Ixx INTRODUCTION. {Prior Discoveries. 
Vancouver, not numerous. Amongst the aquatic birds, black swans and wild 
I791 * ducks held a distinguished place ; but, like the land animals, were 
very shy : sea and shell fish were in tolerable abundance. 
None of the inhabitants were seen ; but from the appearance of 
their deserted huts, they were judged to be the same miserable race 
as those of the North-west and East Coasts. No marks of canoes, 
nor the remains of fish, even shell fish, were found near their habi- 
tations; and this circumstance, with the shyness of the birds and 
quadrupeds, induced a belief that the natives depended principally 
upon the woods for their subsistence. 
Captain Vancouver quitted King George's Sound on Oct. 11, and 
proceeded eastward in the examination of the coast ; but unfavour- 
able winds prevented him from doing this so completely as he wished, 
and some parts were passed unseen; and the impediments to his 
progress at length caused the examination to be quitted, in favour of 
prosecuting the main design of his voyage. The last land seen was 
Termination Island, in latitude 34 0 32' and longitude 122 0 8'. The 
coast to the north of this island appeared much broken ; but, 
although in Nuyts' chart a considerable group of islands were laid 
down in about that situation, captain Vancouver rather supposed it 
to be a continued main land.* 
So far as this examination extended, the general form of the coast 
was found to correspond with that of the old chart ; nor was any 
material error found in Nuyts' latitude. A further, and more 
extended confirmation of the Dutch navigator's discovery, and of its 
having been well laid down, considering the period at which it was 
done, was obtained in the following year. 
The French rear-admiral Brunt D'Entrecasteaux, having been 
sent out with the ships La Recherche and L'Esp&ance in search of 
the unfortunate La Perouse, made the south coast of New Holland 
* For captain Vancouver's account of his proceedings and observations on the South 
Coast, see his Voyage round the World, Vol. I. page 28-57- 
D'Entre- 
casteaux. 
1792. 
