Sydney, I had possibly given a more satisfactory account to the
Reader pf the animal, which occa«iooe44h3#(alarna amongst my
men; but not being able to do this, I have,only to intreat his
pardon «&§§& ’^having trespassed upon his patience with flail?
digression.
The ground was now prepared,, and I sowed my several sorts
o f seeds, together with wheat, Indian corn , and pgas, some
grains of rjee, and some coffee berries; and I did not forgetfo
plant potatoes. With the trunks of the trees I felled I raised a
block-house of 24 feet by 3 ^ ,^ |iie h will probably remain for
-some years, the supporters feeing 'toll fi^ed in the earth. Indeed
,1 was anxious to. mark my predilection for this. ^pot, on acoount
of its beautiful situation, insomuch that ! scarcely know# place
I should.sooner call mfeie than this little island.. Round this
skeleton,of a mansion-house I planted the stones and kernels of
the several fruits I had brought.-put, not forgetting, that the
curious apple before mpmtioned^; I made this plantation rather
date in the season, but I am,.in hopes that some, ofthe-^nops
will flourish, and 1 wait the pleasure of a good report hereafter»
^Several of my crew remained on thisisland for^seyen or eight
days, but saw no more of the strange animal. . Birds, tfeiiy
found, and particularly parrots in great numbers; but in they
search for water they were unsuccessful, though ! am strongly
o f opinion it might be procured by digging, and-there appeared
to b e nothing to prevent digging for it to-a proper .depth. We
turned up a few stones, and,»spme interspOrsed with veins of
iron ore, indeed so rich o f the metal, that they had a visible
effect on the needle of our compass., Stones of the like, kind
are likewise found about Sydney and in other pgrts.
On the 21st, Mr. Bowen, my second mate, haying been sent
up the river for fresh water, returned with part of a. canoe,
which he had found sunk nea r, the moutfe, together with the
two
two paddles belonging to it, a n d ‘some line used in fishing.
This canoe differedfromanybéfótovseén, as i t was framed with
timber, and inStedd“ of being tied1' together at the ends was left
open, the space beings jkferW'ards filled with grass worked up
with strong clay. This specimen together with whatever else
I collected1 was deposited,f accofding to the orders I received^
with Governör King.
. We moved over to the opposite shore, in order to near a small
island, lying in the opening of the extensive arms desenbed by
Mr. Bass, of which this pórt has two branching out to the north-
wardi* J I named this island Margaret Island, in hono>W e f Mrs.
Schankr to whom I am indebted far several articlesyuseful on
board my Mttlevèsséfe' bat too numerous to be mentioned here.
The tide ebbing very fast, we found ourselves in shoal water ?
b u t the bottom being a soft mud, and AN®'weather calm, there
Wasnotlüng'ta'-be'appreheüded farther than ©ur feeing' detained
there longer than we mighit have wishid. And to shew how
little water we drew, and how well calculated' sucb a vessel i$
for searching unknown Greeks and Rivers, independent o f more
extensive discoveries, I must observe, that when the vessel*»
fete-foot fouchecLthe mud the stock of the anchbr wè Jètgö was
above water. To enable my Readers, who Ére seamen, to form
a judgment of our depth of water, 1 must here premise, that
our anchor was four hundred weight, and had an non stock
to-ilfe:-1-
This, I trust, will shew thëadvantage which dr Vestel of this
construction has over ©titers, Bor supposing a vessel of the
same kind f of approach a shore, having only three feèt water,
and forced thereon by severity of >‘wealher, vflth a hëUVy surf
breaking, she would not so soon take th e ground, and that at a
less distance from the land,:than a ^ e ^ e l of the same ske built
in the usual way. |S pw tml latter, if sharp built, would by the
^ 2 suroge