The paper pointed out that the condition of the Australian aboriginal race when the civilisation of the old world was introduced to their islandcontinent was a most interesting subject of study. There was no doubt but that Australia had been peopled for a considerable time, and it was also certain that its original people were much lower in the human order than any of their neighbours.

To find people without any idea of cultivating the soil, without any permanent dwellings, in many places without any clothing, without any means of cooking other than by roasting in the ashes, and without any villages, will certainly an extraordinary discovery, and must have astonished and puzzled early explorers of Australia.  

Dampier, who visited the north-west coast of Australia in 1688, expressed surprise and discussed in these words:-

"The inhabitants of this country are the miserablest people in the world - the Hottentots of the Cape of Good Hope, though a nasty people, yet for wealth are gentlemen to these, who have no houses and skin garments, sheep, poultry, and fruits of the earth, ostrich eggs, &c., as the Hottentots have; and, setting aside the human shape, they differ but little from brutes-they have no houses, but like in the open air without any covering, the earth being their bed, and the heaven their canopy."  

It might have been expected that in an immense continent the people of the different portions might have been found to differ largely in their customers and manners, and in their state of civilisation; but, strange to say, the same habits, customs, and manners were found to exist throughout the whole continent.  Although there were no means of inter-communication, although the language or dialects were altogether different; although they were separated by immense distances; although no sympathy, or even knowledge of one another existed, it was still a fact that they were found to be the same people, with the same laws, customs, and manners, and, to a very large extent, with the same ideas and traditions.  

As no idea appeared to have entered into the mind of the Australian aboriginals to cultivate the soil, their whole attention was given to securing game by hunting, and in this they were very expert.  Although implements were fashioned for this purpose, and for self-defence.  There seemed to be very little, if any, inventive genius among them; and seeing that nearly all their arts were possessed equally by those on the whole coast line and by those in the interior, it pointed to the conclusion that the aboriginals of Australia had come from a common stock, and that this stock must have possessed the same customs, manners, and traditions as were now possessed by their descendants, which had been retained ever since, without any improvement or otherwise, except in small and isolated instances.  

There was probably no race of people which had done so little to leave behind it a record of its existence as the Australian aboriginal race, and no race had been so little able to cope with civilisation.  

After existing in their own savage state for an immense time, and intercourse of about half a century with a civilised race was sufficient to almost remove them from the face of the earth. Other peoples had suffered and had gradually given way and become extinct, or almost so, before the advance of civilisation, but in no case had the progress of extinction being so rapid.  It seemed, therefore, in reviewing the present position of the aboriginal race of Australia, to be a great duty owed to them and to Australia, not only to try preserve the race from extinction, but also to preserve their history, laws, habits, traditions, and language, as far as was possible, and there was still sufficient time to do this as regarded the interior of the continent.