126 



AUSTRALASIA. 



Austral- man bent double. Some of the houses had two floors, 

 asia one a bove the other, and most of them two fire- 



1 "00- IS 10. P' aces- Captain Cook, after discovering the Isle 

 of Pines, Botany Isle, and several inconsiderable ob- 

 jects, left, the coast, and made sail for New Zealand. 

 In the way thither, he discovered Norfolk island, 

 which has since acquired greater consideration, though 

 its whole extent does not exceed 11,000 acres; but 

 this is amply compensated by its fertility. It was 

 then uninhabited, and Captain Cook concluded that 

 no human being had previously been there. At the 

 time. when we make these remarks, it supports a nu- 

 merous population, though not of Australasians, and 

 is chiefly in a high state of cultivation. Having 

 made a short stay at New Zealand, Captain Cook 

 left Australasia. 



During his third voyage round the world, he also 

 visited the same regions in the year 1777. Some of 

 the inhabitants realised the fables, of old, by sliel- 

 tering themselves in the trunks of large trees exca- 

 vated by fire ,\vhile the exterior was sound, and vege- 

 tation continued. Such were their sole habitations. 

 He anchored a considerable time in Adventure Bay 

 in Van Diemen's Land, and then made the coast of 

 New Zealand, where he obtained numerous interest- 

 ing illustrations of the nature of the country, and the 

 manners and disposition of its inhabitants. Austral- 

 asia was less the object of this voyage than the 

 north-west coast of America, for which he departed 

 in the end of February. 



Forrest. While new countries were sought for with such 



avidity in the southern latitudes of Australasia, some 

 of the northern ones were also explored. Captain 

 Forrest, an intelligent navigator, undertook a voyage 

 from India, the leading design of which was to as- 

 certain the practicability of forming a settlement on 

 an island near the northern promontory of Borneo. 

 This voyage was performed in a vessel of only ten 

 tons, between the years 1774 and 1776. Captain For- 

 rest examined the north coast of Waygiou, extend- 

 ing fifteen leagues, the extremity of which is imme- 

 diately under the line, and he anchored in Offak har- 

 bour in 10' N. latitude, and 127 44' E. longitude. 

 After visiting several small islands, the inhabitants 

 of which are so well provided with natural produc- 

 tions as to neglect the cultivation of the earth, he 

 gained Dory harbour, on the north coast of Papua. 

 When he lay off the mouth of it, the natives came on 

 board, having their hair, which was sometimes orna- 

 mented with feathers, extended to such an uncom- 

 mon size, that the largest circumference of it mea- 

 sured about three feet, and the least about two and a 

 half. The hair of the women was disposed after a si- 

 milar fashion, though not expanded to such a degree ; 

 and only the left ear was pierced, in which were sus- 

 pended small rings. Their great houses were built 

 on posts, several yards within* low water mark, and 

 capacious enough to contain many families under the 

 same roof. The men and women wore little clothing, and 

 the boys and girls went entirely naked. The people 

 of Papua and the neighbouring islands are accustomed 

 to war, and they have been known to collect such a 

 considerable force as to alarm the Dutch for the safety 

 of their colonial possessions. The natural history of 



*9bnnerat. these islands has been illustrated by M. Sonnerat, 



4 



1700-1810. 



who, nearly about this period, spent gome years Austral T 

 among them. Birds of paradise fuqucnt them, and asia- 

 are regarded as valuable articles of traffic. M. Son- 

 nerat obtained six different species, four of which lie 

 has engraved. In Valentyn's history of the E: 

 Indies, there is a long and minute account of these 

 birds, copied by Captain Forrest, and, since his time, 

 by other authors. M. Sonnerat represents the Pa- 

 puans as brave and warlike, but cunning, cruel, and 

 treacherous. Their aspect is hideous and terrific, 

 and most of them disfigured by cutaneous disorders. 

 With the different countries which they inhabit, it may- 

 be observed, we are very little acquainted : They are 

 nearly the most northern of Australasia. 



Don Francis Anthony Maurelle, during a voyage Maurelle. 

 in 1781, where expedition was principally in view, 

 crossed the line towards the northern parts of New 

 Guinea, and steered a south-east course througl^some 

 portion of Australasia. He discovered an island, thr 

 north coast of which extended eleven leagues, ap- 

 parently in about 150 of longitude east of Paris, am' 

 between <2 and 3 of south latitude. The natives 

 resembled the negroes of Guinea, in colour, hair, lips, 

 and eyes. They seemed to be in great want of sub- 

 sistence, and to draw their supplies chiefly from the 

 sea. Their only arms were bows and arrows, the 

 latter pointed with clumsy pieces of flint. This island 

 was called Maurelle by Don Joseph Basco, and two of 

 six others, discovered on the same day, he called St 

 Michael and Jesus Maria. He fixed the position of 

 Mathias island at 144 54' east of Paris, and steering 

 through different clusters of islands on the north of 

 New Ireland, he appears to have approached the 

 Arsacides, and advanced towards Candlemas Shoals. 

 But the particulars of his voyage are so indistinctly 

 narrated, that we cannot positively ascertain either 

 the discoveries which he made, or the countries which 

 he visited. * 



In the years 1786 and 1787, LaPerouse navigated LaPcrouse.. 

 some portion of Australasia. The only accounts we 

 have of his voyage were transmitted by means of M. 

 Lesseps from Botany Bay. 



In July 1788, three ships, commanded by Lieute- Shortland. 

 nant Shortland, sailed from Botany Bay for England. 

 Owing to the advanced state of the season, he resol- 

 ved, instead of steering a southern course, to go to 

 the northward, and either pass through Endeavour 

 Straits to the north of New Holland, or go round the 

 east coast of New Guinea. Not long after leaving 

 the settlement, he fell in with an island called Simboo 

 by its natives. They invited him on shore, shewing 

 him different kinds of provisions as an incitement ; 

 but the length of the voyage precluded his compliance 

 with their solicitations. Standing on his course, he 

 discovered other islands, and entered a strait ; and 

 supposing hh*self the first navigator who had pene- 

 trated it, he called it Shortland's Straits. It is unne- 

 cessary for us to examine the further progress of his 

 voyage; for M. Fleurieu, in a learned critical discus- 

 sion on the subject, has proved, that Simboo is the 

 same as Choiseul island ; the straits, those before call- 

 ed Bougainville's Straits; "and the other islands, part 

 of the lands of the Arsacides. Thus, whatever geo- 

 graphical illustrations may arise from Lieutenant 

 Shortland's observations, they cannot be ranked 



