of Tasmania. 
32 5 
drance from bushes or underwood. Many of the trees were 
burned deep in near the ground. Smokes also were observed 
rising in several places in the woods. 
Nothing can be more exact than this description of the western 
side of the Peninsula. The open forest, carpeted with an under¬ 
growth of ferns and epacrideae, the traces of frequent bush fires 
incident to a light and dry soil, remain, as in Tasman’s day, the 
distinguishing features of the country. 
At the eastern corner of the Bay (now called Blackman’s Bay) 
they had soundings at thirteen and fourteen feet; the tide ebbed 
and flowed about three feet. They took no fish except muscles, 
which stuck to the little bushes; although the Bay is at present 
well stocked with fish. It is not many years since a whale found 
her way through the Narrows, and being unable to make her 
retreat out of Blackman’s Bay, was captured by the boats of a 
vessel anchoring in Marion Bay, In the evening, the first white 
men who had ever set foot on these shores returned with the re^- 
port of their discoveries to their captain ; and on the following 
morning, December 3rd, 1642, Tasman himself took boat and 
penetrated to the south-east recess of Blackman’s Bay, where he 
found the land low, and the spring water saltish. He must have 
been in the neighbourhood of Blackman’s River, some three or 
four miles further than the boats of the preceding day had gone. 
But although he landed, he seems to have found nothing worthy 
of notice ; and it is most likely that his object was to discover 
whether the land in his neighbourhood was an island or a penin¬ 
sula, and finding himself prevented from coasting round to his 
anchorage, he returned at once to prosecute further discoveries on 
the opposite side. 
In the afternoon of this day, December 3rd, 1642, he went to 
a little bay W.S.W. from his anchorage ; but it came on to blow, 
and the surf was high. It was out of the question for his ships to 
risk the consequences of an easterly gale in their present position, 
and he was therefore obliged to give up his design of landing; and 
for nearly a century and a half to come Tasmanian land was no 
more trodden by European feet. But he determined not to leave 
it without taking possession of the newly-discovered country, 
