enough for us to obferve that captain Phillip was a diftinguished officer in our navy during the seven years and the last American war in the interval he was chiefly in the Portuguese service.

The compiler, who feems not to be deficient in learning and a knowledge of the fubjects he has collected, engages at firft, in what we think an useless difquifition; whether New Holland should be ftyled an ifland or a continent? After fome etymological difcuffions he concludes, that a country of fo great an 'extent, as to be capable of a convenient union under one government, and deriving from thence a fecurity from all attacks except by fea,' deserves the name of an ifland. New Holland is in his opinion too large for this purpose, and fhould therefore be called a continent. Unfortunately, the author has not included in his definition the ftate of fociety; for in the infancy of focial and political union, this extent will be differently measured : during the heptarchy, for inftance, and down to the time of James I. England did not deferve the name of an island. Befides, the two parts of his definition militace against each other; the country which is united under one government, whatever be its extent, is fecure, except from the sea.-The author proceeds to give an account of the method of difpofing of the lefs atrocious criminals down to the period of the prefent expedition, and to relate the circumftances of the voyage to this vaft island; for whether we compare it to Europe, Afia, and Africa on one hand, or to America on the other, so it must neceffarily be called. If our author confiders its length, it is greatly inferior to the latter; if its fquare furface, it finks to nothing in comparison of the former. Rivers are navigable in America, the fmalleft of the continents, farther than would reach through the whole of new Holland.

New Holland, of which Van Diemen caught a glimpse in 1618, and of which he again faw the oppofite fouthern cape in 1642; which Edel came near to in 1619, and De Wit in 1628, was first discovered to be an ifland by our late navigators; and we in confequence claim its eastern shore. The projecting capes for a time were fuppofed to belong to a fouthern continent, and this idea is the only fupport of its name. If we examine it in the map, and compare its fituation with the neighbouring iflands, we shall find it probable that they together once formed a part of the Afiatic continent. The inhabitants appear now to be as much connected with the brutal New Zealanders on one hand, as with the milder Afiatics of the Caroline and Ladrone islands on the other. In the early part of our commerce with them, they appeared mild, benevolent, and friendly: till we are better acquainted with their customs, laws of fociety, their religion,

or perhaps their prejudices, we cannot be certain that the change is not owing to fome mifconduct of our own.

We have nothing particular to add to our former accounts of the voyage, the firit appearance, and other circumstances of Botany Bay, or the removal to Port Jackson. The first object which appears of importance, is a defcription of the red and yellow gum; the last is, however, a refin, and the first was found to be useful in the dyfentery, which, foon after the landing, appeared among the convicts.

The tree which yields the former kind of gum is very confiderable in fize, and grows to a great height before it puts out any branches. The red gum is ufually compared to that called fanguis draconis, but differs from it by being perfectly foluble in water, whereas the other, being more property a refin, will not difolve except in fpirits of wine. It may be drawn from the tree by tapping, or take out of the veins of the wood when dry, in which it is copioufly diftributed. The leaves are long and narrow, not unlike thofe of a willow. The wood is heavy and fine grained, but being much interfected by the channels containing the gum, fplits and warps in fuch a manner as foon to become entirely useless; especially when worked up, as neceffity at firft occafioned it to be, without having been properly

feafoned.

The yellow gum as it is called, is ftrictly a refin, not being at all foluble in water; in appearance it ftrongly refembles gamboge, but has not the property of ftaining. The plant that produces it is low and fmall, with long graffy leaves; but the fructification of it fhoots out in a fingular manner from the centre of the leaves, on a single straight ftem, to the height of twelve or fourteen feet. Of this ftem, which is strong and light, like fome of the reed clafs, the natives ufually make their fpears; fometimes pointing them with a piece of the fame fubflance made sharp, but more frequently with bone. The refin is generally dug up out of the foil under the tree, not collected from it, and may perhaps be that which Tafınan calls 'gum lac of the ground.'

We fufpect the red refin to be very like the kino: the yellow greatly refembles the balfam of Tolu, though it is a little sweeter, and fomewhat less heating. We have not yet heard of its fuccefs as a medicine, though fome of it has been benevolently distributed for that purpose: from its fenfible qualities, we have formed no very fanguine expectations of it. We fince find that it has been given (it is faid with fuccefs) by Dr. Blane in old dyfenteries.

In the excursion to Broken Bay commodore Phillip examined feveral branches of the Bay; but though they appeared fomerimes advantageous, they generally ended in a morafs. In this excurfion it was found that the women had loft two joints of the

little finger of the left hand, and it was not confined to wives, fingle women, or apparently to any particular class. The men in like manner had generally loft a fore tooth of the upper jaw.

The next moft interefting defcription is that of Norfolk Island, which we shall transcribe, though it be long, because it differs in so many circumstances from what we have often been told.

• Norfolk Island is about feven leagues in circumference, and if not originally formed, like many other finall iflands, by the eruption of volcanic matter from the bed of the sea, mult doubtless have contained a volcano. This conclufion is formed from the vast quantity of pumice ftone which is fcattered in all parts of it, and mixed with the foil. The crater, or at least fome traces of its former existence, will probably be found at the fummit of a fmall mountain, which rifes near the middle of the island. To this mountain the commandant has given the name of Mount Pitt. The ifland is exceedingly well watered. At, or near Mount Pitt, rifes a strong and copious ftream, which flowing through a very fine valley, divides itfelf into feveral branches, each of which retains fufficient force to be used in turning mills: and in various parts of the island fprings have been difcovered.

