f yy 4 Ne wad 4 | S ANGELES ne 4g taviatt TAIN rt iBR. pe | TS wt LIBRARY.O/ Aso siivy 10 SQELIBRARY., ait UNIVERS/7y. a (va-40% THON. sor QEUBRARY A, Suny peeteee S pry eS as Wagan iv aE CAL! Ohys HORI HAN wa wl ee PTWOKVSOIS ey SS HEUNIVERSy, ATWO SNNEUNIVERD, SELIBRARY Os, FHOIW) IO” 7 Ge roe LEy. % a\y i 5 va =< oS as TSH NIN au | AQCLUBRARYOs, © Magan 4 aA a oF Pw - + + = Page zo CHAPTER IV. Departure from the Cape of Good Hope.—Death of the Carpenter of the Recherché.— Various events.—Extraordinary flight of the albatrofs.— We make the Ifand of St. Paul.—Its forefs on Jire.—Prodigious quantity of infecis iffue from our bifcuit.—Violent effet of the fea.—The Ad- miral is dangeroufly hurt.—Luminous [parks at the extremity of our conduGtors—Large phof- phoric molecules—A mifiake in the bearings, taken by Willaumex, occafions us to enter Storm Bay, taking it for Adventure Bay.—General remarks on the variation of the magnetic needle. '—Diminution of the phofphorefcence of the fea- water, in proportion as we increafe our diftance from the land.—Diregtion of the currents.—It is found neceffary to warm the place where the. ~ time-keepers are depofited—We anchor in Port D'Entrecafteauzr ~ - = Roum |) Page, 210 CHAPTER (CHAPTER v. Sray at Port D Entrecafteaux. ~ dedinadions ae is its . frores being frequented by favages.—Various.ex- _.curfions to the interior of the country —Trees of a prodigious height.—Goodnefs of the foil —Black jfwans.— Large trunks of trees, excavated by fire, ferve as a retreat to the natives.—Kangaroo.— * “Different anatomical obfervations compared.— “Tracks of wild beafts at Cape Diemen.—Sheds erected by the natives.—Frame of their huts. "=A violent fguall breaks our moaring-chain. We get aground on the mud.—We meet with ‘a young favage.—We difcover a ftrait, by which a veffel may pafs from Storm Bay to Ad-— venture Bay.— Huts of the favages.—Seal called phoca monachus.—The heart of this amphibious animal has no foramen ovale-—Other various points of comparative anatomy.—Signs of wild beafts at Cape Diemen—Huts which appeared to us to have been recently inhabited.—Trees fit for frip- building —Viviparous fly, the \arvez of which foon occafioned flefh to putrefy.—Broiled human * bones found by Citizen Riche.—The Sail-maker ‘ “2 of the Recherche lofes himfeif in the woods.—The ~ two fhips get aground on the mud —Some utenfils oS thé favages.— Situation of the obfervatory.— AD Variation CONTENTS. ‘x Variation of the magnetic needle.—The time of high water in the harbour on the days of the new and full moon.—We leave Port D’Enirecafteaux in order to pafs through lhe firait of the fame . name, — Several fires. — Natives feen. ou —the _ beach ——One of them fets fire to the bufhes in feveral places.—We anchor in a very extenfive . . fay, at the entrance of D’ Entrecajicaux’s Strait. e-Excurfion to the neighbouring country. —Na- .. tives furprifed clofe by the little fires where they ~sswere preparing their food. —The firait difcovered py our boats, called D’ Extrecafeaux’s Sirait.— We anchor in different parts of the channel.—Ex- curfions into the country fituated along its fhores. — A few natives crofs it ina catamaran.—Various meetings with the favages—Departure from “"D’Entrecafteaux’s Strait - - - Page 136 CHAPTER VI. Bip of D' Entrecafteaux’s Strait —Paffage \ from Cape Diemen to New Caledonia.—We ox- ~ plore the fouth-weft coaft of New Caledonia.— ~ Dangerous fituation of the Recherche quite clofe to ‘the rocks which Jkirt this coaft—We Jee the na- gives by. the » fea fide-=Small Archipelago at the “northern: ‘extremity of New Caledonia.—Prodi- “gious extent of the reefs—We get fight of the Sates des Ar, deteced and of the Treafury Ilands. ria — Survey xii CONTENTS. —Survey of the weft part of Bougainville’s Ifland and of Bouka Ifland.—Dangerous fituation of the Recherche on the fhoals off Bougainville’s Ifland. —Interview with the favages of Bouka Ifand. —Fondnes of thefe favages for mufic.—Their . difhonefiy.—Canoes of thefe natives.—We deter- mine the pofition of various points of Bougain- ' wille’s land, and of Bouka Iffand—We anchor in Carteret’'s Harbour —Various excurfions into the furrounding country —Continual rains during our flay in Carteret’s Harbour.—Different obfer- walions = - - = + = = + Page 206 CHAPTER VII. Departure from Carteret’s Harbour—The Ejpé- rance lofes an anchor at the mouth of this har- ~ bour.—Paffage through St. George's Channel._— We get fight of the Portland Ifands.—Various interviews with the inhabitants of the Admiralty Hlands.—Their whimfical cohtume.—De/potifin of the chiefs,——Canoes.—Aftonifhing rapidity of __ their failing —We make the Hermits Ifands.— _ Theif inhabitants —We get fight of the Echi- _ quier.—We difeover a new Iland.—A water- _ fpout.—We make New Guinea.—Paffage through _ Pitt's Sirait.—Singular effects of the tides.— Rcege of the Lorre: —We anchor at Amboyna. vs _. Page 262 —_— CHAPTER CONTENTS, xili ».. CHAPTER. , VIII, .. Stay at Amboyna.—One of the boys belonging to ~ the Recherche is drowned in the road.—A vifit ~ to the Governor.—Various excurfions into the “interior of the ifland.—One of the naturalifts + falls dangeroifly ill.—Defeription of his diforder. —Agreeable juice of the fago-paln.—Sugar ex- ’ edna from it.— Ue of different parts of this *waluable tree.—Means employed by the flying ‘Lizard to fupport*itfelf in the air—Matai which “preferves the harveft from pillage—A Duich - vfaor conceals himfelf in the woods for fear of going to ‘Batavia. —A very dexterous manner of * catching the cancer carcinus.—Houjes of the ~ natives of Amboyna.—Their drefs, Sc.—Their «method of procuring fire; their manner of fifhing during the night—Culture of the nutmeg-tree and of the clove-tree.—A long bamboo cut fo as-- to give, in a frefh breeze, very agreeable founds. —Fifhing-places of the inhabitants —Sago-palm. —Extrathion of its pith—Cutaneous diforders common at Amboyna.—Various obfervations re- JSpetting the land and its inhabitants. Page 311 CHAPTER IX. . Departure from Amboyna.—Singular effed of the tides —We get fight of different iflands.—Ra- “ | vages xiv : CONTENTS... ‘ vages occafioned on board by the fpecies of ti- nea called blatta Germanica.—Navigation along the fouth-weP coaft of New Holland.—Death of the Smith of the Recherche.—A gale of wind drives us towards the coaft—We anchor in Le- — grands Bay—The Efpérance lofes at the an- chorage two iron tillers-—The chain by which-fhe rides at this anchorage breaks.—Various excur- fions to the neighbouring country.—New fpecies of fwan.—Marine falt found at upwards of two hundred meters in perpendicular height ; in what manner it had been carried thither —Cilizen Riche lofes himfelf for upwards of two days in-the woods on the main land.—We fail from Legrand's Bay, in order to continue to range along the fhore. —The want of water makes us quit this coaft.— Arrival at Cape Diemen.—We anchor in Rocky Biss sie siesta shais ai Poghs$e7 THE THE / TRANSLATOR’S PREFACE. - — THE Voyage in fearcn of La Péroufe had Jong ceafed to) engage: the attention: of the cutious,. and even feeniéd:almoft to have:efcaped the! me mory- of, the generahclafs of readers, when, after’ — a lapfe of feven years, one‘of the Naturalifts ems. barked) on the expedition, recently publifhed an. account:of; it, a correct and unmutilated: tranfla~ ‘tion. of whith» will be found) in: the’ following: fheets; but, as M. Labillardiare, in: his Introduce tion; has) not; affigned any: reafon for: the tardy’ appearance of, his work, it may perhaps: be: not. . altogether uninterefting to ftate briefly the:prin= cipal caufes which have occafioned this delay. It will be feen:towards: the end:of the Second: Volume, that, after the death.of Captain Huon. an and xvi THE TRANSLATOR’S } PREFACE. Ne meee ee ar ene “ and of Rear-admiral D’Entrecafteaux, the com- mand of the expedition devolved on M. Dauri- beau, who had been previoufly appointed Cap- tain of the Efpérance. While the fhips lay off Sourabaya, one of the principal fettlements’ of the Dutch in the Ifland of Java, an account was — received there of war having broken out between France and Holland. Although the council of | Sourabaya at firft detained the French officer _ fent to procure pilots to carry the fhips into the road, they foon received orders frora the Regency ° of Batavia not only to admit the French fhips, ° but to furnifh them and their crews with every neceflary of which they might fiand in need, » The dyfentery having: at this time made confi- derable ravages on board, moft of the gentle.)® men belonging to the expedition took up ‘their: refidence on fhore.. It appears, that, three months after this, fome frefh news having ‘arrived frotn Europe, M. Dauribeau and the principal officers. ° came to a refolution of hoifting the white flag, as the emblem of their attachment to the old mo- > | natehical government. of France, and putting themfelves under the/protection of the'Dutch, they WE TRANSLATORS PREFACE, Xvi . they caufed all the officers, naturalifts, and fuch of the people belonging to the two fhips as they thought would efpoufe the republican caufe, to be apprehended and thrown into prifon. M. | Dauribeau at the fame time feized upon all the collections of the naturalifis, and foon after pre- vailed on the Governor of Samarang to caufe their effects to be fearched, in order to get pof- feffion of the manufcripts containing the obfer- ¥ations which they had made during the voyage ; - but M. Labillardiére and his friend M. Legrand faved their journals. The officers and other per- fons of the republican party were in the fequel transferred to the prifons of Batavia, and after a long confinement in the vicinity of that un- — healthy fpot, were exchanged, and fent to the Ifle of France. The Recherche and the Efpé- rance being left without men fufficient to navi- gate them, an inventory was ‘taken of their fur- — niture, ftores, &c. by commiflioners appointed on both fides; and thefe, togetlier with the thips, were received by the Regency of Batavia to an- fwer the advances made in provifions, and in other kinds of fuccour afforded to the officers VOL. I. b and ‘ xviii THE TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. and crews ; the Regency engaging that the Dutch government fhould account for the furplus to the. King of France. M. Dauribeau died on the 22d of Auguft 1794; and M. Roffel, then firft lieu- tenant of the Recherche, confequently becoming the fenior officer in command, took into his charge Admiral D’Entrecafteaux’s journal, with all the charts, plans, drawings, fpecimens of na- tural hiftory, &c. and early in the year 1795, embarked with them for Europe, in the Hoogly, a Dutch Eafi-Indiaman, bound from Batavia to Amfierdam. On the oth of June following, this and feven more Dutch fhips. that were in company with her, were captured off St. Helena by his Majefty’s fhip the Sceptre of 64 guns, commanded by Captain Effington, who was bringing home his prizes, when, in confequence of the Hoogly {pringing a leak, fhe was fo near foundering, as to make it neceflary to take out all her people and abandon her; this fervice was executed on the 2d of September, when Cap- tain Effington ordered her to be fet on fire. On the Sceptre’s arrival in England, Captain Effing- ton tranfmitted to the Lords Commiflioners of the HE TRANSLATOR’S PREFAGE. xix the Admiralty fuch of the journals, charts, plans, drawings, and colle¢tions in natural hiftory be- longing to Admiral D’Entrecafteaux’s expedition, as, previous to the capture of the Hoogly, M. Roffel was conveying to Holland. On the 12th of March 1786, M. Labillar- diére arrived at Paris from the Ifle of France, and finding his collection “of fpecimens of na- tural hiflory in the poffeffion of the Britifh, go- vernment, he urged the perfons exercifing the government of France to claim them; this appli- cation being warmly feconded by Sir Jofeph " Banks, they were delivered up with the moft fcrupulous exactnefs, and in a manner that re- flects the higheft honour on the perfons imme~ diately concerned, and, with all the other papers, charts, plans, &c. tranfmitted to Paris in Au- gut 1796 * | A perufal of M. Labillardiere’ $ nartative will afford the moft ample. peoot of his being emi- nently * So exaé& were Minifters in their compliance with this ap- plication, that the Board of Admiralty ordered a Lieutenant of the navy to be fent to Havre in a flag of truce, with the twenty- one cafes which contained M. Labillardiére’s collections, and which had previoufly been in the care of Sir ath Panky b 2 ae THE TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. -nentl y qualified for the fituation to which he was appointed :~his defcriptions in natural hiftory are at once concife and perfpicuous, and be- ' fpeak the moft perfec knowledge of the fubject ; while that part of his narrative which immediately relates to nautical matters, leaves the inquifitive geographer and .cautious navi- gator nothing to with for, either in refpect to the configuration and extent of the coafts he vifitéd, or their precife latitudes and longi- tudes, the variation of the compafs, the pre- vailing winds, the dire@ion and firength of the’ tides and currents, the fituation of fhoals, the foundings, &e. &c.. On-each of thefe heads enough is faid for the guidance of future navi- gators, without defcending to thofe frequent repetitions, which, however neceffary they may be in detailing the geographical pofition of a newly-difcovered land, never fail to tire ‘the general reader. Hence it is, that the narrative of a mere feaman is commonly filled with a ' fuceeffion of nautical remarks, penned in the monotonous fiyle of a log-book; the journal of the philofophic naturalift, on the contrary, not only abounds with lively pitures of the moft 5 _ interefting / SHE TRANSLATOR’S- PREFACE. Xxt interéfling productions of the creation, but is interfperfed with defcriptions of countries and people, manners, cuftoms, \and language; no- thing efcapes his active refearches ; none of the elements long conceal from his penetrating eye their diverfified riches ; he explores the inmoft recefles of Nature, and reveals thofe beauties which lie hidden from the view of an ordinary _ obferver.- | | - In the nomenclature of a few particular places, I have not thought myfelf at liberty to depart ‘from my original. Thus, what Captain Cook and all Englifh navigators term Van Diemen’s’ - Land, I have, after M. Labillardiéré, denomi- nated Cape Diemen. But I have ventured to’ amend the orthography adopted by M. Labillar- | dire in the courfe of other parts of his naviga- tion, particularly in the names of the iflands: lying to the northward of New Guinea, and thence through Pitt’s Strait to the Moluccas. ‘J have tranfcribed the names of thefe different iflands and places from the voyage of Captain. Forreft, who had more frequent opportunities of learning the names given: them by the natives. b3 I think ¢ XXii THE TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. I think it neceffary to be thus explicit on this | point, as Iam of opinion that the names of all coafis, iflands, bays, &c. given by the naviga- tors who firft. difcovered.them fhould be. faith- fully preferved and adhered to, unlefs there is a poflibility of obtaining the name affigned to them by ‘the natives of the country, which . fhould undoubtedly be preferred. In regard to longitude, I have alfo followed the original, in which it is uniformly reckoned from the meridian of Paris, and after pafling it to the eaft, is carried on_eafterly beyond the 180th degree, and back to the fame meridian. The reader can eafily reduce it to longitude from Greenwich, by allowing 2° 20’ for the difs ference eftablifhed between the two meridians. In order to faye the trouble of reference, } have prefixed to this yolume an Inpex’ of the articles of natural hiftory, which occyy in the work, containing their Linnean or other {ci- entific name, with the correfponding Englifh or other name by which they are moft commonly known, and Jikewife the pages of the volume jn which they are mentioned, fs) THE TRANSLATOR’S PREFACE. XXiil In the Malay, Cape Diemen, Friendly Iflands, New Caledonia, and Waygiou vocabularies, at the end of the fecond volume, I have adapted : the orthography as nearly as poflible to the Englifh pronunciation. | stipe The main object of M. D'Entrecafteaux’s voyage having been to fearch for La Péroufe, I now fubjoin, for the fatisfa@ion of the reader, the tranflation:of an extract of the laft letter written by that unfortunate navigator to the Marfhal De Caries, then Minifter of ' the French Marine, in which he fpecifies the track that he intended to follow on his departure from ° New South Wales, in March 1788. © Botany Bay, 7th February 1788. « I fthall again make a run to the Friendly “ Tflands, and I fhall ‘ftriGtly perform “every «¢ thing that has been enjoined me by my in- * fiructions, in regard to the fouth part of «¢ New Caledonia, Mendana’s Ifland of Santa s Cruz, the fouthern coaft of Surville’s Terre *€ des. Arfactles, and the land called by Bou- gainville La Louifiade, and endeavour ° to b4 | ** afcer- _— xxiv" THE TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE, * afcertain whether this laft makes a part of «* New Guinea, or is feparated from it. To- « wards the end of July: 1788, I thall :pafs be- « tween New Guinea and New’ Holland, by a « different channel than Endeavour Strait,, pro- «* vided fuch a:one exift.. During the month « of September, and a part of O¢tober, I fhall * vifit the Gulf of Carpentaria, and all the - sweft coaft of New Holland, .as far as Van id Dicmgn’s Land; but yet in fach a manner, « that it may be poflible for me to get to thie « northward in time to arrive at the Ifle of _ France in the beginning of December 1788,” To gratify the impatience of the reader, I fhall here, in a few words, anticipate the refult of this voyage. When Admiral D’Entrocafteaux touched at the Cape of Good Hope, he received — difpatches from _M. Saint-Felix, the French Commander in Chief on the India fiation, en- clofing him the depofitions of two French Cap- tains of merchantmen, which fiated that Cap- — tain Hunter, late of the Syrius frigate, when . palling by the Admiralty Ifands, in his voyage “4 from THE TRANSLATORS PREFACE, _KKV from Botany Bay to Batavia in a Dutch veffel, perceived. feveral canoes containing favages, fome of whom appeared to him to be clothed ‘in the uniform of the French navy, but with’ whom, from the contrariety of the winds and — currents, he could not have any intercourfe. Notwithftanding the improbability of the truth of this ftatement, Admiral D'Entrccafteaux, with a zeal ‘highly honourable to his feelings, did not hefitate a fingle moment; he changed the plan of his route, to haften to the Admiralty Iflands. His ardour not having been crowned with fuc- cefs, he recommenced his fearch in the order prefcribed by his infiructions, and completely — fulfilled them all, by exploring, as far as was in his power, thofe coats, iflands, &c. mentioned by La Péroufein his: laft letter, without being - able to obtain the fmalleft information, or any thing like a ground for a probable conjecture, — ~ concerning’ the fate of a man, whofe fkill, per- feverance, fortitude, and humanity, have jufily entitled him to be placed at the head of thofe navigators of whom France may well cherifh a proud and grateful remembrance. INTRO- A pi sti INTRODUCTION. ‘THREE years having elapfed, and no tidings been received of the two, fhips the Boufole and the Afrrolabe, under the command of La Pz- rouse, the Society of Natural Hiftory of Paris, towards the beginning of the year 1791, awak- ened the attention of the Conftituent Affembly refpecting the fate of that navigator and his com- panions in misfortune.’ The hope of finding at leaft fome wreck of an expedition undertaken for the advancement of the fciences, determined the Affembly to fend two other fhips in the track that thefe navigators were to have followed after thetr departure from Botany Bay. Some of them might poffibly have - efcaped fhipwreck, and be fequefiered in a defert ifland, or thrown on coafis inhabited by favage | nations ; ed ™ . —_— = ti: 2 xxviii _ INTRODUCTION. nations ; perhaps they were yet living in thofe diftant climates, and continually cafting their looks towards the fea, in hopes that their coun- try would one day fend them the affifiance which they had a right to expect. The following i is the decree that was paffed on this fubject, on the oth of February 1791: } ** The National Affembly, having heard the <* report of its United. Committees of Agticul- * ture, -of Commerce, : and of the Marine, de- “ -efees, _ © That the King be asda to give orders * to all ambafladors, refidents, confuls, and “ agents of the French nation, at the courts of “ the different powers, that they do, in. the “name of humanity, and. of the arts and ** feiences, engage the refpective fovereigns at * whofe courts they: refide, to charge all .navi-. “ gators and agents whatfoever, who are fubject ** to their control, in whatever part of the globe _ they may be, but efpecially in the fouthern © parts of the South Sea, to make every inquiry ~ in their power after the two French frigates “® the Beale and the Afrolale, under the com- ‘© mand ee ae AINTRODUCTIQN. XXIX mand of M. pr 1a Pirovse, as well as after their crews, and endeavour. to obtain every information that: may afcertaim their exiflence or their fhipwreck; to the end, that) in cafe M. de la Péroufe and his companions fhould ‘be found or heard, of, no matter in what-place, all poflible aflifiance may be rendered them, and means. procured them for returning to their country, as well as for enabling them to bring away every thing that may be in their poflefion; the National Affembly engaging to indemnify, and: even to reward, according to-the importance of the fervice, whoever fhall afford affiftance to thefe navigators, ob- tain any information concerning them, or only — procure for France the reftitution of whatever papers and effeéts may belong or have be- longed to the expedition in which they were engaged. : «« That the King be requefied to dire& that’ there be equipped one or more fhips, on board of which may be embarked fome, men of fcience, naturalifts, and draughtfmen; and that the commanders employed on the expe- © &< Sings, ns XxX - INTRODUCTION. « dition be charged with the double miffion of “* fearching after M. de la Péroufe, agreeably to “‘ the documents, infiructions, and orders that «* may be given them, and, at the fame time, of *€ making inquiries relative to the fciences and *< to commerce, taking every meafure, independ- ** ently of the fearch after M. de la Péroufe, ot « even after having met with him or procured *< intelligence of him, to render this expedition *© nfeful to navigation, to commerce, and to the “« arts and {ciences.” Compared with the original, by us the Prefident and Secretaries of the Na- tional Affembly. At Paris, this 24th of February 1791. (Signed) Dvurort, Prefident. Liorr’, } Secretaries. Bovussion, From my earlieft youth I had applied myfelf to the fiudy of matural hiftory: convinced that it is in the great book of Nature that her produc- - tions fhould be ftudied, and a juft idea formed of INTRODUCTION. XXXKI of her phenomena, no fooner had I finithed my medical education, than I made a journey to England. This journey was. foon followed by another to the Alps, where the foil affords a pro- digious variety of fpecimens, owing to the dif- ference of the temperature of thofe lofty moun- tains. | | | I afterwards vifited part of Afia Minor, where I refided two years, in order to difcover there the plants, of which the Greek and Arabic phy- ficians have left us very imperfect defcriptions: of thefe I had the fatisfaStion of pringing home fome very fine collections. I had not been long returned from thefe laf travels; when the National Affembly gave orders for the equipment of two fhips, for the purpofe of endeavouring to fave at leaft a part of the wreck of the expedition commanded by la Péroufe. | It was av honour to be of the number of thofe who were to make every poffible fearch in order to refiore to their country men to whom fhe owed fo much. In other refpeéts this voyage held out many temptations os - Se ae intRopuctiow. temptations to a naturalift. ° “New countries’ werd to ettrich our'kiiowledge with” new productions, ‘which could not fail to” ‘Cofittibute to the ad- yaucement of the-arts and feiencesS “My fondnefs for travelling had till now been céntifitally increafing, and three months failing ig the Mediterranean when I went to Afia Mi= nor, “fad ferved me as a'trial for a long voyages Actording gly TF cagetly embraced this opportunity Of going to vifit the South Seas, Tf the gratification of this paffion for ftudy is dearly purchafed, the variegated produGions of a new country amply counterbalance all the hard hips infeparable from long voyages. ‘T was chofen’ by the government to embark, a8 a naturalift, on the voyage of which I am now going to give an account. 1 My journal, which was kept with care during the voyage, contained a great many na utical obfer- vations; yet it is incumbent on me to declare, that this part would have been very incomplete, but for the regular days works furnithed me by Citizen Legrand, one of the beft officers belonging to y the I feize INTRODUCTION. XXXiil I feize this opportunity to exprefs my gratitude to that dkilful feaman, whofe lofs we have to de- plore in the prefent war. ) When I quitted Batavia to repair to the Ifle of France, Citizen Piron,,draughtfman of the expedition, begged me to accept duplicates of the drawings. of the drefles and of the views which he had taken in the courfe of the voyage. I will venture to fay, that thefe drawings are a firiking reprefentation of the originals. I have endeavoured to relate,. in the moft exact manner, the facts of which I was an eye- witnefs during this fatiguing voyage, through feas ftrewn with fhoals, and in the midft of fa- vages, againft whom it was neceflary for us to be conftantly on our guard. Admiral D’Entrecafieaux was appointed to the command of the expedition. This officer ap- plied to government for two ftore-fhips of about five hundred tons burden; they were fheathed with wood, and their bottom was then filled with nails. The Admiral was indifferent at their lofing in point of fpeed, in hopes of giving an additional degree of folidity to their | VoL. 1. : c wrnate con- XXXIV INTR ORUERDM. conftruction ; it is. however admitted, that veffels fheathed with copper and copper-faftened, may be built fully as ftrong,. and that they. have, be- fides, the advantage in failing. Thefe two fhips received names analogous to tie objet of the un- dertaking. That in which Admiral D’Entrecaf- teaux embarked was called La Recherche, and the other, ‘commanded by Captain Huon Kermadec, was named L'E/pérance. The Recherche had on board one hundred and thirteen men at the time. of her departure ; the Efpérance had only one hundred and fix« the following are their names. ‘ON BOARD OF THE RECHERCHE. Commifioned Officers. Bruni D’Entrecafteaux, Com- mander of the Expedition. Dauribeau, Lientenant. Roffel, ditto. Crétin, ditto. Saint-Aignan, ditto. Singler Dewelle, Soxs-licute- nant. / _~Willaumez the elder, Ex- Seige. Longuerue, Mid/hbipman. ‘Atchard Bonvouloir, ditzo. Dumtrite, Volunteer. Renard, Surgeon. Hiacinthe Boideliot, Surgeon’s Mate. Bertrand, Afronomer. Labillarditre, Naturalift. Defchamps, ditto Louis Ventenat, Naturalift doing the duty of Chaplain. Beautems Beaupré, Geogre- ~ phical Engineer. Piron, Draught/man. Lahaie, Gardener, Warrant INTRODUCTION. Warrant Officers. Goulvain, Boat/fwain. Jofeph Gourbel, Boat/wain’s firf? Mate. Olivier Chaouen, Boat/wain’s Mate. Thomas le Gal, ditto. Michel Calvez, Qvyarter- mafter. Frangois Chevanton, ditto. Jean-Marie Tanguy, ditto. Francois Gourneuf, ditte. Gunners and Marines. Jacques Devers, Gunner. Nicolas Baften,Gunner’sMate. Jean-Baptitte Ferbus, Mafer at Arms. Jean-Baptifte Croifé, Serjeant. Laurent Jacot, Corporal. Michel Ferry, ditto. Benoit Dupont, Marine. Silveftre Bourdenet, ditto. Laurent Hichon, ditto. Jean-Louis Ferron, ditto. Louis Defchamps, ditto. . Jean-Baptifte Guy, ditto. Simon Bonnot, ditto. Antoine Tournois, ditto. Edme-Céme Dauviffat, ditto. Pierre-Augutftin Avignon, ditto. . Denys Leduc, ditto. Louis-Marie Ingouf, ditto, c2 XXXV Carpenters. Louis Gargan, Carpenter. Antoine Chaffener, Carpenter's Mate. Olivier Troadec, ditto, crew. Caulkers. Allain Livmec, Caudker.. Jean Ropars, Afifant. Sailmakers. Frangois Saliot, Satlmaker. Jean Jofeph Laftenec, Sail. maker's Mate. \ Pilots. Jofeph Raoul, Fir? Pilot. Pierre-Guillaume Gicquel, Second Pilot, made Enfeigne~ the 6th February 1793. Ange Raoul, A4fifant Pilot. Armourer. Jean Frangois Hardy. Smith. Jean-Marie Marhadour. Sailors. Jean Morvah, | Pierre Legagneur. Jean Louis. | Jofeph Seguin. Frangois Feuregard. Louis -~ XXXVI INTRODUCTION. Lonis Leblanc. Novices. Thomas-Jofeph Perrés. Fabien Crepin. Mathurin Leon. Francois-Germain Marie For- Sanfon Philipe. refti Piste Loni Nicole: Vincent-Rolan Marjeat. Jean-Jacques Moulin. Louis-Barthelemy Daulioules. Boyse Antoine-Pierre Lebugle. “| Gabriel Abalea. rain ig pra Guillaume Uffon. aK cae hy Jacques-Henri Lambert. as eh OB Charles-Frangois-Hypolite Guiltaume Lecail. Deflacs Fratigois Grezel. ; Francois Huon. Witt Pe ee, Purfer, =e ie in his De- Pierre-Antoine Lelard. “1 Jofeph Willemin. ) : pe Girardin, Purfer. ofeph-Marie Gallo. Leroy, Cooper. Jacques Nouvel. _ | Jean Herve, Butcher. Pierre Pichot. Pierre-Frangois Rippert, Jean-Marie Guiquiou. Baker, Jofeph-Marie Troemé. Singiwit Thomas Roujeux. b : Jean Legal. Ceres Yves Legallou. aie athurin-Pierre Dupont. fab beniel incent Henry. . René-Jofeph Maurice. Jofeph He Jacques-Frangois Dubos. Lonke #4 de Pierre-Gafpar Saint-André. Joab 0K des ’, The Britith navy not affording any rank correfponding to that of Sous-lieutenant, or of Enjeigne, thofe titles are neceflarily preferved., T. ee INTRODUCTION. XXKVil ON BOARD OF THE ESPERANCE. Commiffioned Officers. Huon Kermadec, Captain. Trobiant, Lieutenant. Laffeny, ditto. Lagtandiére, ditto. Lufangay, ditto. Lamotte Duportail, Sous- _ lieutenant. Legrand, Ex/cigne. Laignel, ditto. Jurien, Volunteer. Boyne, Midhbipman. Jouannet, Surgeon. Gauffre, Surgeon’s Mate. Pierfon, Affronomer, doing the duty of Chaplain. — “Riche, Naturalif. Blavier, ditto. Jouvency, Geographical En- gineer. Ely, Draught/man. Warrant Officers. Tonntre, Boat/wain. Manach, Boatfwain’s frft Mate. Dubois, Boatfwain’s Mate. Guivarch, ditto. : Pelonet, Quarter-mafter. Défert, ditto. Bethany, ditto, Pond, ditte. e 9 Gunners and Marines, Guyard, Gunner. Aubin, Gunner's Mate. Sullerot, 4/fant. Zeler, Serjeant. Coulaux, ditto, Guilloux, Corporal, Valentin, ditto, Antoine, Marine. Couillez, ditto, Schmit, ditto. Guy, ditto, Fort, ditto. Boucher, ditfe. Mercier, ditto. . Carpenters. jouanot, Carpenter. Ralond, Carpenter's Mate, Caulkerss Bizien, Caulker. Sanfceur, Afifant. Sailmakers. Stephany, Sailmaker. Leguel, Saiimaker’s Mate. Pilots. Rault, Firf Pilot. Lucas, Secoud Pilot. Ledanfeur, Afifant Pilot. Heurtaut, Coafing Pifot. Armourergs INTRODUCTION. Ladroux. Befcon. Nifeaux. Gigoufeaux. Lecorps. Jacob. Souffes. Toullec, - Bays. Guymar. Alexandre André, Pihan. J. Legoff. Frangois André. : partment. Fleuriau, Pur/er. ‘Coutray, Cooper. Leroy, Ship’s Cook. Adam. Peigné, Baker. Servants. Purfer, and People in his De- It INTRODUCTION, XKXiK It is painful to add, that out of two hundred and nineteen perfons, there had already died eighty-nine, previous to my arrival at the Ifle of France; but it muft be obferved, that we had loft very few people in the courfe of the voyage, and that this frightful mortality was owing folely to our long ftay in the Ifland of Java. ; c 4 fe LIST | a pe | s 5 . Fe Po wes” k ry = in Pe . v Buea h a A mt LIST OF THE PLATES CONTAINED IN THE | ~ SEPARATE VOLUME, WITH THE PAGES TO WHICH THEY REFER. No. .. Vol. Page, J. Cuart of the Indian Ocean, and of part of the South Sea, exhibiting the track of the Recherche and Efpé- rance, on a voyage in fearch of La Péroufe. II. View of the Admiralty Iflands - j. 269 III. Savage of the Admiralty Iflands = 279 IV. Manner of fithing of the favages of Cape Diemen ~ - ~ il. §t V. Savages of Cape Diemen preparing their meal - - - 53 VI. Woman of Cape Diemen - - 31 VII. Man of Cape Diemen.—Child of Cape Diemen : ~ ” - ib. VIII. Man of Cape Diemen - - ib. Feenou, chief of the warriors of Tonga- taboo = = t 94 }X, Black Swan of Cape Diemen - 1. 148 X. Blacks xlii _LIST OF THE PLATES. No ‘ Vol. Page. X. Black-fpotted Parrakeet of Cape Diemen - - ii. 47 _. XI. Calao of the Mand of Waygion 2. 304 XU. Fig. 1, 2, and 3. Aferce rubra ~, i. 356 Fig. 4, 5; aid 6. Spider, which the New Caledonians eat ‘. - ii, 250 Fig. 7 and 8.-Shield of the natives of La Louifiade 295 Fig. 9- sige ced Wath’ bl Ea Louifiade - - - 293 XIII. Euc - age a - i. 164 XIV, Exocarpes cupreffiformis - 167 XV. Diplarrena morea - - ~~ 169 XVI. Richea glauca ? es ete RR The 200 XVIT. Maxéulexeron rufum . el. 8 XVIII. Carpodontos lucida - 13 XIX. Mazeuloxeron refiexum - 65 XX. Eucalyptus cornuta -. - is 433 XXI. Chorizema ilicifalia ~ = . 435 XXII. Anigozanthes rufa - > 445 XXIII. Bankfia répens - - 443 XXIV. Bankfanived — - - - 444 ' XXYV, A Savage of New Zealand - i, 84 A young female Savage of New Zealand = - ib, XXVI. Enfertainment given to Admiral D'Entfecafteaux, by Toobou, King of the Friendly Iflands + 136 XXVIII. A Dance at the Friendly Ffands, in prefence of Queen Tinch - 158 XXVIII. DoubleCange of the Friendly Ifands 93 fe 1 XXIX, List OF THE PLATCS, xiii No. Vol, Page. XXIX, Toobou, fon of the King of the Friendly Iflands—Vouacecee, an inhabitant of the Pb or igi Iflands” - - XXX. Woman of Téngatibog, one of the Friendly Iflands - - 167 Woman of Amboyna - = i. 39% KXX]. Articles in ufe among the jnhabitants of the Friendly Iflands, Fig. 1, 25 3y 4, 5,6, and 7, Batkets of different fhapes *. Fig. 8. An earthen Veffel, furrounded with a net of large mefhes, made with ‘ se es ~ lal N cocoa-nut bafs. - - - ii, 123 Fig. 9 A woaden Veffel; in which 4ava is prepared =] - ~ 138 Fig. 10, 11, and 12. Cups for drinking : kava t : 3 193 Fig. 13. A Spoon cut out of a fhell *. Fig. 14. Fruit of the melédinus /candens, which the women fill with oil, intended for greafing different parts of the body 147 KXXII. Other Articles in ufe among the inha- | bitants of the Friendly Iflands*. Fig. 15. An Apron of cocoa-nut bafs *. Fig. 16, 17, 18, and 19. Different forts of Necklaces *. Fig. 20. An Ornament for the head *. ae Fig. 21. A Comb - - 15% Fig. 22. A grotefque Figure of bone, ! which, as well as the bit of bone, repre- fenting a bird rudely carved, attached to the necklace No. 19, is worh by {e- XXXII. Other Articles in ufe among the in- LIST OF THE. PLATES. Vol, Page. veral of the inhabitants, fufpended to _ the neck*. ,' Fig. 23.A Shark’s Tooth, fixed into the end of a piece of wood; it is ufed for carving various works - =, -~ ii 147 Fig. 24.A File, made of a bit of ray’s tkin, faftened to a piece of wood == 175 Fig. 25 and 26, Calcareous Stones, that the inhabitants faften tothe lines with which they fith in deep water - 166 Fig. 27, 28, and 29. Fith-hooks - - ib, Fig. 30. A wooden hook for carrying burdens, furmounted by a flat ciroular piece of wood *, Fig. 31. The circular Piece of Wood. habitants of the Friendly Iflands. Fig.32. A Fly-flapper, of cocoa-nut bafs*. Fig. 33. A Fan, made with a leaf of the . Species of palm called empha um- braculifera*. Fig. 34 and 35. Wooden Pillows - 164 Fig. 36. A Bludgeon *, Fiz. 37, 38, and 39. Clubs ~~ ~ 147 Fig. 40. A fort of Cutlafs, of bone *. Fig. 41. A kind of Sword, of bone *. XXXIV. Woman of Vfle de Beaupré — XXXV. Savage of N Man of J abs Beaupré -. 246 ew Caledonia throwing a dart - = ii. 156, 193, 256 XXXVI. Woman of New Caledonia - +» 194 AXXYVII. Articles in ufe among the favages pfNew Caledonia = - e193 2 Fig. LIST OF THE PLATES. alv ito. Vol. Page. Fig. 1. A wooden Mak — - - li, 249 Fig, 2 and 3. A Cap - - 208 Fig. 4. A Necklace - «+. 855 Fig. 5 aud 6. Bracelets - - ib. Fig. 7, 8, and 9. Combs *. Fig. 10, 115.125 13, 14, and 15.Clubs—- 258 SMXXVIII. Other Articles in ufe among the in- habitants of New Caledonia, _ Fig. 16. A Bag for carrying the oval ftones which the inhabitants throw with their flings - "e293 Fig. 17. Sling - > - 2%. Fig. 18. Stone ~ . - 2b. Fig. 19. Nbowet, an inftrument with which the favages of New Caledo- nia cut up the fleth of their enemies, ‘ which they divide after battle -\ 24 Fig. 20. Two human Ue fhaped and 7 well polifhed, ufed for taking out the inteftines of the unfortunate victims that thefe people devotir 2" 3 gee Fig. 21. A Hatchet of ferpent-ftone, , with a wooden handle - = 230 Fig. 22 and 23. Fifh-hooks *. | Fig. 24. A Bafket - - - 221 Fig. 25. A Dart, ufed by the inhabit-. ants of the Admiralty Iflands. “Its upper extremity is armed with a ‘piece of volcanic ftone - - i, 272° Fig. 26. Flute played on by the na- tives of La Louifiade - - ii, 290 Fig. 27. Necklace worn by the iaha- bitants af La Louifiade - + ib. Fig. xivi LIST OF PLATES. - No. : Vol, Page. : Fig. 28, 29, and 30. Huts of the fa- vages of New Caledonia - - ii. 196 XXX! X. Magpie of New Caledonia - 226 XL. Dracophyllum verticillatum - a. Si XLI. Antholoma montana - - - 245 XLII. View in the Ifland of Bouro, taken from the roadftead = - - = i. 36% XLIII. Canoe of the Arfacides - - ii. 273 Canoe of the Ifland of Bouka - i. 247 XLIV. Double Canoe of New Caledonia - ii. 192 Catamaran of Cape Diemen - i. 199 Canoe of the Ifland of Santa Cruz, or £gmont Ifland, in the South Sea - ii. 265 N. Bi The articles marked thus * are not referred to in any par- sienlar page of the work. Thofe, however, in Plates XXXI. XXXII. and XXXUII. belong to Chapter XII, and thofe in Plate XXXVIHM. to Chapter XIH. INDEX INDEX OF THE ARTICLES OF NATURAL HISTORY WHICH OCCUR IN-THIS WORK: CONTALNING Their Lins xan or other {cientific Name, with the cor- refponding Englifh or other Name by which they’ are moft commonly known. A. Linnzan or other fcientific Name. English or other commrnon Name. AA BROMA augufta Abrus precatorius ° Acanthus ilicifolius we integrifoliut Acroftichum Auftrale pectinatum Adiantum reniforme LEfchynomene grandiflora Agave vivipara - Aletris (a new fpecies of ) Mleurites = a - Vol. Page. Maple-leaved aéroma i. +366 Jamaica wild liquorice ii, 101, 1 + Holly-leaved acanthus i. 353-—ii. 230 Entire-leaved acanthus , i. 353-—ii. 230 Southern acroftic + ii 238 Peétinated -acroftie i. $82 Kidney-leaved maiden- hair - - . 26 Great-flowered afehynomene. 357 Viviparous or childing agave + i. 86, 336eeli. 315 .Mletris or bafe aloe - kh. 160 Aleurités or Molucca croton ii. 248 Amentaced xl viii Linnzan or other fcientific Name. Amentacee - - Amomum singiber - Anacardium - - Ancifirum - Anigoxanthos (new genus) - _—_ rufa (new {pe- cies) aati Annona - - —— muricata - Antholyxa ZEthiopica - Antholoma (new genus) —~ cies) - : Apium proftratum (new f{pe- cies) - ein ts Aptenodytes minor . Avalia - . Aranea aculeata - . . oe dusli's ° ——/pimfa- Areca (new {pecies of) © - Argofalia . - . Arum ¢fculentum . , —— macrorhizon - Long-rooted arum - INDEX TO THE NATURAL HISTORY. Englifh or other common Name. Vol. Page: Amentaceous plants, the name of the fixteenth - i. 379 Narrow-leaved ginger - ii. 232 Acajou or cafhew-nut ‘~) Anciftrum - - 168 Anigoxanthos . - 44! Red anigozanths (See Plate XXII.) . -. . 44% Cuftard-apple. - - 31% Rough-fruited cuftard- apple or four-fop - 359 i. 167 Broad-leaved antholiza or Ethiopian corn-flag 9! Antholoma - - ii, 245 Mountain antholoma (See Plate XLII) - - 245 . Proftrate parfley - i. 152, 198 Smaller penguin - 432 Angelica tree - - 328 Aculeated fpider Eatable fpider - ~~ ii. 250 - 257 Thorny {pider - i. 257 Areca - : - 255 Argofalia ~ - 441 Efculent arum or Indian kale ~ ii, 153, 227 228, 236 hgted (a new genus of Fungus, fo called from the eae of its rays) See Plate XII, - Plants of the afparagus genus mi he - i. 156 ii. 220 Afplenium INDEX TO THE NATURAL. HISTORY. | Linnzan or other {cientific Name. Ajplenium ” » Afer - ~ aT Averrhoa chraméola | BaListes verracofus - Binkfa gidhofa - - integrifolia - ——— nivea (new fpecies) - ma rofens (new fpecies) Barringtonia Speciofa - Barleria Primitis 9 + + Bafaltss + ° af Bauhinia he, Ps Begonia (4 new fpecies of) ~ Bignonia - . Bixa orellana J . Blatta Germanica — - irs Orientalis - = Boa éonftriftr = > Bombax + . ‘ ——— ceiha : “ Borbonia - - - Bofea yereamora + . Brabeium feellulifolium > Brunia paleacea . - Bubon galbanum -. Bulla ovum ° > . Bufleurum + » Buxus — re “4 VOL, tf. - xlix Englith or other common Name, Vol. Page. Spleen-wort - ii, 308 Star-wort . - i. 186 Blimbing . ~ 357 B. | Warted balifes - 44 Gibbous-fruited Bankfa 149 Entire-leaved Bankfa + 139 Snowy Bankfa (See Plate XXII) - . 443 Creeping Bankfa (See Plate XXIV.) - 443 Laurel-leaved Barringtonia 251, 252 Prionitis Barkeria - ii. 318 Ba/faltes 9 Per” “SSF Mountain ebony 2 330 ° Begonia = e i. 330 Trumpet flower + 246 Arnotto or anotta - 364 German cockroach > 406 Oriental cockroach - 407 Great doa, a fpecies of {nake ii, 345 Silk-cotton tree + + 266 Ceiba or thorny bombax = 315 Borbonia ~ “ote 6 ibs 92 Golden-rod tree + = * 14 African almond = = * 190 Paleaceous or chaffy drunia = 84 Lovage-leaved dudon 88 Egg bulla -~ a > 279: Hare’s ear * . 426: Box => > > 390 a Cacakia e* Es rNDEX TO THE NATURAL uIsTORY. a Linnzean or other {cientific Name. Cacatia &leinia - 4 . Ca&us opuntia - _ Cayeput . : Calamus - 2 Calceolaria - 2 Campanula aurea F Canarium commune he Cancer carcinus - : —— ruricla — - ° —_— wean S =. Capficum grofum = + = Casals (new genus) - Carpodontos lucida - Caryota wrens . - Cafuarina ° of Cafuarina equifitifolie - Cerbera andl litte hg manghas Chalcas paniculata . Che todon . > Chironia linoides - bd —_ trinervia » Chorinema (new genus) — - ro Englith or other common Name. Vol. Page. * Oleander-leaved cacalia or cabbage-tree i, 9, 12 Common India fig or Prickly pear - = 4g Cajeput, an oil expreffed from the melaleuca la~ tiflliola - = ~ = ii, 309 Zalacca or rattan - - 315 Slipper-wort - : 5 Golden bell-flower - i. 26 Common canarium 3.41, 347 A fpecies of cray-fith 312, 338 Land-crab- - - _ ii. 252 Callingcrab + + i, 319 Heart-fhaped cap/icum or bell-pepper - ~-+ 339 Carpodontos —- - ii, 13 Shining carpodontos (See Plate XVII) ++ 13547 Stinging bipinnated palm i 25g Cafuarina or club wood i, 188, 195—ii. 95, 96, 138, 147, 153 Horfe-tail cafwarine - ii 237 Cerbera - . ib. Cerbera manghas - + 135 Panicled chalcas - i 312 Chae todon, a {pecies of filhes 142 Flax-leaved chironia - 83 Three-nerved chironia + ib. Chorinema - - 435 / INDEX TO THE NATURAL HISTORY. li Linnzan or other fcientific Name. Chorizema ilicifolia. .. Cinarocephalae ~ Cicendela a Coix lachryma Fobi Coleoptera - Coluber oe laticaudatus - Columba alba _- ee LEN CZ - ——— cormata - —— pacifica - purfurata Commerfonia echinata Compofite ° i ae Conifer A) te S “Conyza ie ‘ Cordia febeflana Corvi Caledonici ~ Corypha umbraculifera Coryphaena hippurus Crithmum marinum Croton - pie. _———— variegatum * Cruciferae ye ty Cryfanthemum frutefcens Cunonia Capenfts - Englith or other common Name.. Vol. Page. - Holly-leaved chorizema (See Plate XX7.) = "i. 43 g Artichoke-like plants - 200 Cicendela . - 253 Job’s tears + - ii. 280 Tnfects of the coleopterous tribe . i. 253—ii. 4! Snake - - ii, (23 Broad-tailed fnake - 237 White pigeon = - 366 Molucca or nutmeg pigeon : - 96 Great-crowned pigeon. Pacific eigen ee Purple pigeon = ib. ~ Echinated Commer fonia . 216 - Compound flowers + i. 379 - _Cone-bearing plants, the fifteenth order in Lin- neeus’s Fragments. + 12, 22 ~ Fleabane - o>. 5538 ~ Rough-leaved cordia + ii. 203 ~ New Caledonian crows 239 - Great fan-palm _ 100, 135, 316 - .Dolphin-fith - - i. 39 - Seaorrock famphire - 152 ~ Bale ricinus . - ii, 318 - Variegated-leaved croton i, 3.70 > An order of plants bear- ing cruciform or crofs- fhaped flowers _ 195 - Shrubby Canary chry/an- themum . ° 9 - Cape cunonia - - 92 dz , Cuffinia li Lili of a ese Nat Cuffonia thyrfilora a Cyanella Capenfis ar Cpcas circinalis wa Cynometra cauliflora ar ramiflora ° Dammara alba . Datura meiel - . Del inus - . —— de Yphis srt Dermeftes paniceus . Didelphus Orientalis les Dilatris - ° Diomedea exulans + « Diofcorea alata Ya ats Dio/ma - of Diplarrena (new genus) - - moraa ar Difa grandiflora e Dolichos tuberofus - D loris - - Draco volans - ty Dr acena - ~ Dracophyllum (new genus) - Dracophyllim verticillatum (new fpecies) - Drofera - - Drofera bifurca (new {pecies) Stem-flowered cyntmetra INDEX TO THE NATURAL HISTORY. Englith or other common Name. ee Vol. Page. Thyrfe-flowered Cuffonia i. 328 Purple-floweredCape cya- _ nella - - 93 Broad- leaved eas . 254.259 342 Branch-flowered cpusaett ii. 315 a) White dammara _. 388 Hairy thorn-apple : Dolphin — i, 365—ii. 173, 459 Common or true dolphin i. 459 Bread Dermefies + 1, 122 Surinam opoffum - 338 Dilatris - - 441 Wandering albatrofs © 56, 116 Wing-ftalked dicfeorea - 101 African fpirea - - g2 Diplarrena - - Morea diplarrena (See Plate XV.) - 169 Great flowered dia = gg Tuberous-rooted dolichos ii. 218, 222, 2qr Doris - - - i. 43 Flying lizard or dragon 328 Dragou-tree 199; 220, 255- Dracophyllum - ii. 219 Verticillate dracophyllum (See Plate XL.) - 219 Sun-dew - - s Bifurcated fun-dew - i. 153 EcuENEIS INDEX TO THE NATURAL HISTORY. | Linnzan or other fcientific Name. EcHENE!IS remora Elaocarpus monogynus Embothrium - Epacris -— Ehidendrum - Erica oti — halicacaba Erica - Erigeron . Erythrina coralledendron Eugenia Malaccien/is Eucalyptus Se. cornuta (new fpe- cies) - cies) - refinifera Euphorbia a Canarienfis dendroides Exorcarpos (new genus) cupreffiformis expanfa Exocatus volitans Facara enodia Falco ferpentarius » + — globulus (new {pe- li E. Englifh or other common Name. Vol. Page, Suck-fith - - © 39 Monogynous eleocarpus 327 Embothrium ~ 4. 1§7—1i. 4,75 Epacris + - = ti 239,186 Epidendrum-or vanilla . + -252 Heath ee - 153 Purple-ftalked heath + + 93 Plants of the family of the theaths = - i. 86—ii. 20, go Erigeron or fmaller fleabane i, 148 Smooth-leaved coral tree . 355 Malacca Eugenia aes 357 Eucalyptus i, 139, 142, 163, 174 Horned eucalyptus (See Plate XX.) 453. 434 Globular eucalyptus (See Plate XII.) i. 164, 174—il- 12, 47 Red gum tree 1,139,142, 146, 163—ii-7, 58475 Spurge : > 4, 379 Canary leaflefs euphordia = or {purge + . 12 European tree-fpurge - 12 Exocarpos - - 167 Cyprus-like exocarpos ~ (See Plate XIF.) i. 167—ii. 72 Expanded exocargos + ii. 72 Flying-fifh = i 4p F. Sweet-fcented fagara ii. 47 Secretary or meffenger i. $4 d3 Fafticla liv " INDEX TO THE Linnzan or other fcientific Name Fafeiola - Feflaca - r~ Ficoides ~ Fucus - —_—— natans - —_— palmatus - a} Gapbu $ ~ ae Garcinia mangofana Gafterofteus ductor Ger: ‘anium - Gethyllis Spiralis Ghycine (a new fpecies of ae Gorleria ciliaris“ Goffypium religiofum Guettarda > Guilandina moringa Gyrinocarpus - HAMANTHUS coccineus Hamatites ot Hedyfarum umbellatum op. (a new fpecies of) - NATURAL HISTORY. Englith or other common Name. “re Vol. Page. A genus ofworms - i. 51 “Fefcue grafs - . - ii. rt Fig-marygold he OR. Fucus or fea-weed = -_—s i... 295 Floating fea-weed i. 455—ii. 346 Palmated fea-weed or dulfe i. 137, 146, 179—1i. 75 40 Pear-bearing fucus i. 66, 115—ii. 51 Cod - - i, 128 Mangoftan or mangofteen 379 Pilot-ifh = - - 45 Crane’s bill ~ - ii. 7 -Crane’s bill - = oe Spiral gethyllis - i. g2 _ Kidney-bean tree - 188 Ciliate gorteria | - 83 Spotted-bark cotton-tree ii. 148 Guettarda - - i 2 56 Smooth bonduc or nickar tree ~ ‘Ti. 324 — Gyrinecarpus = - i, 315 ; H. Scarlet hemanthus, or _blood-flower - 86 Blood-ftone = - - Umbellate hedy/arum or ‘Frenchhoneyfuckle + 366 Tuberous-rooted fun- flower, or Jerufalem artichoke - = © © if, 222 Helideres aE bie INDEX TO THE NATURAL HISTORY. ly Linnzan or other {cientific Name. Heli eres : + » Heritiera toe * Hermas depauperata : Hernandia (a new {pecies of) ovigera = Hibifeus tiliaceus’ 9 1 Hirundo rufiita «= Holeus forghum “ Hypericum . « » Hypoxis Ae Sm Ja CANA oe e Fatrotha curcas a Inocar pus edulis Ps a Tris ° ane Trides _ « - Funcus acutus - * Sufieua sf bs a tenella - ee. Fuficia variegata + aaa Lasrus cyprinoides - ———_- marinus - Lacerta. Amboinenfis - Larus fufcus * - Laures culilaban . ome Indica 5 * - Law/fonia inermis - Lepto/permum - - . Englith or other common Name. ” Vol. Page. Screw-tree . ii.’ 330 Heritiera + i, 252, 346 Poor Hermas - -~-38 Hernandia - - 256: ‘Egg-fruited Hernandia + ii. 135. ‘Lime-tree-leaved 470i/tus IOI, 203, 217, 243, 324 “Common {wallow~ i. 39 Indian millet ~ ii, 928 St. John’s wort = + « “4g Eipoxtt + + 8275 243. I. Parra or jarana,a bird iii. 332 Angular-leaved phyfic-nut i. 364° Efeulent inocarpus - 163 Tris or flower-de-luce 169, 170 Plants of the iris family 169, 441 Prickly large fea rufh + 179 Fuffieua : + 327 Tender juffexa - 329 Variegated-leaved Fuficia 370 I. . : < Cyprinaceous Jadrus * 449 Black-mantled gull = 4t Amboynan lizard. i. 344—ii. 108 Herring gull - - 1-427 Culilaban bay — i. 348 ii. 293 Indian laurel - - i 17 Henné or Egyptiat privet i. 312, 370 Leptofpermum i. 425—ii. 6 d4 Limodorum lvii INDEX TO DHE NATURAL HISTORY, - Linnzan or other fcientific Name. oT eV Llimedrrum ~. «+ new ace Of Li-tchi - - Soe Lobelia ‘Loti af a tit nc? esc » i Re Mapreron# ery . Maxeutoxeron (new ems - ae CSS say rufium (new ” “fpecies) —- haan) Medufa caravlla =» o——willa ~ « - Melaleuca . é | 12 ee “la t ifolia’ e *4 a Melaftoma ~ - ~ Meliffa-fruticofa > * Melodinus fcandens - Mefembyranthemum edule « Merops . - Champaca Michlia - + Mimga Mimufops elengi Morea. e # = 2 - ~« c Englifls.or other: comunon Name, Vol. Pages Tepedecem or bafe hellebore - i 8q—il ogn% cae” SOY th? i, 189, vbebRRIOS ezizag) a2 x) ot B79 Litophytes > Whenceki pene? bie ae n ty Abbe-457 . Lobelia. or Pe ie flower - i. 97, (eek 19 Plants of the lotus family ik ibat - i. 1539 447—-iie ad M. - . e ” Una ¢ A, 250, 336, 413, 417—ii. 152 Maxeutoxeron - ii. & “Reflex mazeutoxeron (See Plate XIX.) - th 65 Red “maxeuioxeron (See ' Plate XVIl)° - - S Oblong variegated medufa ; 4. 39, 338 Blue fail medufa : 54 Melaleuca ae bah 186 Broad-leaved mélaleuca , ii. 219, 230, 238, 309 American goofeberry + i, 338 Shrubby baulm Uagag Climbing melodinus - li, 147 Eatable fig-marigold i: g7—-ii. 44 Wattled bee-eater ~ L175 Champaca Michelia ~ 912 Mimofa ‘d. £49, 1525 1$9—ii. 25, 29 Mimufops clengi + = ii. 304 Mrea “= = e sis 169, 170 Morinda INDEX TO THE NATURAL HISTORY,. Linnzan or other fcientific Name. Morinda citvifelia Matacille . e@nanthe Murraya exotica Mufca carnaria - Muffenda frondofa Mufcicapa ge Myriotheca _* Mat 5 as): -. Myriftica mas - Navcrea Orientalis Nautilus - ° Nelumbo Ace ‘Nephelium lappaceum Nerite Se eve Nipa ~ Nyéthanthes fambac Nymphaea nelumbo Orckides 5 Panax fraticofum Pancratium Amboinenfe lyk Englifh or other common Name. . Vol, Page, Broad-leaved morinda - ii. 153 Wagtail - - i, 144 Wheat-ear ~ . 4% Ath-leaved Murraya “. 370. Fleth-fly 7 - 175 Frondofe Mufienda = ii, 104% Fly-catcher i, 4.45—mii. 233 Myriotheca . ii. 240 Myrtle - - i, 139 Plants of the myrtus family a # di 38—ii. 7 Nutmeg tree ~ ° i, 256 N. Oriental nauclea - 324 Nautilus - - 253 (See Nymphaea nelumbo) ii. 3 3% Burr nephelium - i. 379 Nerits or fea-fnails == 161 The Malay name for palm 343 Arabian jafmine — = 31% Peltated water-lily - ii, 232 O. Orchifes - = i, 100, 154 iP. Shrubby ganar orginfing 330 Broad-leaved pancratium or fea daffodil ii. 330 Pandanus Witi Linnzan or other fcientific Name. | Panddaus o odoratifmus Papilio agamemnon Parus ater - Parra Sinenjfis Pafifra . Pedicularis * - Perca - —— guttata - Periploca anguftifolia Pelicanus aquilis varius Phormium tenax Piper cubche - Sfriboa - Pinna rudis - Pitfa frratiotes - Plantage tricufpidata Poinciana pulcherrima Polygala - Polypodium - dichotomum Virginicum 2 INDEX TO THE NATURAL HISTORY. Englith or other common Nathé. Vol. Pages _ Screw-pine + i. 252—ii. 279, 291, 303 Sweet-feented pandanus ; or {crew-pine i. 1355—i. 1ot Agamemnon papilio ° =| i. 350 -©Titmoufe - - 87 “Chinefe jacana - - ii, 332 Paffion-flower + _- 232 Loufe-wort - i, 152 Perch” - ~ Yay: Spotted perch - ii, 120 Narrow-leaved periploca or Virginian filk § i, 12 Man-of-war bird - 50 Variegated pelican * 825 Moth - - 199 Morel Se. - ate 156 » Syringa - i. 139—ii, 75. Hooded feal i. 161—ii. 21 Little feal = - i. 66, 423 New Zealand flax-plant ii. 82, 86 Cubebe pepper - i. 269 Siriboa pepper i, 283, 375 Rough pinna - i. 335 ‘Water aloe Pitfa - ii. 344 Tricufpid plantain - 10 Fair poinciana,or double- _ \fpiked Barbadoes flow- er-fence - - il 9 Milk-wort - = i. 92,97, 152 Polypody - ~ i. 176 Dichotomous poly pody 150 Virginia polypody - i 4 Polyparit f nd INDEX TO THE NATURAL HtsToRY. lix Lininzan or other fcientific Name. Polyparii - e Polypi : . Portulaca quadrifida + Pothos - - « Pozzolana - vee Prenanthes pinnata a! Wie Procellaria Capenfis - ———— pelagica - ——— pufinenfis, - Procris - . Portlandia grandiflora - Protea * «hee —— argentea - - bai > parr: florida - ° —— mellifera - 2 —— pallens ae Cue ——— ferraria - ~ — Speciofa : 6 Prtelea (a new fpecies of) - Preris - ie Pyrite a : Pfittacus Alexandri - aterrimus Bee ar —— criftatus - - — Moluccenfis - Rata faftinaca - - Railus Philippenfis . Englifh or other common Name. Vol. Page. The name given tothe re- treats of the Polyp: i. 230 Polypes - 229, 235 Quadrifid purflain - iis 302 Pothes . 33% Pozzolana_ - - i. 19, 20 Pinnate wild lettuce + 26 Pintado or white and black petrel - - 20g Stormy petrel - ~~ 42 Shear-water -, -\ 107 Procris - - 259 ‘Great-flowered Portlandia ii. 310 Protea or filver-tree i. Qo—il. 7, 245+ Silvery Cape protea in i, 86 Florid protea - - 103 Melliferous protea - 100 Pale frotea- 4. ae Saw frotea . - id, Beautiful protea = = 78, Shrub trefoil - 1097 Common fern = " 263 Pyrites LS Alexandrine or ring par- rakeet - - ii. 31g Black cockatoo ~ - 304. Great white-crefted 7 _cockatoo - 315 Red-crefted cockatoo. i. 445 R. | | Stingray - ii. 256, 272 Tiklia or Philippine rail 105 : Reftis Ix INDEX TO THE NATURAL HISTORY. < Linnzan or o:her {cientific Name. Englith or otber common Name, Reftio (a new {pecies of ) —— Simplex + Richea (new genus) eo glauca = Ricinis communis ~ Rofa folis - Rumex : Ruta tC SaccHaRuM Jpontancum Teneriffe - Saponaria - Scavola lbelia - Scarus iy Scheffiera repens - Schiflus - - Scleria ; ae Sar grandis Scjurus palmarum Scolopendra Scolopendra morfitans Seprpexe : digitata Sepia lolige sal Simia tnmus - —— Lplvanus Solanum (a new ay of) - Spar tium iaiaitien Shinifex /quarrefas 1 Vol. Page. Reftio. - - i..1977 Simple refio “4 Richa - . 200 Glaucous Richea (See Plate XVI} = 200 Common Palma Chrifii ii. 427 Sun-rofe + - i. 153 Dock - - 426 _ Rue - - ii, 7 ee Wild fagar-cane i. 247—ii. 101 Teneriffe fugar- cane hy aR Sago-palm i. 324—ii. 308 Plants of the /aponaria fa- mily - - i. 379 _ Lobelia Scaevola - 346 Scarué, agenusof fithes ii. 142 Creeping Scheflera = i, 152 Slate - - 326 Sclria = = = * 144, 157 Great feleria -. 392 Palm fquirrel - ~~ ii. 316 Centipede - - i. 260 Great t feolopendra or centipede ib, Scorpeéna, a fpecies of fifth ii. 253 Digitated forpena - - 253 _ A fpecies of cuttle-fifh - 220 Barbary ape - > i. 103 Pigmy ape = li, 315 Solanum or vight-thade - i. 255 Soulamea a . OF LA PEROUSE. ne which I rematked feveral anatomical prepara- tions that had been prefented by Citizen Jouanet, - furgeon of the Efpérance. | The fhips companies were muiftered in the baie bour on the 21ft of September. ; On the 25th, our fhips went into the road, where there were then not any foreign veflels, nor many French, We were deeply laden. Indeed our draught of water was, at the time of our departute, four meters forty-fix centimeters and a half, or thir- teen’ fect! nine inches, abaft, and four meters feventeen centimeters, or twelve see fix inches, forward *. There were on ee the fRachashes pe 6 Eight pounders. , 4 Thirty-fix pound carronades. | 6 Swivels of a déemi-kilogram. 12 Swivels of a double heGiogratn 4$ Mufkets. 35 Piftols. 50 Sabres, Byrd ee 30 Pole-axes. . 10 Mufketoons. :; AEE Gh * On due confideration, the tranflator has thought pro- per to retain the new French weights and meafures, a table of which will be found at the end of the fecond volume. The only exception that he has made to this rule is refpecting the depth of water, which is exprefféd in fathoms, R2 The 4 VOYAGE IN SEARCH -. ‘The Efpérance had nearly the fame means of defence ; ‘and thefe were fafficient for protesting us ATA es Rint instant the ~ of the favages. Y BStasahs afte The two thigh wilaed! pital with | a sii _ quantity! of!-articles deftined to’ be: diftributed among the natives of the South Sea. . Iron tools, — fiuffs of different colours, and) particularly of | xéd, formed! the chief of ‘our flock. of re for trafficss 5 IOVS “tahi® act ig ; 4 Each of our hips carried) eighteen 1 eacnth pro- | Sibins "We were ready to fail, and were waiting | only: for: aofair wind, when’ a:tolerably: freth breeze from the ealtward permitted us to get under way, abouton¢ o'clock in the afterioon, on the 28th of September.) No fooner had we | got clear of-the road, ‘than-it was; difcovered that two failors.and\a boy, who were extremely © defirous of making this voyage, and much vexed at not being included in the number of, the- fhips companies, had concealed themfelves on — board. As we had fearcely the room neceffary for thofe who were deftined for the voyage, the Commodore ftood into the road of Bertheaume, whence he ordered thefe three unexpected in- truders to be put on fhore. * The Efpérance, having continued hér courfe, had got. far ahead of us; but we joined her | again there ndlte 6 “OF LA PEROUSE,: 3 again before, night, for’ we failed much ‘better - - than fhe did. We took our de oparture. at: Ki otalnel: in the - evening, being then, in-.the latitude of 48° 1 3 . north; and. in the longitude of 7° 15) weft; Ufhant. bearing north .2° weft; > the Bec de la . Chévre fouth-eaft 4° eaft ; and the. Bee du Raz > fouth 2° eaft.. We were then at the diftance of a myriameter from Point Matthieu.. The courte ordered to be ficered was weft-north-weft : afterwards, about midnight, the fhip was kept welt, On the 29th, Commodore D’Entrecafieaux learnt, by difpatches, which he was not to open till he was at fea, that Captain Heon Kermadec, commander of the Efpérance, was made Poft, and that he himfelf was. raifed to. the rank of rear-admiral. This news was,infiantly commu~ nicated through the fpeakings temps to the sie perance. _ Our enfigns were immediately hoifted swith the diftinGlive emblem of the rank which had jufi been conferred on the Commodore. Another difcovery was made of two ma- rines, and a. boy, who were not incladed in the lift of the fhip’s company.» Thefe had ‘till. now kept themfelves carefully concealed. It was no longer poffible to fend theny on fhore, becaufe | we were at too great a diftance from the land; we accordingly i VOYAGE IN SEARCH accordingly the Admiral allowed them to make the voyage. As I had already been a few voyages, I ima- gined, that I had acquired a fufficient ‘habit of a fea life, to be no longer incommoded by the motion of the fhip; but this habit had long’been loft ; and indeed I was fea-fick, during the firft three days after our leaving Breft. I had fe- veral times oceafion to remark in the courfe of the voyage which I have recently made, that it was neceffary for me to remain only a little while on fhore, to lofe the habit of the fea; fo that whenever we failed again, even after a very « fhort flay in port, I was for two or three days almoft as much indifpofed as on my departure from Breft. Seamen, in this cafe, recommend eating, notwithftanding the difguft occafioned by the naufea pectliar to this:kind of affection, It is not eafy to coincide in that opinion; for, befides a great difficulty of deglutition, the lodg- ment of aliments in the ftomach increafes the natifea; it is an additional evil, when a perfon is obliged to bring them up again. Diluting drinks, taken in a fmall quantity _ at a time, in order to affift the contractile powers of the ftomach, afforded me conftant relief; Jukewarm water, flightly fweetened, was the drink of which: ! then generally made ufe, be- : caufe ‘Or’ LA ‘PEROUSEs. 7 caufe it is that which is moft ally procared si in a fhip. . There were on board, ail feveral per- ‘Shy who, although they had never before heen at’ fea, experienced no effect from the motion ofthe fhip. Such a conftitution is very defirable when a man undertakes long voyages'; for ‘it is difficult to exprefs the unpleafant ‘feelings occa~ fioned by this fpafmodic affection, which, ex- tending to every part of the body, throws a perfon into. sche a fiate of languor, ‘that he hangs to life, only becaufe he'has-a feeble profpect of a period’ to his fufferings, From our departure,. till the sth of diditler; the winds were faint and .variable, between the weft and the north; they blew afterwards pretty frefh, varying from north-eaft to north, till our arrival at Teneriffe. We were not free from uneafinefs refpecting this increafe of the wind; for, in our fituation, it might-become fatal to us. Incumbered in every part, witha lading far too confiderable for the thip’s bearings, we might overfet in a heavy fea, the ftowage being very in- completely arranged. It was inthis ftate of di- _order that we had failed, although the National Affembly had, near cight months before, decreed that the voyage fhould take place. On the 11th of OGober, about. fifty-five mi: nutes after ten o'clock, there was an eclipfe of af BY | the 8 VOYAGE IN SEARCH the moon. It is very difficult to make, at fea, fuch an obfervation of it as can be relied on: Citizen Willaumez, however, deduced from his, 18° 59° 45” of weft longitude. « The Efpérance made the fignal. for land on the 12th, about eight o’clock in the morning. ‘At “noon, we reckoned ourfelves fourteen myriameters from the Peak of Teneriffe, which was feen to the fouth-eaft by fouth, majeflically rearing its head above the clouds. On the approach of night, we were at the * diftance of only two myriameters from the north- eaft point of the ifland. We kept flanding off and on under our topfails, waiting for daylight. As foon as it began to appear, we. approached the coaft, which we ranged along at the difiance of a kilometer. We caft anchor about half paft nine Selock in the morning on the 13th, in the road of Santa Cruz, in ten. fathoms. water, over a_bot- tom of black muddy fand. Citizen Fonfpertuis, the French Conful, im. - mediately came on board, and offered the Ad- tniral to do every thing that he could, towards fapplying the wants of our two fhips. I went on fhore in the afternoon, in order to view the environs of the town. Although the feafon was already advanced, the reverberation of the rays of the tun, by the volcanic fiones, o¢- cafioned ee ee ee OO OF LA PEROUSE.” 9 eafioned a’heat fo much the more inconvenicnt, as the dead calm left them their full power. - I remarked among the plants which grow: in the environs of Santa Cruz, a woody melifia, known to botanifts under the name of) meliffa fruticofa, the. faccharum Teneriffe, the cacalia kleinia, the datura metel, pg Sa ope a8 sefcens, &c. The beautiful tree known by the |‘ name of the fair poinciana (poinciana pulcherrima} con- ftituted the ornament of fome of the gardens. This fame evening, Citizen Ely, ftruck by the odd garb of fome women belonging to the town, who, at the time even of the greateft heat, wear'a fort of very thick woollen cloak, was employed in taking a fketch of them, when a fentry came and interrupted him, thinking that he was taking a plan of the road. It was to no purpofe that he fhewed him ‘that he was only copying a drefs; the faldier would not let him finith his drawing. We had brought up too near a athigll veffel : for this reafon, we inthe afternoon carried out an anchor towards the fhore, by means of which we kept at a proper difiance from her. . Our bearings, taken fram ‘this point, were as follow: | The redoubt to the north of the town, north- eaft by eaft, 4° eaft, and the ‘great tawer fituated about 10 . VOYAGE IN SEARCH ‘about the middle of ee town, ive ft-fouth- weft. - On the r4th, at Saisie each of the fants Te~ turned with nine guns, the falute which we had given them withothe like number. We had fired a falute of fifteen for the citadel, which returned it gun for gun, about noon. A packet; artiving from Spain, came and an- chored in the road. We had formed the project of undertaking, the wery next day, a journey to the Peak, and of vifiting fucceffively the high mountains of the ifland. The French Conful was anxious to afford us all ‘the affiftance in his: power, and he gave us a letter of: recommendation. for M. de Cologant, a refpectable merchant refiding at Orotava. ‘On the 15th, about four hia inthe morning, we repaired to the Mole, to the number of eight; tiamely, Develle, one of the officers of our: fhip; Piron, Defchamps, Lahaye, three-fervants,and myfelf: one of the fervants was fufficiently ac- qainted with the Spanith language:to aG@ «as our interpreter. We found on the landing-place, by. the fea-fide, fome of the mules which were def- tined for us; but upwards of an hour clapfed before we were able to begin our journey; ‘for it was no edfy mattcr to affemble fome of ‘the “ guides, who; knowing very well that we fhould - not OF LA PEROUSE. Be not fet off without them, were in no fear of making us wait. As foon as they were arrived, we thought we might move forward; ‘but they chofe to hold a long converfation among them- felves, before they would take charge of ‘the few articles for:which a had atone as in this journey. : It thay not be improper to snibeitidls that our fhipmates had furnifhed us with provifions, as if we were going to travel in fomefavage coun- try. Roffel, who was caterer of the gun: foom mefs, had given orders to the cook to°make.us an excellent falmon péré. I fhould’ not shave noticed the circumftance, did it not forma fin-- gular contraft. with the ‘worm-eaten bifcuit and cheefe, ‘with which we were regaled in ‘moft of the other: ports we touchéd at in the fequel. | ‘M. de Cologant, apprifed hy the French Con- ful of the objec of ‘our journey, invited ‘us te fiop at’his houfe ‘at the harbour of Orotava. This town, which is only three myriameters and a half ‘from Santa Cruz, is one of ‘the bet places to halt'at in going to the Peak; for'it is at the foot ‘of ‘the mountains. which are nearett to it. We were three hours i in travelling to Lagouna. This town is only a myriameter from Santa Cruz; but the road to it is very fatiguing, for it is moftly up hill. The oman are ill built, and re VOYAGE IN SEARCH and very thinly inhabited. The convents here are extremely numerous. We: were informed that the monks compofed: at leaft one half of the population. - In our way to Lagouna we had jot croffed arid mountains, covered with a few fucculent plants, among which we had remarked the Canary leaflefs euphorbia (euphorbia Canarienjis), the euphorbia dendroides, the cacaha kleimia, and the fpecies of Indian fig to which botaniité: have given the name of cadlus opuntia. Thefe vegetables, which live'almoft entirely at the ex~ penfe of the atmofphere, thrive very well on the fterility of thofe fteep declivities. Having reached the fmall plain in which the town is built, we had the pleafure to fee that it was not gratuitoufly that the vegetable mould of the fur- rounding mountains had been wafhed away by the rains, fince it had come and fertilized this little corner of land, in which is produced a great deal of wheat, maize, millet, &c.. . , I gathered a fpecies of periploca, which I had already brought from my voyage up the Levant, I have publithed an account of it in my fecond Decade of the Plants of Syria, under the name of periploca anguftifolia.. . Citizen Desfontaines had alfo brought the fame spgvies from. the coaft of Barbary. All te ELL Ce OF LA PEROUSE. 13 All the ftones which we had hitherto met with had undergone the aétion of fire. As thefe mountains of middling elevation, are compofed of great maffes, which, at the time of their fu- fion, muft have long preferved an extraordinary degree of heat, I naturally expeéted to find the Java very compa&. Indeed it is fo’; its’ grain is very fine, and its moft ufual — is a dark ‘brown. if etl In the midft of thefe’ volcanic fragments we experienced great heat, which incommoded ‘our guides much more than us; accordingly ‘they employed every:means of perfuafion to induce us to halt during the whole day, in order to travel only by night. They probably imagined that we had’ no other intention than to fee the fammit of the Peak. Such a plan of travelling would not have difpleafed feveral of our party ; but it was not difficult to make them fenfible that this nocturnal vifit could not fuit naturalifts. The inhabitants of this ifland are from their birth overwhelmed by religious prejudices. Chile dren came out of their houfes to afk us if we were of their religion: we ¢ontented ourfelves with pitying’ thefe unfortunate beings, over — whom fanaticifm and monattic intolerance exer- cife, with fo much power, their dangerous fwway. - The pretty fern, known by the name of #ri-. comanes Canarien/e, clothes moft of the walls w hich | ferve 14 VOYAGE IN SEARCH ferve asa fence to the gardens that we met with beyond: Lagoana; .~ -s 9) | On. approaching the. bahia of Orotava, we defcended by gentle declivitiess it was no longer thofe barren mountains of the environs of Santa Cruz, whofe fucculent plants announce fterility, but charming hillocks, covered with vines, whith form the principal wealth of the ifland. The thrub known, by the name of ofea yerva- mora was growing in-thé bottoms, - It was five o'clock: in the afternoon when we arrived at Orotava, where M. de Colegant re- ceived. us in-the beft manner. Two thips, the one Dutch and the other Eng- lith, were then lying in the road, for the pur- pote of taking i in a cargo of wine. The landing: place here is ftill more inconvenient than that at-Santa Cruz; and, indeed, this roadfiead is lefs frequented. The cellar of M. de Cologant haturally exs cited our curiofity; for this rich merchant carries on a very extenfive trade in the wines of the ifland. Among the different qualities of wines which it produces, there are two very diftin forts; namely, the dry wine, and that which is called malmfey: in the making of the latter particular Care is taken. to concentrate firongly the faccha- rine part of the grape. A pipe OF LA PEROUSE. 15 A pipe of the bef wine then coft a hundred and. twenty piaftres; that of the moft inferior quality coft fixty. It is proper to obferve, that J am not {peaking of the price at which it is fold to foreigners ; for the fame wine of fixty piaftres is had for fix and thirty bed the inhabitants,of the ifland, isis .