THE SOIL.

I had an opportunity of seeing much of the interior of the island, having crossed the country in company with two sealers, who had been residents on the island for several years. The land wears every appearance of being fertile; a deep loam with coarse grass, abounding with kangaroos and emus: where these animals feed, the grass is much better for pasture: occasional ponds of rain water are seen, and a plentiful supply of pure spring water is always attainable by digging for it. The land here is as good as any I have seen in Van Diemen's Land. In the neighbourhood of Sydney I have not observed any equal to it. Trees are scattered every where over the plains-the Swamp Oak or Beef wood, and the Wattle (both of which indicate good land) are growing in abundance here. Close on the shore, within from a quarter to half a mile from the sea, the wood is very thick; but when this belt of wood is passed, you come on to an open country, covered with grass, where there are often hundreds of acres without a tree; I calculated, by comparison with New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land, there might be on this plain, on the average, three or four trees to an acre. I once crossed the Island, a distance of about sixty miles in two days. Once past the belt of wood which surrounds the Island, we walked straight on end over the plains, found plenty of water in ponds, saw abundance of kangaroos and emus, and met with no difficulty or trouble. As we crossed the Island I looked to the right and left, and saw every where the same open plains, now and then changed in appearance by close timber of great height, on high points and ridges of land. In some places we found the grass very high and coarse in patches, but where the greatest number of kangaroos and emus were found, the grass was short and close. In the other places, close short grass was found between the coarse high patches.

While crossing the Island we saw plenty of parrots and wild pigeons, and black swans on the lagoons.

PRODUCTIONS.

With the exception of salt, the timber appears the principal production we have observed of this place. The trees are the same as at New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land; some run exceedingly high and large in circumference, and may be converted into every domestic purpose as well as maritime; as many may be found and selected for ship's spars and other purposes of ship-building. Twenty years ago an American ship was east away on the coast, and the crew built a schooner in Lagoon Bay, which enabled them to get away, after a residence of several months on the Island. Salt is produced here in abundance; I should say between two and three hundred tons could be collected from the lagoon with a little attention; the distance to the beach is about three-quarters of a mile, and from the beach to where ships anchor about four miles. This lagoon is a perfect circle of about three miles in circumference. The prospect about this lagoon is very pleasant. Close to the salt-water lake is another of fresh, but considerably smaller. It was at this spot our people erected their tents while collecting the salt. Pigeons and kan garoos make their appearance here regularly morning and evening for water, so that we were well supplied with fresh provisions for very little trouble.

My attention was next directed to the lime-stone of the Island, in several places I found it plentiful, but not general over the country. Free-stone and granite are also in large quantities, so that people emigrating to this country would find every necessary as in Europe and both the other Colonies. I make no doubt but some more valuable productions might be found on examination and enquiry-my time and attention were of course more particularly devoted to the object of my voyage. j

THE CLIMATE

appeared to me very temperate, and not subject to oppressive heat, nor do the rains fall in torrents as at Sydney; the dews are heavy, but not injurious to health, which we had ample opportunity of proving, owing to the frequent exposure of our men, many of whom have slept under trees and bushes for several nights together, and though almost wet through, never experienced any ill effects. I had fifteen men under my command, and though they were a class of people who take no care of themselves, not one of them was ill during our stay, nor did my own health suffer at all, though I was exposed to all weathers both night and day.

January, when I reached the Island, is the middle of the summer; and the autumn and winter elapsed during our stay. In the winter it appeared to me much less cold than in Van Diemen's Land, and I observed generally that the changes of temperature are less sudden and frequent than in New South Wales.

The winds there are regular land and sea breezes, with occasional calms; during the winter months strong south westerly winds prevail, but are not of any duration, and cannot throw any sea into the anchorages to injure the shipping, they being completely landlocked ;-a vessel, on making for the Island, must be careful in not standing too close to the shore, until they ascertain their true position, as several dangers are still unexplored on the southern part of the Island: this I would leave entirely to the judgment of the navigator, who always ought to be guided by circumstances.

There are no harbours on the south side of the Island, but in fine weather a ship may anchor for a few hours in any place along the coast, but must be always ready to slip in case of the appearance of bad weather. It was the case with me at the south-west side of the Island. There are no natives on the Island; several

Europeans assembled there; some who have run from ships that traded for salt; others from Sydney and Van Diemen's Land, who were prisoners of the Crown. These gangs joined after a lapse of time, and became the terror of ships going to the Island for salt, &c. being little better than pirates. They are complete savages, living in bark huts like the natives, not cultivating any thing, but living entirely on kangaroos, emus, and small porcupines, and getting spirits and tobacco in barter for the skins which they lay up during the sealing season. They dress in kangaroo skins without linen, and wear sandals made of seal skins. They smell like foxes. They have carried their daring acts to an extreme, venturing on the main land in their boats, and seizing on the natives, particularly the women, and keeping them in a state of slavery, cruelly beating them on every trifling occasion; and when at last some of these marauders were taken off the Island by an expedition from New South Wales, these women were landed on the main with their children and dogs, to procure a subsistence, not knowing how their own people might treat them after a long absence. There are a few even still on the Island, whom it would be desirable to have removed, if a permanent settlement were established in the neighbourhood.

The period during which I stayed on and near the Island, was from the 8th of January to the 12th of August. I myself landed only once on the main, in the bight between Point Riley and Corny Point. The soil was thickly covered with timber and brushwood. Some of my men landed at several different places on the main, being sometimes absent three weeks at a time in search of seals. On these occasions they carried with them bread and some salt meat; but having a musket and a dog with them, they always obtained fresh meat (kangaroo), when on the main as well as on some of the islands. On these expeditions they never took fresh

water with them. They often spoke of the places they had seen as being very pleasant.

I never saw or heard of any native dogs on the Island of Kangaroo; and from the very great number of kangaroos, do not believe there are any. Some of the kangaroos which I killed on the Island weighed 120lbs. Our men used to go to hunt them at sunrise, when they leave the woods to feed on the grassy plains. I have known as many as fifteen taken by my men in one morning. We never touched any part but the hind quarters.

GEORGE SUTHERLAND,

Commander of the Brig Governor Macquarrie of Sydney, in 1819."

In a course of interrogatories put to Captain Sutherland by a Committee appointed to examine into the evidence as to the soil, &c., he further stated that the kangaroos were larger and fatter than any he had seen on the main land; and that during his stay on the Island, he and his men killed 1500 of them. From having cultivated land in Van Diemen's Land, he was able to form a tolerable judgment as to the character of the soil, and he thought the land of Kangaroo Island superior to that of Van Diemen's Land; the soil of the Island is a deep loam on a bed of blue clay. The climate is better also; it is milder, and the rains are more regular. There was no ice during his stay there, which included the whole winter.

The prevailing winds in winter are westerly. Kangaroo Island is five or six days' sail from Circular Head, the establishment of the Van Diemen's Land Company; and a vessel calling at the Island from England would not be delayed more than five or six days. The wind would be fair if she kept along the coast. Nepean Bay can be entered at all times, and the