Head), and the Eaftermoft point (which we named Penguin
I(land, from a curious one we cafight there) N. E. by E. 4 E. •,
the watering-place W..4N.; about one mileYrom the fhore on
each fide ; Maria’s Iflantl, which is about five or fix leagues
off, fhut in with both points ; fo that you are quite landlocked
in a mod fpacious harbour.
We lay here five days, which time was employed in
wooding and watering (which is ealily got), and over-hauling
the rigging. We found the country very pleafant; the
foil a black, rich, though thin one ; the Tides of the hills
covered with large trees, and very thick, growing to a great
height before they branch off. They are, all of them, of
the Evergreen kind, different from any I ever faw; the
wood is very brittle and eafily fplit; there is very little
variety of forts, having feen but two. The leaves of one
are long and narrow ; and the feed (of which I got a few) is
in the fhape of a button, and has a very agreeable fmell.
The leaves of the other are like the bay, and it has a feed
like the white thorn, with an agreeable fpicy tafte and fmell.
Out of the trees we cut down for fire-wood, there iffued
fome gum, which the Surgeon called gum-lac. The trees
are moftly burnt, or fcorched, near the ground, occafioned
by the natives fetting fire to the under-wood in the moft
frequented places ; and by thefe means they have rendered
it eafy walking. The land birds we faw, are a bird like a
raven ; fome of the crow kind, black, with the tips of-the
feathers o f the tail and wings white, their bill long and
very fharp; fome paroquets; and feveral kinds of fmall
birds. The fea-fowl are ducks, teal, and the fheldrake. I
forgot to mention a large white bird, that one of the gentlemen
fhor, about the fize of a large kite of the eagle kind.
As
As for beafts, we faw but one, which was an opojfom; but £ 4'.
we obferved the dung of fome, which we judged to be of jthe
deer kind. The fifh in the bay are fcarce; thofe we ' "
caught were moftly fharks, dog fifh, and a fifh called by
the feamen nurfes, like the dog fifh, only full of fmall white
fpots ; and fome fmall fifh not unlike fprats. The Lagoons
(which are brackifh) abound with trout, and feveral other
forts of fifh, of which we caught a few with lines, but being
much encumbered with flumps of trees, we could not
haul the feine.
While we lay here, we faw feveral fmokes and large fires,
about eight or ten miles in fhore to the northward, but did
not fee any of the natives; though they frequently .come
into this bay, as there were feveral wigwams or huts, where
we found fome bags and nets made of grafs, in which I
imagine they carry their provifions and-other neceflaries. In
one of them there was the ftone they ftrike fire with, and
tinder made of bark, but of what tree could not he diftin-
guifhed. We found in one of their huts, one of their fpears,
which was made fharp at one end, I fuppofe, with a fhell
or ftone. Thofe things we brought away, leaving in
the room of them, medals, gun-flints, a few nails, and
an old empty barrel with the-iron hoops on it. They feem
to be quite ignorant of every fort of metal. The boughs,
of which their huts are made, are either broken or fplit, and
tied together with grafs in a circular form, the largeft end
ftuck in the ground, and the fmaller parts meeting in a
point at the top, and covered with fern and bark ; fo poorly
done that they will hardly keep out a fhower of rain. In
the middle is the fire-place, furrounded with heaps of
mufcle, pearl fcallop, and cray-fifh fhells; which I believe
V ol. I. to