The First Discovery of Australia and New Guinea eBook

George Collingridge
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 97 pages of information about The First Discovery of Australia and New Guinea.

The First Discovery of Australia and New Guinea eBook

George Collingridge
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 97 pages of information about The First Discovery of Australia and New Guinea.

[* The space between the end of the thumb and the end of the forefinger, both stretched out.]

On the beach a fruit was found like a pine apple.  There were other fruits, like figs, filberts, and albaricoques,* which were eaten.  Others were seen, but it was not known what fruits they were, nor what others grew in that land.  To give a. complete account of them and other things, it is necessary to be a year in the country, and to travel over much ground.

[* Apricots.]

As regards vegetables, I* only knew amaranth, purslane, and calabashes.

[* It is Belmonte, Queiroz’s secretary, who is describing the bay and its products.—­G.  C.]

The natives make from a black clay some very well-worked pots, large and small, as well as pans and porringers in the shape of small boats.*

[* I have seen some of these in the Noumea Museum.-G.C.]

It was supposed that they made some beverage, because in the pots and in cavities were found certain sour fruits.

It appeared to us that we saw there quarries of good marble*; I say good, because several things were seen that were made of it and of jasper.  There were also seen ebony and large mother-o’-pearl shells; also some moderate-sized looms.  In one house a heap of heavy black stones was seen, which afterwards proved to be metal from whence silver could be extracted.  Two of our people said they had seen the footprints of a large animal.

[* Coral cliffs.]

The climate appeared to be very healthy, both from the rigour and size of the natives, as because none of our men became ill all the time we were there, nor felt any discomfort, nor tired from work.  They had not to keep from drinking while fasting, not at unusual times, nor when sweating, nor from being wet with salt or fresh water, nor from eating whatever grew in the country, nor from being out in the evening under the moon, nor the sun, which was not very burning at noon, and at midnight we were glad of a blanket.  The land is shown to be healthy, from the natives living in houses on terraces, and having so much wood, and because so many old people were seen.  We heard few claps of thunder, and had little rain.  As the river flowed with clear water, it was understood that the rains were over.

It is to be noted that we had not seen cactus nor sandy wastes, nor were the trees thorny, while many of the wild trees yielded good fruit.  It is also to be noted that we did not see snow on the mountains, nor were there any mosquitos or ants in the land, which are very harmful, both in houses and fields.

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The First Discovery of Australia and New Guinea from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.