CAPE UPSTART. 79 



May 19th. — At length, after several days of lig'ht 

 and contrary winds, the wind came round to S.E. 

 and assumed the appearance of the trade, which 

 we had at last picked up. We ran round the 

 north-east end of the Cumberland Islands, passed 

 Cape Gloucester, and in the evening- anchored under 

 Cape Upstart in our former berth. 



During" a solitary ramble next da}", chiefly in 

 order to search for a kind of rock wallaby, or small 

 kang-aroo, peculiar to this place, and which I failed 

 on this occasion (as during two previous visits) to 

 procure, I walked as far as the place where the 

 Fly had watered some years previously. The large 

 rocky basin which we had found dry in December 

 last, when the whole plan of our first northern 

 cruize had to be altered, in consequence of this 

 unexpected result, was now nearly lull. The 

 aspect of the country had been considerably 

 changed by the late abundant fall of rain, 

 and the veg'etation everywhere looked quite green. 

 No signs of natives were seen — their visits to 

 the immediate vicinity of the Cape appear to 

 be made only at rare intervals ; and the just 



an experiment to try whether a new and important article of 

 colonial export could not be produced. Since then, further 

 experience in the process has enabled the introducers of the plan 

 to succeed so perfectly, that afterwards, the colonial preserved 

 meats supplied to the Rattlesnake, including some which had 

 been kept for eighteen months, were always preferred by us to 

 those prepared in England. The meat itself, I allude to beef and 

 'mutton, was of better quality, and the cost much less. 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



