A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 14Kerr, Robert
History
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 14
Kerr, Robert
Voyages and travels
Zealand had escaped the hand of human industry since the origin of
their existence. But nature, we may often see, is prodigal of life,
and in the very act of dissolving one generation, seems to rejoice in
providing for another that is to succeed it. Thus, we are told, there
sprouted out young trees from the rich mould, to which the old ones
were at last reduced. A deceitful bark, it is added, sometimes still
covered the interior rotten substance, in which a person attempting to
step on it, might sink to the waist. Such were the common
disappointments in this Utopia. The naturalists had to add to them,
the appropriate mortification of seeing numerous trees and shrubs, of
which, as the time of flowering was past, it was impossible to make
any scientific examination, and which, accordingly, only tantalized
them with the idea of the profusion of new vegetables in this
interesting country. A short residence here, especially during wet
gloomy weather, proved that all was not so perfect in this climate as
had been fondly imagined. The land about Dusky Bay, and indeed
throughout most of the southern extremity of this island, was found to
consist of steep rocky mountains, with craggy precipices, either clad
with impenetrable forests, or quite barren, and covered with snow on
the tops. No meadows or lawns were to be seen, and the only spot of
flat land that was found, presented so much wood and briars as to be
useless for either garden ground or pasture, without very considerable
toil. This heartless description is somewhat relieved by a glowing
picture of the scenery about what was called Cascade Cove, which seems
to have arrested the attention of Mr F., and which, he says, could
only have justice done it by the very successful pencil of Mr Hodges.
The soil here was found to be quite like to what had elsewhere been
found, and the rocks and stones consisted of granite, moor-stone, and
brown talcous clay-stone. In one of the excursions to the country, it
was observed, that as they receded from the sea, the mountains became
much higher, and were more steep and barren, and that the trees
dwindled in size, so as to resemble shrubs, circumstances rather the
reverse of what is usually noticed in other countries. The climate of
Dusky Bay is spoken unfavourably of, as its greatest inconvenience,
and to this must be added its being deficient in celery, scurvy-grass,
and other antiscorbutics. But with all its defects, Mr G.F. admits,
that Dusky Bay is one of the finest places in New Zealand, for a crew
to touch at in such a situation as that of his companions. The land
about Cape Traveller appeared low and sandy near the shore, but rising
into high snow-capt mountains interiorly. In one respect, according to
this gentleman, Queen Charlotte's Sound has greatly the advantage of
Dusky Bay, viz.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account