114 cook's second voyage SEPT. 



The sterility of the country will apologize for 

 the natives not contributing to the wants of the navi- 

 gator. The sea may, perhaps, in some measure, 

 compensate for the deficiency of the land ; for a coast 

 surrounded by reefs and shoals as this is, cannot fail 

 of being stored with fish. 



I have before observed, that the country bears 

 great resemblance to New South Wales, or New 

 Holland, and that some of its natural productions are 

 the same. In particular, we found here the tree 

 which is covered with a soft white ragged bark, easily 

 peeled off, and is, as I have been told, the same that 

 in the East Indies is used for caulking of ships. The 

 wood is very hard, the leaves are long and narrow, 

 of a pale dead green, and a fine aromatic; so that 

 it may properly be said to belong to that continent. 

 Nevertheless, here are several plants, &c. common 

 to the eastern and northern islands, and even a spe- 

 cies of the passion-flower, which, I am told, has never 

 before been known to grow wild any where but in 

 America. Our botanists did not complain for want of 

 employment at this place ; every day bringing some- 

 thing new in botany or other branches of natural his- 

 tory. Land-birds, indeed, are not numerous, but 

 several are new. One of these is a kind of crow, at 

 least so we called it, though it is not half so big, 

 and its feathers are tinged with blue. They also have 

 some very beautiful turtle-doves, and other small birds, 

 such as I never saw before. 



All our endeavours to get the name of the whole 

 island proved ineffectual. Probably, it is too large 

 for them to know by one name. Whenever we made 

 this enquiry, they always gave us the name of some 

 district or place, which we pointed to ; and, as be- 

 fore observed, I got the names of several, with the 

 name of the king or chief of each. Hence, I con- 

 clude, that the country is divided into several districts, 

 each governed by a chief; but we know nothing of 

 the extent of his power. Balade was the name of 



