1770. ROUND THE WORLD. 33 



boat, should draw, because this depends upon the 

 depth of water that is upon the bar, or flats, which 

 lie before the narrow part of the river, for I had no 

 opportunity to make myself acquainted with them ; 

 but I am of opinion, that a vessel which should draw 

 not more than twelve feet would perfectly answer the 

 purpose. 



When we first arrived upon the coast of this coun- 

 try, we imagined it to be much better peopled than 

 we afterwards found it, concluding that the inland 

 parts were populous from the smoke that we saw at a 

 considerable distance from the shore ; and, perhaps, 

 that may really be the case with respect to the coun- 

 try behind Poverty Bay, and the Bay of Plenty, 

 where the inhabitants appeared to be more numerous 

 than in other places. But we had reason to believe, 

 that, in general, no part of the country but the sea- 

 coast is inhabited ; and even there we found the 

 people but thinly scattered, all the western coast from 

 Cape Maria Van Diemen to Mount Egmont being 

 totally desolate ; so that upon the whole the number 

 of inhabitants bears no proportion to the extent of 

 country. 



VOL. II. d 



