[Captain Cook’s Journal During the First Voyage Round the World by James Cook]@TWC D-Link book
Captain Cook’s Journal During the First Voyage Round the World

CHAPTER 6
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Gold at Otago and Hokatika in the South Island, and at Thames in the North.

The coalfields round the Grey River are enormous, and have no doubt a great future; and this useful mineral is also found in the Bay of Islands, and other places in the North Island.

Other metals, as copper, silver, antimony, have also been found and worked.) The white stone we saw near the South Cape and some other parts to the Southward, which I took to be a kind of Marble, such as I had seen on one of the Hills I was upon in Mercury Bay, Mr.
Banks--I afterwards found--was of Opinion that they were Mineral to the highest degree; he is certainly a much better Judge of these things than I am, and therefore I might be mistaken in my opinion, which was only founded on what I had before seen not only in this Country, but in other parts where I have been; and at the same time I must observe we were not less than 6 or 8 Leagues from the Land, and nearer it was not possible for us at that time to come without running the Ship into Apparent Danger.

However, I am no Judge how far Mineral can be distinguished as such; certain it is that in Southern parts of this Country there are whole Mountains of Nothing Else but stone, some of which, no doubt, may be found to contain Metal.
Should it ever become an object of settling this Country, the best place for the first fixing of a Colony would be either in the River Thames or the Bay of Islands; for at either of these places they would have the advantage of a good Harbour, and by means of the former an Easy Communication would be had, and settlements might be extended into the inland parts of the Country.

For a very little trouble and Expence small Vessels might be built in the River proper for the Navigation thereof.


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