Kamilaroi is the language spoken by the aborigines along the Namoi River, on part of the Bundarra and Balun, and 200 miles of the Barwan (or Darling); also on Liverpool Plains, and about the head of the Hunter.

The writer believes that any one who carefully reads through this Key, especially the first 2 pages, will be able to pronounce the foregoing Kamilaroi sentences, and teach the aborigines to read them. Many of the aborigines, especially the young men, are very quick at learning to read.

It is very important that the rule of naming the letters according to their pronunciation in words should be attended to, as it will remove great difficulties from the way of beginners. How could an ignorant person guess that the letter called “double you” had the sound w in wit? or that “aitch” was merely a hard breathing?

The Christian into whose hands this little book may come, and who has any aborigines speaking kamilaroi near, is earnestly requested to consider, whether it is not worth a patient and prayerful effort to teach them to read those precious saving truths which are dimly and scantily, but in some measure really, expressed in these brief sentences.