Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 1.djvu/53

 SKETCH, xliii — and to that part of it which lay between it and Sydney Cove. Phillip described it as '^ a poor sandy heath, full of swamps *' ; but it is now largely occupied by market gardens. This northern shore was examined by Cook, towards the sea coast, and he wrote of it as follows : — We found this place without wood, and somewhat resembling our moors in England ; the surface of the ground, however, was covered ^vith a thin brush of plants, about as high as the knees ; the hills near the coast are low, but others rise behind them, increasing by a gradual ascent to a considerable distance, with marshes and morasses between. When the French naturalist, Peron, visited the colony in 1802, he described the western shore of the bay as having un aspect enchanteur, which he attributed to the rank vegetation of the swamps caused by the flooding of the two rivers flowing into the bay ; concluding that le capitaine CooJc et ses illustres compagnons y fiirent trompes. There is no reason to suppose that they were deceived in the least ; nor can there be any question as to the accuracy of their description. The only matter for surprise is that they spoke with so much reserve about the natural attractions of the country. The most conspicuous feature about it was the remarkable beauty of the native plants, and especially of the wild flowers, which were certainly not the product of a swamp, because they are found in their greatest luxuriance in a light sandy soil, near the sea coast. But Hawkesworth tells us little or nothing on this subject, although it may be taken for granted that there was a good deal about it in Banks's journal. All we learn is that " the great quantity of plants which Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander collected in this place induced me to give it the name of Botany Bay ;" and again, ^' there are a few shrubs, and several kinds of the palm ; mangroves also grow in great plenty near the head of the bay." These passages were written by Cook, who was not a botanist. That Banks saw something more than a '^few shrubs" there, may be gathered from a letter written by him to the Under- Secretary at the Home Office many years afterwards : — London, 27 April, 1789. Sir, —Concluding that it will be thought a desirable Object to bring home for his Majestie's Botanic Garden at Kew some of the many Digitized by Google