ife,
and in the A.M. his body Was buried ashore at the watering place, which
occasioned my calling the south point of this bay after his name. This
morning a party of us went ashore to some Hutts, not far from the
Watering place, where some of the Natives are daily seen; here we left
several articles, such as Cloth, Looking Glasses, Coombs, Beads, Nails,
etc.; after this we made an Excursion into the Country, which we found
diversified with Woods, Lawns, and Marshes. The woods are free from
underwood of every kind, and the trees are at such a distance from one
another that the whole Country, or at least great part of it, might be
Cultivated without being obliged to cut down a single tree. We found the
Soil every where, except in the Marshes, to be a light white sand, and
produceth a quantity of good Grass, which grows in little Tufts about as
big as one can hold in one's hand, and pretty close to one another; in
this manner the Surface of the Ground is Coated. In the woods between the
Trees Dr. Solander had a bare sight of a Small Animal something like a
Rabbit, and we found the Dung of an Animal* (* This was the kangaroo.)
which must feed upon Grass, and which, we judge, could not be less than a
Deer; we also saw the Track of a Dog, or some such like Animal. We met
with some Hutts and places where the Natives had been, and at our first
setting out one of them was seen; the others, I suppose, had fled upon
our Approach. I saw some Trees that had been cut down by the Natives with
some sort of a Blunt instrument, and several Trees that were barqued, the
bark of which had been cut by the same instrument; in many of the Trees,
especially the Palms, were cut steps of about 3 or 4 feet asunder for the
conveniency of Climbing them. We found 2 Sorts of Gum, one sort of which
is like Gum Dragon, and is the same, I suppose, Tasman took for Gum lac;
it is extracted from the largest tree in the Woods.

Wednesday, 2nd. Between 3 and 4 in the P.M. we return'd out of the
Country, and after Dinner went ashore to the watering place, where we had
not been long before 17 or 18 of the Natives appeared in sight. In the
morning I had sent Mr. Gore, with a boat, up to the head of the Bay to
drudge for Oysters; in his return to the Ship he and another person came
by land, and met with these people, who followed him at the Distance of
10 or 20 Yards. Whenever Mr. Gore made a stand and faced them they stood
also, and notwithstanding they were all