§ 008 ! . When the Seiboelesibn wh thefe wines is well advanced, it is cuftomary, ix with them a great deal of brandy, in orderfo make them keep. — Indeed they are very heady ; many perfons cannot drink them, even in a {mall quantity, without feeling their merves affected by the difagreeable fenfation which this mixture occafions. | - Wewere affured that the ifland commonly fur- nithes thirty thoufand pipes of wine a year. _ As it does not grow corn fufficient for. the confumption of the inhabitants, part of the pro- duce of the wines, which are fold in foreign countries for Madeita, from which they in other refpects differ very little, is employed in the pur- chafe of that article of the firft neceffity. | The olive-tree, which thrives very wellin this ifland, is however little propagated. The papaw- tree, and the date-tree, which are cultivated in. fome of the gardens, are confidered only as ob- jects of curiofity. Before we left Santa Cruz, we had sean told that the top of the Peak was covered with fnow. e I would 416 -VoPUGE tz SEAneH T would not bring a barometer ; but we learnt at Orotava that! we had been mifinformed, when it was no longer in my’ power to citi this mean of obfervation *. q2ets We were to fet out early the nat inorning on our journey towards the Peak. Butit was a fef- tival, and our guides would not have Rtirred without having been to:mafs ; fome of them had heard three ; us, we were waiting with the moft lively impatience, when our uneafinefs increafed, on learning that it was a very particu- lar favour for them ‘to'think of travelling on fo folemn a day. However, they were ready to as part about nine o’clock in the morning: + ‘As foon as we had got out of the town, we afcended by roads often very fteep, whence wé perceived enormous heaps of mountains piled one upon-another, and rifing in the form of an amphitheatre, as faras the bafe of the Peak: Their brows now and then afforded us fpots tolerably level, which ferved us ‘as fo many refting-places; where, after having afcended by very fteep paths, * It appeats by La Péroufe’s voyage, that at the time of his anchoring in the road of Santa Cruz, Lamanon having carried the barometer'to the top of the Peak of Teneriffe, the mercury had fallen to 18 inches 4 lines, the thermométer then ftanding at 97° above 0; while at Santa Cruz the mercury in the ba- rometer was at the fame inftant at 28 inches 3 lines, the thermo- meter, indicating at the fame Bee eak®, ° ; — - we - ‘OF LA 'PEROVSE, 97 ‘we took breath fora moment, in order to attaék ‘with more courage, the upper moutitains. ‘Our guides were aftonifhed to fee fome of us ‘perform ‘this journey on foot, contraty to’ the cuftom of moft of the travellers who come to vifit the Peak ; fo much fo, that'they "for along time continued to entreat us to mount’the mules which they had brought for our accommodation. After having croffed fome beautiful planta-. ~ tions of vines, we found ourfelves in the midi of chefnut-trees, which »grow in the moft ele- “vated regions. Tn ‘the ravines I'met with the Niewinia polipo- dium (polipodium Virginicim), ‘and feveral new ‘fpecies of ‘Jaurel ; ‘among which I remarked that known by the name of ‘Indian laurel (laurus Indica, Linn.). Although this journey was not to be | ‘pro- longed beyond a few days, we had, very pro- perly, ‘been advifed to carry feveral ‘pairs of fhoes ; for the beft are foon worn out by the lava on which it is continually requifite to walk. _ :It;was hardly:noon,»when we had reached the - clouds that ‘diffufed a heavy dew’on the Shrubs, in the midft of which we had to pats. The abundance of rain with which the na- tural .difpofition of the air is impregnated on thefe heights, fhould produce a’ great number of {prings. They are, however, here very fcarce; * VOL. I. i: ¢€ for 18 VOYAGE IN SEARCH for the earth is not. fafficiently attenuated. to retain the rain. water,, which filtering through -thefe volcanic fubftances, in general runs and - difcharges itfelf into the aeReny. without haying _ formed any rivulets*. . 5%, _ As foon.as we had paffed through thefe thick _ mifis,,we enjoyed the: fineft, fight of which. it is _ poflible. to. form an idea... The clouds. that: had - been -juft gathering beneath, us, mingled them- pfelyes.im the diftance with the waters of the fea, © . concealing from us the view. of the ifland ; we. beheld the cleareft {ky ; the Peak appeared then — dike, an‘ ifland,, the bate, of; which., cane. to be immerged i ina vatt OCEANE yin 3c |. ‘Seareely had 'I got out,of. the eile. ieee I} faw for-a moment a. phenomenon, which I) had had occafion to obferve feyeral times during my . fiay on the high mountains.of Kefrouan, in Afia * It is tobe remarked, that when high mountains are ftrongly heated by the rays of the fun, they become a fort of focus, above “which rifes the furrounding air, on account of the dilatation which it experiences therefrom ; whence refults the abundance “ofthe more diftant air, which, comingto replace that which rifes,. brings with it the clouds it is charged with, as I have bad an op- _ portunity of remarking very frequently on Mount Libanus, where this phenomenon never failed to happen about five o’clock “$a the ‘aftérnoon, in the heat of the month of Auguit, when too violent an agitation of the atmofphere did not counteract this ‘natural bias, » This is perhaps the fole caufe of the apparent at- _ ,fagtion of the clouds by mountains. | etait ~ ee Minor, OF LA, PEROUSR. 19 Minor. It was with frefh furprife that I per- eeived all the contours of my body traced in the beautiful. colours. of the rainbow, on fome clouds that were below me, on the fide oppofite to the fun. The folar rays, which are @ diffolved | in pating on the furface of bodies, give a very juft expla- nation of this brilliant phenomenon, It repre- . fents, on a large fcale, the experiment known to natural philofophers, by which the rays that are juft made to pafs on the furface of an opaque body, fituated at the opening of a window, re- prefent all the contours of that body in the co- lours of the rainbow, after having been concen- trated-in the middle of a lens, in order to be afterwards received on a piece of white paper. . - We had juft paffed over prodigious heaps of pumice-ftones, among which we remarked few vegetables, and thefe were very weak. Some brooms were the only fhrubs that profpered at fuch an elevation, . We walked with confiderable difficulty over — thefe volcanic fragments, for we funk into them half way up the leg. bs Some blocks of poxzo/ana were here fpread at a pretty great diftance from each other. It was nine-o’clock in the evening, when we iook up our quarters‘for the night in the midf of the lava, fome large fragments of which were C2 | the ~ ao VOYAGE IN SEARCH ‘the only ‘thelter we bad againft the eafterly wind ‘that was then blowing pretty ftrong. The'cold “was very intenfe at this height, where nature has “Hot confulted the wants of travellers, for wood is here very fcarce; indeed, the little fire that it was “poffible for us to ‘make, did not prevent t us from pafling a very bad night. At length the day began to appear. We ‘then left Tome Of our guides with ‘their ‘mules in the place WHere we had juft fpent ‘the “night, and took'the road to'the Peak, the fum- “mit ‘of which we were foon to teach. We ‘contitived walking’ ‘for an hour over con- fiderable Heaps of fragments of grayifh Tava, » among which we faw {cattered here and there, blocks of poxzolana, arid large maffes of a very compaét blackith ‘glafs, which is extremely like bottle-glaf&. Although made in the immenfe crucibles of thefe moutitains, ‘at the time of their ‘combuftion, this plats would not on that account be the tefs fit to become ufeful in the arts, fince, ‘being completely formed by nature, it would re- | “quite only the ‘procefs of fire neceffary for melt- ing it, in order to be qualified for receiving from ‘the hand of man every form of which it is fuf- ceptible. * “Phe ‘cavern, on the brinks Of which we ar- _ ‘tived, is called La queve del ana. Tt is a full ‘meter and a half wide at its mouth; as its depth OF LA PEROUSE. 23 is upwards of two meters in an almoft perpendt- cular, direction, we could get to the bottom of it, only by defcending by means of a rope. We here found fome water, the furface of which, as we naturally expected at this eleva- tion, was covered: with ice near half a decimeter in thicknefs. It was immediately broken, and we quenched our thirft with very good water. I did not experience from it any unpleafant fenfa- tion in my throat, as I had fo frequently remarked in the French Alps, in fatisfying my drought with water which iffues from the foot of the Gla- ciers, although the coldnefs of the water of this cavern was a degree below that which is com- monly indicated by the water of the Glaciers; for the thermometer that I dipped into it, fell to the freezing point. It fhould feem, then, that it is to the privation of atmofpheric air that is owing the difagreeable irritation which the water taken up at the foot of the Glaciers, occafions in the infide of the throat. The infide of this grotto was lined with flakes of nitre. Piron had been unwell for feveral days ; ; he felt himfelf too much fatigued to go farther; Defchamps chofe not to proceed beyond the cavern, while we continued to aicend towards the fummit of the Peak. Having come to its bafe, which forms the cap of the higheft mountains, we faw it rife in the 83 form 22 VOYAGE IN SEARCH form of a cone, to a prodigious elevation. Hence our profpect foared above all the mountains, which form as it were fo many flights of fteps that we had been obliged to afcend, i in order ta arrive at this fpot. ~ The place called Za Ramblette, fituated to- wards the north-weft, offered to our curiofity a few apertures made in the rock ; fome were a decimeter in width; others were fimple clefts, whence iffued a wey vapour, without fmell, although their brinks were covered with cryftals of anes placed on a very white earth, which ‘had every appearance of clay. _ Amercurial thermometer, graduated according to Reaumur’s fcale, was introduced into fome of thefe apertures, where, in the fpace of a mi- nute, it indicated 43° above o. In feveral others, the mercury rofe only to 30°. We were now arrived at the place the moft difficult to climb up, for the Peak is very fleep, Having reached about one third of its elevation, although the furface of the ground was not heated in a greater degree than is commonly ex- perienced at fuch a height, I was induced ta dig a hole about a double decimeter in depth, whence immediately iffued a watery and inodorous | _ fell, and where the thermometer when intro- duced ftood at 51° above o. ‘The Spartian fupranubinm was the laft fhrab that I met with before I arrived at the foot of the cone ; OF ,LA* PEROUSE. 0” 23° cone; butthere isan herbaceous;plant, which, | notwithftanding. its apparent delicacy; wegetatés” at a ftill greater elevation.’ This.is a violet with: leaves:rather elongated;and’ flightly toothed ats thé) edges:' its flower! was»already faded ; it; grows quite clofe:to the) fummit’ of) the Peak,! . whereAve foon artived... The vapours of the'at>\ _ mofphere not being able-to rife at this height, the! . fky fhews itfelf in all its brightnef&, and fhines' with an azure more brilliant and more ftriking than in the: fineft. days°of our climates ; a few’ clouds’ feattered here and there, far. below our: feet, did not conceal the a of the rags. bn bouring iflands. > ~ | This fummit is terminated inc a brdey the greateft elevation of which is towards the north- weit.’ To the fouth-weft I. remarked: a. very fen- fible :depreffion, which feems to have § is va ~ duced: by the finking of the lands. pte i « Quite clofe to its poiag,are: ‘eis beau aper= ~ tures, at moft a deciméter in'wtdth, ‘wherice iffues avery hot vapour, which caufes: Reaumur’s: thermometer to rife to: 67° above o,producing a. noife fomewhat fimilar to the buzzing: of bees.» When, in the advanced feafon of the year, the fnow whitens the fummit of the! Peak, that - which falls near to thefe apertures does not leng. withftand fuch a degree of heat. Beautifuli cryftals.of {ulphur, moft, of: them in ithe:form.of needles, among which I faw fome of a regulaf c4 fhape, . | 24 VOYAGE IN’ SEARCH, fhape, adorn the brinks of thefe tunnels. The fulphuric acid, joined to the water, has occafioned in the neighbouring volcanic productions fuch an alteration, that they might be taken for very. - white clay, rendered extremely ductile by the humidity which is conftantly iffuing from thefe apertures. It is on this earth that are found:ad- hering the beautiful cryftals of fulphur, of which _ Ihave juft fpoken. The decompofition of the fulphur, and:of the volcanic: productions, produces here an alumi- nous falt, like extremely fine needles, which covers the furface of the earth. The thermometer obferved in the fhade for up- wards of a quarter of an hour, on the fummit of the Peak, at a meter from the ground, rofe to. 15° above 0 ; it did: not! vary perceptibly, whe- ther it was placed nearer to it, or farther from it, even at the diftance of two or three meters : this induces me to think that the internal heat of the earth, although very great, has little influence on that of the atmofpheric air. Befides, the atmo- fpheric air may probably receive from the rays of the fun 15° of heat at this elevation, fince a greater heat is frequently felt at the foot of our Glaciers. The thermometer carried to. Mount Libanus, quite clofe to the fnow, has often given | me 20° above o. ‘The declivity of the mountain favoured our | return, OF LA PEROUSE. - 25° return, and we went down much quicker tham we had afcended. The: day was far fpent, when we repaired to: the {pot where we had paffed the preceding night. The almoft total privation of the fun, occafioned. by the excefiive cold;which we had here ex- perienced, had deprived us of the wifh of making it again’ our refting-place. We would. have liked to, be able to proceed immediately, in order to feek a better fhelter on:fome lefs: elevated: mountain: but our guides. not: choofing to ftir before the: rife of the moon, we were obliged to ftay here till near midnight, waiting till it ap- peared on the horizgn. It was by the feeble light. of this planet, that we defcended over the pumice-, fiones, bya. road. at no great-diftance from that which: we: had: travelled: in climbing: up. thefe ~ lofty mountains. 3 After walking for four hours, the thrubs, svinich | grew very thick, rendered the road fo:difficult to. pafs.as. to oblige us to. halt till daylight. We were no.longer, as the preceding night, in that fpot deftitute of wood; and, indeed, we made ourfelves ample amends by a large fite, which . was immediately kindled. While we were warming ourfelves, very much at our eafe, the converfation turned upon what remained for us te do. ‘The greater part, fatigued by this labo- rious excurfion, had no other defire than to. pro-. ceed 26 | NO¥AGE) IN SEARCH ceed to Santa Cruz by the’ fhorteft road. We had however agreed at Orotava, that ‘on our’ return we fhould follow the back of thefe moun- tains. . But we had not all the fame views; ac- | cordingly we let go on board thofe who had no longer any with to gratify; and the gardener | and I remained, with the intention of ‘con-> timuing our refeatches. All’ the guides would follow thofe who were going on board; and I chad no fmall difficulty in ees one of _ them to‘accompany us. | Among the plants which bedecked the decli- vity of the rocks, I had the pleafure of finding the beautifulcampanula with gold-colour flowers, _ Fcampanula aurea), the sien pinnata, the adiantum reniforme, a {pecies of adiantum, remark- able for its foliage, which is much larger than’ that of Europe. _ As water was very fcarce on thefe heights, we | directed our fteps towards a fmall dwelling,» near which we rightly prefumed that there muft- flow fome rivulet. In fac, we found a fine {pring, the water of which, equally delicious and limpid, loft itfelf in the bofom of the earth, after having appeared an infiant on its furface. ' Apple-trees, loaded with fruit, adorned the: garden of thefe peaceable inhabitants: this fruit: afforded fo much fatisfaction to a fervant belong- ing to the fhip, that while we were employed in vifiting OF LA PEROUSE. 27 vifiting the environs of this little fettlement, he took it into his head to make an exchange, whieh gave us a very bad idea of his forefight. He had juft bartered all our provifions of meat for fome apples, without troubling himfelf whether apples would be a good ftock for rambling over the mountains.’ We fully determined to em=: _ ploy another time a more intelligent fteward. It may not be -amifs to remark, that fhip fervants are’ generally ies: hp ped for any fervice on ere. a “We were very far an any habitation, at the approach of night.: It was near‘nine o’clock in. the evening, when we arrived at a village where hofpitality is certainly not the chara¢teriftic vir-. tue of the inhabitants. It was not without the utmoft difficulty that we-there found any, fhelter. As we did not ‘underftand Spanith, we could exprefs ourfelves only by figns; and at night, above all, this fort of language is of very little fervice. But our guide, who was as defirous as ourfelves to find a place to fleep in, went about, knocking in vain at all the doors; when, after having gone through almoft the whole village, we met with two worthy people who were fo good as to afford us an afylum. We were immediately ferved with a frugal repaft, during which, we were lighted in the maanner of fome snacagioss of our Alps; {mall 2 {plinters 4 28 VOYAGE IN SEARCH fplinters of very refinous fir ftuck into the wall, were burning, giving us fufficient light, but far too much fmoke. One of our hofts took care to replace thefe. bits of wood, as faft as they were confumed. _ We had more. need of reft than food; ac- cordingly we foon fell into a fleep, which was the more pleafant, as,2t. was not now. difturbed by the cold of the high mountains. “The next day, the xgth, I went on board, foaded with volcanic productions and fome very pretty plants, among which were the fseucriums betonicum, vechium frutefeens, &c. The birds called Canaries are very common im the lower regions of thefe mountains; they areall of a brown, mixed with different colours, and their plumage is not fo handfome as in a fiate of domefticity. Some travellers have | afferted, that there was in the ifland a {pecies of parrot which is there indigenous. I never met with one in any of our excurfions; and feveral inha- bitants, worthy of credit, told me that this af- fertion was altogether unfounded, - This fame day a very freth breeze had in- creafed the fea, fo that it threw on the beach the Efpérance’s boat, which was riding at a grap- nel, near the flip, after having overfet her on a failor, who could not be extricated for fome minutes: he was apparently dead; but, fortu- ‘ nately, OF LA PEROUSE. 249 mately, the means which are sinplayed ‘in fuch - ‘cafés, reftered shim to life. . In here teftifying my gratitude to the garrifon ‘of Santa Cruz, for the eagernefs which 'they _ thewed in affifting this poor fellow, I cannot pats | ‘over in filence a piece of roguery ef fomé'ef = inhabitants of the town. This failor’s ‘clothes were ung up ‘te Ror while affilance was adrhiniftered to him: notte ‘ef ‘tis could have had the fnalleft fuifpicion ‘of what ‘happened. Some people belonging to the town, taking him, perhaps, already for ‘dead, thought ‘that his clothes ought ‘to turn to tite ac- _ ‘gount of ‘the living: they were “ftolen, without ‘its being ‘poflible to difcover the thieves. | ‘Citizens: Riche’and Blavier had, a day afterus, ‘andertaken a joursiey'to the Peak ; but thefe two ‘naturalifts ‘could not afcend’to the fummit; ‘they _ “were ftill véry far-from it, when their lungs ‘net being‘able to withftand fo rarefied an atmofphere, ‘they wete feized with a “pittifig “of blood,and were obliged ‘to‘renounce their enterprife. ‘The following days were employed ‘in vifiting ‘the énvirons of Santa Cruz, where ‘the onsmgl ‘isin géheral ‘very barien. ‘3 The ‘town, €vén in ptopention ‘to ‘its ‘little ‘extent, ‘affords ‘a very thin population, although - ‘its'toaditead ‘is the mott ‘frequentéd of the ifland. The Spaniaérds“have here ititroduced their ftyle C eerthe ae go VOYAGE IN SEARCH of building; the infide of their houfes is laid out in the fame manner as that which they have adopted in Europe, without any of the modifi- cations to. which the difference of the climate ought, perhaps, to have given birth., The governor-general of the Canaries makes Santa Cruz his ufual refidence. There are here feveral convents of men and of women. A parifh-church, where gilding is dif- — tributed with all the profufion of falfe tafte, is — -likewife to be remarked for the bad choice of ‘its pictures. In_ the public ear there: i is to be feen a handfome fountain ; the water is conveyed from a great diftance acrofs the mountains, by wooden | pipes. The fireets are ill paved; moft of the © windows are without glafs; they are fhut by Venetian blinds, which the women draw up | very often, when their curiofity or fome other ~ motive induces them to let themfelves be feen. | The rich women are dreffed in the French tafte: the others cover their fhoulders with a piece of coarfe woollen ftuff, which forms a fort of.cloak extremely inconvenient, under a very © warm fky; a hat of black felt, with a broad 7 brim, fhelters them from the rays of the fun; their fkin is darkened by a mixture with the natives of the ifland; and. their features, in general, are far from being agreeable. fa The — ». OF LA PEROUSE. 31 _ The multiplicity of religious cuftoms intro- duced among the inhabitants, did not: prevent many of thefe women from coming, with a chaplet in their hands, to meet our failors, when- ever they went.on fhore: feveral had long to repent having fuffered themfelves to be feduced by fo many charms. » | The wine of Teneriffe, which, as T have al- ready remarked, is very heady, had like to have been fatal to a of our foldiers; being drunk, he committed a very ferious offence againft a fentinel..’. Our Conful employed the: intereft which he-had with the officer commanding in the abfence of. the Governor-géeneral, to ftop all profecution againtt this man, who was more ‘to be pitied than blamed. ~~ The ‘difcipline eftablifhed on board. Englith Ships of war, fecures them from fimilar -in- conveniences, The Scorpion -floop, of: fix- teen guns and a hundred men, commanded — by Captain Benjamin Hallowell, had, anchored in the road on the 18th, in company :with a {mall cutter, having come from Madeira five days before: they had: left there a. fifty-gun fhip, which was fhortly to fail for Teneriffe. Commodore Inglefield, who commanded her,was the fenior officer of this little {quadron, which was deftined for the coaft of Africa.. Thefe navigators, knowing how dangerous it is to failors 32 VOYAGE IN SEARCH failors ‘to “ftay on fhore, ‘keep them ‘on *board. Nothing but 'the duty of ‘the hip could induce ‘the Captain to let them fet their foot on land. The Commodore fully intended not to relax from this rule, during ‘all his «ftation ‘on “the oat of Africa. The variation of the magnetic seetile obferved -on boatd, and deduced from fixteen obfervations, fourteen of which were by-azimuths, and two by eafterly amplitudes, was found tobe 18° 7’ 7” weft. The refult of ‘two obfervations made.on fhore | upon the flat roof of a houfe in the town, by Citizen Bertrand, one of the aftronomers of thie expedition, was 21° 33’ weft. Another obfervation, made 7 the Mole, with an azimuth compafs, gave 23° 43’ of weft variation. So much difference, as fuch little diftances, probably arifes only from the quantity of ferruginous fubftances difiributed unequally ‘in thefe volcanic mountains. : From thefe obfervations, thofe which wete 7 made on board feem to infpire more confidence, as they agree with the progreflive decreafe of the variation obferved fince our departare from ‘Breft, and with that which had fora v Jong time ‘been obferved by many other navigators. ‘The dip of the needle (this was a flat needle) was ‘OF LA PEROUSE. 33 was 62° 26’... The fame needle had given 71° 30° dip at Breft, and 72° 56’ at Paris. The place in which we anchored in the road of, Teneriffe was in the latitude of 28° 29’ 35” north, and in the longitude of 18° 36’ weft. The thermometer and barometer, obferved on board, towards noon, varied a little during our ftay at this anchorage; the former did not ex- ceed 20°xs, and the latter 28.inches 2 lines, Water, which is very good at Santa Cruz, is eafily procuneds there when the Basil's is not too heavy. | 7 . This is an excellent afi alea siaiie on ac- count of the facility with which are procured in - abundance, all the vegetables of Europe, with: ' the exception of cabbages, which, although - very fimall, are very dear. Here are generally, found all the fruits of Europe, and the fame do- meftic animals as in our ports of France. Experience taught us that their fheep do not bear the confinement of a fhip fo well as ours ; the pure air which they breathe on the moun- tains, renders them very unfit for fupporting the noxious vapaurs of the between-decks. _ At Teneriffe may be procured fith preferved by deficcation ; in particular, a great trade is carried on there of the ipecics known by ani name of bonito. The parts of the ifland which it has been pof- VOL. I. yc fible “ 34 VOYAGE IN SEARCH fible to cultivate, are extremely fertile: this is — the property of volcanic iflands. The interrial heat of thefe forts of lands, raifes to their furface a portion of the waters with which they are foaked by the rains, and thus gives to vegetation a more than ordinary vigour. The too flow Uecompofition of fome of thefe — _ voleanic ftones, and the drynefs. of fome moun- tains, are fo many. caufes which render feveral other places little fit for culture ; the action of the © fire, which has fucceffively extended, at epochs very diftant from each" other, to the different parts of the ifland, as is attefted by hiftotical © monuments, and the prefervation of plants which are peculiar to it, has, in thefe different places, retarded the period of a decompofition, without which vegetation cannot take place. There had been no volcanic eruption on the ifland of ‘Teneriffe for ninety-two years, whien, in the month of June 1798, there broke out a new volcario on the fouth-weit fide of the Peak, as | was informed by Citizen Gicquel, an _ officer in our navy, who touched at Santa Cruz on his return from the Ifle of France in the © ane frigate. e following is the account of it given him by Citizen Le Gros, Conful of the French re-_ public : . On. OF LA PEROUSE. 36 * On the 21ft Prairial, 6th year (June oth, ‘© 1798), the inHabitants of Santa Cruz heard — ** fome hollow and repeated nowles, which very «much refembled the report of canbon fired at “ a great diftance; im the night there was a ~ * flight earthquake; and it was known the next «‘ day that a volcano, had broken out on the ‘© fouth-weft fide of the Peak. At the begin- “* ning of the eruption they reckoned’ fifteen “© craters; thefe were foon reduced to twelve, “ and at the end of a month there- were to be ** feen only two, whence continually iffued large ** rocks, which, vomited forth with the lava, “© followed. their projectile motion, frequently “ for fifteen feconds, before they again fell to “the ground.” We had been fo encumbered till our aqri- val at this anchorage, that it had not” been pof- fible to emt tae wt all the ers com pany. | dz CHAP. 36 VOYAGE IN SEARCH —~ CHAPTER It. We leave Teneriffe to proceed to the Cape of Good i Hope. —Different obfervations—Shining phe- nomenon in the fea, fingularly phofphoric.—: VOYAGE IN SEARCH fize is two centimeters: they are terminated by — a tube which is half the length of their body.” ~ The fouth-eaft and fouth winds blew with fo — much obftinacy, that we were not able to tcrofs the equator till the 28th; about eleven o'clock at night, in the longitude of 26° weft, while it had been propofed to crofs it 8 or 10° more to the eaftward. It is not ufual, at this’ epoch, to experience, in thefe parts, winds which hang fo long-to the fouth and fouth-eaft ; for, the fun being already far advanced in the tropic of Capricorn, the ge- neval winds commonly draw to the eafiward, The fix or eight miles which we had been daily carried to the northward when we were detained by the calms, and the fwell that came — from the fouth and fouth-eaft, brought us ac- quainted with the pnaxpaties conftancy of thefe — winds. The thermometer obferved at noon, for ie Jaft week, had not ftood at more than 22°, and frequently 21°, although we were very near. the equator : it is aftonifhing to fee, that, at fo fmall a diltance from the line, this inftrument did not. indicate a greater degree of heat: but, befides the general caufes, fuch as the pervioufnefs of the waters of the fea to the fun’ srays, the little denfity of the water, and its evaporation, which ‘binder the atmofphere {rem imbibing as much a ae heat — "OF LA PEROUSE. » 53 Heat as‘on land, in the fame latitude we had for fome days had a light breeze, which had not a, little contributed to cool the air) ‘ Seamen are in the habits of -chriftenmg, in their way, the perfons who crofs the. line for the: firft time; in French fhips this baptifin is pers. formed by foufing them with feveral buckets of, falt water; this is fometimes praifed in fuch a manner as to divert thofe who. are fure .of ‘not, being fluiced. One of the failors, who is called. Le bon homme Ta ligne, defcends from the main-top. with an.oakum beard, and comes and prefides at this nautical entertainment Wad a eathied veal be : e fh i, The: * Tt may not be uninterefling to fome readers to have a more particular account of this ceremony, as practifed on Pia Englifh men of war. Whenever a fhip croffes the line or the tropics, one of the: feamen, who is fuppofed’ to be. ‘a fellow of infinite jeft,?: being dreffed in a whimfical ‘manner to reprefent Neptune, | goes over the bows, and, through a fpeaking trumpet, hails the: fhip, afking her name; that of her commander ;. whence fhe came; and whither fhe is bound? Thefe queftions being refolved, he rifes majeftically from the briny waves, and wielding: his: trident, comes on the forecaftle, accompanied by his confort, who is perfonated by another feaman, alfo fantaftically attired. Being feated in his ear (which is previoufly prepared, and is __ generally compofed of ‘a half-tub fixed on’ a grating, lathed to eapftern bars), he is borne on the fhoulders of his fuite, and carried in proceffion from the forecaftle to the quarter-deck. ‘The watery god there welcomes the captain. to his: dominions, and exprefies a Be that he will have no sbjection ta his levye E 3 ing 54 VOYAGE IN SEARCH The Admiral, fearing that we fhould not all’ equally relith this farce, forbade that any perfon, fhould be ducked. On the 2gth of November, the fea-water, by Beaumé's areometer for falts, gave me 3°4,: when we were in half a degree of fouth lati- tude. The currents fet us to the Gillard “The winds, as is well known, are, in this vaft fea, the’ principal caufé of the different direction of the waters. We had every reafon to be apprehenfive of a long paffage ; befides, the Efpérance did not: hold fo good a wind as us. We were afraid that the want of water would oblige us to touch on the coaft of Brazil ; this circumftance would - ing among the officers and people who have never before vifited them, his accuftomied tribute, which confifts of a fhilling each, from the men, and a prefent in liquor from the officers. Such of the fhip’s company as are unable to pay this tribute, are obliged to fubmit to the penalty of being fhaved, in order to be in a condition to be prefented to his aquatic majefty. This cere mony is performed in the following manpet: the novice being — feated over a large tub of falt water, in liew of a lather of foap, , his chin is befmeared with tar, and a piece of rufty iron hoop fupplies the place of arazor. The operation is terminated by the infolvent tributary undergoing firft a ducking in the tub over. which he fits, and afterwards a copious ablation of falt-water from Neptune's attendant Tritons. It is almoft unpeceflary to, add, that the reft. of the day is {pent in the fort of conviviality congenial to the difpoGtion'of Britith tars, T. , | have ahi taenst dehiaate i a sy OF LA PERUOUSE. 55 have been the more vexatious, as it would have totally deranged the plan of our voyage ; for it was neceflary for us to follow the feafons, in order to explore part of the countries that we were to vifit. On the 17th of December we paffed the tropic of Capricorn, in the longitude of 28° weit. On board the Efpérance were taken upwards of a hundred bonitoes a day, while all our moft expert fifhermen together never caught more than ten in a day, and even that very feldom. It was not, however, immaterial to the health ofthe | fhips’ companies whether they lived on frefh provifions or falt-meat. On the 18th of December, when we were in the latitude of 25° 20% fouth, and in the longi- tude of 28° 42° weft, the thermometer obferved at noon. ftood at 19° above o, and at 17° before fun-rife, although that Juminary was not far from our zenith. The cold had been fo great during the night, as to oblige our people to wear their woollen clothes. We had depended on wefterly’ winds on ap- proaching the coaft of Brazil; they were, on the contrary, from the eaftward ; but having drawn aft, we had. been enabled to go free for a fort- night, till we arrived at the 28th degree of fouth latitude, and the 24th of weft longitude. , a Ea It 56 VOYAGE IN SEARCH ~ It was to be prefumed that in this latitude we fhould-meet with variable winds, which would favour our route towards the Cape of Good Hope ; but they varied only to be more Saeed to us. . On the 26th of December we had ftill fouth- eafterly winds, although we had_paffed. the latitude of 292° fouth. The fun, which. fon feveral months paft extended its greateft heat in this hemifphere, had receded from the limits: of the general winds. ‘ ~ The length of our paffage occafioned our rallow- ance of water to be reduced to-a bottle a ‘day each man. As foon as the winds had got i to the north-eafl and north, the currents, which before fet to the weftward, became fcarcely perceptible. Although on the 27th we were at a very great diftance from the Cape of Good Hope, we al- ready perceived the albatrofs (diomedea exulans), which is there found in confiderable numbers,” A circumftance worthy of remark is the vari- ation of the compafs being much greater to the fouthward than to the northward of the equator; for from the 14th degree of north latitude to the equator, in the fpace comprifed between the'23d and 26th degrees of weft longitude, the: differs ence was only 3°, or from 14° to 119; while in the fame {pace in latitude towards the fouth, and 4° of weft longitude, that is, from the 26th de- | Bree OF LA PEROUSE. 37. gree to athe: oth, the variation of the. com: pats extended from 11°. to 3% towards the weft, which makes 8° of variation fouth of the iain while narth of it the needle had varied. only 3° in. a {pace almoft as great. . Is not the proximity of the coaft of Brazil one ) of the principal caufes of this difference ? | The leati variation obferved was 1° 50’ in the latitude of 25° fouth, and longitude of 29° weft. There is no doubt that the difference of longi- tude in thefe feas has much more influence on the variation of the magnetic needle, than the difference of latitude. The. variation fenfibly in- creafed as, we advanced to the eaftward. .. One -of the officers took the diftances of the moon from the f{yn, in a pofition fomewhat inconvenient, with one of Dollond’s brafs fex- tants, the radius of which was two double deci- ’ meters : he perceived a caufe of-error, which it would have been difficult to fufpect, The radiz of this inftrument, although extremely heavy, were ftill fo. weak as to bend, and thus.caufe a derangement in the pararellifm of the glaffes, when the obferver refted it. with a little weight againit his breaft.. The fame effect did not take place in the wooden fextants, becaufe their radii being much thicker, do not. yield to the force which affects thofe made of brafs. This fource of error is an additional reafon for giving an exclufive preference to the reflecting circle. na 3 _ VO¥AGE IN SEARCH circle of Citizen Borda. The facility with which, by means of crofs obfervations, is corrected the — etror that might: proceed from the graduation, gives it a very decided fuperiority over all others, when it is withed to afcertain the longitude by: the obfervation of diftances of the moon os the fun, or from a ftar. lam forry that this valuable inftrument, al- though extremely eafy to be ufed, is as yet little known. Each of our officers had one, which in the eourfe of the voyage became an infirument to be depended on in the hands of all. - An obferver, of any experience, may afcertain the longitude within two or three myriameters, We have reafon to hope that in proportion as the lunar tables fhall aequire greater perfection,’ the calculation of the longitudes from thefe ebfervations will be fiill much nearer the truth. The plants which F had colleGted at Tene- riffe, although quite dry at the time of my departure, had, while we had remained under the tropics, become covered with a very thick mildew, which was attached to the under part of the leaves, where, as is well’ known, the ab- forbent are extremely numerous; and my collections had been greatly damaged: “The water kept in a flate of diffolution by the air, by means of the dire& heat of the fun, isin the open fea, between the tropics, fo much more » abundant than that with which the air can be — loaded OF LA PEROUSE, ~ , 55 Yoaded without fuch a heat, that every thing that is not expofed to the fun is affected by great hu+ — midity ; itis, for this reafon, very difficult therete - preferve from ruft iron inftruments, and even the beft polifhed fteel. | | - During the whole time: that we remained between the tropics, the mercury in the barome- ter had not tifen above 28inches 4 lines, and . had not fallen below 28 inches 1.4, line. We were well aware: that our ftock of -water would not preferve its purity in the fuffocating heats which we experienced; but it would have been difficult to prefume, that, having on board fome means very eafy to be adopted for {weeten- ing the water, before the daily allowance was ferved out, thefe means would not have been effectually employed. The water. kept on fhipboard, swan in Jong paflages the fame decompofition as ftagnant waters, and this decompofition is fingularly ac- celerated by the heat of the climate. There then arifes from it fo great a quantity of inflammable air, that a perfon runs a rifk of being fuffocated in going down into the hold where it is depo- fited. This accident’ however is very uncom- mon, becaufe the opening which leads thither, allows part of thefe noxious miafmata to efcape. It i is not the lefs true, that thefe often produce nervous fevers, the malignity of which is propor- tionate bo ' VOYAGE IN SEARCH tionate to the degree of heat that decompofes the water. As this gas, the {pecific gravity of which was firft afeertained by Prieftley, is: much. lighter than the atmofpheric air, and as it has befides little adherence to the water, it is eafy to fepa- rate the former from the latter, and to reftore to this beverage its primitive purity: for this it is _ fafficient to agitate it for a quarter of an hour. - We had on board a machine which perfe€lly anfwered this end: it was a large tub of the fize of a double hectoliter: when it was three fourths filled with water, there were turned round in its middle, by means of a winch and a catch- wheel, four large iron plates difpofed in the form of a crofs; the water then received a firong agitation, which, by difengaging the inflam- mable gas with which it was impregnated, re- fiored to it, at the fame time, the pure air of, which it had been partly deprived ; and, however tainted it was before, it did not, in a very little while, differ from the heft water. This procefs, which is very eafily executed, completely refolves the numerous feries of quef- tions which fome natural philofophers have pro- pofed to navigators, refpecting the means of ren- dering freth water drinkable when. it ‘becomes putrid on board a fhip. It “OF LA PEROUSE. ” 6t It will hardly be. believed, that, with fo fimple a mean of {weetening water, there was often difiributed to us fome in almoft as putrid a ftate as if it had juft come out of the hold; but the aftonifhment will ceafe, when it is known that the officer of the watch, charged to fuperintend this operation, generally abandoned it to the care of a failor, who, being foon tired of turning | the winch, almoft always thought the water {ufficiently agitated before it was drinkable: it would have been more proper to have entrufted the fuperintendance of this operation to the furgeon, as feveral of us obferved; for it was not indifferent to the health of all, whether it was well or ill exectited. However, the officer of the watch did not the lefS continue to be left charged with this duty. On the 29th of December, with a fky entirely free from clouds, the thermometer ftood at 17° xs, and the barometer at 28 inches 3% lines, when the wind, at north-by-eaft, brought us all on a fud- den, about noon, a very thick fog, which con- cealed from us, for a quarter of an hour, the fight of the fun. It is very remarkable, that, inftead of occafioning a fall of the mercury in the barometer, this fog made it rife 13 line du- ring the whole time that it furrounded us. [ dare not hazard any conjecture in attempting to give an explanation of this phenomenon : it will the 62 VOYAGE IN SEARCH the more aftonith natural philofophers, as it fhould feem that this circumftance ought to have diminithed the elafticity of the air, inftead of increafing it; befides,; nothing announced that this fog was occafioned by the explofion of a volcano. | . On the 3d of January 1792, we enjoyed the fight of a rainbow, produced by the rays of the moon: this planet was, about ten o'clock at night, furrounded by two concentric circles; © they exhibited all the colours of the rainbow in an order oppofed to each other. The largeft of thefe circles did not occupy more. than five de- grees in the heavens. As this phenomenon, produced by the decompofition of the light of the moon, appeared between her and us, the colours of the iris muft neceffarily prefent them- felves in the inverfe order of thofe .which the fun difplays ; fince, in this latter cafe, the {pecta- tor is between the rainbow and the planet ; acs cordingly, the fmalleft circle, which gave to its. inner edge a red colour, was terminated out- wardly by a violet colour, while the violet formed the inner edge of the largeft circle, and the red its outer edge. We werc then in the latitude of 32° 42’ fouth, and longitude 7° weft. On the 7th of January, in the afternoon, we paffed - OF LA PEROUSE. 63 paffed’ under the meridian of Paris, in the lati- ' tude of 33° fouth. After having dipped Beaumé’s areometer «into fea-water, in order to afcertain its fpeci- fic weight, I had 3°¢, which affords the fame refult as that 1 had already obtained in the vicinity of the equator. It fhould therefore ap- pear, that the faltnefs of fea-water differs not per- ceptibly, even at great diftances in feas fo une- qually heated by the rays of the fun. On the gth of January we ‘began to exercife the crews of both fhips in firing with ball: a _ prize of {mall value was the reward of thofe who hit the mark, which was fixed at the end of one of the fore-top-maft ftudding-fail booms. It was obferved with pleafure, that moft of them took pretty good aim, although they had not been in the leaft habituated to fire-arms. It was not a matter of indifference on fuch an expedition.,in the courfe.of which we might fometimes. be under the neceflity of defending ourfelves againtt the favages, that all fhould know how to ufe.the arms that we had on board. The Captain of the Efpérance x acini made faft toa buoy half of a very fine tunny, which he was fending to the Admiral, the line did not come near enough for us to reach it; a failor jumped overboard, in order to {wim after it, although it was known that a fhark had been 2 | caught san 64 VOYAGE in sEARCH caught in the morning on board the Efpérance; and that the little wind which then blew muft have incteafed the apprehenfion of meeting with another, that would perhaps have cartied off - one of our befi feamen. k Having now got into the ‘atittide: of 33° fouth, after having reached the longitude of 5° weit, the bonitoes fill followed usin very nume> — rous fhoals, although it is by no means common to meet with fo many in this high latitude. The northerly winds were probably one of the princi- pal caufes which lead thefe fithes far ae theit habitual abode. I fhall remark, that if owr nieces were lefs expert than thofe of the Efpérance, they were alfo lefs favoured. It was from the boatfwain that were obtained the fifhing-lines. Ours; during the whole voyage, diftributed them with fo niggardly a hand, that in the end he banifhed from the mirid of the failors all inclination to fith. . It was the firft lieutenant’s duty to make | him fenfible of the fatal effects of this improper conduct; but he as apace no concern about the matter. The fea-nettle known. by the namie of the me- — dufa velella, took advantage of the’calm, to come and float in great numbers on the furface of the fea. This fpecies differed in ‘no refpect from that which I had repeatedly met with in - the a ee. et oe hae (OF LA PEROUSE. 65 the Mediterranean, where it)is a dith i in oe requett with feamen. It was of the higheft importance that’ we fhould have veffels that did not leak; yet fearcely had we left Breft Water before it shied neeittae} to have recourfé to the pump. As we made two centimeters of ‘water an hour, we ‘were obliged ‘to pump the fhip out twice a day. This précau- tion was the°more indifpenfable, as the water would have got to our fiock of falt; an object of the greateft’ confequence in the voyage. that we were undertaking. The quantity of water that came into the hold fortunately made no fare ther progrefs. — The between-decks was fo encumbered, that feveral months elapfed before-we could find out the fituation of this leak. We at laft perceived that it was behind a knee. The fhip being lightened, it was difcovered that a tree-nail had been for- gottenfand that the hole where it ought to have been placed had’ been covered only with, pitch. The ‘water had not been long in penetrating through this coat of uff; a bolt was imme- diately driven into bg hole, and the ‘gts leaked no more. | ~The albatroffes of the Cape of Good Hope, which were feen in pretty large numbers, an- nounced to us the vicinity of this fouthern ex- tremity of ‘Africa. We in fa& got fight of the “VOL. I. F land ~ 66 VOYAGE IN SEARCH Jand on the 16th of January, about eight o’clock in the morning. We were then at the diftance — of four myriameters from Table Bay. The currents, which, at the time of the gene- ral winds, had made us lofe fo much ground, having fortunately taken a contrary direction when | we had met with the variable winds, the wefiing we loft was nearly balanced by the eafiing we made. Our land-fall at the Cape of Good Hope confirmed this obfervation. It may eafily be con- ceived, that, with the exception of a few irregu- — Jarities in the variable winds, the tendency of — the waters to find their level muft determine thofe which are in the latitude of thefe winds to flow back towards the eaft, .in proportion as the general winds carry to the wefiward thofe whofe courfe they direct. The proximity of the land had. alfo been an- nounced to us by a change in the colour of the waters of the fea, which is occafioned by the _ elevated bottom on which they repofe. Some feals of the fpecies which Buffon has _ denominated petit phogue (phoca pufilla, Linn.), came within a {mall diftance of our fhip to — feck their fubfiftence in the great heaps of fea-weed, called fucus pyriferus, which were — feen floating on the furface of the fea: thefe animals frequently fled, at the fame time raifing themfelves by fudden fprings above the water ; then Ape Feng Tbe tye OPC He OF LA PEROUSE.- 67 then their two hind feet, which they drew to- gether in the form of fins, ferved them as a point of fupport on the water, the furface of which was to them what a vaft plain is to an active quadruped. We fell rather to leeward of the entrance of — Table Bay, which gave us little hopes of reach- ing the anchorage in the courfe of the day. We could have wifhed for a finer day to make the land; for there fell a great deal of rain, -- and the fhore was often concealed i us by a thick fog. 7 About feven o’clock in the evening we were. a myriameter and a half from the mountain of» Hout Bay, which bore from us weft 3° 45’ north; the pitch of the ge north by weft; and the Lion’s Head weft 3° north. Near this point of bearing we founded in 130 fathoms water, over a bottom of coral. The fea was extraordinarily phofphoric during the whole night, which we paffed at a little dif- tance from the coaft. I remarked a vaft quan-. tity of luminous points in all the places where the water was agitated: this phofphorefcence differs from that which is commonly obferved at” fea only by its being more intenfe, owing to a greater number of phofphoric globules. Thefe little bodies are, as I have already faid, much more numerous near the coafts than in the open F 2. fea, 68 VOYAGE IN SEARCH fea, in the fame latitude. 1 again examined — them, after having ftrained the water that con- — tained them; they differed in no refpect from thofe which I had before obferved: I ftill dif- tinguifhed the fame little tranfparent, globular molecules, the fize of which was about a* “third of a millimeter. A light breeze from the fouth-weft permitted — us in the afternoon of the next day, the 17th of © January, to dire our route ‘towards the en- — trance of Table Bay. AAs foon as it had frefhen- ed up a little, we fteered, with all fail fet, fouth- eaft by eaft, for Hangman’s Point, which ‘we » ranged very clofély along, carrying with us pretty regular founidinigs from four to five fa- thoms. : It was half paft five o’clock when we anchored — in four fathoms water, the bottom gray fand, — at the diftance of a kilometer from the fhore y the town clock bearing weft 38° fouth; the — fiag-ftaff- of Lion's Rump weft 3° north; the — pavilion of the northernmost fort weft 43° north ; : and Robben Ifland north 1° weft. _- We had not a fick man on board, although ~ the Jength of our paffage had reduced us to a very flender allowance of water; ‘bat en-— deavours had been made ‘to compenfate for this ptivation by a great ufe of various kinds of antifcorbutics. A fort of punch, very whole- 4 fome. » OF LA: PBROUSEY 69 fome and very pleafant, compofed of brandy, vinegar, fugar, and water, had been daily ferved out to the fhips’ companies towards the end of this paflage. The fhip had been fumigated twice a day. The greatefi care had been taken to make the failors change their clothes, whenever they got wet; and it was a fatisfaction to fee that fo many precautions. had not been employed | in vain. SEQ oD to) ci SORAPTER _ |. i VOYAGE IN SEARCH CHAPTER Ii. Stay at the Cape of Good Hope.—Depofitions of two French Captains, by which it appears that, being at Batavia, they had learnt from Com- modore Hunter, that he had feen at the Admi- ralty Ilands fome natives dreffed in the uniform of the French navy.—Captain Bligh fent from England to procure the bread-fruit tree at the Society Ilands.—Violence. of the fouth-eaft winds.—Local caufe which increafes their im- petuofity—A flavefhip—Various excurfions to the mountains in the vicinity of the town— Impudence of the Fifcal—Journey to Franche- — Hoek. Two officers of health of Cape Town came on board to fatisfy themfelves that we brought no contagious diforders: it is particularly the fmall-pox which they dread; for that malady, which is not endemical in this country, makes here, as well as throughout all India, the moft dreadful ravages when brought from abroad. A captain of a merchant-fhip, arrived from Bourdeaux a few days before us, came alfo to inform us, that the commander of the naval forces OF LA PEROUSE. vhs forces in the Ifle of France, after having re- | ceived fome information’ refpecting the fate of La Péroufe, had difpatched to the Cape a frigate to bring an account of it tothe commander of the expedition fent in fearch of that unfortunate navigator. ‘The frigate had failed fome days before to proceed to the Ifle of France. iy Admiral D’Entrecafteaux immediately fent an _ officer to wait on the Governor of the Cape, in order to fettle the falute. This officer received’ from the French Chargé f Affaires, the difpatches which Citizen Saint Felix, commander of our. naval ‘forces in the Indian feas, had fent to Ad- miral D’Entrecafteaux by the Atalante frigate,. Captain Bolle, who had failed again almoft immediately, to return to the Ifle of France.” The following is the letter addreffed to the Admiral, with the depofitions of two. Captains of merchant-veffels, who were at Batavia during the ftay that Commodore Hunter made there,” on his return’ from Botany Bay ins a Detch fhip, after he had been caft away on oe land, | ~*~ Letter from Citizen Saint Felix, Commander on the India Station, to Admiral D’Enitregafteaux. Flearn by private letters, that you do not in- tend to touch af the Ifle of France until your F4 return ~ 72 VOYAGE IN SEARCH return from the important expedition which you are going to undertake. Deprived of the hope, with which J had flattered myfelf, of having the honour of feeing you, I haften to tranfmit to you, at the Cape,of Good Hope, two accounts relative to. the objeét of, your miffion, which — have juft been given to me by. the Captains of two French, fhips arrived from Batavia. You will there fee by what accident:a Dutch fhip, having on board Commodore Hunter, commander of the Englith frigate Syrius, as well.as his crew, had feen, near the Admiralty ‘Iflands in the South. Sea, men covered with European. cloths, and. particularly fome clothes which he judged. to be. French uniforms. You will alfo. fee that. the Commodore had no doubt of their being the remains of the wreck of M. de la Péroufe, whom he had feen at Botany Bay. I have thought that, the knowledge of thefe reports would be interefiing to you, and have. indeed judged them fufficiently important to de-. termine me to make you acquainted with them directly, by a frigate which I fend to the Cape folely for this purpofe. Captain Bolle, who commands her, will, if he does not find you there, leave my difpatch with the French Chargé @ Affaires, in order that it may be delivered to you on your arrival. (\ithough no official ac- counts Rm OF LA PEROUSE. ~ 73 counts of your expedition authorize me to fend a frigate on this fervice, I amv certain of his Ma- jefty’ s approbation of the ftep which I have taken _in this refpect, as much from the confideration — ef the public intereft, as from the with of my heart. It was referved for you to acquire claims to the gratitude of the whole nation, by accepting | the command of an expedition, which does equal honour to the fovereign who orders it, and _ the officer by whom it is executed. Whatever route you may take, you will be followed by my withes for your fuccefs, and by the inviolable and perfect attachment with which Iam, &c. (Signed) = Saint Pun. 3 Tle of France, | oth November 179%. Account given to the Chef de Divifion Saint Felixy _ Commander on the India Station, by Captain Préaudet, commanding the is se arrived from Batavia. The Englith frigate Sytitis, commanded by Commodore Hosier, bound for New Holland, was lof on Norfolk Ifland, in the South Sea, to- wards the end of the year 1790. The crew were taken up by the floop of war which was follow- ing her in her miffion, and has returned to Botany Bay, where sla a th Phillip freighted — afmall . 74+ VOYAGE IN SEARCH a finall Dutch veffel to convey to England the fhipwrecked crew, with their commander, Com=" modore Hunter. - Having left Botany Bay in this veffel, and wifhing to touch at Batavia, Commodore Hun- ter was thwarted by the winds and currents, and - carried to the eaftward as far as the 167th® of lon- gitude from the meridian of Greenwich. Withing — to pafs through St. George’s Strait, he got fight of the Admiralty [flands, ‘fituated in the 147th? of longitude from the meridian of Greenwich, and in 3° 25’ fouth latitude. Near that lying moft to the eaftward, he faw feveral boats filled with men covered with European ftuffs and pieces of cloth; he could even diftinguifh the uni- form of the French navy: Thefe people made. fignals with white flags for the fhip to approach, For this Commodore Hunter had the ftrongeft defire; but it was impoffible to effet it, on ac- count of the contrariety of the currents and winds, and the danger of numerous fhoals. Commodore Hunter had feen La Péroufe at Botany Bay, and was particularly intimate with him. He had learnt from him that it was his intention, on leaving Botany Bay, to pas through St. George’s Strait, in order to get to the northward. He has no doubt that it was on thefe iflands that the Afirolabe and Bouffole were OFLA PEROUSE. "5 were lofi, in confequence of the calms and vio- lent currents which prevail in that quarter. He told me that he himfelf was carried to the eaft- ward fix hundred miles in ten days by the ftrength - of them, as was proved by repeated obfervations of the‘longitude, by time-keepers, and the fight of land. Ina word, Commodore Hunter, who was at Batavia, and whom I {aw in the voyage I have recently made, appears to me to be fully per- fuaded, that the European clothes which he ob- ferved in the boats that came from the Admiralty Iflands, are the remains of the fhipwreck of the veflels under the command of La Péroufe. Commodore Hunter is at prefent on his paf fage to return to England, whence France will probably receive from him more circumftantial details on this fubject. | After what the Englifh commander has expe- rienced on approaching the Admiralty [flands, he thinks, that a veffel which wifhed to go thither, ought to take the precaution to get into ‘their latitude in good time, in order to prevent her from being carried away by the cur- rents, which fet to the eaftwatd with protipcvs rapidity. r Done at the Ifle of France, the 6th of No- vember 1791. , (Signed) PREAUDET, st se of the fhip Jafon. Account ~~ 96 VOYAGE IN SEARCH Account given by Pierre Magon Lépinay, Captain of the Ship Marie-Hélene, arrtved from Batavia, to the Chef de Divifion Saint Felix, Commander on the India Station. “The commander and officers of the o Bngtith frigate Syrius, after that fhip was wrecked on Norfolk Ifland, were conveyed to~ Botany Bay, whence they failed in a fmall Dutch veffel, which brought them to Batavia at the end of September in that year, after a pafiage of about fix months. One or two days after having weathered St. George’s’ Channel, very early in the morning they got fight of both the Admiralty Iflands, to which they were very near; they had ‘alfo founded without finding bottom. | They faw come’ out from the iflands. two latge canoes, containing about a dozen men, who would not come on board the veffel, but approached pretty near her. It was then very moderate weather, The veffel had againit her rather a ftrong current, which drove her off - the ifland; befides, the Dutch Captain was not fond of going near the Jand. It was remarked, _ that two of the men who were in’ the canocs had fathes fimilar to thofe worn by officers in Europe; they made figns as if they wifhed to be OF LA PEROUSE. 77. be fhaved ; feveral of them had on their clothes pieces of red and blue cloth, which proved that they had had fome communication with Euro- peans.. As Captain Hunter, commander of the Syrius, had, before his departure from Botany Bay, learned from La Péroufe himfelf that his plan was to pafs through St. Georges. Channel, the officers of that frigate are all perfuaded, that he’ had unexpectedly ‘fallen in with thefe iflands, and been there loft, I, the underwritten, do certify, that this ac- count is conformable to what I have gathered from different converfations with the officers of _ the Syrius frigate, who, after that frigate’ was wrecked, arrived at Batavia, in a {mall Dutch veffel that was there when I was inthe month of — O tober. Ace (Signed) Macon Lepinax.’ - Ile of France, : | 318 Ofober 1791. As Commodore Hunter, returning from Ba- tavia with hiscommiffioned officers, in order to proceed to England, was at the Cape of Good ~ Hope at the moment of our arrival there, we had a right to expect to receive all poflible information in 78 VOYAGE IN SEARCH _in regard to what he had feen at the Admiralty . Iflands. We were not a little furprifed that the Commodore fet fail from Table Bay two hours after we had dropped anchor. He proba- bly was well acquainted with the object of our miffion, for we were expected at the Cape, and the Admiral’s flag left no doubt of our being the fhips deftined to go in fearch of La Péroufe. It appeared to us very aftonifhing that he had not himfelf fought to give us the information which Captains Préaudet and Magon Lépinay had collected from him and his officers at Ba- tavia. We had reafon to be very much fur- prifed that Commodore Hunter not only had let tranfpire at the Cape no account which could make it be believed that he had met with fa- vages dreffed in the French naval uniform, but that he had faid to feveral members of the regency, and even to his friend Mr. Gordon, that he had no knowledge of the facts announced on the arrival of the Atalante. Nothing in- dicated that the details left at the Cape by Cap- — tain Bolle, came from’ Commodore Hunter himfelf. - Captain Bligh, commanding the Englifh floop of war Providence, defiined to procure the bread-fruit tree from the Society Iflands, had come and anchored in Table Bay a fhort time after the departure of the Atalante. It ap- peared et Ren? “— <« Med —- 4 /OF LA PEROUSE, "9 peated that Bligh did not learn from Hunter any thing relative to the depofitions of the two French captains ; but according to the informa- tien communicated by the perfons who had feen the. commander’ of the Atalante, he affured Colonel Gordon, that, on his return from the , Society Iflands, he would make inquiries in thefe feas where it was afferted that La Péroufe had been. loft, in order to endeavour to fave fome remains of his unfortunate expedition. ‘This was the fecond time that Captain Bligh went to the Society Iflands in queft of the bread- fruit tree; for during the firft voyage which he tad made to procure this valuable tree for the Englith colonies in the Weft Indies, he had been turned out of his fhip in confequence * of a mutiny which had broken out on board, as he has made known by the narrative which he publithed on his return to England. We learnt that the Pandora, an Englith _ frigate, commanded by Captain: Edwards, had fince been at the Society Iflands, where he had — laid hold of fourteen of the mutineers. She had loft four of them on running aground on the reefs of Norfolk Ifland. Chriftian, the mafier * of the fhip of which Bligh was dif * This is evidently a miftake of the author. Chriftian was only mafter’s mate of the Bounty. T. poffefied, &8> VOYAGE IN SEARCH pofieffed, and the ringleader of the mutiny, had, with nine failors, taken refuge in another ifland, whither he had carried with him feveral of the natives. An officer of the Pandora, who ar- rived at the Cape, afferted that Bligh had be- haved very improperly to Chriftian, and that-an abufe of authority on the part of this captain had been the caufe of his misfortunes. Chriftian, notwithftanding his rank of mafter, had been ill-treated by the orders of Bligh, and ufed as if he had been the loweft failor. If this fa&t be true, Bligh has not been fincere in afferting that he had always behaved to him with the oe | kindnef&S. There were at the Cape. ‘ighiesis ips; of which twelve were Dutch, two French, ao American, and two Englith.. At funrife we faluted the citadel with abc guns, and our falute was returned with the fame number. The» commander of the expedition oat on fhore about nine o'clock; the citadel upon that occafion fired fifteen guns, which we retutned, gun for gun. The governor had fent feveral carriages, with a band of muficians, to: wait for Admiral D’Entrecafteaux, at the landing-~ place, whence, amid the found of martial mufic, he pone to the government-houfe, “accompanied c rye ‘ Oe Wt 9 PCAN PASI UE! OL ‘OF LA -PEROUSE. Br | accompanied by a few officers. He. was received y the Council affembled, who returned:his vifit Imoft immediately at the houfe of the French hatgé d’ Affaires, where he had alighted. | The greater part of the iii took lodgings fhore. tis well known that at the Cane of Good Eye the Dutch take a pleafure in accommo-_ dag ftrangers with lodgings at their houfes, Thinoft ufual price is a piafter a day. « I, with fomeoi my. fhipmates, took up my quarters at the hyue of M. De Lettre. - TableMountain was enveloped in thick.clouds which\cqered its fummit ; a certain prognoftica- tion, ia tis feafon, of violent winds from the fouth-aft, pane generally blow for two or three days together... Till the evening of next day, the beeze was in fact fo ftrong, that du- ring all thit time no boat could have any com- munication with the fhore. Although the clouds appeared fiationary upon the fumnit of the mountain, even when the wind blew with the greateft violence, they were inceflantly fhifting ;. but the impulfe which they. received/on quitting that height rendering them more diffoluble, they difperfed in the air. Great parts of thefe clouds were often feen to break and immediately to difappear. The fouth-eaft wind, fhortly after, began to VOL, 1. ' G come 82 VOYAGE IN SEARCH come down from the heights of this mountair towards Cape’Town, with fuch impetuofity, ‘the _ it was with difficulty that any ‘perfon'could-pz through the ftreets fituated in that direGion; was almoft impoffible to walk againtt the wi> for it drove before it, to the height ofa ns finall ftones upwards of a centimeter in thick, with fo much ‘violen¢e,’ that the es ere obliged fo take thelter in their houfes. This impetuous wind, of which a hunbe of travellers have fpoken, appears to m¢.o be owing to the fituation of ron whid, rifing on the fea-fhore from Cape! Town-as f¢ as the weft point of the entrance of Falfe Bay oppofe a barrier to the fouth-eaft rinds. When thefe winds are ingulfed “i in Palfe Bay, tley can fol- low the fame direétion only by overoming that obftacle placed at the fouthern «tremity of Africa. “The lower current’ of air, n'tifing to the fummit of thefe- mountams, is sompreffed by the higher column, which courteraéts _ its dilatation ; it: muft therefore, as foon'as it has cleared thefe heights, reaét in proportion to the room it has'to fpread. Its’ impetuofiiy then is fuch, that it fometimes makes the ‘vefféls moored in the road ‘ftart their —" and forces van ‘to put to fea. It is at the declivity of thele high mountains — that’ tis “wind ‘isin fall forte ;' and indeed oor ot anor OF LA PEROUSES $3 #hat which is felt at a fmall diftance in the interior of the:country, is far lefs violent, as I ‘had occafion to remark in fome excurfions which I made to places at different diftances from: the town. The clouds with which the fumimit of the mountains is then covered are naturally produced by:that great mafs of air, which, after having im- bibed «a quantity of water from the -vaft ocean which’ it: has juft been: agitating, tifes in order to clear this fummit, where the difference of the temperature ‘makes ‘appear under ‘the form of clouds the water that’ it can no. — ‘em in a‘fiate of diffolution. *! 9 6 1% The bifcayan * of the E{pérarice;: which: by’ the force of the wind shad ‘broke*adrift-during the night from the fiern of: that thip, was loft. ‘To replace it, a pipes a was sehen from an American ‘veffel.” | | Although the fouth-eatt saa sovithiied to Blow with impetuofity, I went.out into the environs of! the town, where I found great ‘quantities \of the: {pecies of chironia, defignated under the names of ¢rinervia and lnoides; The siete filiaris was. alfo ips) at: i foot of * A bifcayan isa Jong, narrow boat, very pea at each end, and. calculated for going through a fwell. It derives its name from the province of Bifcay, on the coaft of which i it is in general wits and there called arca longa, T. cabal : GQ | thefe tte a $4 VOYAGE IN SEARCH thefe mountains. The pretty fhrub which is known to naturalifis by the name of drunia paleacea adorned the firft ee by which the afcent commences. It will be eafily believed, that wail fuich a wind the infects had entirely difappéared.. _ I vifited the Company’s garden, of which. feve- ral travellers have fpoken with -rapture.» It is however no more than a vaft enclofure, where are to be feen avenues of tolerably fine oaks. Some of the beds are furrounded with myrtles, in the midft of which are cultivated different forts of vegetables, and avery few exotic flowers. There have been alfo fet here fome European fruit-trees ; and I likewife remarked the plantain- tree, whofe leaves had not been able to refift the violence of the wind, which _ cut them into fhreds: There was a very tame bird of the fpeciée called falco ferpentarius, in a houfe belonging to the Governor. The ménagerie, which is fituated at the ye of the garden, contains only a {mall number of — fearce animals ; the oftrich, the zebra, the por- cupine, the jackal, and afew birds, among which I remarked the courly @ ste nue of Buffon (tantalus calvus, Linn.). The wind, which in the evening abated con- ‘fiderably, announced to us the return of fine © sveather. There OF LA PEROUSE, 85 “There was in ‘the road a flave-fhip, lately” arrived from Mozambique ; four hundred. negroes, which formed its cargo, were’ already’ landed. It was a very melancholy fight to ob-. ferve thefe miférable creatures, moft of them fcorbutic after’a very fhort paflage, crowded together in three fmall apartments, whence they . were to be fhortly carried on board, in order to’ go and fupport, by the fweat of their brow, the luxury of fome rich Weft Indian. This trade had been carried on in a place where dogs are in great requeft. The perfons who traffic in human fiefh do not blufh to own that it offen happens. ‘that they get two or three negroes for one fire dog. I employed the day of the ja in vifiting Lion Mountain. |This mountain, which takes its name from the figure which it exhibits at the diftance of a few myriameters at fea, affords a foil little favourable to vegetation. I there remarked, almoft every where, even upon the fea-fhore, a hard fteatites, of a gtayifh colour, and fo parched, that this excurfion procured me. but a very fmall number of plants. On the following day I vifited the Devil's Mountain. The impetuous fouth-eaft winds, the force of which is much greater at the decli--) ~~ vity of this mountain than any where elfe, have 8 procured it thatappellation, The charming & 3 yalley 86 VOYAGE IN SEARCH valley which feparates it from Lion Mountain, is adorned with the beautiful fpecies of protea with filvery leaves (protea argentea, Linn.), the bufhy tops of which refift the winds that oc- cafionally come down with violence from the fummit of .thefe. mountains, The leaves of. thefe trees are covered with a down, which. is the thicker as they are expofed to the action of ihe air. ‘Fhe fame thing is remarked in almoft all plants buffetted by the winds; whence it is prefumable that this down ferves to fecure them from the damage they might thence receive. Here was no longer the fterility of Lion Mountain; vegetable produCions prefented them- felves in abundance. The tulip of the Cape (hemanthus coccineus, Linn.) bedecked the moft gradual flopes: a great variety of {pecies of crice iffued from the clefts of the fteep rocks; and the pretty compound flower known by the name of fiche gnaphaloides, grew with. feveral other plants towards their bafe. Being obliged to employ a good deal of time in the prefervation of the plants which I had collected the day before, I was not able ta undertake a long excurfion on the 24th; I therefore contented myfelf with ftrolling about the environs of the town. The baftard aloe, known under the denomi- nation of agave vivipara, was fill in full flower. J admired OFLA. PEROUSE. - 87 i admired for fome time the lightnefs with which the titmoute (; parus ater, Linn.) culled the faccharine juice that exudes from the. glands fituated. at the bottom. of .the corollas. 