TERRA. AUSTRALIS. 
in 
Pellew's Group,] 
As in most other parts of Terra Australis, the common trees 
here are various species of the eucalyptus, mostly different from, and 
smaller than those of the East and South Coasts, rhe cabbage 
palm, a new genus named by Mr. Brown Livistona inermis, is 
abundant; but the cabbage is too small to be an interesting at tide 
of food to a ship’s company ; of the young leaves, drawn into slips 
and dried, the seamen made handsome light hats, excellent for warm 
weather The nutmeg was found principally on Vanderhn’s Island, 
growing upon a large spreading bush ; but the fruit being unripe, 
no accurate judgment could be formed of its quality. Amongst the 
variety of other plants discovered by the naturalist, were two shrubs 
belonging to the genus Santalum, of which the sandel wood, used as a 
perfume in the East, is also one ; but this affinity to so valuable a tree 
being not known at the time, from the description of the genus being 
imperfect, no examination was made of it with that object m view. 
All the larger islands seem to possess the kangaroo; for 
though none were seen, their foot marks were perceptible in most 
of the sandy places where I landed : the species seemed to be small. 
In the woods were hawks, pigeons of two kinds, and some bustards ; 
and on the shore were seen a pretty kind of duck and the usual sea 
fowl Turtle tracks were observed on most of the beaches, but more 
especially on the smaller islands, where remains of turtle feasts 
were generally found. 
There were traces of Indians on all the islands, both large 
and small, but the latter are visited only at times; these people 
seemed to be equally desirous of avoiding communication with 
strangers, as those of Wellesley's Islands, for we saw them only 
once at a distance, from the ship. Two canoes found on the shore 
of North Island were formed of slips of bark, like planks, sewe 
together, the edge of one slip overlaying another, as in our clincher- 
built boats; their breadth was about two feet, but they were too 
much broken for the length to be known. I cannot be certain t .tat 
these canoes were the fabrication of the natives. 
