1^ — Sjtbraru I InmrrHtl^ of f tttfiburglj Darlington Memorial Library (tHaHH..fe..'=\^'^ v.\ X # ^o 1 N: ^ . O Y A' G E,,i IN SEARCH OF LA PEROUSE. n.- PERFORMED BY ORDER OF THE CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY, DURING THE YEARS ]79n 179^, 1793, AND 179^, AND DRAWN UP BY M. LABILLARDIERE, CORRESPONDENT OF THE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES AT PARIS, MEMBER OF THE SOCIETY OF NATURAL HISTORY, AND ONE OF THE NATURALISTS ATTACHED TO THE EXPEDITION. Bse«x-«< TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH. ILLUSTfi.ATED WITH FORT Y-SIX PL ATES. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. I. EcnDon : PRINTED FOR JOHN STOCKDALE, PICCADILLY'. 1800. '•v^ T. Gillet, Printer, Salisbury Square. TO ROBERT PEEL, ESQ. Member of Parliament for the Borough of Tamworth, &c. &c. ^<:. Who, by his Ingenuity, Abilities, and Induftry, has honourably acquired a princely Fortune, and in fo doing had the Satisfaftion of keeping feveral thoufand Perfons in conftant Employment : Who, in the Time of Danger and National Difficulty, hand- fomely appropriated the munificent Sum of TEN THOUSAND POUNDS, TO THE EXIGENCIES OF HIS COUNTRY .- And whofe Conduct, In promoting AN UNION WITH IRELAND, has (hone fo nobly difinterefted : THIS WORK, AS A SMALL MARK OF RESPECT AND ESTEEM, JS HUMBLY DEDICATED, By his ever obliged, obedient. And faithful Friend and Servant^ John Stocldale. London 6th May, iZoo. ( V ) TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. THE laudable tafte fot Voyages and Travels, which prevails in the prefent age, has beert gratified with many excellent productions, which render that fpecies of literature highly interefting to readers of almofl every defcription. Modem voyages of difcovery have embraced {o many ob- jects, that in them the Navigator fees the progrefs of his important art, the Geographer obferves the improvement of his kindred fcience, the Natu- ralift is gratified with curious and ufeful obje(5ls of refearch, the Merchant difcovers new fcenes of commercial enterprife, and the General Reader finds a fund of rational entertainment. The Moral Philofopher, too> who loves to trace the advances of his fpecies through its va- rious gradations from favage to civilized life> draws fi-om voyages and travels, the facts from which he is to deduce his conclufions refpecfling the fe- cial;, intellectual, and moral progrefs of Man. He A 3 fee? VI TRANSLATOR S fREFXCE% lees favage life every v^here diverfified with a va- riety, which, if he reafon fairly, muft lead him to conclude, that what is called the ftate of na- ture, is, in truth, the flate of a rational being placed in various phyfical circumftances, which have contrad;ed or expanded his faculties in va- rious degrees ; but that " men always appear " among animals a diflin6l and a fuperior race ; " that neither the pofleffion of fimilar organs, ** nor the ufe of the hand," which nature has " given to fome fpecies of apes, nor the continued ** intercourfe with this fovereign artift, have en- ** abled any other fpecies to blend their nature *' with his ; that in his rudefi: ftate he is found *' to be above them, and in his greateft degene- ** racy never defcends to their level ; that he is, " in fhort, a man in every condition ; and that " we can learn nothing of his nature from the " analogy of other animals."* Every where. adapting means to ends, and varioufly altering and combining thofe means, according to his views and wants, Man, even when purfuing the gratification of animal inftindls, too often miler- ably depraved, ihows himfelf to be poflefled of nobler faculties, of liberty to chufe among dif- ferent objects and expedients, and of reafon to * Fergufon on Civil Society, dircd TRANSLATOR S PREFACE. Vh direct him in that choice. There is fufEcient va- riety in human actions to fhow that, though Man ad;s from motives, he adls not mechanically, but freely ; yet fufficient fimilarity of condudl, in fimilar circumflances, to prove the unity of his nature. Hence there appears no ground what- ever for fuppofmg, that any one tribe of mankind is naturally of an order fuperior to the reft, or has any fhadow of right to infringe, far lefs to abrogate, the common claims of humanity. Phi- lofophers ihould not forget, and the moft refpedl* able modern philofophers have not forgotten, that the favage ftate of the moft civilized nations now in Europe, is a fubjed: within the pale of authentic hiftory, and that the privation of iron, alone, would fbon reduce them nearly to the bar- barous ftate, from which, by a train of favourable events, their forefathers emerged fome centuries ago. If the limits of a preface would allow us to purfue the refle(ftions fuggefted by the different views of favage life, prcfented by this and various other fclentific voyages, it would be eafy to fliow, that the boafted refinement of Europe entirely depends on a few happy difcoveries, which are become fo familiar to us, that we are apt to ftip- pofe the inhabitants of thefe parts of the worl^ to ha\e been always poftefled of them ; difcove- A 4 ries Vlll TRANSLATOR S PREFACE. ries fo unacqpuntable, and fo remote from any experiments which uncivilized tribes can be fup- pofed to have made, that we cannot do better than acknowledge them among the 'many pre- cious gifts of an indulgent Providence. Having mentioned Providence, a word not very common in fom.e of our modern voyages, we are tempted to add a confideration which has often occurred to our minds, in contemplating the probable iffue of that zeal for difcovering and correfponding with diftant regions, which has long animated the maritime powers of Europe. Without obtruding our own fentiments on the reader, w^e may be permitted to afk, Whether appearances do not juitify a conjed;ure,^that the Great Arbiter of the deftinies of nations may ren- der that zeal fubfervicnt to the moral and intel- ledlual, not to fay the religious, improvement, and the confequent happinefs, of our whole fpe- cies ? or, Whether, as has hitherto generally hap- pened, the advantages of civilization may not, in the progrefs of events, be transferred from the Eu- ropeans, who ha^ c but too little prized them, to thofe remote countries which they have been • fo diligently exploring ? If fo, the period may arrive, when New Zealand may produce her Lockes, her Newtons, and her Montcfquieus ; and TRANSLATOR S PREFACE i± and when great nations in the immenfc reo^ion of New Holland, may fend their navigators, phi- lofophers, and antiquaries, to contemplate the ruins of mic'mtt London and Paris, and to trace the languid remains of the arts and fciences in this quarter of the globe. Who can tell, whe- ther the rudiments of fome great future empire may not already exift at Botany Bay ? But, not to detain the reader with fuch general refle^lions, which, however, open intereiting views to contemplative minds, we proceed to fay a few w^ords of the work now prcfented to the Public. And here we need to do little more than refer to the learned and ingenious Author's in- trodudion to his own work. The reader will immediately perceive that, if it has been toleiably executed, it mull form a valuable Supplement to the Voyage* of the unfortunate La Peroufe — fo valuable indeed, that it may fairly be quellion- ed, whether that work can be confidered as Der- i fe6t withouz it. Of the execution of the work, the reader muft * Printed for Stockdale, Lcndun, in two large vols. 8vo. with fifty-one fine Plates. It muft be obferved, that this is the only editiim to which are annexed the inierefliu^ Travels of De Leffeps, over the Continent, from Karr.t- fchatka, with Pcroufe's difpatches. ■ . form X TRANSLATOR S PREFACE. form his own judgment. He will perhaps agree with us, that the Author writes with the modefty^ and perfpicuity which become a philofopher, who all along recollects that he is compoiing a narrative, and not a declamation. He has, in our opinion, with, great tafte and judgment, gene- rally abllained from thofe rhetorical flourillies, which give an air of bombad to too many of the works of his countrymen, even when treating of fubJQ^ts which demand accuracy rather than or- nament. Moll: of his reflcdiions are pertinent and juft, and not fo far purfued as to deprive the reader of an opportunity of exercifnig his inge- nuity by extending them farther. This chafle and unaiFeded manner of writing rnay be coniidered as an internal mark of the fidelity of his narrative. He had no weak or de- formed parts to conceal with flowery verbiage, and therefore he rejected its meretricious aid. As another, and a ftill ftronger proof of our Author's fidelity, we may mention his occafional cenfure of the condu(il; of Officers, not excepting the Commander in Chief himfelf, when their con- duft happened not to appear quite deferving of that general approbation, which he feems willing to bellow. A man muft be very confcious of having honeilly executed his own miffion, and of faithfully TRANSLATOR S PREFACE. XI faithfully dcfcribing the objed:s of it, when he fcruples not to exprefs publicly his difapprobation of the condud: of Officers of talents and diftinc- tion, engaged in the higher departments of the fame great undertaking. In translating the work, the obje(fl aimed at was to render it fo literally as never to depart from the meaning of the Author ; yet fo freely as not merely to clothe his French idiom with Englifh words. The tranflation of fuch a work lliould, in our opinion, be free w ithout licence, and literal without fervility. Some readers w^ould, no doubt, have willingly difpenfed with a great number of the nautical re- marks, and with all the bearings and diftanccs ; but thofe particulars were plainly fo important to navigators, that they could not, on any account, be omitted. Nor, indeed, has a fmgle fentence of the original, been retrenched in the tranfla- tion, except two pafTages, which would have been juftly confidered as indelicate by moll: Eng- lilli readers ; and, for the fame reafon, the two engravings referred to in the exceptionable paf- fages, have been altered. The whole of the plates are given in a fliyle generally not inferior to the original, which, with the Xli TRANSLATOR S PREFACE. the French work in quarto, are fold for fix guineas, being thrice the price of the prefent tranllation. *.^* In the original, the dlilances are all expreffed in the new French denominations of metres, decametres, &c. and the Author has given a tal)le for reducing them to toifes; But, in the tranflationj the reader has been fpared that trouble, by every where infeiting the equivalent toifes, or French fathoms, A toife is equal to fix French feet, or nearly to fix feet five inche?, Fnglifli meafure : 2,853 toifes make a geograpliical or nautical league, twenty of which make a degree of a great circle of the earth. Hence, to reduce toifes to nautical leagues, divide them by 2,853^ t^^t quotient will be the leagues, and the remainder the odd toifes 4 iNTIiO- ( xjii ) INTRODUCTION. NO intelligence had been received for three years rcfpecling the fhips BoufToIe and Aftrolabe, commanded by M. de la Peroufe, when, early in the year 17Q^, the Pariiian Society of Natural Hiftory called the attention of the Con- ftituent AiTembly to the fate of that navigator, and his unfortunate companions. The hope of recovering at leail fome wreck of an expedition undertaken to promote the fcienccs^ induced the Aflembly to fend two other fhips to lleer the fame courfe which thofe navigators muil have purfued, after their departure from Botany Bay. Some of them, it was thought, might have efcaped from the wreck, and might be confined in a defert ifland, or thrown upon fome coaft in- habited by favages. Perhaps they might be drag- ging out life in a diftant clime, vwth their longing eyes continually iixed upon .the fea, anxiouily looking for that relief which they had a right to exped: from their country. On the gth of February ];i)], the following decree was paffed upon this fubjed : '' The National AfTembly having heard the report XIV INTRODUCTION. " report of its joint Committees of Agriculture, " Commerce, and the Marine, decrees, " That the King be petitioned to iiTue orders '* to alt the ambaffadors, refidents, confuls, and " agents of the nation, to apply, in the name of '* humanity, and of the arts and fciences, to the ** different Sovereigns at whofe courts they re-^ " fide, requefting them to charge all their navi- " gators and agents whatfoever, and in what " places foever, but particularly in the moft fouth- ** erly parts of the South Sea, to fearch diligently *' for the two French frigates, the BoulTole and " the Aftrolabc, commanded by M. de la Pe- " roufe, as alfo for their fhips' companies, and to " make every inquiry which has a tendency to " afcertain their exiftence or their fhipwreck ; in " order that, if M. de la Peroufe and his compa- " nions fhould be found or met with, in any place " whatfoever, they may give them every aflift- " ance, and procure them all the means neceifary " for their return into their own country, and for <* bringing with^them all the property of which " they may be poffeiTed ; and the National Af- *' fembly engages to indemnify, and even to re- ^' compcnfe, in proportion to the importance of " the fervice, any pcrfon or pcrfons who fhall " give affiftance to tbofe navigators, fhall procure " intelligence concerning them, or Ihallbe inftru- mental INTRODUCTION. XV '* mental in reiloring to France any papers or ef- '' fed:s whatiocver, which may belong, or may '' have belonged, to their expedition : '* Decrees, farther, that the King be petitioned *' to give orders for the fitting out of one or more " fhips, having on board men of fcience, na* " turalifts, and draughtfmen, and to charge the ** commanders of the expedition with the two- " fold miffion of fearching for M. de la Peroufe, " agreeable to the documents, inilrud:ions, and *' orders which fliall be delivered to them, and of *' making inquiries relative to the fciences and to " commerce, taking every meafure to render this '* expedition ufeful and advantageous to naviga- " tion, geography, commerce, and the arts and *' fciences, independently of their fearch for M. ** de la Peroufe, and even after having found him, ^' or obtained intelli«!;ence concernins: him." Compared with the original, by us the Prefi- dent and Secretaries of the National Affcm- bly, at Paris, this 24th day of Feb. 1 7gi. (^Signed) Duport, Prcfident. LyIORE, ^ Boussiox,/^^^^^^^^^^^- From my carliefl years, I had devoted myfclf to tlie fcience of natural hiftory ; and, being per- fuaded. XVI INTRODUCTION, fuaded, that it is in the great book of Nature^, that we ought to ftudy her productions, and form a juft idea of her phoenomena, when I had finiilied my medical courfe, I took a journey into England, which was immediately followed by another into the Alps, where the different tem- peratures of a mountainous region prefent us with a prodigious variety of obje6ls. 1 next vifitcd a part of Aiia Minor, where I re- fided two years, in order that I might examine thofe plants, of which the Greek and Arabian phyficians have left us very imperfect defcrip- tions ; and I had the fatisfadlion of bringing from that country very important colle^lions. Soon after my return from this laft tour, the National Affembly decreed the equipment of two fliips, in order to attempt to recover at leaft a part of the wTeck of the fhips commanded by I^a Peroufe. It was an honourable di{l:in6lion to be of the number of thofe, whofe duty it was to make every poffible fearch, which could contribute to reftore to their country, men who had rendered her fuch ferv'ices. That voyage was, in other refpeds, very tempt- ing to a naturalift. Countries newly difcovered mitrht be expeded to increafe our knowledge with new •JNTRODtrCTIOlS". XVll nfew productions, which might contribute to the advancement of the arts and fciences. My paffion for voyages had hitherto increafed, and three months fpent in navigating the Medi- terranean, when I w^ent to Afia Minor, had given me fome experience of a long voyage. Hence I feized with avidity this opportunity of traverfing the South Seas. If the gratification of this paffion for fludy cofts us trouble, the varied produ6ls of a newly difcovered region amply compenfate us for all the fufFcrings unavoidable in long voyages. I was appointed by the Government to make, in the capacity of natural if!:, the voyage of which I am about to give an account. My Journal, which was kept with care during thew^hole courfe of the voyage, contained many nautical obfervations ; but I ought to obferve, that that part of my work would have been very incomplete, without the auxiliary labour beftowed upon it by Citizen Legrand, one of the beft officers of our expedition. I take this opportunity of teftifying my grate- ful remembrance of that fkilful mariner, whofe lofs in the prefent war is a fubjecfl of regret. When I was leaving Batavia, in order to pro- ceed to the Ille of France, Citizen Piron, draughtf- man to the expedition, begged my acceptance of Vol. I. ' B duplicates XVlll iNTRODUCTlOjr, duplicates of his drawings of th« drelTes of the nativ^es, which he had made in the courfe of the voyage. I do not helitate to aiTure my readers, that thofe w^orks of his pencil are ftriking like- nefles. I have endeavoured to report, in the moft exa(5l manner, the fa6ls which I witneffed during this painful voyage, acrofs feas abounding with rocks, and among favages, againft whom it was hedef- fary to exert continual vigilance. General Dentrecafteaux received the command of the expedition. That officer requefted from the Government two Ihips of about five hundred tons burden. Their bottoms were fheathed v/ith wood, and then filled with fcupper nails. It was not apprehended that this mode would diminifli their velocity, and it was thought that it would add to the folidity of their con'ftru6lion. It is, however, acknowledged that fliips fheathed and bottomed with copper may be conftrudied with equal folidity, and that they have greatly the advantage in point of failing. Thofe Ihips re- ceived names analogous to the obje6l of the en- tcrprizc. That in w^hich General Dentrecafteaux embarked, was called the Recherche (Refearch), and the other, commanded by Captain Huon Kermadec, received the name of the Efperancc (the Hope)* The INtRODtrCTtOKT. X1X The Recherche had on board one hundred and thirteen men at the time of her departure : the Eiperance only one hundred and fix. ON BOARD OF THE RECHERCHE.* Principal Officers. JBruny Dentirecafteaux, Commander of the Expedition, Doribeau, Lieutenant, Roflel, ditto, Cretin, ditto, Saint Aignan, ditto, Singler Devvelle ditto, Willaumez fenior^ Enfign, Longuerue, Eleve, Achard Bonvouloir, ditto, Dumerite, Volunteer, Renard, Surgeon, Hiacinthe Boideliot, Surgeon's Mate, Letrand, Aftronomer, Labillardiere, Naturalift, Defchamps, ditto, Louis Ventenat, ditto, afting as Chaplain, Beautems Beaupre, Geographical Engineer, Piron, Draughtfman, Lahaie, Gardener. Warrant and Petty Officers - - t Gunners and Soldiers - - - 18 Carpenters - « - - "3 Caulkers - - - - - 2 * The name of every individual on bosrd both the (hips is inferted In the original ; but it feems unneceflary to retain any names in this tranfla. tlon but thofe of the officers and men of fcience, who, if we may ufe the fxpreflion, are the chief dramatis perfona, and feveral of them come for- ward,, in their rcfpeitlve capacities, in the courfeof the y;oxk,'^TrafiJlator , B % Sail XX INTRODUCTION'. Sail-makers * - ' ' .. " * Pilots - - - - - -^ 3 Armourer - - " - - i Blackfmith - - - - - I Sailors . - - - - - 3^ Young Sailors - - - - "3 Boys - - - - - - 4 Cook, Baker, &c.* . - - - 5 Domeftics. - - - - ,,.8 ON BOARD THE ESPERANCE, Principal Officers, Huon Kermadec, Captain, Trobiant, Lieutenant, LafTeny, ditto, Lagrandiere, ditto, Lufan^ay, ditto, Lamotte Dupertail, ditto, Legrand, Enfign, Laignel, ditto, Jurieu, Volunteer, Boyne, Ek-ve^ Jouanet, Surgeon, Gauffre, Surgeon's Mate. Pierfon, Aftronomer, acting as Chaplain, E-iche, Naturalift, Blavier, ditto, Jouveney, Geographical Engineer, Ely, Draughtfman. Warrant and Petty Officers - - - 8 # Armourers - - - - - 2 Gunners and Marines - - . 14 Carpenters - - - " ^ Blackfmith - - - - - i Caulkers - - - - - - 2 Sail-makers - - * - - a Pilots - - - - - - 4 Sailors INTRODUCTION. XXI Sailors - - - - - - 36 Boys - - - " ■ - S Cook, Baker, &c. - - - - 5 Domeftics - - - - - 8 It is melancholy to add, that of two hundred and nineteen people, ninety-nine had died before my arrival in the Ifle of France. But it mull: be obferved, that we loft but few people in the courfe of our voyage, and that the dreadful mor- tality which we ^experienced was owing to our long ftay in the iiland of Java. B 3 CON- CONTENTS OP THE FIRST VOLUME. CHAP. I. ^EPARTURE from Brejt--Arnval at SL Croix., 171 the IJlancl of Teneriffe — Journey to the Peak of Teiieriffe — Kefuf citation of a Sailor who had been drowned — Some daring Rohhers carry off his Clothes — Two of our Naturallfts are attacked with a fplt ting of Blood, which obliges them to give up their Defign of Proceeding to the Summit of the Peak — Engllfh , Veffels In the Road of St. Croix — Different Refidts from the Obfervatlons made In Order to determine the Variations of the Needle — New Eruption of a Vol- cano to the South-eafl of the Peak - page 33 CHAP. II. IVe depart froyn Teneriffe, and fet fall for the Cape of Good' Hope — Obfervatlons — Splendid Appearance of the Surface of the Sea, prbduced by phofphorlc Light « — Themqfi ger,.i.ral Caife of the Phofphorefccnce of the Sea-water afcertained — Four of our Sheep which we had CONTENTS. xxiii . . had h fought from Teneriffe are throum inio the Sea — Moderate Temperature of the Atmofphere uear the Lhie — The Variation of the Compajs greater o?i the Soibi-h than on the North Side of the Equator — Eafy Method of rendering Jtagnated Water frejh — Thick Fog, which caiifes the Mercury in the Barometer to rife — Lunar Rainhow — Arrival at the Cape of Good Hope - . _ page 70 CHAP. III. Abode at the Cape of Good Hope — Depojitions of tzvo French Captains, Jliewing that they had been irformed at Batavia by Commodore Hunter of his having feen fome Perfons at the Admiralty I/lands, drejfed in the Uniforms of the French Marine — Captain Bligh's Voyage from England in Queji of the Breadfruit in the Society Iflands — Violent Gales from the South Eajl — Local Caufe of their Violence — Slave-trade — Ex- curfions amongfl the Mountains hi the Vicinity of the Tovjn — Journey of the Fifcal — Voyage to Franfche Hoek - - - page 102 CHAP. IV. Departure from the Cape of Good Hope — Death of the Majier-Carpenter of the Recherche — Divers Occur- rences— Singular Flight of the Albatrofs — The IJle of St. Paul feen — Conflagration of its Ferejls — Prodigi- B 4 ous XXIV CONTENTS. ans Swaf-ms of Infe£is in our Ship's Bifcuit — Violtnt RffeSts of the Surge — The Comynander dangeronjly 'Wounded — Luminous Points at the Extremity of the Conductors Large phofphorefcent Corpujcles In Confequence of an erroneous Ohjervation taken by Willaumez eve enter hy Mijiake iyito Tempefi Bay in- Jiead of Adventure Bay — General Ohfervaiions upon the Variations of the Magnetic Needle — Gradiuil Di- minution of the Phofphorefcency of the Water, propor- tionate to our Dijiance from the Land — Courje of the Currents — We are obliged to heat the Place where our Time- keepers are kept Anchorage in Port J)entrecajieaux - - P^g^ i'^S CHAP. V. Abode at Port Dentrecajleaux — Signs of the Coajts be^ tng frequented by the Savages — Different Excurfions into the inferior Part of the Country — Trees of an enormous Height — Excellence of the Soil- — Black Swans — '■Large Trunks of Trees, hollowed by Pire, Jerve the Natives as Places of Retreat — Kangaroo — Otfervations relati?ig to Coinparative Anatomy — • Places of Shelter againfi the JVind confiruCled by the Natives — ConflruSlion of their Huts — Afuddoi Giifi of Wind breaks our Chain — We run agromid ui the Mud — Meet with a young Savage — Intelligence of a Paffitge hy which one may fail from Tempefi into Ad- venture Bay — Huts of the Natives — Phoca' Mona- chus — The Heart of this amphibious Animal has no Foramen CONTENTS. XXY Foramen Ovale — Ohjervatlons relating to Comparative Anatomy — 'Traces of Beajis of Pt~cy at the Cape of Van Diemen — Huts, which appear to have been lately inhabit ed — Viviparous Flies, the Larva of which produce Jpeedy Futrefa6iion in Flejii-meat — Citizen Riche finds fome burnt human Bones — Our Mafier Sail-maker lofes hunfelf in the IVoods — Both Veffels run aground in the Mud — Vtenfils of the Savages — ^ Place of the Ob/ervatoty — Variation of the Magnetic Needle — Time of High-water in the Harbour — De- parture from Port F)entrecajleaux — Pajfage through the Straits of Demrecaftcaux — Fires — Savages feen on the Shore — One of them kindles the Fire in different Places — We cafk Anchor in a large Bay at the En^ trance of the Straits of Dentrecajleaux — Fxcurfion into the Country — Savages found dreffing their Food at the Fire — The Straits which we had difcovered receive the Name of the Straits of Dentrecujieaux — Anchoring Places i?i this Channel — Excurfiofis into the Countries fituated along its Coafls* — Rencounters with . the Savages — Departure from the Straits of Dentre- cajleaux _ _ - page 167 CHAP. VI. Importance of the Strait of Dentrecajleaux — Run from Cape Diemen to Nezv Caledonia — Coujiing the South Weji of New Caledonia — Dangerous Situation of the Recherche near the Reefs on that Coajt — Little Clijler of IJlands at the Northern Extremity of New Cale- donia %XY1 CONTENTS. donia — Fiew of the Natives — Prodigious Exienf of the Reefs — Viezv of the Land of the Arfacides, and of the Treafury IJlands — Coajiing the Wejiern Fart of the IJlands of BougainvUIe, and Bfiuka — Dangerous Situation of the Recherche, on the Shoals off the IJland of Boiigain'vilh — Interview with the Savages of Bouka IJland — Their Tajie for Mujic — Their Trea- chery-.— Their Canoes — Determination ofJeveralPoints of Bougainville and Bouka IJlands — Anchor in Car- . > teret Harbour — Several Excurjions on the neighhoicr- ing Land — Inceffant llain during our Slay at Car^ teret Harbour — Different Objervations page 237 CHAP. vir. Departure from Carteret Hctrbour — On that Occajton the EJperajice lojes an Anchor — Paffage through St. George's Channel — View of the Portland IJlands — Different Interviews with the Natives of the Ad- miralty IJlands — Their fantaffical Fajhion — Dejpo- tifm of their Chiefs — Canoes — AJlomJhiyig rapidity of their Motion View of the Hermit IJlands — Their In- habitants— View of the Exchequer IJlajids — A New IJland — A Water Spout — View of New Guinea — Paffage through Pitt Strait — Singular Effects of the Tides — Ravages of the Scurvy — Anchor at Amboyna page 291 CHAP, CONTENTS. XXVU CHAP. VIII, Stay at Aviboyna — A Calm-Boy helonging to the Re- cherche is accidentally droiimed — Vifit to the Gover- jifjf — Different Excurfions into the Interior of the I/la?id — One of the NaturaTifls falls darvreroujly ill ■ — Defcription of his Diforder — A^^reeahle Liquor fur- niJJied by the Sago Palm— Sugar extracted from it — Vfes of the different Parts of that imluahk Tree — Means hy which the Flying Dragon fajlaivs itftlf in the Air — Explanation of Matf, which preferves the Crops from being plundered — A Dutch Sailor fees into the Woods for Fear of being fent to Bafavia — Dextrous Manner of catclmig the Cancer Carcinus Cabins of the Nati-ves of Amboyna — Their Cloathing^ &c. — Their Method of procuri?ig Fire ; and (f Fifli- ing in the Night — Culture of Nutmegs aiul Cloves — A long Bamboo cut fo as, with a brijk Gale, io emit a very agreeable Sound — Fifherics of the Inhabitants — A Sago-Work — Extrattion of its F^ecuhc — Dif cafes common at Amboyna Various Refeilions on the IJland and Its Inhabitants - nagc 338 CHAP. IX. Departure from Amboyna — Singular Effcul of the Tales — Vie-w of different I/lands — Ravages on board, by the Species of Cockroach, called Blatta Gcrmanica — Run along the South-Wiift dafl of New liollnnd— Death XXVlll CONTENTS, Death of the Blackfmith helonglng to the Recherche — AJiorm drives us toivards the Coajl — We anchor in Legrand Bay — The EJperance, voh'de at Anchor lojes two of her Rudder-irons — Her Moorlng-chain ■ gives Way — Different Excurfions on the neighbouring Land — Nevj Species of Swan — Sea-Salt found at more tlian one hundred Toifes in perpendicular height ' — That Phcenomenon accounted for — Citizen Riche lofes himfeJf on the Continent more than two days — Departure from Legra?id Bay, a7id Continuation of our Run along the Coafl — Want of Water obliges us to leave it — Arrival at Cape Diemen — Cafl Anchor iri the Bay of Rocks - - page A2% LIST LIST OF PLATES. VOL. L t, CHART of the World, exhibiting the Track of M. de la Peroufe, and the Tracks of La Recherche and L'Efperance in Search of that Navigator Pa^-e 55 II. View of the Admiralty-iflands ... 2^7 III. Savage of the Admiralty-ifiands - - 308 IX. Black Swan of Van Diemen's-Iand - - ■ 184. XII. Fig. I, 2 and 3. Aferoe Rubra — Fig. 4, 5 and 6. Spider which die New Caledonians eat — 7 and H. Shield of the Natives of Loaifiada — Hatchet of the Natives of Lou ifiada . _ _ i^g XIII. Eucalyptus globulus - - . jg6 XIV. Exocarpos cuprelliformis - - - 199 XV. Diplarrena moroea - - - 2,02 XVI. Richea glauca . - - - ' 255 XX. Eucalyptus cornuta - - > - . ^^-j XXL Chorizema ilicifolia . . . . ^^q XXII. Anigozanthos rufa - - , 465 XXIII. Bankfia repens - - - 467 XXIV. Bankfia nivea '- . - - ib. XXVII. Dance of the Women of the Friendly-iilands in Prefenceof Queen Tine— 7e/rtrecies of balm, known by botanifts under the name of mel'ijja frut'icofa, alfo iht faccharum tencr'tjftz, the cacalia kkin'ia, the datura metel, the chryjhnthetmim frutefcens, &c. Some of the gardens were orna- mented with the beautiful tree termed po'inciaua pulcherrhna. In the evening. Citizen Ely, being ftruck with the grotefque appearance of fome of the women in the town, \^ ho, e^■en during the greatefi: heat of the feafon, wear long cloaks of very coarfe woollen fluffs, was employed in drawing a fketch of one of them, when he was fuddenly inter- rupted by a fentlnel, who imagined him to be taking a plan of the harbour. It was in vain that he attempted to explain to him what his draught was intended to reprefent : the foldier would not fuffer him to finifli it. As we had anchored too clofe to another fmall vefTel, we cafl an anchor in the afternoon nearer to the fhore, by which we kept ourfelvcs at a convenient diflance. The bearings we took at this place gave us the following refults : The redoubt on the north fide of the town, N. N. E. 4« E. The 42 ' VOYAGE IN SEARCH [1701. The great tower fituated about the middle of the town, E. S. E. At fun-rife each of the forts returned our fahite of nine guns with an equal number. On the noon of the preceding day, we had faluted the tow^n with fifteen, as it returned us gun for gun. A packet-boat from Spain caft anchor to-day in the road-ftead. We had agreed to take a journey to the peak on the morrow, and fubfequently to vifit the other high mountains of the ifland in fucceffion. The French Conful very obligingly did all that was in his power, to facilitate the execution of our defign, and gave us letters of recommendation to M. de Cologant, a very refpecflable merchant, refident at Orotava. About four o'clock the next morning, our party aflembled upon the Mole to the number of eight; namely, Develle, one of the officers of our fhip, Piron, Defchamps, Lahaye, and myfelf,with three fervants, one of whom underilood the Spanifh language, and ferved as our interpreter. We foimd the mules that were to carry us at the fea-fide ; but it was more than an hour before we could fet out upon our journey, it being no eaiy matter to aifemble our guides, fome of whom, knowing that we could not fet off without them, made Oct.] of la perol^se. 43 made no fcruple of letting us wait till they chofe to make their appearance. When they had ar- rived we thought we fhould be able immediately to proceed, but we were obliged to cxpoftulate with them^ a long time, before they could be in- duced to carry the fmall fcock of necelTaries that we took with us upon our expedition. The reader will recolletl that our ihips were fo plentifully ftored with proviiions, that one might have thought we were going to fail to fome de- fert country. Rollel, who had i:he charge of the officers' table, had given orders to the cook to fend us an excellent falmon-pie for our journey.' I fhould not have mentioned fo trivial a circum- fiance, had it not been for tlie fake of the con- trafl: which it alfords v»ith the worm-eaten bif- cuits and cheefe, that w^ere our -ufual regale whilft we remained on ihore, in the fubiequent part of our expedition. Monf. de Cologant having been informed by the French Coniul of our intended journey, in- vited us to come to his houfe at the harbour of Orotava. This port, which is not more than ^ about l5,oQ0 toifes diftant from St. Croix, is a very convenient baiting-place for thofc who viiit the peak ; it being fituated at the foot of the ncareil; mountains of the chain to which it be- longs. 44 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l70i. We were three hour's before we arrired at La- guna. This town is only 5, 1 30 toifes diftant from St. Croix ; but the road thither is very fatiguing^ as it afcends for the greater part of the way. The place is meanly built, and very thinly inhabited. We were informed that at leaft one half of its inhabitants confifis of monks. On our way to Laguna we palTed over Ibme barren mountains, which were covered with a variety of plants of a luxurious growth. Amongft others v/e noticed the euphorbia cajtariejifis; the euphorbia dendroides, the eacalia kleinia, the cachis €pmitia, &c. Thefe plants, as they derive their nourifhment almoft entirely from the atmofphere, thrive very well in fpite of the fterility of the abrupt precipices on which they grow. When we defcended into the fmall plain on which the town ftands, v/e remarked that the mould pro- duced from the corruption of the vegetables, and wafiicd down from the furrounding mountains by the rain, anfwers a very ufefui purpofe in fertiliz- ing this little fpot of ground, fo that it yields abundance of corn, Indian wheat, millet, and other efculent plants. I here obferved a fpccies of the periploca, which I had form.erly dlfcovered during my travels in the Levant. I have given an account pf it in th« fecond decade of my defcription of the plants of Oct.] of la perouse. 