Sunday Dispatch

The Bald Aborigines of the Balonne. In the western interior of Australia, beyond the Balonne river, a party of aboriginal natives exist who are entirely destitute of hair on the head. One of the natives was brought to Sydney, and is thus described by the Sydney Empire:

"There needed not, however, this remarkable destitution of hair to show that the individual before us was the type of a race utterly differing in physical peculiarities from the ordinary aboriginals of Australia. The whole contour of the face, form of the head, expression, color of skin, and listless (almost sullen) attitude, at once suggested the Mongolian. It was impossible to look at this native of the backwoods with the least attention and reflection, without feeling convinced of his Chinese extraction. His physical development is far inferior to that of the healthy aboriginal found in other part of Australia. The large eye, thick lips, broadly spread nose, and deep brown skin were all absent. The peculiarity of the face was most evidently Chinese, and the eye confirmed this impression. The skin of this interesting stranger is precisely of that deep yellow brown shade which might be expected in a descendant from Chinese and aboriginal Australian parents. How long the races have been mingled in the persons of his ancestors it might be hard to say. The representative before us, however, was assuredly more Chinaman than aboriginal. The party to whom he belonged--for there is no clear reason for calling it a tribe--appeared to inhabit the country to the north westward of the Upper Warrego. Mr. M'Kay has not seen more than six or seven of them at various times, at least one of whom was a woman, and one man was much taller and more strongly proportioned than the specimen brought to our office. It is supposed that these people are the descendants of Chinese fishermen, who have landed or been cast away on the coast."