218 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF NEW ZEALAND cu. 1x 
made in ridges not unlike the South Sea Islands (between 
the tropics); the tops of these were bare, but in the valleys 
was plenty of wood. 
23rd, As we have now been four days upon nearly the 
same part of the coast without seeing any signs of inhabit- 
ants, I think there is no doubt that this part at least is 
without inhabitants. 
In the evening the land * inclined a good deal to the west. 
We on board were now of two parties, one who wished that 
the land in sight might, the other that it might not, be a 
continent. I myself have always been most firm in the 
former wish, though sorry I am to say that my party is so 
small, that I firmly believe that there are none more heartily 
of it than myself and one poor midshipman: the rest begin 
to sigh for roast beef. 
4th March. A large smoke was seen, and proved to be an 
immense fire on the side of a hill which we supposed to 
have been set on fire by the natives, for though this is the 
only sign of people we have seen, yet I think it must be 
an indisputable proof that there are inhabitants, though 
probably very thinly scattered over the face of this very 
large country. 
9th. The land? appeared barren, and seemed to end in a 
point to which the hills gradually declined, much to the regret 
of us continent-mongers, who could not help thinking that 
the great swell from the south-west and the broken ground 
without it were a pretty sure mark of some remarkable cape 
being here. By noon we were near the land, which was 
uncommonly barren; the few flat places we saw seemingly 
produced little or nothing, and the rest was all bare rocks 
which were amazingly full of large veins, and patches of 
some mineral that shone as if it had been polished, or 
rather looked as if the rocks were really paved with glass; 
what it was I could not at all guess, but it was certainly 
some mineral, and seemed to argue by its immense abundance 
a country abounding in minerals, where, if one may judge 
1 Near Otago Harbour. 
? Stewart Island, which was supposed to be a peninsula. 