1 killed with. regret fome of thefe.charming birds,in order to. preferve their {kin. : Three of us belonging to the expedition were following a, narrow path at a fhort diftance from ' the country-houfe of the Fifcal, named Dénefs. . This. man, aceuttomed: to) defpotic. power, at- tempted. to prevent us. from pafling through un- cultivated fields, which he took great. caxe-to tell us, were his property : we) were. fixangely far- prifed at fuch a prohibition; The Fifcal could not fuppofe that we would have the temerity to pafs on. However, after. having obferved, to” him that we could do no damage in fields that were uncultivated and covered with ftones, we followed — our road... This petty, Vizier, feeing the little re- {pect. which, we paid to. his orders, and not being ableto reply to.our obfervations, flew into a great '. paffion, and faid to us in his barbarous jar- gon, that: he had cautioned us, and that there was no need: of farther explanation. Two. negroes belonging to the town accom- panied.us: thefe poor fellows thuddered at the voice of the. Fifcal, andi could hardly. be, per- fuaded.to:follow us. They. told us, trembling, that it was’ M, Dénefs who ordered the beatings G4 that oe a 88 VOYAGE IN SEARCH that were inflicted in Cape Town, by order of the police. It isto be obferved, that this officer, having the charge of the public moncy, has a night of in- fpection of all the perfons employed by the. Company : his functions are befides independent. It is monflrous to fee fuch“a title conferred on the head of the police, who may with im- punity commit extortions, for which his place gives him all opportunities ; for he fixes the punifhments, and receives their produce: thus a pecuniary "penalty only is infli&ed on thofe who can pay, and a beating on thofe who cannot. I employed the 25th in vifiting Table Moun- tain, fo called from the horizontal plane which its fammit prefents aig feen from a dif. tance. “a I feveral times croffed a noes that runs from this mountain. The large fmooth ftones which are to be met with on its’ banks, prove that the waters rufh down there i in torrents in the rainy feafon. ! by | { had reached the middle of the moun- tain, when I found the thefium frriftum. When {had afeended a little farther I:met with the very fine fpecies of umbelja, known to. botanifts under the name of hermas “depauperata ; ; then came the pretty heath called acroffichum pedii- natium, the bubon galbanum, the reftio simplex, &c. - I had OF LA PEROUSE. Bo I had juft clambered up yaenvits formed of a very hard free-ftone, above which were blocks of quartz of a beautiful white; thefe maffes ferve as the bafe of a micacious {chifius difpofed i in ftrata very clofe to each other. After having afcended more than two thirds of a kilometer in ‘perpendicular’ height, T at length reached a break, which when {een from the town did not feem calculated to afford a paffage to the top of this mountain: but the diftance had deceived me; for I found here a path, the accefs to which is not difficult to perfons accuftomed to travel over mountains : it is befides the road moft frequented in order to artive at this fummit, which it would not be eafy to reach any other way. | ~ Although at near a kilometer of satecagieiie, height, the heat of the atmofphere caufed the thermometer placed 1 in the fhade to rife only to 20 degrees, — Fire-wood is very fearce at the Cape of Good | Hope. If the mildnefs of the climate exempts the inhabitants from the neceffity of ufing ar- tificial heat to protect themfelves againft the in- clemency of the weather, ftill they have occafion _ for fire to drefS their food. Slaves are employed to fetch the little wood that they need, even 4 good way beyond ‘Table Mountain. We met feveral go VOYAGE IN. SEARCH feveral negroes carrying to the town branches of various fhrubs, among which I remarked the cunonia Capenjis, and many fine fpecies of protea, x experienced a great pleafure in feeing thefe beautiful plants, but it was not a little damped from the confideration that they had been cut only to burn. I took fome {pecimens of them ; and the negroes, whofe burden I had confider- ably lightened, continued their way down to Cape Town. We were diftreffed to fee thefe unfortunate creatures going on without ftopping, although the fudden. declivity of the mountain feemed to make it abfolutely neceffary for them to take breath. at | The mountains in, the neighbourhood of the town ferve as an afylum for the runaway flayes, who, from barbarous tredtment, have been im- pelled to defert. Under cover of the night, they, from. the. preffure of hunger, approach the ha- bitations, in order to obtain by ftealth, at the rifk of their life, fome flender means of fub- fifience. It is eafy to judge of all the horror infpired by the ufage that they experience in the town, from the miferable exiftence to which they give the preference. It would not be unat- tended with danger to go alone and without arms, near the caverns in the rocks where. thefe wretches, driven by defpair, conceal themfelves from OF LA PEROUSE. - or from the light of day, in order’ to oom _ flavery. Some drops of water, which in thefe heights ooze between the firata of a micacious fchifius, afford the traveller the means of quenching his -thirft. . The lofty banks of the break, by which we v3 cended were clothed with the: moft beautiful lilacious' plants, among which the antholiza Aithiopica was particularly diftinguifhable from the brilliancy of its charming fcarlet flowers, Having reached the top of Table Mountain, we were beginning to make an attack upon our provifions, when we faw coming towards us fome perfons belonging to the Efpérance, who had. made an excurfion thither without furnifhing themfelves with provender: we had the pleafure of fharing with them our frugal repaft. The clouds, which during the preceding days had fettled upon the faummit of Table Mountain, had occafioned fufficient rain to form little pools in the hollows of the rock, in which I found g great number of pretty plants. Almoft the whole extent of Falfe Bay was to | be difcovered from the top of the mountain, every part of which I carefully vifited. If returned with an abundant colletion of vege- pone by the: er road that we had followed in afcending; - 2 92 VOYAGE IN SEARCH afcending; and it was dark when we arrived at the town. Hts - On the 26th, after having made all the ne- ceflary preparations for preferving the fpecimens collected the day before, I took a walk to the’ eaftward, - Beyond. the head of the bay there is a al plain of fand, in’ the midft of which I was aftonifhed to fee. a prodigious quaptity of vege- tables. Thofe which are here’ moft frequently — met with, are different fpecies of dio/ma, polygala,\ and Jorbonia; they could not’ ftand fo great aridity, if their roots did not penetrate deep — into the ground, to feek there the rane necef> _ fary to keep them alive. | J had occafion to crofs feveral rivulets, the ; waters of which, fupplied by the neighbouring — mountains, are partly loft in the fands before ‘ they reach the fea, ' It is in thefe moift {pots that grows the beautiful lilaccous plant known under — the name of get/yllis Spiralis. | ‘3 Holes made in the fand are reforted to by — fnakes, which are frequently found afleep on — their edges, but glide into them immediately "7 ; the approach of any perfon. : _ On the 27th I returned, for the fecond time, — to vifit Table Mountain. I deviated a little from the ufual road, and I enriched my collection — ‘ with a namber of plants which I had not before | found. It _ OF LA PEROUSE,, 93 . It would take a great deal,of time. to exhautt all the vegetable riches, of a country which pro- duces them’ in, fo great variety. . A heavy fog fudden'y covered the fummit where I was, ‘and obliged’ me to. come down. Enveloped: in fo thick a mift, it, would haye been impofflible for me to find my way, had I'not been very near the Toad which led to the-foot of. the mountain. Although the wind was not high on» Table Mountain, the clouds did not the Jefs. break after they had paffed it, and they became condenfed in the fame manner as by on impetuous winds trom the fouth-eaft. On the 28th I ftrolled over the environs. ant the town, and farther inerentod ex collection of plants. . Thad hitherto found’ only a. fmall saenle of infects ; for they do not delight in places fo me -expofed to the winds. On the 29th I made an excutfion behind Table Mountain, following the road which mere rates it from Lion Mountain, The cyanella Capenfis was growing quite clofe to the fea-fhore, As foon as we had reached the elutite, I had the pleafure of feeing the declivity of the rocks covered with different fpecies of heaths, among which the erica halicacaba was diftinguifhable by its oval form and the beauty of its flowers. } : The 4 VOYAGE IN SEARCH § Phe difc grandiftora, one of the fineft plants of he family of the orchis, adorned the banks of the Ymall-rivulets which a in thefe elevated Tegions. Tat 7 aie This excurfion was the more re aaheuble; as T Shad with me ‘M. “Maffon, whofe. travels. ne added’ confiderably to botanical fcience. “The following days were employed in makin frefh fearches in the {pots which I had already vifited: their vegetation is fo diverfified, that | always found new riches. ‘| An Englith frigate, which had arrived fron Tellichery, anchored for five days in Table Bay; fhe was going ‘to England, with an’ account o an‘engagement ‘that had been fought betw the French frigate la Refolue, Captain’ Cal man, ‘carrying twelve pounders, and: the Englith frigate Phoenix, carrying eighteens. ‘The Capt of the Englith frigate had wifhed to exami fome French fhips under convoy of our frigate. The Englith, according to their cuftom, at-_ tempted to fpread unfavourable reports refpect- ing the conduct of Captain Calaman, who, _ by the details which we received from the Ifle of France, had, in this affair, conduéted — himfelf with equal firmnefs and greatnefs of © mind. The commander of the Phoenix frigate _ ought to lave filenced thefe rumours, by pro-_ mulgating the faéis ; but it appears that he had an | vifit. MOF LA PEROUSE. 93 an intereft in difguifing them: for it is unheard of, that, under the colours ‘of a: frigate, of «the French government, the Englith thould take the liberty to’examine veflels under her conyoy:' The Crown, an Englith line of battle ‘Sip, which arrived a day after the frigate, obferved the fame conduct. | iseeloD I think it proper to imate that our ‘coms mander, having fent.an officer'on board of thefe two fhips, in order to comply with the civilities cuftomary on fuch occafions, the two captains had the ill manners to take no notice: of; this I had already collected -moft: of the: ee table productions that are to be found at‘ this » feafon in the neighbourhood: of the Cape. I could not promife myfelf a more abundant har- veft, without going to a diftance. Some:moun- tains, defignated by the Dutch under the name of Franche-Hoek, fituated to. the eafiward ata — confiderably greater diftance from the town than their appearance feemed to me to indicate, infpired me for fome days with a defire to vifit them: their afpect made me: hope: to ved there a great variety of fpecimens. I fet out on the oth of February. The sadnee belonging to the expedition was of the: party. A Hottentot led a horfe ‘that carried our bag- gage. a 96 VOYAGE IN SEARCH gage. For an interpreter we hada young negro, who fearcely knew a word of French: ~ A pafiport, with which we were obliged to be provided, was fent to. me by M. Berg, one of the moft amiable and beft informed men in the colony. sel} : Colonel Gordon, the commander of the troops © at the Cape, had given me letters.of introduction | to feveral of the inhabitants. Colonel Gordon is the celebrated travellersl , who gave Buffon the firft juft ideas refpecting — the giraffe, or camelopard, an animal till then — little known. This officer, excited by the defire — of making difcoveries in natural hiftory, pene-— trated into the interior of Africa, as far as the — 21ft degree of fouth Jatitude. He repeatedly told me, that he made at that diftance, of more — than 12° north of the Cape, barometrical obfer- _ vations, which proved to him, that the ground | _ was upwards of two kilometers in perpendicular elevation above the level of the fea, without his being able to perceive in his progrefs any fenfible rife in the ground; but, on the con-— trary, he thought himfelf in a fomewhat clevated — plain. Thefe obfervations, which he repeated — feveral days after, feem to indicate, that the ground rifes by an imperceptible acclivity to a height which is not elfewhere found in the higheft mountains. I leave | : OF LA PEROUSE. 97 I leave it to natural philofophers to decide, whether in this cafe the fall-of the mercury in the barometer may not proceed from fome other caufe than that which produces a fimilar effect when it is placed in more elevated fituations. We met a number of waggons drawn by three or four pair of oxen; they were returning empty, each led by a Hottentot, who, ftanding about. the middle of this carriage, with a long whip in’ his hand, directed -his cattle. with wonderful ikill. Although the foremoft oxen were very-far from him, he did not. the lefs ,certainly hit the part at which he ftruck, in the ox that he wifhed to urge on.. Our Hottentot walked ae fnoking his _ pipe, and occafionally.filling his belly with Hottentot’ s figs, mefembryanthemum edule, that grow on the road-fide, in the midft of fands, without thinking of the load of our horfe, which he made. follow him; accordingly our baggage fell off feveral times, and would have remained in the middle of the road, had we not attended to the fmoker, who always continued his way; it was neceflary to frighten him by threats, in order to draw him from his apathy, and make him more attentive. *, Different fpecies of geranium, polgals, lobelia, &c. covered the fandy plain, over which we travelled. VOL. I. H Having be? 2 98° VOYAGE IN SEARCH “Having attived at places fomewhat more ele. | vated, we began to fee a féw antélopes, but they fat off at too great a dace fe us to st ah to fire at them. It was two ‘hours after dutk before we: dives at Bottelary, at the houfe of M. Bofman. ‘The létter of. recommendation which M. Gordon had given me'té this worthy éuftivator,’ " procured” us” a very friendly’ reception. * ‘Tt was fuppet-time, atid he Was at table inthe midit of his nuintiérous fatnily. He immediately itivited us to take d place. befide’ him, and’ pteferitéd’ us" With'a ftrong agtecablé wine’ of thé growth of Bot- telary, which fome merchants of the ‘town fell dt a great price for Conftancia ; it is, however, ritich inferior; and indeed M Bofinan : ob- fetved tous, that it could be got at a twelfth part 6f the price of the othety © 5s 'M. Botinan, infulated inthe midft of fands, on a fill {pot of land fit for cultute, was’natu- rally dager for news; but the manner’ in which we inatlé ‘outflves-underftood to hint’ was ex- destively troublefme, ‘for our black interpreter Was fill tore ignorant than we had till ‘then fhistight him. After having pafléd ‘along time in faying very little, we retired to take fome repofe, Of Whicli' we Werte muth'inneed. ‘There was Hot ‘one 6f us who did not envy the peaceable os Ted by this refpectable man, in the middle ofa 2 ‘family, tas ee peur peter) OF LA PEROUSE. 99 family, who blended the moft amiable - qualities with great fimplicity of manners. — ./ Om the 10th, when the day began to dawn, we rambled over the environs of this charming habitation. M, Bofman’s garden prefented to eur. view moft of the vegetables and fruits’ of Europe; fine plantations of almond-trees were raifed oppofite to the houfe, and it was fur- rounded with plots of yines, which form the principal wealth of this cultivator. As foon as the fun appeared in the horizon, M, Bofman’s young daughters feeing us ém- ployed in picking up infects, wifhed to contri; bute towards enriching our colle¢tion, They ran about the garden with inconceivable agility, and brought us from time to time a very good choice, among the fpecies, the colours of which were the mof brilliant. As we were fhortly t to fail from the Cape, we _ had {carcely time left to .vifit the mountains of Franche-Hoeck. It was with lively regret that we quitted our amiable entertainers. We arrived early at Stellenbofch, where we topped at the houfe of M. Hoffman. The manner in which we were received at Stel- lenbofch formed a firiking contraft with the free and hearty welcome which we had experieri¢ed at Bottelary. We were here in a very handfome - village; but we were wrong in expeaing that ‘ H 2 . frank. 160 VOYAGE IN SEARCH frank amenity which fo much characterifes the cultivators of the Cape. I imagined that a letter of introduction from M. Gordon, addreffed to M. Hoffman, would be fufficient to make us known; it was not, however, till after a long examination of our paffport, that M. Hoffman afked us to ftop at his houfe. “There are no inns at Stellen- bofch more than at Cape Town; but the Dutch take care to fupply the wants of travellers, for a price which prevents the hoft from being out of pocket. At M. Hoffman's houfe we were pretty much upon the fame footing as at the Cape. I went next day to vifit the hills in the vicinity of Stellenbofch. The fine tree known to botanifts under the name of brabeium ftellulifolium, remarkable for its fruit, which is fhaped nearly like an almond, grew on the banks of a fimall river that runs through the town. . ~ Some orchis, and the fpecies of protea mell ifera, pallens, /peciofa, with a great many other plants, were here added to my colleétion. We fet out on the 12th, with an intention of teaching Franche-Hoek that evening. | This place, the name of. which indicates the abode of fome Frenchmen, ferves as an afylum — to a few Proteftant families, who having been — perfecuted in Europe on account of their reli- r gious — OF LA PEROUSE.. 1oL gious opittions, croffed the feas in 1675, in order to fix their abode in this part of Africa, where they were well received by the Governor, Simon Vander Stel, who furnifhed them with all the means of employing themfelves in agriculture. The fouth-eaft. wind blew with fuch force as to retard our progrefs; it was, however, far from being fo violent as that which was at the fame time felt at Cape Town, where we learnt on our return, that it had been extremely impetuous. The great difference in the firength of thefe winds undoubtedly arifes from a local caufe, as I have already endeavoured to explain. | On the fame day, the boat belonging to the © . Efpérance, commanded by Citizen Le Grand, not | being able to reach the fhip, was obliged to run for fhelter to leeward of Robben Ifland. We had to walk two hours in the dark before we got to Franche-Hoek, to the houfe of M. Gabriel Deprat, to whom I had a letter of in- troduction. He being abfent, one of his neigh- bours, Jacob. de Villiers, came to invite us to | take up our quarters at his houfe, where wé were very well received. The names of thefe colonifts made 1 us is hope that we fhould now find perfons who could {peak our own language; but although of French ex- traction, they, being obliged to fpeak Dutch, had retained no more of their mother-tongue than H 3 the 102 VOYAGE IN ‘SEARCH fhe names of ‘their progenitors.” "The only: per- fon that ftill underftood Frénch was a woman | of fourfcore. It may not be unadveptable toi thy Countryrien to know the Frebch families that fill live in’ the midft of thefe mountains; their — are as follow: _ Lombart, Faure, Rotif, Blignant, ‘Duplefiis, Marée, Ponté, Nawde, , Cronier, Hugo, de Villiers, Marais, de Buiffon, le Roux , Deprat, Rouffeaux, Villiers, Terrons, Hubert. We were in a pleafant valley, where the: rays of the fun being conéentrated *y ‘the furround- ing mountains, quickly ripen ‘the ‘grape, which forms the principal wealth of thefe inhabitants : : they here alfo cultivate wheat. The two following days were employed in climbing the neighbouring heights. Among the number of plants which'I here collected in great quantities, were the protea, florida and ferraria. Thefe mountains were formed in a ‘great’ tnéa- fure of granite, anda very hard free-ftone: the vegetable mould which covers them, | goes to fer- tilize the yallies, where the inhabitants” refide; thence they muft traverfe the fands with’ which they are furrounded, in order ‘to carry to the town the produce of their culture: this fituation is common to all the fettlements at a diftatce from the Cape. Individuals Have ‘been’ obliged - ta OF FA PEROUSES 193 to goand feek, at more than .a hundred amy rat meters, inthe interior ,of Africa, fome fpots .of Jand. fit.for cultivation, »which.are ftrewn like fo many iflots in the midft, of .a-fea of fand, where every one has adopted the kind of culture which appears.|to him beft adapted to the. corner of Jand he has fixed upon to clear. Negro flaves, | _although-employed .in the jhardeft. labours, are — here. generally treated. with kindnefs. _ It_is .re-.. markable that, yery different from the Spaniards, who always endeavour to make profelytes, the - Dutch Jeave their flaves.in ‘the moft pectin ig- norance of their religion. We faw feveral-times, upon the trees, dace, which the, people of the country dread .exceed- ingly; they were watching the bins, which, often become their prey. The zebra.is very common in. thefe heights; -it fets off with prodigious rapidity, at the fight of | a man. The monkey called magot by Buffon (fimia inuus, Linn.) fometimes approached the .ha- bitation where we.were ftaying. I was witnefs toa very fingular faé&, which gave me a. proof of the authority of ,thefe animals over their young. A large monkey followed by a very young one, thinking himfelf perfectly unfeen, took hold of the little one. with.one of /his, fore- paws, and holding it up from the ground, firuek H 4 : it 104 VOYAGE IN SEARCH it a long time with his other paw. If monkies know how to proportion punifhment to guilt, the little ape’s crime muft have been very great, for it was feverely beaten. The olive blackbird of the Cape of Good Hope, the bunting, the fiarling of the Cape, fome wood-peckers, &c. ‘were the birds which I found moft common on this fhort j journey. The near approach of the period of our de- patture from the Cape obliged us to leave Franche-Hoek much fooner than we could have wifhed. We were fo anxious to- proceed to the town, that we took our leave of the worthy ‘Jacob de Villiers on the 14th, at ten o'clock at night, and immediately fet out on our return. We travelled all night, and did not arrive at the town the next day till the fame hour, having followed the road by Paarl-Berg and Paarde- Berg. This walk could not but be fatiguing to perfons, who for feveral days had {carcely taken any reft; and indeed one of the fervants belong- ing to the Efpérance, Emard Serpoy, who had accompanied us from his fondnefs for fhooting, was fo overpowered by drowfinefs in the middle of the night, that he was obliged to fleep in the road for half an hour, before he could continue to follow us. Although this man was very fiout, the want of reft had fo completely ab- - forbed all his faculties, that it ould have been : altogether | OF LA PEROUSE. — 105 altogether impoffible for him to go farther on, without this fhort nap. I learnt with concern,'on my return from Franche-Hoek, that we were to lofe three of our fhipmates; they had juft afked the Admiral’s permiffion to leave the fhip, not being able to proceed farther on the expedition, on account of their health: thefe were Bertrand the aftronomer, Blavier the naturalift, and Ely ‘the painter. Bertrand had gone fome days before to make barormetrical obfervations on Table Mountain, where he had a fall, from which‘he fuffered ex- tremely. I was informed on my return to France, that he did not enjoy the happinefs of again feeing his country ;. for he died at the Cape, a fhort time after our departure. Cape Town being built fo that all the roofs of the houfes are flat, has a tolerably handfome appearance. Its means of defence againft the fea have, of late~years, been increafed. The Admiral. advifed me, on account of the fhip being fo much encumbered, to depofit the collections of natural hiftory, which 1 had made during my ftay at the Cape, with the Agent of the French government, named Gui, who pro- mifed to forward them to France by the firft op- portunity. They have not, however, arrived at the place of their deftination. I learnt at the Tae Iile 106 VOYAGE IN SEAROH Hle of France, on my return fromthe South Sea, — that the naturalifts, Macé, and. Aubert Petit — Thouars, had feen-them thrown afide in a garret an this Agent's houfe, a long time afier our de- — sparture from the»Cape, although, there had oc- _ curred many opportunities of which he might — thave availed himfelf, had he: been se aenet to * : faithful to his‘ engagements. . | + The Cape of Good. Hope is one -of the as of the globe which'moft defervesito fix the at- . tention of a commercial:people. From its fitua- tion, it forms an almoft neceffary refrefhing- place for:fhips bound to. the Eaft Indies... The © sprovifions which it furnifhes are abundant; /but the prohibitory regulations .daily \diminith, the number of fhips, which endeavour to,arriveat their place of deftination syithout, touching at — this roadftead: others, go to St. Helena, .where — they can be victualled at,a cheaper rate... .. . The mercantile fpirit of the-Dutch Eaft India — Company has often induced them to feign a great {carcity at the: Cape, in order to. enhance the price of provifions, _The.cultivators are net allowed to contract directly with foreigners for the produce of their-culture, but .are obliged :to — difpofe of them to the Company, .who, often give them not a fourth of the price at. which they referve. the right to fell them. ‘The oppreflion exercifed by the upper agents | towards - & OF LA PEROUSE., 107 towards their inferiors, turns ‘alfoito:the prejudice @f navigators, ‘who ‘cannot e(eape ‘the avidity ‘of fo thany perfons leagued againfi them. The diflike which this cupidity mut naturally ‘excite to putting in there, ‘will léad this country to ats deftruction.. A ruinous luxury, ‘which’ has -for fome ‘years been introduced among the women, thas greatly changed ‘the manners of the anha- ' ‘pitants: the European fafhions are there ‘ntact after with eagernefs.’ -. ‘It isto be regretted, | that there have been ae vertithents "fufficiently ‘blind ‘to their - cown iih- térett, to leave fo long at the difpofal of a ‘eom- “pany of ‘merchants, one ‘of ‘the’ places the moft ‘jmportant’to the navigation of India. Befides, political views are, “in fuch ‘amaffociation, very “‘fibordinate to the thirftof gain which governs it, and whichis’ A ma ero ig to ‘the mstiitonel | * Ynterett. ; ‘Commiffaries coming from >»Europe wwe €X- “pected 'to' put “thefe affairs on'a better footing; but although fome were fent out at different ‘timés, things remained juft'as they were. We replaced at the Cape of Good Hope*the ‘provifions which we had expended before ‘our ‘arrival there. | It-would have been defitable- that ‘this fupply hadvalfo ‘extended ‘to articles of -bad quality, with which we had been provided’ be- fore our departure from Europe. ‘The contrac- | tors yo8 VOYAGE IN SEARCH tors had there deceived us, refpecting the quality of the wine; it had been charged double the ordinary price paid for the beft, and for fuch as. would have kept a long time; whereas a part ‘of it was already pricked, on our arrival at the Cape: it would have alfo been the more import- ant to have changed it, as it was impoffible for us to procure any afterwards. We might have had our choice between the country wine and claret, as there was a veffel lying in the bay laden with the latter. I cannot conceive why this ftep was not taken: our bad wine turned worfe and worfe, and we were obliged to fub- ftitute brandy to it in the courfe of the expe- dition. This negligence deprived us of one of the moft powerful means of preferving the _ health of the crew, in a voyage where they were befides expofed to all forts of privations. By the obfervations: made on board of the Recherche, the berth in which fhe lay at the Cape was in the latitude of 33° 54’ 24” fouth, and longitude of 16° 4’ 25” eaft. The variation of the magnetic needle was 24° 30° weft. The aftronomer Bertrand determined the place which he made his obfervatory, fituated in the town, at 33° 55’ 22” fouth latitude, and 16° 3° 45” caft longitude. He OF LA PEROUSE. 109 He had obferved 24° 31’ 52” of eer varia~ tion in the magnetic needle. » The ay of the needle, wot was a flat one, was 47° 25°. ’ The greateft height of the thermometer during the whole time of our being at anchor here, was not more than 25° above O. ; : 7 _- GHAPTER tre VOVAGE EN SBARCH ‘ — > * a ee oer = - a a a ; : F Ls ePiyiy aa #70 rt b Oe co tele OCR APTBR TW | aperture feom the: Cape of, Gao Hlipe,— Death “af the. Carpenter. of the. Recherche, — Various events.—Extraordinary Pight-of the albatrofn— We make the [land of St. Paul—Its forefis on fire.—Prodigious quantity of infe&s iffue from our bifcuit.—Violent effect of the fea —The Ad- miral is dangeroufly hurt-—Lwminous Jparks at the extremily of our conduétors—Large phof- phoric molecules.—A miftake in the bearings, taken by Willaumez, occafions us to enter Storm Bay, taking it for Adventure Bay.—General remarks on the variation of the magnetic needle. —Diminution of the phofphorefcence of the fea- water, in proportion as we increafe our di itance from the land —Direéttion of-the currents. —It is found necefary to warm the place where the time-heepers are depofited —We anchor in Port D' Entrecafeaux. We were now waiting only for a fair wind to quit the Cape, when, on the 16th of Febru- _ ary, about ten o’clock in the morning, a breeze fprang up from the fouth-eaft, and determined tis toyweigh anchor. Scarcely were we under fail, before a fquall came down from the moun- tains, and blew with fo much violence, that, for LOF LA PEROUSE. - rire | for fome little time, the fhip would not anfwer _ her helm, fo that we were in danger of! running, foul of feveral veffels that were lying at the anchorage. We very quickly pafled them all, and foon gained an offing. On the 18th, about: eight olalee3Oi m: re morning, we loft our carpenter, Louis Gargan: he died in confequence of the exceffes to ERY he had abandoned himfelf during our ftay: at the Cape. ey Gis v daaorde, | ti 42010 lo édgiat i aa iacaeage ondoba WV nd | soot Lolbppoosg gain lyfe yrataw.ersodist so7d3 oi wodrert ol) ger ‘sohamolial G10 em tmeupi pots. twa io RY sinc oil morte enw doucdve - Ri. sfiss od) 0) yal ered: dere a). een, ay aomolid-nash ho gore! bib “ih iga2 10.3 ‘ dy Het swenoiisiest oft Aaigx, ot theo: ibys 4 i | onj.2s-bojeutit. .asiend yusiilo zit, jo Begia.cns a digcolta sw eawdye Pilofy adi to gusts Shed paul, ol :sosd yoivad Adis twilodi siisst 2 i 2buivyevoniegmted. boleh am ogg eraqhl od}. wot op ton athad omst od P d | beaudoae ocfk MiOO! Wits od} ss AQcigio CHAPTER | ul eu 1 OR As PEROUSES ok Ao say SND Alesis, vi vaorgin uke Ap: etter r* t oR * § aS ey F Pe dt t ys x 4A 'f 5) ¥ * St ve ck Ta wO¥r? ca Sth ’ : ma TPA Yea LOOM vg Sorta dla | CHAPTE RY. bh) a \ OUAy Wd ON nslety ge thy at ping D’Enireca cite As Indications oft its @sven being frequented by favdgesFatiousser- Neganfones tothe interior ‘of the-country:—~Brees, of “a prodigious height —Goodnefs of the foik—=Black 9 fewans, —Large ‘rranks. of trees excavated by fre, ‘SYerve as a retreat to the natives —Kengouroo.— _ SeWifferent anatomical objervations compared:— Tracks ‘of wild beafts at Cape Diemen Sheds - air mooring=vhain. We get aground onthe mad~-~We méeet-with a young lavage We. difeover a ifiraitys by “which a veffel may pas fom Storm Bay 40 Ad- venture Bay —Huts of the favages—Seal calle ts phoca ‘monachus. Lie Jeart-of this amphilno vianimal has: nod foramen: dvale2Qthen varios 4 «f aap of icomparative! anatomy.-Siens of reikd — © beafts:at Cape Diemen—Huts which io-aielll | us to have been recently inhabited —Trees fit for fhip-building.—»Viviparous fix, the larvae of which 0 foon: accafioned flefe: to putrefy.—Broiled human ‘ os bones found by Citizen Riche—Dhe Suil-maker © of the Recherche lofes himfelf in thaiwoods.=-T he two frips getaground on the mudx—Stme ute fils = the favages. bt Sitaation-of then bbfervatotyary K 4 Variatian a £36 VOYAGE IN SEARCH Variation of the magnetic needle.—The time of high water in the harbour on the days of the new and full moon.—We leave. Port D’Entrecafteaux in order to pafs through the frait of the ip name.—Sevéral fires. —Natives feen on the -» beach:—One-of them, fets fire to the bufhes in | feveral places.—We anchor in a very extenfive - bay,-at the entrance of D’ Entrecafteaux's Strait. —Excurfion.to the neighbouring country.—Na- ~ tives furprifed clofe by the little fires where they were preparing their food.—The firait difcovered v..by our boats, called D’Entrecafteaux’s Strait.—~ — We anchor in different parts of the channel—Ex- _» urfions into the country fituated along its fhores. - A few natives crofs tt in a catamaran.—Various _ meetings with the, favages.—Departure Soom -. D’Enirecafpeaus's Strait. Por D'Entrecatteaix, whichis fituated: at the head of Storm Bay, is a, bafin of a nearly oval form, which extends about a demi-myria- meter towards the north-norih-eaft, and the greateft breadth of which is about-a kilometer and a half. The large forefis by-which we were furrounded on all fides, and the mountains at no great diftance, which fheltered more than half of the circumferenc® of this harbour, added fiill to the fecurity of the anchorage. The moft tempeftuous weather did not prevent our boats tJ » OF LA PEROUSEs: 137 boats from croffing it without fear.. A muddy bottom, of about three fathoms and a half, ex- empts a yefle] from damage in cafe fhe happens to get aground. Upwards/of a hundred. thips of the line: might here: anchor ;in fafety, and would findsa as. much 09d end water as sid _ ‘might want. Towards the ee Re aptiaad at the head of this harbour, is the mouth-of-a fall river, which one of our boats could not afcend far, from its being obftrudted -by large. trees lying. acrofs :, we faw here a few wildiducks. Some fheds, flightly built of the bark of trees, ftanding along>its banks, anfounced to ns that they were frequented by the natives. We found © here'a quantity, of the fea-weed known to natu- ralifts under-the denomination.-of fucus palmatus, cut nearly in the form of a bag ufed for counters ‘at play. It was a, water-vetiel, ‘and, when found, it was yet full. It-is principally on the wett Gide! of the har- bour that. fhips can procure water with. the grteateft facility. We took in, ours to the weft- fouth-weft,. Our wood was cut on the inigEDete fhore. A fire lighted towards the fouth, at the dif tance of a myriameter, apprifed-us that there were favages living not far from us, although we had never feen any of them. 3 - 1 went 138 VOYAGE IN SEARCH TF went on fhore in ‘the afternoon with the gardener and two of our people, in: order to penetrate towards: the ‘north-eaft....We were fivuck with admiration at the fight of thefe an: cient forefts which the hatchet ‘had not hitherto touched. The eye was aftonithed:at the prodi- | gious height of the trees ; fome of the family-of — thé myrti were. upwards of a- demi-heCtometer {more than one hundred and fifty. fect) high their bufhy tops were crowned) witli a’ foliage of perpetual verdure ; feveralvof them falling, ; from age, founda fapport on:their neighbours, and fell to the ground only in proportion as-they rotted. The moft-vigorous vegetation forms an admirable contraft with this ftate of decay; and here is feen, in all- its grandeur, the firiking picture of Datars who, left to ee deftroys only to renovate, ° . dil on 19 _ ‘The trees of this foref’ were not, —howevér, fo thick as to prevent our entering it. - We walked a long time over a: foil where the waters, being occafionally -obftru@ed in their courte, had formed marfhes: we Vvifited their banks, and we fownd, farther on, fome fmall rivu- lets of very good water. Almoft every where was feen an excellent vegetable mould, often up- awards of four decimeters in dépth ; it lies on a reddith and fometimes'a gray free-ftone. mWe 4 OF ‘LA PEROUSE.” "199 “We Hee and there met with an argillaceous ‘earth; which, imbibing water with ‘the greatett facility,” forms « quiagmites'+" ‘Befides, this clay, earried away by the waters’ ‘that filtrate through “ithe lands; has left’ Tittle ‘Cavities, and fométimes Jarge pools,” the farface of Which being Covered ‘with’ plants conceals the danger, One iHomenit’s -“Gnadvettencee’ would becafion'a perfén to fallin’; and indéed ‘this h: appened: ‘a few Gays afterto the \ Surgeon of the perpen ‘Being out a fhooting, he ‘thought that he° was fetting ‘his ‘ footon folid’ ground, and he “funk Hite a very deep | pond. He difappeared in ‘an Gnflant ; ee for- ae he ‘could’ fwim; ** “We found’ in the woods fome eee of “het? ‘ Small “branches of trees were ‘difpofed to receive the bark with” which: the” natives cover thefe cabins. | tS - This excurfion procured us various pei of eucalyp tes, among ‘which’ was that defi ghated | by aot as under the name’ of eucalyptus refint- fera.” Wt i8 a very. large ‘tree, ‘the fangous bark ‘of which is eafily detached, ‘and’ js often ‘near a décimicter im thicknefs. It produces a refinotis | gum of a reddifh colour, which ‘is aftringent, and may ‘be ufed in’ medicine. We alfo gathered ¥ feveral fpecimens of phitladelphus, a new fpe- cies of Peres ane ‘the ice fa integrifolia, &c. x On a 40 VOYAGE IN SEAKCH ‘On the ftkirts of the fhore we met’ Citizen Riche’s fervant, highly pleafed with, having killed*a- few birds which he was carrying to his mafter. This fervant, recovering from indifpo- fition, was fill under the care of the Surgeon of the Efpérance, who thought that he had a right to the game killed by his patient; but; neither the threats of being purged, nor, even thofe of . being. put on a low diet, could extort from him a fingle bird. And indeed the Doctor kept his word ; he obliged him to fubmit to a regimen, and to {wallow a purgative. This, poor fellow Jearnt, by fad experience, the danger) of refitt- ing the furgeon ofa fhip. From that day; when- ever he went a fhooting, he no foaner faw M, Jouanet, however. far diftant, than he at off as faft as his legs could carry him, rer We proceeded for fome time towards the north-eaft, and before dark we reached’ the fhore the neareft to our fthips,.to which we ex- pected to be conveyed immediately, as.we had been promifed to have a hoat fent for us as foon | as we hailed. We might have been.put on board in five minutes, but we were obliged to wait with patience for two hours on the beach. It would have becn proper to haye a boat folely defiined for the ufe of the naturalifts.. One of our party thot, on the Jake, a bird very aftonifhing for the fingularity of its plu- mage; “OF LA: PEROUSE: > YAl mage’ it was:ai new {fpecies of fwan, a little larger thansours. It had the fame fine fhape; its colour, of a fhining black,! was as remarkable as the white colour of our fan ; it had only fix large white feathers in each wing; a character which I have conftantly- remarked. in -feveral others that were killed afterwards. The bill at the upper mandible is ofa red: colour, witha tranfverfal whitith ftripe towards, the extremity. On the bafe of the male’s bill. is to be obferved _ arfwelling, forming two protuberances hardly _ perceptible in that of the female. The lower mandible is red on the edges and whitifh-un- derneath. ‘The feet are of a dark gray. vo See Plate 1X.) On the 24th, it was ten’o relaghii in ne morn- ing before I could defcribe and prepare the fpeci- mens which I had colle@ted the day before... I then went to vifit the country fituated | to the eaftward of our anchorage. mi 4 After having gone feveral. times into the © woods a kilometer at moft from the fea-thore, I was obliged, to return: towards the beach, it was fo difficult to penetrate into thefe forefts... Not’ only did the underwood prevent my entrance, but the pafles were often barred, by large trees fallen to the ground. ; The direétion from fouth- weft to north-eaft, which they have generally taken in their fall, proves that they had been ; blown ~ 542 VOYAGE IN SEARCH blowm down by the violent: fouth-eaft winds, Thefe trees, the roots of which arenearly hori+ zontal, take little hold of the foil; fometimes they occupy in their fall a large‘extentiof ground, which at a diftance exhibits all 'the appearances of a'waltraifed by thevhand of mami) | 6 The fineft trees in: this country are fpecies of eucalyptus ; their ordinary thicknets is fix meters; I meafured feveral of them that: were’ not Jefs than eight meters:and a half in circumference. The fpungy bark ‘of the excalyptus:refinifera, be= come flippery from ‘the humidity that conftantly prevails in thefe* thick: forefts, ftilh augmented the difficulty of penetrating into ‘them. This bark. is detached with the greateft eafe in pieces extremely pliant, which «the natives make ufe of to cover their cabins; there are ftrips, often four decimeters in breadth, which fall off of them- felves from the Jower part of the’ trunk ; it: is not difficult to pee off » eg of earn or ten meters in length. ~~ | ail. “taal Moft of the lapie vets; near othe fea, have been excavated by fire towards their root. Thefe apertures, which are for the moft' part fituated to the north-caft, form a fhelter againft the fouth-weft wind, which appears to he the moft “prevailing and the moft impetuous.’ There ean be no doubt but they are the work’ ofiman ; for had any been fet on fire by accident, sas by:the combuftion sts Clam Ain mieveats 9 ge Ae eS nein righ oe a ne! eh il | SOP LA PEROUSE,y 143 eombuflion of fhrubs growing, in the fhade of thefe forefis, the tree would have fuffered, in every. patt of its circumference. | Thefe excava- tions in. trees. ferve| as! a place of fhelter. to) the i-, natives,, who come hither to, make their meals : we found, here remains of lobfters and other fhell-fith which they had been eating: we faw alfo, in feveral of them, the afhes of fmall fires which they. had kindled to drefs; their food.. The favages are not in the greateft fafety under thefe large trees, partly undermined by. fire; a ftrong wind may blow them down; nor do ‘they lie’ within. them. too, much, at their eafe, for. the ground is often very.unequal, and we. perceived no means taken for diminithing “its hardnels, Anderfon ,fpeaks of fire-places of clay made in ' thefe trees by jthe ‘natives... The, clay which I faw. there. did not appear.to me to be. fafhion- |. ed by the thand of man; it is fometimes: to be _ found naturally attached between the boughsat a | greater or lefS height. Befides, the. favages,, as - we shall fee in the fequel, do not. conftruct fire- places; they make their-fire fimply on the ' ground, and it.is on the coals sha there drefs _ their victuals. Some of the thickeft trees, ett Bi fire throughout. their whole length, formed.a fort of chimney ; yet they did not the lefs continue to yegetate. rn ” _. Several | ; 144 VOYAGE IN SEARCH » Several Jarge trees which we felled during our ftay, were, notwithftanding their very healthy appearance, difcovered to be rotten in the heart: - ‘After having followéd* the fea-fhore, which extends to the fouth-eaft, forming various finu- ofities, we wifhed to penetrate” acrofs fome marfhes, and get'to the places made folid by the . roots of plants; but a new fpecies of /lerya, two or three meters in height, the leaves’ of which cut our hands and face, naar us’ from pro- ceeding farther. >! In this excurfion"T killed Ceti birds of the motacilla genus, and different parrots,’ among which I rémarked the ‘New Caledonia parrot, defcribed by Latham. : We returned towards the entrance eof the har- bour, where our people had juft been erecting the tents of the obfervatory; we were certain to find there a boat to carry us on board. The aftronomers waited near cight hours and a quarter to obferve Jupiter’s firft fatellites; but notwithfanding their diligence they were not in proper time,’and the obfervation could not be made.’ Bonvouloir, ‘one’ of the officers of our fhip, who had long before made the pre- ‘Timinary calculations, was’ fo" affe&ted “at” this difappointment, that he could not ween from fhedding tears. 3 One — OF LA PEROUSE._ 145 One of our fportfmen found a young kan- _ garoo on the fea-fhore. This animal, after having run a hundred meters on the fand, leaped into the water, and Was killed. It is to be ob- ferved, that in its courfe it made very good ufe of all its four legs, refting upon its fore feet, waich, as well as the hind ones, are without hair under- _ neath; although, from the manner in which this animal has been reprefented, it feems not calcu- lated to employ, in running, any but its hind legs. As it comes out of its burrow much more by night than by day, nature has provided it with a membrane, known to zoologifts under the denomination of membrana niditans, fituated\ at the interior angle of the eye, andextending at - pleafure over the whole ball. Its ftomach, which was filled with herbs, was divided by three large and very diftinét partitions. This character would appear to affimilate it to ruminating qua-, drupeds. It had the tefticles on the outfide. Thefe animals find probably fome food on the | fea-fhore, for the marks of their feet are fre-. quently to be feen on the fands. On the 25th of April, after having delivered to the painter a few plants to have them drawn, I walked towards the fouth-eaft, following the windings of the beach: large pebbles, very flip- pery and heaped together on its borders, ren- dered the road yery difficult. VOL: I. tthe 4 We 146 VOYAGE IN SEAKCH _- We foon found, at the entrance of the wood, a fhed, erected by the natives, in order to fhelter them from the fea breezes; it was conftructed of _ ftrips of the bark of the exealyptus refinifera, in- .- terwoven in ftakes fixed perpendicularly in the ground, and difpofed fo as to form am arch of the third of the circumference of a circle, being ‘three meters in length by one meter in height. Its convex fide was turned towards the fea: a _ fmal) fpot of a circular form covered with afhes, and clofe by it the remains of fhell-fith, indi- cated the place-where the inhabitants had pre- pared their meal. This fort of fkreen is very ufeful to prevent their fires from being extin~ guifhed, when the fea breezes blow with vio- lence. | | | After having croffed a tongue of land, we proceeded with difficulty in the midft of the — moving fands of a vaft beach, the fkirts of which the fea had juft overflowed. We found at the entrance of the wood another thed, of the fame fhape and height as the former, but it was twice. as long: we faw in it fome fragments of water-veflels. They were pieces of the fiucus palmatus, which had been damaged; and could be of no farther ufe to the inhabitants. We were now on the banks of a lake which communicates with the fea at high water. This. lake. OF LA PEROUSE.” 147 lake is not above a kilometer and ahalf long, by a demi-kilometer at its greateft’ breadth. On our return, by a more direct path through’ | the wood, we perceived fome fkeletons of ¢a-’ _ bins, Branches fixed ih the ground by the two ends were fupported one upon the other, to form hemifpherical huts, of a meter and a half in height: the leaves of a particular fort of grafs were ufed as faftenings, and held together this frame, which was then almoft far enough ad- vanced to receive the covering of bark that ren- _ ders thefe cabins impervious to rain. - It appeared that the human fpecies is here ° very _ fearce or very fhy. Although a great number of perfons belonging to the two fhips had fauntered to a confiderable diftance, they had not met with a fingle inhabitant: There prevail at Cape Diemen, on account of its high latitude, impetuous winds, which come down in flurries from the fummit of the moun- tains. For fear of expofing our cables to be rot- ‘ted in the muddy bottom where we lay at an-- chor, it had been refolved to take them in, and to ride by.our chain. A violent fquall from the north-weft carried us adrift, and we went afhore on the eaft coaft, working ourfelves into the mud. - After having got in the fhort piece of cable made faft to the chain, we were greatly aftonifhed to fee that one of the links was broken, - No flaw | Mi ; was 248 VOYAGE IN SEARCH was obferved i in the iron; but it appeared that a brittle fort of iron had been employed in the fa- a brication of the chain. It was fortunate for us that we made the trial of it in a harbour, where we ran no other rifk than that of getting into the y mud; otherwife this chain, on which we built our fafety, might have occafioned the lofs of the fhip. On the 26th I was obliged to fay on board all day, in order to prepare and deforibe the nu- merous fpecimens of natural béftory which | had before collected. _ . Next morning at day-break we fet out, with an intention of going to as great.a diftance as we could. We landed to the fouth-eaft. . After haying Skirted along the fhore, a path, fre- quented by the natives, enabled us to crof$-the foreft that lay to the fouth. Weat length reached a fine fandy beach, which extends neat two kilo- méters in the fame direétion. A charming fpecies oferigeron, the woody Bees of which was covered with very fimall flefhy leaves, grew in thefe arid regions. Although the wind was very faint, the fea broke with vio- lence, and overflowed a great extent of beach: of three fucceflive waves we obferyed very regu- larly one, which, after haying rifen much higher than the others, fj pread much farther, and obliged us to keep at a greater diftance from the fea-fide. On Si RI Tae a 2 eggs gg en BS er ESS Ap FL Gat eh te Se, mle ae 2 vom ie Ve OF LA PEROUSE. | £49 On a little hillock which projects towards the fea, I procured the pretty fpecies of bankfia which Gertner defignates under the name of dunkfa gibbofa. | We were proceeding acrofs the foreft not far from the fea, when one of our party faw a young native, who fled terrified ac a fhot fired at a bird. Having foon been’ apprifed of this meeting, each of us ran to the {pot, with an intention of en- joying an interview with the inhabitants of this country; but our refearches wére to no purpofe ; the young favage had difappeared, datting pre- ‘ cipitately into the clofeft thickets, at the rifk of tearing his fkin, for he wore no clothes. We found at the place from which he had run away, . a fhed to keep off the fea breeze. Hard by a fpring, whence iffued very clear water, I found fome vertebra, the body of which was feven cen- timeters thick, and a pretty large os frontis, which I judged to have belonged to fome anipei> bious animal, The hope of meeting with the favages made us determine to continue to advance into the woods, and there pais the night. We walked for an hour towards the fouth-eaft, opening to our-. _ felves a difficult road, till we arrived at a large plain, which extends to the fea-fhore. Here grew a fine fpecies of mimofa, with long fingle leaves of an oval form, the nerves of which are a3 . falient 150 VOYAGE IN SEARCH falientand longitudinal. Thistree bears femi- circular pods, and its height is commonly from eight to ten meters. Night obliged us to feek a fhelter. We could not take advantage of the retreats which were afforded by the large trunks of trees excavated by the natives: we were at too great a diftance from them, and it was neceffary to have recourfe to a pole-axe, with which one of us had had the precaution to provide himfelf. Some branches _ cut on the fpot ferved to erect a hut on a picce of ground, the hardnefs of which was diminifhed by a bed of fern, of a fpécies which differed little . from the polypodium dichotomum. Standing on the fkirts of the fhore, our view extended afar, and we perceived nothing that in- dicated the prefence of natives. We kindled a fire, the cold being very intenfe, The ftate of our provifions did not difpel all apprehenfion refpecting our means of fubfift- ence ; for before we had quitted the fhip we had taken only one day's provifions; but the failors who accompanied us, being accuftomed never to travel without bifcuit, had ftill fome left. With this fupply we had the greateft need of water, which it was neceffary to fetch at two kilometers diftance. It required a good appetite to be fatisfied with fuch a fupper. There being feven of us, we had not much to fear OF LA PEROUSE. St fear from the natives. However, we arranged matters fo that each of us fhould keep watch in his turn, in order to be apprifed of their mo- tions, in cafe any of them fhould pay us a’ vifit. | The cold obliged us to abandon our hut, and goand fleep near the fire. On the 28th, as foon as day appeared, we went a fhooting, to provide ourfelves a break-. faft: two of us in a very fhort time brought ina crow and an oyfter-catcher. Thefe birds were immediately broiled and eaten, as if ed had been a choice difh. It had been neceffary the preceding evening te reduce ourfelves to a very moderate allowance, in order to have fomething to live on next day ; but we difcovered, when too late, that our pro- vifions had been confided to unfafe hands: for we found only four bifcuits out of fix, of which our ftock had confifted. A greater breach of truft would have obliged us to return on board immediately, and we fhould have had the mor- tification of being deprived of the advantage of extending our refearches farther. We were not long in reaching the banks of a .. large lake, which communicates with the fea, by | an opening of about forty meters in width. Our endeavours to ford it were fruitlefs; it being too deep towards the middle. L4 Among 152 VOYAGE IN SEARCH Among the great number of plants which grew in the neighbouring woods, we found the Scheffiera repens, and feveral fpecies of a new ge- nus of the family of the pedicudares, and nearly al- lied to the polygala. Among the fhrubs which adorned thefe lands, lying towards the fea, we remarked a fine fpecies of the fingle-leaved mi- mofa, the legume of which was pene in the form of an S. We faw with a withfal eye, a numerous flock of black fans, which fwam away from us. , — ] remarked to the fouth-eaft, towards the fhore oppofite to the lake, fome iflots covered with fhrubs. We fhot various fpecies of fnipes, when we advanced to the fouth-eaft, in order to reach the extremity the fartheft from the fea. The bottom of the lake is fo even, that we fcarcely found the difference of a demi-meter of water in the fpace of upwards of a hectometer. It is covered with a prodigious quantity of thells, partly deftroyed by the hand of time. We found on its banks the crithmum marinMim, and at a fhort diftance from them a new {pecies of parfley, which I denominated apinm profira- tum, on account of the difpofition of its ftem, which is always profirate on the ground. Its ana- logy with the known fpecies of the fame genus made me confider it as a good article of food, and | my ah. aS OF LA PEROUSE. 153 my ‘hopes’ were not deceived. We carried on board an ample ftock of it, which was received with joy by navigators who felt the neceflity of counteraGting, by the wfe’of vegetables, the bad effects of the falt provifions, on ‘which we had lived in the pafflage from the Cape of Good Hope to Cape Diemen. A rivulet, fituated to the weftward of the lake, there carried its limpid waters, in which we foaked the little bifenit we had remaining. It was not eafy, after fo longa walk, to return to our fhips, paffing through forefts which we had not before vifited. It would have been dan- gerous to lofe our way, as we had but a {mall ftock of provifions. Thé fun, which was now well advanced in its courfe, ferved to aire us. At firft we eafily proceeded along a fine plain, where were growing feveral fhrubs of the family - - of the erice, and of the /o#i. Very thick underwood then impeded our pro- grefs. ‘The inequalities of the ground occafion- ally obfiructed the courfe of the waters: we were often obliged to crofs marfhes; but the numerous plants with which they were covered made us for- . get the difficulties that occurred in the road.. Among the plants which I collected, were two new fpecies of rofe folis; one of them, which I call drofera bifurca, is rernarkable for the fingular form of its leaves 5 thefe confift of two long points, fituated - 154 VOYAGE IN SEARCH fituated at the extremity of each petal, which pra; ceeds from the root of the plant. } It was no fmall effort, after two days hard walking, to reach the harbour where our fhips were lying. We arrived at its northern extre- mity, whence we faw the veffels at a great dif- — tance. The difficulty of the road had made us giye up every hope of getting fo far that even- — ing, when fortunately we found a boat which © carried uson board, Crétin, one of the officers of our fhip, had — ‘been fent by the Admiral along with the geo- graphical engineer, in the launch, to reconnoitre Storm Bay. On_ their return, they related that, after having proceeded feveral myriameters into a chaanel which we had left on the ftar- board hand when we entered the bay, every thing concurred to juftify the opinion that this was a ftrait. The different places where they founded had afforded throughout very good an- chorage. I did not go far at the fhip the two follow- ing days. My mornings were employed in de- fcribing and preparing the abundant collection which I had made in my laft excurfion. . The environs which I vifited in the afternoon. procured me various plants of the family of the orchis.. Some of thefe I put into the hands of the painter to be drawn, Our OF LA PEROUSE, 45g Our people went out regularly every evening with the feine; and brought back a great quantity of fifh. The meals which we got: on. board, formed a very firiking contraft with thofe we had been obliged to make on fhore. It may not be improper to mention, that a though the naturalifts afferted their right to take | with them in their excurfions the frefh provi- fions to which they were entitled, they could not obtain the fmalleft portion of them; fome bifcuit, cheefe, brandy, and occafionally falt pork, fill continued to be our whole allowance. The reafons which we alleged were fufficient to efta- blifh our claim; but we were neverthelefs fap- plied in the fame manner during all the voyage. I fhould have abftained from mentioning this fact, were it not that it may be ef fome ufe te naturalifts who embark on fimilar expeditions. On the 1ft of May I went to the weftward, | to the other fide of the harbour. The fhallow- nefs of the bottom kept the boat at a confiderable difiance from the beach, fo that I was obliged to get into the water to reach the fhore. . 1 followed the coaft to the northward, occa- fionally going into the woods. As it was low water, it was eafy to keep along the fkirts of the beach. Some hollows made in the fand in the fhape of a funnel, concealed each a fmall glo- bular crab which had made this hole; and as foon 156 VOYAGE IN SEARCH foon as the water had retired, it regained it habitual abode. It appeared to me, that thefe holes, of which thofe of our lion-ants will give a juft idea, ferved them alfo as a fnare to entrap their prey. I was agreeably furprifed with the fingular form of a new genus of mufhroom, which grew from the iniddle of the moffes with which the ground was covered. The difpofition of its rays — made me name it a/eroe. Its root confifts of fmall filaments seiicteae to a fungous tubercle, on which refis a volva, glo- bular, whitifh, and gelatinous, marked with feven frie, without and within. | From the middle of this volva iffues- a reddifh peduncle (/fipes), nearly cylindrical, hol- low throughout its whole length, and open at — its upper .extremity, which is expanded, of a — beautiful red colour, and divided into fix bifur- — ' cated rays, yellowith at their extremity. This mufhroom is fmooth in every part. This new genus ought to be elatied next to the prarhe genus of Linnzus, | Explanation of the Figures of Plate x IT. Fig. 1. The mufhroom feen of its natural » Fig. 2. . The volva cleft in two, in order to exhibit its infide, ~ Fig. rt, =" ee a 2 ee el at OC ee _ OF LA PEROUSE.. : 157 Pig. 3. The peduncle (Ripes), open through- out its whole length. Some mountains fituated to the weftward, and of gradual declivity, formed a beautiful valley, where their waters, after having colleéted in a great numbef of little rivulets, went and dif.’ charged themfelves into the harbour. The remains of the large decayed trees, with which the ground was covered, had given to nego waters a flight brown tint. The woods became lefs thick, and we foon perceived a vaft glade, extending upwards of two _ kilometers towards the weft. ‘The fhrubs grow- ing very clofe, andthe bottoms being occupied by marthes, rendered the accefs to it difficult: we not only ran'the rifk of finking into the mud, but we were frequently flopped by a new fpecies of /cleria, which I call fleria grandis, becaufe it grows fometimes to the height of four meters; its leaves are as fharp as a piece of glafs: its oval and reddifh feeds contain ‘a fmall ' oily kernel, of which the parrakeets are extremely fond, notwithftanding the great hardnefs of its fhell. The fhrub the moft diffufed in thefe bottoms, was a new fpecies of embothrium, remarkable for the toughnefs of its foliage.’ Each leaf prefents an ovale form, andisa decimeter Bid by three cen-_ timeters broad. We 158 VOYAGE IN SEARCH We followed a difficult road, in the intention of repairing towards the place where water was procured fot the fhips. The night overtook us half way; and, to complete our misfortunes, a _ very impetuous wefterly wind brought: fo heavy ‘a! fall of rain, that. we were obliged, like the fevazres of New Holland; to feek a fhelter in the trunks of trees which they had excavated. It wasto _ be apprehended, that fuch bad weather would ren- der ufelefs the fignals which we made for a boat to be fent to us.» Wewere preparing to pafs a very bad night in the midiét of thefe forefts, when we heard the voice of fome failors, who were come to look for us, in order to take us on board. After feveral attempts, we had at length fuc- .ceeded in weighing the anchor to which was made faft the chain that had broken on the 25th of © April. The drag had been employed in vain, — for the chain was funk too deep in the mud. *Befides, the ground was fo good for holding, that the two launches together had conftantly filled with water in purchafing on the buoy- rope. The anchor was at fo great a depth in © the mud, that the divers had never been able to difcover its bill; it had been found neceflary to have recourfe to the capftern. From that time ~ we felt the neceflity of doubling the buoy-rope, and of weighing the anchors occafionally, in order to pte them from burying themfelves too deep. Two - : LL —_ —— OE eS OF LA PEROUSE. i3g Two boats had a fecond time been difpatthed, - to reconnoitre the north-eaft part of Storm Bay, as far as Tafman’s Head; they returned at the end of four days: the refult of their difcoveries appeared to be, that Tafman’s Head and Adven- ture Bay made a part of an ifland feparated fromi - - Van Diemen’s Land. After having gone up the channel as far as the latitude of 43° 17" fouth, the want of provifious had re ‘them irom proceeding farther. — On the 2d of May, the bufinefs I had to do on board permitted me not to ftray far from the thip. The r-xt day, the 3d, we traverfed a glade fituated to the north-eaft, which Ied us towards. the great lake. Ina preceding excurfion we had feen the fouth part of it; but it was neceffary to vifit its northern fide, the diverfified fites of which had made us expeét an abundant harveft; and our hopes were not difappoinfed. Its banks were frequently fteep and of difficult accefs; the - water came ina great many places to the foot of thefe dikes. Various fpecies of fingle-leaved mimoja were growing under the fhade of the large trees. | It appeared to us that the natives came ‘from time to time to take up their abode on the banks of this lake, the fhell-fith of which afforded them atyabundance of food. We had not gone ‘far hefore we faw-a hut, which they had Sodifra@ied | Pe : a few - 160 VOYAGE IN SEARCH a few yards from the water-fide; it exhibited nearly the form of a demi-oyal, fifteen meters in height by fixtcen in breadth at its bafe, Some fiakes driven into the.ground at both ends, and bent into a femicircle, fupported each other fo as to form 2 pretty folid frame, which was co- yered with bark. | Among the numerous articles which we col- lecied,. 1 was firuck with the beauty. of the — flowers of a new fpecies of ‘aletris; they were remarkable for their colour, which was a bright red. atk oom ard ne The feafon being now far advanced, was unfa- yourable to the multiplication of anleltts accord- ingly they, were very fcarce. Having fiill a few. hours ealiaths we a. vanced tow. ards. the fouth, in order to get to the anchorage; but it. was quite dark when we reached a fandy beach, which ferved us asaJand- mark. We were at a great diftance from our fhips, and. it was half paft_ nine o'clock before we arrived at the tents of the obfervatory, where — we found no difficulty in getting on board. 1 did not go far the two following days, the : 4tland sth, becaufe [had to ftuff the fkin ,of — feyeral birds, and to deferibe the articles which 1 — had collected. The too.confined fpace of the thip laid me under the neceflity of haying dried in the oven — the — OF LA PEROUSE: 16t the paper which ferved for the prefervation of the plants. | My cabin being already fall, I had no other place than the great cabin to déepofit part of the {pecimens of the vegetables, before they were ‘completely dried. Dauribeau, who did the duty of firft li¢utenant, was of opinion, that articles of natural hiftory ought not to encumber this place, and ordered my two preffés to be turned ‘out with the plants which they contained. I was obliged to have recourfé to the commander in chief, who condemned this. act of authority, and gave orders for the preffes to be brought back to the place from which they bad Hades x ré- moved. At low water ‘we: found! on ‘the {éa-fhore a. great variety of crite and whelks ; atid-in’ this harbour we had the advantage of ies very good oyfters. The 'eaft fhore afforded pyrite of avery aver. fified cryflallization. In the fame place were feen pieces of filex, the colleted ftrata of which exhibited the appearance of petrified wood. One of our carpenters had killed a feal of the fpecies defignated under the denomination of phoca monachus. Ut was twenty-four decimeters long; its pofterior extremities are entirely def- titute of claws; they are formed by two appen- ‘VOL, Is M : > ees, - 162 VOYAGE IN SEARCH dixes, each margin of which is nearly of the fame length. Phyfiologifts have in a very ingenious man- ner explained, how amphibious animals were able to remain fo long under water, by means of the foramen ovale; but having examined with . the greateft attention the heart of this feal, I faw in it no foramen ovale. It is probably the fame with a number of other amphibious animals. Thete inquiries will perhaps one day lead to a difcovery of the caufe on which depends the aftonifhing faculty that thefe animals poffefs of living alike under water or in the air. Each lung is in a manner divided in two, by a tranfverfal fiffure. The ftomach, which in thape nearly ap- proaches that of the hog, was filled with a great quantity of calcareous fand, in which were feen fhells of cuttle-fith, and a few fhell-fith, ftill quite entire. The firft labour of digeftion feemed _ to be to deftroy the fhell of thefe fith, whence refults a fand, which appears not to follow the paffage of the inteftinal canal. Thefe amphi-. bious animals probably vomit it forth the fame as feveral reptiles bring up again the bones. of the animals on which they live. This fand ~ is, perhaps, a fort of ballaft, which affords them the means of keeping at the bottom of the fea, at very great depths. a The 7 . OF LA PEROUSE; 163 The food on which they fubfift being very eafy to feize upon, nature has given them a mouth by no means: wide. The water in which they moft commonly live renders neceflary a great refrangibility.in the hu- mours of the eye ; accordingly the vitreous hu- mour was very thick. Thefe animals can admit into their eye, at pleafure, a greater or lefs quantity. of light by means of a membrane, called membrana niGitans. The different labours in which I was engaged, prevented me from pufhing farther my inquiries on this fubject. The dried excrements yielded z a very fine pow- der, of a beautiful colour of rather deep fulphur. The painter of the expedition confidered it as very fit to be employed in the arts. 3 I had not as yet been able to procure the flpw- ers of a new {fpecies of excalyptus, rematkable for its fruit, which nearly refembles a coat-button. This tree, one of the moft lofty in nature, fome of them being a demi-hectometer in height, bears flowers only near its fummit. The ftem per- fe&tly refembles that of the eucalyptus refinifera firipped of its fungous bark; and in other re- {pects thefe two trees are nearly of the fame di- menfions.. The trunk, which is tapered gra- dually for at leaft half of its length, is fit for fhip-building, and might ferve for mafis and M 2 | yards, 164 VOYAGE IN SEARCH yards, although it is not fo light ‘nor fo eélaftic as‘fir. Perhaps it would be advantageous to form made-mafts of it, and even to hollow out thefe thick trunks of trees throughout their whole length, in order to render them lighter, firength- ening them with iron hoops at certain diftances. It fhould feem that by this method would be ob- tained al} the folidity that may be defired ; fince, from the opinion of mechanics, a cylinder pre- ferves great firength even when it is hollowed out in its middle. , We were obliged to cut down one of thefe trees. in order to procureits flowers ; asitinclined greatly, it foon fell. The fun was then extremely bright; the fap rofe in abundance, and at the moment of its fall iffued in great quantities from the middle — of the lower part of the trunk. : This very beautiful tree, of the family of the — myrti, is covered with a pretty fmooth bark; the branches are a little angulated as they rife; they ‘are adorned towards their extremity with alter- nate leaves, flightly bowed, about two decime- ters long by a demi-decimeter broad. The flowers are folitary, and ey from the axilla of the leaves. The calyx is hemifpherical, it perfectly entire, like the other fpecies of the fame ge- nus, and it falls in the fame mapner when the 2 ftamina . OF LA PEROUSEs 165 fiamina expand. It is, like all the fruit, a little tuberculous. There is no corolla, ‘The numerous ftamina are attached to the margins of the receptacle. The fiyle is fimple. There is only one ‘ioe. The capfule, which is open at the top, is gene- rally quadrilocular; the cells contain feveral angu- lated feeds ; it has underneath four angles, two. of which are more falient than the others. Its coat-button fhape has induced me to give this tree the name of eucalyptus globulus, Explanation of the Figures, Plate XIU. _ Fig. 1. Branch of the eucalyptus pied fig. 2. Flower, Fig. 3. Fruit. Fig. 4. Calyx. The bark, the leaves, and the fruit, are aroma- tics, which might be employed foreconomical pur- pofes, in lieu of thofe with which the Moluccas have for a long time furnifhed us exclufively. _ I was under the neceffity of employing almoft the whole of the 7th in the preparation of my collections, which increafed prodigioufly from day to day. I.could extend my refearches only to a fmall diftance from our anchoring-place. But on the Sth I fet out early in the afternoon M3 . with 156 VOYAGE IN SEARCH with an intention of fpending three or four days in the woods, without returning on board to fleep. I was obliged to purfue this courfe in or- ~ der to collect the produtions which grew at a great diftance from our fhips. We had on board a great variety of European feeds, which it was eflential to propagate at this extremity of New Holland. The degree of tem- perature which is there experienced made us hope that they would thrive. The gardener was oocu- pied in preparing a fmall {pot of ground on which they were to be fown. This garden was formed quite clofe to the eaft fhore of the harbour, to the eaft-north-eatt of our anchorage. That night we went and flept on the’ banks of a rivulet, fituated at the weftern extremity of a great lake, the fouth bank of which we walked along the next day. We there faw a few pelicans, but could not get near enough to fire at them, Piron, the painter of the expedition, was of the party: he took different views of thefe places. Some round hillocks, covered with very tall trees, which were feen in the diftance, added in a pe- culiar degree to the beauty of the Jandfcape, It was neceflary for us to meafure back our fteps, in’ order to proceed to the Sppente bank. Piron returned on board. I prefently OF LA PEROUSE. 