THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 149 



which grow to the fize of fmall trees ; a flirubby fpeedwell, '777 



found near all the beaches ; fow-thiftles, virgin's bower, 

 vanelloe, French willow, euphorbia, and crane's-bill: alfa 

 cudweed, rufhes, bull-ruflies, flax, all-heal, American night- 

 Hiade, knot-grafs, brambles, eye-bright, and groundfel; but 

 xhe/pecies of each are different ffom any wc have in Europe. 

 There is alfo polypody, fpleenwort, and about twenty othep 

 different forts of ferns, entirely peculiar to the place; with- 

 feveral forts of moffes, either rare, or produced only here; 

 befides a great nimiber of other plants, whofe ufes are not 

 yet known, and fubjetfts fit only for botanical books. 



Of thefe, liowever, there is one which deferves particular 

 notice here, as the natives make their garments of it, and 

 it produces a fine filky flax, fuperior in appearance to any 

 thing we have; and probably, at leafl:, as flrong. It grows 

 every where near the fea, and in fome places a confiderable 

 way up the hills, in bunches or tufts, with fedge-like leaves, 

 bearing, on a long ftalk, yellowifli flowers, which are fuc- 

 ceeded by a long roundifli pod, filled v,?'ith very thin fhining 

 black feeds. A fpecies of long pepper is found in great 

 plenty; but it has little of the aromatic flavour that makes 

 fpices valuable ; and a tree much like a palm at a diilance, 

 is pretty frequent in the woods, though the deceit appears 

 as you come near it. It is remarkable that, as the greatefl: 

 part of the trees and plants had, at this time, loft their 

 flowers, we perceived they were generally of the berry- 

 bearing kind ; of which, and other feeds, I brought away 

 about thirty different forts. Of thefe, one in particular, 

 which bears a red berry, is much like the fupple-jack, and 

 grows about the trees, ftretching from one to another, in 

 fuch a manner as to render the woods almoft wholly im» 

 paflable. 



The 



February. 



