PICTURESQUE SCENERY. 377 



the high land, and the breeze diminished. The 

 weather was showery and unsettled, and the 

 ship anchored in the evening in " Gingiong 

 roads," in eleven fathoms, about five or six miles 

 distant from the wooded coast. 



The land had a lofty aspect, abounding in 

 profuse vegetation, and was possessed of much 

 romantic and picturesque beauty. Since we en- 

 tered the passage, and proceeded along the 

 coast, the mountains rose in peaked and various 

 fantastic groups, forming the back view^ of the 

 landscape ; the low land, near the beach, was 

 covered with timber ; hills rose gradually one 

 beyond another, terminated by lofty mountains, 

 towering in the distance ; the whole covered by 

 a dense vegetation. At this time, the view was 

 occasionally impeded by fleecy clouds passing 

 over, giving afterwards an increased, animated 

 appearance to the scene, by the refreshing 

 showers they produced. At some distance from 

 the main land, straggling rocks were sometimes 

 seen, either rising solitary, or in clusters from 

 the ocean's depths ; some covered with a scanty 

 vegetation, whilst the bare summits and declivi- 

 ties of others had a volcanic character : around 

 their bases, the breakers dashed furiously, and 

 the white foam raged against those rugged sides, 

 which had stood the violence of a thousand 