4^5 of Syria, under the appellation of periploca anguf- ttfoUa. Citizen Desfontalnes has hkewife col- lected fonie of the fame fpecies upon the coalls of Barbary. All the ilones that we had hitherto feen in thefe regions appeared to have undergone the ac- tion of fire. As the mountains of this chain that are of the mean elevation confift of large maffes, that after being fufed muft have retained a great degree of heat for a confiderabie length of time; I expelled to find the lavas very compatfl in their texture. My conje(5lure v^^as confirmed. Their grain is very fine, and their colour for the moli: part a deep brown. Surrounded with thefe volcanic remains, we ibund the heat very opprcflive, which appeared to incommode our guides much more than our- felves ; fo that they exerted all their powers of jDcrfuafion in order to prevail upon us to make halt during the day, and only travel in the night-time They probably imagined that our fole aim was j:o fee the fummit of the peak, and feveral of our company would have had no very great objections againft our journey being conduced upon that plan. But it is eafy to fuppofe that fuch a noc- turnal ramble could not promife much advantage to thofc whofe objed; of purfuit was the ftudy of natural hiflory. The 40 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l/Qt* . ... » . ' The inhabitants ot the liland are befet with lehglous prejudices from their earheH; infancy. The cliildren came running out of their habita- tions to enquire if we w^ere of their rehgion ; and we contented ourfelves with commiferating the unfortunate beings, upon whom monkifh bigotry and intolerance exert with unbounded rigour their pernicious fw^ay. Mofl: of the garden-walls in the country be- yond Laguna, are ornamented with the beauti- ful plant called trlchomaiies cmiarmife. As we approached Orotava, our road led us dow^n a very gentle declivity. We faw no more fuch barren mountains as in the vicinity of St. Croix, where the luxuriance of the vegetable king- dom is only an indication of the fterility of the foil ; but verdant banks covered with vineyards, the produce of v.hich conllitutes the chief wealth of the ifland. The llirub tcrm^dihofcayervamora growls here in low fituations. At five o'clock in the evening wx arrived at Orotava, where we were received by M. dc Co- logant, in the moil hofpitable manner. Two veffels, an Englifh and a Dutch, were then at anchor in the road-ftcad, in order to take in a cargo of wine. The landing-place here is much more difficult of accefs than that at St. Croix, Oct.] of la perouse. 47 Croix, on which account this harbour is lefs fre- quented. M. de Cologant's wine-vaults were an object well worthy of our attention ; as the wines of the ifland are the principal commodity in which this opulent merchant trades. Amongft the different kinds of wine which they contain, there are tv/o forts that have quali- ties very dillind: from each other ; namely, the fack, or dry wine, and that which is commonly known by the name of malmfey. In the prepa- ration of the latter, care is taken to concentrate its faccharine principle as much as poffible. The price of the beft wine was then 120 piaflres per pipe, and that of the inferior fort Go piailres. > it is neceffary how^ever to remark, that I here /peak only of the price at w^hich it is fold to ftrangers ; for the fame wine which they buy at 60 piailres the pipe, is fold to the inhabitants of the ifland for fix and thirty. When the fermentation of thefe wines has proceeded to a certain length, k is the cuftom to mix with them a confiderable quanfity of brandy, which renders them fo heady, that many perfons are unable to drink them, even in very moderate quantity, without feeling difagreeable effe6ls upon the nervous fyftem from this admixture. We were afTured that the iflaud generally yields thirty 48 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l79I- thirty thoufand pipes of wine in a year. As it does not produce a fufficient quantity of com for the confumption of the inhabitants, a part of the produce of- the wines, which are fold to ftrangers as Madeira wine (and indeed they differ very Uttle from it in quality), is expended in the purchafe of this indifpenfably necelTary article of fuftenance. Although the olive thrives very well in this ifland, it is very little cultivated. The different fpecies of the palm-tree that are to be met with in fome of the gardens, are cultivated only for cu- riofity. We had been aflured, before our departure from St. Croix, that we Ihould find the fummit of the peak already covered with fnow. I had not thought it neceifary to take a barometer with me at fetting out ; but I found at Orotava that I had been led int6 a millake ; and there I was un- able to procure this inftrument of obfervation *. We purpofed to proceed very early the next morning on our journey. But that happened to * We read, in the account of the Voyage of La Pcroufc, that when the fhip lay at anchor in the road of St. Croix, the mercury, in t!ie barometer that Lamanon liad taken with him, fell at the peak ofTenerilfe to 18 inches 4 lines, whilft the thermometer indicated 9.;° above 0 , though, at the fame moment of time, the barometer flood, at St. Croix, at 28 inches 3 lines, and the thermometer at 24-|'. be OCT.^ OF LA JPXRDUSE. . IQ be a feftlval day, and our guides could not be per- fuaded to fet out before they had heard mafs ; fome of them had even heard three ah'cady : ^^ for us, we waited for them with the mo^ impa- tient folicitudc, wheji our uncafine^ was redou- bled by being informed that we ought to confi- dcr it as a very great indulgence if they would agree to travel at all on fo high a feilival. They were, however, at length ready to accompany us, about nine o'clock in the forenoon. Having left the town, we purfucd a track that often led us up very fteep afcents, from whence we cbferved enormous malles of mountains piled one upon the other, and forming a fort of am- phitheatre round the bafe of the peak. On their brows we frequently met \^ith level fpcts that lerved us for reiling-placcs, where, after ha\ ing fatigued ourfelves with climbing up the rugged paths, we flopped for a fliort time to take breath, and acquire freih courage for afcending the higher mountains. Our p-uides were aftoniflied to obfervc that fome of us chofe to go on foot, contrary to the cuftom of the greater part of thofe who make the tour of the peak ; and inceiTantly admoniflicd us to ride upon the mules which they led along with them. After having palTed through fome fine planta- Vol. L D tians ,50 VOYAGE T?r SEARCH [l79T. tions of vines, we found ourfelves furrounded with chefhut- trees, which cover the moft elevated regiorvs of thefe mountains. In the clefts between the mountains, I obferved the polipodium vh'gmtcum, and feveral fpecies of the laurel that were new to me, amongft the refc the Jaura Indica of Linnsus. Although we purpofed to perform our'journey within a fpace of not many days, we ought to have provided ourfelves with a larger ftock of {hoes; for even the ftrongefh foles were foon ground to pieces by the lava on which we walked^ It was near noon when we arrived at the height of the clouds, which ipread a thick dew over the brufh-wood through which our road led us. One (hould think that the abundance of rain which falls upon thefe heights, in confequence of the natural propenfity of the atmoiphere,* muft give * We may lierc remark, that when high mountains be- come much heated by the rays of the fun, ihey aft as a kind of Hove, by which tlie fuperincumbent atmofphcrc is elevated in confequence of tlie dilatation which it undergoes. Hence arifes the moifture of the more difiant part of the atmofphere, which, 'vufhing in to fapply the place of that which has been fent into higher regions by the aftion of the heat, carries v>rith it the clouds fuipended in it ; as I have had frequent opportunities of obferving at Mount Liba- non, where this phenomenon never fails to take place about five cv clock in the afternoon during the heats of the month Oct.] of la perouse. 51 give rife to a great number of fprings. They are, neverthelefs, very rare ; as the earth is not fufficiently attenuated to retain the water, which filtrating through the volcanic foil, difcharges it- fcK, for the greater part, into the ocean, without collecting into regular ftreams. As foon as we had furmounted thefe thick clouds, we enjoyed a fpe<5lacle beautiful beyond conception. The clouds heaped up below us ap- peared blended with the diflant ocean, and con- cealed the iiland from our fight. The fky above us formed a vault of the moil tranfparent azure, whilft the peak appeared like an infulated moun- tain placed in the midil: of a vail expanfe of waters. Soon after we had left the clouds beneath us, I obferved a phenomenon, which I had formerly had occafion to remark, during my ftay amongft the high mountains of Kefroan in Natolia. It %\ as with new furprife that I faw the outlines of my figure, delineated in ^11 the beautiful tints of the rainbow, upon the clouds below me, fituated oppofite to the fun. The decompofition of the rays of the fun, by of September, unlefs fome violent current of the atmo- iphere fhould happen to countera^'^ N. lat. 18' 8(3' E. long. The thermometer and barometer, obferved on board towards noon, varied very little during our ftay QCT.] OF LA PEROUSE. f^f (lay in this place. The former never roic above 20^ tw^o tenths, nor the latter above 28 inches two lines. The ftation of St; Croix is a very excellent one, on account of the plentiful fupply wliich it affords of all forts of European kitchen-vege-' tables, cabbages excepted, which, though very fmall, are fold at an exorbitantly high price; Moft of the orchard-fruits of Europe are likev.'iffe to be met with here, and the fame domeftic animals as in the ports of France. Experience had taught us that the flieep of this ifland do not bear confinement on board fo well as ours. The pure air which they have been accuf- tomed to breathe on the mountains where they feed, renders them the more fufceptible of injury from the impure air between-decksi Teneriffe alfo affords great abundance of dried filli. They particularly carry on an extenfive traf- fic with the fpecies termed bonite. Thofe parts of the ifland upon which the labour .of cultivation has been beflowed, are very fertile, as is generally the cafe in volcanic iflands. The internal heat of the earth which forms their bafis^ exhales towards the furfice of the ground a por- tion of the rain-water which they have imbibed, which produces a remarkably luxuriant vegeta- tion. E2 On OS VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l/O^* On the other hand the too flow decompofitlon of fome of thefe volcanic ftones, and the extreme dr}^nefs of fome of the mountains, render many parts of the ifland unfit for cultivation. The a<5lion of the fire to v^hich they have been ex- pofed at different periods after long intervals, as is attefled by hiftoiical records, together with the flielter which they feceive from the plants pecu- liar to thofc fituations, retarding in many places that gradual decompofition which would other- wife have taken place, had they been left entirely bare. No volcanic eruption had hctn known in this ifland, fmce that which broke out ninety-two years ago, till in the month of May, 1 796, a new- eruption tG'ok place on the fouth-eaf^ fide of the peak, as I was informed by Citizen Gicquel, offi- cer of naarlnes, who fpent fome time at St. Croix on his return in the frigate La Kegeneree from the Ifle de France, I fhall infcrt the account which I received of this event from Citizen le Gros, Conful of the French Republic, '* On the 2lfl day of May, 1796, the inhabi- tants of St. Croix heard fome hollow reiterated founds, very like the diftant report of cannon ; in the night-time they felt a flight trembling of the earth. Oct.] ©f la perguse, 6q earth, and on the followhig morning a volcano was obferved to have broken out on the fouth-cail iide of the peak. Paring the firft days after its eruption, it appeared to have fifteen mouths, their number was foon reduced to twelve, and at the j^ijid of a month only two were to be feen, which threw out with their Java large mafles of rock, that often prel^rved their l^ne of projection for a ipace of fifteen feconds before they fell to the groimd." Before our arrival at Teneriffe our veflels had been fo encumbered with their ftores, that we icarcely ki>ew how to 4ifpofe of our crew. £ a ■ CHAP, 7.p VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l/Ql CHAP. II. JFe depart from Tenertffe, andfst fall for the Cape of Good Hope — Ohfervatmis — Splendid Appear- ance of the Surface of the Sea, produced h\ phof- phor'ic Ljght — The mofi general Caife of the Phofphorefcence of the Sea-water afcertained — Four of our Sheep which we had brought from Teneriffe are throw)n into the Sea — Moderate Temperature cf the Atmofphere near the Line — The Variation of the Compafs greater on the South than on the North Side of the Equator — Eajy Method of rendering ftagnated Water frefli — Thick Fog, which caufes the Mercury in the Ba- rometer to rife — Lunar Rainbow — Arrival at the Cape of Good Hope. VERY high fwell of the fea had prevented us almofc two days from getting our provi- fions on board. We were not ready to fet fail till the 23dofOdober. We endeavoured at the firft dawn to get under way. All our boats had been taken on board the preceding day as foon as w^e had unmoored ; as we wiflied to take advantage of the land-wind, •which blows here almoft every morning. It was likewife Oct.] of la perouse. 71' likewife neceflary that wc lliould put out to fea before the flood-tide, which was expc(^ed to fet in about half an hour after five. We held by a cable to the Englifh corvette/ I cannot omit this opportunity of commending the polite behaviour of the Enghfh captain, who gave us, in the moil obliging manner, every af- fiilance that we flood in need of to enable us to get under way. Our Commander on his part had likewife done him every fervice in his power, when he came to anchor in the roads a few days after our arrival. One of the anchors of the Eng- lifli floop helped us to heave down, and having fpread our fails, wc fleered off from the coafl under a flight breeze, which did not continue long enough for the Efperance to take advantage of it, although fhe had unfurled her fails a few minutes after our vefTel. Carried away by the flood, the force of which had not at firfl been perceived, fhe was obliged to cafl a fmall anchor, by which fhe hauled, in order to keep off from the coaft while flie endeavoured to fland clear of the vefTels about her. At half after nine o'clock fhe flood towards us. We then dire(5led our courfe S. S. E» At noon we were in 28® 5^ 40^' N. lat. 18° 3G' 40" E. long. At this fpot we fet the peak of E 4 TenerifFc 75 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l/Ql.' TenerifFe E. 28^ N. and the eaftern point of the illand of Canary E. 24° S. We then fleered, about one o'clock in the af- ternoon, S. E. S. with a view to pafs between the Cape Verd iflands and the main land. We had a pretty frefli eaft breeze, About fix in the evening the illand Gomere bore N. 380E. On the 2(5th, the Efperance told us her longi- tude, after having enquired to know ours. The great difference between the longitude of our reckoning, and that taken by obfervation, threw us into fome uncertainty, which induced us to bear down two rhomb-lines ftarboard from our former S. E. S. courfe ; but fubfequent obferva- tions determined us to refunie our firft dire^ion. The w^eather was very fine, and wo, had nothing, to fear from approaching the African coaft : be- fides, we knew from our foundings that it was many leagues diftant. On the following morning we were out of fight of land, which convinced us that the obfervations. taken on board the Efperance were erroneous. We croffed the Tropic of Cancer about one o'clock in the afternoon, in 20^ E. long. The barometer indicated 28 inches 2 4-5ths lines. The firft fifh that would bite at the hook of our Oct.] of la perouse. 73 our fifhermen, was a very fine dorado (coryphcena hyppurusj . This was fufficient to put the whole crew in motion ; but the fiflierman had the mor- tification of finding only a part of its gills upon his hook, as he had drawn the line too haftily. Since our departure from TencrifFe the wind had blown pretty ileadily from the N. E. point. A fwallow of the common fpecies (hlrundo ru- ftica), undoubtedly lately come from Europe, foU lowed us for fome time, without lighting upon the vefTel ; but foon direded its flight right to- wards the African coafl, where it was fure of finding the infedis on which it feeds. We wer(5-< now about 28° N. lat. 22'^ 30^ E. long. As there was very little wind, we obferved a great number of the medufa caravela floating upon t]ie furface of the water. This plant fliould not be touched unguardedly, as, like many other kinds of fea-nettles, it raifes blifters upon the hand, that afterwards become very painful. The fpecies of remora, known by the name of echineis remora, generally follows the Ihark, as it finds fufficient nourifliment in the excrements of that voracious filh. It does not, however, at- tach itfclf fo cxclufively to the fliark as not to follow other large fillies alfo, and even veffels, to w^hich it fixes itlelf when it is fatigued with fwim- ming. It ^4 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l/Qt- - In the night we obferved that our vefTcl was followed by a, large fhoal of dorados. As they f\\"am much fafter than we failed, they often moved in a circtilar courfe round our veffcl with incre- dible fwiftnefs. Although the night was very dark, it was eafy to follov^^ them with the eye> as they leave a luminous track behind them. This phofphoric light, produced in the agitated water of the fea, appears the more brilHant in propor- tion to the darkncfs of the night, and the velo- city with which the fifhes move ; fo that we were able to difcern their track very diftindlly, although they f^vam feveral feet below the furface of the water. " 30th. We were now intho^ feas that abound with voracious filhes, fuch as the bonito, the tunny ^ and others of the fame ctafs, which find plenty of food amongft the different fpecies of fifh on which they prey ; the principal of which is the flying- f:{\\ (exocostns volitans, Linn.). The bonitos that followed us were eafily caught by our fifliermen, though they ufed no other bait than a bunch of feathers, bound up fo as to refemble a flying-fifh^ within which the hook was concealed. We had been almoft becalmed for fome time, but the regular winds began to recover their force- They were again interrupted on the 3d of No- vember by a ftorm^ which continued during the whole Nov.] OF LA PEROL-SE. 75 whole night ; the next morning they blew as on the preceding days. On the (3th they left us at 9^ & N. lat. 21^ £. long. The heat was nov7 exceffive, though the ther- mometer was only 23° above O of Pteaumur's fcale. A bird, called by BufFon goeland noir (larut martnus, Linn.), ha^mg lighted upon one of the yards, efcaped from a faiior, who had climbed up the maft, in the very inflant when he was about to feize it. A prodigious number of bonitos followed us day and night ; and it was a matter of great afto- nifhment to us, that they were able to keep up with us fo long without taking any reft. The motteux of Buffon (motacllla amant/ie, Linn.), fatigued with its long iiight over the fea, lighted upon our veirel, and fuffered itfelf to be taken. We W'Cre becalmed for feventeen days in lat. 5° N. We afterwards had Itorms, followed by fqualls, that varied from E. N. E. to S. S. W. having veered round by fouth. The tempeft-bird (prQccllar'ia pelagica, Linn.) is not fo fure an indication of a ftorm, but that its appearance is often followed by a calm of (c- veral days duration. It was a pleafmg fight to pbferve thele little birds flying dole to the ftern of ^6 VOYAGE IN SEAI^CH [3 79l> of 0ur veiTel, in quefl of their food, which they find upon the fur face of the ocean. We were mortified to find that the v€2;etables and fruits, which we had bought at Teneriffcj did not keep-, as their corruption was greatly ac ceierated by the heat and moifture that prevails during the calms of this zone. We had reafon to believe that as they had been gathered in a yeiy hot and dry climate, they would have kept much better than thofe of Europe. A fiiiall fliark fjqnalus carcharias, Linn.) fell a ifidlim to his voracioufnefs. As foon as they had hauled him on deck, he was immediately cut in pieces, and every one had his fhare. The fhark however is very poor food ; for befides the natural abhorrence which the flefh of an anima} that de- vours human bodies muft excite, it is very diffi- cult of digcftion : but at fea we cannot choofe our difhes, and frelli provifions are always pre- ferable to faked. I found attached to the higher orifice of his fto- ynach a number of worms of the genus dorh of Linnasus. They were about an inch and a half in length, and did not eafily let go their hold, al- though the iliark was dead. I obferved therti now and then flioot out the two ioitacula that iDelong to the chara(!:ferillics of this genus. The fituation of the mouth of the fliark, under. his fCoV.] OF LA PEROUSE. fj Ills long upper jaw, obliges him to turn himfelf almoft round upon his back in order to fcize any objed: abt)Te him ; fo that his white belly, which the transparency of the fea-water renders diftin- guifliablc even at a great depth below the furfaccj points out to the fifhcrman the exaft moment \vhen he ought to draw his line, in order to fafteii this voracious iifli to his hook. Nature has amply provided it with the means of fecuring its prey ; for befides feveral rows of ■ teeth formed in the manner moft adapted for pe- netrating the hardeft bodies, the internal part of the mouth is likewife furniilied with various ai- peritics that ferve to prevent the egrefs of any fubflance that it has laid hold of Had we been trading to India, vre iliould not have failed to collet a quantity of the fins of this fifh, as they are in great requeft amongft the Chinefe, who believe them to be a very powerful aphrodifiac. When the air was calm tlic heat was extremely opprefnve : the thermometer however flood no higher than 23^; although we were not mo:«c than g° north of the equator. Our longitude was 20° 50^ eaft. It appears that in thefe parts the thermometer affords a very inadequate ftand- ard of the fcnfible heat of the atmofpherc ; for though it indicated feveral degrees lower than w^hat 7S VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l70l» .what we frequently experience in the warm furn- mer weather of Europej the heat threw us into a moil: profufe perfpiration, which gave rife to very troublefome effervefcenccs of the blood. Between the tropics, the mercury in the ba- rometer {lands at a very uniform height. We never obferved it to vary more than an mch and a half, more or lefs. It generally flood at 28 inches 2 lines, although the atmofphere was of- ten agitated by violent ftorms, which being ge- nerated in the interior of Africa, from the coaft of which we were not more than about 300,000 -toifes diftant, were brought over to us by winds from N. E. and E. N. E. . 12th. We here caught the fifh known among the Ichthyologifts by the name of halltjlesverriico- fus. A great number of a fmall fpecies of whaks (fovffieurs) fwam about our fliips, followed in their tardy courfe by fliarks which fed upon their excrements. A fquall from the S. E. gave us intimation of the gales from the fame quarter, that prevailed in the diftant regions under the equator ; though they blow there generally from the N. E. during this feafon, when the fun remains almoft two months within the Tropic of Capricorn. 1 4th. A fhark that had been preceded by ajium- .ber of the fillies called /i/o/j (gajlerojieus dn5iot\ Liun.) Nov.] OF LA PEROUS-E.' f9 Linn.), was caught by our fallors. Some remoras> that thought themfelves in fafety as long as they remained fixed to the body of the fliark, kept their hold ftill for a confiderable time after the fifh had been brought upon deck. As the weather was exceffivelv hot, and the fea very tranquil, Piron and S.aint-Agnan, unable to refiil their defire of cooling themfelves by bathing, plunged themfelves a few hours after- wards into the fea, at the hazard of becoming the prey of another fhark. It had rem-ained calm almoft the whole day; but about eight in the evening the fkies were covered to the fouth-eaft with thick clouds, that portended a violent ftorm. The night was very dark ; and foon a luminous column of immenie height was feen to defcend from thefe clouds, and illumine the furface of the water. The fcintiilation of the fea was for fomc time inter- rupted by feveral intervals, during which it w^as quite dark ; when all of a fudden the whole fur- face of the fea appeared covered with a fheet of fire, extending in our dired;ion. This fheet was pufhed along by a very high gale, wjiich raifed the waves to a great pitch ; and we faw ourfelves furrounded with a fea of flames, which afforded one of the moft brilliant fpe(5laclcs in nature. This phenomenon very foon difappcared ; but the fea 86 VofAG^ IJT SEARCH [l/Ql- Tea appeared during the whole night mtich more luminous than ufual wherever it was agitated, particularly at the wake of the fhip and the top iof the waves. The force of the gale had obliged us to flrike bur top-fails, and even to bear down, for fear of being taken a-back. The heat had been very oppreffive during the whole day. We were now failing off the im- menfe gulph formed by the coafts of upper Gui- nea, the fliorcs of which extend almoft 1,500>000 toifes to the eaftwatd. The fea is much more phofphoric in the vici- nity of the coafts fituated between the tropics, than any where elfe, becaufe thofe animals, upon which' its phofphorefcence depends, abound there much more than in any other part of the ocean : a h^.^ which I have had opportunity of Remarking in parts of the ocean very diftant from each other. I fhall enter into fom.e invef- tigation of this phenomenon. As we had this gulph under our lee, the cur- rents had carried over to us many of the luminous fubflances with which it abounds ; but it re- quired the concurrence of another circumftance in order to produce fo vivid a light as we v/it- nftifed. The clouds that hung over the quarter from whence the wind arofe, had imparted to the atmofphere Nov.] ' OF LA PEROUSE. 81 atmofphere a fuperabundance of ele<5lricity, which was one of the principal agents in producing the luminofity of the water. The electric ftate of the atmofphere was proved to me by the unufual repulfion between the two balls of my electrometer. 1 5th. A flight breeze from the fouth-eaft led us o to hope that we fliould foon be delivered from the calms, that prevail to a greater extent in thefe fitu- ations than in any other part of the ocean. Thefe differences are particularly obfervable upon a voy- age to India, and appear to depend chiefly upon the vicinity of the African coafl, to which fliips, failing from Europe to the Cape, approach much nearer, than thofe which fail from the Cape to Europe : thus the former voyages generally re- quire a longer fpace of time to be accompliflied than the latter. Many able feamen think it advifable to crofs the Line much further to the eaflward than is commonly done. The calms which prevail northward of the equator depend upon the configuration of the African coafl, which projects, at the diflance of a few degrees from the Line, nearly 1,500,000 toifes eaftward ; whilfc the great diflance at which one fails from the coaft, after having crofTed the equator, prevents the winds, generally prevalent Vol. I. F in i2 T0YAGE IN SEAS C If [irO'I- in this part of the ocean, from being modified hy the land breezes. I had kept feme bottles of the fea- water, which I had coHed;ed the night before, during its phof- phorefcence, for the purpofe of examining the fmall luminous fubftances which occafion thi? phenomenon. Having inclofed fome of this water in a vial, I agitated it in the dark, and prefentlj obierved luminous globules arifmg within it, which appeared perfedlly fimilar to thofe that are feen in the agitated water of the ocean. I tried the fimple experiment of feparating thefe parti- cles from the water, in order to learn whether it would flill retain its phofphorefcent quality. Upon filtrating if, by means of a piece of blotting-paper, a number of minute tranfparent particles, gelati- nous: in their confidence, and of a globular form. were left upon the filtre. The w^ater had now entirely lofi: its phofphorefcent quality, which I again reftored to it by mixing it with thofc par- ticles. If thefe fmall animalcula be expofed for any confiderable time to the air, they lofe thelf phofphorefcent properties. I have frequently repeated the fame experiment upon water collected in different parts of the ocean, and have uniformly found it to contain the fame fort of animalcula, which I therefore confidcr to be the principal caufe of the phof- • phorefence Nov.] OF LA PEliOUSEi 83 phorefcence of the fea. Other fubftances, how-* ever, poiTefs Ukewife the property of giving this appearance to the fea ; for many fpecies of the crab, and other marine infe6ls of confiderable bulk, fometirries afcend from its bottom, and give a luminous appearance to the furfaCe. I have feen fome of thefe phofphoric animals of more than half a foot in length, but they were always accompanied by the fmall animalcula above men- tioned. - We were informed to-day that they had thrown into the fea, from on board the Efperance, four of the fheep they had brought with them from Teneriffe, becaufc fome perfons had imagined that they had obferved upon them fymptoms of that difeafe which our nation is accufed of having im- ported into Europe, from America, The monks of the ifland from whence they had brought the iheep, had to fuffer many fevere farcafms upon this occafion ; though I believe them to have been deflitute of foundation ; for I have little doubt^ that_if the animals had been fubje(5led to a more accurate examination, the crew would not have been deprived of fo confi^derable a part of their live ilock. Breezes from the S. S. E., which began to blow on the 21 ft of November, we being in lat. 4° 31' long. 18^ 30' W. at length put an end to F2 the 84 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l/Ql* the calms, which at this period of the year are generally experienced feveral degrees further to the fouth, before one arrives at the. track of the regular w^inds. The bird knovs^n among ornithologifts by the name oi pelecanus aquilus excited our admiration. We obferved two of them who, whilfl they ho- vered at an immenfe height, efpied their prey in the water, exped:ing the moment when it fhould appear near enough to the furface for them to dart down and feize it. The reafon why thefe birds hover at fuch a prodigious height above the ocean, is, undoubt- edly, that they may take in a more extenfive view of its furface ; but it is aftonifliing that they are able at that diftance to perceive the fmall fifhes upon which they generally feed. It is a fubjedt w^ell worthy to be inveftigatcd by natural philo- fophers, whether this piercing vifion depends more upon the fenfibility.of the retina, or (as I rather fuppofc it does), upon the difpofition of the humours of their eye. The pelican is known to be a great deftroyer of the flying-iifli. As foon as it eipies one of thefc filhcs, it defcend.» from the more elevated rciiions of the atmofphere, and remains hovering; about fifty toifes above the furface of the water, m ord('r to feize its prey whenever it quits the fea. All Oct.] of la perouse. 85 All the motions of the pelican are conducted with admirable dexterity : it does not dart head fore- moft, like moll: other birds that feck their food in the water ; but placing its feet and neck hori- zontally and level with each other, it flrikes the air above it with its pinions, and then laying them crofsways upon its back, fo as to afford the Jeaft polFible refinance to the atmofphere, darts down upon its prey, and feizes it almoft the inftant it has left the water. We all of us pitied the poor flying-fifh w^hen we obferved the aftonifhing fkill of its enemy, which very feldom miffcs its aim. As the flying- fiih raifes itfelf but to a very fmall diftance from the furface of the fea^ the pelican would run the rifk of falling into the water, did it not poiTefs the art of breaking its fall by fuddenly. expand- ing its wings, fo as to be immediately able to mount again in queft of another victim. Though nature has given the flying-fifli the power of living both in the water and in the air, it is very difficult for them to efcape from their numerous enemies. If they evade the purfuit of the bonitos and dorados, by quitting the water, the pelican awaits them in the air. Some of them, reduced to this dilemma, were obliged to light upon our veffel. I found in the ilomachs of feveral bonitos a F 3 number 86 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l791. number of worms, that ought to be claffed among the genus fafciola of Linnseus, though their in-» ferior extremity, which is almoft cyHndrical, has a very diftinguifhable bulb. They are about four hnes in length, and terminate in a tube which compofes about half their dimenfions. The winds from the fouth and fouth-eaft con-^ tinued to blow with fuch obftinacy, that we were not able to crofs the Line till in the night of the 28th, about eleven o'clock, in 26° E. long, though our def]gn had been to crofs it about eight or ten degrees farther eaftward. Thefe fouth and fouth-eaft winds are not ccm-^ mon in thefe latitudes at this time of the year ; for the fun being already confiderably advanced in the Tropic of Capricorn, the regular winds ge- nerally veer round to the eafb. The calms, in confequence of which we had got every day t) or 8'' further northward, and the gales from the fouth and fouth-eaft, were the caufcs of our being fo long detained by thefe winds. Near as we were to the Equator, the thermo- meter, as obferved for the laft eight days, had not flood higher than 21 or 22°. It was a matter of furprife to us, that being fo near the Line, the thermometer did not indicate a higher degree of heat ; but befides general caufes, fuch as the ab- forption of the rays of the fun by the water of the Nov.] OF LA PEROUSE. 