to be their chief food, though we could not find any of
them. They lie on the ground, on dried grafs, round the
fire ; and, I believe, they have no fettled place of habitation
(as their houfes feemed built only for a few days), but
wander about in fmall parties from place to place in fearch
of food, and are actuated by no other motive. We never
found more than three or four huts in a place, capable of
containing three or four perfons each only; and what is remarkable,
we never faw the leafl marks either of canoe or
boat, and it is generally thought they have none; being altogether,
from what we could judge, a very ignorant and
wretched fet of people, though natives of a country capable
of producing every neceffary of life, and a climate the fineft
in the world. We found not the leafl: figns of any minerals
or metals.
Having completed our wood and water, we failed from
Adventure Bay, intending to coaft it up along fhore, till
we fhould fall in with the land feen by Captain Cook, and
difcover whether Van Diemen’s Land joins with New Holland.
On the 16th we pafled Maria’s Iflands, fo named by
Tafman; they appear to be the fame as the main land. On
the 17th, having pafled Schouten’s Iflands, we hauled in
for the main land, and flood along fhore at the diftance of
two or three leagues off. The country here appears to be very
thickly inhabited, as there was a continual fire along fhore
as we failed. The land hereabouts is much pleafanter, low,
and even; but no figns of a harbour or bay, where a fhip
might anchor with fafety. The weather being bad, and
blowing hard at S. S. E., we could not fend a boat on fhore
to have any intercourfe with the inhabitants. In the latitude
©f 4°° 5-°' South, the land trenches away to the weftward,
which