thward of
Port Jackson abounds with high trees, and little or no underwood;
but between that and Botany-Bay, it is all thick, low woods or
shrubberies, barren heaths, and swamps; the land near the sea,
although covered in many places with wood, is rocky from the
water-side to the very summit of the hills.

Whilst walking on shore with the officers of the French ships
at Botany-Bay, I was shown by them a little mount upon the north
shore, which they had discovered, and thought a curiosity; it was
quite rocky on the top, the stones were all standing
perpendicularly on their ends, and were in long, but narrow
pieces; some of three, four, or five sides, exactly (in
miniature) resembling the Giants Causeway in the north of
Ireland.

The Bussole and Astrolabe sailed from Botany-Bay the 11th of
March.

As I have mentioned something of the country between
Botany-Bay and Port Jackson, I must farther observe, that in the
neighbourhood of Sydney Cove, which is that part of this harbour
in which Governor Phillip has fixed his residence, there are many
spots of tolerably good land, but they are in general of but
small extent; exclusive of those particular spots, it is rather a
poor steril soil, full of stones; but near, and at the head of
the harbour, there is a very considerable extent of tolerable
land, and which may be cultivated without waiting for its being
cleared of wood; for the trees stand very wide of each other, and
have no underwood: in short, the woods on the spot I am speaking
of resemble a deer park, as much as if they had been intended for
such a purpose; but the soil appears to me to be rather sandy and
shallow, and will require much manure to improve it, which is
here a very scarce article; however, there are people whose
judgment may probably be better than mine, that think it good
land; I confess that farming has never made any part of my
studies. The grass upon it is about three feet high, very close
and thick; probably, farther back there may be very extensive
tracts of this kind of country, but we, as yet, had no time to
make very distant excursions into the interior parts of this new
world.

On the 6th of May, three of the transports, which were
chartered by the East-India Company to load tea at China, sailed
from this port; the Supply also sailed for Lord Howe Island.

The carpenter of the Sirius, with his crew, had been
constantly employed on shore since our arrival in this country,
assisting in