*5»
•were numerous upon the edges o f the brufh. The rocks toward
the fea were covered with fur-feals o f great beauty. This fpecies-
o f feal feemed to approach neareft to that named by naturalifts the
Falkland Ifland Seal.
“ In point o f animated life nature feems (fays Mr. Bafs) to have
afted lb oddly with this and the neighbouring iflands, that i f their,
rich flores were thoroughly ranfacked1, I doubt not but the departments
o f natural hiftory would be enlarged by more new and valuable
fpecimens than they ever before acquired from any land o f
many times their extent.”
C H A P . X V .
TH E NORFOLK PROCEEDS ON H E R VOYAGE.— TH E SWAN ISLE S } WHY
SO NAMED.----WATERHOUSE IS L E .— DISCOVER PORT D A L R YM P L E .— ACCOUNT
OF TH E COUNTRY WITHIN IT .— N A T U R A L PRODUCTIONS.—
A N IM A L S .— SA G A C IT Y AND NUMBERS OF TH E B LA C K SWAN.— IN H A B
IT A N T S ; IN F E R IO R TO THOSE OF THE CO NT IN EN T .— RANGE OF THE
TH ERMOMET E R .— PASS T A B L E C A P E— C IR C U LA R H EAD.— TH R E E HUMMOCK
ISLAN D— A LBATROS S IS LAN D— H U N T E R ’ S IS L E S .— PROCEED
TO TH E SOUTHWARD AND WESTWARD.
L e a v i n g Furneaux’ s iflands, the Norfolk proceeded toward
the North coaft of Van Diemen’ s land; and on the ift o f November
Ihe anchored for a tide at the.largeft of the Swan i/les, two fmall
iflands fo named by Lieutenant Flinders, when he was here in the
Francis, becaufe a European who belonged to the Sydney-cove had
affured him that he had met with vaft numbers o f breeding fwans
upon them.
The ifle at which the floop anchored bore a great refemblance to
Prefervation Ifland, being low, fandy, and barren, but differed
from it in the compofition o f its rocks, or that fubftance which
formed the bafis o f its fupport. This had not any affinity to granite,
nor did Mr. Bafs remember to have feen an yo f a fimilar kind
upon any part of New South Wales. It was o f various colours, but generally
either a light brown, or a fort o f grey. It feemed to be
lamellated, but the lamellse were placed vertically, fometimes .radiated
with a diameter o f four or five feet, and fometimes they were
placed parallel. Upon breaking the ftone, the fradture was vitreous,
or like that of glafs, and it fcintillated on fteel being applied. Ruft