slip of bark, tied
at each end and stuffed with clay, is the only mode
of crossing a river or arm of the sea, while in other
parts a large tree, roughly hollowed by fire, forms
the canoe. The nearest approximation to ingenuity is
the fishing net, prepared by the women from fibres
or grassy filaments. Their only cutting implements
are made of stone, sometimes of jasper, fastened be-
tween a cleft stick with a hard gum. Their arms
consist solely of the spear, boomerang, several kinds
of waddies or nullah-nullah, as mall stone tomahawk,

46

ever been seen.

and bark shield, I do not think bows and arrows have len into their power, but numerous examples have The spear is about ten feet long, occurred of the father killing and eating his own offas thick as a man's finger, tapering to a point, some- spring! Hunger long continued, intense, ravenous times jagged or barbed, and hardened in the fire: hunger, is the excuse made for such barbarism; this they can throw from fifty to sixty feet with great they have been seen to bleed themselves, make a precision, the impetus being much increased by the sort of cake with the blood, and then greedily devour Of religion, no form, no ceremonial, no idol has use of the womera or throwing stick, which is a piece it. When one of their own tribe dies, of wood about three feet long, three inches broad at ever been discovered: but they possess many suone end, and going off to a point at the other to perstitions. which a sort of hook is fastened; the hook is insert- they invariably destroy a native of another tribe : ed into a small hole at the end of the spear and the why or wherefore is not known. They have strange womera being grasped at the broad part, acts some- ideas of futurity, and the whites are considered reThe dead are buried generally in gravewhat on the principle of a sling, enabling a powerful animated beings, who had formerly been their anman to send a spear, some say one hundred yards.cestors. The boomerang is still more curious; it is of a curved yards of considerable extent, the earth being elevaform made of a piece of hard wood, thirty or forty ted in an oval shape: sometimes they are burned. In an affray that took place on the Wollombi beinches long, two and a half to three inches wide at the broadest part, and tapering away at each end tween two tribes, four men and two women of the nearly to a point; the concave part is from one eighth Comleroy tribe were slain: Lieut. Breton describes to one fourth of an inch thick and the convex por- the ceremony of their interment as follows: the tion is quite sharp. A native can throw this simple bodies of the men were placed on their backs in the instrument forty or fifty yards, horizontally skim- form of a cross, head to head, each bound to a pole ming along the surface not more than three or four by bandages round the neck, middle, knees and ankfeet from the ground, without touching which, it will les, the pole being behind the body: the knees of the suddenly dart into the air to the height of fifty or two women were bent up and tied to the neck, while sixty yards, descending a considerable curve and their hands were bound to their knees: they were finally fall at his feet! During the whole of this evo- then placed so as to have their faces downward : in lution the boomerang keeps turning with great rapid- fact they were literally packed up in two heaps of ity like a piece of wood revolving on a point, and earth, each in the form of a cone, about three feet with a whizzing noise. Lieut. Breton (who has high, and were removed from the cross: the suppoThe neatness and precision paid much attention to the Aborigines) justly ob- sed inferiority of the women forbidding their being serves that it is not easy to comprehend by what law interred with the men. of projection, the boomerang is made to take the sin- observed with respect to the cross and cones are In the hands of an Europe- very remarkable, both being raised to the same gular direction it does. an it is a ticklish implement as it may return and height, and so smoothly raked down that it would strike himself, but the native can inflict with it the puzzle the nicest observer to discover the slightest most deadly wounds on others. The waddie and inequality in the form. The trees for some distance nullah-nullah are clubs of different sizes and solidity: around to the height of fifteen or twenty feet, are they are used in close contests: and it is extraordi- carved over with grotesque figures, meant to reprenary to observe two of the Aborigines fighting: each sent kangaroos, emews, opossoms, snakes, &c., with holds out his head to receive a most tremendous rude representations also of their different weapons. blow from the other, and they thus continue giving Round the cross, they made a circle about thirty feet blow for blow till one, or perhaps both of them, fall in diameter, from which all rubbish was carefully senseless. The tomahawk is a piece of sharpened removed, and another was made outside the first so stone, fixed in a cleft stick with gum: with this as to leave a narrow interval between them: within they cut notches in the trees and ascend them to the this interval there were laid pieces of bark, each height of sixty feet, though without a branch, and far piece touching the rest in the same way that tiles The devil they say will not leap over the bark too thick to be clasped. Their form of government do. is patriarchal; each tribe consists of from thirty to fifty and cannot walk under it! They will not pass a men, women and children, (sometimes more,) and has grave or graveyard at night, and the name of the its own territory of about twenty or thirty square deceased is not again mentioned by his tribe. Their miles, on which no other tribe is allowed to en- corrabaries, or nightly meetings, at the full moon, croach. It is probable that trespassing on each resemble somewhat the devil-worship prevalent other's grounds is one of the main causes of their among the mountain-tribes of Ceylon. frequent quarrels, war being the occupation in which they delight. No laws or regulations for the government of the country have been discovered; polygamy is practised; women are treated in the most inhuman manner, wives being procured from the adjacent tribes by stealing on the encampment during the night, beating a young girl on the head till she falls senseless, when her future spouse drags her off through the bushes, as a tiger would its prey.

