To Reward Their Toils, Our Adventurers Had, However, The Pleasure
Of Discovering And Traversing An Extensive Tract Of Ground, Which They
Had Reason To Believe, From The Observations They Were Enabled To Make,
Capable Of Producing Every Thing, Which A Happy Soil And Genial Climate
Can Bring Forth.
In addition to this flattering appearance, the face
of the country is such, as to promise success whenever it shall be cultivated,
the trees being at a considerable distance from each other, and the
intermediate space filled, not with underwood, but a thick rich grass,
growing in the utmost luxuriancy.
I must not, however, conceal, that in this
long march, our gentlemen found not a single rivulet, but were under
a necessity of supplying themselves with water from standing pools,
which they met with in the vallies, supposed to be formed by the rains
that fall at particular seasons of the year. Nor had they the good fortune
to see any quadrupeds worth notice, except a few kangaroos.
To their great surprize, they observed indisputable tracks of the natives
having been lately there, though in their whole route none of them were
to be seen; nor any means to be traced, by which they could procure subsistence
so far from the sea shore.
On the 6th of May the 'Supply' sailed for Lord Howe Island, to take on board
turtle for the settlement; but after waiting there several days was obliged
to return without having seen one, owing we apprehended to the advanced season
of the year. Three of the transports also, which were engaged by the
East India Company to proceed to China, to take on board a lading of tea,
sailed about this time for Canton.
The unsuccessful return of the 'Supply' cast a general damp on our spirits,
for by this time fresh provisions were become scarcer than in a blockaded town.
The little live stock, which with so heavy an expense, and through so many
difficulties, we had brought on shore, prudence forbade us to use; and fish,
which on our arrival, and for a short time after had been tolerable plenty,
were become so scarce, as to be rarely seen at the tables of the first
among us. Had it not been for a stray kangaroo, which fortune now and then
threw in our way, we should have been utter strangers to the taste
of fresh food.
Thus situated, the scurvy began its usual ravages, and extended its baneful
influence, more or less, through all descriptions of persons. Unfortunately
the esculent vegetable productions of the country are neither plentiful,
nor tend very effectually to remove this disease. And, the ground we had
turned up and planted with garden seeds, either from the nature of the soil,
or, which is more probable, the lateness of the season, yielded but a scanty
and insufficient supply of what we stood so greatly in need of.
During the period I am describing, few enormous offences were perpetrated
by the convicts. A petty theft was now and then heard of, and a spirit
of refractory sullenness broke out at times in some individuals:
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 34 of 47
Words from 17470 to 17990
of 24415