167 I prefently met with an evergreem tree, the kernel of whofe fruit, like the cafhew-nut, was fituated in a flefhy receptacle much larger than itfelf: for which reafon I have given to this new genus the name of exocarpos. On the fame ftem are {een hermaphrodite flowers, with diflingt males and females. The male flowers have a calyx with five or- bicular leaves; thefe have no corolla: the fta- mina, five in number, are fmall, and attached to - the calyx between its divifions; the germen is abortive. The female flowers havea fimilar calyx; they have neither corolla nor ftamina; the globular germen has.one fhort ftyle; the ftigma is in the fhape of a circular fhield. The hermaphrodite flowers have the calyx, ftamina, and germen, as I have juft defcribed. The fruit is almoft a round nut, fomewhat black, inferted in a red flefhy receptacle, hol- low in its middle, the length of which is about three times that of the nut. The kernel is oily, and of the fame Sse: as its fhell. The principal characters of this new genus induce me to place it among the terebiniacee next to the axacardium. _ I have named this fpecics exocarpos cupre(fi- formis. M4. Explanation 168 VOYAGE IN SEARCH » - Explanation of the Figures, Plate XIV. . Fig. 1. Bough of the exocarpos cupreffiformis. . Fig. 2, Part of a branch loaded with flowers of the natural fize.. - i? Fig..3. Germen, with its ftyle and figma. Fig. 4. Fruit of the natural fize. _ - Fig. 5. Prait cut vertically. An empty fpace is perceptible in i, middle of the flefhy pe- | duncle. Fig. 6. Kennel Fig. 7. Part of the ao. fabance which en- clofes the kernel. . The day was far fpent when we arrived on the banks of a rivulet where we took up our quar- ters for the night. I remarked at this fouthern extremity of New Holland feveral fpecies of an- cifrum, analogous to thofe which grow at the fouthern extremity of America. We were furrounded by charming groves, foringd ina great meafure by a pretty {pecies of. ’ Rarrow-leaved thefum. The cold had obliged us to kindle, a large fire; ~ fome of us had fcarcely begun to give way to fleep, when we heard at a few yards difiance the howl of a wild beaft : this howl appeared to us fomewhat fimilar to that of a leopard. It is probable that our fire had contributed much | more oe ta OF LA PEROUSE. 169 more than we had imagined to prevent this ani- mal from coming, any nearer to us. I had a few days before found the upper jaw of a pretty large quadruped, of the carnivorous clafs. As foon as the day appeared we followed the banks of the lake, quite clofe to which we remarked five iflots covered with trees, form- ing an agreeable contraft with the fmooth furface of this great fheet of water. We faw, for the firft time in this country, fome quails, which flew to a great diftance. After a few hours walk to the north-weft, we found, on a {mall eminence and under the fhade of fome very large trees, two huts, of the form of thofe which we had already feen elfewhere: they were in perfect repair, and it appeared to us that they had been recently inhabited. I gathered a beautiful plant which forms a’ new genus, very diftiné from. all thofe which have been hitherto defcribed. It is ‘one of the irides with two ftamina. I have given it, on ac- count of this fingularity, the name of diplarrena : its affinity to the morea genus has induced me to defignate it by the name of diplarrena mored. The bivalved {pathe contains feveral flowers, which come out one after the other, when they are ready to blow. They fade {iill much quicker than thofe of the iris and the morea; and I fhould 170 VOYAGE IN SEARCH fhould have relinquifhed all hopes of having it drawn if new flowers had not fucceeded thofé which went off, almoft as na as I had gathered the plant. Like the other fcidpatt fins no calyx. - The corolla has fix deep petals, the three in- terior of which are much finaller than the exte- rior: of thefe interior petals the fuperior one is a fittle fhorter than the two others, and more pro- minent toward its bafe. Having examined a great number of the flow- ers, I contiantly found only two ftamina, the — filaments of which terminated i ina point, bear- ing anthers of a white colour, marked with two | grooves. I have always feen in the place ofa fhicd fiamen the rudiment of a filament, not more than two millimeters long; it bears no anther, — and it is fituated beneath the interior and fupe- rior petal. The germen is inferior: it has three angles, and is borne on’a long peduncle. The ftyle, a little longer than the ftamina, is cylindrical, and terminated by a ftigma, which is in the fhape of a fhepherd’s crook. | The capfule is trilocular, and contains feveral — globular feeds, attached to a receptacle which rifes from the middle of the cells to their fummit. This genus, which muft naturally be placed after the iris and the morea, has alt the parts of thofe OF LA PEROUSE. 171 thofe plants; like them the leaves are lanceolate, forming a fheath on the fide towards their bate. Explanation of the Figures, Plate XV. Fig. 1. The plant of the natural fize. Fig. 2. Flowers expofed to full view, the fpathe having been removed. A blown flower is feen, the three exterior petals of which have been detached. Fig. 3- Exterior petal feen internally. Fig. 4. The fame feen externally. | Fig. 5. Interior petals expanded, in order to. fhew the ftamina and the ftyle. Fig. 6. Stamen magnified. Fig. 7. Style with its ftigma. Fig. 8. Part ofthe germen, the ffamina and the ftyle being removed, in order to fhew the rudi-. ment of the filament found in the place of a third ftamen. Fig. 9» Inferior part of the capfule cut tranf- - verfely, that the three cells may be feen. Fig. 10. Superior part of the capfule cut ver- tically; in order to fhew the feeds. | Iwas croffing a fmall copfe when a large kan- garoo quitted his burrow, at the moment that Iwas very near it: at firft he followed fora {pace of upwards of thirty yards one of the little paths which thefe quadrupeds tngke through the bufhes ; 372 VOYAGE IN SEARCH bufhes; he could not avoid making ufe of his fore fect in thefe narrow paflages.| As foon as he had reached the extremity of them, he {prang for- ward by leaps, topping the fhrubs with fo much nimblenefs that he was’prefently out of fight. A feet of water, into ‘which ran a charming rivulet, was covered with a prodigious quantity of wild ‘ducks,’ that took wing quite clofe to s: we fo little expected this agreeable fight, ita we were not able to kill one of them. A frefh breeze got up towards night, and feem- — ed to threaten us with rain. Being ata diftance — from any fhelter, we were obliged to fleep in the open air: a hedge, which we conftructed: with branches and boughs, ferved us as a protection from the weather, and under this fhed it was eaty for us to ight a large fire. | On the rith, proceeding to the weftward, we traverfed a vaft plain, where were here and there fome marfhes, covered with plants, which con- cealed from us the danger of advancing: the wa- | ter iffues from the loweft parts, eels in 5 courfe forms pretty rivulets. | A very big kangaroo came out within four yards of me from the middle of a copfe; my gun flafhed in the pan; and the animal went off very flowly, — taking one of the paths made through the groves: thefe are fo many covered ways which crofs in every direCtion, and are very clofe to each other. The OF LA’ PEROUSE. 173 The multipliéd tracks of thefe quadrupeds an- mounce that they muft be very numerous; as they keep in the clofeft thickets, it would require dogs to put them up. Thefe) little paths ial tally terminate at fome. rivulet: Our provifions being exhaufted, it was aiues: fary to return on board before night... We wan- dered in the woods, trying toapproach the an- choring-place, when we arrived at the north-eait extremity of the barbour, whence we perceived our fhips at a:¢onfiderable diftance. It was not without much trouble that we reached them, as we were obliged to pafs through places of diffieult accefs. The whole day of the rath tacpaly fufficed for preparing and defcribing what I had collected _ the preceding days. I had ordered a fervant, who had remained on _ board during my abfence, to have an eye to the prefervation of the articles which requited daily ‘ care, and I had the fatisfaction to find them in good condition. Citizen Riche difcovered fome human. bones in the afhes of a fire kindled by the favages. By their hollow fhape, he recognifed them-to be the off innominata of a young gitl; they were © partly. covered with pieces of broiled fleth. I will not dothefe people the injury to rank them with cannibals; I prefume that they are in the habit 174. | VOYAGE IN SEARCH | habit of burning their dead. Thefe were thé only human bones that were feen outing: our ftay at this anchorage. On the 13th I went to the fpot where we took in our water. It was furnifhed by a fmall rivulet that emptied itfelf on the fea-fhore, after having flowed acrofS the ruins.of the large trees with which this country is covered. Their de- compofition had coloured this water with a brown tint. It was neceffagy to roll the cafks about a hectometer, for the thoalnefs of the bot- tom obliged the launch to be kept at this diftance from the beach. We here faw the carpenters employed in raif- ing the gunnel of our launch, fhe having lately overfet in the harbour, when under fail. The people who were in her had been forced tofwim _ till affifiance was fent to them. The firft lieu- tenant had had her fitted with mafts too taunt, and fails much too fquare. It was eafy to rectify thefe bad proportions. The wood that was employed was the new ~ fpecies of eucalyptus, which I have named euca- lyptus globulus. Our carpenters judged it very fit for fhip-building. A confiant humidity reigned in the middle of thefe thick forefts, into which I penetrated to- wards the fouth-we(t. In this fpot grew, in the fulleft vigour, a great many moffes and ferns. I here OF LA. PEROUSEs 175 . here killed the beautiful fpecies of #ierops, in» dicated. by White under the denomination of svattled bee-eater, of which he has given a good drawing. This bird is remarkable for two large appendages or wattles on each fide of the head. It was neceflary to prepare expeditioufly the Skin of the birds which I withed to preferve; for the flefh, when expofed to the air, was very foon eovered with fimall living /Jarve, which were depofited there -by flies of a fawn colour ; they are viviparous, like thofe known by the name of mufca carnaria. Thefe larve particularly ac-. celerated the putrefaCtion of flefh, . es As we were to fail the next day, the 14th, e endeavoured to turn to account thefe laft me-. ments, and Janded on the eaftern fhore of the . coaft neareft to the fhip. I accompanied the gardener to the ground. where he. had fown different European feeds. This fpot, which was very well dug for an ex- tent of nine meters by feven, had been divided into four patches; it afforded a foil in which clay was too predominant to enfure the fuccefs of the feeds that had juft been committed to it. After we had penetrated into the woods, a quadruped, of the fize of a large dog, came out ofa bufh quite clofe.to one of our fhipmates. This animal, which was of a white colour fpot- ted with black, had the appearance of a wild “beat - 176 . VOYAGE IN SEARCH beaft. There is no doubt that thefe countries will, on a future day, add feveral fpecies to the ~ catalogue of the zoologift. A vertebra that we found inland, the body of which was upwards of eleven centimeters in thicknefs, induces me to think that fome very large quadrupeds wits there be met with. A heavy fhower of rain overtook us about the middle of the day, and forced us to ftop. The — large trunk of a hollow tree, which ferved us as — a fhelter, was upwards of eight meters in cir- cumference. We thought that we might light a fire in it, in the manner of the New Hollanders ; but the fmoke foon drove us from this retreat. We tried to penctrate into the places which we had not yet vifited. A glade feemed likely to conduct us to the plain that lay to the north- eaft. . We had not at moft three hours daylight | left. A fudden declivity made us flacken our pace: fome large trees, heaped one upon the other, obftructed the way ; and fhrubs, to which the moifture of thefe forefts gave the greateft vigour, increafed the difficulties of our progrefs. Among thefe fhrubs grew a beatitiful fpecies of arboreous polypodium, the truiik of which was — upwards of four meters in height *. _ * It may well be fuppofed, that I-fhall not fatigue the reader with a long tiomenclature of the productions which — ‘I met with in this voyage; that will be the object of a fepa- k. Sea We eae elle “a OF LA PEROUSE. 177 "On ‘the ‘approach of night ‘we’ difcovered that we were on the banks of the {mall lake, at its moft inland extremity. The woods pre- vented us from following all its margin with- out wetting our feet. The water which we were obliged to crofs, was fortunately not deep. The obfcurity of the night did not prevent me from gathering a new fpecies) of reftio, which I met with for the firft time: - ‘This lake, although it communicates with the “fea, contains no fith; the Efpérance’s people had come here and hauled the feine, but had caught nothing. Having reached the fea-fide, we had ftill a great way to go, and fonte thick clouds redoubled the darknefs. We had often to climb over large blocks of ftone, againft which the waves broke — with violence. We went groping on in the dark, at the rifk of falling headlong into the fea, and we had infinite difficulty to keep our feet on ftones wafhed by the waters, and covered with fucus and other marine productions, which rendered them extremely flippery. A great number of phofphoric molecules, of different fizes, brought by the waters of the fea, ‘afforded the only light that guided our fteps. At length we arrived at the fpot which had been chofen for making aftronomical obferva- tions. There was no longer any one here; the VOL. I.’ aut aftrone- 178 VOYAGE IN SEARCH aftronomers had packed up their inftruments, — and beat their retreat. . |, ; +a Our fail-maker having been ‘alone.on a hoot | ing excurfion the day before, had loft himfelf in — the woods, where he. had been compelled to pafs the night.” Several guns had been fired from the | fhip to let him know the. place , where the — fhip Jay; atJaft he had returned on board inthe — afternoon, exhaufted by. hunger and. fatigue. Having taken with him no saoemifiGine: he had — been a day and.a half without eating. He re- lated that, in the middle of the night, different | quadrupeds had come and fmelt him at a few centimeters difiance. Many of the people on board believed him: but we, who had pallens feveral nights in the thickeft part of the woods without meeting with fuch familiar animale | were not fo eafy to be perfuaded: very far from thinking that he wifhed to impofe on us, we — faw, in this account, the effect of the imagina- — tion of a man deprived of food, and bewildered | ' alone in the midft of immenfe forefis. . We had weighed the bower anchor by which we rode, and let go the fiream, in order to get under way more eafily : the Efpérance had done the fame. During the night of the 14th fome : very heavy fqualls from the north-weft made i both fhips drive; they went on, fhore on the 2. mud, where they experienced no damage, and © ey eile 4 ve ; they OF LA PEROUSE. 179 they were eafily got off again, It was furprifing that it fhould have been thought, that we were in fafety, when riding by. a fmall anchor recent- ly dropped in a muddy bottom: this fort of bottom is good for holding only when the an- chor has reached a certain depth. It ought na- turally to have been forefeen, that the ftream anchor, ‘newly let, go, had :not time to bury it- felf fufficiently for holding penit fo heary fqualls. i + | | We.were now dette pS Sue a fair wind in _-order.to fet. fail... That which blew was contraty to us. during the whole day. of: the 1 sth: it was _boifterous .the following. night, | and. notwith- fianding the fhip had, jut been afhore, Dauribeau withed that we fhould ride only by a “fmall an- | chor; but the Admiral felt the negli of . let- ting go one of the bowers. . +... Daring our flay at. Cape I Diemen we had feen _ the natives only at a confiderable diftance : thofe who had perceived us: had, always made off with precipitation :: fome had - left behind them their houfehold utenfils, which gave us. a poor “idea of their induftry; thefe were bafkets clumfily made of the fpecies + of fea-rufh known by the name of juncus acutus ; they had likewife, yery frequently left’ their water-veffels, which. -they | make of a large piece of fucus palnatus,. _cut | Srewarly; and gathered in like a bag ufed for | N 2 holding ‘ 180 VOYAGE IN SEARCH holding countets at play. We never found any arms in the places which they’ had recently quit- ted; no doubt they carried them! away, or con- cealed them carefully, for fear that we might make ufe of them to their annoyance. A few ftraggling huts indicated a very ftanty population ; fome fhell-fith, ‘colle&ted in {mall heaps at a fhort diftance ftom the beach, ‘left us no doubt that the fea-fhores farnifhed ‘princi- pally the food of thefe favages. As we found only once fome humah bones, which even were partly burnt, it appears that they leave not their déad expofed in the open air. It is difficult to know if they are in the conftant practice of burning them ; perhaps they alfo iriter them, or throw them into the fea. The multiplicity of paths, in which were dif- covered the tracks of diiferent quadrupeds, evince that they are here-very numerous; doubt- ‘TefS they keep during the day in the inacceflible haunts of thefe thick forefts. A great number of fiall rivulets difcharged themfelves into the harbour. The ground was fo moift internally, that as foon as it was dug to a little depth, the water almoft immediately filled the cavity. . Hooks and lines and the feine generally pro- cured us fith in abundance; a fiill far greater | . quantity & _OF LA PEROUSE. 18% quantity was caught when caft and fouth-caft winds brought the fith into the bay. ~ . Van. Diemen’s Land was difcovered by Taf- man in the month of November 1642. When Captain Cook anchored here in 1777, four years after Furneaux, he. thought that he was the third of the European navigators who had landed on this coaft. Cook was then ignorant ‘that Captain Marion, after having ftaid there fome time, had left it on the roth of March, in the year 1772. The natives obferved a very ‘different conduct with refpoct to thefe two navi- gators. Perhaps the mildnefs-of difpofition | that they fhewed towards Caok, was the effea@ of the idea that they had imbibed from our fire- _ arms, which Marion was under the neceffity of ufing againft them. | The ftation of our obfervatory, which was fituated on the ftarboard hand towards the en- trance of the harbour, was in latitude 43° 32’ 24” fouth, and longitude 144° 46’ eaft. The yariation of the compafs was 7° 39 32” caft. A flat needle. gaye for the dip 70° 30% The tides were felt only once a day. The time of high water, on the days of the new and full moon, was from nine to eleven o'clock, the fea, rifing perpendicularly about two meters. The winds had great influence on the tides, N 3 which 182 VOYAGE IN SEARCH wack they advanced or retarded frequently for fome hours. This harbour, on account of the fmooth water that there prevails, is one of the. moft conve- — ~ nient that can poffibly be defired for refitting fhips. Befides, the vaft forefis ‘that furround it afford a wood which our carpenters confidered as very fit for fhip-building: they employed fome of it, which anfwered extremely well. The weather, during © near a month’s fiay, — was far from being favourable to aftronomical — obfervations, To explore thefe coafts would be _ no eafy tafk in this feafon offthe year; and in- deed, the violence of the winds would oppofe — great obftacles to fuch an undertaking. > - During our ftay at Cape Diemen the winds _ blew ftrong between the north-weft and fouth- — weft; thofe from the north-weft almoft always — brought ftorms and rain. & At funrife on the 16th, the two fhips were towed to the mouth of the harbour; the fails be were then loofed, and, with a breeze from the — northward, we ftood towards the new Atrait, which the Admiral intended to enter. _ _ After we had, till ten o'clock in the morning, i followed the edges of the reefs which we left on the larboard hand in Storm Bay, the open- ing of the firait bore north-north-weft, at the ’ diftance — OF LA PEROUSE,” 183 diftance of a myriameter and a half: we then hauled clofe on a wind. ~The fummits of the moft lofty mountains — were already whitened by the fnow. Thefe mountains make part of a chain which extends from fouth-eaft to north-weft, and terminates towards the head of the harbour. - We took great pleafure in difcovering from the fhips the places whither we had directed our fteps in our different excurfions. We faw, for a moment, a thick fmoke rifé in the diftance to the northward of the great lake, and prefently we diftinguifhed five natives, _who had juft quitted a fire kindled on the fea- fhore, and were walking along the beach; one of them, carrying a lighted ftick, fet different places in a blaze, which burned rapidly, but was almoft immediately extinguifhed, We made feveral tacks in approaching the coaft, where there is no danger to be feared. A light breeze from the northward, and a contrary tide, prevented us from entering the channel; it was dark when we let go the an- chor at its mouth, in twenty-nine fathoms water, over a bottom of gray fand. The fite of our obfervatory then bore weft, diftant two myria- meters. - The mercury in the barometer, after it had fallen for the laft twenty-four hours, ftood at N 4 27% ~ 184 VOYAGE IN SEARCH 24% inches, although the weather preferved a very fine appearance. We were not free from uneafinefs; for fo great a variation had never, during our ftay at anchor, failed to be followed by tempeftuous winds. It:is probable that they blew at a difiance, but we felt none of their effedis, tot Fnglta A fire, kindled by the natives, was perceived, during the night. The tide having become favourable about nine o’clock in the morning of the 17th, we weighed with a breeze at north, and. plied to windward. The proximity of the coaft tonto me to re~ mark, at the entrance of this channel, a free- | ftone which had every appearance of that which is met with.at Port D’Entrecafieaux. * ‘The fhow had ‘increafed. prodigioufly, during the night, behind the fummit of the high moun- tains. The mercury in the barometer had fallen to. 27 inches 4 lines, and the northerly wind continued to be very faint. It was dark when we entered the firait, to which was given the name of Admiral D’Entre- cafteaux. We anchored there about feven ‘ o’clock in the evening, in twenty-two fathoms, the bottem black mud mixed with broken thells. . We OF LA PEROUSE, 185 We were in latitude 43° 20° fouth, and jon- ,gitude 140° 10° eaft. "The Efpérance, being apprifed of our anchor- -ing-place by a fire lighted near the main-matt, was not long before fhe came to an anchor two kilometers to the north by weft of us. The fea, daring the whole night, was. YeRR _ phofphoric on the fmalleft agitation. _ Some heavy fqualls, accompanied by rain, obliged us to veer away cable, and get down the top-gallant yards. : On the 18th a cloudy fky made us wait with the moft lively impatience for the moment. of enjoying the fine profpect of the immenfe bay which forms the entrance of D’Entrecafteaux’s Strait. At length the horizon cleared up., On whateyer fide we. directed our view, we behcld fpacious bights, where the navigator, buffeted by ftorms, may come with all confidence in fearch ’ of fhelter, The eye furveyed with aftonithment the immenfity of thefe harbours, which. would eafily contain all the fleets of the maritime powers. The point on the ftarboard hand at the en- trance of the Strait bore fouth 43° weit. The wind blowing with lefs impetuofity about eleven o'clock in the morning, advantage was taken of this lull to difpatch the barge. The geo- graphical engineer fet off with an inteation of going - 186 VOYAGE IN SEARCH going to difcover if a bight feen to the north-eait by north could afford a paffage’to our fhips. The ebb fet from half a knot to a knot ‘an hour, north-weft by north, ftom oe o'clock itt the evening till two in the morning. The firength of the wind having plevetited our fending on fhore any of the {mall boats, we were under the neceffity of remaining on board. | But - the next day, the 19th, we landed‘at the diftance © of a demi-myriameter to the fouth-weft, on. the ifland which runs the whole length of thischan- — nel. A boat belonging ‘to the Efpérance’ had ~ paffed the night at the fame place, and lay, there * caught a great quantity of fith. It was with very lively pleafure that I vifited this ifland, where I collected feveral new plants, 2 the moft numerous fpecies of which muft be claffed among the genera of the eadetetcn the after, the epacris, &c. ~ The fhores of the channel afforded us an ealy | paffage through the fhrubs, which are here thinly — fcattered. We afterwards climbed over ficep places, which rife perpendicularly a demi-heéto- — .meter above the level of the fea. At this height we remarked marine falt, carried by the fpray into the cavities of a very hard free-fione, which — principally forms the foundation of this land. Lis had fcarcely proceeded two kilometers, 7 an - ‘oF LA PEROUSE. 187 whén the remains of a hut and fome heaps of fhell-fith let us know that this ifland was in- habited. | “This was the firft time that we faw any par- tridges at Cape Diemen.’ We fprang’a very large covey, which went om fettled ata Brent ‘diftance from us. , It was late when we met. with Citizen Riche. He had fpent the night with the fifhermen.. The offer which he made us to partake the fruits of his {port was gladly accepted ; he pointed out to usa little {pring, where we enjoyed the pleafure of quenching our thirft with very good water, at the fame time eating excellent fifh and fome fhell- fifth, which we broiled in the manner of the New Hollanders. This' repaft ane made us forfake our fhip provifions. It was not long before we eit that the com- miffioned officers of the Recherche had agitated ~ the queftion, Whether the naturalifts fhould pre- ferve any right to the fupplies of freth provifions diftributed on board, while:they were on fhore collecting the articles which conftitutedthe object of their miffion ? Good care had been,taken not to fummon them to fuch difcuffions: no one ef- poufed their caufe, and the’ queftion: was very quickly decided againft them, contrary to every . idea ofsjuftice. J-muft add that, notwithftanding . the changes that took place among the perfons who — 138 VOYAGE IN SEARCH who a¢ted as caterers of our mefs, all of them were ftrict obfervers of fo unjuft a law, : It was dark when our boat came to fetch us. Riche was glad to take a paffage with, us, rather than remain on fhore; but he was,under the necef- fity of fleeping on board the Recherche, although he had the moft urgent occafion to go to the Efpé- vance; for it is not indifferent to a naturalift to be carried back to the place where are depofited the means of prefervation of the spanner which he has recently collected. A fimall ifland at the diftance of a Sacniiethting meter to the fouth-weft, had been called / Je. aux Perdrix, Partridge Iland, by fome of our fea- men who had difcovered it.. Citizen Riche and myfelf went thither on the 2oth, to fpend the day ; andin lieu of partridges we there found a great number of quails. Is thisa mifiake of thofe who had firft vifited it, or had the potato quitted the ifland? This fmall ifland is in latitude 43° 23° 30” fouth, and is about two kilometersin length, The new {pecies of parfley which I have named apinm profratum, grew in abundance on its fhores, ° almof even with high-water mark. We gathered” @ great quantity of it, which we took on board. Several fpecies of club- wood, ca/uarina, covered this country, particularly to the northward; fuch of thot trees as were growing on the. fhore feemed 2 not OF LA PEROUSH: i89 hot to'thrive the worfe for the humidity commu- nicated to them by the fea. It was obvious that their branches, by natural inclination, had fpread on that fide. Among the plants that met with for the fitft time. was a fingular fpecies of Zimodo- rum, of which I had a drawing made+' 1 alfo ga+ thered feveral: ferns, anda beautiful fpecies of glycine, tematkable for its ee which were of a bright red. This iflot afforded us no fret water, although feveral forfaken huts attefted that it had been in- habited by favages. » Two officers belonging to our fhip (Crétin and ‘Dauribeau) ‘had fet off at fix o'clock in the morning to go and reconnoitre the coaft which lay to the eaftward of us; they there faw feveral bays, the greateft extent of which was from north- weft to fouth-eaft. They alfo remarked various coves, which formed fo many harbours: a ftiff breeze impeded their progrefs, and ‘prevented them froni advancing very far into them. Seve- ral fires perceived at a little diftance from the fhore determined them to land there ; and fcarcely had they entered the woods before they met with four natives occupied in keeping ‘up three fmail fires, near which they were fitting. Thefe favages immediately fled, in fpite of all the figns of friend- fhip that were made to them, leaving behind the © lobfters and other fhell-fith which they were broil- ing 190 VOYAGE IN SEARCH. ing on the coals. Hard by were feen as ste cabins as there were fires: This place appeared to be pretty ‘nah fre- quented, for there were here found fourteen {mall {pots marked with the traces of ee fires Mat had been kindled on thems 5 | One of thefe Saco sdf’ was s very y tall ae extremely mufcular, had forgotten a {mall bafket filled with pieces of filex ; he was not afraid |to come and look for it; and he advanced quite clofe to Crétin, with the’air of confidence which his ftrength feemed to give him. « Thefe favages are not of a very deep black; they let» their beards grow, and have woolly hair. Some were quite naked, and others had a pon fkin over their fhoulders. The houfehold utenfils' which they sbatdoned confifted nearly of thirty ruth bafkets of the fame fhape as that which may be feen at the bottom of Plate V.: fome of them were full of crabs and other fhell-fith. Thefe bafkets are for the moft part a third of a meter in depth. Some’ very _ finall ones were found of the fame fhape,, which ‘were not more than a decimeter long; they were filled with various pieces of filex, wrapped up in the bark of a tree, as foft as good agaric. The method which thefe favages employ to procure fire is, to ftrike two pieces of filex one againft the other: in this they differ greatly from the "other OF LA PEROUSEs Ig other inhabitants sof the ‘South Sea, and even from the other favages of the eaft part of New Holland: a circumftance that would feem to affign to them a different origin. . They alfoileft behind feveral kangaroo-fkins and fome water-veiflels. - The two. officers) prevented: the failors sl touching any of the effects of thefe natives; they took only for the Admiral a large and a fmall bafket, a kangaroo’s fkin, and a veflel made of fea-weed, which held five quarts of water. The fhape of. the water-veffel may be feen at the bottom of Plate ¥. by the. fide of the’ bafket. The favages had no caufe to regret. the lofs_ of thefe different articles, for the ‘officers left on the fame. fpot a few knives, feveral. handkerchiefs, fome bifcuit, fome cheefe; and an earthen jug, too;brittle,. indeed, to be a proper fubftitute; for the water-veffel furnithed them, by nature. Thefe favages,. although little encumbered with their effects,, fcattered fome of them from time to time along their road. I know not whe- ther this was to accelerate their flight, or-to ftop the Europeans. who were following Pe by thus exciting their curiofity. : A boat from ‘the Efpérance had been to vifit a rat nearly a myriameter diftant to the weftward. The perfons fent:on this fervice, had met with a native, who, Roky RADARS every fign of friend- | fhip 192 VOYAGE IN SEARCH fhip that they expreffed, would never fuffer him felf to be approached within the diftance of at leaft two hectometers. A charming rivulet emptied itfelf near the head of the cove. The fituation of this port, oppofite to an ifland that theliers it from the fea, renders it very fit for giving to fhips all the repairs of which they may ftand in need. Other bights vifited by the fame boat, afforded in general excellent anchorages. : A bay extended fo far to the north-weft, that _ it was not poffible to difcover its extrémity. — Some of theft’ bights are perhaps channels, which communicate with the fea. The attention that it was neceffary to pay to~ the fpecimens which I had previoufly collected, employed me the whole of the 21ft. The gardener fet off in the bifcayan, which was loaded with ten perfons, to repair to the ifland where I had been the day before. After having iD fmall a boat ftruggled in vain againft very firong winds, blowing direétly in - their teeth,they had refolved to yield to their incli- nation, to go and look for a fhelter towards the north-eaft, at the diftance of a myriameter anda ~ half behind a fmall circular ifland, placed at the _— opening of the paflage which they had been to” explore. This trip had well nigh been fatal to them: the maft giving way, the fail fell over- board; OF LA PEROUSE. agg board; the boat’s way confequently became deadened, and, being too deeply laden, fhe filled by the roughnefs of the fea.. At length they ar- rived, exhaufied by fatigue, under the lee of the ifland, where they enjoyed a calm, which was the more agreeable, as they had juft incurred the _greateft dangers.. The Admiral being extremely uneaty refpecting their fate, at one o’clock in the afternoon fent a boat in fearch of them, knowing very well that the bifcayan could not get on board againft winds fo contrary. We had the fatisfaction of feeing them again towards night. They related to us, that after having followed the coaft to the fouth-eaft and fouth, _ during an hour’s walk along a pretty eafy road, _ fome fires had apprifed them of the prefence of | the favages, and it was not long before they met with a few. Thefe were the fame that had been feen the preceding day; they did not fuffer themfelves to be more) clofely approached. In the fires, which they abandoned precipitately, were found fhell-fith fill broiling on the coals; and upwards of thirty kangaroo-ikins, at a little diftance, indicated the fondnefs of thefe inhabit- ants for hunting. . It appears that they had had no > diflike ~ the | bread and the water which had been depofited for them the preceding day; but the fmell of the cheefe had probably prevented them from taiting VOL. I. ° it, rot ~ VOYAGE IN SEARCH it, for it was found in the ftate in whieh it had been left. In the fame place were alfo found one’ of the knives, and the handkerchiefs, that had been put among their effects the day before. “A few fhots: fired at’ fome birds, no doubt fpread terror among thefe favages; for a boat from our fhip went to the fame: fpot two rie after, and met with none of them. On the 22d of May, the launch was fent to water at the head of a cove recently difcovered fo the weftward. I availed myfelf of this oppor- _ tunity to go and vifit this place, which was near _ a myriameter diftant from the anchorage. It forms : a harbour of the breadth of three heétometers by a kilometer in depth, and there is fafficient water — in it to admit large fhips to anchor. A rivulet brought towards its extremity very good water, 7 which it was not eafy to procure, becaufe, tohave — it in all its purity, it. was neceffary to roll the éaiks partly in the mud, to the diftance of up-_ wards of three hectometers from the boat. The people might have been fpared this labour, — which was prejudicial to their health, by making nfe of long canvas hofes, or Of leather pipes, by — means of which it would have been eafy to con=— Wey the water into the launch. Navigators bi will be fenfible of all the importance ’of this pre: | eaution, efpecially when the impoffibility of af-_ wei different rivers with boats, forces them ~ S >to OF LA PEROUSE: 195 fo take in brackith water; while; by means of a hofe carried a few hectometers higher up, it might be procured without any. mixture of fea- water, which renders it very unwholefome. On the banks of this rivulet grew various -fpecies of ca/uarina, one of which was remarkable for its club-fhaped fruit. I alfo’ faw there. a ra- ther tall fhrub, which forms a new genus in the family of the crucifera. Numerous paths beaten by the kangaroos, ran in the direCtion towards the rivulet, where thefe animals frequently come to quench their thirft. The wind, which had been contrary to us in going towards this watering-place, fhould have favoured us on our return; but it fell calm, and it took us feveral hours to.get on board. The barge arrived after four days abfence, having in that time furveyed the whole ex- tent of the Strait, which is about four myria- “meters and a half long, from fouth-weft to north-eaft. Not lefs than fix fathoms and a half water had been found in it, with a bottom of mud, and fometimes of fine fand. Adventure Bay is feparated from it only. by a tongue of land, the breadth of which is at moft four hear | tometers., On the 23d, we waited only for a fair wind, to run into the Strait, in order to draw a plan of it with fome degree of correcinefs. O24 The 196 VOYAGE IN SEARCH The northseaft and north winds were againft us; befides, they were fo faint, that we were obliged to remain at anchor the whole day. — _ During. the night were feen feveral fires, which the natives had oe on the eminent) fhore. ai We got matledts way . sibeak half pat. foren o'clock the next morning, the 24th, and plied _to windward, approaching within a kilometer of © the land. We never found lefs than fix fathoms end a half water, with an excellent’ bottom. Although the thermometer in the coldeft _ ‘mornings ‘had not fallen lower than: 7° above — the freezirig point, the fnow had confiderably in- _ -creafed on the high mountains, which were feen — to the weft and north-wett.. The favourable currents made us: glk on teach ‘tack; they®*became- contrary’ to us about: fix ‘o'clock in the evening; we then caft.anchor in eight fathoms water, the bottom gray fand, pretty — “near the coaft, and ‘to the northward of the “7 -chorage which we had quitted in the morning: __ The natives kindled upwards of twenty fixes” ‘on the fouth fhore. Several families had fio “doubt been attracted towards the coaft, by the get of our ftay in this bay. ee "Phe curteats favouted ws about. feven’ o'clock. “in the ree on the rae and we made feveral ; ote ee So é ~ wre : . 7 wine oft ; “, OF LA sPEROUSEs - ee sy) boards to enter into a narrow fleeve of the Strait, to the weft fhore of which we borrowed pretty, clofe, fianding to the north-eafi by north. After having ran about. a demi-myziameter ‘along this channel, we entered a fecond bay, upwards of a myriameter in extent, bordered towards the weft by lands of amoderate height : thofe to the eaftward were low, and feparated this Strait from Adventure Bay. About. half paft one o’clock in the afternoon we came to an ‘anchor at the difiance of a kilo- meter ftom the’ coaft:. we then fet Fluted Cape bearing fouth 33° eaft. We landed to the north weft, 0 ona coat where the very thick woods preferved the greateft humi- dity, although no rain had fallen for fome days. Among the fhrubs which covered this fhore a ,new fpecies of pfelea was growing in. great — Gabisisdaue®. ) On the 26th we. wie Borer at feven o'clock in the morning, and at noon we found ourfelyes in a third bay, the different bights of which left us for fome time in doubt refpecting | the paflage that it was neceflary to follow in order to get out of it; the outlet lay to the north-weft in the moft diftant bight. The depth of water in this bay was not lefs than eleven fathoms towards its middle, and at the diftance of two hectometers from the fhore we had not lefs than fix fathoms 03° and 198 VOYAGE IN SEARCH and a half. This bay, in other tefpetts; was as extenfive as that which we had laft left. After having ftood near two myriameters to the north-north-eaft, we anchored about half paft three o'clock in fourteen fathoms and a half, with | a muddy bottom. “As we thought that a favour- able wind might ftill carry us fome diftance before night, none of us went on fhore. We got under way on the 27th about feven o'clock in the morning; but the currents foon _ became contrary to us, and forced us to bring up again in twelve fathoms and a half, over a bottom of fand mixed with mud. We were then in latitude 43° 4’ fouth, and longitude 145° 17° eaft. At the diftance of.a demi-myriameter towards the north-eaft was feen the extremity of the Strait by which we were to fail out. . A fire lighted not far from the fhore an- nounced the prefence of the natives, and fhortly after we faw one walking along by the fea-fide. Two boats were going to carry feveral perfons to both fides of the Strait, when we obferved fome favages paddling along in a catamaran, who landed on the eaft coaft. As timid as thofe who had hitherto been met ‘with, they precipitately made for the fhore, in order to feamper through — the woods, leaving behind a few darts of clumfy — work manthip.. I landed a OF LA. PEROUSE® 499 _ I landed on n the beach, from which they had jock difappeared, and I found there a great. number. of ftones of a very beautiful granite, extremely hard, and rounded by_attrition. ; There lay on the beach four catainarans, made ofthe bark of trees im the form of that which may be feen Plate XLIV. Fig. I. Skiffs of this fort can ferve only in a fea fcarcely ruffed, other- wife the waves would foon knock them to piecess As thefe favages. know how to hollow out the trunks of trees by means of fire, in order to make of them a temporary abode, they fhould employ the fame method to form canoes; but they are as little advanced i in navigation, as in the other arts. I had now reached the outlet of the Strait, where I remarked fome very beautiful cryftals of fel{par fcattered hereand there in feveral rocks of very hard fand-ftone. On the top of thefe hills I met with the Sant : which Phillip, in his Voyage to Botany Bay, has defignated by the name of the yellow gum-tree. It was only in feed, as Phillip found it; fo that I was alfo deprived of the characters indifpenfable for determining this genus, which has the port of a dracena. The feeds, placed on a long fpike, were filled with a great number of larve, which transformed themfelves into little phalene of the fection of the tinea. — The refinous gum which exudes from this 0 4, plant 200 VOYAGE IN SEARCH. plant is highly aftringent : there is no doubt that it would be ufeful in medicine ; the gummy prins ciple with which it abounds muft facilitate its mixture with our humours, and make the ufe of it preferred ‘o a great many other aftringents. Among the beautiful plants that I then ga- thered, was a very remarkable compound flower, which has not till now been noticed by any natu- ralift; .t forms a new genus, which | call richea, from the name of Citizen Riche, one of the na- turalifis of the expedition, This learned man has fallen a viclim to his love for the fciences, after having; ina ftate of confumption already far advanced, made a long and fatiguing voyage, in which he confulted his zeal more than his firength. . This new genus is naturally sinless in the third fection of the cinarocephale (Juff. Gen, Plant.). The common» calyx is compofed of feveral obtufe leaflets, fcariofe at their fummit, of equal length, and arranged in a fingle row ; it compre- hends feveral diftin® calyxes, each borne on a very fhort peduncle; all thefe little calyxes are compofed of five or fix leaflets, containing five or fix florets, which are all hermaphrodite, and each provided with a fcale almoft the whole of their length, 7 _. The florets are inflated in their upper part, and are in five equal divifions, Five diftin@ filaments, attached to the tube 7 of 4 OF LA PEROUSE. 201 of the floret, bear as many ie qian in the form of a cylinder. The ftyle is filiform, and rifes to the icight: of the ftamina. .The ftigmas bifid.” The feeds are oval, covered with a fine down, and crowned ‘with from twelve: to fifteen” bth loaded with: hair. The glaucous colour of the leaves of this com- pound flower has induced me to give it themame of richea glauca. 1ts flowers are of a stheast ts low colour. Explanation of the Figures, Plate XVE we Fig. 1. The plant of the natural fize. | Fig. 2. The flower feen from je! in order to diftinguith the common calyx. | Fig. 3. One of the little calyxes with ag Fig. 4. The floret with its feed. Pe The whole of the natural fize. : Fig. 5. The fame through a ‘magnifying glafs. Fig. 6. The floret of thé natural fize, {pit lons gitudinally, in order to fhew the ftamina. =~ Fig. 7. The fame magnified. é An officer belonging to the Recherhe had jut followed through the woods a path made by the favages. He prefently met with fix, who were quite naked, and were walking flowly towards the fouth, armed with darts from five to fix me- ters long. The furprife occafioned by fo unex- pected a meeting was depicted in their features ; 2 _ but ~~ 202 VOYAGE IN SEARCH but their numbers foon banifhing their alarms,they approached on the invitations of this European, and immediately put on their head a cravat and handkerchief which he gave them. They how+ ever appeared frightened at the fight of a knife, the ufe of which the officer pointed out to them, efpecially when he thewed them the manner of fharpening it ; and their fear was not difpelled till he' gave it them as a prefent. It was to no pur- pofe that he preffed them to approach the place ~ where we lay at anchor ; his entrcaties were un- availing: the favages continued to follow the fame path, which led away from our ‘fhips. A boat had Janded on the other fhore near a fire, whence rofe a very thick fmoke. Here were found eight. natives, who all, had their fhoulders covered with a kangaroo’s fkin, and were warming themfelves under fhelter of four fheds. Thefe favages took to flight as foon as they perceived our people. 7 _. An old woman loaded with provifions, which fhe was unwilling to abandon, was very quickly overtaken by fome of our failors : the had juft re- ceived a handkerchief with an air of fatisfaction ; but the fight of a knife, which they withed alfo to give her, frightened her to fuch a degree that fhe threw herfelf upwards of fifteen meters from the top of a very ficep acclivity, and fled over the socks, wher¢ fhe almoft immediately difappeared, , T know OF LA PEROUSE.. 203 I know not whether the perfons who. related the circumftance in another manner meant to amufe themfelves at the expenfe of thofe who had had fuch a meeting: by their account the great age of this woman had been no protection to her againft the attacks of thefe feamen : however, fhe ~ had ftill fufficient firength to make her efcape, leaving behind two bafkets, in which were found a lobfter, fome other fhell-fith, and a few fern- roots of about two centimeters in thicknefs: I difcovered that they belongedjto. a new fpecies of pieris, of which I had laid in an ample ftock. It appears that thefe favages exprefs from sit by maftication the mucilaginous part, which is more _or lefs abundant in the plants of this family. — Like the other favages, this woman had a kan- garoo’s fkin on her fhoulders; but fhe had befides, another, which, being tied on in the form of an apron, covered her nakednefs. I am of opinion that fhe had put on this garment more on account | of the feverity of the weather than from a fenti- ment of fhame; for among the natives whom Captain Cook faw at Adventure Bay, at a few kilometers from this place, the women were all naked : therefore it is probable that at fo fhort a - diftance there does not exift much difference in the manners. In the night of the 28th the north wind blew in, fuch hard Spall, that the Efpérance drove, although ~ 204 VOYAGE TN SEARCH although the was — by a ners “heavy bower anchor. | We had fpent more time than we intended in exploring D’Enttecafteaux’s Strait: To get out of it, we had yet ‘to go about the diftance of a demi-myriameter. The wind was againft us, but the tide was in our favour, and we weighed anchor at half paft nine o’clock. ‘In working out we often ftood within three hectometers of the coaft, where our foundings were from twelve and a half to thirteen fathoms near the high lands, and from fixe ‘to fix and * half near the low lands. - We at length ‘reached the eticitey of the channel : the two points of land which terminate it are at moft a demi-myriameter diftant from each other, in a fouth-eaf and north-weft direc- tion. We borrowed pretty clofe on that on the fiarboard hand, where we found no more than from three and a half to four fathoms, at the out- let of the channel. So great a decreafe in the depth of water naturally led us to prefume that there was here a very hard rock, which refified the daily current of the flood and ebb; and the lead informed us that this conjecture was well founded. This was the only foul ground that was remarked throughout the whole length of the Strait, whence we came out towards noon. We then difcovered to the eaft by fouth an open- ing OF LA PEROUSE. - 205 ing of about three myriameters wide, which afforded a paflage into the open fea. . To the northward we defcried a vaft bay, or rather a gulf, interfected by iflots and terminated by the main Jand, which was feen in the diftance; various bights in it feemed to afford ee excel- lent SOGHORPERIY - \GHAPTER 206 VOYAGE IN SEARCH CHAPTER VI. fpr of D’Entrecafteaux's Strait—Paffage from Cape Diemen to New Caledonia.—We ex- plore the fouth-weft coaft of New Caledonia.— Dangerous fituation of the Recherche quite clofe to the rocks which fkirt this coafi—We fee the na- tives by the fea-fide-—Small Archipelago at the northern extremity of New Caledonia.—Prodi- gious extent of the reefs—We get fight of the Terre des Arfacides and of the Treafity Iflands. —Survey of the weft part of Bougainville’s Ifland and of Bouka Ifland.— Dangerous jituation of the Recherche on the fhoals off Bougainville’s Ifand. —Interview with the favages of Bouka Iland. —Fondnefs of thefe favages for mufic.—Their difhonefty.—Canoes of thefe natives.—We deter- mine the pofition of various points of Bougain- ville’s land, and of Bouka Iftand.——We anchor in Carteret's Harbour —Various excurfions inte the furrounding country.—Continual rains during our flay in Carteret’s Harbour —Different obfer- vations. Ws had juft completely finifhed one of the geographical difcoveries the moft important to navigation. It was of the greateft utility to af- | certain ‘OF LA PEROUSE. © 207 certain exactly at this extremity of New Holland, where impetuous winds prevail, the places of fhelter which it can afford to thips affailed by fiorms. A roadftead of about four myriameters and a half in extent at the point of this vaft ifland res hold out very great advantages to a commercial ‘nation. A veffel may come to an anchor in any part of it witha certainty of find- ing a good bottom, with a depth of water of from fix anda half to feven fathoms. Not a fhoal is there to be met with. At an equal diftance from its two extremities, where the rather coarfe fand predominates, the ground is not fo good ; there is alfo lefs water, for by the lead: we had here only fix fathoms. — It fhould feem that the tide, entering by the two extremities at once, had drifted thefe fands into the place where the con- trary currents meet. There is no danger to be ap- prehended in approaching the land to within the diftance of two heétometers. The windings of this channel prefent a very Giverfified profpect and fituations truly picturefque. The feafon was far advanced, and the thermo- meter, although we were near the 44th degree of fouth latitude, had not been lower than 7° above o. Boifterous winds were very prevalent in the offing, while in the Strait we enjoyed the calmeft weather. We did not expec to find fuch perfect fafety fo near Storm Bay. ; The ao8 ‘ VOYAGE IN SEARCH The fifhes which delight in fill water abound in this channel, where our fifhermen were, in general, very fuccefsful, _ Scarcely had we proceeded three kilometers be- yond the outlet of the Strait, when we could ne longer diftinguith its opening. The foundings increafed in proportion as we advanced into the open fea. Our reckoning placed us at noon in. latitude 43° 1 fouth, and longitude 145° 19° eat. We foon doubled Cape Pillar, and we then _ fhaped our courfe:north-ceait, in order to go and explore the fouth-wefl coaft of New Caledonia. ~ The mercury-in the barometer had fallen to 28 inches 8 lines, and the wind blew ftrong at north-weft. The rolling of the fhip made me feel as qualmifh as at our departure from Breft. The ftay we had recently made at Cape Diemen had already made me. lofe the habit of the fea. . By the 30th of May we had made confiderable progrefs, fince at Doon we were in the latitude of 40° 55’ fouth, our longitude being 150° 4’ eaft. The mercury of the barometer had fallen in the courfe of the morning to 27 inches 4 lines, and had not deceived us in announcing tempefiuous winds. .We could do no more than fcud under the forefail, and that too we were obliged to reef; but fortunately we had a fair wind. Although the thermometer was not lower than 9 OF LA PEROUSE, 209 9° 2, above o, the cold was neverthelefs very fharp. . The violent agitation of the air appeared to me to-be the principal caufe of the fenfation which we experienced. Having on the 1ft of June reached the iii of 37° 17’ fouth, and the longitude of 154° eaft, we faw a confiderable number of white be black {potted petrels (procellaria Capenfis), and a great many albatroffes remarkable for the very deep fawn colour of the extremity of their wings. The. next day, the 2d, a great many flying fithes of the fame fpecies as thofe which we had fo repeatedly met with in other feas, announced to us, by throwing themfelves headlong on board, that we-had got into the latitudes frequented by bonitoes. _. The motion of the fhip, fince we had failed, _ had thrown me into fuch a depreffion of fpirits, that it had. not been poffible for me to pay the attention neceflary for the prefervation of the _ articles collected in my laft excurfions. On the 3d of June, the fea having become lefs rough, allowed me to engage in thefe purfuits: they were not at all damaged; I found them only - covered with a little mildew. | Since our departure from New Holland we cwere reduced to a {mall quantity of water; and the heat, which, on. the sth, began to be very - oppreffive, rendered this privation ‘till more VOL. I. Pp painful. 2To VOYAGE IN SEARCH painful. We had only a bottle a day each man; yet our wants augmented in proportion as we | advanced towards the torrid zone. We could not replace this beverage by the ufe of the wine, which daily became worfe ; befides, the brandy, which feveral already preferred to wine, made them require a greater allowance of water: the falt meat we liyed on ftill more increafed our thirft, which we had not the means to quench; and the extraordinary quantity of falt introduced into our humours, had communicated to them an extreme acrimony; and indeed the want of water is one of the principal caufes of the difor- ders of feamen. Some pintadoes, and many other birds, which we faw on the 6th of June, in latitude 34° 47’ fouth, and longitude 159° 28” eaft, made us pre- fume that we were in the neighbourhood of fome ifland, yet too far diftant, no doubt, to be perceived. On the i1th, about the middle of the day, we thought that we difcovered land to, the eaft- ward. After having fteered in that direction for an hour, the phantom difappeared, and we immediately refumed our courfe. _A man-of-war bird, having come and hovered over our fhip, was killed by a mufket fhot. This bird had {till in its bill the fpecies of cuttle- fith called fepia dligo. The man-of-war bird | had » OF LA PEROUSE,. 2it had probably feized this fea-infe& at the mo- ment! when, it) had: fprung out of the water.. I had already feen, in the Mediterranean, this fpecies' of cuttle-fith rife feveral meters above the furface of the fea, by means of membraneous‘ex- panfions fituated: laterally towards its lower, ex- tremity ;: fome of; them had: even iallen into, our fhip. On. the 16th, -alidat half paft five o'clock in the morning, we entered the torrid zone, in-the longitude of 165° eaft., At eight o’clock we got fight of the Mand. of Pines, which is at no, great diftance. from the fouth point of New Caledonia; it: appeared like a peak of middling height: we foon perceived the: low: lands by. which it is furrounded. on every, fide: Some: large: trees were diflinguithable to- wards the: fouth-eaft part of the ifland. Its. po- fition;, which we found to be in, the latitude: of 22° 42’ fouth, and longitude of 165° 14/ eaft, dif- _ fered only: 4/ from that affigned:to.it by Captain - Cook, by-our giving: it 4/ lefs in latitude, and 4! more in longitude. _ At-five o’clock in-the afternoon we. difcovered the fhores of New Caledonia to the. north-weft,, at the diftance of about four myriameters: and a half, and we ftood. on in. order to approach them ; but we were obliged to heave to at fun~ fet. to wait for the Efpérance, whofe failing was P2 always at2 VOYAGE IN SEARCH always far inferior to outs.’ We then fet the coaft, béaring from north y2°'welt to weft’ 32° north. We were ftill too far from it to fee the - reefs which lie’ between this ifland and the Ifle of Pines: ''The Efpérance joined’ us about eight o’clock in the evening ; we were to have fpent the night in: ftanding off and on; but it falling calm, our fhip would not anfwer her helm. . ©The fouth-weft winds had brought us to New _ Caledonia, although we had expected to meet with the general winds feveral . res bathe we got fight of this land. » ) | The little erga in the variation of the com- ents of penis: It lasybs confidered as no- thing from the 46th degree and a half of fouth latitude, and the’ 154th ‘degree of eaft longitude, where the variation wasi114° eaft, to the 23d — degree of fouth: latitude, and 164th. degree of eat longitude, where it was found ‘to-be’11° 4° — éaft ; for in ‘this fpace of 133° in latitude, and — 104° in Jongitude, the compafs did not vary a degree ; and it is well known, that at:fea its va- riation cannot “be afcertained at the neareft to within a degree. * During the night of the ‘nth was einceied a fire lighted by the she on the iund of ers | : . q Biirnk * ¢ vig hee ~ OF LA "PEROUSE. 213 © ‘Asoon as’day appeared; we faw‘an extenfive reefof rocks, which, from! the ‘coaft of: New Caledonia, took'a dire@ion towards: the fouth) and afterwards to the weft. “Avcalm detained "us the whole morning between’ thefe dangerous rocks andthe Ifle’ of" Pines; -fortunately‘a light breéze from the fouthiweft, which fprang up ia the: afternoon, carried us clear of the breakers. » When at noon. we had obferved im latitude 22°49’ fouth,) and our longitude was 164° 40" eaft, the fouth point of Neiw! Caledonia bore north-north-weft, diftant fourmyriameters, This extremity is in latitude 22° aor ‘fouth, and lon- gitude 164° 30° eaft.: sa oP mvetdinn tad ‘We had loft fight of the chaincof rocks; but on the 18th, about eleven o’clock, we perceived _ its fouthern extremity at two myriameters tothe ~ north-weft’ by weft:’This fhort) diftance from our fhip, when at:noon we took iaii obfervation, ‘apprized us ‘that: they ftretched .fome miles -more to the fouthward than Captain Cook ‘had imagined, fince-we found them to extend ‘ast far as the latitude of os fouth, their ee be-. ing 164° 31° eaft. | bie wh) MSHLp Thefe reefs, which we panes to within the diftance of two kilometers, ‘lie near ‘four myriameters from the coaft, and in that’ {pace afford very fmooth waters wehad to make feve- ral tacks in order to get clear of them. 3 P32 "gal WO 214 VOYAGE IN SEARCH - We made little way in the courfe of ‘the morning of the roth, fince.at noon, being in latitude 23°'3’ 48” fouth, and longitude 164° 8” po” eaft, the weft point of the reefs was ftill in fight, bearing north-weft by north, diftant two myriameters. We flood north-weft by weft, in order to double them, and get near the coaft.. | We continued making fhort boards all night under our topfails, endeavouring to keep at a little diftance from our confort. It was neceffary that we fhould be near enough to acquaint each other, by fignals, of the dangers into which we might fall on ‘this coaft lined with ans till then unknown to navigators. During, the night, the currents had sattien ms nearer to the reefs which we thought we dad weathered. We were ftanding in for the dJand when the day fortunately broke, and ~ fhewed us all the danger of our fituation. Sur- rounded by fhoals, there remained but very little room for us to ply in. The fouth-fouth- eaft wind frefhened, and increafed the fea, which fet us towards the breakers: We were already quite in the middle of them, whenthe Efpérance made the fignal for them: at this time Roffel had charge of the deck. The thip was imme- diately brought clofe to the wind on the ftar- board tack, in the intention of tacking, in order to = out of this dangerous fituation : the Efpé- r ance . @F LA PEROUSE... 215 rance had juft put about, and we faw her aow fanding off with her head to the weftward. __, All hands were immediately called upon deck, in order to work the fhip fo as to make her furer in fiays. Roffel endeavoured four times in vain to tack, and each attempt ferved only to, bring us nearer to, the reef. We faw the fhip drifting on the rocks, where the fea, ready top fwallow us up, rofe to a prodigious height. There was not a poflibility of letting go the anchor, for we could. get ne bottom witha line of fifty, fathoms, although, we were quite clofe to the reef. Al- ready each of us was cafting | his. eye on the ob- jects of which he might feize hold in_ order. to efcape from an almoit inevitable death; in fhort, defiruction | fiared. us, in the face, when by an unexpected piece of good. fortune, a fifth attempt to tack fucceeded, and it was with inexpreffible joy. that, we faw our, fhip ftanding away from this dangerous coaft, A few iflots appeared between the land and the chain of reefs, which at moft was .not more than a myriameter diftant from the fhore.. The lands of New Caledonia becoming lower towards its fouthern extremity, already began to exhibit fome mountains of middling elevation, which, ftretching at firft from the fouth-eaft to the north-weft, afterwards turned a little towards ihe north, itl i inccopsine i oaheaiie P 4 3 : : w hen 216 VOYAGE IN SEARCH "When at the approach of night we tacked, the topmen had neglected to rig in the main topmaft ftudding-fail boom, and the mizen topmatt ftud- ding-fail boom: they were both carried away at the moment when we were preparing to make another board; the main topmatft ftudding-fail boom fell into the water; but the mizen topmatt ftudding-fail boom, in its ‘fall, wounded’ three perfons, among whom was cs oe D'Entte- cafteaax himfelf. We ran into the offing to fpend the siti; and the next day, the 21ft of June, we ftood in for the land.’ A breeze from the fouth-eaft per- mitted us to range ‘to the north-weft, at the dif. tance of a kilometer and a half along the reefs, which ‘bar ‘the ‘approach’ to it, and ‘are diftant from it only a demi-myriameter. We hoped’ to difcover here fome inlet that might permit-us ‘to go and anchor hiHider' the helter: of this barrier, againft which the ite was scotia) Dp in a frightful manner.” ~~ A confiderable column of fmoke, which rofe near the foot of a hill, not far diftant from the fea-fide, indicated that this part of the ifland was inhabited. Since noon, when our latitude was 22° 6” 58” fouth, and our longitude 163° 34’ 36” eaft, we had run near two myriameters to the north-weft, when we difcovered between the reefs a large opening, OF LA ‘PEROUSE. 217 opening, which feemed to promife us a paffage by which we might go and anchor near the coaft; unfortunately it was late inthe day, andthe fea being too rough, did not permit us to fend a boat to found this entrance. Wemuch regretted - not being able to enjoy the fmooth water that reigned behind this rampart, againft sarge ‘the fea was {pending ‘its fury in vain. Some hills almoft entirely deftitute of vege- tables, rofe in the form of an amphitheatre, as far as the principal chain, which appears to be at leaft eighteen hundred meters in perpendicular height, and the direction of which is conftantly to the north-weft. We there diftovered three rows of mountains of different degrees of eleva- ~ tion; and we remarked, throughout all the height ‘of the moft arid hills, gullies which feemed m9 be formed by the fall of the rains. Behind thefe high mountains was {eén one from four to five myriameters inland, which rifing confiderably above the others, appeared to be at leaft two thoufand four hundred meters ir perpendicular elevation. From the middle of the gullies iffued a torrent, which we diftinguithed perfecily from the white- nefs of its heeft waters, soi we were ata _ great diftance., ~ The cold that is felt on thefe heights, no doubt aay cerns the inhabitants to the neceflity of warming 218 VOYAGE. IN SEARCH warming themfelves, We perceived {feveral Jarge fires, which they kindled while we. were making, fhort boards in the ih during the night. | On the 22d we were unable, on account of the faintnefs of the fouth-eaft wind, to get in with the reefs before noon: we were then in latitude 21° 51’ fonth, and longitude 163° 8’-eaft; we fiood along thefe reefs till the evening, without finding in them the fmallefi break, ; New Caledonia afforded us a more duiling profpeé than the day before: we faw fome trees rifing from the bottom of the gullies, with which — the hills are furrowed, A fire lighted on the coaft, let us know that thefe barren fhores were not entirely deftitute of inhabitants; and it was. not long before we per- ceived fome of them. The wind having fhifted from north-caft to ~ north and north-wefi, we hove to about ten o'clock at night. This certainly was not the bef plan to adopt, for in the neighbourhood of — fhoals, a fhip fhould always be kept under com- | mand, fo as to be ready to avoid them: it would — doubtlefs have been preferable to make fhort — boards, in order to be able to manceuvre properly in cafe of any unforefeen danger. The whole night of the 23d we were thwarted by OF LA PEROUSE, | 219 by the winds, Our latitude,at noon had been 21° 37’ fouth, and our longitude 162°.47’ eait. ‘We had a view of fome moypntains covered with trees to their very fummit, Six fires, which we perceived in. the solaitahes the coaft, announced a great concourfe of fa- vages; they were probably attracted by the fight of our fhips, which contrary winds kept alone in the fame place, At three o’clock we were fix mysiameters and avhalf from the land, when we perceived near the beach a group of twelve New Caledonians, whofe looks were turned towards us, and who feemed to behold with aftonifhment our fhips at fo fhort a difiance from theirifland. Three. natives formed another group, and kept very near two fires which they had juf ‘. kindled. _A good glafs convinced us ; that they svere en- tirely naked. They did not appear tempted to puta canoe into the water, in order to approach us; befides, the reefs oppofed to them a barrier which they would have been unable to clear, fo as to come to our fhips. On.the 24th, a ftrong breeze from the. Gaetle - weft had obliged us to keep plying, and we again found ourtelves almoft in the fame place as on the ap LORE day. The land was covered by a fog, 220 _—— IN “SEARCH fog, which had conftantly gnome the from the fouth-eaft. | Our obfervation had juft placed us in latitdde 21° 46’ fouth, our longitude being 162° 46’ eaft, when we imagined that we difcovered, between the reefs, an opening, which | perhaps would have afforded us a paflage ; but how was it pof- fible to afcertain’ the fa, with’ ftrong winds} — were blowing dead on the fhore ? - ‘On the 25th; as foon as the wind had fhifted to the fouth;) the fog was entirely difpelled : thofe winds which bring the cold into thefe lati- tudes, reftored to the air, at fun-fet, the fuper- abundance of water which it had kept in a ftate of folution during the day; accordingly we then received a few large drops of cold rain, which fell very wide from each other. | For the laft two days we had advanced only a few kilometers in our ‘furvey * of the coaft, on which we had feen. feveral fires, ni pe ” The v word rust is not here, nor in feveral other parts of thefe pages, to be underftood in its diteral fenfe. To furvey.a coaft, according to my ideas, is to take a geometrical plan of it, in which every place is to be affigned its true fituation. The reader will be convinced that fuch an operation is feldom — practicable.. In my application of the word /urvey, I am joftified by the authority of Captain Cook and other circum- navigators, T. probably OF LA PEROUSE. | ges . probably by the; .fame natives who had kindled the others. We were alfo ocnatilal 1 by the winds the ~ two following days, the 26th and 27th: but on > the. 28th, a pretty, frefh breeze from the fouth- - eaft favoured usin the route which we intended to follow, in ranging along the coaft. . The lofty © mountains which we had hitherto feen,. now gradually diminifhed ia height; the chain feemed to terminate here, but farther on they refumed nearly the fame elevation; and the ifland, to- wards its northern extremity, was. obferved to be formed of large, mountains, the afpect ot which, at, this, diftance, differed in no refpect - from thofe‘we had remarked on the Preceding : days. At noon we had Geared in the latitude of 20° 28’ fouth, when our longitude was 161° 29° eaft, and we prefently difcoyered, that, a little on this fide ofthe extremity of the ifland, the chain of reefs was broken, and exhibited a large cut, which made us hope for an.anchorage; but it blew much too frefh for us to be able to hoitt out a boat, to found this opening. We {pent the night in ftanding off and.on, in hopes that the weather would be more favourable next _ day. | In the direction of the a of New Caledo- nia we difcoyered feyeral iflands, furrounded ie te .._ by 222 VOYAGE IN SEARCH by reefs, and connected’ with cach tier by’ fand- banks and fhoals. During the night of the 29th the winds Had fet us fo far to leeward, that we had! loft fight of the northern extremity of New Caledonia, which was found to be in the latitude of 29° 58” fouth, ‘and ‘longitude of 161° ro” eaft. This ifland prefents a chaig of mountains, which oc- cupy an extent of near forty-cight myriameters, from fouth-caft to north-weft. Itsmean breadth is not more than from three to four myriameters: Captain Cook, who. difcovered it if 1772, faw only its north-caft fide. It was important to navigation to explore its fouth-eaft coaft’: the rocks by which it is fkirted, are generally from five to fix kilometers diftant from the fhore; and towards its extremities, where it'is the narroweft, there are fome at a greater diftance. This coaft, which is‘extremely dangerous at all times, is ftilf much more fo with the fouth-eaft winds, which had fingularly thwarted us in the farvey that we had juft made ofit. The fmall number of fires which we perceived on this land, and its apparent’ fterility, incline me to think that it is thinly inhabited. We faw not a fingle canoe, although it is very eafy to navigate there under fhelter of the reefs, where the fea is exceedingly fmooth. At feven o’clock in the morning we faw from the north-north-eaft to the eaft-north-eaft, feve- tal OF LA PEROUSE. 