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

their existence. But nature, we may often see, is prodigal of life, and in the very act ofdissolving one generation, seems to rejoice in providing for another that is to succeed it.Thus, we are told, there sprouted out young trees from the rich mould, to which the oldones were at last reduced. A deceitful bark, it is added, sometimes still covered the interiorrotten substance, in which a person attempting to step on it, might sink to the waist. Suchwere the common disappointments in this Utopia. The naturalists had to add to them, theappropriate mortification of seeing numerous trees and shrubs, of which, as the time offlowering was past, it was impossible to make any scientific examination, and which,accordingly, only tantalized them with the idea of the profusion of new vegetables in thisinteresting country. A short residence here, especially during wet gloomy weather, provedthat all was not so perfect in this climate as had been fondly imagined. The land aboutDusky Bay, and indeed throughout most of the southern extremity of this island, was foundto consist of steep rocky mountains, with craggy precipices, either clad with impenetrableforests, or quite barren, and covered with snow on the tops. No meadows or lawns were tobe seen, and the only spot of flat land that was found, presented so much wood and briarsas to be useless for either garden ground or pasture, without very considerable toil. Thisheartless description is somewhat relieved by a glowing picture of the scenery about whatwas called Cascade Cove, which seems to have arrested the attention of Mr F., and which,he says, could only have justice done it by the very successful pencil of Mr Hodges. Thesoil here was found to be quite like to what had elsewhere been found, and the rocks andstones consisted of granite, moor-stone, and brown talcous clay-stone. In one of theexcursions to the country, it was observed, that as they receded from the sea, the mountainsbecame much higher, and were more steep and barren, and that the trees dwindled in size,so as to resemble shrubs, circumstances rather the reverse of what is usually noticed inother countries. The climate of Dusky Bay is spoken unfavourably of, as its greatestinconvenience, and to this must be added its being deficient in celery, scurvy-grass, andother antiscorbutics. But with all its defects, Mr G.F. admits, that Dusky Bay is one of thefinest places in New Zealand, for a crew to touch at in such a situation as that of hiscompanions. The land about Cape Traveller appeared low and sandy near the shore, butrising into high snow-capt mountains interiorly. In one respect, according to thisgentleman, Queen Charlotte's Sound has greatly the advantage of Dusky Bay, viz. itsabounding in salutary vegetables. This it no doubt owes to the superior mildness of theclimate, which is represented as highly favourable to botanical pursuits. The tea-tree andspruce, as they were called, were found here in great plenty, as well as at Dusky Bay;besides several species of plants in flower, which had not been seen before. The hillsconsisted chiefly of argillaceous stone, running in oblique strata, commonly dipping a littletowards the south, of a greenish-grey, or bluish, or yellowish-brown colour, sometimescontaining veins of white quartz, and sometimes a green talcous or nephritic stone, which,as it was capable of a good polish from its hardness, the natives used for chissels, &c. MrF. specifies several other mineral substances found in this neighbourhood, particularlyargillaceous strata of a rusty colour, which is inferred to contain iron, and a black compactand ponderous basalt, of which the natives form their pattoo-pattoos. It is unnecessary tomake remarks on the subjects now mentioned, as they must be resumed in our account ofCook's third voyage, where we shall have to consider Mr Anderson's report respectingthem and other topics, with greater attention, than was required for the present imperfectthough valuable notices.--E.SECTION IX.Route from New Zealand to Otaheite, with an Account of some low Islands, supposed to be the samethat were seen by M. de Bougainville.On the 7th of June, at four in the morning, the wind being more favourable, we unmoored, and atseven weighed and put to sea, with the Adventure in company. We had no sooner got out of thesound, than we found the wind at south, so that we had to ply through the straits. About noon thetide of ebb setting out in our favour, made our boards advantageous; so that, at five o'clock in theevening. Cape Palliser, on the island of Eahei-nomauwe, bore S.S E. 1/2 S., and Cape Koamaroo, or