1770. ROUND THE WORLD. 89 



southward, is discovered before the ship comes 

 abreast of it ; but from the northward it is not dis- 

 covered so soon : the entrance is a little more than a 

 quarter of a mile broad, and lies in W. N. W. To 

 sail into it, the southern shore should be kept on 

 board, till the ship is within a small bare island, 

 which lies close under the north shore ; within this 

 island the deepest water on that side is seven fathom 

 shallowing to five a good way up. At a considerable 

 distance from the south shore there is a shoal reach- 

 ing from the inner south point quite to the head of 

 the harbour ; but over towards the north and north- 

 west shore there is a channel of twelve or fourteen 

 feet at low water, for three or four leagues, up to a 

 place where there is three or four fathom ; but here 

 I found very little fresh water. We anchored near 

 the south shore, about a mile within the entrance, 

 for the convenience of sailing with a southerly wind, 

 and because I thought it the best situation for water- 

 ing ; but I afterwards found a very fine stream on 

 the north shore, in the first sandy cove within the 

 island, before which a ship might lie almost land- 

 locked, and procure wood as well as water in great 

 abundance. Wood, indeed, is every where plenty, but 

 I saw only two kinds which may be considered as 

 timber. These trees are as large, or larger, than the 

 English oak, and one of them has not a very differ- 

 ent appearance ; this is the same that yields the red- 

 dish gum like sanguis draconis, and the wood is heavy, 

 hard, and dark-coloured, like lignum vitce : the other 

 grows tall and straight, something like the pine ; 

 and the wood of this, which has some resemblance 

 to the live oak of America, is also hard and heavy. 

 There are a few shrubs, and several kinds of the 

 palm : mangroves also grow in great plenty near the 

 head of the bay. The country in general is level, 

 low, and woody, as far as we could see. The woods, 

 as I have before observed, abound with birds of ex- 

 quisite beauty, particularly of the parrot kind : we 



