Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 1.djvu/354

 244 THE CHRONICLES 1789 words of encouragement to Art and Labour, attended by Peace. This vignette was engraved from a medallion, " whicb tbe ingenious Mr. Wedgwood caused to be modelled from a small piece of clay brought from Sydney Cove/' The wedffwood's clay had been sent by Phillip through Lord Sydney to Sir Joseph Banks, and had been handed .by him to Wedgwood for the purpose of being chemically analysed. It was then pronounced ^'an excellent material for pottery," and an opinion was expressed that " it might certainly be made the basis of a valuable manufacture for our infant colony." The idea thus suggested was illustrated by the medallion ♦ and in order to give further effect to it, the aid of poetic inspiration was sought in the person of Dr. Erasmus Dar- win — ^^ a mighty master of unmeaning rhyme," as Byron called him, and an old friend of Wedgwood's — ^who wrote the prophetic lines describing the " Visit of Hope to Sydney Cove, near Botany Bay," published with the vignette in Phillip's Voyage.* Damin's prophetic Tench's Narrative. The next publication in order of date was Captain Tench'a Narrative of the Expedition — a small octavo published in 1789, the author's introduction being dated from Sydney Cove, July 10, 1788. In offering his little tract — as he called it — to the public. Tench remarked that it was his wish to supply amusement as well as information; and it may be admitted that he was not unsuccessful in his effort — his book being pleasant reading, notwithstanding an occa- sional glimpse of the gloomy times he lived in. He was evidently an observant traveller, with a keen eye for a picture or a dramatic situation ; disposed to take a genial view of everything, as far as he could ; and much given to poetical Descriptive quotations and good stories.f He had a faculty for descrip- tion of which he does not seem to have been conscious, or • Post, p. 648. t His social qualities seem to have made him popular— two places having^ been named after him ; Tench's Prospect Hill, by Phillip ; and Tench's Island, by Lieutenant Ball, on the voyage to Batavia with lieutenaat King in 1790. — Hunter, Journal, p. 421. skotchea. Digitized by Google