1804] 
which prevented me from accomplifhing 
this tafk, the firtt time that I failed 
along that coa(t, you may inform yourfelf 
of, by means of the letter which I have 
addrefled to the Minifter of Marine, a lit- 
tle before my departure from Timor. The 
north coaft of New Holland, and the Gulph 
of Carpentaria will terminate our labours ; 
but: I am afraid left fo much work will 
yequire more time than the provifions we 
have procured here will allow. 
{ have {een not without admiration 
the immenfe works that the Englifh have 
completed here, within the {pace of twelve 
years, that a fettlement has been made at 
Poit Jackfon, Although they began 
with confiderable means, and have been 
at very great expences, it is not the lefs 
difficult to conceive how they have been 
able fo {peedily to attain to fucha hich de- 
gree of convenienceand f{plendour, as they 
now enjoy. Nature, it is true}; has done 
every thing for them, inthe beautiful and 
very fecure port where their principal fet- 
tlement has been planned and conftruéted ; 
but the quality of the foil in the environs, 
has laid them under a neceffity of penetrat- 
ing into the interior of the country, until 
fuch time as they could meet with a foil 
proper for different forts of culture, and 
that might be competent to furnifh in abun- 
dance the means fer their own fubfiltence, 
. and for the confumption of different Euro- 
pean veffels that may touch on the coaft, 
either attracted by commerce, the filh- 
ery, or by other circumftances. Exclu- 
fively of brigantines, floops and barges of 
a tolerab'e fize, conftruécted in this new co- 
Jony, and pertaining to different indivi- 
duals, we found in che port, at our arrival, 
nine large veflels from England, and two 
Armericans. Some were to make their 
return by China, and others to be difpatch- 
ed for the fpermaceti whale fithery. The be- 
nefits produced by this kind of {peculation, 
wil] greatly augment the navigation of the 
Englith; if, in the fequel, the fithery fhall 
coitinue to be abundant. It is ufually 
catricd on upon the coafts of New Zealand, 
or at no great diltance from them. The 
actual population of Port Jackfon and of 
the other places occupied by the Englith, 
amounts to about fix thoufand individuals, 
molt of whom are employed in cultivation. 
All the fruit-trees of Europe have been 
introduced into this country, but ail 
have not been with equal fuccefs fa- 
thiliarifed to the climate; of this num- 
ber are particularly, the apple tree, the 
cherry-tree, and the almond-tree. The 
leguminous plants thrive well, without 
Letter from Captain Baudin to Citizen Fuffien. 
307 
exception, are well tafted, and abundant 
in the feafon. The vine, which, during 
the firft years yielded great hopes, has fo 
much degenerated, that it is matter of 
doubtwhether it will be able to live here. 
The caufe of this unexpeéted decay is not 
accurately afcertained, it is commonly at- 
tributed, however, to the burning drought 
of the north-eaft wind, the effects of which 
are pernicious. 
The Natives from round about Port 
Jackfon have retired into the interior of the 
coyunry, in proportion as the Englifh have 
advanced forwards. We, neverthelefs, 
meet with fome of them occafionally in the 
town, in the villages, and on the high- 
roads ; but their number is never confider- 
able, and they have loft but few of their 
primitive habits; it may be remarked, 
however, that they have made more pro- 
grefsin the Englith language, than the Enge 
lith havein'their’s. In general, they arebut 
of a {mall {tature, and but little to be feared, 
I am ftrongly inclined to think that they 
are of a different origin from thofe of Van 
Diemen’s Land. 
As the Englifh nation has negleéted no 
means for the profperity of this eftablifh. 
ment, its privations during its ftate of in- 
fancy have not been very great. Breeds of 
horned cattle, fheep and goats have been 
tran{ported thither at the public expence, 
and have multiplied to fuch a degree that at 
a cenfus or enumeration which was made 
in the month of Auguft laft, there were 
counted 800 bulls, 3,600 cows, 6,000 
theep, 1,800 goats, and more than 10,000 
hogs. The horfes that have come frora 
the Cape of Good Hope, and from Bengal, 
of all the quadrupeds, are thofe which 
have multiplied the leat, although the ~ 
caufe of this is not known, Of that {pe- 
cies there are only reckoned two hundred. 
I thall not enter longer into details, with 
which I might fill up. this letter, becaufe 
Tam fending you a copy of that which I 
have addrefled to the Minifter of Marine. 
You will find there a detailed notice of all 
the articles contained in the Naturalifte. 
I recommend myfelf to your kind res 
membrance, and fhall not fail to exert my 
utmoft endeavours to complete a frefh col- 
lection, as numerous as that which you are 
going to receive by the Naturaliffe, 
“aa 
For the Monthly Magaxine. 
DESCRIPTION of the ISLAND of ISCHIA, 
with fome ACCOUNT of the MANNERS 
and CUSTOMS of the INHABITANTS*. 
Le Ifland of Tf{chia is nothing but 
amountain whofe form proves it to be 
Sfa ap 
