Oxleya zanthoxyla, and Cedrella Toona, ? trees, of the same tribe as the Mahogany, attain to a large size, in these forests. Oxleya zanthoxyla, is the yellow wood, of Moreton Bay one I measured, was forty feet round, at about five feet up: it was supposed to be one hundred feet high. The Cedrella, is the Cedar of N. S. Wales; the wood of which resembles Mahogany, but is not so heavy. The Silk Oak, Grevillea robusta, also forms a large tree: its foliage is divided, like that of some umbelliferous plants; its flowers are somewhat like branched combs, of crooked, yellow wire, shaded into orange, and are very handsome. Hoya Brownii, and Jasminum gracile? were abundant, on the bank of the river, along with Tecoma jasminoides, and many other curious and beautiful, climbing shrubs. Eleven epiphytes, of the orchis tribe, were growing on the trunks of the trees, in the forest. Most of these, were of the genera Dendrobium, Cymbidium, and Gunnia. Some Bananas, which had been washed from a place, in the Limestone Country above, where sheep, for the provision of the settlement, are kept, had established themselves on the borders of a creek. Pumpkins were growing among the brush-wood, in great luxuriance. The last were observed, with evident pleasure, by my boats' crew of prisoners, who anticipated making a meal of them, at a future day. They are much used as a table vegetable, in New South Wales, and are certainly to be valued as such, in this climate; they keep well, and are a good substitute for potatoes, or for turnips, by land, or by sea.

7th. We dined, in company with some other persons, at the table of the Commissariat Officer. In the evening, he desired the company, to witness the destruction of his private stock of brandy, which he poured out in the yard, having resolved to join the Temperance Society, and thus, by his example, to throw his influence into the scale, against one of the greatest of moral evils, and one, that has brought a majority of the prisoners, to this place, and has been the bane of a large proportion of the officers, and military, who have had the charge of them. One of the young men of the company, told us, that, on a certain

occasion, when lost in the bush, he was driven by hunger, to eat a species of Teredo, or Augur-worm, called by the Blacks, Cobra, which he found very palatable. In this part of the country, within the reach of the salt water, this animal is abundant in logs, which it perforates, till they resemble honeycomb.

8th. We visited the Hospital, which is in a dilapidated state. There being some prospect of opening this fine country to settlers, and the penal establishment being, consequently, reduced, many of the buildings have been suffered to get a little out of repair. The prevailing diseases here are Ophthalmia, Chronic Rheumatism and Dysentery; forformerly Ague was frequent, but it has rarely occurred since the prisoners were properly fed, clothed and lodged. The surgeon, is an intelligent man, who has paid great attention to the anatomy of the curious tribe of animals, that inhabit this part of the world, and which, in Australia, generally, with the exception of the Native Dog, and a few others, are marsupial. They rear their young, from a very minute size, in pouches. Some species of Kangaroos, are met with here, that we have not seen before; also many birds, that are new to us; among them, are several splendid Parrots.

9th. On the way to Eagle Farm, we noticed a beautiful Pavonia, with a rosy, purple blossom, shaded deeply toward the centre. Here also, growing parasitically upon the climbers, was a splendid Loranthus, with foliage like that of a Lemon, and clusters of crimson, tubular blossoms, tipped with yellow. Several other fine species of this genus, grow on the branches of the Eucalypti and other trees, in the various parts of Australia. At Eagle Farm, we again visited the female prisoners, for whom a selection of tracts was left, with their Superintendent; they expressed thankfulness for them, being very destitue of books, even of Bibles, which the prisoners generally, have not access to, even on First-days.

On the way back to Brisbane Town, a prisoner constable was our guide. He gave us some account of his sufferings, when, on one occasion, he absconded, and was

in the bush for three months. His companion died from the hardships he met with. In one place they found the remains of two men, and in another of three, who were supposed to have run away from Port Macquarie, and to have been unable to sustain the fatigues and privations to which they had subjected themselves. Instances have occurred, in which men have run away, and lived for some years among the Natives; but at length, they have become so tired of savage life, as to return and give themselves up. In general, the Blacks bring back runaways, but a few are supposed still to be out among them, to the northward. Absconding is not now common among the prisoners. This is attributable to the encouragement given to good conduct, by relaxation of sentence, and to the regulation, which requires the time spent in the bush, to be made up, before any indulgence, or freedom, by expiration of sentence, is allowed.

