252 A V O Y A G E T O T H E 



^ ^if ^' ^^ Cook's River. Befides the above-mentioned vegetabifes^ 



' ' they have the vv^iid onion ; unfortunately none of our feed 



July." that was fown on the little ifland came to any thing ; I am 

 ay 31. j^y^j^ afraid the greateft: part of it was fpoiled from age, 

 being before we left England near a twelvemonth old. I 

 fowed fome in different parts about the country ; perhaps 

 fome of it might thrive. The berries were none of them 

 on our failing fit for gathering, but would in a little time 

 be quite ripe ; and I am fure any quantity of them might 

 be gathered for a Avinter's flock. We made ufe of the 

 alder buds when they were tender as greens, and when 

 boiled they eat very well. All hands partook of them one 

 day for dinner ; but they had a ftrange -effe^ ; not aperfon 

 on board but what was phyficked in a mofl extraordinary 

 degree. On fome it adled as an emetic as well as a purge; 

 it kept us going for about thirty-fix hours, when it 

 flopped, leaving us all fomewhat lighter than we were.. 

 This bout prevented me from fending the boats on a trad- 

 ing expedition tv/o days longer than I intended. The 

 buds of the young black currant bulhes we made ufe of as 

 tea, with the pine- tops mixed, which drank very pleafant^ 



The articles of food of the inhabitants are fi£h and 

 animals of all kinds, of which they eat very heartily when 

 they have it in their power ; they eat the vegetables which 

 the country affords, and the inner bark of the pine tree, 

 which in the fpring of the year mufc be of infinite fervice 

 in recovering them from the fcurvy ; with which difeafe 

 I am apt to think they are much afflided during the 

 winter; having feen many of them with fwollen legs and 

 fores, which I am pretty certain proceeded from that dif- 

 eafe : as the fummer advanced we faw little of thofe ap- 

 pearances. They never pradife the method of fmoking 



their 



