Description of King Georges Island
Point of conveniency & Situation it may easily be known by a Prodigious high Mountain in the middle of the Island which bears due S.º from Point Venus which is the Eastern point of the Bay. To sail into it either keep the W.t point of the Reef which lies before Point Venus, close onboard or give it a berth of near half a Mile in order to avoid a small Shoal of Coral Rocks whereon is but 2½ fathms water, the best Anchoring is on the Eastern side of the Bay in 16 or 14 fathms ,water an owsey bottom the Shore of the Bay is all a fine sandy beach behind which runs a river of Fresh water so that any Number of Ships might water here witht discommoding one another the only wood for fuel upon the whole Island is fruit Trees, & these must be purchased of the Natives if you mean to keep upon good Terms with them -- There are some Harbours to the Westwd of this bay that have not been mention'd but as they lay Contiguous to it & are to be found in the plan the description of them is unnecessary ----
The land of this Island except what is immediately bordering upon the Sea coast is of a very uneven Surface & rises in ridges which run up into the middle of the Island & these form Mountains that are of a height Sufficient to be seen at the distance of 20 Lg's, between the foot of the biggest & the Sea is a border of low Land surrounding the whole Island except in a few places were[sic] the ridge rises directly from the Sea, this low land is of Various Breadths but no where exceeds a Mile & a half the soil is rich & fertile being for the most part well stock'd with fruit Trees & small plantations & well water'd by a number of small Rivulets of Excellent Water which come from the adjacent hills. It is upon this low Land that the greatest part of the inhabitants live, not in Towns or Vilages,[sic] but dispersed every where round the whole Island, the Tops of most of the ridges & mountains are Barren, & as if were burnt up with the Sun yet many parts of some of them are not without their produce & many of the Valleys are fertile & inhabited.
Of the Produce
The Produce of this Island is Bread Fruit, Coco Nuts, Bonnanoes, Plantains & fruit like an Apple, sweet Potatoes, Yams, a Fruit by the name of Eag Melloa & reck'ned most delicious Sugar Cane which the inhabitants eat raw, a root of the Salop kind called by the inhabitants Pea, the root also of a plant called Etha & a fruit in a pod like a Kidney bean which when roasted eats like a chestnut & is called Ahee, the fruit of a Tree which they call Wharro something like a Pine Apple, the fruit of a Tree called by them Nano, the roots of a fern & the roots of a plant Thive. all these Articles the Earth almost Spontaineusly[sic] produces or at least they are raised with very little Labour; in the Article of food these people may almost be said to be exempt from the Curse of our Fore fathers scarcely can it be said that they Earn their bread with the sweat of their brow, benevolent nature hath not only Supply'd them with necessarys[sic] but with abundance. Superfluities the Sea Coast supplies them with such Variety of most Excellent fish, but these they get not without some Trouble & Perseverance fish seem to be one of their greatest Luxuries & they Eat it either raw or Dressed & seem to relish it one way as well as the other not only fish but almost every thing that comes out of the Sea is Eat & Esteem'd by these people, Shell Fish, Lobsters, Crabs even