outh-east side, to try what might be discovered
from the hills.

Mr Banks and Dr Solander immediately employed themselves in botanizing
near the beach, and I, taking a seaman with me, ascended one of the
hills: When I reached the summit, I found a view of the inlet
intercepted by hills, which in that direction rose still higher, and
which were rendered inaccessible by impenetrable woods; I was, however,
abundantly compensated for my labour, for I saw the sea on the eastern
side of the country, and a passage leading from it to that on the west,
a little to the eastward of the entrance of the inlet where the ship now
lay. The main land, which lay on the south east of this inlet, appeared
to be a narrow ridge of very high hills, and to form part of the
south-west side of the streight; the land on the opposite side appeared
to trend away east as far as the eye could reach; and to the south-east
there appeared to be an opening to the sea, which washed the eastern
coast: On the east side of the inlet also I saw some islands which I had
before taken to be part of the main land. Having made this discovery, I
descended the hill, and as soon as we had taken some refreshment, we set
out on our return to the ship. In our way, we examined the harbours and
coves which lie behind the islands that I had discovered from the hill;
and in this route we saw an old village, in which there were many houses
that seemed to have been long deserted: We also saw another village
which was inhabited, but the day was too far spent for us to visit it,
and we therefore made the best of our way to the ship, which we reached
between eight and nine o'clock at night.

The 23d I employed in carrying on a survey of the place; and upon one of
the islands where I landed, I saw many houses which seemed to have been
long deserted, and no appearance of any inhabitant.

On the 24th, we went to visit our friends at the Hippah or village on
the point of the island near the ship's station, who had come off to us
on our first arrival in the bay. They received us with the utmost
confidence and civility, shewing us every part of their habitations,
which were commodious and neat. The island or rock on which this town is
situated, is divided from the main by a breach or fissure so narrow,
that a man might almost leap from one to the other: The sides of it are
every where so steep as to render the artificial fortification of these
people almost unnecessary: There was, h