Marquis Wombatsia's Diary; Section Title "Discovery"; Dates February 11-15

(Translated from French)

DISCOVERY

11-02-1824

After a long three months aboard the maiden voyage of my grand ship, The Wombat, my crew believes that we have possibly sighted the first signs of land nearby. The news first came when Skippy, our prime lookout, eyed out a gull grazing the threshold between the misty, humid air, and the grand mighty sea. I do dearly hope to whatever graceful Gods that may rule this mortal realm that we find land soon. Due to mostly unseen circumstances we happen to be low on supplies, and my crew of 25 men is growing restless.

12-02-1824

Why, I'd be damned to the hellish realms below, Skippy was right! Through the handy aiding lens of my miraculously unscathed telescope, Skippy managed to spot a large land mass roughly 25 miles away. Oh how beautiful it is! The trees of a lush, bright green on their leaves that my own mere mortal vision has never gazed before! The sun gives off such a heavenly aura of glow! And the beaches! So softly sanded and bright, how the tips of the sea flow so smoothly back off and on it! I have already made my mind that this is the land that I shall settle on. I am thinking of naming it after myself.

15-02-1824

Alas, settlement! We have finally crossed the gates of this Earth's closest vision of Heaven! My crew has enjoyed the past hour since arrival frolicking on the beach, I have graciously let them. I myself was found more occupied by my discovery of the island's first native critter. I found it in the forest asleep, viewing safely from a distance that it was a small, fur coated mammalian. I have seen others since. I believe they shall be a symbol of my future nation, I shall call them........ The Wombat!