none fuch exist about Port Jackson. Grafs, however, grows in every place but the fwamps with -the greatest vigour and luxurancy, though it is not of the finest quality, and is found to agree better with horfes and cows than fheep. A few wild fruits are fometimes procured, among which is the fmall purple appie mentioned by Cook, and a fruit, which has the appearance of a grape, though in tafte more like a green goofe berry, being exceffively four: probably were it meliorated by cultivation, it would become more palatable.

Fresh water; as I have faid before, is found but in inconfiderable quantities. For the common purpofes of life there is generally enough; but we know of no ftream in the country capable of turning a mill and the remark made by Mr. Anderfon, of the drynes of the country round Adventure Bay, extends without exception to every part of it which we have pene

trated.

Previous to leaving England I rernember to have frequently heard it afferted, that the discovery of mines was one of the fecondary objects of the expedition. Perhaps there are mines; but as no perfon competent to form a decifion is to be found among us, I with no one to adopt an idea, that I mean to imprefs him with fuch a belief, when I ftate, that individuals, whofe judgments are not defpicable, are willing to think favourably of this conjecture, from fpecimens of ore feen in many of the flones picked up here. I cannot quit this fubject without regreting, that fome one capable of throwing a better light on it, is not in the colony. Nor can I helpbeing equally concerned, that an experienced botanift was not fent out, for the purpofe of collecting and defcribing the rare and beautiful plants, with which the country abounds. Indeed, we flattered ourselves, when at the Cape of Good Hope, that Mafon, the King's botanical gardener, who was employed there in collecting for the royal nursery at Kew, would have joined us, but it feems his orders and engagements

gagements prevented him from quitting that beaten track, to enter on this fcene of novelty and variety.

To the naturalift, this country holds out many invitations.--Birds, though not remarkably numerous, are in great variety, and of the most exquifite beauty of plumage, among which are the cockatoo, lory and parroquet; but the bird which principally claims attention is, a fpecies of oft rich, approaching nearer to the emu of South America than any other we know of. One of them was shot, at a confiderable distance, with a single ball, by a convict employed for that purpose by the Governor; its weight, when complete, was feventy pounds, and its length from the end of the toe to the tip of the beak, feven feet two inches, though there was reason to believe it had not attained its full growth. On dissection many anatomical fingularities obferved; the gall-bladder was remarkably large, the liver not bigger than that of a barn door fowl, and after the ftricteft fearch nó gizzard could be found; the legs, which were of a vaft length, were covered with thick, ftrong, scales, plainly indicating the animal to be formed for living amidst deferts; and the foot differed from an oftrich's by forming a triangle, instead of being cloven. Goldfmith, whofe account of the emu is the only one I can refer to, fays, "that it is covered from the back and rump with long feathers, which fall backward, and cover the anus; thefe feathers are grey on the back, and white, on the belly." The wings are fo fmall as hardly to deferve the name, and are unfurnished with thofe beautiful ornaments which adorn the wings of the oftrich: all the feathers are extremely coarfe, but the conftruction of them deferves notice--they grow in pairs from a fingle fhaft, a fingularity which the author I have quoted has omitted to remark. It may be prefumed, that these birds are not very fcarce, as feveral have been seen, fome of them immenfely large, but they are fo wild, as to make shooting them a matter of great difficulty. Though incapable of flying, they run with fuch fwift

nefs,

neis, that our fleeteft greyhounds are left far behind in every attempt to catch them. The flesh was eaten, and tafted like beef.

Befides the emu, many birds of prodigious fize have been feen, which promife to increase the number of thofe defcribed by naturalifts, whenever we shall be fortunate enough to obtain them; but among these the bat of the Endeavour river is not to be found. In the woods are various little fongfters, whofe notes are equally fweet and plaintive.

