'774' If I except New Zealand,-1, at this time, knew of no ifland September; # 1 . . . .
<— in the South Pacific Ocean, where a fhip could fupply herfelf
Thurfday 29. r r e /
with a malt or yard, were me ever fo much diftrefied for
want of one. Thus far the difeovery is or may be valuable.
My carpenter, who was a maft-maker as well as a fhipwright,
two. trades he learnt in Deptford-yard, was of opinion that
-thefe trees would make exceedingly good mails. The wood is
white, clofe grained, tough and light.- Turpentine had
exuded out of moft of the trees, and the fun had infpiffated it
into a roiin, which was found flicking to the trunks, and lying
about the roots. Thefe trees fhoot out their branches like
all other pines; with this difference,' that the branches of
thefe are much fmaller and fhorter; fa that the knots become
nothing when the tree is wrought for ufe. I took
notice, that the largeft of them had the fmalleft and fhorteft
branches, and- were crowned, as it were, at the top, by a
fpreading. branch like a hufh. This was what led fome on
board into the extravagant notion of their being Bafaltes:
indeed no one could think of finding fuch trees here. The
feeds are produced in cones i but we could find none that
had any in them, or that were in a proper ftate for vegetation
or botanical examination. Befides thefe, there was another
tree or fhrub of the fpruce fir kind; but it was very
fmall. We alfo found on the ifle a- fort of fcurvy-grafs, and
a plant, called by us Lamb’s Quarters, which, when boiled,
eat like fpinnage.
Having got ten or twelve fmall fpars to make fludding-fail
booms, boats-mafts, &c., and night approaching, we returned
with them on board.
The purpofe for which I anchored under this ifle being
anfwered, I was now to confider what was next to be done.
We
We had, from the top-mall head, taken a view of the fea sj*W£r.
around us, and obferved the whole, to the Weft, to be ftrewed y1 -h—ari d-a-y -29'«
with fmall iflots, fand-banks, and breakers, to the utmoft
extent of our horizon. - They Teemed indeed not to be all
connedted, and to be divided by winding channels. But
when I confidered, that the extent of this S. W. coaft was
already pretty- well determined; the great rifle attending
a more accurate furvey ; and the time it would require to ac-
complifh it, on account of the many dangers we fhould have
to encounter; I determined not to hazard the fhip down to
leeward, where we mightbe fo hemmed in as to find it difficult
to return, and by that means lofe the proper feafon
for getting to the South. I now wifhed to have had the
little veffel fet up, the frame of which we had on board-
I had fome thoughts of doing this, when we were laft at
©taheite, but found it could not be- executed, without ne- -
gledling the caulking and'other neceflary repairs of the -
fhip, or flaying longer there than the route I had in view >
would admit. It was now too late to begin fetting h é r up;
and then to ufe her in exploring this coaft; and in our voyage
to the South, ffie could be-of no fervice. Thefe reafons
induced me to try to get without the fhoals ; that is, to the
Touthward of them.
Next morning, at day-break, we got under fail with a light Friday 30.
breeze at E. by N. We had to make fome trips to weather
the fhoals to leeward of Botany Ifle; but when. this, was done
the breeze began to fail; and at three P. M, it fell. calm.
The fwell, affifled by the current, fet us fall to S. W. towards
the breakers, which were yet in fight in that direction. Thus
wé continued till ten O’clock, at which time a breeze fpring-
ing up at N. N. W. .we fleered E. S. E.; the contrary courfe
we-_