87 the ocean, and the comparatively inferior denfity of the water, together with the evaporation -that takes place Irom it, which prevent an equal de- gree of heat being communicated to the atmof- phcre with what it acquires from the land, wc had for feveral days had a flight breeze which contributed not a little to cool the air. The failors have a cuftom of ducking perfons who crofs the Line for the firft time, with the fea-watcr. This operation is performed by pouring feveral pails of water over their heads ; and is frequently conducted in fuch a manner, as to afford a great deal of merriment to thofe who know themlclves exempted from being the fubjedis of it. One of the iailors, who calls him- ielf the Good Man of the Line, lets himfclf down from the main- top, with a large beard of tow faftened to his chin, and preiidcs at this nautical diverfion. Our Commander, apprehenllve that this Ibrt of cold bathing might not agree very well with fbme of us> forbade its being performed upon any of the palfengers. On the 2gth of November,. Bcaume's aero- meter for falts gave me 3*^ 4-5ths. Wc were then half a degree fouth of the Line, The currents carried us fomewhat eaftward ^f our former courfe. The principal caufe of F4 the 83 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l79l. the different currents in the wide ocean is known to arife from the a6lion of the winds. We had jevery reafon to expert a long palfage. The Efpc^- lance, however, kept her luff much better thaii our veflel. We were apprehenfive left our want of water might put us under the necelfity of fteering for the coaft of Brazil. This circumflanccJ would have been the more embarraffmg to us^, as it would have deranged the whole plan of our expedition ; for the inveftigations we intended to make in feveral of the countries that we were about to vifit, were to be determined by the fea- fon of the year. On the 1 7 th of December we croffed the Tro- pic of Capricorn, in 28° W. long. On board the Efperance they often caught more than a hundred bonitoes in the courfe of a day, whilft the mofl dexterous filhermen in our veffel never took more than ten in the fame fpace of time, and very feldom as many. It was how- ever a matter of great confequence to the health of the crew, that they fhould be Applied with frefh provifions. On the 18th of December we were in lat. 25^ 20^ S. and long. 28° 42^ W. >vhen the thermo-^ meter obferved at noon indicated only ] 9° aboye 0, although the fun was very near our zenith : before fun-rife it had been 17§°. In the night- time p£C.} OF LA PEROUSE, 89 time the cold had been fo confiderable as to pbhge our failors to take to their woollen clothes. We had thought ourfelves fure of meeting with eafterly gales as we approached the Brazi- lian coaft : they, however, blew from the eaft ; but having drawn aft, we were enabled to keep our fails pretty full for the fpace of a fortnight, till we were in 28° S. lat, and 24^^ W. long. We might have expeded in this latitude to meet with favourable winds for Peering towards the Cape of Good Hope ; but all the variation that took place was ftili more to our difadvantagc. On the 28th of December we had ilill, S. E. ■winds, though we were already beyond 2Qi^ S, lat. The heat of the fun having been for feverai months at its greateft height in this hemifphere, had changed the direction of the regular winds. The length of our paffage had reduced our al- lowance of water to one bottle a day. As foon as the winds had veered from N. E. to N. the currents, which bore till then to the eaft, became fcarcely perceptible. Though we were at fo great a diftance from the Cape of Good Hope, we obierved a great number of albatroiTes fdiomedea exulans.J It is a remarkable circumftance, that the va- riation of the magnetic needle "is much greater to the fouth of the Line, than it is to the north ; for {)0 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l70I. for between 14° N. lat. and the Equator, in the fpace cojLitained between 23*^ and 20° W. long, the difference had not been more than 3®, or from 14° to 11°; whilll in the fame extent of fouth latitude, between 26° and So'^ W. long. the compais varied eight degrees to the eail, or from 11° to 3°. Might not the vicinity of the coaft of Brazil be one of the principal caufes of this difference ? The fmalleft variation obferved was that of 1 ° 50^, in 25° S. lat. and 29^ W. long. It cannot be doubted that the change of fituation with refpcd: to longitude has a much greater influence upon the variation of the needle, than change of latitude. The variation increafed fenfibly in proportion as we advanced farther eaflward. One of our officers who was taking the dif- tanccs between the fun and moon, in a ver^^ in- commodious fituation, with a copper -fextant made by Dollond, the radius of which was a foot in length, difcovered a caufe productive of error in the calculations, which one fhould hardly have fufped:ed. The radii of this inftrument, though very heavy, were ilill fo llender as to bend when it was preffed with any degree of force againft the breaft, whereby the parallelifm of the fpecula v/as deranged. The fame effedl does not take place with fextants made of wood, for their radii, being Dec] of la perouse. gi being much ftronger than thoie of copper, do not yield to that degree of preHure which bends the others. This fource of error affords an additional tea- fon why mariners ought to give the preference to the circle of reflexion, invented by Citizen Borda. The facility with which any errors that may arifc from the graduation, are redified by crois obfe'rva- tionSj in the ufe of this inftrument^ gives it a very great fuperiority over all others. I regret that this valuable inilrument, though. {o eaiy in its application, is not more generally in ufe. Each of our ofiicers poiTelTed one of them, and during the courfe of the expedition every one learnt to ufe it with certainty. With a little pra6lice an obferver may take the longitude within 10, or 15,000 toifes; and there is reafon to believe, that when the lunar tables fliall ftave attained a greater degree of perfed;ion, the obfervations will approximate ftill nearer to the truth. Though the plants which I had colle the ruft. During the whole period of time that we were failing round the Tropics, the barometer had not flood higher than 28 inches 4 lines, nor lower than 28 inches 1 1-1 0th lines. We knew very well that our provifion of water could not retain its frelhnefs in the extreme heat of this climate ; but one fhould hardly have ima- gnned, that whilfl: we had means on board of re- floring its purity, they fhould not have been put effecflually in pradice, before diftributing to the crew their daily allowance. ' Water that is kept for a long time on board, undergoes the fame fort of decompofition which takes place in ftagnant pools ; and this procefs is conliderably accelerated by the influence of a hot D£c.] * OF i:a perouse'. ' 93 hot climate. A great quantity of inflammable 2(ir is then difengaged from it ; fo that a perfon who goes into the hold where it is ftowed, runs the hazard of being fuiFocated. This, however, is an accident that very rarely happens, as a part of the noxious vapours are difcharged by the paf* fage leading into the hold. Neverthelefs, thefo vapours frequently give rife to nervous fevers amongft the crew, the malignity of which, is in proportion to the heat by which the decompofi- tion of the water is efFc6led. As this gas, the fpecific gravity of which was firfl: determined by Prieftley, is confiderably lighter than atmofpherical air, and has likew^fe very little attraction for the water ; it is veiy eafily feparatcd, fo as to reftore w^ater to its former purity ; nothing more being neceffary than to agitate the fluid for the fpace of a quarter of an hour. We had a machine on board which was per- fectly adapted to this purpofe. It confifted of a large bucket, about five cubic feet in capacity, which being filled to about two-thirds with wa- ter, four large flat pieces of iron were turned round in the middle of the vcfTcl, by means of a handle and balance-wheel. By this operation the water in the bucket was violently agitated, and whilft the inflammable air, w-ith which it had been impregnated, was difengaged, it abforbed a , ,■ quantity ©4 roTAGE iw ifeARcir [1701* quantity of pure air from the atrtiofpherc, to fup- ply the place of that which it had loft ; fo that, putrid as it had been before^ it foon recoyered.it> original frefiinefs. This procefs, fo eafy in its execution, affords a. fatisfacflory anfwer to the many enquiries that have been made concerning the means employed by mariners to render water potable, after it hai lofl: this quality by being kept long in the fliip. It will fcarcely be credited, that though we were able to purify the water according to the iimple method jufi: defcribed, that which was dif- tributed in the veffcl often ftunk nearly as much as when it was firfi: brought out of the hold. The caufe of this neglc ]02 VOYAGE IT^ SEARCH [l7Q^- medics. A very -wholefome and pleafant kind of punch, made of brandy, vinegar, fugar and water, had been daily diftributed amongft our crew to- wards the latter end of the paiTage. The (hips were fumigated every day, and we were very care- ful that the failors fhould change their clothes whenever they had got wet. It was a fatisfadion to us to £nd that thefe precautions had not been taken in vain. CHAP. III. Ah ode at the Cape of Good Hope — Depojitmis of two French Captains, fhezving that they had been informed at Batav'm by Commodore Hunter of his having feen fome Perfons at the Admiralty JJlandsy dreffed in the XJnforms of the French Marine — Captain BUgh's Voyage from England in Quefi of the Bread-fruit 171 the Society Iflands — Violent Gales from the South Fqfi — Local Caufe of their Violence — Slave-trade — - Fxcurflons amoiigfi the Mountains in the Vicinity of the Town — Journey of the Fifcal — Voyage to Franfche Hoek. TWO officers of health came on board from the Cape Town, in order to learn whether any of our crew wxre infeded with contagious diforders. Jan.] of la perouse, 103 ■diforders. The fmall-pox is the difeafe moft dreaded by the inhabitants ; for not being en- demic, it occafions liere, as well as in every part of India, the moft dreadful ravages, whenever it is imported amongft them from foreign countries. The mafter of a merchant velTel from Bour- deaux, which had arrived here a few days be- fore us, immediately came to acquaint us that the Commander of the naval forces at Ifle de France, having received fome information rela- tive to the fate of La Peroufe, had difpatched a frigate to the Cape, in order to communicate his intelligence to the Commander of the expe- dition fent in fearch of that unfortunate naviga- tor. The frigate had failed from Me de France a few days before our arrival. Our Commander Dcntrecalleaux difpatched an officer to the Governor of the Cape to arrange the ceremonial of the falute. This officer re- ceived from the Charge d' Affaires of France the difpatches which Citizen Saint-Felix, Com- Inander of our naval forces in the Indian feas, had fent to Dentrecafteaux by the frigate Atalante, Captain Bolle, which had immediately failed back for Pile de France. I fhall here infert the letter addrefTed to our Commander, with the depofitions of two mafters of merchant vefTels, who w^ere at Batavia during G 4 the 104 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l 792, the ftay which Commodore Hunter made at that place, upon his return from Botany Bay in a Dutch vefTel, after he had been Ihipwrecked off Norfolk ifland. Letter from Citizen Saint-Felix, Commander of tlie ■ Naval Forces of Fra?ice in the Indian Seas, to General Uentrecafteaux. " I learn from private correfporidence that you do not purpofe to touch at lile de France till ou your return frOm the important expedition in vvhich you are engaged. Difappointed in the hope, with vvhich I had flattered myfelf, of hav- ing the honour to converfe with youj I haften to difpatch, in order that they may find you at the Cape of Good Hope, two reports relative to the obje(5]: of your million, which I have lately re- ceived from the maflersof two French vefTels ar- rived here from Batavia. You will thereby be informed of the particulars, how a Dutch vefTel, having on board Commodore Hunter of the Sirius Englifli frigate, together with hisfhip's company, difcovered near the Admiralty Iflands, in the South Sea, fcveral perfons clothed in European manufa(Siures, fome of which, in particular, ap- peared to be French uniformis. You. will alfo be infojmed that the Commodore did not doubt that thcfe Jan.] of la perouse. io^ thefe were remains of the fliip wreck fuffered by M. de la Peroufe, whom he had often feen at Botaiiy Bay, " I conceived that the communication of thefe reports mufb intereft you ; and they ap- peared to me of fo important a nature, that I re^ Iblved to tranfmit them dire6lly to you by a fri- gate, which I 'have difpatched to the Cape for that exprefs purpofe. Captain Bolle, who com- mands the veffel, will leave the papers in the hands of our Charge d' Affaires, in cafe he fhould not meet you there ; in order that they may be delivered to you immediately upon your arrival. Though 1 have received no official directions re-? lative to your expedition, that authorize me tQ fend this frigate upon its prefent deftination, yet I have no doubt that the ftcp I have taken will meet with the approbation of his Majefty, both when I confider the intereft of the pubhc and the fentiments of my own heart. It was referved for you to acquire a claim upon tlie gratitude of the w hole French nation, by accepting the com- mand of an expedition which confers equal ho- nour upon the Sovereign who has ordered it, and the Commander to whom its execution is in- truftcd. In every part of the globe that you may yiiit, yqu fliall ever be attended by my fervent wiflies 565 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [i/QS. wilhes for your fuccefs, and" the inviolable and perfect: attachment with which I am, &c. (Signed) Saint-Felix." Me dc France, 'Jth Nov. 1791. Report delivered to Saint-Felix, Comma?ider of the Naval Forces of the French Nation in the Indian , Seas, by Captain Preaudet, Mafter of the Jafon, from Batavia. The Sirius Englifli frigate, commanded by Commodore Hunter, and bound for New Hol- land, was call away off Norfolk Ifland in the South Sea^ towards the end of the year 1790. The fhip's company were taken on board a floop that accompanied the frigate, and carried to Bo- tany Bay, where Commodore Philips engaged a fmall Dutch veffel to convey the ihip wrecked crew, together with their comirtiander, to Eng- land. Having failed from Botany Bay in this vcllel, with an intent to touch at Batavia, they were carried by contrary winds and the force of the cur- rents as far eaftward as 1 0;° E. long, meridian of Greenwich. Wifhing to pafs through the Straits of St. George, they came within light of the Admiralty lilands, fituated in 14;° E. long. 3° 25^ S. lat. Near to the moft eallerly of thefe illands JaJ^.] of la perouse. 107 iflands they obferved feveral boats, amongfl the crews of which there were many pcrfdns who wore European ftufis and pieces of cloth in their drefs ; they even diftinguiilied fome who were clothed in the uniform of the French Marine. Thefe people hung out the white flag as a fignal for the Englifli to approach ; but though Com- modore Hunter was very deiirous of doing it, he found it impradicable, on account of the contrary- currents and winds, and the danger to which the numerous flioals would have expofed them. • Commodore Hunter had often feen M. de la Peroufe at Botany Bay, and lived upon terms of intimacy with him. He had learnt from him that his intention was to pafs through the Straits of St. George, after leaving Botany Bay, and from thence to direct his courfe to the north- ward. He does not doubt that the Aftrolabe and Bouflble were caft away upon the above- mentioned iflands, in confequence of the calms and ftrong currents that prevail in thofe parts. He has informed me that he has been carried by them fix hundred miles to the eaftward in the fpace of ten days ; as he knew from repeated ob- fervations or the longitude, from the time-keepers, and from the bearings of the land. In a word Commodore Hunter, whom I faw at Batavia in the courfe of my lafl voyage, appeared to me to be 108 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [1/92- !>e fully purfuaded that the European drelTes, which he faw in the boats from the Admiralty lilands^ were colledled from the wrecks of the veiTels formerly under the command of La Pe- roufe. Commodore Hunter is at prefent upon his re-* turn home to England, from whence he will probably tranfmit a more circumflantial account of this affair to France. From his own experience in approaching the Admiralty Iflands, the Englifh Commander thinks that any veffel intending to fail thither ought to endeavour to get early into its latitude, in order to avoid being carried away by the currents which fet to the eaft with prodigious ftrength. (Signed) Preaudet, Mailer of the Jafon. Ifle de Fiance, 6th Nov. 1791, ' Report delivered by Pierre Magon LSplnayj Mqfler of the Maria HeJe?ia, from Batavla, to Saint- Felix, Comynander of the Naval Forces of France in the Indian Seas. The commander and officers of the Sirius Englifh frigate, after being fhipwrecked off Nor- folk llland, were carried to Botany Bay, from whence tliey failed in a fmall Dutch veffel for Batavia, where they arrived towards the latter- end Jan.] of la PEHousfi. ' io§ end of September, in the prcfent year, after a paffage of about iix months. A day or two after they had weathered the Straits of St. George, they found themfeh-es as foon as it dawned within fight of two of the Ad- miralty Illands, which were very near them ; they immediately founded, but could not reach the bottom. They afterwards obferved two canoes that con-^ tained about twelve men each, rowincf from the iflands towards them ; but though they would not come on boa^d the velTel, they however ap- proached very near to it. There was then very little wind biovv'ing. The veflel was expofed to a current which drove it off from the land : at ' any rate, the Dutch captain had no inclination to approach nearer to the fhore. It was obfcrved that two of the men in the canoes had fword-belts Umilar to thofe worn by European officers; they made -figns as if they w^ilhed to have their beards lihaved, and many of them had pieces of red and blue cloth about their drefs, which proved that they had had fome communication with Euro- peans. As Captain Hunter, Commander of the Sirius, had been informed at Botany Bay by La Peroufe himfelf, that his intention was to pafs the Straits of St. George ; all the officers of that frigate were of opinion that they had thus un- cxpe(5ledly 41© VOYAGE tN SEARCH [l 79^* cxpe(^edly dilcovered the iflands upon which he was caft away. I, the underwritten, certify that the above nar- rative is conformable to what I have colled:ed from different converfations w^th the officers of the Sirius, w^ho had arrived at Batavia after the ihipwreck of that frigate, in a fmall Dutch vefTel, with which J was in company during the month of 0hich he publiihed an account after his return to Ensiland. We learnt that the Pandora Englifli frigate, commanded by Captain Edwards, had fmce been at the Society Illaiids, where they had feized fourteen of the mutineers. Four of them after- \va;:ds made their efcapc when the veiTel was ruii aground off Norfolk liland. The ringleader of the mutineers, ChriftiaUj who had been mafter of the veiTcl under tlie command of Captain Bligh, had efcaped with ninC others to another •ifland, and carried fcveral of the natives with him. One of the officers of the Pandora lately arrived at the Cape, allured us that Bligh had be- haved very ill to Chriilian, and that an abufe of authority on the fide of the captain was the caufe ot all his lubfequcnt misfortunes. Chriftian, though mafter of the vcird, had been maltreated, accordnig to Captain Bligh's orders, as if he had been Jan.] of la perouse. 113 been a common failor of the lowefl rank. If this be the fad:, Captain Bligh difguifes the truth when he aflerts, that he had always treated him with the greateft hberality. There were at that time eighteen fhips lying at anchor at the Cape, of which twelve were Dutch, two French, two American, and two Englifh. At fiin-riie we faluted the place with thirteen guns, which it returned with the fame number. 18th. At nine o'.clock the Commander of our expedition went on fliore ; upon which the town faluted him with fifteen guns, v/hich we returned gun for gun. The Governor had fent feveral carriages, and a large company of muficians to attend General Dentrecafteaux at the place where he • landed. Accompanied by the muficians, playing upon their infi:ruments in a very boifhe- rous manner, he went with fome of his officers to wait upon the members of the regency^ who re- ceived him in a full afiTembly of the council, and foon after returned his vifit, at the houfe of the Charge d' Affaires of France, where he lodged. The greater part of our officers took lodgings in different houfes of the town. The Dutch in- habitants at the Cape are know^n to be very fond of lodging ftrangers at their houfes. Their com- mon price is a piaftre a day. I took a lodging, Vol. i, H toffcther 114 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l792. together with fome of my travelling companions, at the houfe of a M. de Lettre. igth. The fummit of the Table Mountain was hid in thick clouds, which at this feafon of the year is a certain prognoflic of high vnnds from the fouth-eaft, that generally continue for two or three days. The gales were this time fo violent, that during the whole time they prevailed no vef- fel of the fize of a Hoop dare venture to approach the ihore. Though the clouds appeared immovably at- tached to the top of the mountain, even when the winds blew with their greateft violence, they were, in fa^l, perpetually replaced by others ; but the force with which they were driven along, after their feparation from the mountain, dimi- nifhing their cohefion, they were foon diffipated in the atmofphere. We often obferved large maffes of thefe clouds, which as foon as they were detached from the fum^mit, immediately difap- peared. Thefe violent gales from the fouth-eaft, which have often been noticed by travellers, appeared to me to proceed from the nature of the coaft, which forms a very high ridge from the Cape Town as far as to the mouth of Falfe Bay, and ads as a barrier, preventing the fouth-eaft winds from paffmg beyond it. Whenever thefe winds get into Jan.] ' OF LA PEROUSE. 115 into Falfe Bay, it can only happen in confequcnce of their having furmounted this obftacle which oppofes them at thefouthern extremity of Africa. The- dilatation of the lower column of air is fo much impeded by the comprefTion which it fuf- fers, in its afcent towards the fummit of this ridge, from the weight of the fuperincumbent column, 'that, whenever it has paffed thefe heights, the re- action of its elafticity is proportionate to the di- minution of the refiftance before oppofed to its expanfion. Its impetuofity is then fuch as fre- quently to loofen fhips lying in the road from their anchors, and fet them adrift. The violence of thefe winds is the greateft where they defcend along the declivity of thefe mountains : in the interior of the country fituated at a fmall diftance to the eaftward, on the con- trary, they are very moderate ; as I have had oc- cafion to remark in feveral excurfions which I made from the town. The clouds, with which the fummit of the ' ridge is at fuch times covered, are naturally pro- duced from the enormous mafs of air, which, after becoming furcharged with moifture during its palTage over a vaft extent of ocean, when it afcends into the higher regions of the atmofphere, depofits, in the form of clouds, the fuperabun- dant water which, on account of the change of > H 2 temperature, 11$ VOYAGE IN SEARCH [17^2. temperature, it can no longer retain in a ftate of folution. In the courfe of the night, the long boat of the Efperance was torn by the gale from her Hern, and loft. To fnpply its place, a fort of light vef- icl ufed in the whale-fiihery, was purchafed of an American ihip. 20th. Though the fouth-eaft wind continued to blow with great violence, I made an excuriion in the neighbourhood of the town, where I found, in great abundance, two fpecies of the chiro7iw, termed C. innervta and C. de?idroides. The gor^ teria cUians like wife grew at the foot of the moun- tains. The beautiful fhrub, known by the name o{ brunea palacea, adorned the rifmg grounds. No infe6ls, of courfe, could be feen whilft the winds blew with fuch violence. I took a view of the Company's garden, of ■which many travellers fpeak in terms of enthufi- aftic admiration. ■ It is, neverthelefs, nothing more than an immenfe inclofnre, which contains fome very fine oaks. Several fquare plots of ground ' hedged round with myrtles, are planted with kitchen- vegetables ; but very few curious plants are to be feen there. They alfo contain feveral of the orchard-trees of Europe. I obferved fome bananas, the leaves of which had been torn into ilender ftrips by the wind. The Jan.] of la perouse. 117 The faJco ferpentarhis of Linnaeus I fxw very tame In a houfe belonging to the Governor. The menagcry fituatcd, at the extremity of thij 2;arden, contained but a very fmall number of un- common animals, the chief of which were thq oflrich, the zebra, the porcupine, the jackall, and feveral birds ; amongft others, the bald-headed curlieu of Buffon, (tentahis calvtis, Linn.) The gales were lefs violent in the evening, and gave us hopes of fine weather. A veflel employed in the (lave-trade lay at an- chor in the road. It had lately arrived from Mo- zambique, and its cargo of four hundred negroes were, for the prelent, on fhore. It was a moft naelancholy fpe^hat we had al- ready confumed. It would have been well if as much of our European ftock as was bad in its quality had been changed for better. The con- trad:ors had deceived us in the quality of the wine which we bought of them. We had paid them double the ordinary price, that we might have it of the bcff quality, and fueh as would keep for a long time. Part of it, however, was already fpolled before We reached the Cape. When we arrived there, it was a matter of the utmoft importance to have it changed, and the more fo, as we knew we could not do it in the fubfequent part of our voyage. Wc might there have had our choice between the wine of the country and Bourdeaux wine, as a veffel at an- chor in the road had a cargo of the latter on board> Why it was neglcd:cd, I am at a lofs to comprc- 142 VOTAGE IN SEARCH [ifO^i comprehend. The confequcnce was, that our bad wine grew^ worfe and worfe, till we were at length obliged to fubftitute brandy in its place. This piece of negligence deprived us of one of the beft means for preftrving the" health of the crew during a voyage, in the courfe of which they ran the hazard of being in want of every nccef- fary. The obfervations taken on board the Re- cherche, gave us for its anchoring flation at the Cape ofGood Hope, 33° 54^24"S.lat.l6°4^25"E. longitude. The variation of the magnetic needle at the lame place was 24° 3^ W. Our aftronomer Bertrand found, for the place of his obfervatory in the town, 33° 55' 22" 4-5ths S. lat. 10« 3' 45" E. long. The variation of the magnetic needle, as ob- ferved by him, was 24° 3 1^ 5 2^ W. The dip of aflat needle gave 47° 25' . During the whole time we lay at anchor, the mercury in the thermometer was never higher than 25" above 0. CHAP. Feb.] of la perouse 143 C H A P. IV. Departure from the Cape of Good Hope. — Death of theMaJhr-Carpcnter of the Recherche. — Divcn Occurrences. — Smgular Flight of the Alhatrofs, — T//f Ijle of St. Paul feen. — Conflagratwn of 'its Forejis — Prodigious Swar?ns of Lifers in our Ship's Bifcuit — Violent Fffe^is of the Surge — The Commander dangerovjly "womided — Liimt- nous Points at the Fxtremity of the Co7idu£iors — Large phofphorefcent Corpifcles In Coffe- quence of an erroneous Ohfervation ta\e7i hy Wil- laumez, we enter hy Miflake into Tempeft Pay in- fiead of Adventure Bay — General Ohfervations upon the Variatio?is of the Magnetic Needle — Gradual Diminution of the Phofphorefcency of the Water, proportionate to our Dijlance from the hand — Courfe of the Currents — We are ob- liged to heat the Place "where otir Time-keepers are \ept — Anchorage in Port Dentrecajleaiix. lOth FEBRUARY. WE waited only for a favourable wind to quit our ftation at the the Cape, when a fouth-eall breeze fpringing up about ten o'clock in the forenoon, enabled us to get under w^ay. Scarcely had we fpread our fails, when a fudden fci^uall 144 VOYAGE IN SEARCH: [l702> fquall from the mountains blew with fuch vio- lence, that it prevented us for fome time from making ufc of our rudder, fo that we were in danger of running foul of fome of the fliips which lay at anchor in the road. However, we foon run pafl them, and flood for the offing. 18th. About eight in the morning our mafter- carpenter, Louis Gargan, died, a vidim to the excefles in which he had indulged during our ftay at the Cape. A fever, which appeared flight in its commencement, grew afterwards fo violent as to put an end to his life. We felt the lofs of this manthe more fenfibly, as the carpenter of a Ihip is one of the mofl ufeful perfons on board, efpe- cially in a voyage undertaken for the purpofe of difcovery in the midft of feas full of rocks and fhoals, where one is in perpetual danger of being fhipwrecked, and where, if one does not poflefs the means of confl;ru6ling another veffel to re- ceive the crew, all hopes of revifiting one's native country mull go with the wreck to the bottom. Two, perfons had concealed themfclves in the Ihip before onr departure from the Cape, and did not make their appearance upon deck till we were fo far from 'the land that it was no more prapther. The Ifle of St. Paul prefjntcd itfeif, at a dif- tancc. March.] of la perouse. 153 tance,as if covered with thick clouds, above which the tops of the mountains were vifible. In four hours time we were near enough to perceive that thefe clouds arofe from the illand itfelf, from whence a thick fmoke afcended, which almoft entirely covered it, efpecially towards the north. We obferved flames in different places, and foon perceived that the forefls were on fire : the courfe of the flames and fmoke, which appeared fuc- cefiQvely in different parts of the country, pointed out to us the progrefs of the conflagration. We fteered our courfe fo as to pafs as near as polTible to w indward of the ifland. The fame fpecies of birds that we had obferved a few hours before we efpied land w^ere flying about the rocks where they had their nefls. A great number of feals fwam amongfl large mafTes of fucus that had been detached from the ifland, along the fouthern coafl of which we ran^red at the diflance of about o 250'toifes from the fiiore. This coafl is very fteep and perfeAly fafe : the furges, which fol- lowed its direction, v>^ould have apprized us of our danger in approaching it if there had been any flioals. The mountains on the fouth-eafl fide of the ifland dcfcend Vvith very fteep declivities as far as the edges of the fea, and appeared to m.e to confill of layers of free-flone, inclined from north to ibiith fo ■ as to form an angle of fifty degrees with ^54 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l792. ■with the horizon. Farther to the fouth I obferved horizontal layers of the fame kind of ftone, from whence a fmall rivulet difcharged itfelf, in a caf- cade, into the fea. The rocks facing the fea were fliaped int(^ a variety of thofc grotefque figures, commonly termed lufus natura. We obferved a light fmoke afcending in puffs from a fmall fub- terraneous cavern at a little diftance from the fliore ; though we could not learn whether the forefts had caught fire from fome conflagration in the bowels of the earth, or had been kindled in- tentionally by the inhabitants. I was informed at Ifle de France, upon my return from the South Seas, that an American veffel had left fome men at the iflands of Amfterdam and St. Paul, for the purpofe of colleding oil from the fat of feals, which are very numerous on thofe coafls. But though we w^atched very attentively to fee if any fignal was made for our affiftance, we obferved no figns of the ifland's being inhabited. At any rate it would have been impoffible to put in there, as we could not have found an anchoring- place except to leeward of the ifland, where we ran the rifk of being fuffocated by the fmoke. The fmcll of the fmoke feemed to Hiow that it proceeded entirely from the combullion of vege- tables. The mountains gradually diminifu in height towards April.] of la perouse. 