They ran very nimbly over the rocks, had a very quick sight, and caught the small beads and nails which I threw to them with great dexterity.  They talked to us sitting on their heels with their knees close into their armpits and were perfectly naked.

In my return towards the ship I landed at the point of the harbour near Penguin Island, and from the hills saw the water on the other side of the low isthmus of Cape Frederick Henry, which forms the bay of that name.  It is very extensive and in, or near, the middle of the bay there is a low island.  From this spot it has the appearance of being a very good and convenient harbour.

The account which I had from Brown, the botanist’s assistant, was that in his search for plants he had met an old man, a young woman, and two or three children.  The old man at first appeared alarmed, but became familiar on being presented with a knife.  He nevertheless sent away the young woman who went very reluctantly.  He saw some miserable wigwams, in which were nothing but a few kangaroo skins spread on the ground, and a basket made of rushes.

Among the wood that we cut here we found many scorpions and centipedes, with numerous black ants that were an inch long.  We saw no mosquitoes, though in the summer months they are very troublesome.

What is called the New Zealand tea plant grew here in great abundance; so that it was not only gathered and dried to use as tea but made excellent brooms.  It bears a small pointed leaf of a pleasant smell, and its seed is contained in a berry, about the size of a pea, notched into five equal parts on the top.  The soil on the west and south sides of the bay is black mould with a mixture of fine white sand and is very rich.  The trees are lofty and large, and the underwood grows so close together that in many places it is impassable.  The east side of the bay is a rich loamy soil; but near the tops of the hills is very much encumbered with stones and rocks:  the underwood thinly placed and small.  The trees on the south, south-east, and south-west sides of the hills grow to a larger size than those that are exposed to the opposite points; for the sides of the trees open or exposed to the north winds are naked with few branches; while the other sides are in a flourishing state.  From this I do not infer that the equatorial are more hurtful than the polar winds; but that the trees by their situation were more sheltered from the one for from the other.

Wednesday 3.

A calm prevented our sailing today.  The friendly interview which we had had with the natives made me expect that they would have paid us a visit; but we saw nothing more of them except fires in the night upon the low land to the northward.

The result of the observations which I made here, reduced to Penguin Island, place it in 43 degrees 21 minutes 11 seconds south latitude and in longitude 147 degrees 33 minutes 29 seconds east, which scarcely differs from the observations made in 1777.  The variation of the compass observed on shore was 8 degrees 38 minutes east; and on board the ship 8 degrees 29 minutes east.  It was high-water at the change of the moon at 49 minutes past six in the morning.  The rise was two feet eight inches.  Southerly winds, if of any continuance, make a considerable difference in the height of the tides.