The climate is pure, falubrious, and delightful, preferved from oppreilive heas by constant breezes from the fea, and of fo mild a temperature throughout the winter, that vegetation continues there without interruption, one crop fucceeding another. Retreshing fhowers from time to time maintain perpetual vendure; not indeed of grafs, for none has yet been feen upon the island, but of the trees, fhrubs, and other vegetables which in all parts grow abundantly. On the leaves of thefe, and of fome kinds in particular, the fheep, hogs, and goats, not only live, but thrive and fatten very much. To the falubrity of the air every individual in this little colony can bear ample teftimony, from the uninterrupted state of good health which has been in general enjoyed.

When our fettlers landed, there was not a fingle acre clear of wood in the island, and the trees were fo bound together by that kind of creeping fhrub called fupple jack, interwoven in all directions, as to render it very difficult to penetrate far among them. The commandant, fmall as his numbers were at first, by indefatigable activity foon caused a space to be cleared fufficient for the requifite accommodations, and for the production of efculent vegetables of all kinds in the greatest abundance. When the last accounts arrived, three acres of barley were in

The commodore has been laudably zealous to make the name of Pitt reach the antipodes; but he was not very happy, when he called a beautiful piece of water in Broken Bay-Pitt Water. G3

a very

a very thriving ftate, and ground was prepared to receive rice and Indian corn. In the wheat there had been a disappointment, the grain that was fown having been fo much injured by the weevil, as to be unfit for vegetation. But the people were all at that time in commodious houfes; and, according to the declarations of Mr. King himself, in his letters to governor Phillip, there was not a doubt that this colony would be in a fituation to fupport itself entirely without affiftance, in less than four years and with very little in the intermediate time. Even two years would be more than fufficient for this purpose, could a proper fupply of black cattle be fent.

Fifh are caught in great plenty, and in the proper season very fine turtle. The woods are inhabited by innumerable tribes of birds, many of them very gay in plumage. The most ufeful are pigeons, which are very numerous, and a bird not unlike the Guinea fowl, except in colour, (being chiefly white,) both of which were at firft fo tame as to fuller themfelves to be taken by hand. Of plants that afford vegetables for the table, the chief are cabbage palm, the wild plantain, the fern tree, a kind of wild fpinage, and a tree which produces a diminutive fruit, bearing fome refemblance to a currant. This, it is hoped, by tranfplanting and care, will be much improved in fize and flavour.

But the productions which give the greatest importance to Norfolk Ifland are the pines and the flax plant, the former rifing to a fize and perfection unknown in other places, and promifing the most valuable fupply of malls and fpars for our navy in the East Indies; the latter not lefs eftimable for the pur pofes of making fail cloth, cordage, and even the finest manufactures; growing in great plenty, and with fuch luxuriance. as to attain the heighth of eight feet. The pines measure fre quently one hundred and fixty, or even one hundred and eighty feet in height, and are fometimes nine or ten feet in diameter at the bottom of the trunk. They rife to about eighty feet without a branch; the wood is faid to be of the best quality, almoft as light as that of the best Norway mafts; and the turpentine obtained from it is remarkable for purity and whiteneis, The fern tree is found alfo of a great height for its fpecics, measuring from feventy to eighty feet, and affords excellent food for the sheep and other fmall cattle. A plant producing pepper, and fuppofed to be the true oriental pepper, has been difcovered lately in the ifland, growing in great plenty; and fpecimens have been fent to England, in order to afcertain this important point.'

They hoped to be able to discover a better landing-place, or to make that which they found more commodious; but we perceive in general, too great a tendency to exaggerate the advantages and diminish the inconveniencies of this ifland. It has been pofitively afferted that not a fingle plant of New Zealand flax is found there.

In two excurfions which the commodore made from Port Jackson, the firft was from one of the side coves, and the second from the head of the harbour. In the first he foon was entangled in swamps, from which the fmall streams mentioned in the description of the harbour arife, which may perhaps be fuccefsfully drained; though this probably is the firft inftance where a fpot was chofen for a settlement, that required fo much additional labour, when the difficulties were fufficiently great before. About fifteen miles from the fea they faw chains of hills, which they diftinguished by different names: they are probably about fifty miles from the fea. In the waters black fwans appear to be not uncommon. In the fecond excursion the ground was level, rifing gently in fmail picturefque hills: the foil is faid to be excellent, except in some small spots, where it appears to be ftony. They faw the high hills difcovered in the former excurfion, but were ftill thirty miles from them. The travelling was fo difficult, the ground fo much encumbered with wood, and even underwood, that they could proceed only thirty miles in five days. The natives were few, naked, feeming frequently to fuffer from famine, as they depend almoft wholly on fishing, and their fupply of fish is very precarious, sheltered chiefly in caves, or in rude huts composed of a piece of bark bent into the form of a ridge of a houfe: yet on the rocks and trees our travellers faw marks of ingenuity, reprefentations of men, animals, fifli, lizards, fhields, and weapons, in a rude though distinct fculpture. They perceived the dung of an animal which they fuppofed muft be as large as that of a horse, but they faw only the usual animals. The kanguroo is delineated: the defcription, except the proportions, is little varied; and the lower parts are reprefented much larger in proportion to the upper, than in any other print. These animals feem to be gregarious, and to grow to a large fize. There appeared only traces of fome inhabitants, who had been on the spot, and apparently concealed themfelves on the traveller's approach. In our general connections with the natives, they seemed neither to be timid or mistrustful: it is probable they refented the incroachments on their fishing places, for fish is the food of their choice, finçe meat and bread, if ac cepted, was foon thrown away. The fish is broiled for a few minutes: but it is fcorched on the outfide, and eaten almoft raw. The returns of the marines and convicts under the care of the furgeon, is annexed to the twelfth chapter, dated June 30th, 1788. There were then twenty-eight marines fick and eight convalefcent: the proportion of the fick in camp above those in the hospital was very great. Four marines, one of their wives, and three of the children, had died fince the first