It appears that, when the expedition under Captain Austin's command
was passing Cape York, in August, 1850, after its release from the ice
in Melville Bay, natives were seen from the "Assistance".
Captain Ommanney went with the "Intrepid" (one of the vessels
comprising the expedition) to communicate with them, when it was
ascertained that H.M.S., "North Star," had passed the winter in the
neighbourhood. The fate of this vessel was then a matter of anxiety,
as by her instructions she had been cautioned to avoid passing the
winter in those regions. The tribe thus discovered consisted of only
three families, residing in their summer huts at Cape York. As no
steamer had ever before found its way to these seas, it was
interesting to watch the impression upon the singular beings now
visited, when they descended into the engine-room. The large furnaces
and machinery astonished them. The latter, on being put in motion,
made them take to their heels with fright, and they ran out of the
engine-room on deck as fast as they could.