athoms, and I
ran below to find how our wounded messmate had borne the day.

From my usual post, the masthead, I traced the shore from point to point
of Carnot Bay, so named after the celebrated French consul and engineer.
A very low sandy point bore North 67 degrees, East 6 miles. Sandbanks and
breakers completely fortified its shores, and effectually forbid all
approach, except under the most favourable circumstances.

LAND DISCOVERED BY TASMAN.

The several French names with which Commodore Baudin has distinguished
leading portions of this coast, of course, professional courtesy will
willingly respect; it is, however, only right to mention, that while he
contented himself with so distant a view of this part of Australia as to
be sometimes completely mistaken in the most important particulars, to
the celebrated Abel Tasman belongs the merit of having previously landed
upon its shores in that very bay, which now bears the name of the great
republican.

DESCRIPTION OF THE NATIVES.

Tasman describes the natives as being quite naked, black in colour, and
having curly hair, "malicious and cruel," using for arms bows and arrows,
hazeygaeys* and kalawaeys. They came, upon one occasion, fifty in number,
to attack a party of the Dutch, who had landed, but took fright at the
sight and sound of firearms. "Their proas," he adds, "are made of the
bark of trees, and they use no houses."

(*Footnote. Hazeygaeys are synonymous with assagais, the name for the
short African spear, used by the tribes between Port Natal and the Cape,
and which is generally supposed to be the native term for the weapon.
Captain Harris, however, states that this supposition is incorrect; and,
certainly, its appearance and termination here incline me to join him in
suspecting it of a
Dutch origin.)

Such is the account of this distinguished and trustworthy discoverer,
upon whose veracity I should be the last to attempt to affix suspicion:
his very simplicity of detail, and the entire absence of rhetorical
artifice, would convey sufficient internal evidence of his truth, had not
the subsequent progress of Australian discovery served to confirm all the
material facts of his narrative. I may, however, remark, that the natives
seen upon this coast during our cruise, within the limits of Roebuck Bay
to the south, and Port George the Fourth to the north, an extent of more
than 200 miles, with the exception that I shall presently notice, agreed
in having