155 towards the fouth-eaft end of the illand ; fo that, in favourable weather, velTels might eafily put in at that part of the coaft. We obferved feveral rivulets, which, after winding with a ferpentine courfe amongft the hills, difcharged themfclves into the fea. We were ftill very near to the illand w4ien the nigh,t came on. The land then appeared as if co- vered with a fhcet of fire, whilft the illuminated fmoke gave that vivid appearance to the iky which generally portends a hurricane. The ifle of St. Paul is about 10,000 toifes in circumference, and fituated in about 37^ 50' S. lat. and 75^ 2' E. Ion. The variation of the magnetic needle was here 171° W. During the continuance of the gales from N. W. and S. W. the mercury of the barometer gradually fell eight lines. On the firft of April, it was fta- tionary at 27 inches 7 lines, when the gale was fo ftrong, that we went at the rate of ten knots with the fore and main top-fails fet. We never ran fo fall; as on this day, in the whole courfe of our voyage. We were now already in 40|° S. lat. Lon. 85° E. Hitherto we had flattered ourfelves that no fraud had been pra>£lifed upon us, at leaft with / relped: l»^ VOYAGE IN SEARCH [^7Q2. refpeifl to the quality of our fea-bifcuit. But we iiifcovered, when it was too late, that a part of it had already made a v oyage before ; for, at the iend of five months after our departure from Breft, it fw^armed with prodigious numbers of thofe maggots, that are afterwards changed into the fpecies of fly known by the name of dermejies pa~ ■niceus. Thefe infects foon became very trouble- some to us : in the night-time they burnt them- ielves at our -lamps in fuch numbers, as very fre- quently to extinguilli them.. From the bifcuits the maggots foon fpread themfelves throughout .all the reil of our provifions, and it lafted a conli- derable time before we could conquer thedifguft which it at firfl gave us, when we faw them fw arming in all our food. 2d. The impetuofi ty and frequency of the fqualls obliged us to make a great many tacks. -They once forgot to Ihiver the main top-fail be- fore they brailed it up, and it was inllantly torn in pieces. On the 4th of April, being in 4 1 "^ S. lat. 92^ E. Ion. we faw a great number of birds ; amongll Others, gulls and the lams inarhms, which fcldom fly far from the land. Probably we w ere near to fome rock or illand. Though 'we had made a very good run, we ftili faw the fame kinds ot birds on Aprii..] of la perouse, 157 on the following day. The land where they have their abode may poffibly be difcovered, when thefc feas lliall be more frequented by navigators. 14th. A fall of the mercury in the barometer from 28 inches 3 lines, to 27 inches 7 lines, an- nounced the approach of violent gales, which blew from W. and S. W. and raifed the billows fo high that they frequently daflied over our decks. One of them, that had entan2;led our mizen chains, broke againft the ftern of the veflel with fuch force, that the failors thought we had ftruck upon a rock. The fliock was tremendous, and fome of the ftore-rooms inftantly leaked. The violence of the fhock had thrown the Commander againft one of the corners of a bar- rel-organ, intended as a prefent to fome favage chief. The furgeon thought at firft that he had frad:ured one of his falfe ribs ; and the pain was lb great, that, whenever he fneezed, it threw him into a fainting fit. However, he foon recovered his health. During the night the atmofphere was filled with a fuperabundance of eledric matter : a part v/as drawn off by means of our condudors, upon the top of which we obferved a luminous fpeck, that vanilhed and re-appeared feveral times in fuc- ceffion. The fea appeared more phofphoric than ufoal. i.n 158 V0YAGE IN SEARCH [1/92, In the courfe of the night a large wave dailied over the deck of our veffel, having made its way through the opening between the fore-caftle and quarter-deck, where we kept our boats. When I Sprang out of my bed, I found the cabin filled with water, and imagined we were going to the bottom. It kept us a long time employed before we could rid the Diip of the water it had taken in. Three or four fuch waves would infallibly have funk us. We fliould not have ran fuch a ha- zard, if we had been provided with means to lay gratings over the large opening by which the wave entered. On the 1 /th of April, when we were in lat. 43" S. long. 129° E- the variation of the mag- netic needle was o. The Efperance w^as apprifed, that in cafe of reparation, our rendezvous at Van Diemen's Cape was to be the Bay of Adventure, inftead of the Baie des Huitres. We lay to under our fore-fail during the night of the 20th, as our day's work had brought us £o near the coaft, that we could not carry full fail. At nine in the evening, we founded, without ftriking ground, with a line of feventy-five fa- thoms. We brought up v/ith the lead a great quantity of phofphoric fubftances, from about three to feven inches in circumference. As the • com- April,] oflaperouse. 15Q compreffibility of water has been demonftrated, we know the principal caufe of thefe lubftances being fufpcndcd at different depths below the fur- face of the water, in proportion to their fpecific gravity. 21 ft. As foon as it was day we directed our courfe, with full fails, E. N. E. About half an hour after nine o'clock, we ob- ferved a rock with a very fliarp point, known by the name of the Mew-Stone. Some other rocks and mountains of moderate height appeared to the eaftward. The coaft was indented with fe- veral Imall bights in the land ; fome pretty high mountains were feen at a fmall diftance from the fliore, and \N'e could diftinguijQi the large trees which covered their fummits. We foon bore in with a bay open to the fouth- eaft. An ifiand was \ ifitle to the eaftward, and nearer us we perceived breakers to N. E. It was the Commander's intention to caft an- chor in Adventure-bay. As his wound did not yet permit him to leave his cabin, he was obliged to give his orders refpetfting our route, according to obfervations which were reported to him as they were taken. An erroneous obfervation, taken by Citizen Willaumez, * having been reported to * When we made the land of the Cape of Van DIcmen, "Willaumez was diredleu to take the neceflary obfcivations. Oa 160 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l7Q2. him, he gave orders to manoeuvre the fhips,Yo as to enter the bay fituated on our left. In vain we looked for the Pinguin's Illand, thinking our- felves in Adventure-bay, though it really was Tempeft-bay, named thus by Tafman, who, hav- ing entered it in the month of November l042, was in the moft imminent danger of being driven afhore by a S. E. wind, when he endeavoured to get into the main lea. As we had got very far into the bight of the bay, our foundings gave us a depth of from fifteen to twenty-five fathoms, over a bottom of lliells. The Commander was on the point of giving or- ders to leave the bay, that we might pafs the night in the open fea : however, he refolved to difpatch two boats, the one to the northward and the other to the fouth-eaft, in order to look « out for fome place of llielter for our ihips. The men in the boat fent to the north fide of the bay, found a place of anchorage, with a very good bottom, where we might eafily procure wood and water. They had feen fome remains of huts, and near them large heaps of fhells, that appeared to have been broiled by the natives. On being aiked the bearing of Eddy-Stone, he faid it bor« S. 19^ W. though it adually bore S. 19°- E. Accordingly the Commander gave orders to make the bay on our left, as he could not doubt that it was A-dventure-bay. • ' - It April.] of la perouse. 161 It was, however, too late for us to put into this anchorage before night. As the weather was fair, it was refolved to call anchor in Tem- peft-bay, in a bottom of grey fand, at the depth of ten fathoms. We had been fixty-four days on our paffage from the Cape to this place. Moil: of the navigators who have made it before us, have performed it in fifty or at moft fifty-five days, It is to be obferved, that they have ge- nerally fteered fouthward as foon as poffible, in order to get into the track of the weflerly winds. This route is fomewhat longer than that which we took, but at fea it is not always by taking the Ihortefl road that one arrives the fooncfl at one's place of deflination. Navigators ought to be well acquainted with the ordinary courfes of the winds, that they may be able to get into thofe which are the mofl favourable. The night con- tinued very fine, though the air was charged with a great deal of moifture. We were llieltered from the N. W. and W. N. W. winds, though we now and then experienced a few flight blafls. We caught a great quantity of fifhes with our lines. They were of a great variety of different kinds : the mofl numerous were thofe of the fpe- cies gadiis. The variation of the magnetic needle, obferved when we pafTed under the meridian of Ifle de Vol, I. L France, 162 roTAGK IN sEARcir [1702. France, at the diftance of more than 700,000 toifcs foiith, had been greater by twelve degrees than we found it near the coaft of that ifland — a great difference when confidercd as arifnig merely from change of latitude. The greatcfb W. variation obferved, was on the 3d of March. It was then 30|", our kit. being 84° 3c/ S. and long. 37° 45' E. From that time it continued to decreafe, till it became 0, in lat, 43*^ S. long. 129*^ E. ; after which it pafled to E, and continued to increafe in proportion as we ad- vanced eaftward. The W. variation of the magnetic needle, as obferved till the period when it was the greateft., had been more influenced by change of longitude than of latitude ; though from that time, till we vvxrc under the meridian of Ifle de France, it appeared to depend much more upon change of latitude ; for, from the point at v/hich it had been the greatcft, till we paffed under the meridian of Jlle de France, having changed our longitude by .17 degrees, and o*ur latitude by 2i, the variation had been only 4°, though, by a change of latitude to 17 degrees further fouth, the- variation had been found 12'^ more than at Ide de France. The phofporefcence of the fca, during this paf- " age, had diminiflied in an invcrfe proportion to -our dift^ance from the land ; iu that a confiderable time April.] of la peroijse. l63 time before we faw the ifland of St. Paul, one could hardly perceive any appearance of phof- phorefcence in the waves. During our pallage from the Cape, the ther- mometer had never indicated lower than 8^ be- low 0, nor higher than 20^ above 0. The mer- cury in the barometer, during the fame period, had never llood higher than 28 inches 7 lines, nor lower than 2/ inches / lines. While wx were in the track of the variable winds, the currents had fet from 10'' to 20'' N. ; but whilft we were failing off the S. W. coaft of New Holland, they had fet eaftward. Thefe differences in their direction depend upon tlic fituation of the lands. Our tables for re(5l:ifying the irregularities of our time-keepers arinng from difference of tem- perature, extended no farther than ] 5^ of Reau- mur's fcale, and the balance-bow for our pendu- lum-clock was only calculated to anfwer between 105*^ and 115^. The latter was conftantly above 115*, and the temperature of the atmofphcre was very often lower than 15° of the thermo- meter. It was neceflary to keep up a degree of temperature, at leaft equal to this, in the place where our time-keepers were depofited. A com- mon lamp might have anfwercd this purpofe ; but JL/ 2 we l64 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [1/92. we preferred one of D'Argand's, in order to avoid the fmoke. 2 2d. The boats that had been difpatched the preceding day for that purpofe, were agaih fent to -found at the entrance of the ftation where we in- tended to caft anchor, as they had not had tirrle fufficient to do it the evening before. About half an hour after nine we received the agreeable intelligence, that it was a very well flickered har- bour, with fafe anchorage in a bottom of muddy fand, not lefs than 3i fathoms in depth at the entrance facing the middle of the bay. Their loundings had given them from 2 1 to 4 fathoms throughout a confiderable part of the harbour, which extends land-inwards about 2,500 toifes. It was a better ftation in every refped: than Ad- venture-bay, and we could here fupply ourfelves with wood and water as eafily as we could wifli. Though the breeze was againfl us, it was at firft fo inconfiderable that we could be towed to- wards the harbour; but we had fcarcely proceed- ed 500 toifes, when it blew freflier and obliged us to caft an anchor. The Efperancc, however, continued to be towed, and nearly reached the entrance of the harbour before it grew dark. A boat which we fent out to filh, took ib many at a fmgle draught of the net, that the diHribution was April.] of la perouse. l65 was immediately made, and every one contented with his portion. We were much furprlfed to find amongft the fifh caught with the Hne in the courfe of the night, feme fliarks about a fathom in length. They were of the fpecics fqnalus chiereus. This kind of fhark never rifes from the bottom of the water. We never faw it approach the furface during the whole time of our ftay at the Cape of Van Die- men. It does not appear to be dangerous to man; for our failors, though they bathed here very fre- quently, never met with any accident. It finds fufficient food on thefe coafi:s to fatisfy its vora- city without attacking men : otherwife the na- tives of the country, who frequently dive to a great depth into the fea in queft of Ihell-fifh, would be in perpetual danger of being devoured by thefe animals. Some mountains, which appeared to be above 500 toifcs in perpendicular height, were vifible towards the north at a diftance of about 15,000 toifes. Their fummits were covered with tall trees, whofe verdure gave additional beauty to the magnificent profped which they exhibited. An officer belonging to our vcfiel, who had been fent to take the foundings at the farther end of the harbour, went on lliore, where he found fcveral huts, and near them the remains of L 3 broiled l60 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l7Q2. broiled fhcll-fifli, which had evidently ferved for food to the natives. 25th. As we had hardly any wind, we weighed anchor a few hours before day-light, in order to be towed into the harbour. As the calm con- tinued, this proved the moft expeditious method, and we were foon brought into our anchoring place. We ranged at a fmall dillance from a rock fituated about the middle of the entrance, leaving it to our left. Our ibundings indicated a depth of 2i to 3| fathoms ; in other parts of the fam.e foalt it was from 4 1 to 1 It. About eight o'clock, we caft anchor in a depth of three fathoms, 350 toifes from the entnmce of the harbour, to w hich we gave the name of Port Dentrecafteaux. The neareft fliore was at the diftance of about 250 toifes to the eaflward. It is difficult to exprefs the fenfations we felt, at finding ourfclves at length flieltcred in this folitary harbour at the extremity of the globe, after having been fo long driven to and fro in the bcean by the violence of the ftorms. The boats afterwards towed in the Efperance, which caft anchor about one o'clock in the alter- noon, at a diftance of 150 toifes fouthward of the Recherche. At firll we had attempted to ap- proach nearer to the fhore without taking the foundings accurately ; but we fobn found our- felves April.] of la perouse. 1O7 felves furrounded by the ooze, and were obliged to heave in at the capftern in order to extricate ourfches. CHAP. \\ :ihode at Port Deyitrccajieanx — Slgm of tJie Coa/Ts being frequented by the Savages — DrffereJit Ex- curjions luio the interior Furt of the Coimtry— Trees of an euonnons Height-— Excellence of the Soil — Bhick S'lvans — Large Trunks of Trees, hollowed by Fire,ferue the Natives as Places of Retreat — Kangouron — Obfervatio?is rehthig io Comparative Anato7?iy — Places of SJielter aguinfl the Wind conftruSied by the Natives — Conjiruc- tion of tlieir Huts — A fudden Gift of Wind hrea\smOur Chain — JFe rnu aground in the Mud ' — Meet with a young Savage — InteUig€7tce of a Pajfage by vjhicli one may fail from Tempcfl into Adventure-bay — Huts of the Natives — Phoca Monachus — The Heart of this amphibious Animal lias no Foramen Ovale — Obfervations relating to Comparative Anatomy — Traces of Beafls of Prey at the Cape of Van, Diemen — Huts, which appear to have been lately inhabited — Viviparous Flies, the Larva of which produce fpeedy PutrefaSJion in FlejU-meat — Citizen Riche finds fome burnt L 4 human l68 Voyage in search [l792. human Bones — Our Mafter Sail-maker hfes htm'' felf in the Woods — Both Vejfels run aground in the Mud — Ute?ijils of the Savages — Place of the Ohfervatory — Variation of the Magnetic Needle — Time of High-water in the Harbour^—Depar- turefrom Port Dentrecafieaux — Paffage through the Straits of Dentrecafleaux — Fires — Savages feen o?t the Shore — One of them kindles the Fire in different Places — We cajl Ajichor in a large Bay at the Etitrance of the Straits of Defztre ' ca/ieaux — Fxcurfion into the Country — Savages found dr effing their Food at the Fire — The Straits which we had difcovered receive the Name of the Straits of Dentrecafteaux — Anchoring Places in this Channel — Fxcmfions into the Countries fttu- ated along its Coafls — Rencounters with the Sa- vages— Departure from the Straits of Dentreca- fleaux. PORT Dentrecafteaux is fituated at the fartheft end of Tempeft-bay, and forms an almoft oval bafm, extending about 2,500 toifes in length towards N. N. E. Its ereatefi breadth is about 7O0 toifes. The tall forefts that furrounded us on all fides, and the mountains at no great dif- tance from the coaft, which Iheltered more than one half of the circumference of the harbour, added to the fecurity of our anchorage. Though the April.] of la perouse. 169 tlie gales were never fo high, our pinnaces could iail about it with fecurity. A muddy bottom, about 3I fathoms in depth, let them run no ha- zard if they were driven aground. More than 1 00 velTels of the line might ride here with fafety, and be fupplied with as much wood and water as they Hood in need of. Towards the N. N. E. extremity of the har- bour a fmall river difcharges iti'elf into the fea. Some of our boats attempted to row up the ilream, but were prevented by the large trees that lay acrofs it. A few wild dogs were obfcrvcd in the neighbouring country; and fome fheltering places, nightly conftrudled of the barks of trees, fhewed that the fliores were frequented by the natives. A piece of alga marina, of the ipecies known by the name oi fucus pahnatusy was picked up. It was cut into the fhape of a purfe, and appeared to have been ufed as a drinking veiTel, being found filled with water. The weft fide of the harbour Is the moft fa- vourable for taking in a fupply of water. We took in ours on the W. S. W. and our wood on the oppofite fhore. A fire that was feen at the diftance of about 5000 toifes to the South, informed us that we were near the habitations of the favages, although wc had as yet feen none of them. In 1^0 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [? / D2. In the afternoon I went on fhorc, accompanied by the gardener and two others of our fhip's com- pany, in order to make an excurfion into the country towards N. E. We were filled with ad- miration at the fight of thefe ancient forefls, in which the found of the axe had never been heard. The eye was afloniflied in contemplating the prodigious fizc of thefe trees, amongfl: which there were fome myrtles more than 25 fathoms in height, whofe tufted fummits were crowned with an ever verdant foliage :" others, loofencd by age from their roots, were fupported by the neigh- bouring trees, whilfl, as they gradually decayed, they were incorporated piece after piece with the parent-earth. The mofl luxuriant vigour of vege- tation is here contrafled with its final dilTolution, and prefents to the mind a flriking pi6lure of the operations of nature, who, left to hcrfelf, never deflroys but that flie may again create. The trees in this forcft did not grow fo clofe together as to prevent us from penetrating into it. We v/alked for a long time over ground, w^herc the w^ater, impeded in its courfe, has formed itfelf into marfhes, the borders of which we examined. Deeper within the forefl, we found fmall rivulets that contained very good water. Almofl every where the foil confifled of a very fine mould, produced by the decay of vegetables, over a bed of April.] of la perousi^. 171 of reddiih, and fometimes greyifh fand. In fomc places it coniilled of an argillaceous kind of earth, which imbibing the water with great facility, forms itfelf into bogs ; in others this earth has been walhed away by the water filtrating through the ground, fo as to form pools, and fometimes deep holes, the furface of which being covered with plants, one does not eafily apprehend any danger in approaching them, but by the inadver- tency of a fuigle moment m.ay fall into them un- awares. An accident of this kind happened to the furgeon of the Efperance, who, v/hilfl he was a-hunting, fet his foot upon what he took to be firm ground, and fell into a very deep bog. He immediately difappeared ; but fortunately he was able to fwim. We found fome rudiments of huts in thefe "Woods, confifling of a frame-work made of the branches of young trees, and defigned to be after- wards filled up with pieces of the bark, which the natives always ule to cover the outfide of their cabins. I gathered feveral fpecles of the eucalyptus, during this excurfion ; amongil others, that which White has denominated eiicalypius rejimftra. This IS a very tall tree, the fpungy bark of which is often three inches in thicknefs, and feparates very ealily from the trunk. It produces a gum refm, ot 173 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [1/92. of a reddifh colour and aftringent tafte, which is ufed for medicinal purpofes. We likewife col- lected feveral fpecies of philadelphuSy the haiikjia hitegrlfoUa, a new fpecies ofepacris, &c. On the fea-iliore we met the fervant of Citi- zen Riche, greatly delighted with having fhot a few birds, which he was carrying to his mafter. This man, who had but juft recovered from a fit of illnefs, was ftill upon the lift of the furgeon of the Efperance, who thought he had a right to what his patient had fhot ; but neither the threat of being purged, nor even that of being put upon fpare diet could make him give up a fmgle bird. The furgeon too kept his word ; for he made him fwallow a purgative and put him upon a fpare re- gimen. The fervant, having learnt by melancholy experience the confequences of difobeying the Do(5tor, always ran away as faft as he was able, whenever he efpied him in any of his fliooting excurfions afterwards. After having directed our route for fbmc time to the north-eaftward, we arrived before night at the coaft dired:ly oppofite to our veiTels. We ex- pected to be rmmediately taken on board, as we had been promifed that a boat fhouW be fcnt to fetch us, as foon as we wanted one. This might have been done in five minutes ; but we were obliged to wait two hours on the fhore. It would have April.] of la perouse. 173 have been a very proper regulation, if a boat had been kept exprefsly for the ufe of thofe gentle- men of the expedition who were appointed to make refearches into natural hiftory. A bird that was fhot upon one of the lakes, iiirprifed us very much by the fmgularity of its plumage. It was a new fpecies of the fwan, of the fame beautiful form, but rather larger than ours. Its colour was a fhining black, as ftriking in its appearance as the clear white of ours. In each of its wings it had fix large white feathers ; a character, which I have uniformly remarked in feveral others that were afterwards killed. The upper mandibule was of a red colour, wath a tranfverfe white ftrcak near the extremity. The male had at the bafe of it an excrefcence confill- ing of two protuberances, that were fcarcely ob- fervable in the female. The lower mandibule is red at the ed2:es and white in the middle. The feet are of a dark grey. (See Plate IX.) 24th. It was ten o'clock of the next morning, before I could finilh my defcription and prepara- tion of the fpecimens I had colle(fted the preced- ing day. I then went to examine the country fituated to the eaftward of our anchoring ftation. It frequently happened that after having pene- trated into the woods to the diilance of 500 toifes, at moll, from the fhorC; I was obliged to return towards If4 VOYAGE IN SEAttCH [1792, towards the coafl on account of the difHcultics that obilrudted my pafTagc, which was not only impeded by the underwood, but often rendered impratflicable by the ftems of large trees thrown down by the wind. The dire«5lion in which they lay upon the ground, which was generally from fouth-weil: to north-eaft, proves that they were torn from their roots by violent fouth-weft winds. As thefe trees fhoot out their roots in an almoft horizontal direcflion, they are eafily torn from the g;round by the force of the wind, and frequently carry with them a great quantity of earth, which at a diftance appears like a wall raifed by the hands of men. The fineft trees in this country are the different {pedes of eucalyptus. Their ordinary thicknefs is about eighteen feet : I have meafured fomxC that were twenty-five in circumference. The fpongy bark of the cusalyptus rejtntfera, becoming ilip- pery in confequence of the moiiture ^lat con- ftantly prevails in the heart of thefe thick forcfts. renders it fliil more difficult to penetrate into them. This bark very readily peels off into pieces that have a great degree of flexibility, and are ufed by the natives for covering their huts. They often find long ftripes of it about a foot in breadth^ which fpontaneoufly Ihell themfelves ofJYrom the lower part of the trunk. They might eafily peel it April.] of la perouse. 175 it off in pieces of twenty-five or thirty feet in length. Moft of the large trees near the edges of the fca have been hollowed near their roots by means of fire. The cavities are generally direded to- w^ards the north-eafl:, fo as to ferve as places of fhelter againft the fouth-wefi: winds, which ap- pear to be the mofi: predominant and violent in thefe parts. It cannot be doubted that thefe ca- vities are the work of men ; for had they been produced by any accidental caufe, fuch as the Underwood taking fire, the flames muft have cn- compafied the whole circumference of the tree. They feem to be places of Ihelter for the natives whilfl they eat their meals. We found in fbmc of them the remains of the f!iell-filli on which they feed, and frequently the cinders of the fires at which they had drefi^od their vidiuals. The la- vages, however, are not very fafe in thefe hollow- trees ; for the trunk being wcalLcncd by the ex- cavation, may eafily be thrown down by a violent gull of wind ; neither arc their feats very com- modious, as the ground is very une\cn, and we obfcrved no contrivances to render it more level, Anderfon fpeaks of hearths of clay, made by the natives in thefe hollow trees. Whenever 1 have found any clay in them, it did not appear to me to have been placed there by the favagcs ; but one %y6 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [1/92. one frequently meets with it piled up between the roots in confequence of natural caufes. At any rate, the natives of this country, as we fhall < fee hereafter, do not make their fires upon hearths, but kindle them on the bare ground, and prepare their vi was all that was provided for us. The reafons we allcdged were fufficient to evince the juftice of our demand ; ncverthelefs, we had no other provifions allowed us on thefe occafions, during the whole courfe of oar expedition. I fhould have paffed over this circumftance in filence, had I not thought that it might afford a ufeful hint to perfons employed in the fame purfuit, who may hereafter be engaged in fuch expeditions. May ift. Irefolved to examine the other coafl: of the harbour to the eailward. The bottom was here May.] op la perouse. 187 here fo lliallow, that we could not come clofe to the land with our boat, fo that we were obliged to wade part of the way iii the water. I followed the coaft in a northerly direcflion, fometimes penetrating a fhort w^ay into the forefts. As it was low-tide, I w'alked with great facility along the fhore, where I obferved feveral fmall holes, in the form of a turmel, made in the fand, each of which contained a fmall crab at the bot- tom. Upon drawing out the animal, it foon crawled back dnto its hiding place, which, as I judge from its analogy with that of the formica leo in our country, fcrvcs it likewife as a trap to catch its prey. I w^as agreeably furprifcd by the fmgular form of a new fpecies of fungus, which grew amongft the molfes with which the ground was covered. I named it oferoRy on account of the difpoiition of its radii. Its roots are fmall filaments attached to a fun- gous tubercle, which fupports a globular volva, of a whitifh colour and gelatinous ccnfiftence, marked both within and without with fevcn ftritX. From the centre of this volva proceeds a ftlpes of a reddiih colour, and an almoft cylindrical form, hollow throughout, and open at its fuperior extremity, which forms a fort o{ cup, of a fine red 288 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l7Q2. red colour, and divided into feven bifurcate radii, yellow at their extremities. The whole fujrface of this fungus is fmooth. This new genus ought to be placed next in or- der to the genus phalha of Linnaeus. Explanation of the figures in Plate XIL Tig. 1. The fungus. Wig. 2. A tranfverfe feclion of the volva, ihew- ing its interior parts. Fig. 3. A longitudinal fccflion of the ftipes. The declivities of the mountains fituated to the caftward, form a pleafant valley, from whence the waters, collected there by the union of a great number of fmall ftreams, are difcharged into the bay. By wafhing the ftems of the large trees which cover the country, through which it flows, the water acquires a brownifh tinge. The clofe- nefs of the fhrubs, and the marflics which occupy the low grounds of this valley render it very dif- ficult of accefs. We were, however, refolved to attempt it at the rifk of fticking faft in the mud ; but were often Hopped in our progrefs, by a new fpecies of th-cfcleria, to which I gave the name of fcleriagra7idis, as it frequently grows to the height of twelve feet. Its leaves are as iharp at the edges as a piece of glafs ; its berries arc oval and of a reddilli colour, and contain a fort of almond, \Nhich ..^ /. 6 ■■.:. £ k-l m May.] of la perouse. 18Q which the parrots frequently feed upon, notwith- ftanding the hardnefs of the fliell which furrounds it. The moft common ilirub in thefe low grounds was a new fpecies of the emhothrhun, remarkable for the hardnefs of its leaves. Theie leaves are of an oval form, three inches in length and one in breadth. We followed a very difficult path, in order to arrive at the place where our men were taking in. water. Nischt overtook us before we had finillied more than half our journey, and to add to our misfortunes, a very high wind from the weft brought with it fuch a heavy rain, that we were obliged, like the favagesof New Holland, to ieek for fhelter in hollow trunks of trees. We had reafon to apprehend that the fignals we made for a boat to come to fetch us, would be rendered ufelefs by the rainy weather, and were beginning to make preparations for paffing a very unpleaiant night in the midft of the foreft ; when we heard the voices of fome failors who were fent to fetch us on board. They had at length fucceeded in extricating the anchor to which the chain that was broken on the 25th of April had been faftened. The drag had been ufed in vain as the chain was funk too deep mto the mud. The hold of the anchor in the JQO ' VOYAGE IX SEARCH [l70'2. the ground was fo ftrong, that the two long boats laihed together were repeatedly filled with water whilft they were hauling at the buoy-rope. Be- iides, it was funk fo deep, that the divers could tiot find its bill : it would have been better if the main capflan had been ufed. They then be- came fenfible of the neceflity of doubling the buoy- rope and heaving the anchors from time to time, to prevent them from fniking too deep in the muddy bottom. Two boats had been fcnt a fecond time to re- connoitre the north- eaft fide of Tempefl-bay, as far as Cape Tafinan. They returned at the end of four days, and it appeared to refiilt from their obfervatlons, that Tafman's head-land and the coafl of Adventure-bay made part of an illand feparated from Van Diemens land by the fea. After they had gone up the channel as far as 43° 1/^ S. lat. they were obliged to return for want of provifions. 2d. My occupations on board did not permit me to go far into the country. . 3d. On the following day we traverfed a glade that extended in a north-eall direction, and con- ducted us to the great lake. We had examined the fouthern fide of it in a former excurfion, but w^e wiflied ilill to vifit its northern coaft, the va- rious fituations of which gave us reafon to expedl an May.] of la perouse!. igi an abundance of natural curlofities : nor were our hopes deceived. This coaft was in many places formed of high banks, very difficult of accefs ; the water frequently extending as flir as the foot of the hills. Different fpecies of m'lmofa, with fimple leaves, grev/ under the Ihade of the larcic trees. It appears that the natives fometimcs fix their habitations upon the borders of this lake, which affords them abundance of food in the fliell-fillt it contains. We found a hut which they had built a few paces from the fliore, of a femi-ovaJ form, about three feet and three quarters high, and four feet broad at the bafe. It confiiled of branches fixed at both ends into the ground and bent into a Yemi- circular form, fupporting each other, fo as to form a pretty folid frame- work, which was covered with the bark of trees. Amongfl a number of other curious plants which I colle(5led, I was ftruck with the beauty of the flower of a new fpecies of aletrh, remark- able for its bright fcarlet colour. As the fcafon was already far advanced, we found very few infed:s. Some hours before fun-fet we directed our courfe to the fouth in order to return to our fhips ; but it was already dark before we arrived at a fandy beach that we wxre acquainted with. We were IQ2 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [179^. were ftill at a great diftance from the Ihips, and it was not before half an hour after nine o'clock that we arrived at the tents of obfervation, from whence w^e were foon conveyed on board. 