The Aborigines of New Holland have an instinctive aversion to labour, very few instances having As constables in aid been known of their continuing for any length of time as agricultural servants. of the police they are sometimes employed, and being excellent shots, and possessing a keen scent and As an instance of sight, for tracing runaway prisoners in the forest, their services are very useful. their keen sight and sense, we will state the follow

Too many instances have occurred to permit using:-
to doubt that cannibalism is protracted among many
of the Australian tribes, and in a manner the most
revolting; not only are their enemies slain in war
eaten, as are also those Europeans who have fal-

A settler was missing from his small farm. His convict overseer gave out that he had gone off privately to England, and left the property to his care. This was thought extraordinary as the settler was

SWIMMING.

owing to the air included in the cavities of the body during life, especially that portion contained in the lungs, that a man is enabled to float on the surface of a pond or river.

not in difficulties, and was a steady prudent man; the affair however was almost forgotten when, one Sat- THE specifick gravity of the human body during urday night, another settler was returning with his life, is, in most cases, nearly the same with that of horse and cart from market. On arriving at a part river-water, and coincides more exactly with that of of the fence, on the roadside near the farm of his sea-water; so that there are probably but few perabsent neighbour, he thought he saw him sitting on sons who would not float very near the surface of the the fence; immediately the farmer pulled up, hailed sea in calm weather. Corpulent people are bulk for his friend, and receiving no answer got out of the bulk, lighter than those of sparer habits; for the adicart and went towards the fence; his neighbour as pose membrane, or fat of animals, is inferiour in spehe thought quitted the fence, and crossed the field cifick gravity to water; while lean flesh, unless the towards a pond, in the direction of his home which it blood and other juices are drained from it, is of was supposed he had deserted. The farmer thought higher specifick gravity than water, and bone is proit strange, but returned home. The next morning portionally much heavier than soft parts of the body. he went to his neighbour's cottage expecting to see Hence, it might be inferred that the power of floating him, but saw only the overseer, who laughed at the on water does not depend entirely on the relative story, and said that his master was by that time near specifick gravity of the solids and liquids which enter the shores of England. The farmer, however, was into the composition of a human body; and accorddissatisfied and entered a complaint with a magis-ingly we find that the body of a person destroyed by trate, adding that he feared foul play. A native drowning, or thrown into water immediately after black, attached to the station as a constable, was sent death, will sink far beneath the surface; but after with some mounted police and accompanied the far- several days have elapsed, a body thus treated usumer to the rails where the latter thought he saw, the ally rises to the level of the water, in consequence evening before, his deceased friend. The spot was of its having become specifically lighter than that pointed out to the black, without showing him the fluid, from the accumulation of gas within the body, direction which the lost person apparently took, af-produced by incipient putrefaction. It is then chiefly ter quitting the fence. On close inspection, a part of the upper rail was observed to be discoloured; the black scraped it with a knife, smelt of it, and tasted it. Immediately after, he crossed the fence, and took a straight direction for the pond near the cot- There are, however, some credible accounts extage; on its surface was a scum, which he took up tant of persons whse bodies were so much inferiour in a leaf, and after tasting and smelling, he declared in specifick gravity to water, that they could not it to be "white man's fat." Several times, somewhat descend beneath its surface; not possessing that after the manner of a bloodhound, he coursed round" alacrity in sinking" which may be literally attribthe lake; at last, he darted into the neighbouring uted to most individuals. In 1767, there was a thicket, and halted at a place containing some loose priest residing at Naples, named Baulo Moccia, and decayed brushwood. On removing this, he thrust down the ramrod of his musket into the earth, smelt of it, and then desired the spectators to dig there. Instantly spades were brought from the cottage and the body of the settler was found, with his scull fractured and presenting every appearance of having been immersed in water. The overseer who was in possession of the property of the deceased and who had invented the story of his departure for England, was committed to jail, and tried for murder. He was found guilty upon circumstantial evidence, sentenced to death and proceeded to the scaffold, protesting his innocence. Here, however, his hardihood forsook him: he acknowledged the murder of his late master: that he came behind him when he was crossing the identical rail on which the farmer fancied he saw the deceased, and with one blow on the head, killed him, dragged the body to the pond and threw it in: but after some days, took it out again and buried it where it was found. The sagacity of the native black was remarkable: but the unaccountable manner in which the murder was discovered, is one of the inscrutable dispensations of Providence.

Compiled from Martin's Australasia.

whose extraordinary facility of flotation attracted much attention. This ecclesiastick could swim on the sea like a duck; when he assumed a perpendicular position, the water stood on a level with the pit of his stomach; and it is stated that when dragged under the water by one or more persons who had dived for that purpose, as soon as he was released. his body would rapidly rise to the surface. It appears that the weight of this gentleman's body was thirty pounds less than that of an equal bulk of seawater. This peculiarity of confirmation doubtless depended partly on his being extremely fat. and having very small bones; besides which, probably his lungs were capable of holding a larger quantity of air than is usual, and there might also have been an accumulaton of air in the abdomen, arising from a disease called tympany, or from some other cause.

Most very corpulent people, who are, at the same time, strong and healthy, would perhaps find, on trial, that their bodies would float on water; and those who do not happen to be endowed with a superabundance of fat, might still, in almost all cases, with a little application, acquire the habit of floating with facility. The capability of breathing freely, and at regular intervals, is essentially requisite to enable a person to support himself on the surface of GIANT FERN.-At Illawarra, New Holland, the water. The head, and the upper and lower extremifern shoots up its rough stem to the height of fifteen ties are relatively heavier than the trunk of the huor twenty feet, as thick as a boat oar, it then sudden-man body; and the head especially, from the quantity ly throws out a number of leaves in every direction, of bone of which it is composed, is the heaviest each four or five feet long, and exactly similar in part of the whole mass, yet, unless the face at least, appearance to the common fern. be kept above water, respiration cannot be continued.