My Carpenter, Who Was A Mast-Maker As Well As A Ship-
Wright, Two Trades He Learnt In Deptford-Yard, Was Of Opinion That These
Trees Would Make Exceedingly Good Masts.
The wood is white, close-grained,
tough, and light.
Turpentine had exuded out of most of the trees, and the
sun had inspissated it into a rosin, which was found sticking to the
trunks, and lying about the roots. These trees shoot out their branches
like all other pines; with this difference, that the branches of these are
much smaller and shorter; so that the knots become nothing when the tree is
wrought for use. I took notice, that the largest of them had the smallest
and shortest branches, and were crowned, as it were, at the top, by a
spreading branch like a bush. This was what led some on board into the
extravagant notion of their being basaltes: Indeed no one could think of
finding such trees here. The seeds are produced in cones; but we could find
none that had any in them, or that were in a proper state for vegetation or
botanical examination. Besides these, there was another tree or shrub of
the spruce-fir kind, but it was very small. We also found on the isle a
sort of scurvy-grass, and a plant, called by us Lamb's Quarters, which,
when boiled, eat like spinnage.
Having got ten or twelve small spars to make studding-sail booms, boat-
masts, &c., and night approaching, we returned with them on board.
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