H P g l the Cdes o f which, though almoft as perpendicular as
j s S S a Wa!1, were COvered with trees and bufll« 1 they found
lying upon the ground feveral marking nuts, the Anacardium
orientate-, thefe put them upon a newfcent, and they made a
moft diligent fearch after the tree that bore them, which
perhaps no European botanift ever faw; but to their great
mortification they could not find it: fo that, after fpending
much time, and cutting down four or five trees, they returned
quite exha.ufted with fatigue to the fhip.
Wednef. 25. Qn the 25th> having made an excurfion up the river, I
found a canoe belonging to our friends the Indians, whom
we.had not feenfinee the affair of the turtle ; they had left
it tied -to fome mangroves, about a mile diftant from the
fhip, and I could fee by their fires that they were retired at
leaft fix miles direiftly inland.
As Mr. Banks was again gleaning the country for his Na-
Thurfday 26. tural Hiftory on the 26th, he had the good fortune to take
an animal of the Opojfum tribe: it was a female, and with it
he took two young ones : it was found much to refemble the
remarkable animal of the kind, which Monf. de Buffon has
defcribed in his Natural Hiftory by the name of Phalano-er,
but it was not the fame. Monf. Buffon fuppofes this tribe to
be peculiar to America, but in this he is certainly miftaken ;
and probably, as Pallas has obferved in his Zoology, the
Phalanger itfelf is a native of the Eaft Indies, as the animal
which was caught by Mr. Banks refembled it in the extraordinary
conformation of the feet, In which it differs from
animals of every other tribe.
Friday 27. On the 27th, Mr. Gore fhot a Kanguroo, which, with the
fkin, entrails, and head, weighed eighty-four pounds. Upon
examination, however, we found that this animal was not at
its full growth, the innermoft grinders not being yet-formed.
We
We dreffed it for dinner the next day; but to our great dif- 1770.
appointment, we found it had a much worfe flavour than 1 ^uly‘ ■
that we had eaten before. Si““lday28-
The wind continued in the fame quarter, and with the
fame violence, till five o’clock in the morning of the 29th, Sunday z9.
when it fell calm ; foon after a light breeze fprung up from
the land, and it being about two hours ebb, I fent a boat to
fee what water was upon the bar ; in the mean time we got
the anchor up, and made all ready to put: to fea. But when
the boat came back, the officer reported that there was only
thirteen feet water upon the bar, which was fix inches lefs
chan the fhip drew. We were therefore obliged to come to,
and the fea breeze fetting in again about eight-o’clock, we
gave up all hope of failing that day.
We had freflr gales at S.E. with hazy weather and'rain, Monday.30.
till two in the morning of the 3,1ft, when the . weather being TueHay .31.
fomething more moderate, I had thoughts of trying to warp
the fhip out of the harbour; but upon going out myfelf
firft in the boat, I found it. ftill blow too frefh for the- attempt.
During all. this time the.pinnace and yawl continued
to ply the net and hook with tolerable-fuccefS ; fometimes
taking a turtle, and frequcntly bringing.in from .two to three
hundred weight.of-fifti...
On the ift-of Auguft,-. thcrcarpenter.-examined the pumps, Aaj|t(L.
and; to our great mortification, found them all in a ftate .of Weihlef' '•
decay, owing; as he laid, to the. lap’s having been left in the
wood; one of them was fo rotten.as, when hoifted up, ,to
drop to pieces; and the reft were little- better; fo that our
chief truft was now in the foundnefs of our veflel, which
happily did not admit more, than one inch of: water-in an:
hour..
At