1769. January. Saturday 14. choring ground, however, lay feveral rocky ledges, that were covered with fea-weed; but I was told that there was not less than eight and nine fathom over all of them. It will probably be thought strange, that where weeds, which grow at the bottom, appear above the furface, there fhould be this depth of water; but the weeds which grow upon rocky ground in these countries, and which always diftinguish it from fand and ooze, are of an enormous fize. The leaves are four feet long, and fome of the ftalks, though not thicker than a man's thumb, above one hundred and twenty: Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander examined fome of them, over which we founded and had fourteen fathom, which is eightyfour feet; and, as they made a very acute angle with the bottom, they were thought to be at least one half longer: the foot ftalks were fwelled into an air veffel, and Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander called this plant Fucus giganteus. Upon the report of the Master, I stood in with the ship; but not trusting implicitly to his intelligence, I continued to found, and found but four fathom upon the firft ledge that I went over; concluding, therefore, that I could not anchor here without risk, I determined to feek some port in the Streight, where I might get on board fuch wood and water as we wanted. Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander, however, being very defirous to go on shore, I fent a boat with them and their people, while I kept plying as near as poffible with the fhip. Having been on fhore four hours, they returned about nine in the evening, with above an hundred different plants and flowers, all of them wholly unknown to the botanists of Europe. They found the country about the bay to be in general flat, the bottom of it in particular was a plain, covered with grafs, which might easily have been made into a large quantity of hay; they found also abundance of good 1769. January. wood and water, and fowl in great plenty. Among other things, of which Nature has been liberal in this place, is Winter's bark, Winteranea aromatica; which may easily be Saturday 14. known by its broad leaf, fhaped like the laurel, of a light green colour without, and inclining to blue within: the bark is easily stripped with a bone or a stick, and its virtues are well known: it may be used for culinary purposes as a spice, and is not lefs pleasant than wholesome: here is also plenty of wild celery and fcurvy grafs. The trees are chiefly of one kind, a fpecies of the birch, called Betula antarctica; the ftem is from thirty to forty feet long, and from two to three feet in diameter, fo that in a cafe of neceffity they might poffibly fupply a fhip with top-mafts: they are a light white wood, bear a small leaf, and cleave very ftraight. Cranberries were also found here in great plenty, both white and red. The perfons who landed faw none of the inhabitants, but fell in with two of their deferted huts, one in a thick wood, and the other close by the beach. Having taken the boat on board, I made fail into the Streight, and at three in the morning of the 15th, I anchored Sunday 15. in twelve fathom and an half, upon coral rocks, before a fmall cove, which we took for Port Maurice, at the diftance of about half a mile from the fhore. Two of the natives came down to the beach, expecting us to land; but this spot afforded fo little shelter, that I at length determined not to examine it: I therefore got under fail again about ten o'clock, and the favages retired into the woods. At two o'clock, we anchored in the bay of Good Succefs; and after dinner I went on fhore, accompanied by Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander, to look for a watering-place, and speak to the Indians, several of whom had come in fight. We landed on the ftarboard fide of the bay near fome rocks, which made VOL. II. G 1769. January. Sunday 15. made smooth water and good landing; thirty or forty of the Indians foon made their appearance at the end of a fandy beach on the other fide of the bay, but feeing our number, which was ten or twelve, they retreated. Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander then advanced about one hundred yards before us, upon which two of the Indians returned, and, having advanced fome paces towards them, fat down; as foon as they came up, the Indians rofe, and each of them having a fmall flick in his hand threw it away, in a direction both from themselves and the ftrangers, which was confidered as the renunciation of weapons in token of peace: they then walked brifkly towards their companions, who had halted at about fifty yards behind them, and beckoned the Gentlemen to follow, which they did. They were received with many uncouth figns of friendship; and, in return, they dif tributed among them fome beads and ribbons, which had been brought on shore for that purpose, and with which they were greatly delighted. A mutual confidence and good-will being thus produced, our parties joined; the converfation, fuch as it was, became general; and three of them accompanied us back to the fhip. When they came on board, one of them, whom we took to be a prieft, performed much the fame ceremonies which M. Bougainville defcribes, and fuppofes to be an exorcifm. When he was introduced into a new part of the fhip, or when any thing that he had not feen before caught his attention, he fhouted with all his force for fome minutes, without directing his voice either. to us or his companions.. They eat fome bread and fome beef, but not apparently with much pleasure, though such part of what was given them as they did not eat they took away with them; but they would not fwallow a drop either of wine or spirits : they put the glass to their lips, but, having tasted the liquor, they they returned it, with ftrong expreffions of difguft. Curiosity seems to be one of the few paffions which distinguish men from brutes; and of this our guests appeared to have very little. They went from one part of the ship to another, and looked at the vast variety of new objects that every moment prefented themselves, without any expreffion either of wonder or pleasure, for the vociferation of our exorcist seemed to be neither. After having been on board about two hours, they expressed a defire to go afhore. A boat was immediately ordered, and Mr. Banks thought fit to accompany them: he landed them in fafety, and conducted them to their companions, among whom he remarked the fame vacant indifference, as in those who had been on board; for as on one fide there appeared no eagerness to relate, fo on the other there feemed to be no curiofity to hear, how they had been received, or what they had seen. In about half an hour, Mr. Banks returned to the ship, and the Indians retired from the shore. 1769. January. Sunday 15. 1769. January. CHAP. IV. An Account of what happened in afcending a Mountain to ON N the 16th, early in the morning, Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander, with their attendants and fervants, and two Monday 16. feamen to affift in carrying the baggage, accompanied by Mr. Monkhouse the Surgeon, and Mr. Green the Aftronomer, fet out from the ship, with a view to penetrate as far as they could into the country, and return at night. The hills, when viewed at a distance, seemed to be partly a wood, partly a plain, and above them a bare rock. Mr. Banks hoped to get through the wood, and made no doubt, but that, beyond it, he fhould, in a country which no botanist had ever yet vifited, find alpine plants which would abundantly compenfate his labour. They entered the wood at a small sandy beach, a little to the weftward of the watering-place, and continued to afcend the hill, through the pathlefs wildernefs, till three o'clock, before they got a near view of the places which they intended to vifit. Soon after they reached what they had taken for a plain; but, to their great disappointment, found it a fwamp, covered with low bushes of birch, about three feet high, interwoven with each other, and fo ftubborn that they could not be bent out of the way; it was therefore neceffary to lift the leg over them, which at every step was buried, ancle deep, in the foil. To aggravate the pain and difficulty of fuch travelling, the weather, which hitherto had been very fine, much like one of our bright days in May, became gloomy and cold; with fudden blafts |