1792. state of New South Wales. ry 3 
may be depended upon. They all agree in thinking it 
unfit for almost any purpose. They have for the most part 
found it rugged and unkindly, and complain of a very 
great scarcity of water. What they have met with is ge- 
nerally contained in stagnant ponds; which seem to be 
reservoirs for rain water. Sometimes there is a continua 
tion of these for a little distance; and after very heavy 
rains they frequently communicate with each other; and 
then send forth a stream through some of the adjacent vallies, 
which ceasesto run fhortly after the rain has ceased to fall. 
‘ It is impofsible to tell what could have occasioned the 
description of Botany Bay that appears in the voyages of 
captain Cook. ‘The meadow land, after the most minute 
investigation, is found to be nothing but a perfect quag- 
mire. In fhort so totally different is it from what has been 
said of it, that, had it not been for the latitude, and longi- 
tude, which are accurately laid down, we fhould not have 
known the place, from the account given of it. 
‘ Of Norfolk island I can only speak from hearsay. 
The return of the supply from Batavia has given us a late 
opportunity of knowing something of their state at that 
place, which we find to have been much worse than ours 
’ before the thips arrived. 
‘ And had they not been fortunate enough to save the 
greatest part of the provisions from the wreck of the Si- 
rius, they would have been left with not more than six 
weeks provisions at the utmost, to subsist upon. 
* The soil at that place is said te be goad, and the cli- 
mate a healthy one. But both the wood, and the flag, 
which were so much spoken of, are neither of them objects 
of much consideration. ‘The flag grows only on points 
jutting out to the sea, and the pine tree, as it is called, is 
found to be so brittle as to render it unfit for masts, and 
many other purposes. 
