M' a7r7cPht. ing w,ith. fifh, yifluch ai)e not only whoiefome, but .equally
delicious with jjhofe pf Europe: the fhip feldom anchored in
any ftation, or with a light gale palled any place, that did
not afford us epough with hook and line to ferrse the whole
fliip’s company, especially to the foutbiward: when we lay
at anchor, the bpats, with, hook and line, near the rocks,
could take fifh in any quantity; and the feine feldom failed
of producing a kill more ample fupply; fp that both times
when vye anchored in Cook’s Sttreight, every mefs in the fhip,
that was not carelefs and improvident, falted as much as
lafted many weeks after they went to Yea. Of this article,
the variety was, equal to the plenty; we had mackrejof many
kinds, among which, one. was exaffiy the Shuie^s we have in
England: thefe came in immehfe ffipals, and were taken, by
the natives in their fgines, who fold'them to us, af a: very eafyr,
rate. Belides thefe, there were fifh of many fpecies, which
we had never feen before, but to allwhiph.dle featnen very,
readily gave names ; fo that we talked here as familiarly o f
hakes, bream, cole-fifh, and many others .a^wie. dp in Eng-,
land; and though they are by no means of the fame family*
it muft be confefied that they do honour to the name. But
the higheft luxury which, the fea afforded us, even in this
place, was the lobfter or fea eray-fifh, which are probably
the fame that in the Account of tord Anfon’s Voyage are faid
to have been found at the ifland of Juan Fernandas, hice.pt
that, although large, they are not quite equal in fize: they
differ from ours in England in feveral particulars, they have
a greater number of prickles on their backs, and they aye
red when firft taken out of- the water. Thefe we alio hpught
©very where to the northward in great quantities of the natives,
who catch them by diving near the fhore, and finding
out where they lie with their feet. We had alfo a fifh that
Fsezier, in his Voyage to the Spanifh Main in South America,
has defcrihed by the names of Ekfunt, Pejtgdlto, or
Poijon ceq, which though coarfe, we eat very heartily. Seve- -----*--- '
ral fpecies of the Ikace, or fting-ray, are alfo found here,
which were kill coarfer than the Elefant; but as an atonement,
we had among many kinds of dog-fifh one, fpotted
■ with white. Which was in flavour exaffly fimilar to out beft
fkate, but much more delicious. We had alfo flat fifh re-
fembling both foies and flounders, hefides eels and congers
of various kinds, with many others of which thofe who
fhall hereafter vifit this coaft will not fail to find the advantage
; and fhell-fifh in great variety, particularly clams,
cockles, and oyflers.
Among the vegetable productions of this country, the Trees,plants,
trees claim a principal place ; for here are forefts of vaft extent,
full of the ftraiteft, the cleaned, and the largeft timber
trees that we had ever feen ; their fize; .their grain, and apparent
durability, render them fit for any kind of building,
and indeed for every other purpofe except mails ;■ for Which,
as I have already obferved, they are too hard, and too heavy
: there is one in particular which, when we were upon
the coaft, was rendered confpicUous by a fcarlet flower, that
feemed to be a compendage of many fibres; it is about as
large as an oak, and the wood is exceedingly hard and heavy,
and excellently adapted to the ufe of the mill-wright.
There is another which grows in the fiwamps, remarkably
tall and ftrait, thick enough to make mails for veffels of any
fize, and, if a judgment may be formed by the direction of
its grain, very tough: thist which, as has been before remarked,
our carpenter thought to referable the pitch-pine,
may probably be lightened by tapping, and it will then
make the fineft mails in the world: it has a leaf not unlike
a yew, and bears berries in fmall bunches.
3 Great