distributed, and that one spot may be deluged with them, while another, properly watered, shall display a vigorous state of vegetation, and a third, dry and parched, exhibit only the image of death and desolation.

From this uncertain occurrence of the rains, some vegetables have a sort of accidental succession, according to the spots on which they grow, which naturally they could not have elsewhere. Thus, in one place, a species of flower has just blown, which farther on, appeared six weeks before, and which, ten leagues farther still, will perhaps not blossom in less than two months. In Africa, nature is always alive, and her action never benumbed by cold: but it is necessary to be on the watch for her; and the botanist who traverses the country, without residing in it a considerable time, must expect only the fortune of the day, and will of course bring away with him no other collection than what is afforded him by chance.

In other respects, the new discoveries in this more distant quarter of the world, will not prove less new and amusing to the generality of my readers than those of Africa.

CHAP. XXVII.

Account of Van Diemen's land, and various voyages of discovery made from the new settlement of Botany Bay-Manners, habitations, &c. described-Account of Adventure Bay-Vegetables-Birds - Fish, &c.-Lord Howe Island discovered, &c.-Macaulay and Curtis's Islands-Point Venus at Otaheite -Society Islands - Huaheine-Penrhyn's Island-Tinian, &c.

VAN DIEMEN's Land is situated at the Southern extremity of the Continent of New Holland. Very little having been said in this work, relative to this place or its inhabitants, it is now made the first in rotation; because Captain Cook, after his discovery of Botany Bay, in his last or Northern voyage, visited this place in the Resolution (his own ship) and the Discovery, commanded by Captain Clerk; and ast the particulars I have since collected of the people of this place, and the various islands. discovered by other navigators since the establishment of this settlement, I presume cannot be omitted with propriety, I shall here borrow the Captain's own words relative to Van Diemen's Land:

"In the afternoon of the 28th of January, 1777," says Captain Cook, "we were agreeably surprized at the place where our people were cutting wood, with a visit from some of the natives, eight men and a boy. They approached us from the woods without betraying any marks of fear, or rather with the greatest confidence imaginable; for none of them had any weapons, except one who held in his hand a stick about two feet long, and pointed at one end. They were quite naked, and wore no ornaments, unless we consider as such, and as a proof of their love of finery, some large punctures or ridges raised on different parts of their bodies, some in straight and others in curved lines. They were of the common stature, but rather slender. Their skin was black, and also their hair, which was as woolly as that of any native of Guinea; but they were not distinguished by remarkable thick lips, nor flat noses. the contrary, their features were far from being disagreeable. They had pretty good eyes, and their teeth were tolerably even, but very dirty. Most of them had their hair and beards smeared with a red ointment, and some had their faces also painted with the same composition. They received every present that we made to them without the least appearance of satisfaction. When some bread was given, as soon as they understood it was to be eaten, they either returned it or threw it away, without even tasting it. They also refused some elephant fish, both raw and dressed, which we offered to

On

them; but upon giving them some birds, they did not return these, and easily made us comprehend that they were fond of such food. Being desirous of knowing the use of the stick which one of our visitors carried in his hand, I made signs to them to shew me, and so far succeeded, that one of them set up a piece of wood as a mark, and threw at it from the distance of about twenty yards. But we had very little reason to commend his dexterity; for, after repeated trials, he was still very wide from the object. From us they went to the place where some of the Discovery's people were employed in taking water into their boat. The officer of that party not knowing that they had paid us so friendly a visit, nor what their intent might be, fired a musquet in the air, which sent them off with the greatest precipitation. Thus ended our first interview with the natives.

"The next morning," continues he, "we had observed several of the natives sauntering along the shore, which assured us, that, though their consternation had made them leave us so abruptly the day before, they were convinced that we intended them no mischief, and were desirous of renewing the intercourse. It was natural that I should wish to be present on the occasion. We had not been long landed, before about twenty of them, men and boys, joined us, without expressing the least sign of fear or distrust. There was one of this company conspicuously deformed, and who was not more

coast.

distinguishable by the hump upon his back than by the drollery of his gestures, and the seeming humour of his speeches, which he was very fond of exhibiting, as we supposed, for our entertainment; but, unfortunately, we could not understand him, the language spoken here being wholly unintelligible to us: it appeared to me to be different from that spoken by the inhabitants of the more Northern parts of this country, whom I met with in my first voyage; which is not extraordinary, since those whom we now saw differ from the former in many other respects. Nor did they seem to be such miserable wretches, as the natives whom Dampier mentions to have seen on its Western Notwithstanding they absolutely rejected the sort of fish that we offered to them, it was very evident that shell-fish made, at least, a part of their food, from the many heaps of muscle-shells that we saw in different parts near the shore, and about some deserted habitations near the head of the bay. These were little sheds, or hovels, built of sticks, and covered with bark. We could also perceive evident signs of their sometimes taking up their abode in the trunks of large trees, which had been hollowed out by fire most probably for this very purpose. In or near all these habitations, and wherever there was a heap of shells, there remained the marks of fire, an indubitable proof that they do not eat their food raw. The females wore a kangaroo skin, in the same shape as it came from the animal,