dly of opinion that many large
tracts of land between Rose Hill and the Hawkesbury, even now, are of a
nature sufficiently favourable to produce moderate crops of whatever may
be sown in them. And provided a sufficient number of cattle* be imported to
afford manure for dressing the ground, no doubt can exist that subsistence
for a limited number of inhabitants may be drawn from it. To imperfect
husbandry, and dry seasons, must indubitably be attributed part of the
deficiency of former years. Hitherto all our endeavours to derive advantage
from mixing the different soils have proved fruitless, though possibly only
from want of skill on our side.

[*In my former narrative I have particularly noticed the sudden
disappearance of the cattle, which we had brought with us into the country.
Not a trace of them has ever since been observed. Their fate is a riddle,
so difficult of solution that I shall not attempt it. Surely had they
strayed inland, in some of our numerous excursions, marks of them must have
been found. It is equally impossible to believe that either the convicts or
natives killed and ate them, without some sign of detection ensuing.]

The spontaneous productions of the soil will be soon recounted. Every part
of the country is a forest: of the quality of the wood take the following
instance. The 'Supply' wanted wood for a mast, and more than forty of the
choicest young trees were cut down before as much wood as would make it
could be procured, the trees being either rotten at the heart or riven by
the gum which abounds in them. This gum runs not always in a longitudinal
direction in the body of the tree, but is found in it in circles, like a
scroll. There is however, a species of light wood which is found excellent
for boat building, but it is scarce and hardly ever found of large size.

To find limestone many of our researches were directed. But after repeated
assays with fire and chemical preparations on all the different sorts of
stone to be picked up, it is still a desideratum. Nor did my experiments
with a magnet induce me to think that any of the stones I tried contained
iron. I have, however, heard other people report very differently on this
head.

The list of esculent vegetables, and wild fruits is too contemptible
to deserve notice, if the 'sweet tea' whose virtues have been already
recorded, and the common orchis root be excepted. That species of palm tree
which produces the mountain cabbage is also