; it
contains eleven acres. This very great unevenness of the ground
occasions much labour in cultivation, and renders it wholly
impossible to use the plough, even if the ground were
sufficiently cleared, and there were cattle to work; every labour
of that kind must be done by hand. There was, when I left the
island, in February, 1791, something more than 100 acres cleared
for the public, exclusive of private gardens, but all the roots
of the trees were left in the ground, which would no doubt occupy
a fifth part of it, for many of them were very large.

The soil over the whole of this island is generally allowed to
be remarkably fine, and it is very deep; indeed, the luxuriance
with which almost every thing grows sufficiently indicates a very
rich soil: it seems to be composed principally of a deep, fat
clay, and decayed vegetable matter; in short, without pretending
to natural knowledge, that unhappily I do not possess, I shall
only observe, that a more luxuriant soil I never met with in any
part of the world.

The flax plant mentioned by Captain Cook grows chiefly on the
sea coast, or on points which project into the sea; but as these
points seem to have the same kind of soil as the other parts of
the island, there can be no doubt of its succeeding in the
interior parts, if planted there.

In the very sanguine opinions which we find have been given of
this island, since we arrived in this southern part of the world,
it appears that the size of it has been wholly overlooked,
otherwise I think such expectations and opinions of its value, as
appears to have been entertained, could not have taken place. I
only judge of such expectations by the number of people which
Governor Phillip has thought proper to send there: opinions have
been given, that it will maintain 2000 inhabitants; if it were
all cleared and cultivated, it would no doubt furnish many of the
necessaries of life for such a number; but in its present state,
I should think a fourth part of that number too many, and, in my
humble opinion, they should be such as have forfeited every hope
of seeing their native country again; such a description of
people would find it their particular interest to be industrious,
as their existence might depend upon it.

The crops here are very subject to blights from the sea winds,
and there are immense numbers of the grub worm and caterpillars:
there is also a fly of a very destructive nature to the gardens
and corn; bu