in acquiring the rudiments of reading and writing.  At Port Essington, the older members of his family evinced much jealousy on account of the attention shown him, and his determination to remain with Mr. Tilston, the assistant-surgeon, then in charge, and endeavoured to dissuade him from his purpose.  While upon a visit to his tribe he met his death in the manner already recorded.  His natural courage and presence of mind did not desert him even at the last extremity, when he was roused from sleep to find himself surrounded by a host of savages thirsting for his blood.  They told him to rise, but he merely raised himself upon his elbow, and said:  “If you want to kill me do so where I am, I won’t get up—­give me a spear and club, and I’ll fight you all one by one!” He had scarcely spoken when a man named Alerk speared him from behind, spear after spear followed, and as he lay writhing on the ground his savage murderers literally dashed him to pieces with their clubs.  The account of the manner in which Neinmal met his death was given me by a very intelligent native who had it from an eyewitness, and I have every reason to believe it true, corroborated as it was by the testimony of others.

(Footnote.  See Journal of an Overland Expedition in Australia etc. by Dr. Ludwig Leichhardt page 309 for an account of his death.)

(**Footnote.  Wooden tiles generally used for covering the roofs of houses in Australia.)

FATHER ANJELLO AND HIS LABOURS.

Even Port Essington was destined to become the scene of missionary labours.  A party of three persons, sent out by the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, one an Italian Roman Catholic priest, the others lay brothers of his order, embarked at Sydney, some time in 1847.  The vessel conveying them unfortunately struck on a reef near the Northumberland Isles during the night, and Father Anjello was the only one of his party saved, and reached Port Essington in a most destitute condition.  Nothing daunted, however, he commenced his labours among the blacks, by first acquiring the native language,* in which he ultimately became so proficient as to understand it thoroughly.  A hut was built for him at a place called Black Rock, near the entrance of the harbour, at the distance of 14 miles from the settlement.  Here he collected together as many of the children of the Limbakarajia tribe as he could induce to remain in the neighbourhood.  He endeavoured to instruct them in the elements of his religion, and taught them to repeat prayers in Latin, and follow him in some of the ceremonious observances of the Roman Catholic Church.  Like other children this amused them, and so long as they were well fed and supplied with tobacco, everything went on as he could desire.  Meanwhile he was supported chiefly by the contributions of the officers of the garrison, themselves not well able to spare much.  While leading this lonely life he seems gradually to have given way to gloomy despondency.  I recollect