10th. We again had religious interviews with the prisoners and officers. Sixteen Blacks came to the Settlement, and we presented them with some cotton handkerchiefs, with which they seemed much pleased, and not less so, with some Bananas, given them by the Commandant. The Blacks here show less value for articles of European manufacture, than those of some other parts of the Colony; and though less contaminated by intercourse with white people, they are evidently less civilized; they, however, find Sweet-potatoes, Maize, and other food, such as they obtain from the military and officers, so much superior to the roots they generally feed upon, in their native haunts, that some of the males visit the settlement daily, to obtain them.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

Departure from Brisbane Town.-Plumbago.-Fishes and Birds.-Dugong.Stradbroke Island.-Amity Point.-Aborigines.-Penal Regulations.-Moreton Island.-Trees.-Crabs.-Amusements.-Huts.-Native Dogs.-Fish.— Manufacture.-Mangroves, &c.-Animals.-Fight of Natives.-Mistake in the name of Biscuit.-Departure from Moreton Bay.-Storms.-Arrival at Newcastle.-Native Guides. -Ebenezer.-Aborigines. — Amusement. --Missionary Labours.-Civilization of the Blacks.-Amount of Native Population. -Forest.-Remarkable Spring.-Gregarious Caterpillars.-Wages of Blacks.

4th mo. 11th. We took a final leave of the Officers of the Penal Settlement, and embarked on board the Commandant's gig, a fine boat of eight oars, to return to the Isabella.

At the Lower Wharf, we took in two military officers, one of whom was returning to Sydney. While waiting for them, I went on shore, and saw, in the bush, a beautiful, blue Plumbago, possibly P. capensis, which I believe is not known as a native of N. S. Wales. As we crossed the Bay, we saw great numbers of Pelicans, standing in a line, at the water's edge, on a sand-bank. One was also fishing among shoals of Mullet, a migratory fish, probably not the Mullet of the Northern Hemisphere, that is just coming in from the sea, so thick, as to darken the water; out of which, they are so continually jumping, as to give the idea, of a dance among the fishes! but it is probably a dance of terror, to elude the pursuit of their enemies, the Porpoises and Sharks. The Blacks do not kill the Porpoises, because they shew where there are fish to be caught; but they value the flesh of another cetaceous animal, called here Youngon, the Dugong of India, Halicore Dugong. This animal feeds on marine vegetables; and is

taken when it goes up narrow creeks, by means of nets, skilfully made of the bark of various species of Hibiscus.

Moreton Bay is shut in from the sea, by three islands, the northermost of which, is called Moreton Island, and the middle one, Amity or Stradbroke Island. On the north point of the latter is the Pilot's station. The forest about this point, is formed of some species of Eucalyptus, Melaleuca, and Banksia, with the Cypress-Pine, Callitris arenosa, which forms a spreading tree, forty feet high, and eight feet round. On the sandy flats, by the shore, Ipomoea maritima, sends out long, straight shoots, to the extent of many yards: it has large, pink, convolvulus-like blossoms, and curious, two-lobed leaves. It helps to bind the sand together, as do also, the large, yellow-flowered Hibbertia volubilis, and several maritime grasses. Although H. volubilis is offensively fetid, in English green-houses, I could never perceive that it had any smell, either here, or at Sydney. Some of the smaller species of the genus, are offensive in Tasmania. Many interesting shells are found upon the shores of this bay; among them, the Crowned Melon Shell is much esteemed for its beauty. The Blacks watch for it, and take it as the tide ebbs, before it has time to bury itself in the sand, or they probe for it, with a bone skewer, in the places where its track is seen.

The Blacks on Stradbroke Island, like those resorting to Brisbane Town, are fine-personed, in comparison with those about Sydney. Some of them can speak a little English. Their intercourse with the white people, at this station, has not increased their virtue, but it has evidently advanced them a few steps towards civilization, beyond those of Brisbane Town. Pride produces its painful effects among these people, as well as among those who profess civilization and Christianity, among whom it is less tolerable. The males of this tribe of Aborigines, ornament themselves, by cutting their flesh, and keeping it from healing, till it forms elevated marks. They cut nineteen ridges, that look like ribs, right across their breasts, from the line of their armpits, downwards. One man, about six feet high, had them as wide as my thumb, and half as much elevated. Their

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