Fresh water may be had in all
these valleys by digging to the depth of two feet. On this island
Captain Stirling caused a garden to be planted and railed out; on
which account he named it "Garden Island."
On this island, Buache, or Garden (as the party named it) Captain
Stirling left a cow, two ewes in lamb, and three goats, where, he
observes, abundance of grass, and a large pool of water awaited them.
They would be, at all events, perfectly free from any disturbance from
the natives.
Rottenest Island is the largest in this quarter, being about eight miles
in length; it contains several saline lagoons, separated from the sea,
on the north-east side, by a beach composed mostly of a single species
of bivalve shell. Like Buache, it is covered with an abundant and
vigorous vegetation, and a small species of kangaroo is said by
Freycinet to be numerous upon it. Vlaming, who first discovered it,
speaks in raptures of the beauties of this island, to which, from the
multitude of rats, as he thought them to be, he gave the name of the
"Rats' Nest." The French call this animal the _preamble .
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