ed a good antiscorbutic, and was acknow- 
ledged to be little inferior to the American 
Spruce Beer, by those who had experience 
of both. 
Perfectly unimpaired in physical strength 
by the fatigues and privations of his former 
voyage round the globe, which had em- 
ployed him three years to effect, and of 
that period, a part in unknown icy seas, the 
first labours of Cook’s second voyage were 
commenced on these shores, with an energy 
of mind quite worthy of himself, The 
survey of the bay proceeded; in the pro- 
secution of which by boats, and often ac- 
companied by his Botanists, he was re- 
peatedly absent at night from the ship, al- 
though in a chilling, tempestuous, damp 
climate, having, as he emphatically says, 
* the stony beach for a bed, and the canopy 
of heaven for a covering." Such is the 
extreme humidity of the atmosphere, that 
the woods were perfectly dripping with 
moisture, thus furnishing those favourable 
conditions of wet and shade in which cryp- 
togamic vegetables more particularly de- 
light to live. Hence, both of Ferns and 
Mosses numerous species were found. 
Of the former, an arborescent species of 
Dicksonia was met with in the woods and 
ravines, that had not been previously seen 
in New Zealand; and there the Orchideous 
Epiphyte, so frequent at the Bay of Islands 
and elsewhere, Epidendrum autumnale 
of Forster ( Earina, Lindl.) was also de- 
tected. It is doubtless very probable, that 
the shores of Dusky Bay, which are in 
453° South, are about the highest latitude 
at which Tree-ferns and Orchideous Epi- 
phytes exist in the southern hemisphere. 
During Captain Cook's stay at this South 
western part of the island, a party of his 
officers, with the Naturalists, attempted to 
penetrate inland among the mountains, by 
ascending the hills at Cascade Bay. Early 
in the afternoon they gained some consi- 
derable eminences, but were glad to return 
to the ship, for looking inland from the 
points they had attained, they reported 
" nothing was to be seen, but barren moun- 
tains, with huge craggy precipices, disjoin- 
ed by valleys, frightful to behold.” A few 
SPECIMEN OF THE BOTANY OF NEW ZEALAND. 
scarce plants were gathered on those ele. 
vated points, before a squall of wind the - 
next day brought hail and snow, by which —- 
all the hills and mountains around wem — 
whitened. Of these rarer vegetables 
be mentioned, Forstera sedifolia, Lins 
fil., Pimelea Gnidia, Vahl, and some 
Composite, referred by Forster to Arnica — 
and Aster, the latter, probably, species of 
Celmisia of Gaudichaud. «d 
The natives of this southern bay am — 
few in number, and were found to const — 
of but three or four families, who manage — 
to exist on fish with which their shor — 
teem; for, excepting water-cresses aad — 
celery, no esculent vegetable was observed. 5 
Indeed the stormy unsettled character of 3 
the climate generally appears of itself quie — 
unfavourable to a large population on say — 
part of the middle island, which Cook de. — 
scribes, from his own observation, as thinly 4 
peopled, the inhabitants being a wandensg — 
race, without any of the social habits i — 
which the kinder, blander climate of th 
northern, more fertile island, every when 
so fully induces. The same language "s 
found spoken here, as at other and mem 
hospitable parts of the country ; one om 
mon tongue, abounding m R 
sounds, iem since discovered by the = 
sionaries to be very copious, every where 
revails. 
: The kindness and nobly generous feeling 
toward savages of our great commandet. | 
soon won the hearts of those o 
whom be 
ed outcasts of the human race, tin 
met with wandering on the shores E | 
bay, or inhabiting its ore ae - 
Friendly interviews followed, but E 
tives, as they phos — 
to visit the ship, and rema : 
an early period manifested, like their nat 
ern countrymen, à disposition ; 
on every thing they saw, excepting 
muskets, which they would not im 
having been taught by the en ye d 
had seen made among the w^ in, | 
Wd racc MEET A en MTM E E MCA E Lu 
Cook and his people, to regard 
horrid instruments of death. 
The survey of Dusky Bay 
completed, Cook stood to the 
having 
