Corroboree

Corroboree.—It was represented by circu-
lars all over the town, a few days ago, that one
of these common exhibitions, on a grand scale,
was to come off on Monday evening last. In
consequence of this notice, no fewer than at
least a thousand persons attended on the Park
Land to witness it. The corroboree turned
out, however, to be a mere trifle. Three small
parties of blacks skipped about in the moon-
light, hemmed in closely by dense masses of
whites, of both sexes; while the dust they
kicked up, and the rich exhalations from their
perspiring greasy limbs, formed the only part
of the enjoyment of which the eager spectators
outside the "sacred circle" could partake;
while those in immediate contact with the odo-
riferous performers must certainly have had a
benefit of their contiguity, in which the ma-
jority, posted in less favourable situations, did
not anywise appear anxious to participate.

We find that the corroboree, which induced so many
hundreds of our fellow-citizens to enjoy a moonlight
walk through our beautiful Park Land, was bespoken
by several persons interested in the natives, and anxious,
to draw attention to the closing discussion to be held on
the subject of the Aborigines, at the Mechanics'
Institute, on Thursday next. We are happy to hear
that upwards of four pounds was collected on Saturday
and Monday. A report was spread among the Victoria
Lake tribe (not lake Alexandrina), hitherto strangers in
Adelaide, that they were to be gathered together for
the purpose of being shot. Happily the faith of the
other tribes in the kind intentions of their patrons
prevailed over the timid ; and for the first time, without
being ordered to do so, but simply in deference to the
white man, every one joining in the corroboree was
partly clothed. The spectators must have numbered
at least a thousand, and among them were several
natives who professed themselves too much civilized to
join in the corroboree. One of the tribes introduced a
brief attempt at English colloquy, in which a nonchalant
aboriginal was supposed to tell a stingy settler, who
denied him a mouthful of bread, that he could get
plenty at the Port. The way in which some of the
blacks instructed the new comers to keep at a proper
distance, with a civil 'so,' and a patronising 'all
right,' seemed to be highly pleasing to the stranger

THE NATIVE CORROBOREE.—It has been gene-
rally supposed that this fantastic ceremony is
connected, with the religious superstition of the
aborigines, but as the late affair was merely at
the request of three or four white men, we
incline to the opinion that it is simply a dra-
matic performance, for which the natives have
a remarkable talent. Whether for good or for
evil, they appear, like others of the genus homo,
greatly under the influence of the softer sex ;
and whether to the absence of this charm, or
to the fact of the ceremony not being spon-
taneous, it is certain, that as a mere exhibition,
the Corroboree of last Monday was remarkably
dull. It has already been noticed that, of their
own accord, they appeared partially clothed.
There were three tribes, numbering together,
probably, 150. Of these, the Rufus, or Lake
Victoria tribe were nearly strangers to Adelaide,
and it says much for their faith in the white
men, that although a report was current that
they were to be shot when collected together,
they simply took the precaution of leaving their
wives at their own wurleys, a distance of a
mile. The Park Land had an unusully ani-
mated appearance, beneath the splendour of a
summer full moon.