5th. I remained on board during the greater part of the two following days, and employed myfelf with fluffing the fkins of a variety of rare birds, and defcribing the natural curiofities which 1 had colleded. The want of room in our vefTel put me under the neceffity of drying the plants, which I had ' prefer ved in paper, at the fire. As my cabin was already full, I had no other place where I could depofit fome of my fpecimens of plants that had not got perfectly dry than the great cabin. Dau- ribeau, who a^ledasfirft lieutenant, thought that this place ought not to be lumbered with fuch ufelefs things as natural curiofities, and ordered my two prclTes, with the plants they contained^* to be turned out. I was obliged to appeal to the Commander, who annulled this a6l of authority, and ordered that the preiTes lliould remain where I had placed them. At low water we found a variety of curious Ihells on the fhore. Tihs harbour afforded us great plenty of very fine oyfi:ers. The eafi; coaffc of the harbour contained a quantity of pyrites in cr\fi:als of various forms. May.] of la perouse. ' 193 We likewlfe obferved large mall'es of filex in very clofe ftrata, which bore a great refemblance to petrified wood. One of our carpenters killed an amphibious ani^ mal of the ipecies known by the name of phoca monachus, about fix feet in length. Phyliologiils have explained in a very ingeni- ous manner how amphibious animals are enabled to remain fo long under the water by means of the foramen ovale ; but, upon examining the heart of this animal with the utmoft attention, I did not find that it had siny foramen ovale. Probably the fame may be the cafe with many other am- phibious animals. By purfuing thefe refearches we may one day difcover the true caufe of the aftoniiliing faculty pofleiTed by thefe animals, of living equally well both in the air and in the water. Each fide of its lungs is divided by a tranf- verfe fiiTure into two lobes. The ftomach, which refemblcs in fhape ver)" nearly that of a hog, contained a large quantity of calcareous fand, amongffc which 1 obferved fe- velral ihell-fifh that were fliill entire. The firll part of the function of digeftion in this animal feems to confill: in deftroving the fnell in which the fifh is enclofed, whereby a quantity of fand is produced in its ftomach, which does not appear Vol, I- N to 194 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l7Q'2. to pafs through the reft of the inteftinal canal, but is probably difgorged in the fame manner as many fnakcs difgorge the bones of tne animals on which they feed. Poffibly too this fand may ferve them as a fort of ballaft, b)^ which they are en- abled to keep themfelves at the bottom of the fea. As the food upon which they live is very eafily found, their mouth is formed with a very fmall orifice. As they live more in the water than in the air, they require a great power of refrad:ion in the humours of the eye ; whence the vitreous humour ?^ ^'■^^^nd to be very denfe. They are likevvi urbmdcd with the memhrana niSfitafis, whereby t.^ey are enabled to admit a greater or lelTer quantity of light to the eye at pleafure. The great variety of mv other occupations did not permit me to purfue thefe anatomical invef- tigations any farther. The dried excrements of this animal produce a very fine powder of a deep yellow colour, which our painter thoiight might be ufcd with advan- tage in the arts. (3th. I had not as yet been able to procure any of the flowers of anevv^ fpecles of the eucoJyptnSy remarkable by its fruit, which very miuch refem- bles a coat-button in fhape. This tree, which is one of thetalleft in nature, as May.] of la perouse. 1^5 as it grows fometimes to the height of 150 feet, blolToms only near its fummit. Its trunk exacflly refembles that of the eucalyptus refmifera, when its fpongy bark has been peeled off. In other fefpedis thefe two fpecies are nearly of the fame dimenfions. The trunk, which is very ftraight, at ieaft to one half of its height, might be ufefully employed in fhip-building, and efpecially for mafts, although it is neither fo light nor fo elaftic as that of the fir. Poffibly it might be of advan- tage to conftrud. mafts of different pieces of tim- ber, and even to perforate the large trunks of' trees throughout their whole length, fo as to render them lighter^ and to give them ff rength by bind- ing them at equal diffances with hoops of iron. By this means, I ihould think, they might be ren- dered as ftrong as one could wifli ; fmce perfons verfed in mechanics know that a cylinder, though hollow, ftill retains a great degree of ftrength. We were obliged to cat down one of thefe trees in order to obtain its bloffoms. Being already in a very flanting pofition, it was eafily felled. As the fun ilione very bright the fap was mounting in abundance, and as foon as the tree w^as cut down it flowed very copioufiy from the lower part of the trunk . This beautiful tree, which belong;? to the tribe of the myrtles, has a very fmooth bark ; its N 2 branches 1q6 voyage in search [1/02. branches are fomewhat crooked, and have to- wards their extremity alternate leaves, ilightly bent, and" about fix inches inj length, and one- half in breadths The flovv'ers are folitary, and grow from the bafe of the flalk of the leaf. The calix is lliaped like an inverted urn, and confifts, like that of the other genera of the fame tribe, of a fmgle leaf, which falls off as foon as the ftamina arc completely formed. It kas no corolla. The ftamina are numerous and attached to ther fides of the receptacle. ^ The ftyle is fimple and divided at its bafe into four partitions. It has only one ftigma. The capfule is open at the top, and generally divided into four partitions, which contain a num- ber of angular feeds ; at the bafe it has four angles, two of which projecfl more than the reft. It is fliaped like a button ; on which account I have denominated this tree eucalyptus globulus. Explanation of the Figures in Plate XIII. Fig. 1 . Branch of the eucalyptus globulus. Fig. 2. Flower. Fig. 3. Fruit. Fig. 4. Calix. The bark, leaves and fruit ot this tree are of May.] of la perousEo 197 an aromatic nature, and might be employed for economical ufes in the place of thofe aromatics with which we have hitherto been furnifhcd ex- clufively by the Molucca Iflands. On the feventh, 1 was obliged to employ almoft the whole day in preparing my colle^ljons, which accumulated prodigioufly from day to dav. I could therefore extend my refearches only to a very fmall dillance from our anchoring-ftation. But on the following day, I fet out in the after- noon with a defign of fpending three or four days in the woods without returning at night to the fliips, I was obliged to take this refolution in order to colle6l fpecimens of fuch plants as only grew at a confiderable diftance from our ftation. We had a great variety of different kinds of European grain on board, which might be advan- tageoufly propagated at this extremity of New Holland. The temperature that generally pre- vails in this country led us to hope that they would fucceed. Our gardener was directed to prepare a fpot of ground fo as to render it fit for receiving this dcpofit. He dug a fmall garden tor this purpofe on the eaft coaft of the harbour, fituatcd E, N. E. of our place of anchorage. We flept on the banks of a rivulet near the 'Aeftern extrcrpity of the great lake, along the N 3 fouthern IQB VOYAGE IN SEARCH [iTO-. fouthern coafl: of which we dired;ed our route on the following day. We faw fome pelicans ; but they did not come within gun-lhot of us. Piron, the painter to the expedition, who was of our party, took feveral drawings of the land- fcape. The round hills, covered with tall trees, which bounded the horizon added greatly to the beauty of the profpe<5l. We wxre obliged to return back by the road we had come^ in order to arrive at the oppofite fide of the lake. Piron returned on board. I difcovercd an evergreen tree, which has its nutfituated, like that of the acajou/upon aflefhy receptacle much larger than itfelfo I therefore iiamed this new genus exocarpos. It has hermaphrodite flowers upon the fame pe- duncle with others which are diflin6lly male and female. The male flowers have a calix divided into five roundifh leaves ; they have no corolla ; the fta- mina, which are five in number, are fmall and attached to the calix between its divifions ; the germen abortive. The female flowers have a calix fimilar to that of the male ; but neither corolla nor ftamina : the ovarium is globular, with a fiiort liyle ; the ftigma circular and flat. In May.] of la perouse. 199 In the hermaphrodite flowers, the caUx, {la- mina and ovarium are as I have deferibcd them in the others. The fruit is a nut of an almoft fpherical form, and of a blackifli colour, placed upon a receptacle, fleihy, red, divided in the middle, and about three times as large as the nut. The kernel is of an oily nature, and of the fame fhape with its fliell. The principal charadlers of this plant have led me to rank it among the terebinthinaceous tribe, next to the anacardium. I have given it the name of exocarpos cuprejjiformh. Explanation of the Figures Plate XIV. Fig. 1. A branch of the exocarpos cuprefli- formls. Fig. 2. Portion of a branch in flower. Fig. o. Gcrmcn, with its ftyle and ftigma. Fig. 4. Fruit. Fig. 5. The fruit divided longitudinally, fliew- ing a cavity in the middle of the flefhy peduncle. Fig. 0. The nut. Fig. 7. Part of the woody fubfbance furround- ing the nut. Towards the clofe of the evening we arrived at the banks of a rivulet, where we fixed our place of abode for the night. I obfcrved at this fouthern N 4 extremity 200 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l792. extremity of New Holland feveral fpecies of anci- Jlrum, analogous to thofe found at the fouthern- moft extremity of America. We were furrounded with pleafant groves, con- fifting for the greater part of a beautiful fpecies of thejium with ftrait leaves. The cold had obliged us to kindle a large fire. Some of us wxre fcarcely beginning to fall afleep, when we fuddenly heard the cry of a beaft of prey at a fev/ paces diftance. Our fire had probably been of greater fervice to us, in preventing this animal, which from the found of its voice we believed to be a leopard, from approaching nearer, than we fliould have expedied when we kindled it. 1 had found, on one of the preceding days, the upper jaw^-bone of a large animal of the carnivo-' rous tribe. loth. As fpon as the day appeared, we con- tinued our journey on the borders of the lakco At a very iiTiall diftance from the coaft we ob- fervcd five iflands covered with trees, which form- ed an agreeable contraft with the level furface ot this vaft flieet of water. We perceived, for the firft time in this coun- try, feveral quails that flew at a great diftance from us. After marching for feveral hours towards the north" May.] of la perouse, aoi north -eaft, we found upon a fmall hill, under the fhade of fome very tall trees, two huts of the fame conftrudilon with thofe we had feen before. They were in perfectly good prefervation, and feemed to have been lately inhabited. I difcovered a very beautiful plant, which forms a new genus very diftind: from any that has hi- therto been defcribed. It refembles the iris, but has only two ftamina. On account of this fmgu- larity, i gave it the name of dipJarenna, and oa ac ount of its affinity with the genus 7noma, I called it diplarenna moraa. The fpatha has two partitions, and inclofes ieveral flowers, which leave it one after the other when they are ready to blow. They fade much fooner than thofe of the iris and moraa, fo that I fliould have given up all hopes of having them copied, if new ones had not followed the others which withered almoft immediately after I had plucked the plant from the ground. Like the iris, it has no calix. The corolla has fix petals, three of which are interior, and much fmaller than the exterior : of the three interior petals, the fiiperior is rather fmaller than the reft, and more inflated towards the bafe. Upon examining a great number of the flowers, I have uniformly found that they contain only two 202 , VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l 792. two ftamina, the filaments of which terminate in a point fupporting antherae of a white colour, and marked with two fifTures. In the place of a third ftamen, I have only found a fmall filament, without any anther^e, fituated between the fupe- rior interior petal. The ovarium is inferior. It has three angles, and is fupported by a long peduncle. The flyle is a little longer than the flamina, cylindrical, and terminated by a fligma fhaped like a fhepherd's crook. The capfule has three partitions, containing leveral fpherical feeds, which are fixed to a re- ceptacle that extends from the middle of the parr titions to the top. This genus, which naturally ranks after the iris and the moraa, has all the habitudes of thofe plants. Its leaves are of the fame fword-like form, with their edges comprefTed near the bafe. Explanation of the Figures in Plate XV., Fig. 1 . The plant. Fig. 2. The flower-.buds difplayed by cutting away the fpatha. A full-blown flower with the three exterior petals torn off. Fig. 3. An exterior petal feen from its inner furfacc. Fig. 0,Al May.] of la perouse. 203 Fig. 4. The fame petal feen from its outer furface. F/g. 5. Interior petals turned down, to give a view of the ftamina and ftyle. F/g. 6. The It amen feen through a magnifying glafs. Fig. 7. The ftyle with its ftigma. Fig. S. A part of the germcn, the ftamen and ftyle having been taken away, in order to fhew the fmall filament, which is found in the place of a third ftamen. Fig. Q. Lower half of the capfule divided tranf- verfely, to fhew the three partitions. Fig. 10. Upper half of the capfule divided lon- gitudinally, to iliew the feeds. As we were walking through a fmall grove, v^here the underwood grew very thick, I roufed a. large kangarou at a very fmall diftance from me. He immediately ran a length of about thirty paces through one of thofe narrow paths which thefe animals make for thcmfelves through the thicket, where they are obliged to ufe ail their four feet, as they have no room for an ere(5l pofture ; and having reached the farther end, bounded away over the bullies with fuch fwdftnefs, that we loon loft fight of him. We found a fheet of water covered with a pro- digious number of wild ducks, which flew up w^hcn 204 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l/92, when we were quite clofe to them ; but we were fo little prepared for flich good fortune, that we were not able to kill a fingle bird. A high wind Iprung up towards night, which feemed to threaten rain. As we had no place of Ihelter near us, we were obliged to fleep in the open air. We conftrud:ed a fence againft the wind with branches, under flielter of which it was eafy to kindle a large fire. 11th. On the following day we diredled our courfe eaftvvard, and traverfed a vaft plain, befet in many places with marfhes, where the plants with which they are overgrown conceal the dan- ger one is expofed to in paffing through them. The water collected in the loweffc fituations gives rife to a number of very fine rivulets. A very large kangarou fprang out of a bufli about four paces from me. I pointed my gun at jhim, but it mified fire, and the animal walked off very compofedly, following one of thofe tracks through the thicket which they ufually frequent. Thefe tracks are covered pafiagcs which crofs each other in every dire(5tion, and run very clofe one to another. The numerous prints of the feet of thofe quadrupeds obfervable upon them, fhew that they abound in this country. The beft way of catching them would be to hunt them with dogs, as they generally keep themfelves in the if May.] of la perouse. 20 the thickeft part of the woods. Their tracks ge- nerally terminate at fome rivulet. Having exhaufted our flock of provifions, we were compelled to endeavour to reach the fhips before night. We wandered about the woods a long time before we arrived at the north- eafl ex- tremity of the' harbour, from whence we had a diftant view of our veffels. It was not w ithout great difficulty that we reached the^ place where they rode at anchor, as we had to pafs through many very rugged grounds. ]2th. The whole day was hardly fufficlent for me to prepare and defcribe what I had colleded on our lail excurfion. Having left fome of my fpecimens which could not be preferved without being daily attended to, in the care of one of the fervants, who remained on board during my abfence ; I had the fatisfac- tion to find them in good condition. Citizen Riche found fome human bones amongft the afhes of a fire pade by the natives. Several bones of the pelvis he difcovered by their form to have been part of the fkeleton of a young woman : fome of them were flill covered with pieces of broiled flefli. I am, however, fcrupu- lous of ranking the natives of this country with the cannibals : I rather fuppofe that they have the cuftom of burning the bodies of their dead ; as 2d6 votAGE m sEARan [1702. as thefc were the only human bones that were feen during the whole 6f our abode in this place. On the 13th I went to the place v/here our men were taking in their water. It was furniih- cd by a fmall rivulet, which difeharges itfelf into the harbour, after flowing amongft the trunks of fallen trees with which the country is covered. The rotten wood gives the water of this rivulet a brownifli tinge. They were obliged to roll the cafks upwards of a hundred yards to the boats, as thefe could not come nearer to the Ihorc on account of the fhallownefs of the bottom. We found the carpenters employed in raifnig the fides of our pninace, which had fhortly before been overfct whilfi: it was failing in the harbour. The crew had been obliged to fave themfelves by fwimming till affiftance was "brought them. It had been furnifhed with too high a maft, and much too large a fail, by the lieutenant, who ought to have underftood the proportions better. The wood made ufe of by the carpenters was that of the new fpecies of the eucalyptus, which I have denominated encalyptus globulus. They thought it very good timber for fhip-building. A perpetual moifture prevailed in the thick forefts into which I penetrated towards S. W. Moffes and ferns of various kinds grew there with great luxuriance. I killed a bird of that fpecies of May.] of la perouse* 207 of the merops, which White has denominated the wattled bee- eater, and of which he has given, a very good engraving. It is remarkable for its two large excrefcences on each fide of its head. I was obliged to make great hafte in preparing the llcins of the birds which I wifhed to preferve ; for the flefh, when expofed to the air, very foon became full of fmall living larvae, depofited in it by a fly of a reddifli brown colour, which is vivi- parous like that of our country, known by the name of rimjca caniaria. Thefe larvae accelerate the putrefad;ion of flefli in a furprifnig manner. As we intended to weigh anchor on the fol- lowing day, I w4fhed to make the beft ufe of the laft moments of our ftay in this place, and went on fhore at the eaiterly coaft neareft to our veflels. I vifited, in company with the gardener, the fpot where he had fown different kinds of European grains. It-was a plot of ground of twenty- feven feet by twenty-one, divided into four beds. The foil was rather too full of clay to infure the fuccefs of the feed. When we had entered the woods, a quadruped of the fize of a large dog fprang from a bufh quite near to one of our company. This animal, which was of a white colour fpotted with black, had the appearance of a beaft of prey. There can be little doubt that thefc countries will at fomc future ^os voTAOE In searck [1792. future time add feveral new fpecies to the claffes of zoology. A fpinal vertebra, that was found in the interior part of the country, the body of which was about four inches in diameter, gives reafon to believe that very large quadrupeds will fome time be difcovered here. A very heavy rain, which overtook us about the middle of the day, obliged us to halt. We Iheltered ourfelves in the hollow trunk of a laree tree that was upwards of twenty-four feet in circumference. We attempted to kindle a fire in it after the manner of the New Hollanders, but the fmoke foon drove us from our retreat. We endeavoured to penetrate into parts which we had not yet vifited. A glade, at which we arrived, feemed to condu6t us towards the north- eaft plain. We had only three hours of the day before us. A fteep afcent impeded our journey, large trees heaped one upon another obftru<5led the path^ and the flirubs, to which the moifture that prevails in thefe forefts, give an uncommonly luxuriant growth, increafed the difficulties we had to encounter. Amongft thefe fhrubs was a beautiful' fpecies of polypodium, the ffcem of which grov/s to the height of twelve feet.* * The reader will eafily cxcufe me for not enumerating by name all the curiofities of natural hiflory, which I col- lefted during this expedition j efpecially as I intended to do it in a feparate work- May.] of la PERouSEi ^og Towards clofe of evening we found ourfehes on the borders of the leffer lake. The woods that furrounded it did not permit us to follow it dry-fhod in all its windings : the water through which we had to wade w^as> fortunately, not very deep. Notwithftanding the darknefs of the night, J difcovered a new fpecies of rejlk, which I had never feen before. This lake, though it is connesfled with the fea at high water, does not abound with filli. Some of the crew of the Efperance hxid been here, with their nets, but caught nothing; Having reached the fea-iliore> we had ftill a ■ confidcrable part of our march before us. It was night, and .the thick "clouds increafed its obfcu- rity. Sometimes we were obliged to pafs over large blocks of rounded ftones wailied by the furge. We groped our way along the fliore, at the hazard of falling into the fea, and it was with great dif- ficulty that we were able to fupport ourfelves on our feet amongfl the wet ftones, that were ren- dered ftill more illppery by being covered with fucus and other marine Droduclions. A great number of phofphoric animalcules, ot different fizes, were driven on lliore by the waves.* and afforded us the only light we had to direct Our fteps. At length we arrived at the place where the VoL.L ' O tents no VOYAGE IN SEARCH [iQS;. tents had been pitched for taking agronomical obfcrvations. We found nobody there, as the inftruments had already been carried on board. Our raafter fail-maker having gone the pre- ceding day on a fhooting excurfion, without any companion, had loft his way in the woods, where he was obliged to fpend the night. Several guns were fired to let him know where the fhips lay at anchor ; and in the afternoon he returned on board emaciated with hunger and fatigue. Hav- ing fet out without any provifions, he had been a day and an half without food. He related, that during the night feveral quadrupeds had come to fmell at him, within a few inches diftance. Many of the cttw believed him on his word ; but we, who had fpent feveral nights in the w^oods, and had never met with fuch familiarity from the beafts, were not fo credulous ; but far from ima- gining that he wiflied to im.pofe upon us, wt found, in his narrative, the natural effects pro- duced upon the imagination of a man deprived of nourltliment, and all alone in the midft of im- menfe and pathlefs forcfts. ' ■ I5th. On the preceding day the large anchor had been drawn up and a fmaller one moored, that we might be able the fooncr to leave the harbour. The fame had been done by the Ef- perance. Some fudden blafts from the north-eaft, durinsi May.] of la perou3E. l?ll during the night, drove both fhips from their an- chors and ran them aground in the mud. They^ however, fufFcred no damage, and were eafily iet again afloat. It was furprifmg that they fliould have thought themfelves fecure with one fmall an- chor, but jull moored in a muddy bottom, as this fort of bottom affords very httle hold till the an- chor be funk to a coniiderable depth. We only waited for a favourable wind to leave the harbour. During the whole day it was con- trary, and in the night time it blew with great violence. Dauribeau, however, although w^e had' ran aground only the night before, thought it fuf- ficient to moor a fuigle cablet ; but his opinion was over- ruled by the reft of the officers, wdio knew, from experience, the neceffity of holding by the large anchor; During our abode at the Cape of Van Diemen we had only fccn the natives at at a confiderable diftance ; thofe who had obferved us having al- w^ays fled with great precipitation. Some of them left behind them their houfehold utenfds, which gave us a very imperfe6l fpecimen of their induflryi Thefc were bafliets, clumfily conftrud:ed of the reeds known by the name o-( jitncus acutus, and drinking vefTeis, made of a large piece o( fucus palmatns, cut into a circular form, and moulded into the fliape of a purfe. We never found any ~ O 2 wTapcns 212 VOYAGE IN SEARCH , [l792, weapons of defence in the places from whence they had fled : no doubt, they either carried them away, or carefully concealed them, for fear that we might employ them agalnfl themfelves. Thefe fcattered huts indicated a very fcanty population ; and the heaps of Iheils which we found near the fea-lliore, fhewed that thefe favages derive their principal means of fubfiftence from the fhell-fifli which they find there. As we only once difcovered human bones in this country, and thofe partly burnt, it appears that they do not expofe the bodies of their dead to the open air. It is difficult to know whether it be their ufual cuftom to burn them : poffibly they bury them in the earth, or throw them into the fca. The great number of tracks marked with prints of the feet of quadrupeds, ihew that they abound in this country. They probably remain during the day-time in the thickeft part of thefe inac- ceffible forefts. A great number of fmall rivulets difcharge themfelves into the harbour. The ground was here fo full of moifture, that wherever a hole was dug of a moderate depth, it immediately became filled with water. We generally took copious draughts offiflies with May.] of la perouse. 213 with our nets; eipecially when the eaft and fouth- eaft winds drove them into the bay. Van Diemen's land was difcovered by Tafman in the month of November, lC42. When Cap- tain Cook anchored here four years after Fur- neaux, in the year 1777> ^^ thought himfeU* the third European navigator who had been upon this coaft. Cook did not know at that time that Captain Marion, after having remained here for fome time, failed from thence on the 10th of March, 1772. The natives condu(5led themfeives in a very different manner to thefe two naviga- tors. Poffibly the gentlenefs with which they be- haved to Captain Cook, might be an effcd: of their terror for European fire-arms, of which they had received an idea from Marion's having; been under the neceffity of ufmg>them againll: them. The place of our obfervatory, fituated near the entrance of the harbour to the right of the vefTels, was 43° 32' 24^' S. lat. 144° 4(3' E. lonjr. The variation of the magnetic needle was 7'^ St/ 32^' E. The inclination of a flat needle was 70" 30^ The tides flow^ed only once a day. Thp time of high water in the harbour at full and change days, was betw^een nine and twelve o'clock, the ' water rifmg about fix feet perpendicular height. The tides were very much^nfluenced by the winds, O 3 which 214 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l792. vi^hich often advanced or retarded them by fe- yeral hours. The flieltered iituation of this harbour renders it the moft commodious in the world for veiTels to put into in order to be repaired. The vaft forefts, with which it is furrounded, furnifli a timber which our carpenters confidered as very proper for fhip building, and which they employed with great advantage. During our ftay of nearly a month at this place, the weather was very unfavourable for making aftronomical obfervations. The feafon of the year was likewife not an eligible one for invefiii- g-atina: thefe coafts, which was rendered Hill more difficult by the violence of the winds. Whilfh we remained at the Cape of Van Die- men, the north-weft and fouth-weft winds were very violent : the former were generally attended with llorms and heavy rains. As foon as it was day the vcfTels were towed to the mouth of the harbour, from whence w6 failed with a north breeze towards the new ftrait, which we intended to enter. After ranging along the windings of the reef, which Ave had left on our larboard fide when we entered Tempefl-bay, we were at ten o'clock in the forenoon at thediftance of about 7,600 toifes from the entrance of the ftrait, which bore N. N.W. May.] of la perouse. 215 N. N. W. when we trimmed our fails as (liarp as poffible. The fummits of the higheft mountains were already whitened with the fnow. Thefe moun- tains form part of a chain which extends from fouth-eaft to north-weft, and terminates near the fartheft extremity of the harbour. We were much gratified in viewing, from the fliip, the places which we had lately vifited in our excurfions. At one time we obferved a thick fmoke af- cending from the diftant country to the north- ward of the great lake, and foon defcried five of the natives walking away from a fire w hich they had juft been kindling on the fhore: one of them carried a fire-brand in his hand with w^hich he lighted the flames in different places, where the fire prefently caught and was almoft as foon ex- tinguifhed. We plied to windward, keeping in with the coaft ; as we had no danger to apprehend from approaching it. A flight breeze from the north, as well as the tide, being againft us, we could not enter the ftrait before night. We therefore caft anchor at the mouth of it, in a bottom of grey fand, at the depth of 30 fathoms. The place where we had O 4 pitched 2l6 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l7Q2. pitched our tents of obfervation was then at the diftance of about 10,000 toifes to the weftward. ' The mercury in the barometer having been gradually fahing for the fpace of four and twenty hours, remained ftationary at 2/1 inches, though the fky appeared ftill very clear. We were not without feme uneafmefs, as fo great a variation in the barometer had never failed during our ftay in the harbour to be followed by violent winds. Probably fuch blew at a diftance, but we expe- rienced none of their effects. During the night we .faw a fire to the weft, kindled by the natives. 1 /th. The current having become favourable about nine in the morning, we weighed anchor with a northerly breeze, and plied to the v^ind- ward. We were near enough to the coaft to be able to perceive at the entrance of the ftrait a fort oi free-ftone, fimilar to that found in port Dentre- cafteaux. The fnows had increafed prodigioufly upon the fufnmits of the high mountains, during the pre- ceding night. The mercury in the barometer had funk to 27 inches 4 4-loth lines, though the breeze from the north ftill continued flight. It was nig] it when we entered the ftrait to which May.] of la perouse 217 which we gave the name of our Commander, Dentrecall:eaux. About feven o'clock in the even- ing we caft anchor in a bottom of blackifli mud mixed with ihells, at the depth of 22| fathoms. We were in lat. 43° 20' S. ; long. 145" lo' E. The Efperance was apprifed of our having cafl anchor by a fignal from the main-maft, and did the fame at the diftance of about 1,000 toifes from us. The flighteil; agitation produced a great degree of phoiphorefccnce in the fea, during the whole night. Very violent fqualls, accompanied with rain, obliged us to pay out our cable, and unbend our top-galiant gear. 18th. The darknefs of the fky kept us impa- tiently awaiting the moment when we could en-^ joy the beautiful profpcifl of the immenfe bay which forms the entrance of Strait Dentrecaf- teaux. At length the horizon cleared up. Where- ever the eye could reach the coaft was indented with fpacious bights in the land, where naviga- tors, driven by llrefs of weather, might fly for flielter with fecurity. We furveyed with aflo- nilhment the immenfe extent of thefe harbours, which might eafily contain the combined fleet of all the maritime powers of Europe. The right foreland cf the ftrait bore S. 43° W. As 218 / VOYAGE UJ SEARCH [l7Q2. As the wind abated about 1 1 o'clock in the forenoon, we availed ourfelves of this opportunity to fit out the pinnace. The engineer was dif- patched in order to examine whether an opening {ccn N. 30° E. afforded a paffage for our veffels. The ebb-tide drifted us from eight in the even- ing till two in the morning at the rate of half a knot every hour to N. W. N. The fliffnefs of the breeze preventing us from fending any of our boats to the fhore, we were obliged to remain on board. igth. On the following day we were landed at the diftance of 2,500 toifes S, W. on an ifland which bounds this channel throughout its whole length. A boat belonging to the Efperance had paffed the night at the fame place, and taken a great quantity of fifh. It was a great gratification to me to traverfe this country, where I found a large number of new plants, the mofl numerous of which be- longed to the genus of melaleuca, afler, epacris, &c. The fhore of the channel afforded us a very eafy path through the bufhes which are here but thinly fcattered. We afterwards climbed up fome lleep afcents which rife to about 25 toifes per- pendicular height above the level of the fea. We here obferved a quantity of fca-falt depofited by the M\Y.] OF LA PEROUSE. 