223 ral mountainous iflands, and fome detached rocks, which render this extremity of New Ca- ledonia ftill more dangerous than the fouth fide of it. Some of thefe iflots are feveral kilometers in extent. A great number of rocks, of a black colour, raife their pointsabove the water : wafhed by a fea fearcely ruffled, thefe rocks feem to be in motion, and at firft fight they might be taken for canoes, riding onthe waves. It was foon ‘difcovered that thefe iflots were numerous, for from the mafi-head they were difcerned, as far as the eye could reach: they are furrounded by reefs, in the midit of which the fea affames the tint of the reddifh fand that covers the bottom. We reconnoitred them clofely, and about eleven o'clock we were three kilometers to the fouth- ward of one of thefe little iflands, when we per- ceived breakers, which ftretched off from its weftern point, and extended out of fight to bar weft-north-weft. Having obferved at noon, in latitude 20° 6’ 4” fouth, our longitude being 161° 10° 36” eaft, we fet a fmall ifland, bearing eaft 20° rs diftant two kilometers. | Another ifland, diftant a myriameter’ and a half, bore north 8° weft: thefe two iflands were conne¢ted to each other by reefs. Other iflands were feen'to the north-north-eaft half eaft. eee A fire, 224 ' VOYAGE. IN SEARCH __ A fire, lighted on the iflot.that was neareft . to us, quite clofe.to.a rivulet, which ran down — from the mountain; apprized us that thefe {mall iflands are frequented by the natives. ‘a - The eafterly wind blew in the: evening, in ry heavy f{qualls, which would have incommoded — us prodigioufly in any other fituation, but we e were fheltcred by the iflands and. the reefs, and — therefore it was eafy to oes the night in- mane fhort boards... .On the 30th we difcovered to the pera : a few iflots, which feemed, to terminate this Ar- chipelago. Their , height gradually diminithed in iauneestio® to their diftance from New Caledo- :they, feem to’ be a continuation of the — pcs 8s of that large ifland, the .bafes of © \ which, covered by the fea, rife here and there to _ form fo many iflots. ._The gradual diminution of | é the height of thefe mountains mufl induce a pre- fumption, that there are hereabouts, even to a — great difiance, fhoals, which increafe the dan-— ger of navigation in thefe féas. It will be feen that this conjecture was mot void of foundation. Steering to the north-weft, we ranged cloie— along the reefs, which prohibit the accefs to thefe iflots. Fe The Admiral fanited to the Captain of t Efpérance, that in cafe of the {eparation of the two fhips, 4 OF LA PEROUSE. . 225 _thips, the rendezvous would be Port. Praflin, or Carteret’s Harbour. Our latitude, obferved at noon, was 19° 20° io” fouth; our longitude was 160° 36’ 12” eaft : _ the iflot. which appeared to be the moft nor- therly bearing eaft, at the diftance of a myria- meter and a half, We faw the chain of teefs extending to the north-weft as far as the eye could reach, and occafionally forming finuofities, taking its courfe towards the weft, With the wind at eaft-fouth- eaft, we could, without difficulty, follow all the windings of thefe fhoals. Since the middle of the day we had coafted them for the diftance « of four myriameters,} when we thought that we perceived their extremity. We were congratu- lating ourfelves on having already terminated this dangerous and fatiguing navigation, in or- der to enter into an open fea, when the men looking out at the maft-head, called out that there were fhoals and a chain of reefs, ftretching to the north-north-weft: it being too late to fiand towards them, we kept to windward PPE _ the whole night. A booby, of the fpecies called pelecanus varius, fuffered itfelf to be caught on board, at funfet: it differed from the common fpecies by its co- lour, which was not near fo dark. This bird had come: without miftryft, and fettled in the main top, by the fide of one of our failors: it VOL. I. @ is 226 VOYAGE If SEARCH is very remarkable how little thefe birds are ' afraid of man; frequently they even alight on — “the arm which is held out to them. ‘Their fell i ' muft be by no means acute, the whole open _ ing of the noftrils confifting of only two trifling ; flits in the upper miandible of the bill. This mandible is moveable like that of neem — _ We imagined that we had at length ‘termi- nated the furvey of this. frightful chain of reefs, which bar the fea for a fpace of near fixty my-_ “‘riameters from fouth-eaft to north-wefi; and — ~ on the 1ft of July, our obfervation placed us in - latitude 18° 50’ font, our longitude being 160° } _ 32’ eatt. . We then fteered north-north-eaft, in order to — atcertain whether thefe reefs did not extend more to the north-eaft. - About two o’clock in the afternoon, one of ‘the fhip’s company, named Moulin, difcov ‘ to the northward, at the diftance of two myria- - meters, a fmall low ifland, covered with very — buthy trees, and guarded by reefs which trended to the weft north-weft. ~ This ifland is not more than a demi-myriameter in circumference ; it is - fituated in Jatitude 18° 31’ 10” fouth, and longi-— ~ tude 160° 32% 14” caft. ~ In compliance with the promife which the Ade * miral’ had’ recently mUge, this ifland was ‘called eo * ies _ OF LA PEROUSE, 227 L'Vlede Moulin, Moulin’s Ifland, from the name of him who had firft difcovered it. At four o'clock we got fight of two other fmall iflands, lying to the north-weft by north, at _the diftance of a myriameter anda half. It was impoffible for us to-pafs beyond thefe iflands be- fore night ; for which reafon we directed our courfe to the fouth fouth-eaft, and foon after brought to, till the next morning. ’ During the whole night we were furrounded by a great number of birds, inhabiting thefe low iflands: fome man-of-war birds came, notwith- Randing the darknefs, and foared at a little dif- tance over the fhip, and cree boobies fettled on our yards. The Admiral had intended to go and anchor under the lee of Moulin’s Ifland; but we had - been carried upwards of a myriameter to lee- ward, and it would have been very difficult to re- cover this ground, againft currents and contrary winds. _ We ftood to the north north-eafi; and it was not long before we faw, to the northward, fome breakers, not very far from the two iflots which we had difcovered the day before: we fieered along them at the diftance of two kilo- meters in their direction towards the north-weft. By-our obfervation at noon we were in lati- tude 18° 7° 46” fouth; our longitude being 160° 32’ eaft; and at this time the nearefi reefs lay a il two 528. VOYAGE TN SRARCH ‘two Wilentatee to the caftward of us. Weor- tinued ranging along them, fieering north-weft by north. . Abouta quarter paft one o "clock Wwe difcovered, ‘ata myriameter and a half to the eaftward, a low _and very woody ifland, which appeared to be at ‘leaft a myriameter and a half ‘in circumiference : it was furrounded by rocks almoft even with the water's edge. Being thwarted by the winds, we _ “ftood on clofe-hauled: fome breakers extended ‘about a myriameter and a half to the north: eaft, and from the middle of thefe reefs were obferved ‘to rife points of black ig like thofe we had “before feen. — This new ifland is in latitude 18° 3” fouth, and its longitude is 160° 31’ eaft. We fiood on to the’ horth ward, and about four o'clock in the afternoon the laft of thefe rocks bore eaft, diftant a myriameter and‘a half: “here appeared to terminaté the reefs, which feemed to tretid to the eaftward, and then fo the — fouthward : their northern extremity is in lati- tude 17° 54° fouth, and longitude 160° 30° eaft; and it lies about fix myriameters to the torthward of Moulin’s Mand, ° 3d the 7 "Tt was ealy for us to perecive, by the heavy 3 K, fea, that we were clear of the reefs, A great number of tropic-birds, boobies” and mnan-of-war pirds, had _ quitted the different — iflots, OF “pe PEROUSE. 229 iflots,, which. ferve them asa Wiest. in aie to. come and fly round us during almoft the whole day. We had feen floating feveral trunks of co- coa-nut trees, torn up by the roots by the fea, and drifted about atthe mercy of the waves, — When we brought to, at fix o’clock in the evenings ‘we founded in fifty-three fathoms, over a bottom of fine fand, being then in the: latitude of 17° 51’ fouth, and longitude of 160° 18’ eaft. ‘We remained fort an hour on this bank, where the lead being hove at different times, gave us a depth of water of from fifty to” fixty-fix fathoms. We had therefore at length terminated our furvey ofa frightful chain of reefs, which are the more dangerous to the northward, as they are out of fight of all land: although they had appeared to us interrupted to the northward of New Caledonia, it is probable that they extend and unite again too far to the eaftward for us to have difcovered them. | Thefe reefs, as is well known, are the work of polypi; and the danger which they prefent is the more to be dreaded, as they form fteep rocks covered by the water, and which cannot be perceived but at a fhort diftance: if it falls calm, and a fhip is drifted towards them by the currents, her defiruction is almoft inevitable ; in ‘vain would the crew attempt to fave them- 3 felves ow 230 VOYAGE IN SEARCH felves by letting go the anchor, for it tibia not reach the ground, even quite ¢ clofe to thefe walls of coral, which rife perpendicularly from the bot- tom of the waters. Thefe polyparii, whofe con- _ tinual growth obftruéts more and more the bo- fom of the deep, may well be a terror to navi- gators; and a great many fhoals, which at this day afford a paffage, will, ere long, form reefs extremely dangerous, The magnetic needle experienced little va- tiation during the whole time that we were {ail- ing along this immenfe chain of rocks, fince, from their fouthern extremity, where it was ob- ferved to be 11 degrees eaft, it had diminifhed only two degrees, when we had reached its — northern extremity. | The next day, the 3d, in ftanding to the north north-eafi, we faw no more breakers. On the 7th, about half paft nine o'clock at night, the moon having rifen nearly 15 degrees above the horizon in the eaft, we had in the weft the fight of a lunar rainbow ; it differed , from the folar rainbow only by its colours not be- ing fo brilliant. This phenomenon is far lefs frequent, than it is natural to expect. We were now reduced to a very fcanty al- lowance of water, which was a prodigious in- convenience, in latitudes fo near the Jine, and there were no means of procuring more, although : we OF -LA. PEROUSE. 23% we had on board a machine; of the invention of Dr. Poiflonnier, a phyfician: this difcoyery could be of no fervice to us, for to ufe it required a gréat deal of fuel, and when.a fhip.is in want of - water, fhe generally runs fhort of wood. -» At ten o’clock in the morning of the 9th we. got fight of the Ar/atides, and ftood directly in for Cape Nepean. ..Thefe iflands, difcovered by Surville, a Captain in the fervice of the ci-devant_ French Eaft-.India Company, were fince feen by Lieutenant Shortland, who having imagined that ke had made a new difcovery, gave them the pame of New Georgia. At noon, our latitude by obfervation was 8° 32’ fouth, our longitude being 154° 38’ eaft. The neareft coaft then bore eaft by north, diftant three myriameters. About half paft four o'clock we difcovered the rock called the Eddyftone, a myriameter and a half to the north-weft. Atadifiance we took it, like Shortland, for a fhip under fail. The illufion was the greater, as it is nearly the colour of a fhip’s fails; a few fhrubs crowned its fummit. . . The fhores of the Arfacides oppofite to this rock are fteep, and covered with large trees to their very top. Several fires, lighted on the mountains, ap- prized us that they were mhabited, _ | a4 ; Our 232 VOYAGE IN SEARCH Our obfervations placed Cape Nepean in the Jatitude of 8° 49’ 10” *feuth, and longitude of 154° 56° 24” eaft. The Eddyftone rock is in latitude 8° fouth, and longitude 154° 5° eaft; and confequently more to the eaftward than it is laid down by Shortland. At two’ o'clock in the morning we hove to, till daylight. | Early on the 10th we difcovered the Treafury Iflands, four myriameters difiant to the north- weft by north: they lie twelve myriameters north-weft of the Eddyftone. | At noon we were a demi-myriameter from the weft point of the ifland which lies the far- theft to the wefiward, and which is the largeft of this Jittle group; its latitude is 7° 25’ 36% fouth, and its longitude 152° 56’ 34” eaft. Five or fix of thefe iflands lie fo near to each other, that, at a diflance, it would be fuppofed they formed only one; this was imagined to be the cafe by Bougainville, who difcovered them to the weftward in pafling through the channel to which he has given his name. The Efpérance diftinguifhed no more than three of thefe, while we diftindly faw five; and per- haps, on a nearer approach, we fhould have difcerned a greater number. The mountains which form thefe iflands are of a moderate 2 height, OF LA PEROUSE, 233° height, and covered with large trees in almott every direction. This little group occupies a {pace of about fix myriameters in circumference, the eaft and weft points of which firetch out into the offing, forming fhoals. | After having failed round it, we ftood to the north north-eaft, in order to go and reconnoitre’ the weit part of Bougainville’ 3Ifland. At five’ o'clock in the afternoon we were at a fhort dif tance from its fouthern extremity, where we faw a clufter formed by ten iflots, the greateft ex-~ tent of which is from eaft to weft. Being co- yered with large bufhy trees, through which were feen iffuing the tufts of a few palms, thefe iflots afforded an enchanting profpect. We re-) marked between-them, and quite clofe to the fouth fide, fome breakers, which render the ape proach to them very dangerous. Two canoes, in which we diftinguifhed a great many natives, were under fail, and feemed to direct their courfe towards us; but they paffed behind the iflot that was the neareft to our fhip, and, owing to their rapid progrefs, we foon loft fight of them. We perceived on the fhore of this ifland a group of ten natives, and quite clofe to them a canoe on the fand: they made no dif- pofitions for launching her to pay usa vifit. As night was coming on, we were obliged to tack; in order to gain an offing. c After 234 VOYAGE IN SEARCH After a violent fall of rain, by which we were - inundated during the night, a thick fog con- cealed the land from us, and did not permit us to approach it till the next day, a few hours after funrife. Some reefs, even with the water’s edge, fcat- tered over a fpace of a few hectometers, were difcerned about eleven o'clock, at two myriame~ ters and a half from the coaft, and warned us of the danger of approaching it. We faw the fummits of the lofty mountains of Bougainville’s Ifland reaching to the clouds, The land again became obfcured in fog, and we were obliged to wait till the 13th before we could continue our furvey of this coaft. _ We then had the beautiful profpect of the high mountains, which, gradually floping, formed ‘iia vallies, and afterwards fpread into vaft plains, where, however, we faw no appearance of cul- ture: the whole was covered with trees, even to _ the moft lofty fummits, which appeared to be at leaft two thoufand four hundred meters in per- pendicular height, and to be upwards of four myriameters inland. Some fires on the hillg apprized us that this ifland was not deftitute of inhabitants. About half paft eleven o’clock, being a myri- ameter and a half from the coaft, we thought that we were in the greateft fafety, when we found OF LA PEROUSE. 235 _ found ourfelves carried towards a fhoal which — the people on the look-out had not perceived : the water was fo very fhallow, that we could eafily diftinguith the fithes at the bottom, and a few points which rofe higher than others, made » us fear every moment that we fhould fee the fhip firike on the rock. 7 Our depth of water was then four fathoms and a half; and the boat, which was quickly dif patched to go and found this fhoal in different points, found no more than three fathoms and a quarter on one of its extremities, with con- ftantly a bottom of coral. _ We were then involved in the moft imminent danger, furrounded as we were on all fides by -fhoals, on which we ran the rifk of being caft ayay. : Boats were fent from each fhip to go and found. on thefe rocks, where the fhoaleft water was found to be three fathoms ; the {mallet fwell might confequently have made us touch, and have knocked out our bottom. Thefe rocks, as well as the reefs of New Cale- donia, are the work of polypi; like thofe reefs, they are built perpendicularly, and quite clofe to them we got no ground with a line of a hun- dred fathoms. Thefe thoals rife like fo many columns from the bottom of the water, and ~ their ’ 236 . VOYAGE IN SEARCH their progreffive growth augments from day to day the danger of navigation in thefe. feas. At noon, being in latitude 6° 1 3 11” fouth, and longitude 152° 7’ 51” eaft, we brought to, and continued in that fituation till two o'clock. ’ Several trunks of trees floated alongfide the fhip. We found on one of thofe which the boats brought on board, a notch of ancient date, which demonfirated that the inhabitants of the neighbouring ifland haye fome very fharp in- ftruments; perhaps they have {till remaining fome of the hatchets given them by Bougainville. We were imperceptibly drifting. on a fhoal; but we fortunately dicovered 3 it in time to avoid it. ; The hands at the maft-head had orders to be doubly vigilant and attentive; neverthelefs we found ourfelves clofe aboard of another fhoal, which we were obliged to get clear of like the firft, at the rifk of feeing our thip go to pieces on the rocks; we had on it the fame depth of water. The fwell had been very heavy on the edges of this bank of coral, Our fituation was the more dangerous, as night was coming on, and as thefe fhoals being difiant from the coaft, gave us reafon to appre- hend that we fhould meet with fome in. the ofing. How was it poffible to avoid them in the a of a dark night? We were under the “OF LA PEROUSE! 7 "247 ‘the neceffity of trufting the fhip to the fafety of ‘chance. “We hove to till daylight; with our head to the fouth-weft, and we founded’ very ‘frequently without firiking ground: About three o’clock in the morning of the “14th, the Efpérance made feveral fignals, which _ created the gréateft alarm on board our ‘thip.. We thought that they indicated -fome danget ; but it was merely to apprize us that fhe had juft “got foundings in forty-one fathoms. We filled, ‘and’ ftood’ off a little fromthe coaft, and at daylight hauled up and ranged clofe along it. “The chain of mountains then began to atten th im height. A few iflots, which were auaetea from Bott: _gainville’s Ifland, were connected’ with each “other by reefson which we faw the fea breaking ; _ thefe were not the only dangerous places on this “s coaft; fome funken rocks formed fhoals, which followed the fame’ dire@tion. 'Thefe banks of coral weré doubtlefS covered with fifth, for we “faw thete ‘a great ‘many fea-birds baporiys,: _— food. A canoe, in which were fix natives, tay t be- “hind the iflots neareft our fhip. As we were ” ftanding on with a frefh breeze, we foon ran . -paft Praia! ‘The part of Bougainville’s Ifand Which we opis es feemed much more inhabited than what 238 VOXAGE IN SEARCH what we had hitherto feen; fine plantations of cocoa-palms which lined the fhore, left us no doubt refpecting its great populations, Being at noon in latitude 5° 43’ 12” fouth; and longitude 152° 3° 26” eaft, we obferved that Bougainville’s Ifland formed, with the iflots which furround it, a bay of near three myria- meters in extent. The Admiral had an inten- tion of anchoring in it: but fome fhoals dif. — eovered in different points of its opening, and a fand-bank towards its head, made him alter his mind. : Bougainville’s Ifland is terminated by fome very low land; and we prefently difcovered the extremely ceriaes channel which intial it from Bouka Ifland. ; After having gained an offing, we canticed lying to during the whole night... _ The heat of the day had amaffed the electric matter above the high mountaips;. frequent -flathes of lightning made us perceive their fum- _miits, and the thunder roared with a horrible noife. | During the night, the currents had carried us — upwards of twenty miles towards the north. We were, at ten o'clock in the morning, a my-_ riameter to the northward of Bouka Ifland.. The — vaft plantations of cocoa-nut, trees which, fkirt — the fhore, announce:a numerous population. A canoe, Suctoandl OF LA PEROUSE. "239 A’ canoe, containing nine favages, put off from*the coaft, and directed her courfe towards us. We immediately brought to, in order to wait for them; but they evhied when they were fix hundred meters from our fhip: they pointed to their ifland, and invited us by figns to come on fhore. In this canoe there were only ie paddlers ; two other natives feemed to be ‘folely employed in baling out the water which they fhipped, and watching our motions. ° A favage who had put off alone from the coaft in a catamaran, paddled with the greateft rapidity, and came up to the canoe, which con- - ftantly kept to windward ofus ; he was a very old man, and yet remarkably fitout. After having obferved us for a few minutes, he returned to- wards the ifland as quickly as ‘he had come: he . probably was a meffenger difpatched by the in- habitants, and now returned to give them an account of what he had juft feen. The canoe quitted us to’ go towards the Ef- pérance; a very large one was already alongfide of her. We faw ‘at a difiance envilion) fmall canoe, carrying five natives, who came aftern of our fhip, from which they kept at about a hun-— dred meters diftance, notwithftanding all the invitations that we made them to come on board. : | We “240 VOYAGE IN SEARCH We put in the water a plank loaded with knives and nails, and to the end of a finall ftick, fixed m its middle, was faftened a piece of fcarlet cloth in the form of a flag, in hopes | of enticing the favages to come clofer : however, they did not take poffeflion of thefe articles till — we had cut the line that held them at a finall diftance from ovr fhip, which they would not approach. The fight of the fcarlet cloth diffufed — among them the moft lively joy; they difplayed it the moment they got hold of it, and afked us for more with much earneftnefs. - We at length fucceeded in alteacting them _ quite clofe to the fhip, by throwing them fome handkerchiefs, a few pieces of red cloth, and fome empty bottles: one of thefe bottles having partly filled with falt-water, the favage who picked it up, thinking perhaps that it contained fome liquor good to drink, was very difagree- ably deceived on difcovering the contrary ; we regretted not having been able to mppese him in time of this mifiake. Thefe natives perfectly underftood teaffic they took good care to let us know the value which they fet on their property. | _. Aevery handtome bow was fold to us for fome * handkerchiefs, which we had fent them by ‘means of a line; we likewife received fome ar- rows. As they did not fee among us this fort of OF LA PREROUSE.- 241 of weapon,’ they tried to make, us-fenfible of its value, by fhewing us the manner. in Aehich _ they ufed it. - One of the gunners fetched his violin, and saiiel fevetal tunes: we faw,, with pleafure, that they were not, infenfible: to. mufic: they offered a great number of articles in exchange, in - order to obtain this inftrument; they afked for it by imitating, with a.paddle held.as.a fiddle, the motions of our minftrel. It may eafily be imagined that their folicitations. were unayail- ing: this was thevonly fiddle that ferved to fet the fhip’s company a dancing, and the voyage was not fufficiently advanced for us to part with an infrument which promoted an: exercife: fo conducive to’the health of feamen. > > . We loaded thefe favages with cele in fach a manner, that they foon made the greateft difficulties to give their effets in exchange for ours; and they frequently blended ‘artifice with difhonefty in order to procure them. The Ad- miral wifhing to have a bow, fome handker- chiefs ftriped with red, the favourite colour of the favages, was the price agreed on: thefe were given to them in advance, too implicit a confi- dence being placed in their probity; as foon as they had received’ the handkerchiefs, they would not part with the bow, but only with fome arrows, which were refufed. . VOL, I. R _ Thefe 242 VOYAGE IN SEARCH Thefe natives are remarkable for the gaiety of their difpofition. They often took a pleafure in repeating the words which they heard us pro- nounce; and this the foftnefs of their language enabled them to.do with a great deal of facility. Being paffionately fond of mufic, lively and noify tunes produced the greateft effe&t on them. ‘One of our officers, who played tolerably on the violin, {track up a tune in very quick time, ftopping double. At firft they liftened with the greateft attention ; aftonifhment was painted in al] their countenances: prefently they were unable to contain their joy ; while various mo- tions of the arms, which perfeétly accompanied the time, and a great agitation of the whole body, were unequivocal marks of their feeling. We did not lofe fight of the with that the Admiral had expreffed to have a bow : a native promifed one in exchange’ for a hat; but no fooner had he got the hat, than he refufed to part with the bow. Mott of the articles that we toweved down to them were faftened to the end of a line, which they did not give themfelves the trouble of un- tying, for they had in their girdle a fhell fharp enough to cut it immediately. As we were thoroughly juftified in trufting no longer to their promifes, one of our pcople was going over the fern of the fhip, by means of OF LA PEROUSE. © 243 of a rope-ladder, in order to receive a bow for a piece of red cloth, when it was perceived that, being drifted to the north-weft by the currents, © we “were already much too near to the coat. Our thip would no longer anfwer her helm, on account of the ¢alm; and it was neceffary to hoift out a boat immediately to tow “her head round again to port. The favages, thinking, no doubt, that our intention was to get hold of them, in order to punifh them for’ their dif- honefty, made off with the greateft precipita- tion towards their ifland. In return, perhaps, for the patience with which we had fuffered out- felves to be robbed, they did not commit any - at of treachery, as they had done towards the ‘thip which Bougainville commanded in his voyage round the world. During all this time four canoes’ were com- municating with the Efpérance; one of thefe canoes carried forty natives, fixteen of whom wete employed in conducting her, each with a_ ‘paddle; the others were warriors. We learnt from ‘the Evpérance, that this war canoe had kept for a long time at adiftance, and that fhe had not determined to approach, till after the natives in the fmaller canoes had fhewn their countrymen various ae which they had received. The order which prevailed in the difiribution R2 of 244 | VOYAGE IN’ SEARCH of the favages on board of this large canoe, indi - * cates that they have a fort of naval tactics. Be- tween two paddlers placed on the fides, a warrior ftood up, holding in his hand a bow and arrows; fome intermediate ranks were compofed of two : other warriors, and fometimes of three, who had -their head turned towards the ftern of the canoe, in order to obferve all the movements on that fide, and to be ready to fight retreating. Thefe war- riors had manifefted no hoftile views: they had feemed to take a pleafure in drinking the brandy and the wine which had been given them; they likewife ate fome falt pork, but not without a _ certain degree of repugnance. The favages who came to our fhip had excel~. lent teeth, for they ate without any difficulty the hardeft bifcuit that we could offer them. I know not whether thefe iflanders have had — a ee le ee See any communication with the Englith and the — Spaniards; but one of them, holding up an arrow, which he had made faft to the ead of a line, in order that we might haul. it in, pro- nounced very diftinétly the Englith word arrow ; and another making us a fign to go on fhore, and pointing to the ifland, pronounced the word tierra, which in Spanith fignifies land. The Captain of the Efpérance told us, that feveral of theie favages pronounced the term Bouka, the name which Bou gainville gave to their - . “OF DA PEROUSE. 245 their ifland. ‘This ‘word, which in ‘the Malay tongue is the expreffion of negation, and which, when the firft fyllable is pronounced’ long, fig- nifies to open, is no doubt a term in their lan- guage, which féems to have fome analogy with’ the Malay; it however differs from it fo muchy _. that one of our people’ who fpoke» Malay. with facility, could not underftand them. The value they feemed to attach to ‘the nails, and various articles of hardware which were given them, informed us: that they were ac- — quainted with the ufe of iron. Thefe favages are of middling ftature ; the co- lour of their fkin is a light black; they wore no clothes, and their mufcles, ftrongly marked, an-. nounced the greateft ftrength: their countenance is very far from agreeable, but it is full of ex- preflion. They have avery big head, a broad, forehead, which, like their whole face, is very flat, particularly below the nofe, the chin thick and prominent, rather high cheek bones, a. broad flat nofe, a very wi mouth, and: nagaioyd thin BPS : Betel-root, ae the blood- colon juice ‘of which they tinge their large mouth, full — to the uglinefs of their face. 4 - Their ears, which were bored; were Griament ed with very heavy rings made of hells, the sige of which had contributed to their great R 3 - fize, 246 | VO¥AGE IN SBARCH fiae. Some of them had, white and red ftripes traced on their body : I remarked one whofe hair and nofe were powdered, with a reddifh earth, which appeared. to me to, be ochre ; fome wore. bracelets woven of the fibres of the butk € the. cocoa-nut, Their frizzly and. very. thick hair Soumed: a great bulk, like that ef feveral Papous, whom we met With in the fequel. ~ They are inthe habit of plucking out the hair from every part of the body, and one only _ was feen on board the aden who Aaffered ‘ his beard te. grow. They alk had the abdomen tightened by a cord, which paifed round it feveral times, and which feemed ‘to be: intended only to increafe the mufcular fivengthi of that part-of the body. One- of the natives had, probably alfo with the fame. view, his left arm bound up in thrée different, parts of the: body of the biceps mufcle; fome pieces of flat wood were placed on the external part of the fame arm, for the purpofe of fupport- ing the effec of the cord. ‘It appeats that thefe favages.are very dexterous in the ufe of the bow. One of them had brought on board the Efpérance a booby which he had. | juft killed with an arrow; in the belly of this bird was obferved the hole of the arrow by which it had been a ante Thefe OF LA PEROUSE. 247: . Thefe iflanders have particularly turned their induftry towards the making of their weapons, which are wrought with great fkill, We ad-. mired the art with which they had coated with rofin' the firing of their’ bows, fo that it might at fir fight have been taken for catgut; it wag covered near the middle with the bark of rattan,’ in order that it might be lefs worn, if letting fly their arrows. ‘The lower part of thefe arrows is: very light, it being formed. ofthe ftalk of the /aczha- rum fpontaneum; the other half is made of a very hard wood well fharpened; the point of junction is fecured in a workmanlike manner, ‘with about? thirty turns of the filaments of the bark of rattan, as well as the lower part of the arrow, near the place that bears on the firing, in aes to increafe its folidity. ‘Their canoes, which are iis of feveral planks’ joined together with art, are of an elegant form,» extremely well calculated for going faft through the water. See Plate XLII. Fig. wv. On the approach of night a current, which fet to the north north-weft, caufed a rippling, that fo much refembled the effect of a fhoal as to deceive the moft experienced’ eye: a boat was fent to:found there, but no osbotteny was found at twenty fathoms, . _ Violent claps of thunder iffued, during the night, from the thick.clouds which hung on. the R4 high 248 VOYAGE IN SEARCH high mountains, while we were ftanding to the fouth fouth-weft, in order'to tty” to oe our own againtt the carrents:)" (0" 30 . We had juft completed the’ Sie of the weft coatt of the two iflands, the eaft fide of which erncaeie te had explored, w vv he per them. » The mott Sutil eid moft & foiitherly point of pie RIA Ifland is in the latitude of: Poh’ 50". “ fouth, ors eegeate of 153° 18’ 347° eaft.. o Its seihe point “called Point Dalend is in la- titude 5° 34’ fouth, and longitude’1 52° 31’ eaft. . The banks: ‘of ‘coral which we’ found in the ae TT = i Cie i i Tc gh offing near, Bougainville’s Ifland, are in latitude 6° 11’ fouth, and longitude’152° 2% eaft. The north-eaft point of Bouka Ifland is in latitude 5° 5* 36” fouth, and longitude 152° 9’ ‘ ‘The variation of the compafs, after having: gradually diminifhed, was no more than 74° eat. ‘The currents along thefe’ coafts carried us conftantly to the north-weft at’ the rate = from eight to ten milesa day... ~The thermometer did not rife shale 22°, al- though we were at a fmall diftance arene the equator. « At fun-rife on the 16th we “Si bearing from north 15° eaft, to north 22° 30’ eaft, at about _ three pn Pe a ee ee OF LA PEROUSE. 249 three myriameters diftance, a flat ifland to which Carteret gave the name of Sir Charles Hardy’s’ Tfland: *It is five myriameters to the north north-wefi of Bouka Ifland.. - 46 gates! » About one o’clock in the afternoon we got fight of Cape St. George, the fouth-eaft: part of New Ireland. It bore weft north-weft, diftant about four myriameters: its latitude was fixed at 4° 54° 30° ‘ fouth, and its wees at 150° 39 eatt. - We kept our wind, and ipen the night in making fhort boards. As foon as the day broke on the 17th we di- rected our courfe for Carteret’s Harbour, where: we intended to caft anchor. After having left Hammer Ifland:a demi-myriameter on. the ftar-. board hand, we fteered fo as to pafs quite clofe to - Booby Rock, leaving Leigh’s Ifland onthe lar- board hand, and we bore up between Cocoa-nut ‘Ifland and New Ireland, where we anchored about half paft one o’clock in the afternoon, in thirty-one fathoms and a half water, the bottom very foft black mud, mixed with calcareous fand. - We were then four hundred metets from Cocoa- . nut Ifland. The north-weft point of New Ire- land bore weft 12° north, diftant a demi-myri- ameter, and the fouth-eaft point of the fame land bore fouth 31° eaft, at the fame diftance, epinstiea i and 2.50 VOYAGE EN SEARCH and ‘the middle of the north-weft cliannel of Carteret’s Harbour weft ro° north, Only-a hundred meters nearer to Cocoa-nut Ifland, we fhould have lain as fnug asin the bef theltered harbour. A {hip may here anchor within a little diftance of the land, fince at twenty meters from the fhore there are five fathoms, and farther off the depth of water in- creafes very fuddenly. We landed on Cocoa-nut Mand, in order ta fpend there the reft of the day. This little ifland, the moft elevated {pots of which are not more:than a hundred and fifty meters: in perpen- dicular height above the level of the fea, is: formed: of calcareous fitones of an extraordi- nary whitenefs. Rifen from the bofom of the’ deep, time has effected little change in the madrepore which enter mto its compofition ; they may be difcovered even on the rocks the moft expofed to the-inclemency of the weather. — It is terminated to the fouth-eaft and to the north-eaft by a fhoal! of the fame kind of ftone. There is, between it and Leigh’s Ifland, a fuffi- cient depth of water to afford a paffage to fhips. A great deal of rate having fallen during the night, there arofe from the middle of the woods fo confiderable a humidity, that at every inftant clouds were fecn. forming there: thefe clouds, which iffued principally from the loweft fitua- tions, ——— i OF LA PEROUSE. 25% tions, refembled, at firft fight, the fmoke of fires lighted ia the foreft; and as foon as they had reached a degree of elevation fufficient to ex- perience the effe& of the current of the air, they prefently difappeared. ~ -Cocoa-nut Ifland was covered with large ever- green trees:, their roots, buried between the calcareous. ftones, found very little vegetable earth; but thefe trees did not grow with lefs vigour, on account of the great moifture of thofe fpots.. It was.a charming, fight to behold the beautiful tree known by the name of dar- ringtonia Jpeciofa,, attracted by the humidity, ho- rizontally extending its branches very far out above the waters of the fea... Various fpecies of fig-trees grew on this ifland. We expected to find here.a great quantity of cocoa-palms, which even was one of the reafons that had made:us prefer this anchorage to feveral others at no - great diftance: it was, however, with difficulty that we procured only a dozen cocoa-nuts. ' We faw with concern, that among our people who had been on fhore to. cut wood, fome had made no fcruple to fell the cocoa-nut trees, in order to get at the fruit: they eagerly fought the young leaves of the top of the tree, which are very tender; thefe were a moft agreeable treat to perfons who had lived for a long time on {alt provifions. Had we fuffered them to have their Moe own 254 VOYAGE ms SEARCH own way, there would not have remained a figle cocoa-nut tree’ on the ifland ; and this an- chorage would have been deprived, pethaps for ever, of theft refources, which are fo welcome to navigators. . ~ Night overtook us in the middle of the een zi we enjoyed the pleafing view ‘of a’ prodi- gious quantity of glow-worms, that, in their flight, diffafed a tremulous gleam, by which we were more dazzled than lighted. “This ‘was the hour’at which the fpecies of erab called cancer ruricola iffaed from ' the holes that it had dug.’ We trod on many of thefe crabs in retarning® to the place where the boat was waiting for us; and feveral perfons of our party, before they knew what they had fet their foot on, 1 afraid that it was fome venomous animal. ; | “The next day, the 18th, I vifited the fouth- eaft part of Cocoa-nut Ifland: different creep- ing plants prevented’ me from Pausaile very far into thefe forefts. ' Various fpecies of epidendrum adorned the trunks of the thickeft trees, and’ grew in the midft of a great number of ferns which were equally parafitical. | . | Along the coaft T faw floating various fpecies of pandanus, of the barringtonia fpectofa, and of the heritiera, ~ trees of which fhot forth their branches, Aah ge* <4 Qe BS eae TF e .. OF LA PEROUSE.. 253 branches, and even their trunk, in a very re- markable manner above the fea. . Two men belonging to the fhip, who had followed ‘me, faw an alligator quite clofe to the beach, on the fouth-eaft extremity of Cocoa-nut Ifland. I do not imagine that this animal. is very common there ; for, during the whole time of our ftay at this anchorage, no accident hap- . pened, .although, a great number of perfons bathed frequently. ‘TI remarked, towards the pr a of ihis little ifland,. feyeral {pecies. of nautili diffeminated amid, the. prodigious quantity of /ithophites of which it was in a great'meafure-compofed. We were aftonifhed at the abundance. and the conftancy of the. rain ; it was like a torrent of tepid. water, which .was inceflantly flow- ing, and which; however, did not prevent us from vifiting the environs of our anchorage. I returned for feveral. days fucceflively to Cocoa-nut Ifland, or to Leigh’s Ifand. It is very aftonithing to meet there with fo great a quantity of infects of different forms and | colours, the activity of which the rains did not feem to diminifh. . Thefe were for the, moft part coleoptera, which it was difficult to,catch... The moft. diverfified {pecies belanarat to the. cicen- dela genus. : _ We enjoyed the eats of feeing various — fpecies 2c4 VOYAGE IN SEARCH fpecies of fig-trees, from whofe fammit hung a great number of radicles, which implanted themfelves in the ground, to give birth to as many different ftems. The cycas circinalis is very common in the bot- toms, under the fhade of the large trees. Hard by we faw a fhed newly conftrucied of boughs, where the favages had come to reft themfelves. We fill perceived there the remains of the meal they had made with fruits of the cycas, the ker- nels of which, eaten raw, are a very powerful emetic, as feveral of our people experienced; but — the favages had roafied them, and we remarked the traces of fire on a great number of the hufks. The kernel which the fruit of the cycas circinahs contains is very bitter : the inhabitants of the Mo- luccas know much better how to prepare them than thofe of New Ireland, as I had occafion to obferve towards the end of this voyage. Expe- rience has taught them that maceration deprives it of its noxious qualities: this procefs may alfo fucceed with refpect to many other fruits, and a great number of roots, which may thus ferve for — the fuftenance of animals, and even of man. We faw on the ground a great many fruits of the cycas which the favages had not touched. Their fucculent hufk, which diffufed-a very agree- 3 able odour refembling apples, contains fermen tative parts fufficient to yield, when infufed in water, OF LA PEROUSE. 255 water, a good fpirituous liquor: thefe fruits are here very abundant, and may be eis to navi- gators. Among the large trees that grew on Cocoa-nut Tfland I faw with furprife a new, {pecies of areca, whofe trunk, which rofe to upwards of thirty-fix meters, was no more than two thirds of a deci- meter in thicknefs. It:was difficult to conceive — how fo weak a tree could fupport itfelf at fuch an elevation; but our aftonifiiment ceafed when we wifhed to fell one: its wood was fo extremely hard, that for fome time it refifted the redoubled ‘blows of the axe. A great quantity of mucilagi- nous fubftance, under the form of pith, occupied its Centre, as is the. property of many other trees of the fame family: this pith being re- moved, the trunk exhibited.a cylinder, the wood of which was not more than a centimeter in thicknefs ; the wood is of a beautiful black. ‘The fruit of this new fpecies of areca is of a red co- lour; it is fearcely bigger than a common olive, . and is nearly of the fame fhape. The caryota urens was one of the large trees of this foreft. Among the fhrubs I faw feveral fpe- cies of dracena. 1 admired among the trees a jolanum, undoubtedly the tallef& fpecies ‘of that genus; thofe which are till the prefent day known'to botanifts being only herbs or weak — fhrubs: the leaves of this /odenzm are ov al, hard, and yery {mooth. Teak- 256 VOYAGE IN SEARCH . Teak-wood, tectona grandis, that fine tree fo vae luable for the conftruction of fhips, grows at Car- teret’s Harbour. I alfo faw there various {pecies of guettarda and a new {pecies of hernendia. _ Moffes and ferns were very numerous, and — grew in the fulleft-vigour in thefe moift {pots. ; The weft coaft of Cocoa-nut Ilandis fteep, _ and rifes very high above the water. The calca- | reous ftones, of which it is formed, are very much expofed to the iticlemency of the weather; ac- cordingly they break off with facility. I there found.the nutmeg-tree which Rumphius has de- — feribed under the denomination of myriffica mas — (Rumph. Amb. vol. 1. tab. 5). The fruit was as yet in no great forwardnefs. It is more tiene : than the cultivated {pecies, | sz Doubtlefs fome favage adimonitesh i in the i midft of thefe rocks, for I found here a human | fkeleton almoft entire. . Hard by was a. fpot where I obferved the — k marks of a fire, which had been lighted by the — h Q favages who land on this coatt. ; The continual rains at Carteret’s Harbour have M there rendered fome fpecies of {piders very induf- trious: | faw feveral that bad made themfelves _ excellent retreats in the middle of their- web: _ this is of a very clofe texture, in the form of a fu- 4 gar-loaf, two centimeters high by a demi-centime-— ter wide at the bafe, having the point raifed and f a little © “i ~~ ee OF LA PEROUSE. 257 a little inclined towards the fouth-eaft, in order that the prevailing winds may have lefs hold of its little habitation. The rain runs off this fort of cone, without being able to penetrate it, and ‘cannot weigh it down, becaufe it is diftended on all fides by threads attached to the neighbouring branches. The fpider, perfe‘tly theltered in this houfe, comes out of it only to feize upon the infeéts: which happen to entangle’ themfelves in his nets. ) Another fpider, which does not {pin fo dexte- roufly as the former, fecures itfelf from the rain by getting under part of a leaf that is bent in _ mearly a conical form, and is placed in the mid- dle of its web: every thing is combined to give folidity to this dwelling : the corner being a little inclined, is oppofed to the fouth-eaft winds, in order that it may fuffer lefs from their violence. Nature has been extremely bountiful to fome ‘other fpecies of {piders, which are.covered with a fkin that is very tough, and as glofly as if they were coated with the fineft varnifh. Thefe laft are not in the leaft affected by the heavy rains to which they are conftantly expofed, and they wa it patiently in the middle of their web, till fome in- fe& is caught i in it. Among thefe fpiders I sitesiiad fome rahe “body was terminated in a point, the granea acule- _ ata and the aranea /pinofa.- VOL, 1. $ Leigh’s ass. VOYAGE IN SEARCH Leigh’s Ifland, which is much {mallet than — Cocoa-nut Ifland, affords few different produc- — tions; its foil is of the fame nature, but is much elevated. | The fteep mountains of New Ireland, which furround Carteret’s Harbour, are at leaft three © times as high as thofe of Cocoa-nut Ifland. I alfo faw, on their very fummits, the marine pro- — ductions, of which they are partly compofed. On the 23d I landed on the part of New Ireland that lay to the north north-weft of the anchorage, near the fpot where our water had been procured. The fiream which furnifhed it fhewed itfelf only very near the fea. Farther inland were feen the traces of a torrent, and from time to time along ‘thofe traces, fome cavities filled with water, which, filtering through the fands, ran and fwelled the little rivulet of the watering-place. After an — hour’s walk along its banks, we faw it form a pretty cafcade, and precipitate itfelf from the top — of a calcareous rock in which we remarked vatft — caverns that ferved as a retreat to large bats of the fpecies called ve/pertilio vampyrus. A few wild bread-fruit-trees were growing in ’ thetfe places. I was aftonifhed that at a time when Carte- ret’s Harbour was inundated by continual rains, «we faw only the traces of the torrent, and no water in its bed ; but it feemed to me that the rains did not © “ u - J / OF LA PEROUSE. 259 not extend fufficiently inland to fill it: of this it was eafy to be convinced by the ferenity of the fky towards the fouth-weft, while’ the rain was falling . without intermiffion at the anchorage. Carteret’s Harbour forms.a fort of bafin, where the clouds charged with water, after having | cleared the high mountains of Néw Ireland, ex- _ perience a calm which prevents’ the air from fap- porting them; thence refult. abundant. rains, which muft deprive navigators of all inclination to anchor there. ; (' Among the fmall plants which grew in the fhade of the forefts, I remarked fevers fpecies of pr 0eT iS. Befides the nutmeg-tree, of which I havealready ‘f{poken, nature has likewife given to the inhabit- ants of New Ireland the fpecies of pepper-tree known to botanifis under the name of piper cubebe. I faw it, throughout a very extenfive fpace, adorning all the trunks of the large trees. - Our boat was fent a fifhing about a myria- meter to the fouth-eaft on the coaft of New Ire- land. I there faw a few huts newly conftruéted with much art by the favages : thofe had not, for their meal, contented themfelves with the roafted fruit of the cycas circinalis: we fill perceived quite clofe to thefe ‘habitations, the remains of the fhell-fith which they had eaten. The Admiral had come to Carteret’s Harbour, 8 2 ! in 260 VOYAGE IN SEARCH in the intention of fiaying there at leaft a fort- night; but the heavy rains determined him to quit this anchorage much fooner. ~The greateft a&ivity had been exerted in ob- taining the neceflary fupply of wood and water ; and on the morning of the 24th we — wey preparation for failing. - The water that we took on neni at Carteies? $ Harbour was very good, and had ‘been procured with much facility. It was eafy to convey it into the Jaunch, by means of wooden troughs: the ‘Only ‘trouble attending this’ was to it it up — a-meter below the trough. The wood was cut on Cocoa-nut Ifland, ina the conveyance of it was Jefs difficult, as the boat could come to the very edge of the fhore: It may not be: improper to remark, that the wood which we took in at Carteret’s. Harbour, filled our thip with a prodigious quantity of {cor- pions, and a great number of /colopendre of the fpecies called /colopendra marfitans. Thefe\in- a were extremely troublefome to us. b The tents of the obfervatory had been ereéted to no purpofe on Cocoa-nut Tiland, the ‘conti- hual rains nét having allowéd the aftronomers to inake one fingle obfervation : it is. difficult to form an idea ofthe: valt quantity of rain thatcfell; it was a torrent, pouring wre almoft withonts in- termiffion. sSTOS i! , 4 : The Oe OF LA PEROUSE. 261 The thermometer, obferyed at noon during the whole time we lay here, varied from 19° to .21°, and the barometer varied only from 28 inches 15 lines, to 28 inches 1, lines. . The latitude of our .anchoring-place was de- termined at 4° 48! 10” fouth, its longitude at 1g0°.25° 40” eaft. ..This harbour afforded us no refrefhments ; nor did our fithermen meet with any fuccefs. The tides were felt but once aaeay, and rofé nly about two meters. - my os 3 3 SO) CHAPTER . 262 VOYAGE IN SEARCH CHAPTER, VII. Departure from Carteret’s Harbour. —The pe vance lofes an anchor at the mouth of this har- bour.—Paffage through St. George's Channel-— We get fight of the Portland ‘Iftands.—Various interviews with the inhabitants of the Admiralty Iftands.—Their whimfical coftume.—De/poti/m of the chiefs —Canoes.—Aftonifhing rapidity of their failing —We make the Hermits Iflands.— Their inhabitants —We get fight of the Echi- quier.—We difcover a new Ifand.—A water-. Spout.—We make New Guinea.—Paffage through Pitt's Strait.—Singular effed?s of the tides.— Ravages of the feurvy.—We anchor at Amboyna. On the 24th of July we got under weigh from Carteret’s Harbour, about eleven o'clock in the morning, and we availed ourfelves of a light “breeze from the fouth-eaft, in order to fail out by the opening to the north-weft, between Cocoa- -nut Ifland and New Ireland. _ ‘The currents carried us to the weft north-weft, ‘and at noon we were already a myriameter to the weft fouth-weit of our anchoring-place. ae if see £ ; The OF LA PEROUSE. » 263 ‘The Efpérance did not weigh her anchor quickly enough to take advantage of the breeze: it fell calm almoft as foon as ‘fhe had loofed her fails, and the currents drifted her towards the breakers that lie on the ftarboard hand, in going out of the harbour; fhe was therefore obliged to» drop an anchor, and wait for a wind to extricate» her from this dangerous fituation. We hove to, in hopes that ere long fhe would: join us; but it was half paft four o’clock before fhe came up with our fhip. Her captain then informed us, that they had like to have been loft at the mouth of the harbour we had juft quitted. Forced by the currents to anchor on a bottom of coral, the cable had been cut by the rocks, at the moment when there fprang up, from the fouth-eaft, the light breeze which car- ried them clear of the reefs. They had come too near them to let goa fecond anchor to any pur- pofe; however, the Efpérance got off, with the lofs of an anchor and about eight fathoms of cable. A _ Our fituation enabled us to afcertain, that St. George’s Channel is not more than from fix. to feven myriameters in breadth at its fouthern ex- tremity. It appears that. the gloominefs of the weather.had led Carteret into.an error, when he fuppofed that» its extent was almoft twice as mbufh)) : 8 4 | We 264 VOYAGE IN SEARCH We lay to during the night, and the currents carried us into St. George’s Channel, with fo much rapidity as to occafion us to drift at the rate of upwards of a demi-myriameter an hour. About one o’clock in the morning of the a5th, the Ifle of Man bore wefi fouth-weft, at the dif- tance of a demi-myriameter. | A thick fog concealed from us, during the. whole day, the high mountains of New Ireland ; only a few of the fummits fhewed themfelves from time to time, and we faw towards the cen- tre of the Ifland fome mountains, two thoufand meters in perpendicular elevation. Large trees were diftinguifhable on the moft lofty brows. _ At four o'clock in the afternoon we brought to, in order to reconnoitre Sandwich Ifland the next day; but the currents drifted us during the night with fo much rapidity, that at daybreak on the 26th we were greatly aftonifhed to find ourfelves within about four hundred meters of this ifland. The people fiationed to look out were probably afleep, for they did not apprize us _ that the currents were fetting us on this coaft, which, although at fo fhort a diftance, fortu- nately prefented no fort of danger. Sandwich Hand. is not very high land; like New Ireland, it is clothed with trees; a few old trunks, after having loft part of their branches, were {een {cattered here and there on the hillocks. Being nt Oe ee en a. OF LA PEROUSE. 26 Being covered with lianes or parafitical plants, they refembled fo many columns ornamented with garlands, and added much to the pictu- refque afpect of this charming ifland. New Ireland, which is oppofite to Sandwich Ifland, offers alfo to the view lands of no great elevation. I there obferved, rifing from the middle of a vaft plain, a few hills, of from four to five hundred meters in perpendicular height. Sandwich Ifland is terminated to the north-eaft by feveral points which form fo many hummocks, firetching out into the fea: of thefe we diftin- guifhed five principal ones; one of them has to- . wards its bafe a mountain in the form of a peak, and this is the moft elevated fpot in the whole ifland, although it is not more than from four to five hundred meters in perpendicular elevation : it is confequently not near fo high as Carteret mentions. The clearnefs of the weather, and — the fhort diftance -at which we were from this little mountain, enabled us to judge of its height. A few huts, under the fhade of the forefts of cocoa-palms, made us hope for an interview with the inhabitants of Sandwich Ifland ; but it was no doubt too early i in the morning for thefe favages to come and pay usa vifit, for we faw not one of them. : The 2.66. VOYAGE IN SEARCH The wefternmoft point of this ifland is im lati- tude 2° 59° 26” fouth, and longitude 148° 29’ 15” eaft. It is three myriameters in its greateft length from eaft fouth-eaft to weft north-weit. - We remarked off its weft point an iflot, phich Carteret had not perceived. Ten days had now elapfed without our having, been able to get a meridian obfervation ;. but on the 26th of July we obferved at noon, in the la- titude of 2° 50° 29” fouth, our longitude being 148° 16’ 50” eaft; which enabled us to determine the pefition.of the north and. the, wefternmoft point of New Ireland, at 2° 44’ 3c” fouth lati. tude, and 148° 31’ 30” eaft longitude, The darknefs. of the weather had deceived Carteret, who had laid it down two Ppinnetem more to the northward, About four o'clock in the pene we were at the diftance of three kilometers from. a great number of iflots, fituated at the mouth of the channel which feparates New Ireland from New Hanover, and we faw that the paffage be- tween thefe two iflands was barred by reefs. New Ireland is terminated by fome low lands, New Hanover exhibits, towards the north- weft, a flat country, while its centre is occupied by fome. yery high mountains, the chain of which extends to the fouth-caft, On, ees SS ES OEE ee OF LA PEROUSE, 267 On the morning of the 27th we got fight of the Portland Iflands, along which we ranged very clofe. They forma group compofed of {e- ven iflots, which occupy a {pace of a myriameter anda half in extent, in a direction from eaft to weft. They are very flat, covered with large trees, and, to all appearance, are con- nected with each other by reefs and fand-banks. Thefe iflots are in the latitude of 2° 39’ 44” fouth, and longitude of 147° 15’ eaft, On the 28th we continued to direét our courfe towards the Admiralty Iflands, where Commo- dore Hunter, according to the account of two French Captains, had thought that he perceived . fome veftiges of La Péroufe’s unfortunate expe- dition; and we ftood to the fouthernmoft ifland of this little Archipelago. Like the greater part of the iflands in the South Sea, this is guarded by reefs, at no great diftance from the fhore. Although we were only two kilometers from the land, we found no bottom with a line of fifty fathoms. ; We there faw to the fouth-eaft a few canoes going along between the reefs, but not one ap- peared inclined to clear them to come out to us. We alfo diftinguithed fome groups of favages ftanding on the moft prominent points of the coaft, in order ‘to enjoy better the fight which our fhips afforded them. : A large 268 - VOYAGE IN SEARCH _ A large tree, drifted on the breakers, was at firft taken by fome of us for part of the wreck of a fhip; but the branches and the roots, which we diftinéily perceived, left no doubt of its nag a tree, detached from the coaft. 4 The Admiral fent an officer on board of the — Efpérance, in order to concert with her Captain, refpecting the refearches which it was incumbent onus to make at the Admiralty Iflands, in con- — fequence of the information that had been tranf- — mitted to us at the Cape of Good Hope. F Night came on ; we fpent it in making fhort — boards, in order to hold our own againft the currents. | The next morning, the 29th, Captain Huon | waited on the Admiral. It was decided that we fhould go and vifit the ifland that was in fight, to the eaft north-eaft of that which we had juft- coafied. In faét, according to one of the depo- fitions which had been ttanfmitted to the com- mander of the expedition, it was at the eaficrn- — moft ifland that the favages clothed in the uniform of the French navy ‘had been feen. About the middle of the day we were at the dif- tance of a myriameter from this ifland, when we © faw fome natives advancing towards the {ea- fhore. A few huts were diftinguifhable through the cocoa-nut trees. Other iflanders prefently made their appearance on the fouth-eaft point’; and OF LA PEROUSE. 269 and their number increafed as we advanced te- wards them. Several canoes were hauled up on the fands, and we hoped to fee fome of them launched into the water, in order to come off to us; but the natives made no difpofitions for approaching. As the Admiral withed to have an interview with them, we ftood on, and © brought to under the lee of the ifland, where we found but very poor fheltér, for it is of little ex- tent. The favages appeared in crowds: fome ran along the beach, while others, with their eyes fixed on our fhips, invited us by figns to _ come on fhore: their fhouts were the expreffions ofjoy. A few of them launched a canoe: they _hefitated for fome time about coming towards our fhip; but as the Efpérance was more to windward, they fteered towards her. This little canoe had an outrigger, and carried feven na- tives, who returned on fhore immediately. At half paft one o’clock we brought to, and a boat was difpatched from each fhip with _ different articles, which were to be diftributed to the inhabitants of this {mall ifland.- While thefe boats were approaching ‘it as near as they _ poffibly could, the thips kept within reach to pro- tect them, in cafe of an attack on the part of the favages; for the treachery of the inhabitants of the fouthernmoft of the Admiralty IMands, towards Carteret, left us fome uneafinefs refpeAing the | intentions #70 VOYAGE IN SEARCH intentions of thefe. This navigator informs us, that the favages twice attacked him with their atrows, notwithftanding all the marks of friend- fhip he had lavifhed on them, when, in Septem- ber 1767, he explored the fouthern part of this Archipelago *. We obferved that this ifland was cultivated to its very fummit. Different plots of ground, en- clofed by palifades, made us think that the right of landed property is not unknown to its inha- bitants.. The whole of the ifland prefents the form of a fmall and tolerably round moun- tain, the foot of which is adorned with fine ee ee o ee ae “| 14ae plantations of cocoa-palms, while the elevated — {pots feemed appropriated to the culture of va- — rious roots, which alfo ferve for the nourifhment _ of the inhabitants. ‘ The boats having gone within a hundred me- ters of the coaft, found no bottom with thirty- three fathoms of line; the reefs by which it is guarded, prevented them: from approaching it any nearer. A great number of the natives advanced on that fide ; we already faw upwards of a hundred © and fifty employing all forts of means to perfuade us to land on their ifland; but the reefs oppofed. * See Hawke/worth’s Collection of Voyages, 4to te vol. i. page 382, andfollowing. T. an OF LA PEROUSE. 271 ~ an obftacle which we could not overcome. “Thefe iflanders having thrown us a few cocoa-nuts, their aftonifhment was fucceeded by the moit lively joy, on feeing with what facility we opened them by means of a hatchet. A favage, diflinguified from the others by a double row of {mall fhells with which his fore- head was ornamented, appeared to enjoy a great ' -deal of authority. He ‘ordered one of the na- tives to jump into the water, and bring us fome > eocoa-nuts. The fear of fwimming out unarmed ‘to perfons with whofe intentions he was wholly unacquainted, made this iflander hefitate a mo- ment; but the chief, little accufiomed, no doubt, -to meet with any refiftance to his will, did not allow him time to reflect; he very clofcly fol- Jowed up his orders by fome blows on the belly, which he himfelf gave the man, who was.obliged inftantly to obey. We did not expect to fee any’ one treated in this manner in the mid@ of a.” ha Fs tribe that had feemed to us fo nearly bordering upon a ftate of nature. In order to confole the poor fellow, there were given to him a few bits of red cleth, fome nails, and a’knife, which he received with the greateft joy. As foon as he had landed, curiofity afflembled all the others : round him ; every one would have a fhare. of our prefents; fome canoes were immediately launched; a great many other natives fwam off to 272 - WO¥AGE IN SEARCH to our boats, and, in a fhort time, they were furrounded by a vaft concourfe. We were afto- nifhed that the violence of the furf, and that of the fea dafhing againft the breakers, had not ~ prevented them from leaving the ifland. ' Another chief, who was diftinguifhed by the fame ornaments as were worn by him I have be- fore mentioned, was alfo diftinguifhed by the blows which he dealt out with his ftick to feveral of thofe to whom he gave his orders. Thefe iflanders, who teftified the greateft joy a Oe a at the fight of our nails, and, above all, of our _ hatchets, had fome difficulty in conceiving the “full value of our knives. At firft- they required that they fhould be fhut before they accepted them; but their fears were very foon banithed, and they then received them as well open as fhut. We got from thefe inhabitants a few darts armed with a piece of volcanic flone cut to a point, and very fharp at the edges. They alfo gave us fome combs with three teeth flanding very wide apart, fome heavy bracelets cut out of — a large fhell, and other bracelets formed of little whelks firung on a cord, the ftrength of which was equal to that of our beft hemp. - . Thefe favagés Trequently repeated the word capelle,;in afking for our articles of traffic. It — appeared to us, that they gave this name to : ~ ay iron,: OF LA PEROUSE. 273 iron, which they preferred to every thing that we could offer them. Like the natives of Bouka, they repeated with much correctnefs the French words which they heard us pronounce. One of their canoes, which was driven by the fea againft our barge, received fome damage; but inftantly a man belonging to our boat, held the canoe, to prevent her from receiving a fecond ftroke; when one of the chiefs, miftaking his intentions, cautioned the paddlers to be on their guard, and moft of them precipitately | abandoned her, jumping overboard, to fwim on fhore to the ifland: they were almoft im- mediately undeceived, and confidence was re- ‘ eftablithed. . eet The women kept apart at a {mall diftance, under the cocoa-nut trees; their whole clothing confifted of a piece of mat round the waift. The men were eager to get near our boats: fome fwam off, holding up the cocoa-nuts which they brought, others feemed attracted by mere _ curiofity; but it was very foon perceived, that curiofity was not their only motive, as they exerted all their dexterity to get poffeffion of our pro- perty. Impunity augmented their audacioufnefs ; and when they miffed their aim, they were not difcouraged, but prefently made a frefh attempt on fome other article. ~ One of thefe thieves had juft laid hold of a VOU ke -:t T knife; 274 VOYAGE IN SEARCH knife; . but he was caught in the fact, and pre~ vented from carrying it off: his want of fuccefs was not fufficient to make him renounce his en- terprife ; nor was he a lofer by having been dila- tory. A flag, in which red was the predominant eolour, attra¢ted-his attention; he found means to get poffeffion of it, and he was not difcovered : __ till he was already a good way from the boat, and near Janding on the ifland. ~ A looking-glafs having been given to one-of — thefe fayages; he viewed. himfelf in it with fur- prife; and, very fhortly -broke it, hoping, no doubt, to find.again in the plate the form of the © objects which he had jut perceived. --Thef iflanders have not..a very black {kin : theit countenance is agreeable, and differs little from that of the Europeans. Born undeér.a fine fky in a fertile ifland, they feem happy, if a judgment. may be formed from the air of fatif- faGtion which was painted in all their features ; they have curly hair, and are, doubtlefs, in the habit of leaving no hair on any part of the body but the head. It appears that the volcanic fione, with which they arm their arrows, ferves them alfo to fhave with; for, feeing one of our boat’S crew who wore whifkers, they made figns to him to cut them off with this fort of agate. The boats were ordered to return at four o'clock. Their departure feemed fenfibly to af- fect OF LA PEROUSE.” 275 fe&t the natives, who redoubled their entreaties _ to make us land on their ifland,. All the women then advanced as far as the beach, and joined their invitations to thofe of the men: they were, no doubt, greatly aftonifhed at not having better fuccefs; but the ordet's were given, and our boats’ could not defer their departure. | It was with regret that we quitted the favages at the moment when they. were launch- ing into the water feveral canoes loaded with cocoa-nuts, which they were bringing us. The delicious juice of thefe fruits would have been of the greateft utility for flopping the progrefs of the fcurvy, which was already beginning to make ravages on board of our two fhips: had our boats been allowed to wait a few minutes, we fhould have procuréd’a°great number.” The pleafure with which thefe iflanders re~ ceived nails and other articles of iron, and the | eagernefs which they difplayed to obtain them, proved to us ule they’ were wi ss with this metal. Thefe people fhewed at firft every appeatance of honefty; but they were not long in betraying their inclination for theft, as foon as they were almoft certain of committing it with impunity. We had octafion to remark, that the okiet of them were the moft daring thieves. This little ifland, which is nearly of a Seitlat T 2 form, 276 - YWOYAGE IN SEARCH form, and about a demi-mytiameter in length, is in latitude 2° 18’ fouth, and longitude 145° 46° . éaft. It is extremely well peopled, for we faw there near three hundred inhabitants. » The .whitith. appearance of feveral fpots in the ifland where fome earth had fallen in amd dit- covered the foil, made me think that its bafe is of a calcareous: nature, like the greater shi of the iflands of the South Sea. As fooh: as the beats were hoifted in we fteered eat by north. ’-The next ay, the goths we e ftdod to the north- ward of the Admiralty Iflands.. “We there faw a mountainous and pretty extenfive ifland occupy- es i Ae 4 a a ae ee |S pee ee a ing the centre; of this group, theoutlines.of which — are formed:of a,great number of flat iflots, which — feem to have-récently emerged from the bofom of the deep. They are almoft)all linked to each ather by reefs and fand-banks. _oAt fynfet we were a myriameter and a half to the north-eaft of the iflets neareft to the prin- cipal ifland. | . On the 3xft, as foon as the day broke, we ficered weft fouth-weft, to draw in with the land. In the diftance were feen fome canocs, which by the tausitnefs of their matis and the fpread of their fails appeared to be much larger than they really were. » We were under the lee of thefe ‘fans; in a very OF LA PEROUSE. ° 257° very extenfive cove formed by their fhores, and we kept at about three kilometers from the coatt. We founded feveral times with a line of fixty- eight fathoms without finding bottom. We perceived a great many cocoa-palms on moft of the iflots. A vaft concourfe of natives had come down to the fhore, and fome advanced» . as far as the adjacent reefs. The iflots where we remarked no cocoa-nut trees feemed to be unin- habited, for we did not fee. on them.a fingle perfon. Several canoes were launched, a great many were ftill on the beach, and fix which had juft fet their fails directed their courfe towards us. We immediately brought to, in order to wait for them: fome were conducted by feven men, and others by nine. Having got within the diftance of fix hundred meters of our fhip, thefedavages took in their fail, and made ufe of their paddles, to come fill nearer to us. Each canoe was under the orders of a chief, who, from the middle of a platform on which he fiood up, directed all its movements. As foon as thefe canoes had ad- vanced about three hundred meters by paddling, they fiopped, and from this diftance one of thefe chiefs raifed his voice and made a fpeech to us: his eloquence was quite loft; but the figns which he made left us.no doubt that he was inviting us to come on fhore:.. The paddlers, probably, were T 3 . not 278 VOYAGE IN SEARCH riot allowed to fpeak, but they joined their tigns- of invitation to thofe of their chief. We endeavoured on our fide to prevail on them to come: nearer to our fhips. They could not refift the fight of fome large pieces of red cloth, and after having appeared to hold a coun-. cil, they advanced a little.. Some of the officers, imagining that the found of the bell would be agreeable to them, the bells of both fhips were immediately fet a going ; but, as feveral perfons had forefeen, this noife, inftead of attracting the favages, made them take to flight: however, various flags which we waved about, anda few tunes which our fiddler played, determined them to come back towards us. In hopes that prefents might gain their confi- dence, we had juft thrown to them an empty bottle, and we fully expeGted that they would lay hold of it as foon' as it was near them, but they doubt- tefS confidered it as.a fatal gift, for they looked at it only to get outrof its way. , Some nails and knives faftened on a plank which was lowered) downto them, gave rife to Shouts of joy, when! the favage who untied them held them upto the reft : thefe: ane therefore _ know the ufe of iron, None had yet ventured to touch the bottle ; but the prefents which they had now received gained us their confidence, and one of them went and took } : 5 t fi u ‘ “OF EA “BEROUSE.” 