On our way to the shore in our boat we disturbed two flights of black swans who flew away at our approach. Having landed at the bottom of the cove where the Sophia had obtained her cargo, we found the Huon pine-trees, interspersed with many others of different species, growing in great profusion, within three yards of the edge of the water, upon a soil of decomposed vegetable matter, which in many parts was so soft that we often suddenly sank ankle-deep, and occasionally up to the knees in it: this swampy nature of the soil is to be attributed to the crowded state of the trees; for they grow so close to each other as to prevent the rays of the sun from penetrating to the soil.
The ground is also strewed with fallen trees, the stems of which are covered with a thick coat of moss, in which seedlings of all the varieties of trees and plants that grow here were springing up in the prostrate stem of perhaps their parent tree; and it was not rare to see large Huon pines of three feet in diameter rooted in this manner on the trunk of a sound tree of even larger dimensions that had, perhaps, been lying on the ground for centuries; while others were observed, in appearance sound, and in shape perfect, and also covered with moss, which, upon being trod upon, fell in and crumbled away.
The fructification of this tree, so called from the river, which was named after Captain Huon Kermadie, who commanded L'Esperance under the order of Admiral D'Entrecasteaux, never having been seen, its detection was matter of much curiosity to Mr. Cunningham, who diligently examined every tree that had been felled. It was, however, with some difficulty that he succeeded in finding the flower, which was so minute as almost to require a magnifying lens to observe it; it is a coniferous tree and was supposed by Mr. Cunningham to be allied to dacrydium. Several saplings of this wood were cut for studding-sail booms and oars, as also of the Podocarpos aspleniifolia, Labillardiere; this latter tree is known to the colonists by the name of Adventure Bay Pine, and grows on Bruny Island in Storm Bay; but it is there very inferior in size to those of Pine Cove.
The Carpodontos lucida, or Australian snowdrop, of which Labillardiere has given a figure in his account of Admiral D'Entrecasteaux's voyage, was in full flower, and had a most beautiful appearance.
The following is a list of the several species of trees that grow in this Cove, for which I am indebted to Mr. Cunningham:
January 21 to 24.
On the 24th, having nearly expended our time and having ascertained the forms of the shoals and completed the soundings of the channels in the entrance of this truly remarkable harbour, we left Pine Cove on our return: having a favourable wind we ran through Kelly's Channel and anchored in Outer Bay, between Entrance Island and the bar, in order to complete our water at the stream that runs over the beach, and to obtain some sights on the Island for the rates of the chronometers. On anchoring, several natives were seen on the beach calling to us, but the wind was too fresh to allow of our communicating with them that day.
January 25.