2^ the waves in the cavities of the hard fre^ftone which forms the bafxs of thefe hills. We had icarcelj proceeded a thoufand toifes, when the remains of a hut and heaps of fca-lheils Hiewed us that this iflaiid was inhabited. We faw here for the firll time the partridge of the Cape of Van Diemen. We fprung a very- large covey of them, which lighted at a great diftance from us, Late in the evening we met Citizen Riche, who had palTed the night with the fifliermen. We gladly accepted his offer to (hare the fruits of his fifliery with us, and he fhewed us a fmall fpring, where we had the pleafure of rcfrefliing ourfelves with excellent water over a meal of verj iine fifli and mufcles, which wc broiled upon the coals after the manner of the New Hollanders. After fuch a repail we had little occafion for the provifions we had brought with us from the fhip. We were inform.ed that the principal officers of the Recherche had agitated the qucftion among themfelves, whether the gentlemen en- gaged in refearchcs of natural hillory had any right to the freili provifions dlftributed on board, whilft they were employed upon fliorc in making the colledlions which the objcd; of their appoint- ^nent required. Care was taken that none of their number fhould be admitted to thefe difcuf- fions ; 220 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l 792. iions ; and as they had no one to fupport their right, the queftion was foon decided agalnft them, contrary to every idea of juftice. I muft add, that though the pcrfons who had the charge of providing for our table were frequently chang- ed, they all adhered with the utmofl; pun000 toifes in length from S. W. to N. E. They had every where found a depth of at leaft fix fathoms and an half, over a bottom of mud, and fometimes of fine fand* It is feparated from Adventure-bay by a narrow flip of land, not more than 200 toifes at its greateft breadth. We now waited only for a favourable wind to follow the ftrait, in order to take an exa(fl furvey of it. The N. and N. W. breezes were contrary, and, bcfides, fo (light, that we were obliged to remain the whole day at anchor. P 2 During 228 VOYAGE I^ SEAHCM [l/Q^' During the night we law ft^veral fires of the natives to S. E. .24th. On the folio wijig morning we weighed anchor^ and plied to windward at the diftance of about 500 toifes from the land- We found every "where a depth of water of at leafl 6| fathoms, over a very good bottom. Though the tliermometer had never indicated more than 7° above the point of congelation, even in the coldeft mornings, the fnows had greatly in- creafed upon the high mountains feen W. N. W. V/hilft the currents continued favourable we gained ground at every tack ; -but about fix o'clock in the evening they became contrary ; and we caft anchor in a bottom of grey fand at the depth of eight fathoms, very near to the coaft, and to the northward of the ftation from whence we had failed in the morning. The natives kindled more than twenty fires' •apoii the coaft towards the fouth. Many families of them had probably come down to the coaft ■upon hearing the news of our being in the bay. 25th. About feven in the morning the current was favourable, and we made fevcral tacks in order to enter a narrower part of the channel, where we ranged very near to the weft coaft, fteer- ing N. E. N.- Ha- VI ng MaY-I fif LA PEaOUSE. 22Q- Having procce4ed about 2,50O toifes along this channel, we entered a fecond bay upwards of 5,000 toifes in length, and bounded to the weft by pretty high grounds ; the eaftern coaft, which feparatcs this ftrait from Adventure-bay, was lefs elevated. About half an hipur after one in the afternoon, we caft anchor at the diilance of 500 toifes from the fhore ; Cape Canele bearing S, 33° E. I went on iliore to north-weft, where I found the woods very full of thickets, and extremely damp, though no rain had fallen tor feveral days. A new fpecies of ptelea grew in great abundance amongft the fhrubs with which this country was covered. 2(3th. We weisrhed anchor about Icven in the morning, and found ourfelves, at noon, in a third bay, where the great number of openings in the land left us for fome time doubtful what courfe we iliould ftecr, in order to get out of it, v/hich we a length accpmpliflicd, to north-weft, by the moft diftant of the openings. The depth of water 'in this bay was not lefs than eleven fathoms about the middle, and at leaft fix and a half at the diftance of a hundred toifes from the fliore. Having proceeded almolt 10,000 toifes to N. N. W. we anchored about half an hour after three in the afternoon, in a depth of fourteen fa- P 3 thoms 230 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l792. thorns and a half, with a muddy bottom. As it was probable that, in cafe the wind fliould be- come favourable, we might proceed on our courfe before night ; none of us went on fhore. On the 27th, about eight o'clock in the morn- ing, we weighed anchor. The current foon fet againft us, and obliged us to caft anchor at the clepth of twelve fathoms and a half, in a bottom of fand mixed with mud. We were then in 43° 4' S. lat. 145" ];' E. long. Ai: the diftance of two thoufand five hundred toifes to north-eaft, the farthefl end of the ftralt through which we were to pafs, was vifible, A fire at a fmall diflance from the fhore apprifed us of the natives being near. We foon after ob- ferved one of them walking along the iliore. Two boats were fent out to tranfport fome of our men to both fhorcs of the ftraits. They dif- covered a number of the fava2;es landins; from a raft on the eaft fhore. As timid as thofe we had feen before, they had haftened with all poffible fpced to the land, where they made their efcape into the woods, leaving behind them feveral darts pf a very clumfy confi:ru6lion. I went on ihore at the place where the f^ivages |iad difappeared, and found feveral pieces of very beautiful hard granite, rounded by the water. We found four rafts, made of the bark of trees, on May.] of la perouse. 231 on the beach. Thefe rafts are only fit for croffing the water when the fea is very tranquil ; other- wife they would foon be broken afunder by the force of the waves. As the favages poflefs the art of hollowing the trunks of trees by means of fire, they might employ the fame method to make themfelves canoes ; but the art of navigation has made as little progrefs amonglt them as the reft. Having arrived at the extremity of the ftrait, I found fome fine cryftals of feld-fpath in feveral rocks ot very hard fand ftone. On the tops of the hills I met with the plant defcribed by Phillips, in his account of his voyage to Botany-bay, under the name of the yellow gum-tree. As it was already in feed, I had no op- portunity of examining the characters requifite for determining its genus. To me it appears to belong to that of dracana. The grains were con- tained in long ears, filled with a valt number of larvae, which are afterwards metamorphofed into fmall phalenas of the moth kind. The gum-refin which flows from this plant is very aftringent, and might, no doubt, be ufed with advantage in medicine. The gummy prin- ciple with which it abounds, renders it more apt to mix with the fluids of the human body, and ought to give it a preference before many other aftringcnts that, are employed. P 4 Amongll 332 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l792. Amongft a variety of other beautiful plants, I found a very remarkable one of the compofite tribe, which had never before been difcovered. It conditutes a new genus, w^iich I named richea, aicer Citizen Riche, one of the naturalifts to our expedition. This philofopher fell a vid:im to his love for fcience, having made, w^hen already in a very advanced flage of confumption, a long and fatiguing journey, in which he had more confulted liis fcientific zeal than the f3:ate of his health. This new genus naturally ranks in the third fe6tion of the cynarocephales. ( Jufs. gen. plant.) The common calix is compofed of feveral ob- tufe foliol*, fcarious at their extremities, of equal lenG:th, and difpofed in a fmgle row ; it indoles feveral diftin^ calices, each of which is fupported by a veryfiiort peduncle. Each of the fmall ca- lices is compofed of five or fix foliol^, and con- tains five or fix floriolse, all hermaphrodite, and provided w^ith fheaths of nearly the fame length with themfelves. The fioriol^ are Inflated at their fuperior extre- jnity, and divided into five equal divifions. Five diftind: filaments, attached to the infide of the corolla, fupport the fame number of an- thcrse, united in the form of a cylinder. The flyle is filiform, and of an equal height V^'ith the ilamina.- The ftigma is bipartite. ^ The ^fc/x'tr (/Arffcir -fiii-^/'jI.SforM.,/e. nc^.xdc/ir. IJ^.^/51 fiderable advances, in exploring the coaft, where we had fecn many fires, kindled perhaps by the fame natives as on the preceding days. 26th, 27th, 28th. We had alfo to ftruggle with contrary wdnds, during the two fucceeding days ; but, on the 28th, a frefli breeze at fouth-eaft, favoured our views in ftretching along the coaft. The high mountains, which we hc^vd hitherto fcen, wxre exchanged for fome of a much lower elevation, and at laft we thought we had reached vthe end of the chain ; but farther on, they re- fumed nearly the fame height, and we faw the northern extremity of the ifland, formed of lofty mountains, w^hich, at that diftance, did not ap- pear to differ from thofe which we had obfcrved on the preceding days. At noon, our latitude was 20° 28^ fouth, and our longitude l5l° 2q' eaft, and we were not backward in obferving, that near the extremity of the ifland, the chain of reefs w^as interrupted, and prefented a large opening, which feemed likely to afford us an anchoring place ; but the wind blew too flirong to allow us to put out a boat, in order to take the foundings in, this ope- ning. We lay to all night, in hopes that tlie weather would be more favourable the next day. In the diredlion of the land of New Caledonia, we 252 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l7Q2. we obferved feveraliflands furrounded with reefs, and connedled together by fand banks and other flioals. 29th. Daring the night, the wind had made us fall off fo much, that we loft fight of the northern extremity of New Caledonia, which .we found to he in 19" 58^ fouth latitude, and lOl"" 10' eaft loi^itude. That ifland prefents a chain of mountains, extending about eighty nautical leagues, from the fouth-eaft to the north-weft. Its mean bre-adth is not more than feven or eight leagues. Captain Cook, who difcovered it in'. 1772, only faw the north-eaft part of it. The examination of the fouth-weft coaft of the ifland was an important objed; in navigation. The reefs by which it is bordered, are generally from 25 to 30,000 toifesdiftant from the land, and to- wards their extremities this diftance is greater, but they are not fo broad. That coaft, extremely dangerous at all times, is rendered ftill more fo by the fouth-weft winds, which were remarkably adverfe to us, in exploring it. The fmall number of fires which we obferved, and the apparent fterility of the land, gave me good reafon to believe that the ifland was but thinly inhabited. We did not fee a fmgle canoe, although they might June.] of la perouse. 253 might have been managed with facility, under the flicker of the reefs, whefe the fea is extremely tranquil. About feven o'clock in the morning, we came in iiglit of many mountainous iflands and detached rocks, ftretchina; from N. N. E. to E. N. E. and which render this extremity of New Caledonia ftill more dangerous than the fouthern part. Some of thofe iflands are feveral hundred toifes in extent. The points of a great number of black rocks were elevated above the wafer. Thofb rocks, furrounded by water flightly agitated, feem- ed themfelves to be in motion, and, at firfl: fight, ^ we took them for canoes, floating on the furface. We foon difcovered that thofe little iflands were . numerous ; for they extended as far as we could fee from the mafl; head. They are encircled wdth reefs, amidfl: which the fea afliimes the colour of the reddifli fand v/hich compofes its bottom. We had a near view of them ; for, about eleven o'clock, we were but about 1,500 toifes to the fouthvvard of one of thofe little iflands, when we obferved reefs extending from its weflrern point, in the dired:ion of W. N. W. as far as the eye could reach. At the placejj.nwhere we found our latitude at noon to be 20"^ 0^ 4" fouth, our longitude being 254 VOYAGE I^ SEARCH [l792. l5l° 10^ 36" eaft, we had on the eail 22° north, a little ifland, diflant 1,000 toifes. Another ifland bore from us north 80 degrees weft, at the diftance of about 8,000 toifes. Thofe two illands were conned^d together bj reefs. We faw other lands, bearing north 28"^ eaft. A fire, on the little ifland neareft us, not far from a rivulet defcending from a mountain, in- dicated that thofe little fpots of land were fre- quented by the natives. The ftrong gufts of wind which blew in the night, would have greatly embarrajGTed us in any other lituation ; but, under fheiter of the ifiands and reefs, it was eafy for us to beat about during the ni^ht. o June 30. Some little iflands towards the eaft, feemed to terminate this little archipelago. Their elevation gradually diminiftied, in proportion to their diftance from New Caledonia. They feem- cd indeed to be only a continuation of thq moun- tains of that large ifland ; their bafes being co- vered by the fea, and their fummits riflng above it, and forming fo many little iflands. The gra- dual diminution of the height of thofe mountains, makes it reafonable to fuppofe that in thofe feas, Ihoals extending to a great diftance, contribute to augment the dangers of navigation. In the fe- quel> June.] of la perouslE. 255 quel, we fliall fee that this fuppofltion is by no means deftitute of foundation. We dire<5led our courfe to the north- weft, very near the reefs, which precluded our accefs to the little iflands. The Commander informed the captain of the Efperance, that in cafe of ieparation, the two Ihips fliould rendezvous at port Pralin or Carteret harbour. Our latitude at noon was 19° 28^ lo'' fouth, and our longitude lOo" 30' 12" eaft; the moft northerly of the little iflands bearing eaft, at the diftance of 8,000 toifes. We came in ilght ©fa chain of reefs, which ex- tended as far as the eye could reach, towards N. W. I N. in fome places forming bights, by taking a wefterly diredlion. With the wind at E. S. E. it was eafy for us to follow all the wind- ings of thofe reefs. In the afternoon, we ftecred parallel to them for nearly 20,000 toifes and then thought that we faw their extremity. We were already felicitating ourfelves with having terminated this dangerous and troublefome navi- gation, and entering into an open fea, when the watch announced fhoals and a fucceffion of reefs, in the diredion of N. N. W. It was now too late in the day to intangle ourfelves among them, and we worked to windward during the night. A booby 25Q %'OYAGE IN SEARCH [1/92. A booby, of the {pec'ies peleca?ms varlus, allowed itfelf to be caught about fun-fet. It differed from the ordinary Ipecies, by having a lighter colour. This bird came, without diftruft, and fat down on the round top, befide one of the failors. The fpecies is remarkable for being but little afraid of man : they will even frequently light on one's arm, when prefented to them. Their fenfe of fmelling muft not be very fubtile ; for their nof- trils confift of but two flight chinks in the upper mandible, which is moveable like that of the parrot. July lit. We now believed that we had com- pleated the furvey of this frightful chain of reefs, which obilrudls the fea for near 100 marine leagues from the S. E. to the N. W. ; and we wxre 10,000 toifes to the northward of them, about noon, when we found ourfelves in 18° 50' of fouth latitude, and l6o° 32^ of eaft longitude. We next fleered towards the N. N. E. in or- der to afcertain whether or not thofe reefs ex- tended to the north-eaft. One of the crew, called Moulin, about two o'clock in the afternoon, difcovered to the north- ward, at the diftance of 10,000 toifes, a httle •low ifland covered with very tufted trees, and bor- dered towards its weftern fide, with reefs, extend- ing towards W. N. W. This ifland, which is not July.] of la perouse. 257 not above 2,500 toifes in circumference, is fituated in" 18° 31'' 10^' of fouth latitude, and in lOo' 32' 'J 4" of eaft longitude. Agreeable to the promife of the General, this ifland was called Moulin' s Illand, after the man who fifft obferved it. About four o'clock two other little iflands were defcried towards N.° W. I N. diftant about 8,000 toifes. As it was impoflible for us to pafs thofe iflands before night, at five o'clock we di- rected our courfe to the S. S. E. and we kept the fhip's head that way till the morning. We were furroundcd during the night with flocks of birds, which inhabited thofe low iflands. Notwithftanding the darknefs, the man-of-war birds came and hovered over our lliip, and feveral boobies alighted upon our yards. ' 2d. The Commander had intended to anchor under the Ihelter of Moulin's Ifland; but we found ourfejves carried above 5,000 toifes to lee- ward, and it would have been extremely difficult to work up to windward againft both wind and current. We therefore fleered N. N. E. and it was not long till we obferved, towards the north, breakers not far from the two little iflands, which we had obferved the preceding day. We fl:eered parallel to them, at the dillance of about l,ooo VpL^L R toifes . / 258 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l 79^'- toifes and in their direction, which was towards the north-weft. From the point where we obferved our latitude at noon, which was 18° ']' 40" fouth, our lon- gitude being l65° 32^ eaft, we faw the neareft reefs, at the diftance of near 10,000 toifes to the eaft ward. We continued to fteer along them, in the direaion of N. W. | N. About a quarter paft one o'clock, we difco- vered, at the diftance of nearly 8,000 toifes to- wards the eaft, a low^ and very woody ifland, which appeared to us to be at the leaft 8,000 toifes in circumference ; and it was ftirroundcd with rocks almoft level with the water. Having the wind againft us, we ftecred very near it : the breakers extended towards the north -eaft to the eftimated diftance of about 8,000 toifes, and in the midft of thofe reefs, we faw black pointed rocks, fmiilar to thofe which we had obferved before. This new illand is in latitude 1 S'' 3^ fouth, and in longitude l6o° 31' eaft. We fteered towards the north, and about four in the afternoon, we had the laft of thofe rocka to the eaftward of us, at the eftimated diftance of 8,000 toifes. There thofe reefs feemed to termi- nate ; appearing to extend towards the eaft, and then towards the fouth. Their northern extre- mity July.] of la perouse. 25g mity is in 17° 5-1' of fouth latitude, and 1(30° 30^ of eaft longitude, and about ten leagues to the north of Mouiin's Iliand. It was eafy for us to perceive, by the force of the waves, that we were difengaged from the I'eefs. A great number of tropical birds, boobies and man-of-war birds, quitting their retreats in the different little iflands, came and played in airy c!ircles about the lliip, almoft the whole day. We faw the trunks of feveral cocoa-nut trees floating, which had been torn by the waves from the place of their growth. About fix in the evening, the lead indicated fifty-eight fathoms depth of water, with a bottom of fine fand, our latitude having then been 1 7° 5 1'' fouth, and oiu- longitude, i6g^ 18'' eaft. We re- mained an hour upon that bank, where we hove the lead feveral times, and had from fifty to fixty- fix fathoms in depth. Thus we completed the difcovery of a dread- ful chain of reefs, fo much the more dangerous towards the north, as they are wholly out of fight of land. Although they appeared to us inter- rupted, to the northward of New Caledonia, it is probable, notwithilandaig wliat we obferved, that they are re-united farther to the eaflward. Thofe reefs, are well known to be the work of R2 polypi; $60 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l7Q2, polypi ; and the danger attending them is the more to be dreaded, as they form fteep rocks co- vered by the water, and which can only be per- ceived at a fmall diftance. If a calm take place, and a fhip be carried towards them by the cur- rents, her lofs is almoil: inevitable. Vain would be the attempt to fave her by the anchor, for it would not reach the bottom, even clofe to thofc walls of coral, which rife perpendicularly from the depths of the fea. Thefe works of the poly- pus, which, by continually increafing, obftrud: more and more the bed of the ocean, may well be fuppofedi dreadful to navigators ; and many fhoals which now allow a velTel to pafs over tliem, will, at no very diftant period, be convert- ed into reefs extremely dangerous to fhips. The compafs experienced but little variation, while we were cruizing along this immenfe chain of rocks ; for at their fouthern extremity, it was obferved, to be 11" eafterly, and it was diminilhed only two degrees, when we had reached their northern extremity. 3d, The next day we ftcered N. N. W. ; but we faw no more breakers. 7 th. At half paft nine P. M. the moon being elevated about 15" above the eaftern part of the horizon, we obferved, in the weft, a lunar rain- bow. It differed in nothing from the folar rain- bow. July.] of la perouse 261 bow, except that its colours were not {o vivid. This phoenomenon is much lefs frequent than might naturally be expecfled. The allowance of water was very fmall, which was a prodigious hardfliip in latitudes fo near the Line ; and we had not the means of procuring more; although we were provided with Docftor PoifTonnier's apparatus for diftilling fea- water. This contrivance was of no ufe to us, as it re- quired much more fuel than we could fpare ; for when water is fcarce on board fhip, wood is never abundant. About ten o'clock A. M. we deicried the Ar- facides, which we made near Cape Nepean, Thofe lands, difcovered in 1 7O7, by Captain Sur- ville, in the fervice of the former French Eaft India Company, were fmce ieen by Shortland, who, thinking he had made a new difcovery, gave them the name of New Georgia. Our latitude at noon was 8*^ 62'' ibuth, and our longitude 154*^ 38^ eaft. The neareft land then bore E. J N. E. diftant ] 5,000 tolfes. Qth. At half paft four o'clock, we defcried the rock called Eddy-ftone, bearing north -weft, dif- tant about 8,000 toifes. At a diftance.. we took it, as Shortland did, for a veflel under fail. The deception was the greater, as the colour of it is R 3 nearly 262 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l792„ V nsarly that of the fails of fnips; but fome flirubs adorned its upper part. The lands of the Arfacides oppofite to this rock, are fteep and covered with large trees to their fummits. Several fires kindled on the mountains, indi- cated the prefence of the favages. Our obfervations afcertained the Situation of Cape N.epean, to be 8" S. iat. and 154° 56^ 2 A" E. lonsf. o The EddJ-^fl:one rock is in 8^ S. Iat. and 154^ h^ E. long, and confequently more to the eafl- ward of Cape^Nepean than Shortland alledges. We lay to from two o'clock in the morning till day-light. 10th. Early in the morning, we faw the Trea- ftiry Iflands, bearing N. W. ? N. diftant 20,000 toifes. They are fituated 20 leagues to the north- weft of the Eddy-ftone. About noon, we were diftant about 2,500 toifes from the weftern point of the largeft, and molt wefterly ifiand of that little group. It is in 7° 25' 2>&' S. Iat. and 152^ 50^ 34'' E. longitude. ■ Thofe iflands are five or fix in number, and fo near together, that at a diftance, they appear to form but one ifiand, as was believed by General Bougainville, v/ho faw them to the weftward, when July.] of la perouse. 263 when pailing through the channel to which he gave his name. The Efperance only diftinguiflied three illands : we faw five dillindly, and, had we been nearer, we fhould probably have feen more. The mountains which form thofe illands, are of a moderate elevation, and almoft every where covered with large trees. The little group occupies a fpace about ten leagues in circuit ; the eaft and weft points being extended into ilioals. After having failed round them, we fleered N. N. E. in order to view the eafl'ern part of the ifland of Bougainville. About five o'clock P. M. we were near its fouthern extremity, where we efpied a group of ten little iflands, the largefl of which extends from call: to wefl. Being co- vered with large fpreading trees, interfperfed with palms, thofe iflands prefented an enchanting prof- ped;. Very neaj their fouthern fide, we obferved among-them fome breakers, which rendered it dangerous to approach them. Tvk^o canoes, in which we diftinguiflied a num- ber of natives, were under fail, and feemed to fleer towards us ; but they pafTed behind the little ifland nearefl us, and their rapid motion foon car- ried them out of our fight. On the beach of the fame little ifland, we faw a company of ten natives, near a canoe, which lay upon the fand, and 264 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l7Q2r and which they did not attempt to launch, in order to vifit us. As night approached, it was neceffary for us to go about, in order to get into the ofRng. 11th. A violent rain drenched us during the night, and was fucceeded by a thick fog, which enveloped the land, and did not permit us to ap- proach it, till fome hours after fun- rife. Some reefs, level with the water, and extend- ing for fome hundred toifes, appeared about ele- ven o'clock, at the diftance of 15,000 toifes from the fhore, which they warned us not to approach. We faw the fummits of the high mountains of Bougainville ifland piercing the clouds. The land was again invefted with a fog, and we were obliged to wait till the 1 3th before we could purfue our examination of the coaft. 13th. We enjoyed the beautiful profped: of the high mountains gently falling into extenfive plains, w^here however we obferved no trace of cultiva- tion. The whole fcene was covered with trees, even to the highcfh elevations, which appeared to be at leaft twelve hundred toifes in perpen- dicular height, and to be diltant above twenty thoufand toifes from the fhore. Fires upon the hills announced the prefence of the natives. About half-pafl: eleven o'clock, we thought ourfelves July.] of la perouse. 265 ourfelves in the greateft fecurity, when we found the fhip in fhoal water, which the watch had not perceived. It was fo fliallow, that w^e could eafily diftinguifh the fillies upon the rocks, fome points of which, higher than others, put us in dread of fhipwreck every inftant. We were then in 4| fathoms of water, and the boat, which immediately began to found dif- ferent parts of the fhoal, found only 3 fathoms at one of its extremities. The whole bottom was coral. Thus we were involved in the moll; imminent dangers, being furrounded on all fides with llioals, which threatened us with the immediate deftruc- tion of the Ihip. Boats were difpatched, to found the water over the rocks, on each lide of us. The leaft depfh they difcovered was 3 fathoms ; fo that, a flight agitation of the fea in that place, might have made us touch the bottom, and lofc the fiiip. Thofe rocks, like the reefs of New Caledonia, are the work of polypi ; like thofe reefs they are built perpendicularly, and quite clofe to them, no bottom can be found with one hundred fathoms of line. They rife, like fo many columns, from the bottom of the fea, and their progreffive aug- mentation daily increafes the danger of navigat- ing thofe parts of the ocean. At 260 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l792* At noon our lat. was 6° 1 3^ 1 1" S. and our lonp\ 152'' 7' 5l" E. We brought to, and remained there till two o'clock-. Several trunks of trees floated alon2;ii.de. On one of thofe which the boats brought, we obferved a very old notch, which fliewed that the inhabi- tants of the neighbouring ifland are in poiTeffion of inftruments which cut very clean. Perhaps they ftill retain fome of the axes, which General Bougainville gave them. We drove infenfibly tovv^ards a ilioal ; but we faw it in good time and avoided it. Though the watches were ordered to redouble their attention, we found ourfelves about half paft three upon another flioal, which it was ne- ceiTary for us to clear like the firft, at the rifk of feeing the velTel drive againfl the rocks. There was the fame depth of water as before. The furge was rendered very ftrong by this bank of coral. Our pofition was the more dangerous, as night approached, and thofe ihoals being at fome dif- tance from the coall, gave us reafon to apprehend that we ihould meet with others ftill farther off. How were we to avoid them, during the darknefs of the night ? We muft truft to chance the fe- curity of our fhip. We brought to, till day light, the Ihip's head to the fouth-weft', and we July.] of la perouse. 20/ we frequently founded without finding any bot- tom. 1 4th. The Efperance, about three o'clock in the morning, made fignais, which produced a lively fenfation on board of our fnip. We believed that they indicated fome danger ; but they vvcre merely intended to give us notice that fhe had^ foundings, in forty-two fathoms. We ftood off a little from the land, and at day-light fteered clofe along fliore. The chain of mountains then began to fubfide. Some little iflands, detached from Bougainville Ifland, were conned:ed together by reefs, on which we faw the waves beating. But thefe were not the only dangers on that coafc : funken rocks formed flioais, which followed the fame direction. Thofe coral banks were doubtlefs covered with fifh ; for we faw many fea-birds hovering over them in queft of their prey. A canoe, manned by fix natives, was behind the little iflands the neareft to our fhip ; but, as we were making great way, we very foon paiTed them. That part of Bougainville Ifland which was now in fi ht, feemed to be much more populous than what vv^e had hitherto fecn. The fine plan- tations of cocoa-nut trees which bordered the coafl, $&8^ VOYAGE IN SEARCH [1/92. coaft, left us no room to doubt that the popula- tion was very confiderable. At noon, in latitude 5'' 43' 12" fouth, and longitude 15 2^3' 20'' eafl, we faw Bougainville Mand, forming, with the little adjoining iflands, a bay not lefs than 15,000 toifes in extent. The General intended to anchor there ; but flioals ob- ierved in different points of its entrance, and a land-bank near its farther extremity, made him change his refolution. Bougainville Ifland terminates in very low lands, and we foon had flg^ltof the narrow chan- nel which feparates it from Bouka Ifland. After ftanding off, we lay to all night. The heat of the day had accumulated the ma- terials of thunder above the high mountains. Frequent flaflies of lightning difcovered to us their fummits, and the thunder rattled with a tremenr dous noife. During the night the current had carried us more than twenty minutes towards the north. At fix in the morning we were 5,000 toifes to the northward of Bouka Ifland. The vaft planta- tions of cocoa-nut trees which adorned its fliores, indicated a numerous population. A canoe, with nine natives on board, put off, and fleered towards us. We immediately hove to July.] of la perouse. 20g to in order to receive them ; but they {topped within three hundred toifes of the fliip, and fhowing us their ifland, made ligns to invite us on fliore. There were but fcven paddlcrs in the canoe ; two other natives Teemed wholly occupied in baling out the water, which beat over the fides of the canoe, and in obferving our movemcnts. A native put off alone from the beach, on a c^jtimarraii, and paddling with the greateft cele- rity, came and joined the canoe, which kept al- ways to the windward of us. Though a very old man, he appeared to be ftill very robuil. Af- ter having viewed us for fome minutes, he plied towards the ifland, as rapidly as he had come off. He appeared to be a mefi'enger difpatched by the inhabitants, to make his obfervations, and to re- port to them vvhat he had feen. The canoe left us, and proceeded towards the Efperance, another very large one having been akeady alongiide of her. We faw at fome diltance a fmall canoe, man- ned by five natives, who came a-ffern of our ihip,"and kept at the diftance of about 600 toifes, notwithftanding all our invitations to them to come on board. In hopes of alluring thofe favages, we let down into the water a plank, with fome knives and nails upon it, and a bit of fcarlet ftuff by way of a finer 270 yOYAGE IN SEARCH [1/92, flag, tied to a ffcick placed upright in its centre. They did not, however, leize upon thofe objects, till we cut the firing which kept it nearer to the Ihip than they chofe to venture. The fight of the bit of fluff dittufed among them the moft lively joy : they ihowed uS that they had accepted of our prefent, and earneftiy defired m.ore of the fame fort. At laft, by throwing them handkerchiefs, bits of red ftuff, and empty bottles, we fuccecded in bringing them alongfide. One of the bottles having taken in fom,e fea- water, the favage who took it up, thinking perhaps that we had fent him fomething good to drink, was difagreeably millaken on tailing the contrary, and Vv^e re- gretted that we had not given him timely notice of the circumftance. Thofe natives were acquainted with the me- thod of barter, and took much pains to ihew us the price of their goods. We received a very jSne bow and fome arrows, in exchange for a few handkerchiefs, which we let down to them by a rope. As they did not obferve that we poiTelfed this kind of weapon, they endeavoured to make us fenfible of its value, by (ho wing us its ufe. One of the gunners went for his fiddle, and played them fome tunes ; and we had the plea- fure July.] of la perous^. 