tam parvis atque tam nullis, qua ratio, quanta vis, quam inextri-
cabilis perfedlio !
T hese reefs are compofed of various kinds o f coral. The
Tubipora mujica is mentioned among them, and they give fhelter
to numbers of beautiful fhells, and Mollufca ; among the former
are the Chama, fome fo large that two men can fcarcely move
them.
W it h in the reef, from the inlet to York Cape, the whole
channel is filled with fmall ifles, rocks, or coral rocks.
York Cape is in Lat. 10* 37' fouth, the land trends from it fait to
the weft; thefea to the north-eaft is full o f iilands, one beyond the
other. ’Tliefe captain Cook called Prince of Wales's IJiands, and
fuppofes they reach quite to New Guinea. The paffage between
EwBEAYoua New Holland he called Endeavour Streights ; exulting in having
been the firft who proved the entire infulation o f this vaft land.
The length o f the ftreight-s was ten leagues, the breadth about
five, except at the north-eaft end, where they were contracted
by the illes to two leagues; the depth from four to nine fathoms,
and the tide rofe twelve feet. He how hoifted Britijb colours,
took pofieflion of the country in the name o f his Majefty,
and called the iile on which the ceremony was performed,
FoffeJJion IJland', moft o f the iilands were well clothed with
herbage and wood, apparently well inhabited ; and the natives
of both fexes quite naked.
C a p t a in Cook now purfued his voyage to New Guinea-
The diftance between the oppofite point o f New Guinea, and
the moft northern o f New Holland is only two hundred and
X . ten
N E W H O L L A N D ,
ten miles. We here nearly rejoin the place we left to perform
our circuit o f the country. The land on the weftern extremity
o f Endeavour ftreight, and the eaftern point o f AVnheim Land,
forms the entrance into the great gulph o f Carpentaria, which
runs due fouth far into the land. It received its name from
the Dutch general Carpenter, the zealous promoter o f difcoveries
in thefe parts about the beginning o f the laft century.
U a
C a r p e n t a r i a .