4 2o ACCOUNT OF THE ENGLISH COLONY [September, 



what they had brought. To this fource might be traced all the crimes 

 that difgraced, and all the difeafes that injured the colony. 



At the latter end of September a party fet off on an excurfion to the 

 Cow-pafture Plains. On reaching Mount Taurus, a diftind: herd of 

 the wild cattle, 67 in number, was feen. It was conjectured, that 

 this valuable collection of cattle had fo confiderably increafed, as to 

 find a convenience in dividing into different herds ; thereby prevent- 

 ing thofe quarrels which might frequently happen among their males. 

 This was confirmed by their falling-in with, in another place, a 

 herd, in which there could not have been fewer than 170 of thefe 

 animals. A couple of days were pleafantly occupied in examining 

 that part of the country, which exhibited the beautiful appearance of 

 a luxuriant and well-watered pafturage. The latitude of Mount 

 Taurus was found to be 34 0 16' S. and the river Nepean was difco- 

 vered to take its courfe clofe round the fouth fide of this hill. Two 

 gentlemen of the party propofing to walk from Mount Taurus, in as 

 direct a line as the country would admit, to the fea-coaft, a whale-boat 

 was ordered to wait for them about five leagues to the fouthward of 

 Botany Bay. They expected to have reached the coaft in one day ; 

 but they did not reckon on having full 25 miles of a rugged and 

 mountainous road to crofs. Making their courfe a little to the fouth- 

 ward of eaft, they fell in with the boat very conveniently; and Mr. Bafs, 

 one of the travellers, defcribed their route to have laid, the greateft 

 part of the way, over nothing but high and ftcep ridjges of hills, the 

 land becoming more rocky and barren as they drew near the fea coaft. 

 In each of the vallies formed by thefe hills they found a run of frehh 

 water, in fome places of confiderable depth and rapidity. The direc- 

 tion of thefe ftreams > or runs, being to the northward, they were fup- 

 pofed to fall into a harbour which lay about five or fix miles to the 

 fouthward of Port Solander, and had obtained the name of Port 

 Hacking, the pilot of that name having had the honour of the dif- 

 coverv. 



The 



