ARTICLES OF EXPORT.
The natural productions that are at present found in North-west Australia and might be available for exportation consist chiefly of timber, gum, lichens, and mimosa bark; all of which are abundant, and might be collected with a trifling degree of labour.
There are many varieties of useful timber. Among others, pine, fit for the purposes either of building or making spars for vessels, is abundant and good, and could be readily and cheaply exported if they were cut in the vicinity of the streams and floated down to the sea in the rainy season, whereby all land carriage would be avoided.
I sent to England specimens of five different gums in order that they might be examined. These consist of an elastic gum, closely resembling Indian rubber, gum tragacynth, another gum yielded by a sort of capparis and which I believe to be hitherto unknown, and two kinds of gum resin.
The mosses are of various kinds, many of which would afford useful dyes; and these, together with the gums, would probably be found valuable articles of export; for the collecting of them is a species of labour in which the native tribes would more willingly engage than any other I am acquainted with.
Immediately off North-West Cape is good whaling ground. The schooner employed on the expedition fell in with two vessels--the Favourite, Captain White, and the Diana, Captain Hamott, whalers belonging to Messrs. Bennett & Co., of London, and then fishing between North-West Cape and the position usually assigned to the Tryal Rocks. Both these vessels had been very successful.
COMMERCIAL PROSPECTS. TRADE WITH THE ASIATIC ARCHIPELAGO.
With regard to the commerce that might be carried on by Northern Australia with the islands of the Indian Archipelago I have made many enquiries, and have gained from the most authentic sources some important facts.
The points upon which I first endeavoured to obtain information were:
1. What desire was evinced by the inhabitants of the islands of the Indian Archipelago and the China Sea to become possessed of articles of British manufacture; and,