unt of their voyage thither. Growing tired of a lawless life, and
having become wealthy, Dampier bought an estate in England, where he
lived some years in retirement, till his love of adventure led him forth
again. The King of England was anxious to encourage discovery, and
fitted out a vessel called the _Roebuck_, to explore the southern seas.
Dampier was the only man in England who had ever been to Australia, and
to him was given the command of the little vessel, which sailed in the
year 1699. It took a long time to reach Australia, but at last the
_Roebuck_ entered what Dampier called Shark Bay, from an enormous shark
he caught there. He then explored the north-west coast as far as Roebuck
Bay, in all about nine hundred miles; of which he published a full and
fairly accurate account. He was a man of keen observation, and delighted
to describe the habits and manners of the natives, as well as
peculiarities in the plants and animals, of the various places he
visited. During the time he was in Australia he frequently met with the
blacks and became well acquainted with them. He gives this description
of their appearance:--

"The inhabitants are the most miserable wretches in the universe, having
no houses nor garments. They feed upon a few fish, cockles, mussels, and
periwinkles. They are without religion and without government. In figure
they are tall, straight-bodied and thin, with small, long limbs."

The country itself, he says, is low and sandy, with no fresh water and
scarcely any animals except one which looks like a racoon, and jumps
about on its long hind legs. Altogether, his description is not
prepossessing; and he says that the only pleasure he had found in this
part of his voyage was the satisfaction of having discovered the most
barren spot on the face of the earth.

This account is, in most respects, correct, so far as regards the
portion of Australia visited by Dampier. But, unfortunately, he saw only
the most inhospitable part of the whole continent. There are many parts
whose beauty would have enchanted him, but as he had sailed along nearly
a thousand miles without seeing any shore that was not miserable, it is
not to be wondered at that he reported the whole land to be worthless.
He was subsequently engaged in other voyages of discovery, in one of
which he rescued the famous Alexander Selkirk from his lonely island;
but, amid all his subsequent adventures, he never entertained the idea
of returning