CAPTAIN SMITH. 265 



it was always their custom to plant a few vegetables 

 on the islands they frequented. 



From the top of this island we had a good view of 

 the Harbinger reefs, so called from a convict ship of 

 that name which was lost upon them and all hands 

 perished. I was glad to find they were only 

 two detached rocks lying three miles and a half 

 from the shore, instead of, as reported, one continued 

 reef lying six or seven miles from the land. They 

 bore north six miles from our position. 



The sealers informed us that a house which we 

 descried in the bay, was occupied by a gentleman 

 who had met with a reverse of fortune. We ac- 

 cordingly paid him a visit next morning, and found 

 that he was a Captain Smith with whom the world 

 had gone wTong, and who had accordingly fled as 

 far as possible from the society of civilized man 

 and taken up his residence on the shores of 

 King Island with his family. He had given the 

 name of Port Franklin to the bay, which we 

 chanoed to Franklin Road, from its not beingr 

 worthy of the title of a Port. He was led to 

 choose his position from its being in the neighbour- 

 hood of the only secure anchorage from all winds, 

 and near the best soil he had found after traversing 

 the whole of the island. According to his account it 

 was totally unfit for rearing sheep on a large scale ; 

 the bushes and grass being so full of burrs that 

 the wool was completely spoiled. The soil was 

 everywhere very inferior, and a few patches only 

 of clean land was to be found, the principal part 



