boidal block, evidently occurring naturally. It is five inches in length, two and three-quarters in breadth, and an inch and a half in thickness. It is of hard, dense greenstone. It has an irregular, ill-formed cutting edge, and an attempt has been made to polish the whole surface of the stone.
There are four other axes in my collection very similar to those already described. One with the wooden handle attached by sinews and gum is, I believe, from the Far North. It is exactly like the tomahawks used by the men of the Yarra. One, of aphanite, is not finished, being polished only in one or two places, but is instructive as showing at what stage the polishing was begun. It is apparent that the axe was, in the first instance, pretty well formed by chipping; but the labor of reducing the uneven surface to smoothness and polish, with symmetrical curves, must have been very great. Another imperfect axe, of greenstone, shows in like manner the method employed by the Aboriginal artist. The last is a fragment of an axe that probably had been broken in using it.
I have to add to these descriptions an account of what is believed to be a spurious tomahawk, but which is so like in form to many that are figured in this work as to have deceived some who are well acquainted with Aboriginal stone implements. It is an oval-shaped piece of basalt, picked up by me from a cart-rut, where it may have been rubbed by the wheels of passing vehicles. I cannot say whether or not it was formed by hand; but the character of the rock, and the grinding, seem to favor the view that it is a fragment shaped by accident in the manner suggested. There are doubts respecting this stone; and the fact that it is not easy to determine its character should teach caution to those who are inclined too hastily to ascribe to accident that which is really the work of human hands; and to others who, without proper consideration, regard as the work of extinct races stones whose form is due to the operation of unknown forces.
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| FIG. 198.–(Scale ½.) |
The axe Fig. 198 was in the possession of the late Mr. A. F. A. Greeves; and it is figured because it is in itself a remarkable implement, and contrasts with the axes made by the natives of Australia. This axe, of a mineral resembling jade, well-shaped, with a good cutting edge, but not highly polished, was picked up many years ago in Pitcairn's Island. It is not known whether it is a relic of a colored race that once peopled that island, or whether it was taken to the island by the Tahitians who accompanied the mutineers, or was fashioned by some of the mutineers who reached the island in 1789. It is worthy of preservation. At the present time the history of our species is being eagerly investigated by learned men, and this implement may prove of value: if an ancient axe, it is of surpassing interest; if made by the mutineers, an instance of the recurrence to habits of the uncivilized which teaches an important lesson.
