124 EARLY HISTORY OF BRUNY 1ST AND, 



the Channel. On the morning of the 24th, however, they 

 were safely brought to anchor in Adventure Bay, where 

 they remained until the first of the following month. 

 Whilst in this locality a raft made of bark, as used by the 

 natives, was found on the shore, and traces were found 

 of Bligh's visit of the previous year. Several inscriptions 

 engraved on the trunks of trees indicated that Bligh had 

 anchored there in February, 1792. The botanists of 

 Bligh's vessel had sown, at a little distance from the shore, 

 cress, acorn, celery, etc. The French saw three young 

 fig trees, two pomegranate trees, and a quince tree, which 

 they had planted, as well as an apple tree, "the stem 

 "of which was near six and a half feet high." Labillardiere 

 dwells upon the fact that an inscription recorded that 

 "Near this tree Captain William Bligh planted 7 fruit 

 "trees, 1792. Messus. S. & W., Botanists." The aspect 

 which the Frenchman draws attention to is that although 

 the name of the Commander is mentioned the botanists 

 have only their initial inscribed. But it must be remem- 

 bered that Labillardiere was himself a botanist, and that, 

 to judge from his writings, he was often at variance with 

 the ship's officers concerning' the exact status of the scien- 

 tific staff. 



An interesting relic of D'Entrecasteaux's visit to 

 Adventure Bay is drawn attention to by West ( 29 ) who 

 states — "Letters buried in a bottle beneath a tree in Ad- 

 "venture Bay were found by Captain Bunker of the Venus, 

 "in 1809, to which he wrs directed by the words 'dig 

 " 'underneath,' and supposed, from his imperfect know- 

 ledge of the language, that they were left by Perouse. In 

 "this he was mistaken ; they were deposited by D'Entrecas- 

 "teaux at his second visit. Bent's Almanac, 1828. adopted 

 "Bunker's mistake ; it was copied by Widowson, who adds — 

 " 'these letters were dated one month after his departure 

 " 'from Port Jackson, and led to the opinion that the Ex- 

 " 'pedition must have perished on some reefs of V.D.L. In 

 , 'consequence of this idea the French Government in 1791, 

 " 'etc' The first mistake can be aPowed for ; but not that 

 "a discovery of letters in 1809 prompted by an expedition 

 "in 1791." Even recent writers have stated that there is 

 some evidence to show that La Peronse visited Tasmania, 

 but they could not have been in possession of all the facts. 



On the 25th of April, 1793, only a few weeks after 

 the departure of the French vessels, Commodore Sir 

 John Hayes arrived off the South Coast of Tasmania in 

 command of the ships Duke of Clarence and Duchess. (30 ) 

 His charts show that he passed outside the Mewstone and 



(29) West— History of Tasmania. Launcestoi. 1852. Vol. I., p. II. 



(30) Th« Duke of Clarence was a ship of 250 tons, and the Duchess an armed 

 enow of 100 tons (a. snow was very similar to a brig). 



