THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
*47 
rate, but attended with cloudy weather, or rain. The South 1777. 
Weft winds blow very ftrong, and are alfo attended with , Febr “ ar >\ 
rain; but they feldom laft long. The North Weft winds are 
the moft prevailing; and though often pretty ftrong, are 
almoft conftantly connected with fine weather. In fiiort, 
the only obftacle to this being one of the fineft coun¬ 
tries upon earth, is its great hillinefs; which, allowing 
the woods to be cleared away, would leave it lefs proper 
for pafturage than fiat land; and ftill more improper for 
cultivation, which could never be effected here by the 
plough. 
The large trees which cover the hills are chiefiy of two 
foits. One of them, of the fize of our largeft firs, grows 
much after their manner; but the leaves, and fmall ber¬ 
ries on their points, are much liker the yew. It was 
this which fupplied the place of fpruce in making beer; 
which we did with a ftrong decodtion of its leaves, fer¬ 
mented with treacle or fugar. And this liquor, when well 
prepared, was acknowledged to be little inferior to the 
American fpruce beer, by thofe who had experience of 
both. The other fort of tree is not unlike a maple ; and 
grows often to a great fize ; but it only ferved for fuel, as 
the wood, both of this and of the preceding, was found to 
be rather too heavy for mafts, yards, and other fimilar re¬ 
pairs. 
There is a greater variety of trees on the fmall flat fpots 
behind the beaches. Amongft thefe are two that bear a 
kind of plum of the fize of prunes; the one yellow, called 
karraca ; and the other black, called maitao ; but neither of 
them of a very agreeable tafte; though the natives eat 
both, and our people did the fame. Thofe of the firft fort 
grow on fmall trees, always facing the fea ; but the others 
U 2 belong 
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