“The rocks, or foundations of the hills, are composed chiefly of a dark blue, and very hard, stone; intermixed with small particles of glimmer or quartz.  This seems to be one of the most universal productions of nature, as it constitutes whole mountains in Sweden, in Scotland, at the Canary Islands, the Cape of Good Hope, and at this place.  Another brownish brittle stone forms here some considerable rocks; and one which is blacker, and found in detached pieces, incloses bits of coarse quartz.  A red, a dull yellow, and a purplish sand-stone, are also found in small pieces; and pretty large lumps of semi-transparent quartz, disposed irregularly in polyedral pyramidal crystals of long shining fibres.  Some small pieces of the common sort are met with in the brooks, made round by attrition; but none hard enough to resist a file.  Nor were any of the other stones acted on by aquafortis, or attracted by the magnet.”

“Nothing, that had the least appearance of an ore or metal, was seen.”

SECTION VI.

Passage from Kerguelen’s to Van Diemen’s Land.—­Arrival in Adventure Bay.—­Incidents there.—­Interviews with the Natives.—­Their Persons and Dress described.—­Account of their Behaviour.—­Table of the Longitude, Latitude, and Variation.—­Mr Anderson’s Observations on the Natural Productions of the Country, on the Inhabitants, and their Language.

After leaving Kerguelen’s Land, I steered E. by N. intending, in obedience to my instructions, to touch next at New Zealand, to recruit our water, to take in wood, and to make hay for the cattle.  Their number, by this time, had been considerably diminished; two young bulls, one of the heifers, two rams, and several of the goats, having of late died, while we were employed in exploring this desolate coast.

The 31st in the morning, being the day after we stood out to sea, we had several observations of the sun and moon.  Their results gave the longitude 72 deg. 33’ 36” E. The timekeeper, in this situation, gave 72 deg. 38’ 15”.  These observations were the more useful, as we had not been able to get any for some time before, and they now served to assure us that no material error had crept into the time-keeper.

On the 1st of January, being then in the latitude of 48 deg. 41’ S. longitude 76 deg. 50’ E., the variation was 30 deg. 39’ W.; and in the next day, in the latitude of 48 deg. 22’ S. longitude 80 deg. 22’ E., it was 30 deg. 47’ 18” W. This was the greatest variation we found in this passage; for afterward it began to decrease, but so slowly, that on the 3d, in the evening, being then in the latitude of 48 deg. 16’ S. longitude 85 deg.  E., it was 29 deg. 38’ W.