1773 ROUND THE WORLD. 127 



stuck in the ground, and the smaller parts meeting 

 in a point at the top, and covered with fern and 

 bark ; so poorly done that they will hardly keep out 

 a shower of rain. In the middle is the fire-place, 

 surrounded with heaps of muscle, pearl scallop, and 

 cray-fish shells ; which I believe to be their chief 

 food, though we could not find any of them. They 

 lie on the ground, on dried grass, round the fire ; and, 

 I believe, they have no settled place of habitation 

 (as their houses seemed built only for a few days), 

 but wander about in small parties from place to place 

 in search of food, and are actuated by no other motive. 

 We never found more than three or four huts in a 

 place, capable of containing three or four persons 

 each only ; and what is remarkable, we never saw 

 the least marks either of canoe or boat, and it is gene- 

 rally thought they have none ; being altogether, from 

 what we could judge, a very ignorant and wretched 

 set of people, though natives of a country capable of 

 producing every necessary of life, and a climate the 

 finest in the world. We found not the least signs of 

 any minerals or metals. 



Having completed our wood and water, we sailed 

 from Adventure Bay, intending to coast it up along 

 shore, till we should fall in with the land seen by 

 Captain Cook, and discover whether Van Diemen's 

 Land joins with New Holland. On the 16th we 

 passed Maria's Islands, so named by Tasman ; they 

 appear to be the same as the main land. On the 1 7th, 

 having passed Schouten's Islands, we hauled in for 

 the main land, and stood along shore at the distance 

 of two or three leagues off. The country here ap- 

 pears to be very thickly inhabited, as there was a 

 continual fire along shore as we sailed. The land 

 hereabouts is much pleasanter, low and even; but 

 no signs of a harbour or bay, where a ship might 

 anchor with safety. The weather being bad, and 

 blowing hard at S. S. E., we could not send a boat on 

 shore to have any intercourse with the inhabitants. 