279 took poffeffion of-it, after having; with a piece of volcanic ftone, cut thé line to which it was made faft. . % Thefe natives now made no difficulty in ap- proaching quite clofe to our fhip, without, how-~ - ever, confenting to come on board. By degrees the number of the candeés isicreafed, and’ traffic was carried on with all poffible fairnef$: we even faw feveral of thefe favages, who, having been pufhed off from ‘our fhipby the great crowd of canoes, before they had been ‘able topay: for the article which they had purchafed, made:every effort to’ britig back its equivalent. They affix duoufly fought forthe perfon to whom they were indebted, and fome returned even at the expira- tion of half an hour, and delivered the value of the goods they had réceived.: : _ A very remarkable» fingularity is the eile Se) which they apply the thell defignated «by the name of bulla ovum (fee Plate I1f.). They each had one fufpended at the extremity of the peiis : for this purpofe they had-made an,opening above the moft inflated part of this, fell, in order to lodge in it the glans :* fo whimfical an appendage diverted our people exceedingly. . Thefe Natives made great difficulties in patting with this orna- ment, on which they feemed to fet-a great value: in truth, its’ dazzling whitenefs formed a very firiking: contraft with the blacknefs of their {kin, er T 4 I cannot, 280 VOYAGE IN SEARCH I cannot, however, affirm, that ideas of fhame had no fhare in their adopting this fantaftical de- coration ; for when they detached this fhell to fell it to us, they failed not to turn about and cover their genitals, by letting down their girdle; but thofe who wore no girdle, having nothing where- with to conceal their parts, took off their fhell with- out any ceremony. Thefe people, very different from many other inhabitants of the South Sea, leave the prepuce all the extent which it has received from Nature. It was eafy to fee that the comprefiion of the fhell on the upper part of the prepuce, frequently caufes on it a very con{picu- ous tumour: this tumour is fometimes of a white colour, the reticular texture of the fkin having been deftroyed in confequence of an inflammation occafioned by the compreffion. It fhould feem that it is neceflary to have attained a certain age to wear this fhell, for the only boy that we faw was the only perfon who wore none. The great number of canoes by which we were furrounded prevented feveral from coming near _ our fhip ; but fome of the paddlers jumped over- board and fwam to bring us their articles of traf- fic. Thefe iflanders preferred bits of iron, what- ever might be their fhape, to every thing that we could offer them ; they fo well diftinguifhed this metal from every other fubftance, that even the ruft did not prevent them from recognifing it. I imagined OF LA PEROUSE. 284 J imagined that habit would. have rendered thefe favages excellent fwimmers; but their mo- tions are too precipitate, and differ only in that refpect from thofe of our good European fwim- mers. They muft, however, have made no great efforts to fupport themfelves in the water, for part of their head was funk in it, fo that they were obliged to keep their mouths fhut : feveral fupported themfelves by the motion of their fect alone, while they were faftening to the end of our lines their articles of exchange. If we may judge of the difpofition of thefe in- habitants by their conduct towards us, their man- ners are extremely mild; an air of good nature was depicted in their features. Far different from the favages of the little ifland which we had vi- fited two days before, they gave us marks of the ftricteft probity. It is aftonithing to meet with fo much difference in the manners of favages a fuch a fhort diftance from each other, and who __ are equally bordering-on a ftate of nature. Their oppofite behaviour towards us, proceeded, per- haps, from the inhabitants of the little ifland © having had to deal only with boats, while the latter trafficked with fhips, which kept them in awe. The chiefs of each canoe generally made the paddlers give up the articles which they received from us. We faw with much concern that - they fometimes employed force to get from them our 282 VOYAGE IN SEARCH our prefénts. One of the paddlers had juft ‘re- ceived a {mall piece of ‘red ferge, and he was fo tenacious of his bargain that he would not part with it to one of the chiefs, till the latter had _ compelled him to do fo by giving him a found — drubbing. — At the fame’ moment, in another canoe, one of thefé iffanders was treated bya chief in a manner — equally harfh, becaufe the poor fellow, being in- tent in gazing at our fhips, neglected to bale out the water which the canoe was fhipping. - The favages’ who jumped overboard to come : and exchange their goods for ours, formed a coms petition which, ere long, excited the jealoufy of thofe whofe’ canoes were near the fhip: the latter took the greateft care to preferve their place; they — tried to keep off the fwimmers, and did not permit ‘them to reft themfélves on their canoes: the former being obliged to fwim continually to bring us their articles of exchange, gave a great appear- ance of buftle to this Adpalae place of traffic. Thefe natives, like thofe we had fecn two days before, valued our ae much more than our knives. Several held’ in their Hands ‘calebathes of dif ferent fhapes, filled with lime, reduced fo : a very fine powder; others preferved their lime in joints of bamboo ! ore of them, who hada {pon 4 in the form of a fpatula, filled it with lime, and holding it I OF LA PEROUSE, — 233 it up to us, doubtlefs with an intention of extol-’ ling its good qualities, made great motions with his mouth, at the fame time {welling out’ his cheeks prodigioufly, and feemed to with to per- faade: us that this lime Fla a “— agreeable fenfation. Another chief had a finall Hetnidte of the leaves. of the pepper-tree called piper friboa, Linn. They probably chew it with the cafhew-nut, for we did not fee in their mouth any of the traces which aécompany the maftication of betel. | Befides,, _ we remarked thefe articles of luxury only in the hands of the chiefs, to whom — feemed exclu-- _ fively referved. A. few of thefe favages wore Solid oa out of large fhells, among which I recognifed fome, fea-ears {mooth in the middle and on the margins. The greater part had their ears: bored, and: different fhells fafiened to them ; it is the inferior lobe of the ear, which, after having piercedit, they are in the habit of diftending fo prodigioufly, that it hangs down lower than the fhoulder, as may be feen in Plate Ili. It appears that it is by means of elaftic' rings introduced into thefe’ holes. that they produce fo great a diftenfion. The boy of whom I have ‘llr fpoken had two of thofe rings im: his ears. Their hair is curly and:of a black colsin es | yedden it frequently with: ochre mixed with oil; eccafionall y 284 VOYAGE IN SEARCH occafionally they turn it up with a binder made of the bark of trees. Their kin, which is of a light black, is fometimes painted with red in different parts of the body, and efpecially the face. We faw in their poffeffion neither bows, nor clubs, but only fome darts from a meter and a half to two meters long. (See Plate XXXVIII. Fig. 25.) The volcanic ftone with which thefe "were armed was fharp oneach edge,and its whole length was three fourths of a decimeter ; this agate was fixed at one of the ends of the dart, where ft was faftened by means of a cord covered with a fpecies of mattic, Nee This weapon muft be dangerous among a peo- ple who wear no clothing. Their {kin being confiantly naked, muft, particularly in the parts where it is-a little diftended, be eafily penetrated by fo fharp a fione. Perhaps this volcanic ftone is not very common at the Admiralty Iflands, for thefe favages had alfo other darts tipped with a fharp Be of wood in lieu of agate. Several had in the feptum of the nofe a ‘hole bored, through which they had paffed a firing, at the extremities of which were fufpended fome eye-tecth, twice as long as thofe of aman. One of the favages who wore this ornament wifhed ta difpofe of it: a chief, in cutting with a piece of voleanic ftone the fhort firing to which it was hanging, ‘ . ees a ei ge ie OF LA PEROUSE. © 285 hanging, had the awkwardnefs to wound the na- tive that was decorated with this appendage. An order which the Admiral had juft given had prodigioufly deadened the traffic; and yet thefe natives had ftill ‘a great many things of which they wifhed to difpofe. One of the chiefs amufed us. exceedingly with his calebafh filled with lime, all the properties of which he feemed to point out to us with no fmall degree of often- tation, expecting, no doubt, to turn it to a better account. It would have been no eafy matter to imitate, with more addrefs than he did, the gef- tures of our moft attractive venders of fpecifics. We did not fee in the poffeffion of thefe iflanders any effects which had belonged to Eu- ropeans. As our people had almoft done pur- chafing, they quitted us to go towards the Efpé- rance, carrying with them the remainder of their commodities. ‘Their canoes, which are made of the trunk 6E a tree hollowed out, and its fides raifed with planks, are not more than two thirds of a meter in their extreme breadth, by ten meters in length: planks placed acrofs internally, {upport their fides, and form fo many partitions, at the bottom of which the podalers. fit, near the extremities of the canoe. Thefe canoes have an outri gger shout four me- ters long, and which extends laterally nearly the . ~ fame 286 VOYAGE IN SEARCH fame diftance.. On the oppofite fide is another outrigger, which does fot dip into the water, and which is two meters and a half.in length: it ferves to fieady the fail; the chief fits on it fometimes, but he moft commonly remains on a platform made like a grating, which covers the whole extent of the upper part of the outrigger. | The fail is made of matting, and bas the re- ‘gular fhape of a fquare, the fides of which are four meters in length: two cylindrical fpars of ‘the fame dimenfions, and by which it is bor- dered on the two oppofite fides, fupply the place of ayard. When this fail is trimmed for going ona wind, one of its diagonals is always fitu- ated vertically, and.one of its angles extends up- wards of a meter beyond the height of the maft, which is fix meters long. The wind operates powerfully on fo taunt a fail, and gives to thefe canoes an impulfe, which makes them divide the . water with aftonifhing rapidity. Sometimes thefe favages,' when’ they with to go flowly, do not make-ufe’of their mafts; they then raife to the height of about a meter and a half, in a horizontal pofition, one of the fides of their fail, while the remainder is ftowed on the ‘canoe; but, in this manner, they can fail only before the wind. Their paddles are very broad in the. blade, and have a handle about two meters long. They | ufe = ee OF LA PEROUSE, (289 ufe them as our failors do their oars: the paddle acts as a lever of the fecond clafs, the fulcrum of which is the gunnel of the canoe. A favage placed near the fiern fieers with his paddie. — After having remained lying to till half pat ten o’clock in the morning, we continued to fol- Jow the coaft, which, in its direction towards the weft, is conftantly bordered by iflots con- netted to each other by reefs. We remarked beyond thefe reefs feveral places for catching fifh, made with. fiakes fixed in the water at a certain diftance from the beach; they refembled thofe which we afterwards faw at the Moluccas. As foon as we had filled, the canoes made fail in order to accompany us... We admired the ce- lerity with which this flotilla fkimmed along the water, Although it blew pretty frefh, thefe little yeffels greatly outfailed our fhips. | - . Quite clofe. to a fifhing-place, much larger than thofe we had juft feen, were feventeen ca- noes, which immediately began to paddle to- wards us. We brought to, in order to wait for them; but as, notwithftanding our invitations, they kept at the diftance of a kilometer from. the fhip, we made fail again, fteering weft by fouth. _ At the clofe of the day two canoes put off from the coaft, and directed their courfe towards us. It was dark when they got within hail. One , of the chiefs immediately fpoke to us.in a very joud 285 VOYAGE IN SEARCH loud tone. It may be proper to remark, that all thefe natives have a very fhrill voice. As it was almoft calm, we endeavoured to attract them to our fhip; but they would not venture to ap- proach near enough to receive our prefents. It was imagined by fome of our officers, that a fky-rocket would afford them a great deal of pleafure ; but it was quite the reverfe: this fight ferved only to frighten them, and they made off with precipitation. Notwithftanding the darknefs of the night, thefe two canoes returned, taking advantage of our top-light. We fent them a few articles of hardware, fafiened to a plank, on which was fixed a lighted candle. This light, which we were vifibly leaving, fixed their whole attention; but they durft not approach within three or four hundred meters of it, and they kept away from our fhip. We were highly amufed at hearing the two chiefs for a long time addrefling their difcourfe to the candle. They fpoke with much warmth, thinking, no doubt, that fome of us were coming towards them with this light. Pro- bably wearied out by a filence which formed fo fingular a contraft to their loquacity, they fet off, at the expiration of two hours, towards their ifland. During all this time we had obferved fires lighted on the fhote, perhaps to indicate to thefe canoes the place where they were to land. WES 4 ¥ OF LA PEROUSE. 289 . We continued lying to during the whole night / The next day, the ft of Auguft, we faw the Reetiern extremity of this little Archipelago, which is about nine myriameters in extent from eaft to weft. The wefternmoft iflot is in latitude 2° 11° 36” fouth, and longitude 143° 47’ 38” éaft. | Reefs and fand-banks extended beyond it a ' full myriameter and a half towards the fouth- welt. 7 We prefently faw fome other reefs, which oc- _cupy an extent of a myriameter from eaft to _ weft: they lie in the latitude of 2° 13’ fouth, and their longitude is 143° 40’ eaft. During the night we-ftood under an eafy fail to | "the weft north- a At break of day we got fight of the Hermits - Iflands difcovered in 1781 by Don Francifco Anto- nio Maurelli, in the Spanith fhip of war La Prin- _ceffz, who came within about five myriameters of ‘ them. Their high lands feemed, at a diftance, " to leave between them intervals fufficiently great _toafford a paflage for fhips; but ere long we dif- _ covered their low coafts ftretching out into the * - fea; and we diftinguifhed the reefs by which ‘ - they are connected. This little Archipelago is compofed of thirteen | _ ulots, in the midft of which, as at the Admi- VOL. I. w ralty 290 VOYAGE IN sEARCH ralty Iflands, lies a principal ifland, whofe ex- tent from fouth-weft to north-eaft is about three’ myriameters, The iflots which furround it on all fides, except to the fouth, are very {mall and — ae low. We were two kilometers to the northward of thefe iflots, and to leeward of the northern point of the great ifland, when we perceived fome canoes under fail; they were behind the reefs, between which we faw no break that af- — forded them the means of gaining the open fea, | and we thought that they could not clear this barrier; but having come quite clofe to it, the favages began by taking in their fail, and getting into the water; they carried their canoe over thefe fhoals, in order to reach the offing. The canoe which led the way immediately fieered towards us; the others, five in number, followed clofe after her. We hove to, in order to wait for them; but, as eur people were rather — flow in their motions, the Efpérance being aftern of us, became the nearefi to them, and they flood towards her: at firft thefe favages kept at about the diftanee of two hundred meters from ther, after haying difplayed much intelligence in the management of their fail. Ail the means that were employed to attraét them on. board were Ofelefs; they.came near enough however to throw upon deck a few of. the fruits tailed Spon- | 5 . £. “dias ; OF LA PEROUSES ” 29t” dias cytherea, and feveral others®-of ‘different {pecies of exgenia, all very good to ‘eat. The bottles and the bits of cloth which we gave’ them, diffufed among them the moft lively j joy; but we remarked with selon that they wt little value on iron. Like all the other favages that we had hitherto? “met with, thefé earnefily expréfied a wie to’ fee us land on their ifland. er ~One of thé canoes advanced Rate us, while the others ftoodin for the coaft. Notwithftand-" ing our invitations, thefe natives kept at three hundred meters from our fhip. They were afraid to touch the different articles which we fent them, with a view of gaining their confidence. Some, however, appeared to with that their ca- noe fhould come near enough to lay hold of them; but the fentiment of fear prevailed among ‘the greater number. 7 It was noon when we trimmed our fails, in order to continue our route. “ All the canoes then refolved to follow us for fome time, before they returned to their ifland: the one that had ~ come the clofeft to our fhip, followed us with ‘the mof perfeverance: this was a very large canoe, containing thirty favages, who appeared to us ftouter than the inhabitants of the Admi- ralty Thends; they were of the fame colour, and fiill more naked; for we faw but a fingle one of vu 2 them 292 VOYAGE IN SEARCH them that was adorned with the fhell, which the inhabitants of thofe iflands wear at the end of their prepuce. Thefe natives had advanced iouiie us with very pacific views, for they had no arms; and from the Efpérance, which fhip they had ap- proaehed nearer than they did ours, none had been perceived, even in the bottom of their ca- noes: perhaps they had imagined that, by pur- fuing this method, they might induce us to come © on fhore. Thefe canoes, although fimilar in appearance to thofe of the Admiralty Iflands, are not near fo good failers; that which came near us had then only one fail, but fhe fet one abaft, in order to keep up with us: this other fail was. much fmaller than that fet forward, and they were both in the form of a rectangle, one of the fides of which was almoft twice the length of the « other ; they fet them in the manner of the lug- fails of our boats. Their large fail, which was as taunt as that of the canoes of the Admiralty Iflands, came down much lower, and was con- fiderably fquarer. The group of the Hermits Iflands, including the reefs, is about feven myriameters in circum- ference. The middle of thefe iflands is in lati- tude 1° 35” 38” fouth, and longitude 142° 41’ caf.» We OF LA PEROUSE. 293 We found ourfelves in the evening quite clofe to the eafternmoft ifland of the little Archipelago to which Bougainville has given the name of: L’ Echiquier (Chefs-board). It is very low, and only five myriameters to the weft fouth-weft of. the Hermits Iflands. Some reefs: which bar the accefs to it in the north-weft, form a large bafin, where it appeared to us that a fhip would find’ fufficient water to anchor. _ A great number of other iflands were feon from the north to the weft. ' Wecarried little fail during the night, making fhort boards, in order to keep to windward: of thefe iflands. At daybreak on the 3d, the eafternmott ifland of the Echiguier bore fouth, diftant a demi-my- riameter: it lies in the latitude of 1° 29’ fouth, and longitude of 142° 26° eaft. >... | We then ftood to the weftward, and, by cight o'clock in the morning, we had reckoned thirty fmall iflands from the eaft north-eaft to ‘the weft fouth-weft. We fteered towards that sitacks feemed bias us the moft wefterly, and approached it within the diftance of a detni-myriameter: it is fituated in latitude 1° 347 fouth, and 142° 10’ eaft. All thefe iflands are connected to each other by reefs, which feem to leave no paflage. Their Jands are véry low, and covered with lofty trees. U3 As 294. VOYAGE IN SEARCH As we; food on we faw new iflands, and we at length difcovered the fouth-wefiernmoft ifland of this: ltttle Archipelago: it is in Jatitude 1° 39) fouth, and longitude 141° 58’ eaft.) This is not joined to: the others by reefs. » We {pent the night, lying to. whe next day, the 4th, we defcried pet noon a:low and very woody ifland, the extent of which is about a myriameter anda-half, This new? ifland lies-in the latitude of 1° 31’ fouth, ‘and longitude of 140°.4>4 aft. »~Weafterwards difuretedabether such fader to the:fouth-weft of the former, from which it is three myriameters diftant: this latter ifland is équally low, andsis covered with large trees. ’ -/t is impoffible!ito' behold without aftonith- ment, on the low!lands bordering on the equa tor, the rapid and vigorous growth of thefe trees, to which the atmofphere furnithes at once fuper- ’ abundant: heat and exceffive humidity. o{Although we had«been for fame days quite clofe to the line, and the heat was fuffocating; the thermometer’ on» the 7th had rifen me to 244% © | ogo. a. We faw flckitinng bien large trees that had bre torn by the waves from the low Jands., One of thefe trees, which had fiuck to the bows of our thip, for fome time deadened-our way. “At five o’clock: in the aftcrnoon. of. the 8th ah, we i Pp OP, LA PEROUSE.-- 295 we were! under the equator, in the longitude of: , 135° 40° eaft, when we faw, at. the’ diftance of one third of a myriameter, a very confiderable: — water-fpout forming to the fouth-weft.. _Al- though the air was perfe@ly fill around us, the fea was. agitated and’ frothy’ at» the’ {pot where the water-fpout originated; A very fmall cloud’ was ftationary at a’ few decimeters above’ the place whence it rofe, This water-{pout had’ _the form of two very elongated cones, united at their, fummit; the bafe, of one of thefe cones reited on the fea, that of the other was lott i in a very thick cloud. ‘The clouds feemed to me agitated: enti a whit windy which, collecting a’ great quantity of water, was pouring down in torrents: perhaps all water-fpouts are formed in this manner. If, as many ‘natural philofophers affert, a water- fpout fucked up the water of the fea ina great vos lume, this water ought to be as falt at the time of its fall, as at the moment of its elevation, which by no means accords with experience: a perfon: worthy of credit, who faw two fall on’ board a’ fhip, affured me, that they had con+ ftantly difcharged freth water. In the contrary fuppofition, this’ phenomenon is ries to be | eX> plained. ' The limpidity of the fea-water was changed | orae the whole day’of the 9th by:a ficews, con+ i U4 fifting 296 VOYAGE IN SEARCH fifting of very fhort and very firingy filaments, which I again met with on the 6th of Septem- ber, when I fhall {peak of it more at length. Sharks are very numerous in thefe feas. Se- veral were taken of the fpecies the moft widely diffufed (/gualus carcharias). There was one of thefe of a middling fize, which aftonifhed us by its voracity. Although pricked by four different hooks in lefs than half an hour, it followed us till it fuffered itfelf to be caught. Being abreaft of New Guinea, within eight minutes of the equinodtial line, the thermometer ftood at no more than 25°, although we ex- perienced an intolerable degree of heat, far more violent than that felt in Europe, with the fame elevation of the thermometer. In recalling to mind that this infirument isan incorrect mea- fure of the fenfible heat, I muft' obferve, that I am ftill {peaking of a mercurial thermometer graduated according to Reaumur’s fcale, On the 11th, the Efpérance had like to have run foul of us for the fixth time fince our depar- ture from Europe. ‘The fluke of our anchor hooked the horfe of her fprit-fail yard: fortu- nately we fucceeded in keeping the two fhips clear of each other by means of a boom, which was immediately placed between them. ‘As it was calm, two boats were hoified out, in order to tow the fhips away from one another; thefe boats OF LA PEROUSE, 297 boats then difcovered the direction of the cur- rents, which fet us to the north north-eaft, at the rate ef half a knot an hour. On the 12th, at daybreak, we si fight of the largeft of Schouten’s Iflands, which bore fouth by eaft. The furface of the fea was violently agitated throughout a great fpace, where the Efpérance was going to pa{fs in following the courfe fhe was fteering: Captain Huon was afraid that this might proceed from breakers, and put about; but the illufion prefently difappeared. This motion was occafioned by,a very confiderable fhoal of fifhes, which were rifing to the furface of the water: they were followed by a great num- ber of birds. Although this was the ‘period of the eaft mon- foon; yet, for the laft four days, the wind blew from the fouth-wefi to the north-weft; but it backed round to the fouth-eaft on the 14th of Auguft. The fame day we got fight of a {mall ifland, © very contiguous to New Guinea, and two myria- meters and a half to the eaftward of Providence Ifland; it lies in the latitude of 0° 18’ 48” fouth, and longitude of 133° 847” eaft, _. The continuance of the violent heat in thefe feas, accelerated the decompofition of our wa- ter: “this circumftance was the more unpleafant, 2 as 298 VOYAGE IN sEARCH as that fo which we were reduced was 2 little’ brackifh; for the firft cafks that were taken on - fhore at Carteret’s Harbour were filled much too! near the fea,’ and this water had not been fiarted, notwithftanding its bad quality. Befides, not to lighten the fhip, it is cuftomary’to: fill with falt “water the empty cafks, as foon as the freth __ water, which they contained, has’been expended : this renders it neceffary to clean them well when it is wiflied*to fill them with freth water; but the eaptain of the hold, * to whom this’ bufinets was entrufted, feldom took fo much trouble ;: it was éafy, with the machine which I have’ already mentioned, to deprive the water of its’ inflam- mable air, ‘but it flill retained @ brackifh tafte. During part of the night of the 18th, the wind had roared over the larids' of New Guinea, and had fent ‘us a great deal of rain.” The tky feemed fo atinounce a tempeft; but the fiorms near the equator havea’ far ‘more menacing afpect than they are in reality dangerous, and it was not. long before we enjoyed very fine weather, We faw, firetching: from eaft to weft, a fine chain of mountains, the’ moft lofty of which ap- peared to be at leaft fifteen hundred’ meters in perpendicular height : the large trees with which they were covered, added; in a peculiar degree, _ to the beauty of the landfcape. SQOG SIOG oui 264 . - Oh -OF LA PEROUSE. 299 - On the. 19th, being in the latitude of 0° 18” fouth, and longitude, of 130° 52¢ eaft, and at two kilometers diftance from New Guinea, we found+ ed with a line of .a hundred fathoms, pons firiking ground, The firtt indications we had of this sins being inhabited, were. two fires, the. fmoke of which we faw. rifing from the foot of the large trees fituated near the coaft. — .. We were at this time not far ica the Cape of Good Hope of. New Guinea, which we doubled, at the diftance. of two. kilometers.» It is in lat tude.o® 20’ fouth,.and 130° 34% eaft... We were aftonifhed that Forreft, in other: refpects a very accurate. navigator, fhould have been fo greatly miftaken with refpect to its true latitude; that which he has given differed from ours, by being — more than.a third of a degree to the northward. The eafterly variation of the compag, after having gradually diminifhed, was now no more than a degree and a half eaft. ‘ Being detained by the calms, we were waiting in order to. range along the coaft of New Guinea for, the fea breeze, which did not {pring up till. about three o'clock. in the afternoon. Th¢ banks of the fhore were, for the moft_ part, perpen- dicular. I remarked, however, a few fpots, the gentle declivity of which afforded a {mall fandy beach, where it would have been eafy to land. : In 300 VOYAGE IN SEARCH In the courfe of the morning of the 21ft we were very near the two little iflands of Mif- palu. The fmalleft is in latitude 0° 20’ fouth, and longitude 130° 7’ eaft ; and the largeft lies in Jatitude 0° 19’ 57” fouth, and longitude 130° 4’ 30” eaft. . On the 23d we ran very clofealong the fhores of New Guinea, in the intention of entering among the Moluccas, by Watfon’s Strait. It would have been an agreeable circumftance to us to explore this Strait, which is much lefs frequented than thofe that lie farther to the weftward. We fhould, befides, have had the advantage of keeping more to windward, than in going through Pitt's Strait, which the continuance of the foutherly winds in- duced us to ftand into. - About eleven o’clock in the morning, being to the north-weft, and quite clofe to its opening, we found ourfelves on a fhoal, which ftretches out from the coaft of Batanta upwards of a my- riameter into the offing. We had already run pretty far over it when the lead gave us eight fathoms water, with a rocky bottom. It was a bank of coral, all the whitenefs of which the limpidity of the water allowed us to diftinguith, ’ We were obliged to put about, in order to extri- cate ourfelves from this dangerous fituation. We entered the Strait about half paft two o’clock in the afternoon. A canoe, which we perceived OF LA PEROUSE: 308 perceived at its entrance near the Batanta coatt, appeared to us for a moment to’ direct her courfe towards the Efpérance; but fhe foon returned to the fhore. | | - Having brought to for fome time to wait for the Efpérance, we remarked that the currents carried us pretty rapidly through the Strait. As the tides have much influence on thefe currents, _ they flackened confiderably towards es eb and early the next - morning. Five canoes were coafting along the eaft Pils ata good diftance from each other. We re- marked one of them that had hoifted a flag, which we took for Portuguefe colours.. The wind car- ried us clofe to the Salwatty coaft,and prevented us from ftanding towards them; befides, none of them appeared inclined to come near-us.’ Thefe favages knew not our intentions; perhaps they were apprehenfive that we were fome of ‘thofé Europeans who are induced, through cupidity, to employ every means of enticing them on board — in order to make flaves of them. | Pitt’s Strait is fkirted by high land, covered every where with large trees. We continued lying to the whole night, and at nine o’clock in the evening we heard, towards the weft fhore, the voice of fome natives, who feemed to be addreffing themfelves to us. A fire appeared. at the fame time, on the wefi point of ; the é Ro2 | WOYAGE IN SEARCH the entrance, near the place from which a canoe had put off, at the time of our ereval in the Strait. On. the 24th, at daybreak, we were quite clofe to Paffage Ifland, and we perceived on the’ Ba- tanta coaft, a fmall village, whence came out a few inhabitants, who appeared to view us with much indifference. Pitt’s Strait, the length of which is about five myriameters, from weft fouth-weft to eaft north- eaft, is a myriameter in its mean width. When we tried for foundings, we could not firike ground with a line of a hundred and twenty-five fathoms ; but the boat which founded within two hundred meters of the coafi, found bottom at the depth of from fifteen to eighteen fathoms, with calcareous rocky ground. | We put about to avoid fome fhoals, which lie at the outlet of the Strait, very near to the Batanta coaft. Several perfons, however, were of opinion, that there was a fufficient depth of water for our fhips to go over them. _ The opening of the Strait on this fide is near three myriameters wide: we here remarked two iflots very near the Batanta coaft. The weft point of Salwatty we found to be in the latitude of 1° 2’ 10” fouth, and longitude of 128° 32’ eaft. Bhe OF LA PEROUSE:°” 303 “The conftancy of the fouth fouth-eaft winds _ deprived us of all hopes of doubling the ifland of Myfol to the eaftward. We were therefore obliged to determine on making the land to the northward of Ceram, in order to fhape our courfe. to the weftward from that ifland to Amboyna. - At fix o'clock in the afternoon we were’ at the diftance of three myriameters from Popo Ifland, which bore fouth 6° weft. The next day, the 25th, we coafted it, leaving © it on the ftarboard hand, at the diftance of a myriameter anda half: it exhibits a flat country, from the middle of which rife three fmall moun- tains clofe to each other. A few iflots were feen very neat it, to the fouth-weft. This clufer , eccupies an extent of near three thyrtametees: from north-eaft to fouth-wef. Popo Ifland is in latitude. 1° ¥ 14” fouth, and. longitude 127° 40° eaft. We faw Kanary Ifland, Myfol Ifland, and _ part ef the iflots which furround them. _ In the forenoon we loft a young failor, named Pichot, who died of a marafmus, the confequetice , of a dyfentery, to which he had been fubject iu ‘the Jaft fix months. ' On the 26th, the pofition of Kanary [land was fixed at the latitude of a 51° 36% fouth, and . Tonia of idl see eat. In 304 VOYAGE IN SEARCH In the courfe of the day of the 27th, the fhip was furrounded by twenty-feven whales, which were fix or feven meters in length: they were fufficiently numerous to afford adventurers, by the oil which may be extracted from them, an ample return for their expenfes. Very early in the morning of the 29th we dif- covered the high mountains of Ceram, which ex~ tending from fouth-eaft to fouth fouth-weft, pre- fented to us a very beautiful afpedt. So high mountains muft enfure the independ- ence of the inhabitants; and indeed there is but a very {mall number of natives fettled on fome of the loweft points of the ifland, quite clofe to the fea, who fubmit to the yoke of the Dutch. On the 1ft of September, the clouds being en= __ tirely difperfed from above the lands of Ceram, we enjoyed the grand profpect of feveral chains of mountains, parallel in their direction from eaft to weft. The charming vallies which fepa- rate them, afford a very vigorous vegetation, and have every appearance of the greateft fertility. Several fires were lighted on the ifland of Ceram: we perceived a fire upon one of the higheft mountains, which proves that their fum- mits are frequented by the natives. This moun- tain appeared to us to be at leaft two thoufand four hundred meters in perpendicular height. We : OF LA PEROUSE. 395 » We availed ourfelves of the calm to hoift out a boat, in order to try:the current, which then fet to the north-eaft by eaft, three quarters of a ’ mile an hour. As among thefe iflands the cur-} rents depend much on the tide, it may well be conceived that their direction and their firength _ vary exceedingly. On the approach of night we were about two kilometers from the coaft of Ceram, the lefs elevated lands ‘of which feemed to announce © _ no great depth of water; however, on founding, we could get no bottom at thirty-two fathoms. _. It was not long before we faw, pretty clofe to _ the fhore,: different fires; which appeared to us kindled-above the water by fifhermen, in order - to attract the fith. Towards noon on the 2d, we faw the Ifland of Bonfo, extending from weft 20° fouth to fouth 48° weft, at the diftance of near four myriame- ters. This ifland is in latitude 2° 58’ fouth, and . longitude 125° 56’ eaft. | We. took care to found very frequently when we were near the land, but we could not ftrike ground with a line of fixty-five fathoms. A ftrong land breeze carried us, in the early part of the night, into the channel which the ifland of Ceram forms with that of Bonfo. We there remarked three iflots by the light of a bright VOL. I. x moon, 306 VOYAGE IN SEARCH moon. It was calm, and the currents drifted us almoft to the other extremity of the channel. About midnight, the air being fearcely agi- tated, the fea, which immediately became frothy not far from our fhip, made us apprehend that we were near fome breakers ; but this fea very foon - reached us: it was a rapid current occafioned by the tide, and which, following the direction of the channel, counteracted our progrefs. | On the 3d we were at a {mall diftance from Kilang. The Admiral intended to run between this ifland and that of Ceram; but the channel, _ befides being very narrow, appeared to us barred by: reefs and a fand-bank; for this reafon we paffed to the weftward of Kilang, along which’ we ranged very clofe. The country offered to: our view beautiful plantations of cocoa~palms and plantain-trees, in the midft of which was built:a charming village. | We then fhaped our courfe bidnien ease ie: and Manipa. About eleven o tedockisi in the dotnitey a tide- race occafioned fome waves, which followed in’ quick fucceflion, being impelled by each other. We were in the fequel repeatedly witneffes to this’ phenomenon, which Bougainville and Dam- pier compare-to the very rapid fiream of a large 7 rivers) paddy. dtig'! : OF LA PEROUSE, © 307 _ By four o’clock in ‘the afterhoon we had doubled the Ifland of Manipa, which is’ not more than a demi-myriameter in extent, from north to fouth: although very mountainous, it appeared ‘to us well peopled; a great many canoes were Sica we along the fhore. This _ifland is in latitude 3° 21’ fouth, and longitrde’ 125° 47’ eaft. i .The Ifland of Kilang lies in latitude 3° 17” fouth, and longitude 125° 31’ eaft. A fea: breeze, which fprang up about ten o'clock in the morning of the 4th, favoured our progrefs to the fouthward, .and we foon faw the weft coaft of Amboyna to the fouth fouth-eaft. » Being afterwards thwarted by a foutherly wind, "we were under the neceffity of plying. On the sth a frefh breeze from the fouth-eaft deprived us of every hope of reaching the anchor- age in the courfe of the day. The fituation of our fcorbutic people, which was daily becoming more alarming, and the number of whom was in- _ creafing with rapidity, made us long for favour- able winds: the continual rains at Carteret’s Har- bour had had the greateft influence on their dif- order ;_ almoft all of them felt very acute pains in the loins. . One of the firft anak was the fudden ap- _ pearance of whitifh tubercles, frequently of the bigness of a hen’s egg, on different parts of the X 2 body, 308 VOYAGE IN SEARCH body, and particularly on the arms: thefe infil- trations generally preceded thofe of the lower extremities. “It is remarkable that thefe patients had not their fkin covered with thofe. {pots which are called {corbutic blotches; the fcurvy, in hot countries, penetrating with rapidity the cellular _ tiffue of a lympathic humour, which fearcely changes the colour of the fkin. I alfo obferved, that although falt meat is one of the principal caufes of the {curvy among feamen, yet we. had on board two of the fhip’s company, who were violently attacked by it, without haying eaten any: one of thefe worked ‘in the hold; and the noxious air which is there inhaled, together with the great humidity of that part of the fhip, is likewite ; a powerful caufe of this diforder.. We made fome firetches, which’ brousht us fufficiently near to the weft extremity of Am- boyna, to allow us to enter the roadftead during the night. We kept along the eaft coaft, at the diftance of a kilometer, taking for our guide the plan of it, publifhed by Valentine. As foon as we had got beyond Portuguefe Bay, we brought to, in order to wait for daylight, that we might be enabled to difcover the place where -e intended to anchor. . The Efpérance had not been able to get to I : windw ard OF LA PEROUSE. — 309 windward as rapidly as we: at feven o'clock in the morning of the 6th, fhe was flill a myriame- ter to the fouth-weft, when we were already at no great diftance from the’ principal fettlement on the ifland. “I again faw the ficus which I had before met’ with quite” clofe to New Guinea; it refembles very fine oakum cut in {mall fhreds, about three decimeters long, and confifts of filaments as fine as hair. Thefe were frequently feen collected in bundles, and fo numerous that they coloured the water in the road. Admiral D’Entrecafteaux fent his fecond Lieu: tenant to wait on the Governor of Amboyna, in order to afk permiffion to put .in to the ifland. ;. The Governor immediately affembled his coun-— cil, and granted us leave to anchor; but as the aé& which the fecond Lieutenant of our fhip’ prefented to them, in the name of the Admiral, ‘had not. yet been addreffed to them by the re- gency of Batavia, they wifhed ‘to annex to our fiay, conditions to which it was improper for us to fubfcribe. However, it was not difficult to make them fenfible that we had anticipated, by feveral months, the arrival of the accounts from “Europe, which feldom reach them till eighteen months after their date. It appeared to us that they took fo many precautions only to fcreen themfelyes from all cenfure on the part of the x 3 regency 310 VOYAGE IN SEARCH regency of Batavia, of which: the government of Amboynavis a dependency ; ¢ for : as foon as they, had gone through. the neceffary | formalities, in, ‘this refpect, they. rendered us, ay feryice in. their power. . We found in this little ifland the means of aa plying our hips ‘much better than we had ven- tured to hope, ), with every thing that was necef- fary for continuing our yoyage. | _ A captain, .belonging to the Dutch Eaft-India Gompany’s s fervice, was fent to us by the Gover- nor, to fhew us the plate where we were to an~ chor; and after having made feveral boards, we came to at half paft one o’clock i in the afternoon, in, twenty-feven fathoms water, the bottom *rguddy fand:; the tower of Fort Victory bearing eaft 9° north,.the neareft redoubt weft 35° fouth; and the weft point of the entrance of the road welt 264° fouth. We were about two thirds of a kilometer from the landing. -place, which is a. wooden flip, and quite clofe to which large fhips may.anchor.. There was then here a Company’s fhip, taking in her carge of cloyes. In the road were cighteen veffels, all under Dutch colours. Of all thefe there was only one three-mafted fhip; moft of the others were brigs . and: floops. ‘The Efpérance anchored half an hour ater to the north-caft of us. CHAPTER OF LA PEROUSE, 311 CHAPTER. VIII. Stay at Amboyna.—One of the boys belonging to the Recherche is drowned in the road.—A vifit to the Governor.—Various excurfi fons into the interior of the ifland.—One of the naturalifts falls. dangeroufly ill.—Defeription of his diforder. —Agreeable juice.of the fago-palm.—Sugar ex- tracted from it.—Uje of different parts of this valuable tree—Means employed by the flying lizard to fupport itfelf in the air.—Matai which preoferves the harveft from pillage —A Dutch failor conceals himfelf in the woods for fear of going to Batavia.—A very dexterous manner of _ catching the cancer carcinus—Hou/es of the natives of Amboyna.—Their dref, Sc.—Their method of procuring fire; their manner of fifhing during the night—Culture of the nutmeg-tree and of the clove-tree—A long bamboo cut fo as to give, ina frefh breeze, very agreeable founds. —Fifhing-places of the inhabitants.—Sago-palin. —Extraction of its pith. —Cutaneous diforders common at Amboyna.—Various obfervations re- petting the ifland and its inhabitants. Art half paft three o'clock we faluted the fort with nine guns, which were immediately return- ed gun for gun. : : x 4 The ¢ 31s. VOYAGE IN SEARCH The Admiral had invited all the officers to accompany him, at fivéso’clock in the after-_ noon, to pay a-vifit to the Governor. Knowing nothing of this arrangement, I went on fhore with fome perfons belonging to our fhip, in order to ftroll about the town: it is furrounded by gardens, where the principal culture is that of trees, becaufe they favour the indolence na- tural to man under a burning fky, by yielding him, in profufion, delicious fruits, which require fcarcely any other trouble than to gather them. ~ Befides the wild fpecies of bread-fruit tree which is here met with, we were told that there was another that bore fruit, all the feeds of which are abortive; but this fruit is of a mid- dling fize, and the tree does not produce it in any great quantity. Different varieties of plantain-trees, and a great many fpecies of orange-trees, were growing in thefe delightful gardens; the guava, the cuf- tard-apple, and different fpecies of annone, here yielded their exquifite fruits. I alfo remarked a few trees of henné (/aw/onia inermis), which rofe to the height of three or four meters. Various odoriferous plants were here fcattered with profufion. I met with the chalcas paniculata, the michelia champaca, the t/ciampaca, and feve- ral fpecies of wvaria: the Arabian jafmine, the nycianthes JSambac, rifing among thefe charming trees, OF LA PEROUSE. 313 trees, blended their fweet odour with fo many delicious perfumes, ’ On returning to the town, one of the minif- _ ters of the protefiant religion invited us to come into his houfe. - He fet before-us feveral forts of fpirituous liquors; but water perfectly limpid, and newly brought from. his {pring, was the moft agreeable beverage to perfons: who for a long time were reduced to brackifh water, and _ lived only on falt meat. This worthy clergyman _ appeared greatly aftonifhed: at having regaled us at fo cheap»a rate, He informed us, that earthquakes were frequent at Amboyna, and that within a few years, one, in particular, of unufual violence had been felt: it had been ac- companied by a hurricane, which lafled near three days; and, during all this time, the fea had exceeded its limits, and inundated the country where the town is fituated. . _ It is at the change of the monfoons that this fcourge is moft to be dreaded, and particularly at the beginning of the weft monfoon, which takes place in thefe feas in the month of No- vember. ' Gabriel Abalen, one of the boys helonbing ‘ to our fhip, who was appointed to attend on the warrant officers, difappeared in the evening ef the 7th: he had been feen on board the whole’ day; but, about dark, they called him feveral 314 VOYAGE IN SEARCH feveral times in vain. » This youth, who was of a very mild, and at the fame time temperate difpofition, had neverthelefs drunk, in the courfe of thé day, a fufficient quantity of fpirits to ex- cite the moft lively inquietude refpeciing his — fate, He might have fallen overboard, and it was well known that he could not fwim. | We all had the greateft occafion to remain on fhore in order to recover our firength; and the Governor confented to our heh lodgings in the town. _ * It was of no fmall importance to the natura- lifts to. be known to the Governor of Amboyna, that they might have every opportunity of profe- cuting the refearches which’ conftituted the ob- ject of their miffion :. it was, no doubt, through mere forgetfulnefs, that the Admiral had fuffer- ed us. to remain ignorant of the hour of the firft vifit which he had paid him. »I requefted that he would have the goodnefs to introduce us, - and we fet off about half paft ten o’clock to go to the Governor’s. M: Bourgucilés and M. Van Smiehl readily undertook to act as our inter- preters. ) . : M. Van Smiehl was a German Baron, lately arrived in the ifland. He was at prefent, as he told us, only afpiring to become one of the Company's fervants,. We congratulated our- felves in the fequel, that he had not yet much influence OF LA PEROUSE, 315 influence over the Governor; for he had endea- youred. to .perfuade him that the regency of Ba- tavia would not. approve of permiffion being given to our {hips to make any ftay at Am- boyna. And yet,.the Baron knew very well, that a year before, two {mall Englith veflels, dif- patched from Bombay for the Pelew Iflands, had been received here without the {malleft dif. ficulty. . They had, at firft, put into Bouro, where, not having found provifions, they had come and taken them in at Amboyna; and thefe veflels were very far from having the fame claim as we: perhaps the unexpected appearance of foreign fhips in this road, for two fucceflive years, required that the Governor fhould take every fort of precaution, in order to cover his refponfibility: he received usin the beft poffible manner. We were really concerned that. he had, on our account, put on his full drefs; he was almoft fyffocated with heat under a very heavy black yelyet coat: fuch a drefs. is extremely inconvenient near the line ; but, the Dutch Go- vernors wear it becaufe it is a prerogative of their office. Some refrefhments were ferved up. I wifhed _ only for water, and I poured out fome of that - which appeared. to me the cleareft; but its falt tafte induced me to believe that the fervants had made a miftake, and prefented me with fome medicinal 316 | ‘VOYAGE IN SEARCH medicinal water. It was Selizer water, which the Dutch are here in the habit of drinking, as a vety agreeable liquor ; it cofts them as dear as the beft Rhenifh wine. Certainly our repug- nance for this beverage was not forefeen ; how- ever; it might well have been fuppofed, that, under a burning ky, after a long privation of frefh meat, we fhould not have much inclina- ; tion to drink falt water. The Admiral propofed to introduce us alfo to the members of the council, and we accepted his offer : they all received us in a very’ hand- fome manner. As we were to ftay at Amboyna a month at leaft, I was obliged to have brought on fhore, to the place where we were to lodge, a great many articles neceffary for the preparation of the different productions which I purpofed collect- ing in the ifland. The other naturalifts and I having agreed to live in the fame houfe, we had had it fet in order, and our baggage was al- ready arrived there, when, to our great aftonifh- ment, we found it occupied by fome officers be- longing to the two fhips, who, however, were not ignorant that we had hired it : ‘the man who had the key of it had thought that he was deli- yering it to us when he gave it to them. This unhandfome trick, of which we fhould not have fuppofed them capable, diverted them exceed- ingly ; OF LA PEROUSE. 317 ingly; but it was eafy for us to find another lodging. | Our fears refpecting the lad, who had difap- peared three days before, were but too well founded: he had remained during all this time under water, and it was not ull about half paft two o'clock in the afternoon of the roth that he was difcovered beginning to float near the fhip. His remaining fo near the place where he had fallen overboard feems to demontftrate, againtt the opinion of moft of the Europeans fettled at Amboyna, that the currents in the road are not rapid at the bottom of the water, but only at its furface: and, indeed, this appears to me very probable. The currénts being occafioned by the tides, the waters neither flow in nor run out of the road but in! order to eftablifh their equili- brium, which, ‘in thefe circumftances, is de- ranged only at a fmall diftance from their fur- face... ao This young man was much regretted by all the fhip’s company. Several exclaimed againft the inattention of thofe who, having brought him up in his infancy, had neglected making him learn to fwim. In faét,'a few leffons of {wimming might have faved the lad’s life. It were to be wifhed that this event may ferve as an example to others; for, I have feen with aftonithment, that many feamen could not {wim. Our 318 ’ VOYAGE IN SEARCH » Our obfervatory was eftablifhed the fame day, towards the weft fide of the town. As this place was not within fight of the thi,’ the aftrono- mers experienced the ‘inconvenienee of being obliged to go to the fea-fide in order to compare the rate of the viene with that of the chro- ~The wet end of we adic: where we alfo lived; forms the quarter inhabited by the Chi- nefe ; there were in it few natives of the ifland, and only one Dutchman, All the other Dutch- men refided, either in the centre of the town, or towards its eat fide. We were become fo weak, that at firft we were obliged to content ourfélves with making a few excurfions to a fhort diftance from the town. - We vifited the Company's garden, which con- tains nothing remarkable but +a very convenient bath, where the Governor went regularly every’ three or four days. This bath is fupplied with very clear water, which runs down from the neighbouring bill. There is another bath clofe to it, for the ufe of the women. The Dutch at Amboyna are in the habit of bathing every three or four days. On thofe days they carefully avoid expofing themfelves to the great heat, which lafts from eleven o’clock in the morning till ‘three in the afternoon. It is 1H even wb i iy ate cad 2 OF LA PEROUSE, 319 even very uncommon for them to go out ‘on other days during this time.. As for us, we had not leifure to take fuch precautions; and hence two of the naturalifts were- attacked by very violent diforders. We endeavoured feveral times to penetrate into the middle of the large plantations of fago- palms; but the waters which wafh the foot of thefe palms frequently forced us to return as we - went: this tree, which’ is fo conducive to the _ nourifhment of man, forms part of the wealth of the ifland. | | The beach, at low water, was covered in _ many places with a great number of crabs, of the {pecies called cancer vocans. They had then quitted the holes which they had dug in the rather folid ground. © This fingular fpecies of animal, one of whofe claws is fometimes bigger — than the body, often becomes the prey of the birds. I'am of opinion, that the facility with which it fheds its claws is the reafon why one of them: is almoft always much larger than the other. A little excurfion which we made to the fouth of the town, near the quarter inhabited by Euro- peans, procured us a fight of the tomb of Rumphius. The fimplicity of this monument reminded us of the fimplicity of the manners of this able obferver of nature: his tomb was fur- rounded 320 VOYAGE IN SEARCH rounded e: the pretty fhrub known by the name of pana Sruticofum. We faw in the poffeffion of the a of the ifland the beautiful lory of the Philippines: how- ever, they do not get it from fo great a diflance, but from fome iflands not far to the eaftward of Amboyna, and. principally from the Arow Iflands. They alfo had another lory, which is found in the forefis of Amboyna, and which differs ‘from the former by its colours being lef bright and much Jefs fhaded; almoft all thefe parrots can repeat a few words of the Malay language. -Towards the middle of the day, the burn- ing fun gave us fo violent a head-ache, that it moft commonly. forced us to feek fome fhade to pone us from its rays. Very early in the morning of the 15th we went | to the weftward; but the heat was fo oppref- five about noon, that it obliged us to return to our lodging. ‘ The naturalift who performed the duty of chaplain fell fo dangeroufly ill, that we could not quit him a fingle moment for four fucceflive days. _ The malignant: fever, by which he was attacked, had frightful fymptoms. His excre- tions; which were extremely fetid, were accom- panied: by -vomitings, fub/fulius tendinum, a very jow: pulfe, and a great profiration of ftrength. The OF LA PEROUSE. 321 . The nervous affection was carried to fo higha degree, that, at each evacuation, the patient ex- perienced fainting-fits, during which he was perfectly infenfible. The lower extremities were affected by violent ey siesta? » the moft acute pains. ' Although this malady was very contagious, no danger could prevent us from paying our companion all the attention which he had a right to expect from our friend‘hip: accordingly we gave up all thoughts of continuing our -re- ein in natural hiftory till he was out of anger. The following day, the 16th, the fyiipioiis became ftill more alarming. The pulfe more - and more languid, with great intermiffion, the hiccough, which frequently lafted near ten minutes, a great proftration of firength, anda face quite diftorted, made us apprehenfive for the life of the patient. The night was equally alarming. On the 17th, about daybreak, the pulfe vifibly began to mend; a little foftnefs in the beating of the artery was the forerunner of @° copious perfpiration which came a few hours after, and refcued our friend from the jaws of death. His convalefcence lafted not more than @ week. ; VOL. I. ¥¢ This Rez VOYAGE IN SEARCH This {pecies of fever, occafioned by the flag- nant waters under a burning fky, was treated with demulcent drinks and antifpafmodics, Ether, given very frequently, and in fmall dofes, was of great advantage in fupporting the powers of life, by diminifhing the violence of the fymptoms, _ M. Hoffman, furgeon of the military hofpital, came to fee the patient feveral times. in the courfe of the day. Our own furgeon alfo at- tended him, | M. Bourguellés, treafurer of the Dutch Eaft- India Company, had perfuaded the commander of our expedition that the united knowledge of the phyficians. of Europe was not, in fimilar dif- orders, equal to the fcience of a Malay doctor. One of the moft fkilful had been called in: it was not by internal remedies that he wifhed to effect a cure, for he gave the patient nothing to take; but after rubbing the fkin a little in dif- ferent parts of the body, and chafing the lower extremities, he pronounced, with a myfterious air, fome words which he feemed to addrefs to the Supreme Being ; he then, as he told us, laid the . -evil fpirits,, whom thefe iflanders confider as. the caufe of diforders. M. Bourguellés was tranf- ported with joy to fee that this phyfician did his beft in order to obtain fome fuccefs. We fuffer- ed him to proceed as long as we faw that no bad confequences could refult; but it was neceflary ) to OF LA PEROUSE, 323 to ftop him, when, taking a pail of water newly drawn from a well, he prepared to inundate the patient. ‘This was precifely a little time before the critical {weat, which was fo falutary to bim. The Malay doctor, no doubt, exerted all his fkill; but he was ignorant that he might thus check the critical perfpiration of which the pulfe had given the confolatory prefage, Our patient being fufficiently recovered, on the roth, to difpenfe with fuch affiduous attend- ance, we walked into the ent to the weft- ward, Having for fome time followed the banks of a little river, which difcharges: itfelf into the road{tead at no great diftance from the town, we were returning loaded with fine plants, when, on the approach of night, we met with fome natives who had been fuccefsful in fifhing, and were preparing to broil their fifh, We had the pleafure of feeing them kindle a fire by means of two pieces of bamboo rubbed one againft the other, and cut in the manner which I fhall pre- ~ fently. explain. On the 20th we employed half the day in an excurfion to the fouthward, and we were not long before we reached a hill, where we found fome young natives, who had juft fpread their nets to catch birds : thefe confifted of hairs dif- pofed i ina running knot, and faftened to a very X32 long 324 VOYAGE IN SEARCH long firing, which refted on the ground, and was confined to a {mall piece of wood fixed in the earth. I prefumed that they made ufe of fome al- lurement fo attract the game, but they told me that they employed none ; and indeed they acknowledged that they caught few birds. We {aw rifing from the foot of the hills fome fine palms, which the natives call fagouer, and which Rumphius has defcribed under the name of faguerus—Vol. I. Fig. 13. From the pe- duncles of their frefhly-cut branches was diftil- ling a very agreeable liquor, which was received in pieces of bamboo attached to their extre- mity. Under fo hot a fky this liquor ferments very quickly, and would foon become acid, if the inhabitants did not know how to employ opportunely the wood of the /owlamea, which lofes almoft entirely its great bitternefs by fer- mentation, and renders this liquor capable of keeping for a length of time. “One of thefe palms can furnifh, for upwatds of two months in the year, fix or eight liters of liquor a day. Care is taken to renew the incifion of the peduncle daily, in order to kacilitate the diftillation. The heat of the fun promoting the rife of the fap, we fhould be inclined to think that this tree ought to yield a greater quantity of liquor 3 in OF LA-PEROUSE... 425 in the day than during the night: the con- trary, however, is the cafe ; becaufe the humi- dity of the night, which is abforbed by the leaves, maxes with the fap of the palm, and favours the diftillation; but the liquor that is procured du- ring the day coniains a great many more. ex- tractive faccharine particles than. that which drops during the night. |. This extra is a {pecies of fugar, which the Malays call souls itan (black fogar) +, it is come of a a iperica vafe, when the evaporation of the fuperfluous water has taken place. It is nearly of a chocolate colour, but rather, deeper, When thefe little loaves. are broken, there are to be feen, particularly towards their centre, yellowifh and fhining grains: this makes it pre- fumable, that it. would not be. difficult to bring them to the degree.of cryftallization neceffary for their becoming. a fugar of good quality : fach as:it is, the natives fcarcely employ any other; that of the fugar-cane cofting feven or _ eight times the price. _ We fhould be tempted to imagine, from fo exclufive an ufe of the.goula itan, that the fugar- cane does not grow on this ifland; the inhabit- ants, however, | cultivate that valuable plant; almoft all of them haye fome in their gardens, - w¥3 | » but 326 VOYAGE IN SEARCH but they content themfelves with enjoying their juice which they exprefs by maftication. Befides the property which this beautiful palm poffefies of yielding an agreeable and wholefome liquor, the petioles of the leaves are furnithed near their bafe with filaments, of which the na- tives make very good ropes. From the thape and blacknefs of thefe filaments, they would, at firft fight, be-taken for ‘horfe-hairs, although , they are almoft twice as thick. . The young fruits, preferved with fugar, make an excellent fweetmeat. — Some of the earth having fallen down near the foot’ of the hills, expofed to view a hard ficatite, of a bright Bray, which forms their bafe. In an excurfion which I made to the fouth- eaft, on the 22d, I found feveral rocks of very foft /chiftus of alight gray colour, and, near at hand, fome very hard g/beftos. It might naturally be fuppofed, that in an ifland fo near the equator, the prefervation of the fpeeimens of natural hiftory would be fingu- larly favoured by a quick defliccation, However, the contrary happened, and I was under the neceffity of taking great pains not to lofe the fruit of my harveft in botany. In faét, the air, in paffing over the fea, becomes charged with a great humidity, which is very prejudicial to pre- parations = OF LA PEROUSE.” 327 -parations of this fort, and the heat of the climate very quickly deftroys fuch of thefe articles as imbibe it too long. - On the 23d, we fet out at four o'clock in the Morning, onan excurfion to the eaftward. We were obliged feveral times to crofs the pretty rivulet known by the name of Vai-To- mon, which emptied itfelf into the fea at a fmall diftance from the eaft fide of the town: its banks were covered with a great number of plants, among which wete feen feveral fpecies of jufiza. I remarked, on the furface of its waters, that which is defignated by the name of jufiea te- nella: 1 admired the providence of Nature for the prefervation of this vegetable: large tubercles of an oval form, and filled with air, are difpofed along its ftalk, in order to buoy up the plant: thefé veficles differ little from thofé with which moft fifhes are provided ; only each veficle is here compofed of a great number of blifters, becaufe it was neceffary to fecure them againft the deftruc- tion, which would involve that of the plant, when they happen to be rubbed by the different bodies that are carried away by the ftream. Notwithftanding the fhade of the neighbour- ‘ing trees, the ae monogynus was covered, even down its lower branches, with beautiful flowers elegantly crenated: In thefe folitary fo- refs, through the thick foliage of which the fun ¥4~ . does 328 . VOYAGE IN SEARCH. does not eafily penetrate, we remarked with -aftonifhment the brilliancy of the colours of fe- veral {pecies of parafitical plants of the family of the orchis, for the moft part adhering to the trunks of the biggeft trees. In the more open fpots, we faw rifing the tree of the family of -the aralia, defignated by, the name. of, cxfonia thyrfiffora, whofe large palmated leaves confti- tuted the ornament of thefe woods. Among the great number of lizards engaged in the purfuit of infects, I admired the nimble- nefs of that which is called the flying lizard (draco volans, Linn.) : it was during the greateft heat of the day, that this pretty animal was darting with rapidity from branch to branch, extending two membranes, in the form of wings, by means of which it fupported itfelf from time to time in the air. Nature haying denied it the mufcles neceflary for flapping thefe forts of wings, it can only {pread. them in order that they may counteract _the rapidity of its fall: It gives itfelf with its hind feet an impulfe, which, without preventing it from defcending, fometimes carries it feyeral meters: for this purpofe it raifes itfelf to a height _nearly equal to the diftance of the paint to which it wifhes to fly, On my return I wifhed to cut fome branches _of different plants, cultivated in a garden be- longing to one of the natives of the ifland; but thofe PF LA, PEROUGE. 329 - thofe who accompanied us apprized us of the danger to which they thought that I fhould ex- pofe myfelf : they fhewed mea {mall fhed, and re- peated feveral times, with an air of refpect min- gled with fear, the word mgtai, before our inter- preter came.to explain to us, that by this term, which fignifies a dead body, they meant to defig- nate the former poiffeffor of this garden, who had 3 been buried under the little thed that we faw. Thefe inhabitants haye a perfuafion that the foul of the. deceafed wanders round thofe places, watching to preferve their produce for the prefent proprietor : they believe, that any other perfon who fhould poffefs himfelf of it would die within the year. This opinion is fo generally diffufed, _that it feldom, happens that a native, in fuch cir- cumftances, ventures to touch the property of 5 another ; and the mata is a bugbear which al- moft always fecures the ae to the lawful pof- _feffor, The Admiral went on “thes to mufter the fhip’s companies ; on this occafion he gave feve- yal of them a fiep, My colletions were now fo numerous, and required fo much attention, that I paffed almoft all the 24th in preparing them; but next day Citizen Riche and | went up the river called Ba- tou Ganton, which difcharges its waters into the soadftead to the weftward of the town. It is , confined 330 VOYAGE IN SEARCH confined in a pretty deep bed which it has formed itfelf between hills often difficult to climb. We purpofed to afcend this river as high as pof- fible, endeavouring to follow clofely its banks ; but their fteepnefs made us refolve to crofs the water, which was feldom more aoe a demi-me- © ter in depth, We had fcarcely proceeded a few yards when we met a Dutch failor, who had deferted from a large fhip loaded with cloves, which was on the point of failing for Batavia. The dread of falling a victim to the contagious diforder, fo fatal to Europeans, when they remain there even for a fhort time, had determined this unfortu- nate man to conceal himfelf in the woods un- til his fhip had failed, We pitied his lot, little forefeeing that the abode which he fo much dreaded was referved to us pid the termination of our expedition. On the banks of this river grew in abundance a new fpecies of begonia, remarkable for the di- minutivenefs of all its parts. A beautiful granite of a fine grain formed the bafe of thefe hills: quartz, which is generally whitifh, we found here fometimes coloured by green fteatite, and at other times by iron, which gave it the colour of ruft. Mica was diffemi- nated m a pretty regular manner; fchorl of a black OF LA PEROUSE, 338 black colour was to be feen in rather fimall /i- cule. | - Our guides availed themfelves of the opportu- nities, when we were collecting fpecimens of na- tural hiftory, to lay in a ftock of the {pecies of cray-fith called cancer carfinus, which is very plentiful in’ this fmall river: their manner of catching it gave us a good idea of their dexterity. This cray-fith generally feeks its food in the cleareft places ; it paffes over them flowly, but as foon as any perfon approaches, it runs away with extreme {wiftnefs.. Thefe natives had how- ever fallen on a method of taking great numbers of them; and it is by one of the eyes that they lay hold of them: for this purpofe having faftened to the end of a rod a horfe-hair, on which they made a running knot, they get the animal into their poffeffion, by paffing in this knot the fibre which ferves as the bafe of the {pherical part of the eye. When they miffed their aim, the cray- fith feldom failed to return, and in the end al- moft conftantly allowed itfelf to be taken. Having in a fhort time expended all our pro- vifions, we were in hopes to be able to purchafe from the natives as much as would Jaft us during the reft of the day, It was now three o'clock in the afternoon, and we proceeded with confi- dence to a fmall houfe near the bank of the rix vers ; but, what was our aftonifhment when, on afking 332 YOYAGE IN SEARCH afking for any thing, we hadino other anfwer ' than érada; and it was the miftrefs of this little habitation who thus exprefied her having no-. thing that we withed for; we took good care to affure her, that. we fhould pay punctually for — every thing with which fhe fhould fuornifh us. — We were the more aftonifhed at this pretended fcarcity, as the appearance .of thefe inhabitants defpoke abundance, I learnt in the fequel, that thefe peaceable natives have not always rea- fon to congratulate themfelves on the proceeds ings of the Europeans, who are. the mafters in their ifland. They confidered themfelves jutti- fied in not trufting to our promifes: however, fome glafles of arrack, and a few articles of hard+ ware, which we opportunely diftributed a them, procured us their confidence. They invited us to fit down under the fhed formed by a continuation of the roof of the. houfe: the cray-fithes of the little river were fet before us in profufion, They roafted for us fweet potatoes and yams, and our beverage was the flightly fermented wine of the fago palm. This liquor, which when newly extracted from, the tree is called /agouer mouda and ger faguero mouda, is much more agreeable than cocoa-nut juice, The young girl, who took the trouble of pre- paring our repaft, joined to a very agreeable face, and a charming perfon, an air of franknefs which added OF. LA PEROUSE. 