464 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1817. 



by the natives can be credited, 

 this romantic stream might be 

 sailed up almost to its source j but 

 this I very much doubt, though 

 timber comes down in rifts from 

 remote parts of the interior. 



The principal chief in this part 

 was Tekokee, to whom the district 

 belonged, though he was in some 

 degree tributary to Tarra. Land- 

 ing on the '27th, at a small village 

 not dissimilar to that in whioh 

 Tarra resided, we met with two 

 young men, who readily under- 

 took to conduct us to the cliief ; 

 and after walking over some flat 

 and marshy ground for about a 

 mile, we ascended a hill, on the 

 funnnit of which he was seated, 

 with several of his people around 

 him, who all behaved with much 

 apparent respect. Like Tarra, he 

 received us with minifest symp- 

 toms of pleasure and good-will, 

 though his manner possessed not 

 those engaging demonstrations of 

 native politeness, which in that 

 venerable chief were so clearly 

 discernible. His demeanour, how- 

 ever, was firm and convincing, 

 and his ingennous countenance, 

 the very index of sincerity, afford- 

 ed the strongest proofs that nature 

 had never intended it to reveal the 

 subtle machinations of a dcbigning 

 heart. Nothing was to be seen in 

 it tliat could in the least degree in- 

 (licate either fraud or deceit, but 

 the opposite qualities of honesty 

 and candoTU" were plainly legible 

 to every hehfdder. In his person 

 he was more robust than any man 

 I had yet seen, and all his limbs 

 dis])luyed a perfect correctness of 

 symmetry, evincing at the same 

 time the greatest capability of la- 

 borious exertion. His broadshoul- 

 ders were covered with a large 



skin of different coloured furs, 

 and his tall figure, bold as it was 

 stately, and perfect as it was com- 

 manding, might have supplied 

 even to Phidias, had it existed in 

 the days of that celebrated artist, 

 a model not unworthy hie inimi- 

 table powers. The chief, before 

 we apprised him of the object of 

 our visit, was already aware of it, 

 having learned by some means 

 that we wanted to buy timber of 

 him ; and addressing us on the 

 subject, he told us there was nuee 

 nuee racow, (plenty of wood,) 

 and promised very willingly to 

 shew us where we could be sup- 

 plied. 



The adjacent land was generally 

 level, and the soil, Avith the ex- 

 ception of the marshy parts, most 

 excellent. 



Being nccompanied by Tekokee, 

 we re-entered the boat, and pro- 

 ceeded about two miles further up 

 the river, till we came to where it 

 divided itself into two branches ; 

 when getting out to enjoy an ex- 

 cursion on foot, we walked along 

 the banks through a thick grove, 

 which lined it on that side as far as 

 tlie eye could reach. The under- 

 wood was here in such quantities, 

 and so entangled with the trees, 

 that a passage through it would 

 have been utterly impracticable, 

 had not the natives taken the pains 

 to clear a path, which ran along 

 through various intricate windings. 

 The timber in this grove was not 

 large, nor could 1 observe any 

 trees of the pine species ; though 

 there were several that appeared 

 of an excellent (juality, and many 

 of them I thought would supply 

 very good materials for turnery in 

 particular. 



Leaving this side of the river, 



we 



