1788. there was a Weatherly current ; the fliip being every day to
the weftward of the reckoning* which in the whole, from
St. Paul to Varii Diemen’s land, made a difference of four
degrees between thé longitude by thé' reckoning and the
true longitude.
fhntfday ' The fhip being moored, I Went in a boat to look put
zu for the mofi convenient place to wood and Water at* which
I found to he at the weft end of the beach : for the durf*
though confiderable, was lefs there than at any other part
of the bay,; The water wasdin -a gully about fixty yards
from the beach; it was perfectly good, but be in gon ly a
collection from the rains, the place is always, dry in the
fumthér months; found no water in it when I-W^s
herb with captain Cook Id January, 1777,—iWe-had very
little fuccefs in haulingtheTeine; about twenty final!
flounders* and flat-headed fifh, caked foxes, were all that
were taken.
Ilound no figns of the nafivés having lately frequented
this hay, Or Of any European veifels haviaig ^xeen here
fince _the Resolution and Difcof ery in 1777. From feme
of the old trunks“ of trees, then cut down* I law Ihoots
about twenty-five feet, high, and fourteen iiK&es hx
.eumferehce. ■ M ■ ... v 7
In the evening, I returned on board. The-next morn-
Friday 22. mg* frie zzd, at daylight, a party was fent on fhore for
wooding and watering, under the command of Mr. Ghrif-
tian and the gunnen; and I dife&ed that one man ihould
fie öonftaatly -employed in walhing the peopled clothe^
There was fo much fiirf that the wood -was obliged
to be rafted ctfF in bundles to the boat.- Mr. «Nehon informed
me, that, in has walks to-day, he faw a tfëe,; in a
very healthy-ftate, which he naeafured, found'to be'
thirty-three
thitty'-thrée -ftet and-a half in girt; ite height was proper- I p f e
tioned to its bulk. <— — »
Saturday the 23d, The furf was rather greater than Saturday z3.
yëfterday, whidh very-much-interrupted brir wooding and
watering. - Nelfon to-day ptókêd up a male opoffum that
had been;-recently killed,- -dr--had -died, fd r ' wé Jcould not
pdrfceive -any wound,' uhlefs it had received a blow Oh the
back, where'there Was a bare ’plaice1 about'the'fize°ëf a
fluffing. It meafured Téurteen inches^fróm the dars to
the begin hing Of the tail, Which was exactly the fame
'E i^ h vd ' ,J . .
Mot of the foreft trees were at this time Iheddmg their
bafk. There afe -three kinds, which arfe diftinguhhed-
iffom each Other1 by their leaVëï* though the wood- appears
fö-bë-thé fame. Many- of*them are full one hundred and
fifty feet high'; M tm bftof thófe that we cut dawn, Were decayed
at thé‘heart. *Tfcerê£éë,*befides the forefttreesyfok
veraf other -kinds that are firm good wood,'and m ay‘be cut
for moft purpofes, except mafts; neither are the foreft
*:ïtèes<g6o<*for mafts, ofi -acèöunt oftheiryWeigkt,' and the
difficulty'Of finding them thoroughly fó'finffi Mr-. Néïfon
aflerted that they ftied thek hark»eifery year, and that - they •
ihcreafe more from the feed-than by fuckers. -
I found-the tide made a' difference: of fall tW©' feet in
the height b f the water in the lake, at- thé back o f the
beach; At high water, it was very brackilh, but at'low
tide, it was perfeftly frefti to -the tafte, and foap ffiewed
no fign of-ks being the leaft impregnated. yVe-had-hét-
ter füccefs in fifhing on bbard the Ihip, than by hauling
the ftine on fhore; for, with hooks and MhdSy’a number1 o f
fine rock cod-weré caught.—I faw' to-ddy'Cévéral eagle«*
fome beautiful blue-plumaged herons* and a great variety
1 m i i 1 - . °f '