333 added much to the intereft fhe infpited : as foon as fhe had brought us fome fruit, fhe went im- mediately and fat down behind her mother, and thence only fhe caft fome looks at us, to eri her curiofity. . We found the pureft gratification in this frugal repaft: our reflections on the life of a perfon who undertakes long voyages, added ftill- to the idea which we formed of the happi- nefs of thefe iflanders, whofe wants Nature has fupplied with fo liberal a hand. ' The conftruétion of their houfes is adapted to the finenefs of the climate, and their lightnefs makes it neceflary to dig only as far as the rock in order to lay the foundations. As they never experience a fevere feafon, the walls are fo conftructed as to leave a free paflage to the air: thefe confift of palifades, generally formed of the ftems of bamboo, placed very clofe to each other. - Our: hoftefs’s houfe, which ftood on a fpot of ground ‘four meters long and three wide, inftead -of bamboos, had its fides formed of the petioles of fago-palm leaves, which though placed very near one another, neverthelefS left fome inter- ftices, by which the external air had a free ac- cefs into the habitation. Thefe petioles, although extremely light, are very folid, as they are Govered with a very hard bark. 334 VOYAGE IN SEARCH bark. The infide of them is filled with a fun gous fubfiance, which the inhabitants ufe by way of cork. All this dwelling had been built of — the fago palm, even to the roof, the ridge of which, raifed about three meters, was covered with the leaflets of this valuable tree; they had been bent and fixed upon a long flick, and in | ' this manner formed rectangles, often all the length of the houfe, by two decimeters in breadth: being placed tile-fafhion over each other, they were impervious to the heavieft rains, The two fides of this roof were inclined about forty-five degrees, and part of it formed, towards the entrance of the houfe, a fmall fhed or porch, intended as a cool retreat. Here alfo was pre- pared their food; for the want of a chimney would have rendered the houfe uninhabitable, had a fire been lighted in the infide. I was furprifed to fee thefe people, who are fo fond of eafe, lie on a fort of lattice of fticks; placed at the diftance of a demi-decimeter from each other. This bed was very hard, notwith- ftanding the mats that covered it, but they there enjoyed the frefhnefs of the air, which circu- lated freely through the interftices. It was raifed about a demi-meter above the ground: under it were depofited a part of the houfehold utenfils, which confifted of three earthen pots, of the manu- facture of the country, intended for dreffing their 5 food, OF LA PEROUSEs 335 food, a few bottles of a prifmatic fhape, which they had purchafed from Europeans, and fome fpoons formed out of the large fhells that are common at Amboyna. Among thefe fhells I diftinguifhed various fpecies of nautili, often the mother-of-pearl nautilus, and alfo a {pecies known by the name of pinna rudis, I obferved alfo under this bed, a pickaxe, and a large knife in the fhape of a butcher’s cleaver, and which, in the Malay language, is called - piffau: thefe two inftrumeuts had been procured from Europeans, . From the mildnefs.of the climate, the inhabit- ants require little clothing; and indeed their wardrobe confifts of a garment, barely neceflary to conceal what decency does not permit to be expofed. A pair of drawers, which generally come no lower than the middle of the thigh, or a piece of blue cloth faftened round the loins, is the only clothing of the men employed in agriculture. The drefs of the women is of courfe more ex- penfiye: they wear a fort of chemife of the fame. kind of cloth, which reaches to the middle of their leg, and is faftened by a girdle round their waift. _ Our prefents had excited their gratitude. The young girl, having difappeared for a moment, came. back to offer us fome fragrant flowers: a thread 446 VOtAGE te SHARCH a thread was wanting to tie them into nofegays ¢° we were witneffes to the quicknefS with which’ the natives contrive to procure threads from the baftard aloe; called agave vivipara. The maf’ _ ter of the houfé went immediately and cut a ‘branch of this plant, and refting it on his thigh in order to fcrape it with his large knife, and take off its pulp, he obtained from it a faf- cicle of threads as long as the leaf and as firong’ as thofe of our beft hemp: On our'return we met a flave whofe decrepi+ tude excited our curiofity; it was to no pur- pofe that we afked him how old he was, he could not fatisfy us,’ for he knew nothing of his age: it appeared to us furprifing that he fhould not know the number of years that he had paffed in flavery. On the 27th I went up the roadftead in a canoe witha double outrigger.» Some of our fportfmen took this opportunity of proceeding quickly to the eaftward of the town, and joined our party. We followed the right hand fhore of the road, at a fmall diftance from the coaft: ‘the water was fo limpid that we could fee, at the depth of three or four fathoms, a white bottom compofed of madrepore, on which we perfeily diftin- guifhed a fpecies of ray remarkable for large cir- eular fpots of a light azure blue;.and feveral other fifhes of the moft brilliant colours. Among our OF LA PEROUSE. » 337 our paddlers we had a Papua, or New Guinea man,» who had. the. dexterity to, firike feveral. Standing at the fore-part of the canoe, and hold-’ ing in his hand a dart of bamboo-armed, with an iron point, he threw it with force as foon as he- perceived any fith; sthe dart, by, reafon_ of its lightnefs, immediately rofe up from the water in the fame direction, fo that after having pene-: trated toa great depth it came back to the Pa- pua man, who rarely: failed to’ lay hold of .it again, although we ftill kept going on. When we had got three kilometers’ from the: town, we admired the charming fituation of a country-houfe belonging to the Governor, at the foot of the mountains, the chain of which ter- minates by a gentle declivity, at no’ ee dif tance from the roadftead. A fmall houfe, inhabited by sist use: erected half way from the coaft, and furrounded by clove and plantain trees, added in no fmall de- gree to the beauty of the landfcape. | The’ bottom had become exceedingly thoal ; and although our canoe drew fearcely more than two decimeters ‘of water, we were neverthelefs obliged to keep farther off the coatt, in order to avoid touching on the rocks.” After having) paffed fome “fifhing-places, we _ Janded upwards of a myriameter from the town on the right hand fhore, near a houfe, the mafter of VOL, I. . Zz which 338: VOXAGE IN SEARCH which gave us as many coccasnuts as we defired. We had with’ us fome feamen}'who finding this ’ liquor much too fweet, mixed with it: brandy enough to pleafe-their tafte, and we faw with pleafure that-our hoft did not ‘diflike this be- verage. After breakfaft every one followed:his: own inclination.. The rendezvous; hads:been fixed at the place’where wei had juft: landed. --For my part, I determined to/attack the eaftern: mountains. I followed a path vety much fre- -quented by: the natives, ‘and) left it to penetrate into the woods, whenever ay cg facilitated 5 entrances) oh 7 ~The earth having fallen dow ina waren: of places, left the-tock expofed to, view, and I per- ceived thatea very hard fand+fione formed. the. bafe of thefe mountains! I‘had alfo,,obferved: the fame fort'ofi fione on the fhores of the road- ftead along which we had juft ranged, .., --I foon gathered. a! very, fine. fpecies of com. pound flower of the cony/a\ genus, remarkable, like feveral:fpecies, of melaffoma; for.three prin- cipal nerves on, each leaf : it, has, fo much the have been inclined to an Silas it Pi that clafs, had I not feen its flower. |; .. The phalanger of Buffon (didelphis srientfs, Linn.) inhabited the foot of thefe mountains: I ; Pat. “nt met y OF LA PEROUSE. 339 met with feveral which patted - within a ittle difiance of me, flying with velocity? When I had afcended to about three hundred meters of perpendicular elevation, I obferved a total change in the nature of the foil. Strata of Snlearote ftones, of great purity; and perfealy white, crowned thefe heights, which then af — forded me a fight of a great extent of tolerably level ground. © 2 I remarked here a garden futrounded by bam- boo palifades, which was extremely well culti- vated} although at a great diftance from any ha- bitation: I could perceive no poffible means of watering it, and yet vegetation was there very vi- gorous, fo gréat was the humidity of the atmo- fpheric air in thefe elevated fpots. Vat {quare plots of ground were employed in the culture of a fpecies of pimento called capficum grofum, which the iflanders confume in great quantities. A fmall fhed, ereéted on the weft fide of the garden, offered us a fhelter; under it my . guides, who were dying with thirft, found fome _ very good water in long bamboos, which I imagined | -were intended for a very different purpofe: this water had’ been brought from the foot of the mountain, and we made ufe of it as if it had been our own. Although it was exceffively hot, ise took it into their head to kindle a fire. I was far from Z2 fore- 34° ‘VOYAGE IN SEARCH forefeeing the defign of thefe iflanders, who, like the moft favage people, take'a pleafure in burning the dry herbs which they find in the glades. Pre- fently one. of my guides had the imprudence to fet on fire a large bufh. The air at that time was quite ftill; but a light wind, which fprang up a fhort time, after; carried the flames to the garden, and I had the mortification to fee a part of the palifade farrounding it confumed, without _ being able to ftop the progrefs of the fire. _ The manner in which the natives of this country procure, fire, well deferves tobe de- fcribed; it-isnot fo expeditious as a good flint and fteel, but they have the advantage -of, find- ing almoft every: where the fubftance. which pro- duces it, for-all they want is a bit of bamboo. .. This is their method : they {plit into two equal parts a piece of bamboo a demi-meter long; in one of thefe pieces they make a longitudinal flit, and fhape the other to a fharp edge, leaving it only four centimeters in width, They put fome of the fcrapings of the fame wood in the hollow and underneath the flit of the largeft piece, which they place in a horizontal pofition, with the convex part uppermoft; they ther introduce the other piece into the middle of the flit, where they have made a notch to receive it, and prefling it firongly they caufe it to make the motion of a faw, OF LA PEROUSE. “ 3405 faw, when in lefs than a minute the fcrapings : take fire. | The loftiefi tree of the forefis which’ covered * thefe heights was the canarium commune. 1 faw’ with aftonifhment that the calcareous ftone was” perfectly bare at the foot of thefe great woods, and that the remains of decayed trees had not yet covered this foil with a bed of mould: it was only to be feen’in the clefts of the ftones that were fplit by the weather. Thefe’ ftones refem- bled vaft level {paces of the fame nature as thofe which I had repeatedly met with in our Alps. The numerous cavities which were there formed, feemed to announce that the rains had carried away the moft foluble parts. Being driven from this fpot by the fmoke of the fire, which was f{preading, I proceeded to-_ wards the fouth-eaft, where I found in the mid- dle of the woods a number of the nam-nams of the Malays (cynometra cauliflora, Linn.). Thefe trees are here cultivated in the gardens for their fruit, the tafte of which is fomething like that of a rather tart, yet good apple. | _ After having followed the banks of a rivulet, the waters of which difcharge themfelves pretty near — the places where we had landed in the morning ; curiofity induced me to vifit a houfe fituated near the fea-fhore.. I found there an old man, who, contrary to the cuftom of thefe iflanders, ‘ 23 wore 342 VOYAGE IN SEARCH wore a long beard; he was. employed in cooking in a large earthen veffel fome whelks which. he had juft picked up at low water, at the foot of the mangroves near his dwelling. This refpect- able old man, far from being furprifed at my vifit, invited .me to partake of his repaft. A long prickle detached from the petiole of a fago-palm leaf was immediately prefented to me, and I fol-~ lowed the example of my hoft in making ufe of. it to take out of the fhell the:fleth of the whelks, which he had prefented to me on a plantain-leaf. _ The helpmate: of this old man joined him fhortly after, and I fhould have,been very much farprifed at the prodigious difference of age be- tween them, had I not. been aware that thefe iflanders place their happinefs in marrying very young girls. . Their countenance becomes pecu- _ liarly. animated whenever they {peak of a young woman (in Malay paranpouang mouda); and on the other hand, . it: is really laughable to fee the horrible gtimaces which diflort all their fea- tures when they talk of an old. woman. (paran~ pouang toua). I endeavoured to make this worthy old. man fenfible how very unwholefome it was. to live fo hear the mangroves, where the ftagnant waters might, occafion him dangerous diforders. It was _to,ne purpofe that 1. endeavoured to perfuade him to build another houfe on a more elevated {pot : meal OF LA PEROUSE.” 343 fpot: all the anfwer he madc was, that the fea- fide fupplied him with food. The ipa palm grew in the middle of thefe marfhes: its leaflets are very much ufed for co- _‘vering houfes. The fportfmen were already arrived at our rendezvous. We wefe all extremely thirfty, and hoped to procure fome cocoa-nuts with as much facility as on our atrival in the morning at the fame place; but the proprictor of the garden was | abfent, and there was no perfon in the houfe but his wife. In vain did we entreat her to fell us fome cocoa-nuts, offering to make one of our guides climb up the neighbouring trees to gather ‘them; fhe told us fhe was not at liberty to fell us any; befides, none of our guides would ven- ture to afcend thefe trees in the abfence of the mafter of the houfe, and had he not arrived we fhould have got no cocoa-nuts ; for he had placed at the foot of the trees a matai, for which our guides fhewed as much refpeét as for the other which I before mentioned: like the former, it — “was in the fhape of a fhed covered by a roof, about two thirds of a meter high, thatched with leaves of the nipa palm: this fhed was fupported by four bamboo pofts a demi-meter renee from each other. | From the middle of the roof was fufpended a fialk of bamboo, about two decimeters long, Z4 faftened 344 VOYAGE IN SEARCH -faftened to a cord, and covered with half a. co- coa-nut. In this was contained, as I was in- ‘formed, fome property belonging to the deceafed who was buried under the little fhed. I was given to underftand that it was forbidden to touch it, and I complied with their wifhes, not choofing to act contrary to the cuftoms of thefe people. .. ‘The fun was near fetting when we got into the canoe to proceed to the town; our Papua man _gave us again frefh proofs of his dexterity ; while we were paddling along he ftruck with his harpoon _ ewarious forts of fifhes. It was dark when we got back. Almoft the whole of the 28th was employed in -preparing and defcribing the fpecimens collected the day before. I had found in this excurfion the pretty lizard called facerta Amboinenfis; 1 obferved that it -changed its colour like the cameleon; its moft ordinary colour was green, and it frequently ‘turned to a dark brown. Although this lizard runs faft, it was eafily caught, for it fuffered it- felf to be approached near enough to feize it by the extremity of the tail, which is of an extraor- dinary length. In the evening I walked to the fea-fide, to examine the marine productions that are there to © be met with, and I profecuted thefe refearches | till ~~ — ee . OF LA PEROUSE. 345 till dark.- I faw feveral:fifhermen in their ca- noes, at a little diftance from the fhore, who. were availing themfelves of the darknefs of the night to attract the fith, by means. of fires lighted near the furface of the water. Some bits of wood, placed on the crofs-pieces of the double outrigger of the canges, were burning, which produced a very lively flame. One of the fifhermen kept up the fire, and carefylly pre-— yented it from catching the crofs-pieces of the outrigger, which he could eafily do by letting fall into the water any of the bits of wood that could communicate the flame: in the mean time the others were occupied in encompaffing in their nets’ the fifth, which were attracted from a great diftance by this dazzling light; and we were foon convinced that thefe iflanders were very dexterous fifhermen. , . On the 29th we fetimout early in the morn- ing, to proceed to the other fide of the roadftead. We had to go by water about fix kilometers, and this was a dangerous trip in a canoe, the outriggers of which were not fufficiently firong to make it preferve its balance when fo heavily Jaden., We were yery anxious to fee the places which we had not yet vifited, and we embarked without being aware of all the danger of our en- terprife; but we prefently found that one of the outriggers became immerfed in the water, as foon as 346 VOYAGE IN SEAKCH | as any one of us moved i in the leaft, and but for the greateft precautions we fhould have overfet. Tf this accident had happened to us near the mid- dle of the roadfiead, it would, with the rapidity ‘Of ‘the currents, have been difficult ‘for the moft dextetotis fwimmers to have regained the fhore. The danger diminifhed as we approached the place where we were to land; but what afto- nifhed us greatly was the imprudence of a fer- vant belonging to the Efpérance, who, although he could not fwim, atid’ was pretty certain Of being drowned if we overfet, ‘occafioned our ca- noe feveral times to lofe its equilibrium. At length we attived. ‘The fkirts of the beach were covered with the fhrub called /zevola lobelia. It thrives on the fea-fhore, and 1 had likewife found it in that fituation in New Ireland. The fea, at high water, came and wafhed the foot of the very beautiful tree, whofe deno- mination of heritiera tecalls to mind the name of one of the moft fkilfal botanifts, Citizen 'Héti- tier. In advancing to the weftward, I found on the beach among the ftones rounded by attrition fome lava, which although very porous was yet too heavy to float. As 1 never remarked in the interior of the ifland any fiones that had under- gone the action of fire, it is to be prefumed that thefe have been brought into the roadftead’ by the , OF LA PEROUSE. 347 the waters which fome volcanic explofion have agitated ; for earthquakes are frequent in thefe feas, and the inhabitants ftill {poke to us with terror of one, which, twelve years before our ar- rival in the ifland, caufed there the greateft ra- vages ; the houfes were uninhabitable for feveral days, and even fome of them fell in. In the ifland ‘of Banda, which is at a little dif tance to the caftward of Amboyna, there is an open volcano. At Karuku, a {mall ifland a myriameter from Amboyna, and alfo to the eafiward, there are to be met with fprings, the heat of which is fo great, that, according to the account of feveral Euro- peans, they boil an egg hard in five minutes. The burning vapour that iffues from thefe wa- ters is not prejudicial to the trees which are con- tinually wafhed by it: they difplay, « on the con- trary, a very vigorous vegetation. The fmall ifland of Karuku is chiefly devoted to the culture of the clove-iree. I found in the gardens cultivated by the na- tives, a few nutmeg-trees, the largeft of which did not exceed feven meters in height, their trunk _ not being more than two thirds of a decimeter in thicknefs. ‘They were already fhewing a great deal of fruit. The nutmeg delights in the fhade of the large trees; thefe were. fheltered by the _canarium commune. It is alfo the fame tree that ferves ‘ 348 VOYAGE IN SEARCH ferves them’ as a fhelter in the ifland of Banda, which is principally appropriated to > tein culture by the Dutch. The council of the Dutch Eaft-India Com-. pany, which refides at Batavia, finding that the produce of the nutmeg-trees of Banda was fuf- ficient for exportation, and wifhing, befides, to fupprefs all contraband trade in this valuable commodity, ordered, a few years previous to our arrival at Amboyna, all the nutmeg-trees that grew there to be defiroyed. This order was executed, and very few efcaped ; but a hurricane which happened in the fame year deranged all thefe calculations founded on cupidity; it effected at Banda what the council had juft caufed to be executed at Amboyna. Orders were then given by the fame council to try to repair the mifchief which they had done at Amboyna. They wifhed to re-efiablifh at. this place the culture of the nutmeg-tree; ac- cordingly, thofe which are there met with along the fhores of the roadfiead are flill very young ; yet 1 remarked in feveral gardens in the town, and oppofite the houfe of the commandant of the fort, fome much larger, which efcaped the defiructive orders iffued by the regency of Batavia. We found the heautiful laurel called Jaurus culilaban, which yields, by diftillation, an aro-. matic $2 ‘forfome fifh to come near enough forthemoto fede it. Thefe refervoirs are’ alfo: very much’ ‘frequented "by ‘kingfithers 5! fome of thefe were*perched of the bamboos, andi we ifaw. theny from *time ito. time:dartiat fithes,’ which furnith them an abundance'of food. 9 >. We prefently came to a point of land whieh’ advanced fufficiently into 'the-roadftead to have _ determined: the Dutch to (ered here'a redéubt.) Ttwas at this time abandoned; ‘as well as’ another’ which we: perckived’on the oppofite fhore,’ and nearer the entranée of the'toad. ‘We landed at alittle: diftlance! from’ this firft redoubt, and ' thence’; we proceeded'to the ‘country-houfe of _ M. Hoffman, the head’ furgeon to the! hofpital, with whom! we were’on terms of intimacy. After having made a hafty breakfait, in which. fpices' were fet before us in’ fach’ -profufion as. not to allow us’ to. forget that we were at the _ Moluccas, I went? to” vifit the environs of this: habitation, where, amiong a great number of other plants, fome marfhy grounds prefented to my view the beautiful fpecies of acanthus called aéauthus ilicifolius; Linn, and its variety the acan- thus integrifolius. ° &: ¥oL. i, AA . We 354 VOYAGE IN SEARCH », We afterwards returned-to: the redoubt, which is not more than a hundred and fixty meters long! by a hundred wide, and the form of which, towards the fea, is femicircular; its walls are raifed to the height. of two meters, and pierced with fourteen embrafures, in each of which:is placed a gun; thefe walls, on the land fide, ‘were not above a meter thick, while thofe which faced the roadftead were at leaft double that thickne&S. Whilft I was on fhore, Citizen Riche made our paddlers dive, and they often brought up fome very valuable marine productions. The road of Amboyna abounds with beautiful fhells, which it is uncommon to meet with elfewhere ; the moft brittle, being fheltered from the motion of the fea in its various recefles, are frequently found in perfec prefervation. Our Papua man then fhewed us, that if of all our guides he was the moft dexterous diver, he was alfo the gayeft fellow. His truly burlefque humour highly diverted his companions ; he played dif- ferent fcraps of comedy, which he told us af- forded the greateft delight to the Papuas: one of thofe which he repeated the moft frequently, becaufe he was fure of general applaufe, repre- fented a woman who came and lay in on the ftage, He availed himfelf of the time when we were 4 making eT AE * > ~~ OF LA PEROUSE. » 355 making our meal ‘to regale us with the choiceft partof this piece, and he performed his: character with critical exactnefS. «Some of the inhabitants of the South Sea alfo perform fuch comedies. Captain Cook mentions that he was prefent at a fimilar. entertainment at Ulietea, one of the Society Iflands *. I took advantage of the good-humour of our Papua man at this moment; to learn from him in what) manner, the Papuas went to work to divide the umbilical cord: he informed me, that they burnt it at a third of a decimeter from the navel, an operation which has been practifed by fome European furgeorts: The Papuas make ufe of .a well-lighted firebrand for this purpofe. We again got into our canoe to proceed far- ther, till following the fame fhore. A few trees of erythrina corallodendron were here difiin- guifhable by their beautiful fcarlet flowers. On the declivity of the fand-ftone rocks which formed the fieep banks of the neighbouring fhore, rofe fome plants of vacoua (pandanus odo- ratifima, Linn.), which overhanging the fea, gave to thefe places a very picturefque afpect ; the large {pherical fruits which were fufpended at the extremity of their branches augmented - “#.In the Sotiety Ifans this fort Ff comedy is called 16- diddij Harramy, which fignifies the Child is coming. For Captain Cook’s account of it fee his Second Voyage, vol. i. page 166. T é AA 2 their 356 VOYAGE IN SBARCH their natural: flope towards'the waves. Several fruits ‘arrived at maturity reget covered ie - furface. “'Phefe enchanting {pots gave us soniion Seiheen- gratulate ourfelves on our excutfion. After hav- ing fpent fome time in them’, we returned to our canoe to proceéd again towards ‘the Kron of fer ireneh i-ho0p od A chafing fituation in the vicinity ” a dwelling occupied by fome natives, determined ws to land on the beach: The mafter of the © houfe was abfent; but we found in this: peaceful abode a young: mother of a family, who,’ fur- rounded’ by. her children, was amufing them very. much’ by accompanying: her agreeable voice with a firinged’ inftrument: of an extremely fimple kind; it was a ftump of bamboo a deci- meter and a half long, covered at one of its ends _ with # piece of parchment like a drum; three filaments of rattan bark fixed to the two extre- mities of the cylinder, and each extended by a bridge, ‘formed: the firings of this inftrument, whiclr was placed acrofs her knees. The two farthett firings produced’ an o¢tave, and the middle firing produced a fifth, with the moft diflant one. circle, ‘a centimeter in height at cach.extremity,, ferved,-to fupport other firings, which were intended to. render.the inftrument more “fotiorois > thefe firings’ were: firetched ~ more id mare hehe | ' OP ‘LA’ PEROUSE, 397. more-orlefs by means of'a brace Which confine them two by two, and whith! wis flid up and down at pleafure throughout their whole length, like thofe of our drums, A fmall-flip‘of bamboo bark férved to*make the firings vibrate, which were “elevated by the bridges. ' The accompani ment, ‘although ¥ery“‘monotonous, ‘feetned :to af: ford’ infinite pleafure to our pwides, whet ear ee that -kind of mafic.” “sg sat ‘This ‘habitation’ was furrounded by ‘ndtareg! asides ‘of no’ very forward igrowth, and yet Hdwin full beari ngs although at’ ‘Ainbdytiée people are ot! in’ ‘general’ ‘véry” fond of*éaltivating’ tem. "Phe: environs formed! a’ fine ®orehatd) where We “eould ‘not ferfficttritly admire the brilliant flowers “bf the ektt chi Mitlactienpisy we théberentarkedthe eberrhioa cardmbila, thie trokt of which we Tein ‘ety tt froth its agreeable acidity.) 2'ge “THe Pkirts’ dP the thre were cenibellith ey er extenfive plantation’ ‘of ‘the fpecies Of” trée dalled efehyno rele grandifora : Sits “flower, ‘thie ‘Target of that of any‘ of f the leguinindtis planits, “Ys coimthonly of'a Beautifalhite, and alfo fome- “times of a red colour. “The natives often eat it i areffed, ‘and occafionally eveh Taw as a falad. “The bark of fhis tree yids a biftér extract, “which is adminiftered as a tonie in fevers. . The day was drawing * near a’clofe; ‘the tide being ‘againft us, we were obliged to keep very AA | ‘ clofe 358 VOYAGE IN. SEARCH clofe along the fhore, and it was atk when we got. back to the town. /Qn_ the gd, as foon as I had difpoted, in the fitteft manner, ofthe produce of my laft,excur- fions, I went a fhort diftance,to the fouth-caft of the town, ‘I fiill found fome plants:to add.to my collections... 1. faw, on, my return, .a white negro,a Papua man by birth; he had light hair; his {kin was white, and marked with reddith freckles like thofe of the Europeans who have red»hair; but he was not weak-fighted, as is erarraly the cafe with other Albinoes. | -This young Papua, who was a Devchonan’s flave, had) been .a fhort time at Amboyna..,At the moment.when I came up to him he was oc- cupied in playing on an inftrument, which I was raftonithed to fee among, thofe fed by thefe people; it was a jew’s harp made of hambgo, and cut out of the hardeft part of that wood; -it,was not quite fo large as the iron ones with which we are acquainted. As the middle piece could not be bent to make it vibrate with the finger, a {mall firing fixed to one of the extre- -mities of the inftrument feryed. to give it the jar neceffary for moving the middle piece, which then.gave the fame founds as the iron {pring of our jew’s harps. He told me that this infiry- ment was much admired by. the Papuas. We had for fome days formed a plan of going 2 io, OP LA PEROUSR, 359 to the country-houfe of the commandant of the fort, which was fituated towards the head of the roadftead ; his fon.was to accompany us. Before daybreak on the 4th, we were on foot, and it was fcarcely five o’clock.in the morning when we got into our canoes... It was not long before we arrived under a fhed farrounded by trees, which yielded a. falutary fhade in fo burning a climate; and thefe were not an unmeaning decoration to this delightful abode, for they almoft all bore excellent. fruit, Among the different -annone which, were offered us, the beft were of the fpecies known by the name of annona muricata. We again ftepped into our canoes a fhort Sap after our arrival, and we were already near a myriameter from the town, when we paffed a point of land beyond which the road Satende a great way to the northward, A freth breeze from. the fouth-eaft. retarded our progrefs, and drove againft our ticklifh canoe a fea which we found extremely troublefome.~ At that moment a large boat, loaded with water, was coming out of this bight,’ where flows a river which furnifhes that)article for the fhipping. She was going on board of the Efpé- rance,. Water is fetched from fo ‘great a dif tance only becaufe it is much éafier to be pror — NAA intrb-atad cared 360 VOYAGES SpA Kt cuted there thuttinedr then own; ‘where; a : yety good water 4 tobe hati enw io. The -irvet 6cenPoned By He ebb bead esa | tary to ass “but Stir padldlets TeTOUIIEM THEE cf forts; and ‘We-at Tength? Tinded hear thE Head vt this extenfive prolonyution'sP Me reaaread ly Loe Wate Ue fore Whe uNeer tie WAdE of Whe! natnreg betes,” whidl’ weteMhare InUKH THe. fumicrOUs fhah inal!’ the bther purts OF the TAHA lube i Raid Ra Vafited PHETE wEte He pouie’p platy: nde fomls yedt: col jobod carte roa bead vommusmadat er ihe We naa dh this ‘quater A “Hutiber bf 'Pelatiohs, “We were very near the houfe of SHE SP his Counts; WH al! Ake OP TSN Ae: OHRLE We Wate ulider | ehesnecehnty oratiing'in tHe mainer of tie it ~ Shabitatits?“fithy; fAgo; "Biba tice vand forme Hruit, eompored ‘our! pat vt Savino Bohs ‘avete fet BE- fore us,’ we were oblived to insitate ‘our hoft by haking ‘up the ‘viCtullls "With? nis a “and Heverthelefs we ate with avery ‘Yoo d appetite. 10 Weal Wc the gtr prety well! “Tie fith’ was “highly feafoned ‘with pimienito; bat a few glalles ‘of fapoier Water: diminifised ule Wi | Jence of its effets, -Datidg our repaft, we were’ ssi mufie. A fort of fpinet ferved as'an accompani- ment toa man’s voice; a drum formed ‘the bafs, land a bafs-drum the thorough bafs, mapa So) 3 gee Once After ‘OF LA PEROUSE, . 361 After dinner, our hoft carried’ us im his canoe . .to the diflance of a kilomieter fo the ¢aftward. . - We. ther¢ faw a man-employed in extracting fago from a palm. This tree, which wasa demi- meter in thicknefs, had been recently felled ; it awas already ‘open part» of.its length, which, in the whole, did:ndt exceed twelve metersy and a great deal:cof fago ‘had. been :Wefore extratted | ftomt. As this fpecies of palm, like the other trees’ of» the» fame family, ‘preferves nearly an _ sequal: diaméter: throughout, it fornithes almott as much fago in! the wpper part of its trunk as — ‘near its root. 0{A very exatt reprefentation ofa ‘young fago-tree may be'ften in Plate XLII. Fig. a.) Its trunk /is formed externally of a very hard ligneous fubftance, which is not more than ‘a‘centimeter mthicknefs, It is a large cylinder filléd with ao pithpowhich’ is crofied throughout the whole ‘length sof the trank with: ligneous fibres, aboutia third of ‘a millimeter in fize; ‘and -often {predd a!demi-cenfimeter from eachoother. ~The fagonis lpounded» after it has been taken from the tree; it is then put into bagsmade/of sa fort of canvats; which the petioles of the cocoa- epalm Jeaves!*farnifh ‘near ‘their -bafe. On_thefe ‘bags there “is repeatedly thrown fome very clear - water, which:carries' through. the fubfiance of the pith, while this fort of ae partly retains its sligneous fibres. ‘The 362 VOYAGE IN SEARCH The water charged with the pith is received into troughs formed of the lower ‘part of the pe- tioles of the fago-palm leaves.” Thefe troughs -are a meter long.. At the extremity of each is fixed a fieve, which retains part:of the'pith that falls, and there remain floating the ligneous fibres that have efcaped the fir wafhing.) . Ly This fieve had -alfo coft little trouble in the preparation; it was of the fame nature as the other, and exhibited, a web of croffed fibres, which differed from that of our cloths by the — woof being fimply laid acrofs the warp through- out its whole length; but a few: fhort fibres which ran from one-layer to the other confined the warp and woof together, and formed of them a clofe fubfiance, | Fe ul en To remove the ligneous fibres that are met with in the pith of the fago, after it) has been _ wathed in the bags, it is again ran into troughs, difpofed commonly to the number of four, one above the other, in order that what has not fet- tled in the firft, may be received in me fecond, and fo.on with the reft. its The texture of the fago-pa'm well deferved to be examined; accordingly I cuta ftamp of it, in which I remarked a grain common to many other palms, as Citizen Desfontaines has fovably de- fcribed in a memoir on monacotyledonous plants. On the two following days I could ‘not go far ) from OF LA PEROUSE. | 363 from the.town, as it required my moft affiduous attention to preferve my numerous collections, An intelligent affiftant would have faved each of the. naturalifts a great deal of precious time, which, might have: been employed in a much more advantageous manner... | -» But, on the 7th, it was fcarcely. daylight when we were in the roadflead.. We. crofied it, pro- ceeding towards its opening, and went on fhore near a redoubt, fituated at the diftance of about a myriameter from the town. At this place the _ xoadflead was, full fix kilometers wide ;| and, indeed, an.enemy’s fhip had. no more to fear from this. baftion, than from the other: which I have already mentioned... Their confiruction is exaGily the fame, only the one of which I am now fpeaking is nearer to the entrance of the roadftead, , Quite clofe;to-this wider a ate houfes Sit | et a little hamlet, which exhibited. an appear- ance of neatnefs that announced the comfort- able fituation of its inhabitants. The fea fur- nifhes them with an abundant fubfiftence, and the greater, part of its, buildings were furrounded by well-cultivated gardens... Some of thefe iflanders raifed poultry, in order to carry ; them, to the market of the town. We: accepted. the inyitation of one of thefe worthy _ villagers, $64 VOYAGE TH spAKCH e | | villagers, wie LGB eB a Heh ing with neve | BAatoees. » BUGTOMOR. 4i s¥Tigig ©} novos Ao Mott of xivebdhinem teen maneniliand | distibs,"ainong whieh’ [xemarked He jatropha | uvéls, tHe plants) OF whieh? vidw Yo eldle!to- sores as to form godd palifadees its Leeds have he tafe of a filberty abdate fat from beg dit agreeable. The nativés-eabtioned ‘us, that; al- | though ‘eaten’ éveh in “final quantities, theyoc eafioned a great \diowfinef} they’ were inet aware that the narcotic quality of this fruit: is — - feated: in the \part dinown. to” botanifiseby the — mame'of the embryo. I had the fatisfaction of informing them, that, ‘after taking? this:-oltt, they tight eat the Kernel in. perfect fatety. Wepro- — weeded into the interior’ ofthe eduntry, where — awe obferved ‘feveril plants of eapindiqhapes. . tivated without much trouble. e873 «When we ‘arrived nde slats ad0 lantsinlde of — the roadftead, we perceived at’a diftance! féveral — largeieanoes, which were workitig towindward, — ‘imiordér to reach it, /and faw sehcipitetilth Wee ‘already near its entratice. ap altive givin Our little canoe ‘had-reached thei rendezvous, when the flood occafiaaed arcockling fea, Which Was very troublefome to'the paddlers. We were amder ‘the’ neceflity “of waiting’ till it ‘becattie fmoothér, ‘before we could again take boat, ‘to £o OF LA PEROUSE. | 365° go to the other fide of the road; and farther than we had yet been. fp . We. then, for. fome idly jh clofe aloes the -fthore, in, érder, to, be able the more eafily to ftem the tide, and allow for the drift which the ftrength | of the current would occafion us to make. A great number of dolphins (delphinus, delphus),, rapidly direéting their, courfe towards. the head. of the road{tead, patled;, at, fo, {mall a, diftance from us, as to excite in thofe. who, could not fwim. the greateft fear that the canoe would be overfet.. Ina fhort time.we reached a fmall habitation, fituated i in one.of the. mes delightfal paris of the ifland, ag «The. fithermen cin the saaniis fhore had | plentifully fupplied us with fith,,and one of our party. propofed to hawe it dieffed in the manner of: the. inhabitants. of the South Sea. Cocoa-nut juice was, to ferye as the principal feafoning ; he added pimento to this dith, fo greatly.extelled by Captain Cook, . We faw with pleafure,, that. it was much, relithed by our entertainers, to whom it was unknown; ‘they had been eager to furnith our guides, with every thing neceflary, for drefling it:in. perfection,, Our fhipwate; who-had given the direGtions for. the preparation. of, this admirable difh, acquired. the, reputation .of .an excellent nit among Sigil on who diverted us highly, 356 VOYAGE IN SEARCH highly, by jnceffantly afking us if he was not the chief cook of our fhip,. = * ’ In the environs’ of this houfe I admired the beautiful fhrub known under the name ‘of abroind © augufta. The hedyfarim umbellatum made a con- {picuous figure in the midft of a number of new — fpecies of the fame genus. The nutmeg-trees . here attracted pigeons of the fpeties called co- lumba alba, Linn. Thofe which we fhot, had — their craw filled with nutmegs. © The. exceffive perfpiration occafioned by this burning climate, frequently produces cutaneous diforders. Five of the iflanders at whofe houfes we ftopped, had their body covered with mor- phea, the fcales of which, when they came off, were immediately replaced by others, and fhewed themfelves the more, as their colour formed a ‘firiking contraft with the coppery hue of the fkin. ‘This difeafe frequently fpreads over every. part of the body. We faw alfo fome children affected with another cutaneous difeafe, which feemed not to give them any pain: the greateft part of their body was ‘covered with large warts, not a third of a decimeter from each other. I feldom vifited any houfes in Amboyna, in which I did not find mufical inftruments. Here T likewife faw.one, which T had not’ before: met with elewhere; it-was a flute with a mouth- piece ; its lower extremity was terminated by two ‘| OF LA PEROUSE. 367 two divergent branclies perforated with holes, placed in the fame manner in both, and thus forming two flutes, which gave pretty nearly the fame founds. The natives were very fond of playing in unifon, and made - of one hand for each branch. te It was dark when’! returned to the town; the fea in the -roadftead .afforded me abundance of the fmall: bodies which illuminated its furface, under the ‘form of large fheets of light. The’ water that I took up-in the moft phofphoric’ places, “left on the ftrainer through which I paffed it fmall molecules, in no refpect different from thofe which I had already examined before my arrival at the Cape of Good Hope, and in other places at great diftances from Jand. | We landed on the coaft near the town at the time of high water; we were obliged to wade in the fea for upwards of three hundred meters, bur.canoes not being able to approach nearer the beach, on account of the fhoalnefs of the bot- tom. The fifhermen had juft lighted fome fires to attract the fithes, which the flood had brought up in fuch quantities, that we faw their nets filled with them. The two following days were eomptosed in firolling about the environs of the town. I was furprifed to find on an ifland of fo fmall extent, ° _fuch a number of different fpecies of vegetables; but, 368. | VO¥AGB IN SEARCH but,, undoubtedly, from the proximity of Ceram, — it is) enriched with part. okt the nares that large, ifland. - In the evening of the oth the: Gomme gave an entertainment, on. the occafion, ‘of, the birth, day of one of his fons, who was then in Europe, for the. purpofe of completing his education; all the naturalifts were) invited, and\we repaired to the government-houfe an hour after funfet. The coolnefs. of the atmofphere: then permitted -dan- cing; the ball was already begun, and. feverak cotillions had been. formed, in the grand fa- loon, in which his Excellency had ‘received us _at the firft vifit we pais him with witha a D’En- “trecafteaux. | This faloon was.a fort of. ele decorated: with fome prints, Ri a fmall numberof very indifferent pictures, placed. at. a. great diftance: from cach other..| The walls were only laid over with fome coats of lime;: it would, however, have: been eafy, and by0 means expenfive, to adorn’ them with an excellent, wainfcoting, the ifland furnifhing feveral forts : a wood. anaes for that: purpofe..)) ys ow meds! no Almof all the daiehiets of the: (Cdtnpainy’ 3. fervants were at the balls ‘Although the heat of the. climate. induced, us. tonfuppofe that every. over-quick movement would: becavoided; we faw, wi furprife, that thef young ladies had:adapted 5 a man- a". s - ' OF LA PEROUSE, 369 @ mannet of dancing, which was very much againft the difplay of their graces; they con- tented themfelves with walking deliberately, fearcely going through the figure: and this air . of wonchalance formed a ftriking contraft to the extreme agility which the dancers exhibited in different fteps of thefe cotillions. The orcheftra confifted of four black flaves who played the violin, and of another who played the bafs. | ‘The ball was followed by a fplendid entértatel ment, which was-ferved up in the fame faloon. ' From the fmall number of guefts afiembled about half paft nine o’clock, 1 imagined that the {upper patty would not be numerous; but the majority of the company being indifferent about dancing, did not make their appearance till :towards ten.’ Cheerfulnefs prefided at this repatt,. vibieds lafted a good part of the night, while the ball foon recommenced, and -was net over till fun- - eel” ‘We were - furprifed not to find at this enter- tainment M. Strampfer, a minifter of the Pro- teflant religion, who had behaved to us with ex- traordinary civility ; but we foon learnt that he had lately incurred the difpleafure of the Governor, _ becaufe, after having, for feveral years, paid the — moft afliduons attention to the education of ‘his VOL. I. ‘BB children, g7° VOYAGE IN SEARCH children, this poof man had-thought. proper te folicit payment of what was-due) to him: in , wain did he reprefent thatthe fo much boafted honour of having the charge of the education of _ the Governor's children, was not’ of itfelf enough for the fathervof_a a aT 50 could obtain. no- ~~ more... L. employed::a ‘pak: ‘of th dig of the ratios in vifitingsfeveral gardens, where, aniong the plants with which they were embellifhed, I remarked the.Chinefe Dusus; murraya exotica, which, formed very, pretty, walks, the jufieta variegata, and the croton, variegatum, {0 remarkable, for the maeaty ef their flewers and foliage...5¢ fs. :y The henné, (Jaw/onia inermis)y called by: Sle paturalifis bounghia Jaca, is employed, as in Afia, to-die certainparts. of the ‘body, and particu- larly the extremity of the fingers: .the- Chinefe _ are the people;who make moft-ufe of it...) | Lfoon found myfelfnear'a houfe, round:theedges of. the:roef.of which, and from the neighbouring trees, were fufpended a great NSIREESE cocoa- Due tncttinaseis duis cesarean family, that. he was preparing to make a large plantation of cocoa- palms: mofi of .thefe cocoa-nuts had already f{prouted,and he did not mean to put them into the ground-until the young plants had attained about a demi-meter in height. He affured me A am that OF LA PEROUSE, ° 371, that veithidut this precaution’a. Caves of = would rot and not come up. The time of our departure Sci ha ieas was, drawing near. The colle&tions which I had made in this charming’ifland were’ conveyed to. the fhip, and I ae ali went on ta mai zoth. ..4. : a Sult ~ The eagernefs that had hig exprefieh to in- duce every perfon belonging to the expedition to: repair on board, had made us prefume thatevery thing was ready: for our departure on the~ 13th, and that nothing could:prevent our*failing but. contrary witids. However, we had yet to replace part of the water that had been expended during , the time we had ‘been at anchor ;;this:neceflary: duty was not.completed till the afternoon, and ‘we could not fail befote'the rniext:days:i > 60 The fhip’s company were very well pleated with’ this refrefhing-place; ‘they -had enjoyed here: albithe teifure ‘they could with; and even — flaves had been employed to bring us our fapply of wood and water,*in large boats called yacoos. . Our hip had juft been caulked, and the rig-. ging having been examined with {crupulons at- * tention, was found in good condition. . * The ifland of Amboyna, called by the natives Ambon, was then the firft of.the Dutch govern- ments in India, after the general government of Batavia, BB 2 The 372 VOYAGE IN SEARCH The latitude of the place where the obférvatory _ was erected, near the weftern extremity of the town; was found tobe 3° 41’ 40” fouth, and its longitude 126° 9/ eaft. The variation of the compafs was 1° 13’ 20% — A flat needle gave 3° for the dip. - Although the heat was oppreffive, the ther- miometet diy varied ee regularly anly from 22° to 25°. ‘The barometer ftood almoft conftantly at 28 — inches 2 lines, its variation not being: meee one fine. bay B The time of high water at our inlnlline iat the full and change days, was half paft twelve | o'clock, and the fea then rofe upwards of twen- ty-five decimeters. The ‘tides ow and ebb twice aday. The robd fof sb iach Pert a Stiamirei ‘about ‘two myriaméeters long, and ‘its mean breadth is two thirds of a myriameter. Its fhores, in many places, afford good anchorage; in fome, how- ever, there is a bottom of ‘coral. Towards ‘the middle ‘the ae: of water is too great ‘for‘an- choring. The fort called’ Fort Viétory is built of bricks; here the governor and fome of the mem- bers ofthe council have taken up their refidence. It was then falling to ruins, and whenever ‘the 4 guns OF LA PEROUSE. 373 guns were fired, it always fuffered fome very per- ceptible damage. | The garrifon was compofed of about two hun- dred men, the greater part of whom were na- tives: the reft were fome foldiers of a company come from Europe, and a weak detachment of the regiment of Wirtemberg. Moft of the European foldiers were tormented with the defire of revifiting their country, -but not one of them couldthave the finalleft idea of the moment when he would be allowed to return thither: fome who had been flattered with this vain hope for feveral years afforded to the reft an example that faddened their fouls. _° The fmall. number of foldiers.who furvive their ftay in India render thofe that have paffed fome years in the country ftill more valuable ; and indeed, the Dutch Eaft-India Company. are feldom faithful to the promifes they have made them, to allow them to return to Europe when their time is expired. At firft, every method is ufed to induce them to enter into a fecond en- gagement ; and thofe who carefully avoid every offer that is made them to prolong their flay in the ifland, do not fooner obtain their liberty. I met with fome of theie unfortunate men who had been detained upwards of twenty years ; although at the expiration of their engagements they fhould have been free.’ BE 3 The “394 “VOYAGE IN SEARCH | The ifland of Amboyna is divided into feveral diftrids, which ina number of places form fo many villages, called xygrees.. Thecommand of — "each nygree is given to a hative, who isdignified ~ with the title of Orankaye. This man; to whom | j the police of his little canton is confided, is him- — felf very fubordinate to the ‘Dutch government, and to it/he applies in cafes of importance. The — ‘Dutch ufually choofe, for Orenkayes, the natives — who follow the Protefiant religion, giving a pre- — ference to the ancient chiefs or their neareft re- 4 lations, and particularly to thofe who are in the — moft cafy circumftances. | | __ Each of: thefe Orankayes has the si dieseniehands ence of about a hundred: natives. The. Dutch EBaft-India Company, on invefting them with this authority, prefent them with a filver-hilted fword. Thefe chiefs are clothed in the European fafhion, and all in black. » They wear a cocked hat, the corners of which are very pointed and wery low.;,fhoes_ are alfo added to this official drefs, which they-never ‘wear but when they are - obliged to:appear in: public, or in tenes of the Dutch chiefs, -. The name of Orankaye is formed of twa Ma- Jay words, oran kaya, which, tranflated literally, fignify rich man. | _ The dignity of Orankaye is not an empty title ; it : thefe petty chiefs means of making a for- oe tune, | OF LA PEROUSE. é 375 tune, which, though very vexatious to thofe who are fubject to them, they rarely fail to-employ;; for in putting the poor Amboyans under contri- -bution to the agents of the Company, they take care not to forget their own interefts. . It fome- _ times however, happens, that this. fortune goes to wreck much fafter than it has been accumu- Jated, when the Company’s agents find means to ‘turn to their own advantage the. EY 9 of the Orankayes. . The inhabitants of Amboyna fpeak the Ma- lay language; it is very. foft: the analogy which it bears to the language of the inhabitants “of the South Seay has determined me to give; to- wards the end of the fecond volume, a pretty ex- ‘tenfive vocabulary of it, which “I collected at Amboyna, and in the ifland of Java, where I refided a very long time, at the end of this ex- pedition. — The ufe of betel has been eftablifhed Kom time immemorial among thefe people... ' They take fome young leaves of the pepper-tree, called piper firiboa,” in Malay~ fri, and after they have covered them with a little very ‘pure lime, made of fhells and newly flackened, they chew them with the cafhew-nut: feme even. purfue this gratification without any other interrup~ tion than at the hours of eating and fleeping. I was very much furprifed that, notwithftanding BB 4 the 376 | WOYAGE IN SEARCH the continual ufé of lime, thefe people had ge~ nerally very found teeth; they acquired however a blacknefs, which penetrated into their enamel, without in the leaft diminithing its polifh; in- deec they are in the ufe of cleaning them fte- quently, and the powder which they employ is , not very expenfive ; they prooure it from a cal- careous ftone of moderate hardnefs, which they bruife upon fand-ftone. They alfo make ufe of a piece of fand-ftone to wear down the external ' part of their ineifors. Thefe iflanders do not content themfelves with chewing betel ; they procure from Molucca an extract of bitter plants, known by the name of gamber; which they alfo employ in mafti- cation. The ifland of Amboyna confifts of mountains of a middling height, particularly in the eaftern part. . The coffee which they here gather, appeared to me inferiar io that of our Ifles of France, and of La Réunion*. The Datch, fettled at Mo- Jucca, appeared befides to care little how they prepared it. Their fervants have all a prattice of making it undergo a degree of torrefaction, by which it is often reduced to charcoal ; this is done in order that they may have lefs trouble in * Better known to Englith navigators by the name of the Tle of Bourbon, T. pounding ‘(oy oo ) Oo OF LA PEROUSE. 377 pounding it, and becaufe for this purpofe they make ufe only of wooden peftles and mortars. Mott of the marfhy places are devoted to the culture of the fago-tree, which furnithes the in- habitants with a very wholefome food: it is one of the articles of provifions laid in for their long voyages, as well as the kernel of the cana- rium, which they dry in order that it may keep. This kernel, when frefh, is fiill more agreeable to the palate. The rice which is confumed at Aiciiaonas is - not the produce of the ifland ; however, it would thrive very well in moft of the low lands, where the water, which iffues from the foot of the mountains, affords every poflible means of fa- cilitating its culture; but the Dutch Eaft-India Company have prohibited the cultivation of this article, becaufe the fale of it isa mean of get- . ting out of the hands of the natives the money that the Company are obliged to give them for the cloves which they furnifh. They thus prevent the increafe of fpecie, and keep always at a yery. moderate price the produce of the labour of the inhabitants. Befides, the ufe of rice be- ing pretty much fpread among thofe who are in tolerably eafy circumftances, it becomes a profit- able article of trade, in the hands of the Com- pany’s agents, who fupply them with it. They procure it principally from the ifland of Java. -_ s78 VOYAGE IN SEARCH ‘Thus it is that this government, attentive only to its own intereft, flifles among thefe people all ‘Gndufry, forcing them to abandon, in a man-— ner, every other fpecies of eet sd that of clove ‘and nutmeg trees. “The: ‘Dutch take care to limit the cultivation of © fpices} ‘in vorder that it may not much exceed ~ the ordinary confumption. Thefe means, deftruc- — tive’of-all activity, agree ‘in other refpects very _ well with the indolence of the natives. A variety of ‘farinaceous roots, and a great number of trees, ‘afford them, almoft without ‘culture; an‘ abundant fubfiftence, as‘ if Nature had withed to’ compenfate man for the indolence to which fhe feems to have condemned him un- der fo burning a fky. “Grafting would doubtlefs be a mean of im. — proving the various fruits that grow in this Wand; but no one, even among the Europeans, ‘has yet fucceeded in bringing it into ufe; they have always let the fhoots dry before the circu- ~ dation of the fap was eftablithed between it and the tree in which it had been ingrafted. It ‘would however be eafy to prevent this accident, ‘by keeping up a propér humidity, till it is certain that the graft is firmly united. The European vegetables do not agree well ‘with the heat’of the climate. \ ite A very Wal s “z ’ ‘ i 4 OF LA PEROUSE. 379 A very fmall banana called pifang radiga, is confidered as the beft fpecies 3 after the /-tchi and garcinea mangoftana, it is the beft fruit that I ate at Amboyna. They have alfo feveral {pecies of 4-tchi, among the number of which may be reckoned the ramb-outan of the Malays, nephe- ium lappaceum. Three celebrated botanifts, Lin- nus, Juffieu, and Gertner, have fallen into — an error in. the claffification of this genus, un- doubtedly becaufe they had not an opportunity of feeing completely the parts of fructification. . _ .~ Linneeus claffes it in the family of the euphors | Pia, Juifieu in that of the compofite, and Geert- _ ner in that of the amentacee; whereas it evidently belongs to the family of the /aponaria. ‘The fame prohibitory fyfiem which we have feen purfued at the Cape of Good Hope, was like- . wife followed at Amboyna. In order to prevent . every rife in the price of provitions, the Company undertook to victual our fhips.. The natives jup- ply the Company at a low price with provifions, of which, in difpofing of them to us, they took care to make a good profit. The Dutch have paffed into a law, a cuftom _ Still far more pernicious: the principal fervants of the Company have a right to take, without paying, at the houfes of the natives, the provifions neceffary for their daily confumption. Nothing can be conceived more oppreflive than this ar~ hitrary 380 VOYAGE IN SEARCH bitrary contribution. The moft induftrious man, as well as the moft indolent, is almoft certain that they will hardly leave him any thing to fub- fift on; and indeed the greater part of them are contented to fubfift on articles of eafy culture, paffing in idlenefs a time which, under another fyftem, they might employ in procuring a certain independence. _ | The Fifcal completes the oppreffion of the in- _ habitants: he has the direction of the police, and has a right to impofe, for his own emolu- ment, the pecuniary penalties, which’ he fixes in proportion to his avidity, and the fortune of the natives, whom it is often his pleafure _ to find guilty, without their having committed the fmalleft offence. It was M. Mackay who then exercifed this employment. He was very different from the greater part of his predecef- fors ; the inhabitants of the ifland had reafon to be well fatisfied with his humanity, and he had the more merit in doing good, as his place ena-~ bled him to do them, with impunity, all poffible harm. This worthy man was inceffantly repeat- ing to us, that he preferred living in mediocrity, to enriching himfelf by adopting fuch methods, When M. Mackay was one day explaining to us all the privileges of his place, he informed us that fome failors belonging to our fhips had oc- cafioned a riot, at an unftafonable hour of the night, ' OF LA PEROUSE, 381 night, at the houfe ofa very rich Chinefe, who fold avrack and other fpirituous liquors. He told us, with much ingenuoufnefs, that he might in this cafe have availed himéfelf of the rights of his office, to extort a'good fam of money from this Chinefe, by impofing on him a heavy fine, for his own emolument.. Many others, faid he to us, would not have failed to do this, but I do not repent having ated with integrity. The clove-tree conftitutes the principal article of culture of Amboyna, and of feveral iflots fitaated to ‘the eafiward of this ifland, where it thrives as well as poffible. In each of thefe iflots the Dutch keep refidents, to prevent the fraudu- lent exportation of this valuable commodity. | It appears that the foil and'the nature of the land -of ‘the ifland of Banda, agree fiill better with the culture of the matmeg-tree than the iflanid of Amboyna:; :for ‘itis gelatin admitted that the nutmeg of the latter as'imferiors > © © _ Formerly the nutmeg-tree-and the ¢love-tree were diffiifed in the iflands of Ternate, ‘Didor, Macquian, &c. in'a»much greater q but 386 VOYAGE IN SEARCH but they are obliged to get naturalized; then ~_ they can return no more to,China. They are permitted, to navigate in the Moluccas; and they can procure, at Macaffar and Batavia, where the fhips arriving from China are admit- ted, the merchandife which thefe vefiels bring from that country. They: are all engaged in trade. Somie have purchafed, at a very high price, the exclufive privilege of vending, particu- Jar articles; accordingly, they fell them very: dear. .They employ all forts of means to get money : their reputation, frequently fuffers by it ; but, in this refpect, they have loft every fpark of fenfibility. Some Jews, to whom the Dutch Eaft-India.Company has granted permiffion to remain in the ifland, enter into competition with them in trade; but they are not fuccefsful rivals; the Chinefe have a great: many advan- tages over them, from, their number and their connexions. The cuftom-houfe hifiges of the Company is a Chinefe;. he is befides the chief of his country- men fettled in the ifland, and is entrufted with the police among them, in fuch unimportant cafes as the adminiftration of Amboyna has not referved for its own decifion.,, We went one day to his houfe, with a Proteftant clergyman,, and drank there fome very good.tea, The table was coyered with a: great variety of. fruits, extremely . » well OF LA PEROUSE. ‘ 387 well preferved ; one of the beft was the young nut of the fruit of the fago-palm.. This chief, WHO is called the Chittefe Captain, pointed out to us, with an air of fatisfaction, his coats of arms variegated with a great number of colours; they were feattered with profufion i in the apart- ment where he received us; and his bed was furrounded with them on all fides. His houfe, like that of the other Chinefe, bore no réfemblance to the habitations of the natives of the ifland. The Chinefé build much more fubftantially ; their houfes are conftrucled like thofe of the Europeans, with the exception of fome little difference in the manner in which they are laid out. The body of the building is of wood; the mud walls are covered with a very thick roughcaft, which is laid over with feveral coats of ie The frequency of earthquakes and hurricanes has occafioned' a preference to be given to wooden houfes. There are fcarcely any but the public buildings that are conftrucicd with ftone. It almoft always happens that, in thefe tempefiuous moments, the inhabitants are obliged to quit their dwellings, and retreat to litle huts very flightly built, where they are in much greater fafety than in their houfes, which the winds and the éarthquakes fometimes over- throw. ; ; cc2 We 388 VOYAGE IN SEARCH . We enjoyed tolerably fine weathey during our flay at Amboyna; the winds did not blow with any degree of violence; and thofe which came from between the fouth-eaft and the north-eaft were very faint. | The market, where different fruits of the coun- try are fold, is held in the quarter of the Chinefe. The Malays defignate this place by the term of bazar, the fame as the Arabs. It is principally towards the clofe of the day that the venders affemble ; and here they remain till nine o'clock in the evening. Each of thefe fruiterers is lighted by. one, and more frequently by two torches, formed of the rofin called dammer, which fur- nifhes a fort of cycas known under the fame name ; it is, the dammara alba, Rumph. Amb. vol. ii. chap. xii. tab. 57. They wrap it up in leaves of the fago-tree, without adding to it any wick; it burns well, making little fmoke ; only care muft be taken to lower, from time to time, the leaf of the fago-tree, which is reduced to athes, in order to bring it to a level with the rofin as faft as it is confumed. Thefe people are lighted at a very cheap rate: each torch of dam- mer, two decimetets long, by a third of a deci- meter in thicknefs, cofis them about a centime of-our money. and furnithes a pretty good light for upwards | of three hours. This rofin alfo ferves them as a torch in their houfes. Some *-* ee “OF LA PEROUSE, - 589 Some other eatables are alfo told at this bazar; and particularly fith, of which ‘a much greatef quantity is to be met with dried than frefh.” Fith; under a burning tky, and in an atmofphere pro= _ digioufly charged with humidity,” would very foon putrefy, if the inhabitants had ‘not meats to dry it expeditioufly, When it is cured by the fmoke of a flow fire, it acquires a flavour which makes them prefer it to freff: fith. The Molucca Ilands, ‘after having been ‘a! long time under the domination of the Arabs, the’ Moors, and the Malays, paffed under that of the Europeans. The Portuguefe, the Spaniards, and’ the Dutch, difputed for the poffeffion of them, after having there eftablifhed factories and built! forts. The Dutch at length remained mafters of them, and they have for a great number of years: enjoyed exclufively the fpice-trade. ‘Thefe di ferent fovereigns have wrought fuch a change in’ the manners of the natives of Amboyna, that it’ is very difficult to diftinguifh among them at! this day any traces of their primitive character.’ The Portuguefe introduced among thefe peo- ple the Catholic religion, The Dutch have made every effort to dire¢t them ‘towards the’ Proteftant faith, confidering this'mean as’ better calculated than any other to fubject them en- tirely to their own control ; accordingly, they! have a great number of fchools where the chil- £C3 dren 39° VOYAGE IN SEARCH dren of the natives are inftructed in this religion, and taught to read and write in the Malay lan- guage. The feryice is performed. in the Malay tongue, in a church fet apart for the ufe of the natives, and in Dutch in another intended for the Dutchmen. There are two minifters to each. The Chinefe, as may be HRRAM A, have herg a pagoda. A few natives of the ifland, who haye pre: ferved the religion introduced by the Arabs and the Moors, have a mofque, . It js chiefly on the other fide of the roadftead, to the northward of the town, that i is to be found the greateft num- ber of true believers. The, Dutch haye. been more faccefsful in making profelytes to their, religion i in the enyirons of their principal efla~ blithment. The rod of i iron, with which they. govern this miferable people, fo aflimilates them - to flaves, that it is by no means aftonithing to find among them part of the vices which proceed from this flate of degradation of gan. Notwithftanding thefe people are accutioniecd to give up almoft every thing they poffefs to the Europeans, there is one article which they are very little difpofed to reign. Jealoufy is with them carried to fuch a pitch, that it would be highly dangerous to attempt. to hold any impro- per eae ee ee OF LA PEROUSE. 391 per converfation with their women. ‘No fear of punifhment would be fufficient to hinder them from executing their revenge. : Among the Dutch, the men have preferved for thee! drefs of ceremony their European clothes, but they all have waifteoats with fleeves, in order to be able to pull off their coat when the mafter of the houfe where they are invited defires them to put themfelves at their eafe, himfelf fetting them the example, Thofe who wear a wig never fail to deliver it into the hands of one of their fervants, and they then put on a large cap of very fine white linen. ‘The European women wear a petticoat which almoft touches the ground, and a gown in the form of a chemife, open in front, which falls no lower than the petticoat, and is drawn in by a fath ; their hair is rolled in a fpiral form behind the head, and confined by two large pins which crofs each other; this is their ordinary drefs. The women of the natives, who are in eafy cir- cumftances and refide in the town, wear drefies of the fame make, but moft commonly black. ~ Thofe of ‘a blue colour are in particular requeft among the women who live in the country. The female flaves wear, as a gown, a fort of fhift, which is not open in front like that of the free women. cc4 The 392 VOYAGE. LN SEARCH The free men wear their hair turned up with a comb, The flaves tie a handkerchief round their head. . The Chinefe, as is well ‘sooues sabsived fpices from the Moluccas.many centuries before the Europeans made themfclves mafiers of them, The Greeks and the Romans alfo had a. know- ledge of them. This was for.a long. time the object of the refearches of the firft navigators who penetrated into the Indian feas. _Thofe yaluable -aromatics which. were at that time concentrated in a fmal] number of iflands, have fince been. carried into very diftant countries, where they thrive perfectly well. We have reafon to hope that one day our colony of Gui- ana will rival the Moluccas, and by procuring for the whole world, at a moderate price, a greater quantity of fpices, will bring them inta more general ufe., They are alfo cultivated with fuccefs in the Ifles of France and of the Re, union. We took on board the Recherche two does and a ftag, with the intention of enriching New Holland with this beautiful fj pecies of qua~ druped. We laid in a good ftock of fowls, ducks, and Guinea gecfe. We did not bring away any caffowaries *. r * Struthio caffuarius, Linn. Although OF LA PEROUSE. 893 Although they are here confidered as poultry; it is not eafy to procure them; for they are not natives of Amboyna, but are™brought thither from the large iflands fituated to the eaftward. This bird would fearcely beara fea voyage; be- fides, its flefh is black, hard, and by no means juicy. In proportion to the room that it.swvould have occupied on:board, it would have aftorded much lefs meat than the poultry we. had pro- vided; for, with the exception of its thighs, which are very mufcular, fince nature has fpe- cially defined. this bird for running, the reft of its body is of a moderate fize relatively to its height. Our roots were principally {weet potatoes and Yam, : Some fine bunches of plantains, and various fpecies of pumpkins, adorned the fhip’s ftern. ., We had purchafed a good number of hogs and goats. We carefully preferved our cow, although her milk was now dried up; for it would have been impoffible to replace her. At Amboyna, in- Ceed, is found in the number. of the domeftic animals a {pecies of buffalo, common in India; the female gives but little milk: befides, this quadruped_ being ;almoft ungovernable, would be very dangerous and- very troublefome on fhipboard, | Our 394 VOYAGE IN SEARCH Our butcher, who was entrufted with the — feeding of the cattle, had been able to procure — only a very hard and very dry forage, compofed — in a great meafure of the anthifiria ciliata; but fortunately he had provided fome thick — plantain ftems, which for a long time afforded thefe animals a fucculent food. As they were — reduced to a fcanty allowance of water, the — moifiure of thefe plants was very beneficial to them. | The flour which was procured for us at Am- boyna was of a middling quality; and of this the Company’s agents could furnifh us only about five hundred myriagrams. This fcarcity, whether real or fictitious, occafioned us to pay for it an exorbitant price, ~ We found here yery little European meat. The Deputy Governor, however, had a good ftock of Hamburgh beef, which is an article in high requeft with navigators. He was fo good as to {pare a part of it to the commander of the expedition; but, when we got to fea, it was difcovered that the Deputy Governor’s fervants had committed a great breach of truft. The moft flefhy part of thefe picces of beef had been taken off, and there had been delivered to the Admiral nothing more than the bones and the - - tendinous parts, Young OF LA PEROUSE, =-»-» gg Young bamboo fhoots, cut in flices and pickled 1 in vinegar, form an excellent article for a long voyage ; we laid in a great quantity of them. Thefe fhoots are in general very tender, Care mutt be taken to cut them in time, They are fold in the ‘market as culinary. vegetables, for which they area good fubfityte, ‘Their length is frequently a meter, and. their thicknefs a third of a decimeter. We had ftocked ourfelves with cloves and — nutmegs preferved in fugar. The hufk of the nutmeg is, in this cafe, the only eatable part; — unfortunately, the ignorant confectioners had choien nutmegs in too ripe a ftate. The cloves being already as big as middle-fized olives, ftill preferved too aromatic a flavour to form an agreeable fweetmeat: a perfon muft have an Jndian palate to enjoy thefe dainties in perfec- tion. As much may be faid of the preferved ginger, of which we alfo took a fupply. ' Our ftock of fago was far too confiderable, for we could confume only a very finall part of it; the fhip’s company could never reconcile ; themfelves to this mefs, however wholefome it might be, and, in {pite of all the arguments of our furgeon, they conceived fuch a difgufi for it, at the end of a few months, that they preferred to it falt meat eyen of the worlt quality. nacre We 396 VOYAGE IN SEARCH We fearcely had remaining any hogfheads of wine that was drinkable. The only {pirituous liquor that we could procure was arrack, of - which we purchafed feveral cafks. Some navi- gators {peak a great deal too much in praife of — this liquor, which is not fo good as brandy even of a middling quality. CHAPTER OF LA PEROUSE.. . 397 _ CHAPTER Pe | Departure from Amboyna.—Singular effe of the tides —We get fight of different iflands.—Ra- vages occafioned on board by the pecies of ti- nea called blatta Germanica.— Navigation along the fouth-weft coaft of New Holland.—Death of the fmith of the Recherche —A gale of wind drives us towards the coaft.—We anchor in Le- grand’s Bay.—The Efpérance lofes at the an- ~-chorage two iron tillers—The chain by which fhe rides at this anchorage breaks.—Various excur- _fions to the neighbouring country —New fpecies of fwan.—Marine falt found at upwards of two . hundred meters in perpendicular height ; in what manner tt had beew carried thither —Citizen _ Riche lofes himfelf upwards of two days in the woods on the main land.—We fail from Legrand's Bay, in order to continue to range along the fhore. —The want of water makes us quit this coaft-— Arrival at Cape Diemen.