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became very thin from anxiety, exposure, and poor diet. At last the natives were absent for a time on a hunting expedition, and on their return they found him dead on the beach, his body much swollen (as they described it) perhaps dropsical. They offered to conduct me to the spot and show me his bones, but we had not time to go. At this part of the settlement there are only two settlers with their establishments, and some soldiers. Six miles farther down the coast the Bussell family live. We stayed there two days, and spent them very agreeably. About their place we saw more good land in one continued tract than we saw elsewhere. Their cattle thrive greatly; and the climate is moderately cool. Three days sail from that, with contrary and shifting wind, took us to Augusta, just behind Cape Lewin. This bay is well situated for whaling, and is a pretty spot, but the ground is too heavily timbered. Most of the settlers have deserted it and gone to the Vasse district. We were detained there four days; then, after three days' sailing, we reached the Sound, where we lived with Mr. Drake.
Saturday night.—The Governor had reached the Sound a few days before us, by the Pelorus, but he returned again two days after our arrival, leaving us to settle the business on which we had come down. The settlement has increased considerably since we were there five years ago, although not much has been done within the last two years. There is much ground fitted for gardens, but no wheat lands, or rather no land fitted for it without much trouble and manure. Many whaling vessels are beginning to frequent the port, and an excellent station for building ships, with great abundance of timber admirably adapted for the purpose, has been discovered in the neighbourhood at Torbay. These circumstances have given a fillip to the place, and the people are beginning to awaken up. One ship, of 150 tons, is nearly completed. A French man-of-war and a whaling ship, with many American whalers, have been there during the season. The natives there