Of quadrupeds, except the kangaroo, I have little to fay. The few met with are almoft invariably of the opoffum tribe, but even thefe do not abound. To beafts of prey we are utter ftrangers, nor have we yet any cause to believe that they exift in the country. And happy it is for us that they do not, as their prefence would deprive us of the only fresh meals the fettlement affords, the flesh of the kangaroo. This fingular animal is already known in Europe by the drawing and defcription of Mr. Cook. To the drawing nothing can be objected but the pofition of the claws of the hinder leg, which are mixed together like thofe of a dog, whereas no fuch indiftinctnefs is to be found in the animal I am defcribing. It was the Chevalier De Perroufe who pointed out this to me, while we were comparing a kangaroo with the plate, which. as he jufly obferved, is correct enough to give the world in general a good idea of the animal, but not fufficiently accurate for the man of science.

Of the natural hiftory of the kangaroo we are fill very ignorant. We may, however, venture to pronounce this animal, a new fpecies of opoffum, the female being furnilhed with a bag, in which the young is contained; and in which the teats are found. Thefe laft are only two in number, a ftrong prefumptive proof, had we no other evidence, than the kangaroo brings forth rarely more than one at a birth. But this is fettled beyond a doubt, from more than a dozen females

males having been killed, which had invariably but one formed in the pouch. Notwithstanding this, the animal may be looked on as prolific, from the early age it begins to breed at, kangaroos with young having been taken of not more than thirty pounds weight; and there is room to believe that when at their utmoft growth, they weigh not less than one hundred and fifty pounds. A male of one hundred and thirty pounds weight has been killed, whofe dimenfions were as follows;

Extreme length

Do. of the tail

Do. of the hinder legs

Do. of the fore paws

Circumference of the tail at the root

After this perhaps I fhall hardly be credited, when I affirm that the kangaroo on being brought forth is not larger than an English moufe. It is, however, in my power to speak pofitively on this head, as I have feen more than one inftance of it.

In running, this animal confines himself entirely to his hinder legs, which are poffeffed with an extraordinary mufcular power. Their speed is very great, though not in general quite equal to that of a greyhound; but when the greyhounds are fo fortunate as to feize them, they are incapable of retaining their hold, from the amazing struggles of the animal. The bound of the kangaroo, when not hard preffed, has been measured, and found to exceed twenty feet.

At what time of the year they copulate, and in what manner, we knew not; the tefticles of the male are placed contrary to the ufual order of nature.

When young the kangaroo eats tender and well flavoured, tafting like veal, but the old ones are more tough and flringy than bull-beef. They are not carnivorous, and fubfift altogether on particulr flowers and grafs. Their bleat is mournful, and very diffe

rent

rent from that of any other animal; it is, however, feldom heard but in the young-onés.

Fish, which our fanguine hopes led us to expect in great quantities, do not abound. In fummer they are tolerably plentiful, but for fome months past very few have been taken. Botany Bay in this refpect exceeds Port Jackfon. The French once caught near two thousand fish in one day, of a fpecies of grouper, to which, from the form of a bone in the head refembling a helmet, we have given the name of light horfe man. To this may be added bafs, mullets, fkait, foles, leather-jackets, and many other, fpecies, all fo good in their kind, as to double our regret at their not being more numerous. Sharks of an enormous fize are found here. One of these was caught by the people on board the Sirius, which measured at the fhoulders fix feet and a half in circumference. His liver yielded twenty-four gallons of oil; and in his ftomach was found the head of a fhark, which had been thrown overboard from the fame fhip. The Indians, probably from having felt the effects of their voracious fury, teftify the utmoft horror on feeing thefe terrible fish,

Venomous animals and reptiles are rarely feen: Large fnakes beautifully variegated have been killed, but of the effect of their bites we are happily ignorant. Infects, though numerous, are by no means, even in fummer, fo troublefome as I have found them in America, the Weft Indies, and other countries.

The climate is undoubtedly very defirable to live in., In fummer the heats are ufually moderated by the fea breeze, which fets in early; and in winter the degree of cold is fo flight as to occafion no inconvenience; once or twice we have had hoar frófts, and hail, but no appearance of Inow. The thermometer has never rifen beyond 84, nor fallen lower than 35, in general it flood in the beginning of February at between 78 and 74 at noon. Nor is the temperature of the air lefs healthy than pleafant. Thofe dreadfu!