271 fure to fee that they were not hifenlible to mufic. They offered us a number of things in exchange for the inftrument, making figns for it, by imi~ tating the niotions of the fiddler upon a paddle- But they foon found that their folicitations were fruitlefs. Jt was the only fiddle by which the ihip's company danced ; and we had too long a voyage before us, to think of parting with the in- ftrument, which procured us an exercife fo falu- tary to feamen. We had fo loaded them with prefents, that they foon be2;an to make difnculties in givina: their commodities in exchange for ours, to pro- cure which they had recourfe to unfair arts. The Commander had agreed to give them fbme hand- kerchiefs ftriped with red, their favourite colour, for a bow, and trufling too much to their good faith, had delivered them the handkerchiefs : but inftead of the bow, they would only give fome arrows, which were refufed. Thofe natives feemed to, have a great pro- penfity to gaiety. They feemed to take pleafure in repeating the wordc which they heard us pro- nounce ; and the fweetnefs of their language en- abled them eafily to fucceed in the imitation. They were pafiionately fond of mufic, and particularly of the m.oH: brifk and noify tunes. One of the officers, who was a good performer, played ^/2 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l792, played a very lively tune. They liilened with very great attention ; aflonifliment was vifible in their features ; they could not conceal the pleafure they felt ; but, by different motions of their arms, which kept exacl time with ^the mea- fure, and a great agitation of the whole body, they gave unequivocal proofs of their fenfibility. They did not lofe fight of the defire which the Commander had expreffed for a bow. One of them promifed him a bow in exchange for a hat ; but when he got poffeffion of the hat, he refufed to furrender the bow. Moft of the things which we gave them were tied to the end of a line, which they were not at the pains to loofe ; for they carried in their gir- dles, fhells which were fufficiently lliarp to cut it at once. As we had good reafbn to diftruft their pro- mifes, a man went down by a rope ladder a- flern, with a view to exchange a bit of red ftuff for a bow, when we perceived that the current had carried us to the north- weft, and that we were already too near the fhore. As a calm pre- vented us from fteering the Ihip, w^e were obliged to put out a boat in order to tow her off. The favages thinking, no doubt, that we intended to purfue them, in order to punilh them for their difhonefty, retreated precipitately towards the iiland. July.] of la perouse. 2^3 iiland. Out of gratitude, perhaps, for the pa- tience with which we allowed them to cheat us, they committed no fuch ad: of treachery as Ge- neral Bougainville, in his voyage round the w^orld, had experienced at their hands. Four canoes were, all this while, dealing with the Efperance. One of them was manned by natives, of whom iixteen were paddlers, and the reft warriors. We learned from the people on board the Efperance, that this war- canoe had long kept at a diftance ; but ventured to come alongfide, on feeing the different articles w^hich their country- men in the little canoes had procured. The order with w^hich the favaees w^ere fta- tioned in the great canoe, indicated a kind of naval ta6lics. A warrior, armed with a bow and arrows, ftood between every two paddlers on each fide, and intermediate parties of two or three warriors ftood with their faces tow^ards the ftern of the canoe, in order to obferve the movements in that direction, and to fight while retreating. Thofe w^arriors fliowed no hoftile difpofition ; they feemed very fond of the wine and brandy which was given to them, but did not eat bacon, without a degree of repugnance. Thofe favages had excellent teeth, and found Vol. I. S no 5;4 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [iTO-* no difficult}' in rtiafticating the harclcft bifcuits which were offered to them. Could thofe natives have had any communica- tion with the Enghlli and the Spaniards ? One of them, on fhowing us an arrow, which he was going to tie to the end of one of our firings to convey it on board, pronounced, very diilincflly, the Englifh A'S'ord arro'w. /Another, fliov/ing us the land, and inviting us to it, made ufc of the Spanifli word l}crra. We learned from the Efperance, that feveral of them pronounced the w^ord Bonka, the name which General Bougainville gave to their iflan. This word, which in the Malayan language is the expreffion of negation, and which, when the firft fyllable is pronounced long, fignifies to open, doubtlefs feems to indicate fome analogy wdth the Malayan ; from w^iich, however, it differs fo much, that one of the flfip's company, who fpokc the language fluently, could not nnderftand thofe natives. The value which they fcemcd to affix to nails,, and the other articles of hardware which we gave them, ffiowcd that they were acquainted with the ufc of iron. The colour of their llcins is blackilh. They arc of a middling ftature ; and being naked, their dill;ind:lv July.] of la PEROtrsE. 2^5 diftindly marked mufcles indicated great ftrength. Their figure though not very agreeable, is ex- tremely expreffive. Their heads are very big ; their foreheads broad, like the reft of their faces, which are very flat, efpecially under the nofe ; their chins large and prominent ; their cheeks full, their nofcs flat, their mouths very large, and their lips very thin. The betel, which gives a bloody tint to their large mouths, adds to theuglinefs of their appear- ance. Their ears are loaded with large rings made of fliells, the weight of which contributed to the large fize of thofs organs. Some had red and white ftreaks traced upon their bodies ; and we obferved one whofe hair and nofe were fprinkled with a red earth, which appeared to be ochre. Some had bracelets formed of the fibres of the cocoa-nut hufk. Their hair was curled, thick and bulky, like that of many papows, whom w^e afterwards met with. They are in the praftice of plucking the hair from every part of the body. There was but one feen, on board the Efperance, who allow^ed his beard to grow. All of them had their loins girded with a cord, which went feveral times about the body, and S 2 feemcd 2/6 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l'7Q2. feemed only dcfignedas a point of fupport, to in- creafe the mufcular ftrength of tliofe parts. One of them, probably with a fnnilar view, had his left arm tied in three different places, over the biceps mufcie ; fome flat bits of wood, on the outfide of the arm, fupporting the ftrain of the cord. Thofe favages appeared to handle the bow with much addrefs. One of them brought on board the Efperance, a booby, which he had brought down with an arrow ; and the fatal wound. was feen in the belly of the bird. The induftry of thofe iflanders feemed to be particularly diredied to the fabrication of their arms, which were formed with great care. We admired the Ikill w^ith which they had coated their bov/-ftrings with a rcfuious fubftancc, which gave them, at firft fight, the appearance of cat- gut. The middle of the ftring was done round with bark, in order to fave it from wear, by giving the impulfe to the arrdvv- The inferior part of the arrows was very light, being formed of the ftalk of the faccharmn fpontaneum ; and the other part confifted of very hard wood, well pointed. The joining is ingeniouily fattened with about thirty turns of bark, as is alfo the part of the arrow which bears upon the ftring, to give it the greater folidity. Their JUI/V.] OF LA PEROUSE. 277 Their canoes, formed of feveral planks, inge- nioully joined together, are of a fhape at once elegant, and adapted for a quick motion. See Plate XLIII. At the approach of night, a current fetting to the N. N. W. communicated to the tide a rip- pling motion, fo like the efFc6L of aollioal, that it might have deceived the moft experienced eye. The boat was Tent to found, but no bottom was found with twenty-fix fathoms of line. During the night, violent thunder claps diffi- pated the thick clouds which enveloped the fum- mits of the mountains, while we fteered S. S. W. in order, if poffiblc, to ftem the current. We had now explored the weftern coafi; of thofe two iflands, as General Bougainville had their eaftern parts, when he firft difcovered them. The moft eafterly, which is at the fame time the moft foutherly, point of Bougainville llland, is in latitude f 4^ 50^' S. and in longitude 15 3^ 18' 3-1" E. The northern point, called Point Laverdy, is in o° 34' S. lat. and in 152° 31' E. long;. The coral banks, which we difcovered off Bou- gainville Ifland, are fituated in 0° ll' S. lat., and 152^ 2' E. long. The north point of the ifland of Bouka, is in 5"^ 5' 30'' S. lat. and 152° g' E. long. S3 The 2/8 - VOYAGE IN SEA'RCH [1792. The eafterly variation of the compafs diminifh- . ed till it came to 7° 30^. The currents along the coafl:, carried us con- ftantly from 8^ to 1 0^ to the north- weft every day. The thermometer did not rife above 22°, al- though we were fo near the Equator. lOth. At fun-rife we had fu^ht of a flat ifland, to which Carteret has given the name of Sir Charles Hardy, ftretching from north 15*^eaft, to north 22° 30^ eaft, diftant about 1.5,000 toifes. It is fituated 25,000 toifcs N. N. W. of the illand of Bouka. About one in the afternoon, we came in fight of Cape Saint George, on the fovith-eaft of New Ireland, -bearing W. N. W., diftant about 20, 000 toifes. It w^as found to be in 4° bA' 3o" S. lat. and 150^ 39^ E, longitude. We worked to windward, by tacking, all th,e night. 1 /th. At day-break we ftcered for Carteret har- bour, where we could not ftop to anchor. Leav- ing the ifland of Marteaux about 25,000 toifes on the ftarboard, we fteered fo as to pafs very* near the Booby rocks, leaving Laig Illand on the lar- board, and v/e arrived between the ifland of Cocos and New Ireland, where we came to an anchor, about half paft one o'clock P. M. in thirty-two &tboms of water, the bottom being very foft black July.] of la perouse. 279 blaek mud, mixed with calcareous fand. We were about 200 toifes from the ifland of Cocos. The north-weft point of New Ireland bore weft 12^ north, diftant about 25,000 toifes, and the Ibuth-eaft point of the fame ifland bore foutli 3^1° eaft, at the fame diftance. The middle of the paffage, on the north-weft of Carteret harbour, bore weft lo'^ north. At the diftance of about fifty toifes from the ifland of Cocos, we would have been in a har- bour well defended on all fides. There is an- chorage at a very fmall diftance from the land ; for about ten toifes from the fliore there are five fathoms of water, and, as the diftance increafcs, the depth increales very rapidly. We went on fiiore, on the ifland of Cocos, to pafs -the reft of the day. That little ifland, the higheft part of Vvdiich is not above feventy-five toifes above the level of the fca, is formed of very white calcareous ftones. Having rifen from under the water, time has not much altered the form of the madrepores, which enter into its compofition. They may be traced even on the rocks, which arc the moft expofcd to the inju- ries of the air. The ifland is terminated on the fouth-eaft, and on the north- weft, by the fame kind of ftones. About mid-way between it and S 4 Laisr 280 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l/U-' Laig Ifiand, there is fufHcient depth to allow fhips a pail age. A great quantity of rain having fallen in the night, there arofe fo much humidity out of the woods, as formed clouds every inftant, which originating chiefly in the loweft places, refembled, at iirft fight, the fmoke of fires kindled in the foreft, and as foon as they had acquired fufficient elevation to be expofed to the current of air, they prefently difappeared. Large trees, which always preferve their ver- dure, cover the illand of Cocos. Though their roots find little vegetable mould among the cal- careous ftones, between which they penetrate, yet, in that moifi; fituation, they flourifli very luxuriantly. It was a pleafant fpediacle to fee the fine tree, known by the name of harrlngtonia fpeciofa, attrad:ed by the humidity, extend its branches horizontally a great way over the fea. That illand produces fig-trees of different fpecics; and we expected to find there abundance of co- coa-nuts. This expeLS:ation was indeed one rea- ibn for our preferring this anchoring place to fe- veral others at no great dillalice. But we found , it difficult to procure even a dozen of thofe nuts. We faw, with concern, that fome of the party, who had been fent on Ihore for wood, had allow- ed July.] of la perouse. 281 ed themfelves to cut down the cocoa-nut trees for the fake of the fruit. They carefully fearchcd for the young leaves on the tops of the trees, which are very tender, and afforded very agree- able refreflimcnt to people who had lived long on falted provjfions. If we had permitted them, they would not have left a cocoa-nut tree in the ifland ; and that anchorage v/ould have been de- prived, perhaps for ever, of a refource extremely agreeable to navigators. The night overtook us, when in the middle of the wood, and we were entertained with the charming fpccftacle of a prodigious number of glow w^orms, which diffufed fo much brightnels as to dazzle, rather than enlighten us. It was the time at which the fpecies of crab called cancer riirkola, leaves the holes which it digs. On our w^ay to the place where the boat was waiting for us, we trod upon feveral of them, and fome of our party, before they knew w^hat animal it was, were apprehenfive that it was fome venomous reptile. 1 8th. The next day I vifited the fouth-eaft part of the ifland ; but vines of different kinds pre- vented me from penetrating far into the forefts. Different fpecies of the epideiidrum adorned the trunks of the largeft trees, and grew in the midft of a great number of ferns equally parafitical. We 232 Voyage IN SEARCH [l792. We obferved, floating along the fliore, the fruits of feveral fpecies of the pandamis, of the har- r'mgjon'ui fpeciofa, and of the hentieray which ftrctched their branches, and even their trunks, in a very remarkable" manner, oyer the waters of the fea. Two of our men who followed me faw an al- ligator clofe to the lliore, on the fouth-eaft ex- tremity of the ifland of Cocos. But I do not be- lieve that thofe animals are very common there ; for, during the whole time that wx lay at an- chor, no accident happened, though a great num- ber of our people wxre in the habit of bathing. Near the eailern extremity of this little ifland, I obferved feveral kinds of nautili, diffcminated amidft the prodigious quantity of lithophites, which entered into its compofition. The abundance and continuance of the rains wxre aftonifhing. It was an inceifant torrent of tepid w^ater, w^hich, however, did not hinder us from vifiting the environsof the anchoring place. I landed feveral days fucceffively, on the iflands of Cocos and Laig. The number of infc^ls of different forms and colours was truly aftonifhing ; and the rains did not appear to diminifh their adiivity. They^were ^\\\^?L-^ cohopteros, which it was difficult to catch. The July.] of la perouse. 283 The moil varied fpecics belonged to the genus c'lchidclafahr. , We were entertained with the pleafant view of different fpecies of figtrces, from the top branches of which depended a great number of radicles, foon to be transferred to the foil, and to give birth to fo many different trees. The palm cycas circmalis hath multiplied greatly in the iliallows, under the lliade of the great trees. We obferved near them, an arbour newly conftrucled with branches, w^here the na- tives had been repofmg, and had left the frag- ments of a repafi: they had made on the fruit of the cycas, the kernels of which^ if eaten without preparation, are a powerful emetic, as feveral of our fliip's company experienced ; bat the favages had roafted them, as we obferved the marks of fire on a great number of the IiuIIls. The kernel of the fruit of the cycas circhtaUsi is very bitter. The inhabitants of the Moluccas know how" to put it to a better ufe, than thofe of New Ireland, as I had occafion to obferve, towards the end of this voyage. Experience had taught them, that maceration freed it from its liurttul qualities ; and the fame procefs may alfo fucceed vvith many other fruits and roots, which, m this manner, may be rendered ufeful, as food for animals and even for man. There 284 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l7Q2. There lay on the ground, a great number of the fruits of the cycas, which the favages had not touched. Their fucculent hufk, which diffufed an odour, hke that of the fineft apple, contains fermentative particles fufficient to produce a good fpirituous liquor. Thofe fruits abound there,' and may be ufeful to navigators. Among the large trees which grow on the ifland of Cocos, I obferved, v/ith furprize, a new fpecies of arec, the trunk of which was above eighteen toifes in height, and its thicknefs throughout, not more than three inches. It was difficult for us to conceive how a tree, fo w^eak in appear- ance, could fupport itfelf to fo great an elevation ; but our aftoniflimcnt ceafed, when we attempted to cut one down. Its wood was fo very hard, as to refift, for fome time, the moft forcible ftrokes of the axe. A great quantity of interlaced fami- lacee) fubftance, under the form of pith, occu- pied its centre, a circumftance common to many other trees of the fame genus. This pith taken out of the trunk, left a cylinder, the wood of which did not exceed four-tenths of an inch in thicknefs, and was of a fine black colour. The fruit of this new fpecies of arec is red, fcarcely larger than a common olive, and nearly of the fame fliape. The caryota nrcns was one of the large trees of thofe July.] of la perouse. 285 thofe forefts. Among the number of fhrubs, were feveral fpecies of the draazna. Among the large trees, I admired a folarmm, certainly the higheft ipecies of that genus ; thofe hitherto known to botanifts, being only herbs or feeble flirubs. The leaves of this are oval, hard and very fmooth.- That fine tree, the te5iona grandts, fo valuable for fliip-building, grows at Carteret harbour. I alfo faw there different fpecies of the guettarda, and a new fpecies of hermandia, Moifes and ferns were very numerous, and grew with the greateft luxuriance, in thofe hu- mid Situations. The wxilern Hiore of the Ifland of Cocos is precipitous, and very much elevated above the le- vel of the fea. The calcareous ftones, of v^^hich it is compofed, being much expofed to the in- juries of the weather, are very friable. I found there the nutmeg-tree, which Rumphius has de- fcribed, under the denomination of myrift'tcd mas (Kumph. Amh. vol. 2. tab. 5.) The fruit was then but young. It is more elongated than that of the fpecies which is cultivated. Some favage muft certainly have perifhed among thofe rocks, for I found a human fkeleton almoft entire. Near to that was a place where I faw the re- remains ^85 VOYAGE IN SEA.RCrr [iTO^. mains of a fire, which had been kindled by the natives who frequent that coaft. • The continual rains at Carteret harbour, have rendered fome fpecies of fpiders very induftrious. They conftrucl excellent places of fnelter, in the middle of their webs, confifting of a fnug fabric, in the fliape of a cornet of paper, four-fifths of an inch in heis^ht, and one-fifth of an inch broad in the bafe, with its top elevated and a little in- clined towards the fouth-eaft, in order that the prevailing winds may have the lefs force on this little habitation. The rain glides oiF this kind of cone, without being able to enter it, or to prefs it down, being flrctched on all fides by threads faflencd to the neighbouring branches. The fpider, being perfeclly fheltered in this habitation, . never leaves it, but to feize the infe(5ls which fall into her toils. Another fort of fpider which is a lefs produc- tive fpinfler than the former, protects herfelf from the rain under a piece of a leaf bent into a form aimofl conical, which fhe places in the centre of her web. Every precaution is taken to give Ib- lidity to her habitation, the point of which is oppofed to the fouth-eafl: wind, in order that it may be the lefs affeded by its impuife. Nature hath done every thing for other fpecies of fpiders, which are covered with very hard fkins. July.] of la perouse. ' 287 fkins, and as fmooth as if they were coated with the finefl varniih. Thofe fuffer no inconvenience from the great rains to which they are conftantly expofed, and "they wait patiently in the middle of their net, for the infc6ls which form their prey. Among thole fpiders, I found fome, the bodies of which terminated in points : the aranea acu' leata^ and the aranea fp'inoja. The ifland of Laig, being much lefs than that of Cocos, pr^fents fewer producflions. The land of it is of the fame nature, but much lefs ele- vated. The precipitous mountains of New Ireland, which border upon Carteret harbour, are at leaft, three times as high as thofe of the ifland of Cocos. The marine produd:ions, of which they are partly compofed, are obfervable, in the fame manner, even on their fammits. On the 23d I landed on New Ireland, N. N. W, of the anchoring place, and near the place whence our fliip received her water. The ilream which furniflied it, vvas vliible only near the fea. Farther inland, we faw the channel of a torrent, along which, in different places, were cavities filled with water, which filtrating through the fand, formed the little brook which fupplied the watering-place. After an hour's walk along its banks, we came to a beautiful cafcade, which it 288 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l792, it formed, by dafhing from the high calcareous rocks, in which we obferved vaft grottoes, which fei-ved as retreats for large bats, of the fpecies denominated vefpert'iUo vampynis. Some wild bread-fruit trees grew in thofe places. ® At a time when Carteret harbour was inundated with continual rain, I was aftoniihed to fee only the channel of a torreftt without any water ; but it appeared to me, that the rain did not extend far enough inland to fill it. Of this it was eafy to be convinced, by the ferenity of the fky to- wards the fouth-weft, while at the anchoring- place, the rain fell without intermiffion. Car- teret harbour forms a fort of bafm, where the clouds, loaded with water, after paffmg over the high mountains of New Ireland, experience a calm which hinders the air from fupporting them. Hence refult thofe exceffive rains, which render the anchoring-place far from defirable to navi- gators, o Among the little plants, which grow in the iliade of the forefts, I obferved fcveral fpecies of the procrh, Befideg the nutmeg- trees of v/hich I have al- ready fpoken, nature hath furniflied the inhabi- tants of New Ireland with the fpecies of pepper, known to botanifls, by the name of piper cubche^ which July,] of la. perotjse. 289 which I obferved adorning the bafes of the large trees, through a very extenfive i]3ace. Our boat was fent a fifliing on the coaft of New Ireland, about 5,000 toifes to the fouth-eaft. There were obferved fome habitations, which had been newly and very ingenioully conftru^led by the natives, Avho were not contented with the roafted fruit of the cycas circhtalis; for the remains of fhell-fifh were feen near thofe cottages. 24th. When the Commander anchored in Carteret harbour, he intended to remain therp at leaft fifteen days ; but the exceffive rains m^de him refolve to leave it much fooner. The greateil activity had been been exerted in procuring our complement of wood and water; and on the morning of the 24th we had made every preparation for fetting fail. The water which we took in at Carteret har- bour was very good, and procured with great fa- cilit)', by means of wooden fpouts, which con- veyed it into the boat, with no other trouble than lifting it three feet lower than the fpout. Our wood was cut in the Illand of Cocos, and the conveyance of it was the more eafy, as the boat could come clofe to the beach. It is pro- per to remark, that the wood, which we ob- tained at Carteret harbour, introduced into the fliip a prodigious number of fcorpions and fco- VoL. I. T lopendra'. 290 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l/QS. *opendrae, of the fpecics called fcolopeftdra morji" tanSi infects which very much incommoded u?.* It was to no purpofe, that we eredled the ob- fervatory'on the ifland of Cocos ; for the incelTant rains did not allow us to make a fmgle obferva- tion. It is difficult to form a proper idea of thefe cxceffive rains, which poUrcd down in an almofl uninterrupted torrent. The thermometer, obferved at noon, w^hile we lay at anchor, varied from ]Q° to 21°; and the barometer only from 28 inches 1 7-lOth lines, to 28 inches 1 2- 10th lines. Our fliip lay at anchor in 4" 48' lo'' S. lat., and 150° 25' 40^' E. long. This harbour afforded us no refrefiiments ; and we were unfuccefsful in fifliing. . The tides took place but once a day, and rofe only about iix feet. *The harbouring of fuch nnxious and abominable reptiles^ is a folld objeftion againft the wainfcotting of houfes in tro- pical climates, which is afterwards tacitly reeommended bv tlie author. — Trariflaur. CHAP. July.] of la perouse. 291 ' CHAP. VII. Departure from Cartaret Harhour — Ojl that Oc- cajion the ^J^erance lofes a?i Anchor — FaJJage througJi St. George' s Channel — VUvj of the Port^ land I/lands — Dfferent Intei-views witJi the Na- tives oftM Admiralty Iflands — Their f ant ajlkal Vafliion — Defpotifm of their Chief s^ — Canoes — Afloniflung rapidity'of their Mot 1071 — View of the Hermit IJlands — Their Inhabitants — View of the Exchequer IJlands — A New Ifiand — A TVater Spout — Vieiv of New Guiiiea — Vajfage through Pitt Strait — ■Si?igular Effedls of the Tides — Ra- vages of the Scurvy — A?ichor at Amboyna. ^N the 24th of July about 11 A. M. we fet fail from Carteret harbour, and took advan- tage of a gentle breeze at fouth-eaft, to pais through the north-weft opening, between Cocos Ifiand and New Ireland. The current fet to the W. N. W. and at noon we were 5,000 tolfes W. N. W. of our anchor- ■ ing place. The Efperance, not having hove up her anchor in time to profit by this breeze, a calm fucceeded almoft as foon as fhe fet her fails, and the cur- rent drove her towards the breakers, on tjie ftar- T 2 board 2Q2 VOYAGE IK SEARCH [^792. board of lier paiTage out of the harbour. She was therefore obliged to call anchor, and wait for a wind, to extricate her from this dangd^ous fitua- tlon. We lay to, in hopes that (he would foon rejoin lis ; but it was half an hour paft four before flie could overtake us. The captain then told us that he was in danger of being wrecked at the entrance o{ the harbour which we had quitted. Having been forced by the current to come to an anchor on a coral bottom, the cable had been cut by the rocks, at the moment \;hen a breeze fprang up at fouth-eaft, and carried them from the rocks. They had come too near them to caft a fecond anchor with advantage ; and the frigate quitted the ftation wdth the lofs of an anchor, and three fathoms of cable. Our pofition now enabled us to obferve, that the channel of St. George is not more than 30,000 or 35,000 toifes in breadth, at its fouthern ex- tremity. The obfcurity of the weather appears to have led Carteret into the error, o( fuppofing its breadth almoil double of what we found it. We tried during the night, and the current carried us into St. George's channel, at the rate of 2,500 toifes in the hour. Abou.t one o'clock in the morning the Ifle of Man bore W. S. W., diftant 5,000 toifes. A very July.] of la perouse. ' 203 A very thick fog concealed from us, all day, the lofty mountains of New Ireland. But their fummits appeared from time to time, and "we had fight of mountains towards the centre of that iiland, at leaft 1,000 toifes in perpendicular ele- vation. We obferved large trees even on the higheft of their peaks. At four in the afternoon we lay to> w ith an in- tention to explore Sandwich Illand the next day* But the currents hurried us along with fuch rapi- dity during the night, that at day break, when we were fetting the fails, we were aftonifhed to find ourfelves not more than two hundred toifes , from that illand. The watch had probably been aileep ; for wx received no intimation that the current w^as driv- ing us upon the coaft ; which, however, even at that fmall diftance, happily prefcnted no danger. The iiland of Sandwich has no confiderable elevation. Like New Ireland, it was covered with trees ; and fomc old trunks, after lofmg part of their branches, wxre fcattered here and there upon the little hills. Being covered with pa- rafite plants, they looked like columns adorned with garlands, and added greatly to the pi<5lurefque appearance of that charming illand. The part of New Ireland too, which lies oppo- fite to Sandwich liland, prefcnts a travSt but little T 3 elevated. 294 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [\7Q2. elevated. There arofe, however, in the middle of a vafl plain, fome little hills which might be 200 or 250 toifes in perpendicular height. The north-v/eft part of Sandwich Ifland ter- minates in fcveral points or flips of land, advanced into the fea. We diftinguillied five principal ones ; and near the bafe of one of them, is a peak- ed hill, which is the higheil; land in the ifland ; although its perpendicular altitude does not ex- ceed 200 or 250 toifes, and confequently it is much lefs elevated than Captain Carteret alledges. The clearnefs of the weather, and the near ap- proach we made to this little mountain, enabled us to judge of its elevation. Some huts in the fhade of the woods of cocoa- nut trees, made us hope for an interview with the inhabitants of Sandwich Ifland; but it was doubt- lefs too early in the morning for them to pay us a vifit, for we did not fee a fmgle individual. The mofl weflerly point of that ifland is in 2^ 5a' 26" S. lat. and 148° 29'' 15" E. longitude. Its greatefl length, from E. S. E. to W. N. W. is 15,000 toifes. At its w^eflern point we obfcrved a little ifland, which Carteret had not perceived. Ten days had clapfed without our having had an opportunity of obferving the paflage of the fun over the meridian; but on the 2()th of July, we found JtTLY.] OF LA PEROUSE. 2Q5 found our latitude at noon to be 2° 50^ 29'' S., and our longitude 148° 1 C/ 50" E. ; and we were en- abled to determine the fituation of the northern,, and moft wellierly point of New Ireland, which was in 2° 44^ 3o" S. lat, and 140^ 11^ 3o" E. longitude. The obfcurity of the weather rnuft have occafioned the error of Carteret, who placed it above 10,000 toifes farther to the north. About four o'clock in the evening, we were diilant about 1,500 toifes from a great number of little iflands, fituatcd at the entrance of the channel which feparates New Ireland from N w^hen he difcovered the fouthern part of that archipelago, the favages attacked him with two volleys of arrows, notwithftanding the marks of friendfliip which he had iavifhed upon them. This ifland was cultivated to its very fummit. Several pieces of land were fenced in, which made us believe that the inhabitants w^ere ac- quainted with the right of property. The whole ifland prefented the appearance of a little round mountain. July.] of la perouse. 299 mountain, the bafe of which was adorned with beautiful plantations of cocoa-nut trees, while its more elevated parts appeared to be allotted to the cultivation of different roots, w^hich alfo furnifli food to the inhabitants. When the boats came within about fifty toiics of the iliore, they found no bottom with thirty- three fathoms of line ; and the reefs, with which the ifiand is bordered, prevented them from ap- proaching nearer. A great number of natives advanced to the beach. We counted more than an hundred and fifty, who prad:ifed every mean in their power, to induce us to land on their ifiand ; but the reefs were an obftacle which we could not fuormount. They threw our people fome cocoa-nuts, and wxrc pleafcd and aftonlfhcd to fee with what fa- cility they were opened with an axe. One of the natives, diftinguifhed from the reft by a double row of little fliells, which adorned his forehead, appeared to poilefs great authority. He ordered one of the natives to fvv im towards us with fome cocoa-nuts. The fear of approaching perfons of whofe intention he was ignorant, made the iflander, fwimming and defcncelefs, hefitate a moment. But the chief who, doubtlefs, was little accuflomed to have his will difobeyed, did not allow him to rcfled:. Blows from a cudgel, which 300 TOYAGE IN SEARCH [^792, which h* held in his hand^ immediately fucceeded his orders, and enforced inftant obedience. We did not expe^l to fee a man treated in this man- ner^ in the midft of a crowd of people, who ap- peared to be fo little removed from a liate of na- ture. By way of comforting the poor fellow, our people gave him fbmc bits of red ItufF, a few nails, and a knife, with which he was greatly pleafed. No fconer had he returned to the iiland, than cu- riofity colledied all the reil: around him, every- one wifhing to fee our prefents. Canoes were immediately launched, many natives took to the water and fwam, and in a fliort time there, w^as a great concourfe around our^boats. Vv^e were fur-^ prized to fee that neither the force of the furf» nor of the breakers, difcouraged them from this attempt. There w^as another chief diftinguiihed by the fame ornaments as he who has been already men- tioned ; and alfo by the blows, which he inflidled with his cudgel, on thofe to whom he gave his orders. Thofe iflandcrs, w^ho fignified the greateft fa- tisfat^ion at the fight of our nails^ and ftill more of our hatchets, had fome difficulty in perceiving the value of our knives. At firft they required them to be fliut, before they would receive them ; but their fears were very quickly baniflied, and they JULT.] OF LA PEROUSE, 301 they received thein open as well as (hut. Thole people gave us fome fpears, armed with bits of vitreous, volcauic lava, terminating in a point, and very iliarp in the edges. They alfo prefented us with combs, having only three teeth, very dif- tant from each other, very heavy bracelets, formed of large Ihells, and others confifting of fmall huc- c'ma, ftrung on a fibrous fubllanccj as flrong as the beft hemp. When alking for our articles in exchange for theirs, thofe favages often repeated the word ca^ pelle. It appeared to us that this was their name for iron, w hich they preferred to every thing we could offer them. Like the natives of Bouka, they repeated with much juftnefs, the French words which they heard us pronounce. One of their canoes was driven by the fwell againft one of our boats, and received fome da- mage. One of our rowers taking hold of it to prevent a fecond fiiock, a chief, mifapprehending our intention, made the fignal to the canoe-men, .the greater part of v;hom precipitately jumped into the fea, with a defign to fwim on Ihore ; but they returned as foon as they perceived their error, and confidence w^as re-eftabliihed. The women kept at fome difliance, under the cocoa- 302 TOY AGE IX SEAKCM [l7Q2. cx)Coa-nut trees. Their whole cloathlng confifled of a piece of mat, round their middle. The men were very bufy about our boats* Some fwam towards them, Allowing their cocOa- nuts ; and others fecmed to be attracted by curio- fity ; but it was foon difcovered that this v/as not their only paffion ; for they exerted all their ad- drefs to get polTefTion of our goods. Impunity increafed their bpldnefs ; and, when they miffed their aim, they were not difcouraged ; but pre- fently endeavoured to feize Ibmething elfe. One of thofe thieves feized upon a knife ; but being caught in the fa6l, he was obliged to give it up. This did not make him abandon his enter- prizc, and he loll nothing by his failure. A flag, in which red predominated, attracted his regards : he found means to get poiTellion of it, and the theft was not perceived till he had got a great way from the boat, and had almoft reached the ifland. A looking-glafs liaving been given to one of thofe favages, he contemplated his image with furprize; but immediately broke the glafs, hoping, no doubt, to fmd in it the objeds which it re- fleded. The complexion of thofe iflanders. is black, but not very deep. Their phyflognomy is agree-^ able. JuLr.] OF LA PEROUSE. 