564 SOUTH SEA ISLANDS. 



rather sandy in this part, is full as good as usually is found so near 

 the sea-side. All the plants and fruit trees brought from Brasil and 

 the Cape, which were not damaged in the passage, thrive exceed- 

 ingly ; and vegetables have now become plentiful, both the European 

 sorts, and such as are peculiar to New South Wales. 



The natives of New Holland, in general, seem to have no great 

 aversion to the new settlers ; the only acts of hostility they ever com- 

 mitted were on account of their occupying the fishing grounds which 

 the New Hollanders justly supposed to belong to themselves. They 

 appear, however, to be in too savage a state to be capable as yet of 

 deriving any instruction from their new neighbours. They are so 

 ignorant of agriculture, that it seems most probable they do not even 

 know the use of corn, and therefore, perhaps more from ignorance 

 than malice, set fire to that which the colonists had raised for their 

 own use. They are of a low stature and ill made : their noses are 

 flat, their nostrils wide, their eyes sunk, their eye-brows and lips 

 thick, with a mouth of prodigious width, but the teeth white and 

 even. Both sexes go entirely naked, and seem to have no more 

 shame in discovering the whole body than we have in discovering 

 our hands and face. They however have their ornaments : they paint 

 themselves in various colours ; and some of them perforate the car- 

 tilage of the nose and thrust a large bone or reed through it, which 

 captain Cook's sailors humorously called their sprit-sail-yard. Most 

 of the men want one of the foreteeth in the upper jaw ; and it is com- 

 mon for the women to cut off two joints of the little finger. They are 

 extremely superstitious, but active, vigorous, and display great per-? 

 sonal bravery on the appearance of danger. 



For a more particular account of this new settlement, we refer our 

 readers to the Voyage of governor Philip to Botany Bay ; and Collins's 

 History of the Colony of New South Wales. 



NEW GUINEA, 



TILL the late discoveries, was thought to be the north coast of an 

 extensive continent, and to be joined to New Holland ; but captain 

 Cook discovered a strait between them, which runs north-east, 

 through which he sailed. Thus it was found to be a long narrow 

 island, extending north-east from the second degree of south latitude 

 to the twelfth, and from one hundred and thirty-one to one hundred 

 and fifty degrees east longitude ; but in one part it does not appear 

 to be above fifty miles broad. The country consists of a mixture of 

 very high hills and vallies, interspersed with groves of cocoa-nut 

 trees, plantains, bread-fruit, and most of the trees, shrubs and plants, 

 that are found on the other South Sea islands. It affords from the 

 sea a variety of delightful prospects. The inhabitants make nearly 

 the same appearance as the New Hollanders on the other side of the 

 straits. 



To the north of New Guinea is New Britain, which is situate in 

 the fourth degree of south latitude, and one hundred and fifty two 

 degrees nineteen minutes east longitude from Greenwich. It was 

 supposed to be. part of an imaginary continent, till captain Dampier 



