FL661456

if they move from one camp to another, some
times several miles, the woman has perhaps
to carry a baby in her oppossum cloak on the
back, [original text struck out] is incumbered besides with some wooden vessels and
may have to carry for her load some of his
heavier weapons, as it is rather against
his dignity to be encumbered with much more
than a spear & the light Boomerang.
I confess then things often sensed my indignation,
I administered many severe lectures to the men
about their cruelty to the women, it was their [indecipherable]
[indecipherable] of men who would have felt so inclined
to act with more kindness and they have made
up their minds to break [crossed out: down] through the restraints of
old [crossed out:habits] customs, some refused to make oc-
casional exceptions particularly when fond of
their wives for with all the [crossed out: unnatural] arbitrarypp
easy treatment to which the women are subject, [text struck out]
[ text struck out] you may occasionally observe mutual affection [indecipherable]
seen some couples, nor are parental affections
uncommon [text struck out] among them.

But before I have done with this part of my sub-
ject - the condition of the women, I must briefly
mention a singular fact which has a strong
bearing on the question of marriage [indecipherable]
gives too often a plea either for polygamy
or else, for very unequal matches as to age

if they move from one camp to another, some
times several miles, the woman has perhaps
to carry a baby in her oppossum cloak on the
back, [original text struck out] is incumbered besides with some wooden vessels and
may have to carry [further?] load some of his
heavier weapons, as it is rather against
his dignity to be encumbered with much more
than a spear & the light Boomerang.
I confess then things often sensed my indignation,
I administered many severe lectures to the men
about their cruelty to the women, it was their [indecipherable]
[indecipherable] of men who would have felt so inclined
to act with more kindness and they have made
up their minds to break [crossed out: down] through the restraints of
old [crossed out:habits] customs, some refused to make oc-
casional exceptions particularly when fond of
their wives for with all the [crossed out: unnatural] arbitrarypp
easy treatment to which the women are subject, [text struck out]
[ text struck out] you may occasionally observe mutual affection [indecipherable]
seen some couples, nor are parental affections
uncommon [text struck out] among them.

But before I have done with this part of my sub-
ject - the condition of the women, I must briefly
mention a singular fact which has a strong
bearing on the question of marriage [indecipherable]
gives too often a plea either for polygamy
or else, for very unequal matches as to age