—We anchor in Rocky Bay. | W E were now waiting only for a fair wind to.fail from Amboyna. At half paft feven o'clock in the morning of the 14th of October, a light _ breeze 408 VOYAGE IN s#aRcH breeze fprang up from the fouth-eaft; we ini- _ mediately weighed anchor, and by eleven o’clock — we were already at the outlet of the meesiicaty the weft point of which bore weft 6° 1 5° north, — and the eaft point eaft 6° 15” fouth: we were at — the diftance of two kilometers from the latter. By the obfervations which were made at noon, — we found that the weft pout of Amboyna was in — the latitude of 3° 46’ 54” fouth, and longitude — of 125° 53° 48” eafl. ; The wind continuing all.day at fouth-eaft, we / kept clofe-hauled on the larboard. tack, One of the boys of the large Dutch Eaft-In- dia Company's fhip that had failed a fhort time before for Batavia, had concealed himfelf on board of the Recherche; and on the 15th he made his appearance on deck, almoft-at the fame mo- ment that the Captain of the Efpérance informed the Admiral, that he had juft found in his fhip fix runaways from Amboyna; namely, three of the Company’s foldiers, one failor, and two black flaves. Thefe unhappy creatures fled from a country, where they all, with little diftinétion, were groaning in flavery. The Admiral had given permiffion to the fhips’ companies to take on board for themfelyes hogs and’ poultry ; accordingly every part of our fips was encumbered with them. ‘They were almoft all ‘placed in thé between-decks, arid they’ 73 were ‘ OF LA PEROUSE, 399 were the more troublefome, as the noxious odour which they diffufed was confiderably augmented. by the heat; of the climate., «.. On the18th, being in latitude 7° 10’ fouth, and Jongitude 123° 14’ eaft, there appeared to us to be no, variation of the compafs. | - We had. already been repeatedly witneffes: of a phenomenon which never fails to terrify navi- gators, becaufe they in the night fometimes take it for breakers; we again faw it on the 19th, very early in the morning. The air being fcarcely agitated, we perceived the fea foaming ata dif- tance; fome waves, impelled with force, fuc- ceeded each other, and reached us in’a fhort time: a very ftrong rippling, occafioned by the. fea having received an impulfe different to that - given it. by the wind which had blown during. the night, fucceeded to this motion of the waters. The caufe appeared to me to depend ’on the tides which run between the lands, where the currents: acquire a rapidity proportionate to the confine-) ment which the wayes of the fea there expe-. riences 3 We got fight of Kiffer Ifland, which we per- | ceived at nine o'clock in the morning, bearing’ from. fouth to eaft by fouth: it-is very hilly,’ efpecially on its weftern fide. Its greateft ex- tent is from weft fouth-wett to eaft’ north- _eait; 400 VOYAGE IN SEARCH eaft; it lies in the latitude of 8° 13’ 2” fouthy and longitude of 123° 32’ 17” eaft. A very cloudy fky did not allow us, till tox wards four o'clock in’ the afternoon, to difcover the northern coaft of Timor *, from which how- ever we were only at the diffance of a myriame-’ tes: fome very lofty mountains reared their heads above the clouds. We perceived during’ the night fires lighted on them at different heights. No doubt, at this elevation, the inhabit- ants experience the neceflity of protecting them- adhd 5 ee ee felves againft the cold of the night, and perhaps: — too they employ this method to keep away wild beafts. . Thefe fires were to us fo many light-: houfes, which ferved to direé our courfe along the coaft, when a few puffs of wind came and interrupted the calm that reigned during a good part of the night. At feven o’clock in the morning on the 23d, we were a demi-myriameter from a fettlement which the Portuguefe have on the weft coaft of Timor ; they call it Laphao. Its pofition is in latitude g° 22” 45” fouth, and longitude 122° 23° 36” eaft. ' The Portuguefe colours, which had juft been hoiticc! there, bore fouth 30’ eaft. The fort fa-' luted us with five guns. A canoe with a double * For a modern account of this hofpitable ifland we refer the reader to Bligh’s Voyage to the South Sea, chap. xviii. T. outrigger OF LA PEROUSE. 401 outrigger immediately came and reconnoitred our fhips, to which fhe approached very near; but fhe foon returned towards the weft, without having fpoken us. .Prefently we ran in fill nearer to the land: we faw om the beach fome natives and a few canoes. We founded feveral times, without finding bottom at thirty fathoms. At four o’clock in the afternoon we diftin- guifhed Batoa Ifland at the diftance of two my- riameters to the fouth-eaft; it is feparated from Timor only by an interval of a demi-myriameter. Calms being very frequent along the coaft of Timor, we hauled off from it in the afternoon of the 25th by the help of a foutherly breeze, and directed our courfe to the weftward, without however finding frefher winds. Thefe calms feem to be occafioned by the heat, which is the’ more intenfé as the fun at this feafon here darts its rays almoft perpendicularly. The continuance of the calms renders naviga- tion very laborious along thefe coafts, on which a fhip is inceffantly in danger of being driven by the ftrength of the currents. ‘The compofition of charts\of thefe different iflands is extremely difficult, on account of the currents, which are very irregular; and indeed thofe which have been. hitherto conftruéted prefent very material differences, y _A great number of various fpecies of whales VOL. I. DD came ' ‘40m VOYAGE IN SEARCH came repeatedly and farrounded our fhips; they fpouted out water on our very decks. We faw clearly by the little fear with which we infpired them, that sey had never pecs permis by fithers. Our fhip: was Sti usioeees welt? fais pur- chafed at Amboyna; their piercing cries left us not a moment’s peace ‘during the day; they by no means agreed with their fituation on board, — for fome of them daily perifhed. . They were at- tacked by conyulfive: movements, which vitriolic ether certainly had the power to alleviate, with- out however faving their life. Mortality had alfo fpread among: our foitlasp moft of them were attacked by violent ophthal- ‘Mia, occafioned by the coldnefs of the nights; and thofe which were deprived of fight, ere long died of hunger: Yet it would have been eafy to prevent this accident, by fheltering thefe animals. from the night air by means of a fereen property, fitted to the front of the coops. Much had been faid to-us in praife of the Am- boyna water, for its. property of keeping a long time at fea without putrefying; but the cafe was different with us; ours was already very much ¢ : i ; tainted, and we could no- longer drink it till it~ : had been violeutly agitated; in order to expel from it the inflammable air, which fortunately adheres to itbut ina flight degrees’ This un- os ia expedted : ' OF “EA PEROUSE. 7 403 eniniaiia ‘decompofition was ‘furely’ owing’ only to the:little care that had been ‘taken’ in’ rincing out: ‘the water-cafks. “There” had ‘remained in them enough of thé inflammable particles con+ tained in the old water te se Bade. the new. |.) i i SEE G"SOIOD 9 Itis cettainly very 17 Aiigraeabte fiona to drink water 4s ftinking? asthat of the moft filthy bogs $ | but no apprehenfion remains on the mind, when it is Known ‘that by‘agitating it for fome minutes, in the manner I have before indicated, it pcre its original purity. ; As early as half paft four o'clock in the morn- ing, we perceived by the light of the’ Rats the ~ Ifland of Savu, which bore from weft 13° fouth: to fouth 25° weft. We were ‘only two’ kilome- ters from the coaft.') We fteered weft, in order to -pafs to the northward of this little iffand: and about half paft nine o’clock we found ougfelves abréaft of the bay in which Captain Cook entered in his fecond voyage, after having paffed through Endeavour Strait*: ‘we ‘diftinguifhed five ca- noes afloat quite -clofe. to the beach, where they were {heltered from the fea, which was breaking on'a fmall reef even with the water's ‘edge. * This is'a miftake of the author. It was in his firft voyage that Captain Cook anchored at the Ifland of Savu,. of which he gives a particular defcription. See Hawkefworth’s Collection of Voyages, vol. iii, page 267 and following. T- f Voyages, ly pag ares The 404 VOYAGE IN SEARCH The Tfland of Savu prefents an enchanting profpect: it is interfected, particularly towards the fouth-weft, by very fine hills, the gentle decli- vities of which muft afford the natives a favour- able and eafily cultivated foil. Some cocoa-palms, fcattered about in clumps on the fkirts of the beach, ferved as a fhelter to a few huts which ftill more embellithed thefe charming plantations. This ifland is in latitude 10° 25’ 48” fouth, and longitude 119° 45’ 19” eaft. The Dutch have here a fmall {fettle- ment. ; ras _. Towards the middle of the day we fet an ifland bearing from fouth 46° 30° weft to fouth 57° 50° -weft, at the difiance of a myriameter and a half. It appeared to us not to be more than a myria- meter in length; it is fituated in the latitude of 10° 28’ 50” fouth, and longitude of 119° 56°17” © eatft. . At fix o’clock in the morning we got fight of — New Savu, bearing caft 31° 30’ fouth, difiant a myriameter. This little ifland, which is very low, lies in latitude 10° 37’ 28” fouth, and lon- gitude 119° 2’ 47” eaft. | At funfet we difcovered part of the ifland ‘of — San del Bofe, about four myriameters diftant to the north north-eaft; it is covered with moun- tains of moderate elevation, and is in the latitude of OF LA PEROUSE. 405 of 10° 27’ 4” fouth, and longitude of 118° 6” 34” caft. The pofition of an iflot which” bore from north 1° eaft to north 3° 30° weft, at the dif- tance of four it Miao: was fixed at the la- titude of 10% 27’ fouth, and ee of 118° 9° 5” eaft. In the courfe of the day of the 29th the cur- rents ceafed to fet us to the weftward, and car~ ried us ten miles towards the north. The bight in the lands of New Holland, to the fouthward . of Timor, is probably the caufe of this different direction of the currents, which conftantly run from eaft to weft through Endeavour Strait: they foon refumed their dire@tion towards the weft, caufing us to drift from dite 4 to twenty-four miles a day. It is to be remarked, that Captain Cook, after having paffed through Endeavour Strait, ‘had, like us, for four and twenty hours in thefe feas, a difference in his northing, but ftill greater than that which we experienced. Since we had on the goth loft fight of the ‘Tfland of San del Bofe, we met with no land be- fore we reached the coaft of New Holland. The light airs which we experienced made us fear that we fhould arrive there a little too late to complete the furvey of it. We probably were not far from fome rocks DD a in 406 _ . VOYAGE, IN, SEARCH in theyafternoon, of the,2d of November, for we were furrounded by a vaft ntmber of birds, which nexer (go! yery/fan-from land; and they digappeared atthe approach of night. Weralfo fast -algreat-miany of them the next day, the $te + Navigators who: cifig thefe feas. fhould re- double their attention; in order to avoid’ ranning oR. the: rocks webich fete asa. igs to. ne bw@s-bas Beatie ody oy ey 45 “Duriag the night, of-the 15th our hia fall o over- beards through an opening: leftvat; the fore part of the gapgway, which wassmuch larger than was neceffaryfor the dyty.of,the: thip ; befides this lofs, we had alocto regret that of a hind, which. had; been recently, delivered over to,our x. only, becaute the was fo ill that) the woul fhortly have died... Captain Hugqn. was made acquainted. with, this saccident, .and, defired totakeall: pofible.careto preferve the fiag which = he had on beard, hob det ourarrival at Holland. 34) tid go eid ar sone1silib & rt dew He we pafled KT ot "Trials, awe. were 100. far difiant to difcever them ; 5 AVE, favw } howeyer feveral’ oceanic rbirds, which no doubt go and he refuge there during the night, » og he, (pecies sof, tinea. pene blatta Gibiaiion had mulfiplicd to fach.a degree for feveral months pait fince we had been under the tropics, that they. ididiieclualiel Thetvinkeds didnot “ea ‘content / OOF SLA /PEROUSE:’ cs (407 pontent: themfelves’ with our bifcuit; they alfo devoured linen, paper, &c.: nothing came amifs to them. Their :fondnefs for vegetable acids however aftonifhéd me ; no. fooner was a Jeman cut than they quickly difpatched: it; but’ what aftonithed me ftill more, was the rapidity with which they emptied my ink-horn, when I forgot to put in the ftopper. The cauftic quality of the yi- triol,.with which they°gorged themfelves, feemed to have no prejudicial effe& on'them.' . « -. Phe Amboyna fugar, extracted from the fago- palm, was an allarement which they could not ‘refift. We defiroyed’a great many of them by -mixing a {mall quantity of ‘this fugarwith water in a cup, into which pire came sei fell head- ‘long.* . Thete infects dial us’ ftill more ae bighit sei by*day.;\'they were continually difturbing ‘our reft by fettling:on ae pat 244 the. vpn that was uncovered, 4: 9% The tinea called, blatta seioatelieg had sah its appearance almoftifrom the timejof our leaving — ‘Breft >but having very quickly difappeared, it ‘was fucceeded by this troublefome fpecies. In the courfe ofthe, day of the 26th we were icarried thirty-eight miles to the north-weft, The _ “Brials, from which swe were not far diftant, and ifome thoals, were’ doubtlefs the caufe of thefe violent currents...) « : , nf | DDA We 4038 VOYAGE IN SEARCH We left the region of the tropics in the courfe _ of the 18th, _ The mercury in the Lnebingiis rofe the ram: day to 28 inches 5 lines; which appeared to me the more aftonifhing, as it varies very little be- tween the tropics. Befides, this was the only time in our whole voyage that it rofe fo high ina fimilar latitude. Although the thermometer was not lower than 18°, we neverthelefs experienced a lively fenfation of cold, On the 20th we began to meet with the vari- cable winds, in the latitude of 26° fouth. Our goats were perifhing daily for want of proper food : we again loft two in the courfe of this day, About five o’clock in the afin of the 27th, the Efpérance was on the point of running aboard of us; yet there was wind enough for keeping a fhip properly under command : this negligence of the officer of the watch might have occafioned much damage to our fhips, and forced us to abandon the project of vifiting the fouth-weft coaft of New Holland, which we were fhortly to explore. A {pare boom was fortunately run out in time to keep us clear of her. On the 5th of December, the fight of feveral fpecies of gulls and other birds, which feldom go fo far from the thore, indicated the proximity of Jand. ‘The wind blew too ftrong at weft fouth- - weft OF LA PEROUSE. 4°99 weft to allow us to ftand dire¢tly in for it. The fea being alto very high, and the horizon. very much obfcured by clouds, determined us to fleer to the fouth-eaft by fouth, in hopes that next day circuinfiances would be more in our favour, At noon we tound ourfelves in the latitude of 34° 12’ fouth, and longitude of 112° eaft. We {pent the night lying to, and founded re- peatedly, with a line of a hundred and twelve fathoms, without ftriking ground. ’ It was not quite half paft-two o'clock in the — morning of the 6th, when we ftood on to the eaft fouth-eaft, and as foon as daylight appeared, the Efpérance made the fignal for land. in the north-eaft quarter, at the diftance of three my- riameters;. it.was the weftern extremity of the fouth-weft coaft of New Holland, difcovered by Leuwin in 1622. It made like a low land, ex- tending from north-weft to fouth-wef. At fix o’clock we fhaped our courfe eaft by fouth, and when we were a myriameter from the coaft we followed it in its direction to the fouth- eaft. A frefh breeze from the weft north-weft - drove us along at the rate of ee myriameters an hour. The interior of the country was ¢ interfedted by downs covered with fands, which’ exhibited the afpect of the greateft aridity. Thefe little moun- tains, {cattered over a low land, feemed at a dif- ; tance 41D VOYAGE IN SEARCH tartce to form fo many iflots: the interval which feparated them afforded a few fhrubs; the foliage f which being: of a — tent; ae an Unhealthy fates | ' Some rocks which ‘rofe naive aly feo the middle of ‘thefe fandy plains difcovered the - formation of the downs; they doubtlefs lay on other rocks of the fame nature, the fhape of which had allowed the fands; driven: by the _ winds, to colleét there more eafily. It mutt be wery ‘uncommon ‘to’ find ‘frefh water on fuch grounds, where! that which iffues‘from the clouds _ dg-filtrated, no doubt, to great’ depths’ before it meets with firata that arreft its ‘progrefs. - (nthe morning our finith was found ‘dead ‘in his bed. Phe day before he had’ been prefent at an ‘entertaitiment which the French gutiners formerly ‘celebrated with ferupulous bka Qined 'Dhey'had for a long time {faved up, ‘for this repaft, a great ‘quantity of provifions,» The unfortunate finith, ‘ehfeebled, as we all were, by the abftinence: to which we were condemned fince our departure from: Amboyna, “had indulged his. appetite too — hrecly. An apojilettic! fit »had: carried him off. - ‘This lofs would have been irreparablehad not ‘chance.brought on-board, at the Cape of Good eet = Caan CR RRS whats Saatirot PSOE op idiriot © At non bing inate 34° 457 46" ‘ath, ” and Y ‘Si OF LA PEROUSE... 4ut and Jongitude 113° 338’ 56” eaft, theoncareft, coaft bore north-weft, diftantone myriameter, and we at the fame time faw land from weit 25° fouth to eaft-40%° fouth. » eh wo) Riper ‘The mountains began to form a, pretty regu- lar chain, the higheft not appearing tobe more’ than four hundred meters: perpendicular: We’ remarked on them large fpots entirely deftitute of verdures in other places were weak: fhrubs thinly firewn, in the midfi of which’ we fawea bp mall number of treés ofa middling height.: ing the fignals which fhe was making to us. We did not hefitate to go and feek the fame fiielter.. The Admiral immediately gave orders * for bearing up north by eaft under the fore fail, and we prefently ran to within a little diftance of the Efpérance, and found her, in a flight degree, protected from the fea by an iflot. Signals were made from that fhip to warn us to ‘keep quite -clofé along the land, in order to be better fhel- tered than fhe was. In coafting the little ifland, ‘we beheld'the frightful fight of a boifterous fea, which, having cleared the fouth. point, opened in its fall a gulf that expofed to view part of the EE 2 bafe per- 420 VOYAGE IN SEARCH bafe of this rock. The fear of approaching too near the Jand made us caft anchor, about five o'clock, to windward of the Efpérance, but not fufficiently within thé anchorage to avoid falling on board of her, if our fhip dragged her anchors. The danger was the greater, as our firft anchor came home: axes were now ready for cutting away thé mafts, in order to give lefs hold to the wind; but a fecond anchor brought us up*. We had anchored in nineteen fathoms water, ‘over a bottom of fand ant, he mixed with broken fhells. oc Being violently toffed ‘Bout by the fea, we avere expofed to almoft the whole impetuofity of the wind, and we were afraid of feeing our cables part, for we fhould in that cafe have fallen on fome rocks, where the fea was breaking in a dreadful manner. Towards night we let go a third anchor undet foot, in order to be more certain of withftand- ing fuch violent efforts. »°The mercury in the barometer, which had fallen to 27 inches 84 lines, perceptibly rofe as * Whatever may have been the merits of Admiral D’Entre- cafteaux as a navigator, he and his officers cannot be compli- mented on their judgment as feamen, in thus running the rifk of facrificing both ie, by anchoring in the Efpérance’s — hawfe. T. I ; i . foon mal ee OF LA PEROUSE. 421 ‘foon as day appeared on the 11th, and announced to us that the ftorm was at an end. The fea having fallen confiderably, Captain Huon fent his boat on board of the Recherche to inform us, that, the day before, the Efpérance had been carried fo rapidly towards the land, that fhe was on the point of running afhore, -when Citizen Legrand, an officer of diftinguifhed merit, had in the height of the gale gone to the maft-head, and had come down again almoft immediately, , calling out with rapture, that the fhip was clear of the danger, He defcribed the fituation of the anchoyage which he had dif- covered, and affirmed that a yeffel might ride there in fafety. The falvation of the two fhips depended on this difcoyery; for, had the Re- cherche been obliged to ply during the night in the midft of thefe dangerous fhoals, after having firuggled as long as fhe had been able againf the violence of the gale, in hopes that a fhift of wind would allow her to gain the open fea, fhe would infallibly have been loft. This bay, which bears the name of Citizen Legrand, will recall to mind the fignal: fervice rendered to our expedition by this fkilful fea- man: his advice had been to anchor nearer the Jand, and it was unlucky that it had not been followed; for the chain which the Efpérance had faft to her {mall bower anchor,. had fnapped EE 3 during 422 VOYAGE IN SEARCH during the night, owing to the heavy fea, and the fhip then riding only by a fingle anchor, _had prefently driven towards the coaft, when for- tunately another anchor brought her up. This thip alfo loft two iron tillers; fhe had no fpare ones; thefe tillers were broken by the violent firokes which the fea gave the rudder, in the combined motions of pitching and rolling: ceteris paribus, pitching is much more felt at anchor than at fea. ~ From the place where we lay we counted twelve iflots, with fome rocks and breakers, which afforded us fhelter. In this vaft bafin the fea might fend us very heavy waves; but we were fortunately anchored on good holding ground. The iflot to eat of which we were riding, bore from fouth 25° weft to weft 3° north. In the morning a boat from each fhip was fent thither to found, as we had an intention of gets ting nearer to it; every where was found an ex~ cellent bottom, and there were feyen fathoms and a half water at a fmall diftance from the Jand. Some perfons, in order to wach the fhore, were obliged to jump into the water, for the boat would have been knocked to pieces, had fhe been brought in clofe enough to the coaft for them to land without wetting their feet. Several feais, of the fpecies which is called 3 phoca ~~ - -_ pees as* Ea eee eS —EEE—=e ee i a ee > + i lle Ma i iii, OF LA PEROVSE: 423 phoca pifilla, were bafking at their eafe in the fun, on the rocks and along the fhore; fome fuffered themfelves to be killed with fficks. It | is proper to remark, that the drawing which Buffon has given of this amphibious animal has doubtlefS been taken from a fkin badly ftuffed ;: it is there reprefented with a neck much finaller than the head, as is the property of moft qua- drupeds ; but the feal being principally deftined for fwimming, is affimilated to fithes, and has the head of a {maller fize than the neck, » In the fame drawing the eats aré repre. fented very open, whereas they have nearly the form of a cone, without any other apertute than a longitudinal flit on the external fide; it fhonld. feem that nature wiflied. to prevent the water from introducing itfelf into the ears of this ani- mal when it dives; for it can completcly fhut this flit when it is in the water, and open it, but in a flight degreé, when it is on land. Our boats alfo met with a numerous. flock of {wans, feveral of which fuffered themfelves to’ be caught with the hand; but the reft being ap- prized of the danger foon took to flight, This new {peciesy which is a little fmaller than the wild fwan, is of a cinereous grey, the tint of which is fomewhat brighter under the belly; the bill is brckilh, and has at its bafe a protuberance of a EE4 _ falphur 424 VOYAGE IN SEARCH fulphur colour; the feet are flightly tinged with red. Our main top-fail having fplit a little the day before, when we tacked in ftruggling againft the gale, we availed ourfelves of the fine weather, in the courfe of the forenoon, to fhift it. A light breeze from the fouth-eaft had fuc- ceeded the ftorm. As the moment was favourable, we’ warped the fhip, very early in the morning of the 12th, towards the fhore, from which we were then at the diftance of only about three hundred meters. ‘I went afhore on the little ifland that lay to the fouth-wefi ; it is hilly, and is not more than four kilometers long by two broad. The fwell had not yet fufficiently fubfided to make it eafy to land; it was neceflary to feize the moment of the rife of the fea to let our boat, which was riding by a grapnel, approach the fhore, and at each time one of us leaped out on the beach. As the gunnel of the boat, on which it was neceflary to ftand in order to jump on fhore, prefented an inclined plane, and the coaft was fteep, we ran a rifk of falling into the wa- ter, and of being rolled over by the waves, which followed very clofe upon each other, and from which a good fwimmer even would have found much difficulty in extricating himfelf. This ) “e was OF LA PEROUSE, 425 was not the only danger we had to apprehend; we might alfo become the prey of a large fhark _ that kept a few yards aftern of us. We had feen him from daybreak, prowling round our fhips, and he had followed our boat as if he longed to have-a fnap at one of us. The chap- lain of the Recherche fell into the water, and was on the point of being devoured by this ani- mal, when fortunately the coxfwain of the boat refcued him from the danger. Some failors, belonging to the Efpérance, when walking on the rocks, killed,’ with their fticks, a great many feals of different colours ; there were fome white, fome of a more or lefS dark gray, and others brown, approaching a black; however, they were all of the fame fpecies, defignated by Buffon under the name of petit. phogue ; their flefh was found very good to eat. The iflot on which we now were is compofed _ of a beautiful granite, where quartz, felfpar, and mica predominate; this laft is found in /amine of a blackifh colour; I alfo remarked fome /pi- cule of black fchorl, but in a very fmall quan- tity ; this granite was.expofed to full view, in fe- veral places. The mould, which had accumulated in the lefs fteep fpots, was covered with fhrubs, fo clofe to each other that I could not penetrate through them without much difficulty. I here gathered a beautiful fpecies of /eptofpermum, re- : : matkable 426 VOYAGE IN SEARCH markable for its filvery leaves, - its flowers of a bright red. I alfo faw feveral new possi belonging to the family of the zhymelee, which have only two fiamina, and of which Forfter has made a new genus, under the denomination of bank/ia. Here I likewife remarked fome new fpecies of rumex, lobeha, and buplevrum, _. The weft part of this iflot exhibits, in one of the moft elevated points, a furface of calcareous fione, the ftrata of which follow the gentle de- clivity of the mountain. Strata of the fame fione no doubt formerly covered the other parts of the ifland, and the nucleus of granite ferved as their bafe; but probably they have fallen in, and ‘have uncovered the fteep places; for to the north-eaft,where the mountains fink with a rather gentle flope, there are ftill to be found fome ~ calcareous ftones at a fmall diftance from the fhore. I was never able to difcover here any fhells, notwithftanding the refearches I made for that purpofe. From the fummit of this little ifland we dif- tinguifhed, at a diftance, part of the reefs and rocks on which our fhips had like to have been dathed to pieces, before we arrived at the anchor- age. ‘Their number ftill frightened us, and we wondered at having been able to efeape from fa many dangers, Twa OF LA PEROUSE.’ 424 Two gulls, a male and female, of the {pecies called by Buffon bourgmeftre (larus fufcus, Linn.), eame and fettled in thefe heights, at a fhort dif tance from as. The female haying been thot, the male, terrified at the noife of the explofion, at firft took to flight, but prefently he returned to the fame fpot, being unwilling longer to aban- don his mate, and he fuffered himfelf to be killed by her fide, I had alfo fired with fmall fhot at a feal that was lying down at a pretty good diftance from me; he felt himfelf wounded, and diftrafling his firength, he durft not throw himfelf into the water ; I was fo well concealed, that he could not perceive me. Prefently I faw another very big one, which, attraéted by the cries of the wound- ed feal, came and licked all the places whence the blood was flowing; this animal fubmitted to the operation as if it gave him fome relief; but at the fight of a boat which approached them, they both plunged into the fea. Shortly after I diftinguifhed fome others, ad+ vancing towards the fkirts of the beach; they ne- ver failed, before they ventured to come on fhore, to raife near half their body above the water, and they kept themfelves fome time in this attitude, {melling and looking about on all fides, to difcover if there was no danger in their coming tp refi on the rocks As 428. " YOYAGE IN SEARCH As I had the day before reaped an abundant harveft of fpecimens of natural hiftory, of dif- ferent kinds, I was obliged to {pend part of the 13th on board, in order to defcribe and prepare them. About five o’clock in the afternoon, a party was fent to pitch the tents for the obfervatory. I wifhed to avail myfelf of this opportunity to go on fhore on the iflot where I had already been, As the tide was only beginning to make, we ‘could ftill land on it, but in a little time it would have been impoffible to regain the boat, and we fhould have been obliged to pafs the night on fhore. This confideration prevented feveral of my companions from going thither. The fpace that was to be cleared to reach the beach was about feven meters, and at every wave the fea rofe on it upwards of two meters in perpendicular height. It was neceffary to pafs in the interval between one wave and the next, at the rifk of being fwept away into the fea; this happened to the furgeon’s firft mate of the Recherche. He had juft defired us to take notice that he was go- ing to ftep on fhore, almoft without wetting his ' feet; but not croffing fufficiently quick, he was wafhed away by a heavy fea, which carried him along the coaft: fortunately he could fwim, and he came back towards the boat, but in a far dif; ferent _ OF LA PEROUSE. 429 ferent plight from what he had reckoned, when he wifhed to fhew off his agility. Thofe who had gone on fhore were obliged to pafs the night there ; their whole ftock of provi- fions confifted of a little bifcuit. Dying with thirft, they were compelled, in a very dark night, to travel upwards of two kilometers acrofs the rocks, in order to procure fome water; and, to complete their misfortunes, it turned out to be _ brackifh. Enormous fharks, of the moft common fpecies, Squalus carcharias, frequently made their appear- ance in the bafin where we lay at anchor. On board of the Efpérance one was caught, which was about four meters long, and much thicker in proportion to its length than fharks are in general. As every thing made us forefee the impoffibi- lity of finding the means of renewing our ftock of water at this anchorage, the fecond in com- mand gave orders, that there fhould be ferved out no more than three fourths of a bottle a day to each perfon, The commander in chief and he _had as‘much as they pleafed. I thought, however, that water was a common fiock, the privation of which fhould alike have extended to all. On the 14th, at daybreak, the geographical engineer of the Recherche fet. off in the barge, in order to reconnoitre the iflots of this little Archi- pelago, 436 VOYAGE IW SEARCH pelago, and to fee if there was no paflage to the eaftward, between the fhoals; he was alfo to look out for a convenient watering-place. I ardently wifhed to be one on fuich an expedition ; but as geographical operations are little connett- ed with the refearches of naturalifts, we were not apprized of the hour of departure, for which every thing was arranged fo privately, that I Knew nothing of the matter, till the moment when the boat was rowing away from the fhip. ~The impofiibility of having a boat to carry me to the main land determined me to go and {pend this day on the iflot to the fouth+weft, the coaft of which I followéd, firft proceeding to the north-weft. It was not long before I reached one of the moft lofty fummits, where I found a little ftream of frefh water, iffuing from the clefts of a rock of granite; we were overjoyed at this difeovery, for we had for fome time been reduced to a very feanty allowance. Hard by I perceived fome cavities, “filled with very clear water, which I had reafon to think as frefh as that which was flowing from the rock, for it was upwards of two hundred meters per- pendicular above the level of the fea. I was miftaken ; it was very falt ; and farther on, other excavations, filled with the fame water, exhibited on their margins, cryftals of marine falt, in ra- ther thin Jamine, which at fome diftance re- fembled OF LA PEROUSE. ' 431 fembled ice. This fact having been related on board, by fome of the perfons who accompanied me, feveral of our fhipmates, in order to explain the caufe of this phenomenon, infifted that the fea might very well rife to this height in bad weather, although the coaft was guarded by rocks which were pretty large, but in truth at no great diftance from the foot of the mountains. As this ftream, which was very dull, fupplied us flowly with the water neceffary for quenching our thirft, we were compelled to reft ourfelves on its banks; and prefently fome fmall drops of falt water, by which we were wetted, ap- ptized me that the air was raifing as far as us the fea-water, attenuated by the dafhing of the waves againfi the rocks.. Our, clothes were {peedily covered with it, as. if they had been expofed toa flight fog; this water had loft none. of its faltnefs. Some birds were waiting for us to retire, in order to come and quench their thirft. I here killed a charming fawn-colour turtle, remark- le for fix or eight, golden feathers, which it has towards the bafe of the wings. For this reafon White has called it the golden-winged pigeon* : ‘* See page 146 of White’s Fournal of a Veyage to New South Wales, which contains a great variety of drawings and defcrip- tions-of fpecimens of the natural productions of that country. Publithed by Debrettin 1790. T- : € 432 VOYAGE IN SEARCH he has given a good drawing of it. I had al- ready found the fame {pecies at Cape Diemen. — We caught here a great many penguins, of the fpecies called aptenodyta minor, which Captain Cook had alfo met with at New Zealand; thefe were likewife concealed in very deep holes in the rocks, from which it was often nota little diffi- cult. to get them out. One of the moft elevated fpots which I this. day vifited, for the firft time, was formed of cal- eareous ftone, difpofed in almoft horizontal ftrata, like that which I had met with on the heights; it was of a very fine grain, exhibiting here and there only a few little cavities. But here too I did not remark any fhells; I prefume that it has been produced by a flow depofit of calcareous matter, conveyed in a ftate of folution. The change of foil procured me a few plants, which I had not before found. I here gathered a new and very remarkable fpecies. of ate of which I fhall give a de- fcription. The talleft ftems of this fhrub are not above four meters high; they are fmooth, and adorned principally towards the extremity of each branch with elongated, oval, alternate leaves, flightly bowed, and about a decimeter long. _ The flowers, which are feffile, and commonly _ - borne to the number of from about eight to ten, ‘ at ee SS lt ll ee eee ee * OF LA PERoUsE. 433 At the extremity of a common peduncl@ about three centimeters long, prefent all the characters of the excaljptus genus. Their numerous ftamina have long filaments of a fawn colour; the ftyle fhoots out’a little beyond the ftamina. The calyx, which is much elongatéd, is puthed out by the ftamina; in proportion as they expand, and it falls’ when any have attained their full growth. The capfulé, which is open at the top, i is oi locular, and’ fometimes quadrilocular ; it is crowned by a finall portion of the bafe of the fiyle, which is divided into as anne parts as there are cells. - Each cell contains a great many angulated feeds. ; | The form of the calyx has induced me to give to this fhrub the name of eucalyptus cornuta. Explanation of the Figures, Plate XX. Fig. 1. Branch of the eutalyptus cornuta. Fig. 2. Flower, with its calyx removed, in order to fhew the ftamina and the ftyle. - Fig. 3. Flower, with its calyx detached, and Rill enveloping the’ ftamina. ope Fig. 4. Calyx. fae - Fig. 5. Germen. Fig.'6. Capfule. . VoL. I. | FF After 434 VOXAGE IN SEARCH _ After having refolved to pafs the night om fhore, we looked, for a. convenient place, aud we at length found a hollow. in a.rock, where we were for fome, time perfedtly, theltered from the wind and the rain, which, came on at. the clofe of. the day. The. cold; was. fufficiently fharp to induce ug to kindle; a, fire; befides, we had not much. provifion, and. after I had fele@ted from the birds I had fhot thofe.I withed to pre- ferve for. my colleGion, | gave. my) companions the others, which they. broiled; on. the, coalsi We were expecting. to, make. a, telerably, good fupper, and to. fleep; afterwards very, quiet: ly, when all on a fudden the wind thifted- and became ingulfed in. our, cave, which, we were forced to leave very quickly, that we might not be flifled by the fmoke. This: difappointment made us regret ounnot haying returned on board,, for the wind was fo high as to extinguifh our fire before our’ penguins were quite done, but fill we found themvery good. _An ample flock, of water,, which we. had brought from. the top of the, mountain, afforded, - us, while making, this.meal, the. agreeable. re- ficciion that here, at. leafs, we, might drink as, much as we chofe. As foon as the day broke on.the.15th,. I.pro- ceeded towards the fouth-weft. Among a.great many other plants, I gathered at the foot of the mountains, Se iy ee CEA Fuddueke 452 mountains, in a marly foil, a leguminous plant, which muft be claffed among thofe whofe corolla is papilionaceous, and the filaments of the fia- mina feparated from each other. It forms a new genus, which I call chorizema. The calyx is entire, and quadrifid on its mar- gins. The upper divifion is broad, concave, and es than the reft the three inferior ones oti. | The fapetior margin of the flandard i is con- cave, and it almoft entirely covers | the wings and the keel. The ftamina, ten in number, are all feparated from each other. The germen is elliptic, and terminated by a recurved ftyle. ‘The legume, which is of an oval form, is filled with a great number of black feeds, al- moft {pherical. his plant is perennial ; ; its leaves are fimple, alternate, feffile, coriaceous, long, dentated, and have two fmall prickles for their flipules. The thape of the leaves has made me defig- nate this fpecies by the name of chorinemsa ilici- folia. . Explaiiation of the Figures, Plate XXI. Fig ig. 1. Plant of the natural fize. Fg. 2. Flower. ! yE2 Fig. 7 436 _ . VOYAGE IN SEARCH Pig. 3+ The petals expanded. _ - " Fig. 4. Stamina, the corolla. and. the calyx having been removed. Fig. 5. Germen, . _ Fig. 6. Legume. , bs: ~ Very early in. the morning : the Bipérance had fent a boat to the 1 main land to make-fome aftro- Hiomical obfervations. Citizen Riche had alfo fanded there. The rendezvous had been fixed for two o'clock in the afternoon at the place of debarkation ; but his ‘thipmates waited for him in vain till feven o’clock in the evening. The boat was then obliged to return, on board, Becaute’ the had no provifions in; and, befides, fhe was riding i in a place which might have be- éome very’ darigerous had: the fea got up ever fo a a EE eee eee little. The commanding officer left on the — fhore ‘a wrilten ‘paper, to apprize Riche, that, in ‘cafe he came to this place, the hoat fhould return to fetch him the next morning at day- light, ‘if the weather pertnitted. "The zeogtaphical engineer, fent to make a furvey of this little Archipelago, reached his fhip in’ the'early part ‘of the night; he had de- - termined the pofition of upwards of twenty iflots feattered in a {pace of about a degree both in longitude and in jatitude.* He landed on feyeral points, without’ finding a convenient place. for 2 oes watering ; ~ as ‘OF LA PEROUSE. 437 watering ; the only ftream of freth water that he had met with would have fearcely fufficed for the daily confumption of our fhips. He had difcovered, behind the point of the main land . that lay to the eaft north-eaft, a good anchor: age, with not fo great a depth of water as there was in that which we occtipied. ‘ At this Archipelago terminates the difcovery of Nuyts. We were aftonithed at the precifion with’ which its latitude had been fettled by that navigator, at a period when afironomical inftruments were yet very imperfect. I muft make the fame remark refpeting every part of this country which was difcovered by Leuwin, — For fome days the winds blew from the north- ward of eaft in the’morning, and from the fouth in the afternoon. The fands being ftrongly heated ‘ by the rays of the fun, occafion this diurnal variation. Thefe forts of winds kept-the atmo- fpheric air in equilibrio ; and indeed the mer-*~ cury in the barometer commonly ftood: at 28 inches 3 or 4 lines. On the 16th, the weather was very favour- able, and a boat was fent in fearch of Citizen Riche. That naturalift, enraptured with the rich- nefs and novelty of the productions of this country, which, till now, had not been vifited . by any obferver, had, no doubt, forgotten himfelt jn the contemplation of their beauty, and very — FF-3 _ . foon 438 VOYAGE IN SEARCH foon loft his way; he had not yet come back to the place of debarkation. On proceeding i in the dire¢tion which he had been obferved to take the day before, our peo- ple had a near view of fome natives, with whom, however, it was not poflible to have any inter; courfe; for they always fled as our people ad- yanced towards them. Riche’s fituation was the more alarming, as he had been abfent near a day and a half, and we knew that he had bewildered himfelf with- out provifions in an extremely barren country. The boat, which returned about two o'clock in the afternoon, brought the melancholy tidings that they had not been able to find him, Cap- tain Huon immediately came to communicate the circumftance to the Admiral, who confulted with him refpecting the meafures that it would be proper to take on this difaftrous occafion. The Admiral having fent for the naturalift Defchamps and myfelf, Captain Huon informed us of all the fteps which he had hitherto taken’ for finding our unfortunate colleague: he re- minded us of the dangers to which he might have expofed himfelf in advancing alone into the interior of the country, where perhaps he had fallen under the blows of the favages; in other refpecis, le could not, he faid, but fore- bode the mofi fatal confequences, for he thought dae ve | it ‘OF LA PEROVSE. . 439 #t without the limits of poffibility that He Gould have lof Dis way fo long. ‘The ature of thefé burning fands, whith aré fotally deftitute of water, rendered fill more frightful all the conjeftures that we could make relative to his fitvatiot. AS ot ftock of water Was alteady partly &x: pended, and as we had not found the means of feneiwing it at this anchorage, Captain Huon, after having told us that it would be very difad- Vatitageous to prolong our flay hete, added, that it wav evident that all farther refearchés could be only detrimental to the expedition, without af- fording the fmallefl hope of again finding our unfortunate affociate. Defchamps, on whofe mind: thefe allBdinkents had all the influence that was defired, made no hefitation to give his opinion the firft in favour of out departure, by fiding with the Captain, and declaring that it could not be denied, that we had now nothing to do but to mouth the lofs of our friend. Thefe probabilities had not the fame effe@ on me; but I had feamen to perfuade, and I em- ployed the method which I judged the moft proper to convince them, by quoting, in fupport ef my opinion, an example taken from the voyages of the moft celebrated of navigators. 1 geminded them’ that Captain Cook had two PFA failors 440 VOYAGE IN SEARCH failors who loft their way, in December 1747, on Chriftmas Ifland, the one for a whole day, and the other for eight and forty hours; that Cook had caufed the latter to be looked for with the greateft care by feveral detachments * ; that - Chrifimas Ifland i is, however, a very fall low ifland, and fcarcely covered with fhrubs, while New Holland, where Citizen Riche. had loft himfelf, was an immenfe country. I therefore a) requefied that there might be employed, in fearch of our unfortunate friend, at leaft as much time ’ as Captain Cook had {pent in fearch of one of his failors,. >. This reqfoning produced all the effec that J withed. A boat was immediately difpatched from each fhip for the main land,.and I had the fatisfac- - tion of being one of thofe who were to employ all their attention, and make eyery effort, tg bring back our loft companion. The Admiral directed guns to be fired every half hour, in order that, if Riche were full living, he might with greater certainty direct his fteps towards the anchorage. The wind favoured us, and we siefently reach» ed the fhore. , After having adyanced i in different directions, we returned to the landing-place at night-fall, ¥ See Cook’s Third Voyage, vol, ii, page 133. T. “oe gris We - OF LA PEROUSE. 44t We had travelled over a foil entirely covered with fands, where we had found vaft {pots abfo- lutely deftitute of verdure. - 1 faw with fur- prife, on thefe diftant fhores, the grafs known by the name of /pinifex /quarrofusy and \ again ad- mired the facility with which ‘the plants ‘that grow by the fea- fide are ob ote: to prodigious dif- tances. In thefe barren {pots grew @ Beautiful plant, which has an affinity to the érides, and which is naturally claffed next to the dilatris and argo- Jofia genera; it forms, however, a new and very diftinét genus, principally on account of its irregular corolla. aT I defignate it by the name of igang, The flowers have no calyx. The corolla prefents the form of a tube, di- vided on its margins into fix unequal parts, re- curved sapinngts ack ; it is covered _ pir ued hairs. The flamina, fix in number, are-attached sic degneath the divifions of the eieitgat oo ‘is placed on the germen. quay foyeesil The ftyle is fimple, as well as the fight »25 mn The capfule is nearly fpherical, and ‘of: the - fame colour as the flower by which it is fur- mounted; it is trilocular; the cells are filled with a great number of angulated feeds. tt ka 7. so ¥ The 442 VOYAGE IN SEARCH The top of the ftem is covered with reddifh _ hairs, like the flower. - Lhave called this {pecies anigozanthes rufa. Explanation of the meet Plate XX. Fig. 1. Plant. Fig. 2. Flower. Fig. 3. Flower cleft longitudinally and ex- panded, in order to fhew the ftamina, Fig. 4. Stamina magnified. Ng. 5. Capfule. Although i in the day the heat was very intente in this country, we neverthelefs. felt the cold pretty feyerely at ‘night. .Qn the 17th, as foon as the day began to dawn, we divided ourfelves into two parties; the one with which I was advanced towards the north, and the other went to the north-weft. We direé&ed our route by the compafs, and we had proceeded at leaft a myriameter acrofs the plains of calcareous fand, which was feen heaped up in different directions, when we reached a rather confined bottom, where the verdure of the plantsrformed an agreeable con- traft with the difmal afpect of the places that we had jut traverfed, and announced to us a very fertile vegetable earth, We here perceived a few cayities which afforded us a little frefh | water, OF LA PEROUSE. 443 water, but it was too far from the fea-fide to bg _ nfeful to our fhips, In continuing our progrefs, I remarked jn the midft of thefe fands a few rocks of a calcareous nature, on which I gathered fome fine plants that ftill withftood the aridity of the foil. Among the great number of thofe of the family of the protee which | obferved, J fhall mention two new fpecies of Pankfia. 1 call the one dankfia repens, and the other bank/ia nivea. The former has a creeping ftem, covered with a thick reddifh down, terminated by flowers, pnited under the form of a cone. The leaves are pinnatifid, and when they are young they are covered with the fame fort of down as the ftem, fo much fo as to make this plant be taken for fome {pecies of qcroftichum ; but when more advanced in age they are very fmooth. ; Explanation of the Pages Plate XXII Fig. 1. Plant. Fig. 2. Flower. Fig. 3. Corolla cleft igtecally, feen through 2 magnifier. Fig. 4. Stamina magnified. Fig. 5: Germen, with the ftyle and the ftigma. The fpecies of hankfa that I call zivea, is Te; parahiy on account of its. long leaves, which 3 oe 444 VOYAGE IN SEARCH ate white ‘underneath, and very deeply denta- ted. | “Baplanation of the Figures, Plate AKT Vy, Fig. 1. Plant. Fig, 2. Flower. Fig. 3. Corolla-expanded, Fig. 4. Part of. one of the, divifions of the corolla feen through a magnifier. Fig. 5. Stamina magnified. Fig. 6. Germen Ge croatited by its ftyle. * T here again found the eucalyptus cornuta, and a great many other plants of the family of the myrti. ~ After four hours pretty hard walking, we ar- rived on the banks of a large lake which com- municates with the fea. . The natives had recently fet fire to feveral places through which we had juft paffed. We faw no kangaroos; but their excrement, which we perceived every where in great abun- dance, let us know that thefe quadrupeds are very numerous on this coaft: we alfo remarked here other excrements that exceedingly refembled thofe of the cow, but we did not difcover the animal ‘to which they belonged; on the fand were feen the impreflions of forked feet upwards of three fourths of a decimeter broad. There is no nr that this country contains quadrupeds much OF LA PEROUSE. ; 445 much bigger than the kangaroo: it affords little food for birds; and, indeed, of thefe I found. in this excurfion only two fpecies, a. mufcicapa, which I afterwards met with at the Moluccas; and the beautiful f{pecies of red-crefted cockatoo, pfttacus Moluccenfisy which were feen here,in flocks of feveral hundreds, When I endeavour- ed to approach them, they, always ‘fet off ata great diltance, and flew fwiftly in fudden fprings, at the fame time fetting» up ssatibe 5 ips se difagreeable cries. [4 : ‘The banks of the lake, CER ap we. followed for fome time in. approaching the,’ fea, are»fomie- what ,marfhy ; it extends véry: far inland,ifince the party that went. to the ,north-weft. alfo reached its banks; fome of.theém came! to meet, us, to inform us that they bad remarked quite clofe.to the lake, towards; the partithe farthefb from. the fea, impreffions . of» fhioes, | ;which |left no doubt that Riche had paffed there; but the marks of naked feet, which appeared quite tlofe to. his, gave reafon to apprehend that | he had been carried away by the favages into-the interior. of the country. A circumftance which ftill moré increafed the probability of this conjeCture was, ~ that they foon found his pocket-handkerchief om the fands, and, a few yards, farther on,} one of his piftols. Ata fimall diftance, was. feen alittle fmoke of a deferted fire, and round it weregfound. fome , 446 VO¥AGE 18 sEARCH fome bits of paper on which» they réecognifed Riche’s hand-writing. The fand too, in this fpot, exhibited the impreffion’ of a perfor’ who had lain down. We were all returning towards our boats, la+ menting the fate of our unfortunate companion, when, being on'the point of arriving at the landing- place, and having. abfolutely loft all hopes, we faw one of thofe who had remained to take caré of the boats’ running to’meet us, if order to tell us that Riche was fiill living, and that he had juft come down to the water-fide, éxhaufted by hunger and fatigue. He had been upwards of fifty-four hours on fhore, and he had carried with him no other provifions than a’ few pieces of bif+ cuit. The low ftate to which he was reduced did not permit his friends to fuffer him to in- dulge his appetite, and it was only by trying gradually the digeftive powers of his fiomach that we gave him fome food. His countenance, which was at firft entirely diftorted, brightened up by little and little. When he was recovered from the flate of flupor into which he had been thrown by fo long a privation of food, he related to us, that at no great difiance from the fire which had been-found) fill. alight, there was a fmall) fiream of frefh water where he had quenched his thirft; that by dint. of fecking among, the plants; analogous to thofe whofe fruits “OF LA PEROUSE) ‘447 fiuits may ferve for the fuftetiance of man, he founda fhrub of the family of the /o#/, which furs nithed him with fome little fruits, but in too fall a quantity to fatisfy his wants. On the firft day that he bewildered himfelf he met with the fpring near which his property had been found. He paffed the night there, and’ fpent the whole of the next day in looking for the place where our fhips lay at. anchor, without being able to difcover it.» During this laborious walk he found not, a fingle drop of water; but chance forttr- nately conducted him again to this’ fame fpring, where’ he alfo pafled the: fecond night. Having perceived fome favages at a diftance, he had endeavoured: to fpeak to them, in or- der to learn: what was their manner of living, and to: afk them. for fome food, for he was cruelly tormented by hunger; but they had’always taken © to flight as'he‘advanced! towards them. In this climate’men are not under the neceffity of cloth- ing themfelves; and thefe were all entirely naked. They: frequently fet fire to the dry herbage that was {cattered on‘the fands. Some Kangaroos, of the large fpecies, and fome caffowaries; were the only animals that Riche had’ diféovered. Although in a ftate of dejection, he’ had! till thelaft'day-carried about him a nu- - ‘merous’ eolleétion: of very interefting produc- tions; but* his ftrengtli diminifhed in fo rapid a manner, 448 VOYAGE IN SEARCH manner, in the courfe of the laft four and twenty hours, that he had found a great deal of difficulty in crawling along the fhore to look for our thips ; ; he had das been obliged to abandon the whole, even the moft valuable fpecimens he had. . As foon as he had recovered from his faintnefs we carried him on board. It was to no purpofe that we made all the fignals agreed on, to an- nounce that we had had the good fortune to find him again; the people on board were fo tho- roughly perfuaded beforehand of the inutility of our refearches, that they did not underftand us till the moment when our boat was quite clofe to the fhip, and they perceived Riche in the mid- dle of us.. The horrible fituation in which he would have been, had the opinion that had been formed refpecting him prevailed, ought to infpire’ the greateft dread, and be an awful leffon to thofe captains and naturalifis who undertake a difiant voyage; for if we had quitted this anchor-, age the day before, he would have terminated his life by the moft frightful death, and. in all the agonies of the moft horrid defpair. _ Although it was thus demonftrated by this fact that it was poffible for a perfon to lofe himfelf for two days in this country, moft of our officers would not however admit the fact; fome of them chofe to think and to fay, that Riche had ys an intention of bewildering himfelf ; as if it, were >_> ~*~ 1. . ee ot ee ee OF LA PEROUSE. 449° were to be prefumed that he had gone of his own accord, and expofed himfelf to ‘all the hor- rors of cruel hunger. ’ ~ During the whole time that we tbnhgaiie’ at this anchorage, we. could not‘haul the feine; but on board the fhips we caught with hook and line a few fithes, among which were the /ebrus cypri- noides, and feveral new “fpecies of the perca genus. | - Our anchoring-place was in latitude 33° 55° fouth, and longitude 119° 327 eaft. » The variation of the chee was found to be 6° weft, 9 In the evening all the ‘boats were. hoifted in, and we’ waited till next day to weigh anchor, if the :wind»fhould permit. It varied from eaft-north- eaft to eaft fouth-eaft, and by fix o'clock in the morning of the r8th we were under failes. We pafled to the northward of the little ifland _ which had’ ferved us as a fhelter, and we ftood out into the open fea. At noon, ‘being in latitude: 94° 12” ga”? fouth, and: longitude 1 sa 21° eaft, the fouthernmoit rocks bore eaft: 2° fouth, diftantabout two thirds of a myriameter; and the- jan the fartheft to the northward north:i° eaft.) 9 | For ‘fome days the: -eatterly winds prevailed, and made us ‘apprehend great» difficulties in the examination: of ‘this coaft. — alfo are. i, >. GG gave 450 VOYAGE IN SEARCH gave no {mall degree of probability to this con- jecture. In fad, at the Cape of Good Hope, which extends even a few degrees more, to the fouthward than this part of ‘New Holland, the eafterly winds are always the reigning winds at this feafon of the year. On the 23d at noon we had got no farther than the latitude of 34° 24’ fouth, and longitude of 120° 22’ eaft; and we had not yet loft fight of the little Archipelago where we had. anchored. The.wind had been pretty frefh at eaft in the. afternoon, but in the beginning of the night it blew from the coaft, and made us experience intolerable heat. Prefently we were-furrounded . by an extraordinarily thick mift;, the air was charged with very great humidity, which penetrated every where: I cannot form a better comparifon of it than with that which is brought by the fouth winds in the Mediterranean, at a fhort diftance from the coaft of Africa, in the hotteft feafon. The fands, heated by the rays of the fun, had increafed. the property poffeffed by the atmo- fpheric air of diffolving water, and-we found our- | felves as if in the middle of a vapour-bath of a mild temperature. The darknefs of the night made us lofe fight of the Efpérance ‘about eleven o’clock:at night, and fhe did not, till three hours after, anfwer our fignals by a gun which we heard: from ‘a great OF LA PEROUSE, , 45% gtcat diftance. The wind was faint: we worked to windward, and as foon as the day broke on the 24th, we difcovered that fhip not far from us; the wind fhortly began to blow ftrong from the fouth- welt, and for fome time carried us fatt through the a on an ¢afterly courfe. At noon we were in latitude 34° 14° fouth, and longitude 121° 2’ eaft; and two hours after, we difcovered behind fome iflots, a large bight, which appeared to us to afford an excellent tare . We were apprized of the prefence of fome na- Cin. by fires, the fmoke of which we faw rifing pretty far from the fhore, from feyeral points very. diftant from each other, . __- The barometer having fallen fiill lower than when the gale forced us to anchor in Legrand’s Bay, we ftood out to the offing, i in order that we might not be hemmed in on this dangerous - coafi; we then brought to, and femained the whole night with our head to the fouth fouth-calt and fouth. The fea was very high: the wind blew with violence from the fouth-weft to the weft fouth-weft ; after haying gradually increafed, it raged with the greateft impetuofity during al- -moit the whole night, and taifed the waves toa prodigious eight; we had not yet. been fo, vio- Agnly toffed about by a fiorm. GG 2 _ The 452 . VOYAGE IN SEARCH The foutl-weft winds in thefé feas are almoft always boifierous, and add confiderably to the dangers to which a navigator. is expofed in tanging along, from the weftward to the eaft- ward, this low coaft, often guarded by ‘fhoals, which it is to be feared he might not difcover 1 in timé to be able to avoid them. : ‘At daybreak on the 25th we ftood in. for the jand. The wind had become fixed at weft fouth- weft, and had bronght back fine weather. Towards the middle of the day we were in Jatitude 3 3° 42’ fouth, and longitude 122° 4’ eaft, when from the maft-head we difcerned beyond feveral iflots patt of the coaft, which ftill appeared very low, extending from weft to north-weft; prefently we faw it form a dike, raifed in a tole- rably uniform manner, which took a direction to the eafiward, and behind which we did not per- ‘ceive any land. | : | _ ~ “On the approach of night we hauled off from ‘it, and afterwards hove to. The next day, fhe 26th, we continued to follow the coaft, and about three o'clock in the afternoon we were diftant ‘from it only two kilometers: it had conftantly prefented to us the fame appearance for an ex- “tent of upwards of three myriameters. We per- ‘fecily diftinguifhed on it the thin, horizontal ‘firata, which exhibited exactly the fame forms - as - y, OF LA PEROUSE... - 453 asthe, calcareous: {tone that I had: met with at Legrand’s Bay... Iam inclined to think that this break, in the mountains, for fo great an extent, is the work of the» waters,;, for::they.. have undermined thefe lands at their,bafe, andthe upper part muft have funk by falling into. the fea, and forming, the . rampart. which, renders this coaft. inaccefhible. We remarked a few-fmall fpots where the earth thelefs. have ga very. difficult, to afcend ; we > had drawn fo. clofe.in with it, that it was necef- _ fary to, gain an. offing; the depth of water was, then twenty fathoms, over a bottom of calega reous' fand, 5 soho .. Mery early in the: inosning a the phir, we; ea the coait. extending to) the north-eatt ; and with the wind at. fouth-weft, we had non difficulty i in . following , its windings, ; We, ftill perceived the fame fteep rampart, which, rifing with: tolerable uniformity, to the -height of about ninety meters, exhibited from its upper part.to;the-leyel of the fea, the parallel ftrata of which. it is, compofed.. . Towards the middle of the, day. the. coait changed its afpedt, trending a little to the fouth- eaft; it then appeared interfecied by, fmall hills, covered: with fand;. which, finkipg with a gentle declivity,, terminated i in a very low beach: The fea now affumed a greenifh tint, even. in, the ails G63 offing, 454 . VOYAGE IN SEARCH offing, and indicated to us a change of bottom; but a line of fourteen fathoms could not reach the ground. | The breeze foon frefhened, and began to blow very firong. Our experience had taught us to fear on this coaft the fouth-weft winds, which were become alinoft always boifterous: for thig teafon we hauled off fouth-eaft by eaft, to gain an offing. The want of water was feverély felt on board our two fhips, and if we could not find an im- mediate opportunity of fupplying ourfélves with that article, we mutt in a little time be under the heceffity of leaving the coaft: but had we begun at its eafternmoft part, in order to range along it from eaft to weft, we fhould have had the advan- taze of taking in a good ftock of water at Cape Diemen; inftead of which, our water was already jalf expended when we began the furvey of this land by its wefternmoft point. This confidera- tion and many others ought to induce the navi- gator to follow it from eaft to weft; befides, the impetuolity of the fouth-weft winds expofes vef- fels to the greateft dangers, while the eafterly winds, which are the moft conftant, never blow with violence. — | '. On the 28th we were only two kilometers from the coaft, and the lead gave us fometimes a bottom of coarfe fand, and, at others, of rock; the. OF LA PEROUSE, 455 the depth of water varying from nine to fourteen fathoms. At noon, when our latitude was 32° ro’ fouth, and our longitude 124° 52’ eaft, the neareft coat was two thirds of a kilometer to the north north- weft of us; its extremes bore from north 69° weit to caft 20° north: fhortly it prefented itfelf under the form of a rampart, like that which we had before coafted; but it differed from the former, by its upper part rifing with a gen+ tle acclivity into the interior of the country. °T there remarked a few fhrubs, which feemed to be in a-more thriving ftate than thofe we had hitherto perceived along this coaft. The fea was covered with a fpecies of fea- weed called fucus natans. Being baffled by the eafterly winds, we were fiill on the 31ft, towards the middle of the day, only in latitude 32° 8’ fouth, and longitude 126° 42’ eaft, when we faw rifing a fog, which. reprefented to us on every fide a table land. The illufion was fo ftriking, that the perfons who came up from below, thought we had juft entered a vaft bafin. We were, however, two myria- meters from the coaft, which this fog did not per- mit us to diftinguifh. In the evening, the fky darkened towards the land, and lightning flafhed from the thickeft clouds; then the fog which encompafled the ¢@4 horizon 456 VOYAGE, IN, SEARCH horizon) difperfeds the, wind fhifted to the welts ward, and blew very. freth. | |In the afternoon of; the 3d of January, 170935 ‘Gapiain, Huon. commytuicated to.Admiral, D’En- - trecafleaux..the, damage which the. Efpérance’s rudder, had.fuftained. ~He informed. him, that his fhip’s. company had-long been reduced to a pint.and.a half of water a day cach man, that’ he had been obliged to put/a tigp.to the difiriby- ~ tion of antileorbutic driaks, &e; and that thirty pafks-of .water then.formed -the, whole, fiock re- maining on board of the Eipérancey.... . .. The, next morning, ‘the. ath, about, half pat ten o'clock, the Adiajral, fept, him,a letter, to acquaint him with the.refolution. that he had taken refpedting the fituation of the tyvo. thips, ~»-At-noon,.we were; in latitude, 31°52’ fouth, and longitude;129°104,.caft,, and. we, faw ; the Jand from eaft to north by weft, being a sisi meter from the neareft thore. Maye “As foon as the oat, was, | hoifted i in,. m0 ie fail clofe hauled on the, Jarboard tack, with. the wind at eafi fouth eaft, rand fiood on towards Cape.Diemen, thus taking, our Ieave of an ex- tremely barren, coaft,.upyvards of a hundred and fixty myriameters of which we had juft ranged along, genegally in a ‘direction: from. weft, by fouth; to eaft by, north. . Fifteen months before us, Vancouver,. alike thwarted by cafierly winds, a ae 7 had » - " OF. LA PERQUSE,.. 457 had been foreed to abandon it, after -he had been able to. examine, it 1 for the extent of ufhous feventy myriameters *,. ate ates Before. we touched | on this, cols, we. did not forefee that, we, fhould, there, fo. frequently, meet with tempeftupus winds, efpecially at ,this feafon, which. fhould be that of the. fyummer i ip thefe feas, the fua having, “ra now “for upwards of two hm bite ei months in the, fouthern ,hemifphere., . May 5 not. this impetuofity of the winds be; occafioned by the prodigious difference that, exifts between the trifling degree of the heat of the atmofphere at . fea, and the ardent rays, of the fun, which were. ; concentrated by the ice fands of. the main land? _ ‘The currents that were. comin along this coaft, always. followed the direétion of the - winds. . The Efpérance was in. Gill greater diftrefs than we were ; _ befides,. that thip had met with feyeral ‘accidents at our laft anchorage: it required an ¢x- cellent fhelter to execute all the beiucks of which : fhe ficod in-need.. Tis ye At four o’clock we loft fight of ihe Jand from the- matt-head,. and, at the fame moment, we had thirty, fathoms water, with a ottom of fine fand,- mixed. with. broken hells. and lytophites. We continued founding every | two hours, and, at ~->, 4 Bes Vancouver’ s Voyage, vale i, page 42 , and following. each 468 _ -WOYAGE IN SEARCH each caft of the lead, we found that the depth of water increafed from two fathoms to two and ahalf: it had conftantly augmented in an almoft imperceptible manner, in proportion as we re- ceded from the coaft, which, on the 5th, at five o’clock in the afternoon, was at the diftance of twenty myriameters; then we got foundings in fixty-one fathoms and a half, over a bottom of pretty fine fand mixed with gravel, and from that time we could not ftrike ground, although we founded repeatedly. “This flow increafe of the depth of the fea near this coaft, fhewing that the lands under water fink by a gentle declivity, made me prefume that thofe which advance into the interior of the ifland rife by an acclivity alfo very gentle, fo that its high mountains are too far diftant to be perceived from the fhore. The day before we had been carried twenty- three miles to the weftward of our reckoning, and, in the courfe of the 7th, twenty miles in the fame direction. At noon we were in latitude 35° 30° fouth. The rapidity with which thefe cur- rents tet to the weftward, depends, perhaps, on fome channel which feparates the lands of New Holland from thofe of Cape Diemen, between Point Hicks and Furneaux’s Iflands. Captain Cook, when he explored the eaft part of New Holland, faw no land in this fpace, the extent of which is about twenty myriameters, and | thought OF LA PEROUSE. 459 thought that he was at the entrance of a great gulf. Perhaps in that part of the coaft begins’ the opening of a channel, which, after having formed different finuofities, runs to the weft- ward, and there forms another opening in the fame latitude as that in which we i ap ae fuch ftrong currents *. We did not meet with wefterly winds till we feached the latitude of 40° fouth; they carried us to Cape Diemen, varying from fouth-weft 4G north- weft. - About ten o’clock we faw paffing at a fmall diffance from us a great number of cetaceous fifhes ofa new fpecies, which appeared to me to be of the delphinus genus. They may be eafily diftinguifhed by a large black fpot which they have on the back behind the dorfal fin; the upper part of the body is of a blackith brown, and the belly white. The largeft were upwards of three meters in length: they were preceded by a fhoal of dolphins (de/phinus delphis), and were, like * This obfervation affords a ftriking proof of the juftnefs of M. Labillardiére’s difceroment; for it has recently been afcertainéd that the part of New Holland known by the name of Van Diemen’s Land is, in fact, a detached ifland ; an Englif yeffel having entered the eaftern mouth of this newly-difco- ‘yered Strait between the 38th and 39th degrees of fouth lati- tude, and returned round'the Seuth Cape to Port Jackfon. T- 4 . them, | 460. ai VOYAGE IN SEARCH them, Gwimming i in.a bedy, executing with -great rapidity nearly the fame movements. We continued: lying: to. during- the night, in- tending the next day, to make the land a degree to: ies northward of the latitude of Capé Die- : We were in: hopes , to. difcover there., a i kl ‘that might in future. afford great ada, yantages to navigators who intended to explore the fouth-wefi of, New Holland, _by taking ad- yantage of | the cafterly winds. . ware At four o'clock in she morning ‘of, the roth we fay the land extending , fron north- -eaft, by north to eaft hy fouth,, the, nearett | coaft bearing eaft north-catt, at . the difiance, of thrge anita meters. 7EF tl} : mh A The wind was at. Soil ie we) flood on for fome time. clofe hauled on the: ftarboard_ tack. Two hours” after, when we were only a myrtia, meter and a half from the fhore; we had fi afty fathoms water over a bottom of NAY poste, fand and broken fhells. We beheld a fteep coaft, and ata ttle diftance a chain of mountains of moderate elevation, which followed: nearly the fame direction : this Jand was almoft every where resi with large trees. At noon we were in latitude’ 42° gi’ fouth, and longitude 142° 49’ eaft ; the lands to the north; eaft fhewed themfelyes only through a thick mift, with “orth pkxovshe” 46% with which the’ hotizon was vety much ent on all fides, The variation’ of the compafs had increafed very rapidly fince it had become eafterly, for, on the 2oth, it was obferved to be 7° eatt. u ' The coaft prefented'no bight that could make us prefume that. we fhould’there’ meet with a — good ‘anchorage. | At noon’ we had. already reached the latitude of 43° 22’ fouth, and longi- - tude of 143° 28’ eaft; we were orily. a myriame- ter from the land, and from north half weft to eaft fouth-eaft it offered’ to’ our view fome tather Jofty mountains.“ otha shy opi vay, - At fix o’clock)in the aren coin Wwe doubled the South Cape, at the diftance of two myrianveters. - It is remarkable that in all the different fintuof= ‘ties'of the coaft which we had jufi followed, we- had conftantly-had the wind right aft, "It feems ‘to -me that the high mountains, oppofing’a barrier to the winds; force them to keep along the coaft:: We difcovered, above all the other mountains, that which we had feen’ covered with fnow, ‘the preceding year, at the period of our anchoring