none of the other vegetables have been used, except by two or three individuals, although the natives appear to almost live on the roasted yam.
"The whole of the coast that we saw, from Cape Helvitius to Croker's Island, is well wooded; and, as far as the settlers have penetrated (about four miles), they have met with a variety of valuable timber—amongst which is the lignum-vitae, two kinds of teak, a native oak, a species of sandal- wood, and lance-wood, with several others well known and much used in India, from their not being obnoxious to the worm or white ant, which none of the above are, according to the experience of the settlers, who found these insects wherever they have been, and the largest forest trees, of particular kinds, completely destroyed by them.
"A singular characteristic of the country is, that, except just above high water mark, (where in most places it is overrun with mangroves,) there is no underwood; even in the thickest part of the forest the trees are a considerable distance apart, and between them the ground is covered with high grass, on which all the stock, whether brought from Sydney or Timor, appear to thrive very well.
"During the dry season, by setting fire to the grass, a road is made sufficient to enable them, with the assistance of draft oxen, (which they have at Melville Island,) to choose their timber, and bring it in any quantities to the settlement.
"I have landed, at the Colonial Dock-yard here[1], specimens of the timber at Melville Island, with the intention of sending it by the first transport to one of the dock-yards in England for the inspection of the Commissioners of the Navy. I selected a common sized tree of the teak, oak, lignum-vitae, and blood- wood; the latter I was obliged to abandon, it being too large and heavy to carry on our decks through a boisterous latitude, I therefore only brought an arm of that tree, which, with the teak, would be very valuable at Calcutta or Madras, as well as in England.
"With respect to the soil, every thing that has been managed with the smallest knowledge of its properties, grows very well; but it would appear incredible, were I to attempt a description of the
- ↑ Port Jackson.
