278 



THE CRUISE OF THE ' CORAQOA.' 



tree Island.' We tlien passed some rocks, called the ' Ass's 

 Ears,' lying at the eastern end of the island of Florida, 

 which we weie soon coasting' along. This island, with its 

 belt of trees on the northern coast, is ver}' striking. We 

 observed no mountains that a])peared to exceed 2,000 feet ; 

 it somewhat reminded me of Norfolk Island, with its undu- 

 lations and scattered clumps of trees intermingled with a 

 good deal of grass land. The grass, according to Bishop 

 Patteson, is long and coarse. I could see plantations of 



ASS S E.\. S, FLORIDA ISIAND. 



bananas on the hill-sides, as well as cultivated grounds and 

 houses on their to[)s and slopes. Several of the hills had 

 one or more conspicuous trees upon them, and there were 

 mail}' round pit-like looking places, resembhng punch-bowls, 

 which appeared as if they had been craters. Numbers ot 

 canoes came out after us, some very large ones full of 

 people. I saw two la i-ge canoe-sheds on shoi-e before we 

 came to the ])<)int, and a great many natives sitting on their 

 haunches looking at us, a position in which, like animals, 

 they sit and gaze for hours. We parsed the point which 

 forms the gulf mx one side. There is a reef lying out a 



