OF LA PEROUSE. 5 



mud covered with water. I had theplcrtfurc of 

 gathering, near thcfc bogs, a great number of 

 plants, PTiO.i^i; which I noticed feveral new fpe- 

 cies of ,a'ceo!ariu and o1 drofera. 



V\t tlicn wa'kcJ over a rich foil, which 

 I found t'le fame at upwards of half a meter 

 dcco thrr.v.-raoul all the breadth of the valley. 

 The te";;;erature of this climate would be high- 

 ly favourable to the cultivation of mofl: of the 

 vcgc 'l^.lcs of Europe : belides, a few ditches, 

 niaJc i^^ proper iituations, would drain off the 

 v.aici. fo as to dry up almoftall the marQies 

 hcic found, and form them into a fertile foil. 



At night-fail, mc went towards the place of 

 our landing, where we favv feveral heaps of 

 oyller-ihclls brought by the natives, which had 

 deccrmined our fifiiermen to look for fome in 

 tr.e roadftead. At the time of low water, they 

 difcovered, quite clofe to it, a bank of oyflers, 

 of which they procured a large ftock. The 

 flood-tide ai'^) brought into this bight feveral 

 fpccics of r ivs, fome of which were caught by 

 the fame fifiiermen. 



I employed the day of the 25th in dcfcrib- 

 ing and preparing all that I had coUecled fincc 

 ourarrivd in Rocky Bay. I was aftonifiied at 

 the great variety of the productions yet afford- 

 ed me by this part of New Holland, v.here I 

 had already made very cxacl: refcarches, the 



B 3 ) CcU 



