and the favours of his wife, or daughter, are valued by him just in the proportion they are sought for by those with whom he is dealing.  But where his animal necessities can scarcely be supplied, it cannot be imagined that he will be very sensible to the force of toys and trinkets as objects of temptation.  These, on the other hand, will carry most persuasion, where, through the greater bounty of nature, an avenue has been opened for the display of vanity and the love of ornament.  Any opposition on the female part in either case, is of no avail as a barrier against strangers, as he who is most concerned to protect it, finds his account in its sacrifice.  We have instances of both in Captain Cook’s voyages.—­E.]

In the afternoon I went again to the grass-cutters, to forward their work.  I found them then upon Penguin Island, where they had met with a plentiful crop of excellent grass.  We laboured hard till sun-set, and then repaired on board, satisfied with the quantity we had collected, and which I judged sufficient to last till our arrival in New Zealand.

During our whole stay, we had either calms or light airs from the eastward.  Little or no time, therefore, was lost by my putting in at this place.  For if I had kept the sea, we should not have been twenty leagues advanced farther on our voyage.  And, short as our continuance was here, it has enabled me to add somewhat to the imperfect acquaintance that hath hitherto been acquired, with this part of the globe.

Van Diemen’s Land has been twice visited before.  It was so named by Tasman, who discovered it in November 1642.  From that time it had escaped all farther notice by European navigators, till Captain Furneaux touched at it in March 1773.[134] I hardly need say, that it is the southern point of New Holland, which, if it doth not deserve the name of a continent, is by far the largest island in the world.

[Footnote 134:  This is a mistake, though unintentional, no doubt, and ignorantly on the part of Cook.  Captain Marion, a French navigator, and mentioned occasionally in these voyages, visited Van Diemen’s Land about a twelve-month before Captain Furneaux.  The account of his voyage was published at Paris in 1783, but is little known in England; for which reason, and because of its possessing a considerable degree of interest, Captain Flinders has given an abridgment of that portion of its contents which respects the land in question.  This the reader will find in his introduction, p. 83, or he may content himself with being informed, that the description it gives of the natives, &c, generally coincides with what is furnished in the text.  Subsequent to this voyage, it may be remarked, Captain Bligh put into Adventure Bay with his majesty’s ship Bounty, viz. in 1788:  and afterwards, viz. in 1792, the coast of Van Diemen’s Land was visited by the French Rear-Admiral D’Entrecasteaux.—­E.]