346 CAPTAIN COOK- 



juicc exuded, were thick and glossy, of an ash 

 colour ; at their extremity they were thin, with 

 long pendulous stems, supporting a bell shaped 

 flower, of a rich crimson hue ; these hung in great 

 profusion, and contrasting with the surrounding 

 dark green verdure, presented a very beautiful and 

 striking appearance. The diameter of the trunk 

 of the largest tree was 20 inches, and the height 

 25 feet. Lieut. Emery painted a most faithful re- 

 presentation of one of them, by means of which 

 we found on our arrival at Port Essington, that 

 neither the professional nor amateur botanists, had 

 any knowledge of it. To them and to ourselves it 

 was alike perfectly new. 



On the preceding evening I had refreshed 

 my memory by reading Cook's account of his visit 

 to the same spot, and was thus able minutely to 

 follow in the footsteps of the immortal navigator. 

 There is an inexpressible charm in thus treading in 

 the track of the mighty dead, and my feelings on 

 attaining the summit of the peak, where the foot of 

 the white man, had perhaps but once before rested, 

 will easily be understood. Below to the eastward 

 stretched a vast expanse of water, broken at the 

 distance of about eight miles, by a long narrow 

 line of detached reefs, on which there ran a 

 white crest of foaming breakers, marking the 

 outer edge of the Great Barrier, a name which few 

 seamen could hear with indifference when in its 

 vicinity. If I felt emotions of delight, on first 



