A General History & Collection of Voyages and Travels ... - Nauticus

imagine they carry their provisions and other necessaries. In one of them there was the stone theystrike fire with, and tinder made of bark, but of what tree could not be distinguished. We found inone of their huts, one of their spears, which was made sharp at one end, I suppose, with a shell orstone. Those things we brought away, leaving in the room of them medals, gun- flints, a few nails,and an old empty barrel with the iron hoops on it. They seem to be quite ignorant of every sort ofmetal. The boughs, of which their huts are made, are either broken or split, and tied together withgrass in a circular form, the largest end stuck in the ground, and the smaller parts meeting in a pointat the top, and covered with fern and bark, so poorly done, that they will hardly keep out a shower ofrain. In the middle is the fire-place, surrounded with heaps of muscle, pearl, scallop, and cray-fishshells, which I believe to be their chief food, though we could not find any of them. They lie on theground, on dried grass, round the fire; and I believe they have no settled place of habitation (as theirhouses seemed built only for a few days), but wander about in small parties from place to place insearch of food, and are actuated by no other motive. We never found more than three or four huts ina place, capable of containing three or four persons each only; and what is remarkable, we never sawthe least marks either of canoe or boat, and it is generally thought they have none; being altogether,from what we could judge, a very ignorant and wretched set of people, though natives of a countrycapable of producing every necessary of life, and a climate the finest in the world. We found not theleast signs of any minerals or metals.Having completed our wood and water, we sailed from Adventure Bay, intending to coast it upalong shore, till we should fall in with the land seen by Captain Cook, and discover whether VanDiemen's Land joins with New Holland. On the 16th, we passed Maria's Islands, so named byTassman; they appear to be the same as the main land. On the 17th, having passed Shouten's Islands,we hauled in for the main land, and stood along shore at the distance of two or three leagues off. Thecountry here appears to be very thickly inhabited, as there was a continual fire along shore as wesailed. The land hereabouts is much pleasanter, low, and even; but no signs of a harbour or bay,where a ship might anchor with safety. The weather being bad, and blowing hard at S.S.E., we couldnot send a boat on shore to have any intercourse with the inhabitants. In the latitude of 40° 50' S., theland trenches away to the westward, which I believe forms a deep bay, as we saw from the deckseveral smokes arising a-back of the islands that lay before it, when we could not see the least signsof land from the mast head.From the latitude of 40° 50' S., to the latitude of 39° 50' S., is nothing but islands and shoals; theland high, rocky, and barren. On the 19th, in the latitude of 40° 30' S., observing breakers about halfa mile within shore of us, we sounded, and finding but eight fathoms, immediately hauled off,deepened our water to fifteen fathoms, then bore away and kept along shore again. From the latitudeof 39° 50' to 39° S., we saw no land, but had regular soundings from fifteen to thirty fathoms. As westood on to the northward, we made land again in about 39°; after which we discontinued ournortherly course, as we found the ground very uneven, and shoal-water some distance off. I think it avery dangerous shore to fall in with.The coast, from Adventure Bay to the place where we stood away for New Zealand, lies in thedirection S. 1/2 W., and N. 1/2 E., about seventy-five leagues; and it is my opinion that there are nostraits between New Holland and Van Diemen's Land, but a very deep bay.--I should have stoodfarther to the northward, but the wind blowing strong at S.S.E., and looking likely to haul round tothe eastward, which would have blown right on the land, I therefore thought it more proper to leavethe coast and steer for New Zealand.After we left Van Diemen's Land, we had very uncertain weather, with rain and very heavy gusts ofwind. On the 24th, we were surprised with a very severe squall, that reduced us from top-gallantsails to reefed courses, in the space of an hour. The sea rising equally quick, we shipped manywaves, one of which stove the large cutter, and drove the small one from her lashing in the waist;