can refort. From its purity and limpid appearance, and from its being
deftrtute of any colour or unpleafant tafte, either from dead leaves or
Other putrid or rotten matter, though very heavy rains had fallen during
the time we had been at anchor there, it may reafonably be inferred
that the larger ftreams of water have a more remote and permanent
fource than the accidental Ihowers that at this feafon of the year may
defcend upon the ifland. The foil in the immediate neighbourhood
of the ftreams that fall into each of the bays is of a poor, loofe, fandy
nature; but at a little diftance behind the beach, and in the fiffures of
the rocks, a rich black mould was obferved, apparently capable of
affording much vegetable nourilhment; and this may alfo be the cafe in
o$.her parts of the ifland, although we had no power of afcertaining the
fa£t. All its:vegetable productions appeared to grow luxuriantly, and
covered the ifland it) one intire wildemefs. On the rocky cliffs near the
fea fide, whofe uneven furface admitted the growth of vegetables, a
Coarfe kind of grafs is produced, that afforded an excellent retreat for
the different kinds of fea fowl which reforted thither to rooft and build
their nefts, • or more properly fpeaking to lay their eggs, as they are at
little pains to form1 a neft of any defcription. About thefe cliffs grew a
very particular kind of tree, fomething like the cloth plant of the South
Sea'iflands, but much larger; feme of thefe grow to the height of about
thirty feet, are of a lightilh coloured bark, free from branches to the
top, which is fomewhat bufhy, and for that reafon was called by us
the umbrella tree. There were fome few other trees whofe foliage
ftrongly refembled that of the bread fruit, but as no one of them was in
bearing near the beach, I was'not able pofitively to determine their fpe-
cies. Many of the trees that compofed the foreft, efpecially in the interior
and elevated parts of the ifland, Teemed to be of confiderable fize,
fpreading out into large branches towards their tops, which in point of
height greatly furpaffed the others. I was inclined to believe that thefe
trees were of the feme fort with thofe from which we principally obtained
our fuel, although near to the fea fide they did not grow fo large as
on the hills) Mr. Manby, who mod commonly fuperintended that fer-
vice, gave me the following account of them. This tree is very generally
1 produced
r o u n d t h e w o r l d . 37«
produced, all over the ifland, its trunk grows very ftraight to the height Ja'J9S-y
of twenty or thirty feet before it throws out its branches, which are fo t-----— '
clofe, large, and fpreading, as to afford extremely good Ihelter agamft
both fun and rain ; the ftems of feveral were capable of fquaring to twelve
or fourteen inches ; the grain is clofe, fomewhat variegated, and reddifh
towards the heart; it yielded to the. axe with tolerable eafe, to the few
it was equally fitted, and, being free from knots, it fplit without much
labour ; its leaves.are of a dark green colour, fmooth at the edge, and
not much unlike the laurel,, though rather longer; the feed refemblmg a
fmall acorn is borne in clufters. The wood is well calculated for burning.
Mr. Manby deferibes another fort, (which we cut for fuel alfo,) as
having a whitifl) fmooth hark, growing tall and ftraight, and producing
but few branches. Its leaf is large, and in (hape refemblmg that of the
horfe-cheftnut, of a light-green colour, with a velvet furface; it apT
peared to be fit for little elfe than fire-wood, and not the moft proper
even for that purpofe, as it has a thick piA in the center of it that
occupies.» large portion of the.ftem or branches. The wood is of a
white clofe grain, -fpUts readily, but does not burn remarkably well. I he
cocoa-nut trees, which grow not only on the feadhore but high up on
the Tides of the hills, were the only trees we few that bore any fruit, although,
in one of the rivulets, an unripe guava was picked up, which,
moft probably, had come from the interior country ; in addition to thefe,
we noticed an abundance of different forts of ferns, fome of which produced
a ftem nearly fix inches in diameter, and grew to the height ol
nearly twenty feet; thefe, as wed as I recolka, were exaHly of the feme
defcription as thofe commonly found in New Zealand. Such were the
moft general vegetable productions of this ifland that fell under our oh*
fervation, to which we further added the feeds of apples, peaches, melons,
pumkins, with beans, peas, &c. Thefe were fown‘ hy Mr. Swame,
in a fpot cleared for that purpofe, where he was of opinion they were
likely to thrive. , .
With refpeft to the animal kingdom, filh and fowl feemed to be m
great abundance, and we entertained hopes that future vifitors may benefit
by Captain Colnett’s liberality.; as juft before. Mr. Swame left the
’ v g b 2' ifland