ACCOUNT OF THE ENGLISH COLONY [Septembzk, 



CHAP. XVI. 



STATE OF NORFOLK ISLAND. ACCOUNT OF THE NEW ZEALANDERS.— 



REMARKS ON THE MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE NATIVES OF NEW 

 SOUTH WALES. 



1¥7ITH the following particulars relative to the State of Nor- 

 * * folk Island, at the time the (hips left it, the writer was 

 favoured by Lieutenant-Governor King. 



State of Cultivation. 



The Ifland contains about eleven thoufand acres of ground. In the 

 level parts, where the earth cannot be warned away by the heavy 

 rains, the foil varies from a rich brown mould to a light red earth, 

 without any intermixture of fand. Thefe are again varied by fome 

 extenfive pieces of light black mould and fine gravel, which are found 

 to produce the beft wheat. The rains which fall during the winter 

 months warn the mould from the fides of the fteep hills into the bot- 

 tom, leaving a grey marly fubftance, which will not admit of culti- 

 vation in that ftate. This, however, is the cafe only among the 

 very fieep hills that are cleared of timber, and have been four or five 

 years in cultivation. Thofe of any eafy afcent preferve their depth 

 of foil, and many of them have borne fix fucceffive crops of wheat. 

 From the quantity of foil thus warned away from the fides of the fleep 

 hills into the bottom, (fome of which were only a water-way between 

 the hills', there were level fpots of ground covered to a great depth 

 with the richeft mould. Of the eleven thoufand acres of ground in 

 the ifland, there are not two hundred which might not be cultivated 

 to the greater! advantage, if cleared of timber, and allowed a fuffi- 

 ciency of labourers, of cattle, and of ploughs. 



The 