303 able, and not very different from that of the Eu- ropeans. Born in a fine cHmate, and a fertile ifland, they feem to be happy, if one may judge from the air of fatisfadion, which is expreffed in all their features. The hair of their heads is crifped, and they are in the practice of removing it from every other part of the body. It appeared that the volcanic glafs, with which they pointed their fpears, fupplied them alfo w^ith razors ; for they made figns to one of our gunners, who w^orc whilkers, to fhave thejn with this fort of glafs. The boats had orders to return about four o'clock. Their departure feemed fenfibly to affedt the natives, who redoubled their importunity in foliciting us to land in their ifland. All the wo- men came to the beach, and joijied their invita- tions to thofe of the men. They were, no doubt much fiirprifed that they had not more fuccefs ; but the order had been given, and our boats could not delay their departure. It was with regret that w^e left thofe people, at the moment when they had launched feveral canoes, loaded with cocoa nuts, and wxre bring- ing them to us. The delicious water of thofe fruits, would have been of the greateft utility in flopping the progrefs of the fcurvy, which had already begun its ravages in both the fhips. If our boats 304 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l7Q2, boats could have flopped fome minutes, they would have procured a great number of them. The fatisfacftion with which thofe iflanders Teceived nails, and other articles of iron, and the anxiety they Ihowed to obtain them, were proofs that they were acqviainted with that metal. Thofe people, at firft, manifefled every ap- pearance of good faith ; but they difcovered their inclination to theft, as foon as they thought them felves certain of impunity. We had occafion to obferve, that thofe who were the mofl: advanced in years were the boldeil: thieves. That little ifland, which is nearly circular, is about 25,000 toifes in diameter, and is fituated in 2° 18'S. lat, and 145° 46' E. long. It is ex- tremely populous ; for we faw about three hun- dred of its inhabitants. The white appearance of feveral places of the ifland, where fractures difcovered the flrata, gave me reafon to believe, that its bafe is of a calcare- ous nature, like the greater part of the South Sea iilands. As foon as the boats were hoifted on board, wc direc^^ed our courfe towards the E. i N. E. 30th. The next day we got to the northward pf the Admiralty Iilands. There we perceived, that an extenfive mountainous ifland occupies the July.] of la perouse. 305 the centre of the group, the circumference of which confifts of a great number of little flat iflands, which feem to have emerged from tie bofom of the ocean, at no very diflant period. Almoft all of them are connected together by reefs and fand banks. About fun-fetv we were 8,000 toifes to the north-eaft of the little iflands which were nearefl: to the principal one. 3lfl:. As foon as day-light appeared, we fteered W. S. W. fl:anding in for the land. Some canoes, which a very high fail made to loonn large, ap- peared at a difliance. We were to leeward of thofe iflands, in a large bay, formed by their curvatures, and a fliort dif- tance from the land. We founded feveral times, with fixty-eight fathoms of line, but found no bottom. There were many cocoa-nut trees on moft of the little iflands. A great concourfe of natives came upon the beach, and fome of them advanced as far as the adjoining reefs. The little iflands where there were no cocoa-nut trees, did not feem to be inhabited ; for we faw not a fmgle favage upon them. Several canoes were launched, many fliill lay on the fand, and fix, which had fet fail, were making towards our fhip. We immediately lay Vol. I. U to. 30^ VOTAGE IN SEARCH [l/O^. to, in order to receive them. Some of them^ were manned with feven natives, and others with nine Having come within 300 toifes of our fhip, they furled their fall, and ufcd the paddle to make a nearer approach. Each canoe had a commander;r who ftood on a pllatform, and gave his orders. When the canoes had paddled about 150 toifes,. they flopped, and from that diftance one of the chiefs addrefled us in a fpeech. His eloquence was wholly loft on us ; but the iigns with which k was accompanied, did not allow us to doubt that he wiflied to induce us to land. Probably the paddlers were not permitted to fpeak ; but they joined their figns of invitation to thofe of the chief. We endeavoured, on our part, to prevail on them to come nearer our fhip. They could not icSiii the fight of our large pieces of red ftufF; and, after appearing to deliberate upon the cafe, they advanced a little. Some of our officers imagining that the found of the bells would be agreeable them, they were immediately rung ; but, as feveral perfons had forefeen, the noife, inftead of attra(5ting the fa- vages, made them take to flight. They were induced, however, to return, by the iight of feve- ,ral flags which we waved, and by fome tunes played by our fiddler. Prefcnts July.] of la perouse. ' 307 Prefents might procure us their confidence. We therefore threw them an empty bottle, which we fuppofed they would immediately feize upon. But they appeared to look upon it as a fatal gift ; for they paid no other attention to it, than to keep at a diftance from it. Nails and knives which were floated to them upon a board, occafioned loud expreffions of joy, when the favage who took them up fhowed them to his companions. It appeared then, that thofe natives were acquainted with the ufe of iron. None of them had hitherto ventured to touch the bottle ; but the prefents having w^on their confidence, one of them took pofTeflion of it, and cut the firing by which it was held, with a piece of volcanic glafs. The natives now made no difficulty of coming alongfide of the fhip, but would not confent to come on board. The number of canoes by de- grees increafed, and our barter was carried on with the greatefl fairnefs imaginable. We even faw fome of thofe people, who were pufhed at a dif^ tance from the fhip, by the concourfc of canoes, before they could give us the article which they had agreed to exchange for that which they had received, making their utmofl efforts for that pur- pofe. They carefully fought for the perfons to whom they were indebted ; and fome of them, U 2 after 308 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [1/92* after an interval of half an hour, came and deli- vered us the articles which they owed. [In this place the Author has minutely de- fcribed a fmgular cuftom wiiich prevails among the natives, who, according- to him, cover certain parts of their bodies with a white fhell, denomi- nated hiilla ovum, (See Plate III.) which, how- ever, they appeared willing to difpofe of. Deli- cacy forbids the Tranilator from entering either into a defcription of the fliell, or of its ufes.] The great number of canoes with which we were furrounded, prevented many of them from approaching the fliip ; but fome of the canoe- men fwam towards us with the obje61s of their barter. Thofe iflanders preferred, to every thing that we oifered them, bits of iron in whatever form they happened to be. They fo well diftin- guilhed that metal from all other fubftances, that they recognized it, even when coated with ruft. I thought that habit muft have rendered thofe people" excellent fwimmers. But their move- ments were too precipitate ; though they differed in no other rcfped: from our good European fwimmers. They needed not, however, to have made great efforts to fupport themfelves in the water ; for, by keeping their mouths fliut, they immerfed a part of the head. Several fupported themfelves in the water, by the motion of their feet 'i- the direction of eaft and weft. The fine valleys which feparate theni;, fupport a Inxuriant vegeta- tion, and have the appearance of the grcateft fer- tility. We obferved many fires on the ifland of Ceram, fome of them upon one of the higheft moun- tains, which proves that their fummits arc fre- quented by the natives. That mountain appeared to us to be at ieaft 1 ,200 toifes in perpendicular elevation. Availing owrfelves of the calm, we fent a boat to afcertain the dire6lion of the current, which then fet to the N. E. I E. at the rate of three quarters of a knot in the hour. As, among thofe illands, the currents depend very much upon the tides, it may be fuppofed that their force and their direction vary extremely. On the approach of night we were about 1„000 toifes from the coaft of Ceram, which be- coming lefs elevated, feemed to indk:ate lefs depth of water on its coaft. The lead, however, did not reach the bottom with thirty-feven fathoms of line. ' Soon after this, we faw on the land fide, feveral fires, which appeared to have been kindled by fiihcrmen, in order to decoy the fiih. 2d. About noon we defcried the ifland of Bo- noa. Sept.] of la perouse. 333 noa, extending from W. 20^^ S. to S. 48^ W. at the diitance oF near 20,000 toifcs. That iflandL is in 2® 58^ S. lat., and 125° 56' E. longitude. We took care frequently to heave the lead, when we were near the land ; but we had no foundings with fixty-fix fathoms of line. In the evening, a ffcrong land breeze carried us into the channel between the iflands of Ceram and Bonoa, in which, by moon hght, we ob- ferved three fmall iflands. Although it was quite calm, the current carried us almoil to the other extremity of the channel. About midnight, while the air fcarcely moved, the wa\'es which foamed very near our fiiip, made us apprehenfive that we were approaching to breakers. But our alarm was of fliort continu- ance, having been only occafioned by the rapid current of the tide, which followed the dlred:ion of tlie channel, and oppofed our progrefs. 5 th. We were at a fmall diftance from Kilanjr. o The General intended to pafs between that ifland and Ceram ; but the channel, which at befb is but ftrait, appeared to be additionally obfi:rud:ed by reefs and a fand bank. We therefore made good our pafTage^ very clofe to the well: ward of Kilang. The country prefented beautiful plan- tations of cocoa-nut and banana trees, encircling: a charming village. We S34 VOYAGE IN SEARCir [1/92- We then continued our courfe between Kilang and Manipa. About eleven o'clock A. M. the current of the tide raifed a rapid fucceffion of waves, tumbling over each other, in wild conflicl. We wxre, in fad:, feveral times witneffcs of that phoenomenon, ■which Dampier and Bougainville compare to the current of a large and very rapid river. About four P. M. we had doubled the ifland of Manipa, which is not more than 2,500 toifes. in extent from north to fouth. Though very nioun'cainous, tliat ifland appeared to be populous, and many canoes were plying along its ftiore. Its latitude is 3^ 21' S., and its longitude 125^ 47' E. The ifland of Kilang is in latitude 3^ 1 7' S. and longitude 125° 3 1' E. 4Lh. A breeze which arofe in the ofHng, at ten oxlock A, M. favoured our progrefs towards the fouth ; and we foon had fight of a part of the ■weft coaft of Amboyna, bearing S. S. E. The fouth wind after v.ards oppofed us, and obliged us to tack. 5th. A very frefh breeze from the fouth-eaft put an end to our hopes of gaining our intended anchoring place this day. Our fcorbutic pa- tients, wdiofc number was rapidly increafmg, and whofe condition became daily more alarming, made Sept."] op la perouse. - 335 made us ardently wiih for a favourable wind. Their diforder had been greatly influenced by the perpetual rains at Carteret harbour ; and moft of them were affli^ed with great pains in the loins. , One of their firfl: fyrnptoms was the appear- atice of whitiffi tubercles, frequently as large as a pullet's egs^, in different parts of the body, parti- -culari)' oi*i the arms, and which were commonly Succeeded by others on the lower extremities. It was remarkable that the flcins of thofe pa- tients were not difcoloured with what are called fcurvy fpots, as that difeafe, in hot climates, ra- pidly fuffufes the cellular membrane with a lym- phatic humour, which fcarccly alters the colour of the llvin, I mull farther obfer\€, that, although falted provifions be one of the principal caufes of the fea-fcurvy, yet two of our men, who did not fub- fiik on fuch provliions, were violently attacked by that diforder. . But one of them worked in the hold, the humid and fpoiled air of which is a powerful caufo of the malady. By means of tacking, we came near enough the weftern extremity of Amboyna, to allow us to enter the road in the night. By the dired;ion of Valentin's plan of it, we kept along its eafterii f\de» at the dlftancc of about 510 tolfes. As foon as we had pafTed Portuguefe-bay, we brought 355 VOYAGE IN SEAItCH [l792. brought to, and waited till day light fhould dif- covcr to us a proper place to anchor in. "6ih. The Efperance had not made fuch pro- grefs as our /hip ; but was 5,100 toifes to the fouth-wcft of us, at feven o'clock this morning, when wc Vv ere within a fmall diftance of the principal eflablifhment in the iiland. Here I met with t\iQ. fucti^y which I had before obferved near New Guinea. ' It refembled very- fine tow, croffed by little pieces, fomewhat more- than an inch in length ; the filaments are as fine as hairs. They are frequently feen united into a fort of bundles, and are fo numerous that they fully the water in the road. General Dentrecafiieaux fent his fecond lieu- tenant to wait upon the Governor of Amboyna, in order to afk permiffion to Hop at his ifland. The Governor immediately fummoned the Coun- cil, and gave us leave to come to an anchor ; but, as the aft which the fecond lieutenant pre- lented to them, in the name of the Commander, had not yet been coramanicated to them by the government of Batavia, they were inclined to impofe conditions on us, to which wc could not confent. Yet it was not difficult to make them fenfible, that v.-e had anticipated, by feveral months, the arrival of their difpatches from Eu- rope, which feldom reach Amboyna, till eighteen months Sept.] of la perouse. 337 months after their date. It appeared to us, that their caution originated in the defire of faving themfelves from being blamed by the government of Batayia, to which that of Amboyna is fubor- dinate ; for as foon as they had adopted regu- lations in that refpeft, they rendered us every fervice in their povs^er. We found that httle ifland much better pro- vided than wc could have expected, w^ith every article neccflary for the profecution of our voyage. A captain in the fervice of the Dutch Eaft India Company was fent by the Governor, to point out to us a proper anchoring place ; and having made fome tacks, we let go our anchor about half an hour paft one P. M. in twenty-five fathoms water, bottom mud and fand. The tower of Vic- tory Fort bore from us E. Q*^ N. the neareft re- doubt W. 35^^ S. and the wcftern point of the entrance of the road, W. 26° 30^ S. We were about 340, toifes from the. landing place, a wooden wharf, near which there is water for large fliips. One of the Company's fhips then lay at it, taking in a cargo of cloves. At the fame time there were in the road ;:igh- teen veflels under Dutch colours ; but only one 'fliip : mofc of the reft were brigs and floops. The Efperance came to an anchor half an hour after us, and bore N. E. I N. of our polition. Vol. I. y CHAP. 238 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l70' CHAP. VIII. Stay at Amhqyna — A Cahm-Boy helougmg to the Recherche, is accicle?itally drowned — Ki/tt to the Governor — Different Excutjions into the Interior of the IJland — One of the Naturalifts falls dange- roufly ill — Defer ipt'ion of his Dlforder — Agreeable Liquor furnfJied by the Sago Palm — Sugar ex- trailed frojH It — Vfes of the different Parts of that valuable Tree — Means by which the Flying Dragon ffialns Itfelfln the Air — Explanation of Mate, which preferves the Crops from being plun- dered— A Dutch Sailor fees Into the Tf^oods for fear of bemgfe?it to Batavla — Dextrous Ma7iner of catching the Cancer Carcinus — Cabins of the Natives of Amboyna — Their Cloathlngy &c. — Their Method of procurhig Fire; and of Fflihig m the Night-— Culture of Nutmegs and Cloves — A long Bamboo cut fo as, with a brlfk Gale, to emit a very agreeable Sotind — Flfherles of the Inhabitants — A Sago-JVork — Extra5llon of Its fcecula — Dlfeafes commoji at Amboyna — Various Refie5ilons on the IJland and Its Inhabitants. AT half an hour paft three o'clock we faluted the place with nine guns, and the" fame number was immediately returned. The Sept.] of la perouse. 339 The Commander had engaged all his officers to accompany him, about five in the evening, on a vifit to the Governor. As I knew nothing of this appointment, I landed, along with fome perfons belonging to our fhip, to view the town. It is encircled with gardens, in which trees are chiefly cultivated ; becaufe they favour the indolence natural to man in a fultry climate, and afford him a profufion of fruits, with little other trouble than that of gathering them. Befides the kind of wild bread-fruit tree which we met with there, the inhabitants alTured us that there was another which bore a fruit, the feeds of which all mifgive ; but that the fruit was only of a middling fize, and the tree did not produce a great quantity of it. Several kinds of banana trees, and many varie- ties of oranges grow in thofe charming gardens ; and they produce delicious guavas, papaws, and different fpecies of pine-apples faiionesj. We obferved there fome fpecimens of the lawfofiia Inermis, which rofe to the height of ten or twelve feet. Different odoriferous plants were profafely Scattered around. We there found the chalcas pa- - 7ucidata, the tnicUelia cliampaca and tjiampaca, and feveral fpecies of the uvaria. The Arabian jef- farnine, iiydanthes famhac, rifmg amidft thofe Y 2 charmino- £3 340 VOtA.GE IN SEARCH [l792* charming trees, mixed its fweet odour with their delightful perfumes. On our return into the town, one of the pro- teftant minifters conduced us to his houfe, where he entertained us with feveral forts of fpirituous" liquors. But limpid water, jufh drawn from the fpring, was the moft agreeable draught to perfons, who had long been confined to brackifli water and falted provifions. This excellent minifter ap- peared to be much furprifed at our being regaled at fo fmall an expence. He informed us that earthquakes were frequent at Amboyna, and that fome years ago one, among others, had been very forcibly felt; that it was accompanied with a hurricane w^hich continued nearly three days, during which time the fca had overflowed, and inundated the around on wdiich the town iD- IS built. This calamity is the moft to be dreaded at the change of the monfoons, and particularly at the commencement of the weftern monfoon, which takes place, in thofe latitudes, in the month of November. 7th. One of the cabin-boys, of the name of Ga- briel Abalen, who ferved the table of the marine officers, difappeared on the night of the /th. He> had been obferved to be on board all day ; but after dark was called feveral times in vain. He was Sept.] of la perouse, 34i was a good-natured young man, and in general very temperate ; but, during that day, had drunk fo much ftrong liquor, as to juftify ierious appre- henfions concerning him. He probably fell over- board, and it v, as known that he could not fwim. All of us had much need of remaining on lliore, in order to recover our ftrength ; and the Governor gave us leave to take lodgings in the town, 8th. It was a matter of importance to the na^ turaliils to be acquainted with the Governor of Amboyna, in order that he might facilitate the refearches which formed the objed: of their mii^ iion. It w as, no doubt, owing to pure forgetful- nefs, that the Commander of our expedition did not make us acquainted wath the hour of his jSrft Tifit to the Governor. But I requciled him to favour us with an introduction, and we accord- ingly fet out for that purpofe, about half an hour paft fix. M. Bourguelles and M. Van Smiehl preffed themfelves upon us as our interpreters. M. Van Smiehl was a German Baron, who had lately arrived in the ifland. He was then but afpiring, as he expreiTed it, to be a fervant of the Dutch Eaft India Company. In the fequel, we had reafon to felicitate ourfelves that he had not much influence on the Governor ; for he had attempted to perfuade him, that the Kegency of Y 3 Batavia 342 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l792. Batavia would not approve of our fhips being al- lowed to remain at Amboyna. Yet the Baron very well knew that, in the preceding year, two fmall Englilh veffels, fitted out at Bombay for the Pelew Iflands, had been received without the leafh difficulty. They had firft put in at Bouroti ; but, finding no provifions there, had been per- mitted to fhip fome at Amboyna ; and thofe vef- fels were far from having fo good a title as we bad to fuch indulgence. But, perhaps, the ap- pearance of foreign veiTels in that road, for two years fucceffively, made it necefiary for the Go- vernor to take every precaution, in order to fave his refponfibiiity. He received us very favour- ably ; but we were unhappy that he appeared in his ceremonial drefs on our account; for he was oppreficd with heat, under a very heavy coat of black velvet. Such garments are extremely in- commodious near the Line, but the Dutch Go- vernors wear them, as a prerogative annexed to their ftation. Some refrefiiment was offered to us. I wiihed for nothing but water, and I poured out that which appeared the moil limpid ; but its faltifh tafte made me think that the domeftics had, by miftake, brought me fome medicinal water. It was in fa6l Seltzer-water, which the Dutch here iifually drink as an agreeable potation; and it cofts them Sept.] of la perouse. 343 them as much as the beft rheniili wine. Surely they were not aware of our repugnance to fuch a beverage ; yet they might have fuppofed that, in a torrid cUmate, and after a long privation of frefli provifions, w^e would not be very fond of fwallowing fait water. The General propofed to introduce us to the members o£ the Council alfo, to which we readily aflented; and they gave us a very kind reception. loth. As we intended to remain at Amboyna, for a month at the leaft, I had conveyed to the place where we were to lodge, many things ne- ceiTary for the preparation of the different pror du6lions, which I intended to colled, in the ifland. The other naturalifts and I had agreed to live in the fame houfe. It w^as already prepared for our reception, and our things had been carried into it, when, to our great aftonifliment, we found it oc- cupied by fome officers from the two fhips, who, however, knew very well that we had taken the houfe ; but the man who had the key thought that they belonged to our party. The gentle- men made themfelves very merry with this piti- ful trick, of which we did not think them ca- pable; but it was eafy for us to find other lodgings. Our apprehenfions refped;ing the cabin-boy, who had difappeared three days before, were but Y 4 too 344 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l702. too well founded. His body had remained at the bottom of the water all that time ; but, about half an hour paft two in the afternoon, it was feen floating near the (hip. This fmall diftance from the place where he had fallen into the fea feemed to prove, contrary to the opinion of moft of the Europeans fettled at Amboyna, that the rapidity of the currents in the road is confined to the fur- face merely, and does not reach the bottom, a circumftance which, for other reafons, appears to me very probable. In fadl the currents are deter- mined by the tides, pouring their waters into and out of the road, only to reflore their equilibri- um, which, in thefe circumftances, is dillurbed to but a fmall depth from the furface. This young man was much regretted by all the fliip's company. Many exclaimed againfi: the carelelTnefs of thofe, who had had the charge of him in his early years, in neglecting to inftru6t him in fwimming. A few lefTons in that art w^ould have faved the lad's life ; and it is to be wifhed that his fate may ferve as an example to others ; for I have obferved with affconiftiment, tliat many of the failors cannot fwim. Our obfervatory was this day eflablifhed, in the weftern part of the town. As it could not be feen from the fhip, it was found inconvenient to be Sept.] of la perouse. 345 be obliged to go upon the beach, in order to com* pare the motion of the watches with that of the clocks. This weftern part of the town, in which wc alfo refidcd, formed the Chinefe quarter, in which there are few natives of the ifland, and only one Dutchman. The reft of the Dutch inhabit the centre of the town, or its ea.ftern part. Our ftrcngth was fo reduced, that we were obliged to content ourfelves, for fome days, with fliort excurfions from the town. We viewed the garden of the Company, where there is nothing remarkable but a very convenient bath, which the Governor viiited regularly every third or fourth day. It is fupplied with very pure water from a neighbouring hill. Near it is an- other bath appropriated to theufeofthe women. The Dutch at Amboyna are in the habit of bathing every third or fourth day, when they care- fully avoid expofmg themfelves to the exceffive heat, which prevails from eleven in the morning till three in the afternoon. Indeed they are fel- dom feen abroad during thofe hours on other days. For our parts, we had not leifure to take fo many precautions ; and accordingly two of the naturalifts were attacked with dangerous difor- ders. Wc many times endeavoured to penetrate into the 346 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l 7Q2, the large plantations of fago trees ; but the water with which they are floated often forced iis to abandon the attempt. That tree, fo ufeful for the fupport of man, forms a part of the riches of the ifland. The flat ftrand, at low water, is covered in many places with a multitude of crabs, of the foecies denominated cancer volans, which thqn emerge from the holes which they dig in the foft ground. This Angular creature, one of whofe claws is fometimes larger than its body, often be- comes the prey of birds. I believe the facility With which its claws are disjoined from its body is the reafon why one of them is almofl always much lar2:er than the other.* A little excurfion to the fouth of the town, near the quarter inhabited by the Europeans, brought us to the tomb of Rumphius. The fim- plicity of this monument reminded us of the manners of that able obferver of nature. It was encircled with the beautiful fhrub, known by the name oi panax fruticofiim. * The great difproportion of the claws to the body, and to one another, is more probably a diflin£live charafterillic of this curious fpecies of crab. I have feen many thoufands of them ; but never an individual in which this difpropor- tion did not exift. Places lituated to leeward of the muddy flilt-flats, in which thofe creatures breed, are juflly reckoned extremely infalubiious. — Tranjlator. We Sept.] or la perouse. 347 Wc faw, in the hands of fomc natives, the pretty /orry of the Phihppines. Thefe, however, were not procured from fo great a diftance, but from fome illands a Httle to the eaftward of Am- boyna, and chiefly thofe of Arrou. They had alfo another fpccics of the lorry, w^hich breeds in the forefts of Amboyna, and which differs from the former in its colours, which are lefs vivid, and not fo beautifully blended. Moft of thofe par- rots pronounced fome words of the Malayan lan^ guage. Towards noon, the heat of the fun afFed:ed us with fuch a head-ach, as forced us almoft always to retire to fome Ihade, in order to defend our- felves from his dlre6l rays. Very early on the morning of the 15th we pro- ceeded towards the weft ; but about mid-day the heat was fo very oppreffive, that we were obliged to return home. The naturalift who did the duty of chaplain, became fo dangeroully ill, that we could not leave him a fmgle moment for four fucceffive days. The iymptoms of the malignant fever, with which he was attacked, were very dreadful. • His ftools were extremely fetid, and accompanied with frequent vomitings, ftarting of the tendons, a fmall pulfe and great proftration of ftrength. The nervous afFedion of the patient came to fuch a height. B4B VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l792. a Beigbt, that every evacuation was attended with a degree of wcaknefs which deprived him of re- colIc(5lion, His lower extremities were affeded with violent fpafms^ which occaiioned very great pain. Although the diieafe was exceedingly infec- tious, no danger ought to have prevented us from paying to our diftrelTed fiiip-mate, all the atten- tion which he had a right to expe<5l from our friendihip ; and accordingly wc fufpended our re- fearches in natural hiilory, till we fliould fee him out of danger. lOth. The nczt day the Symptoms became ftill more alarming. The pulfe more and more de- preiTed, vvith frequent intermiffions in its motion, the hiccups, fometimes continued for half a quar- ter of an hour, a great proftration of flrength and an appearance altogether difcompofed, made us entertain ferious apprehenfions for the life of our patient. In the night, the fy mptoms were equally alarming. About break of day, on the 1 /th, the pulie ienfibly increafed, and a certain flexibility in the ftroke of the artery, afforded us the happy prefage of an abundant perfpiration^ which accordingly fucceeded in a few hours, and fnatched our friend from the gates of death. He SfePT.] OF LA PEROUSE, 34g He was in a ftate of convalefcence not more than eight days. This fpecies of fever, occafioned by ftagnant ■waters, in a tropical climate, was treated with diluting draughts and antifpafniodics. Ether given frequently, and in fmall dofes, had a ten- dency to fupport the ftrength of the patient, w^hile it moderated the violence of the fymptoms. M. Holiman, furgcon of the military hofpital, vifited our patient feveral times a day. Our chief furgeon alfo regularly attended him. M. Bourguelles, the Company's treafurer, per- fuaded the Commander of our expedition, that the united llvill of all the phyficians in Europe, was not equal to that of a Malay doelor, in the treatment of fuch difeafes. One of the moft able of them was therefore called in. He did not propofe to perform the cure by internal remedies ; for he gave the patient nothing to take ; but after rubbing flightly the ikm of different parts pf the body, and properly adjufting the lower ex- tremities, he pronounced, with a myfterious air, ibme words, which he feemed to addreis to the Supreme Being. Then he conjured, as we were told, the evil fpirits, whom thofe iflanders look upon as the authors of difeafes. M. Bourguelles was overjoyed to fee the dod:or operate in his beft manner, in order to obtain the defired {uccefs. We 350 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l /92* We allowed him to do every thing, from which no bad confequences could refult ; but it was our bufinefs to interrupt his operations, when he was proceeding to foufe the patient, with a pail of water, newly drawn from the well. It was but a very little time before the critical fweat, which terminated in his recovery. The Malay do6lor doubtlefs placed all his fcl- ence in this experiment ; but he did not know that it would have fupprelfed the critical perfpi- ration, of which the pulfe had given us the happy prefage. Our patient was fufficiently recovered on the IQth, no longer to require fuch affiduous care. We therefore proceeded weftward into the coun- try. After having long followed the courfe of a little river, which runs into the harbour at afhort diftance from the town, we were returning with a load of fine plants, when, at the approach of night, we met fome native fifhermen who had been equally fortunate, in their way, and who were proceeding to broil their fifh. We had the pleafure of feeing them light up their fire, by means of two pieces of bamboo, rubbed againfl each other, after being cut in a manner which I ihall prefently explain. 20th. We employed half of the day in an ex- curiion towards the foutli ; and we made hafle to afcend Sept.] op la perouse. 351 afcend a hill, where we found fome young na- tives fetting fnares to catch birds. They confill- ed of hairs formed into noofes and tied to a very long rope, which lay on the ground, and was faftened to a wooden peg driven into the earth. I fuppofed that they made ufe of baits to attrad; the game ; but they told me that they did not, and at the fame time confeiTed, that they caught but few birds. At the bottoms of the hills, we obfcrved the fine palm w^hich the natives call the fago tree, and which Rumphius has defcribed (vol. i. fig. 13,) under the ncime o£ Jiiguems. From the pedicles of the boughs f regimes J of this tree, when newly cut, a very agreeable liquor oozed, whicli- was received in pieces of bamboo, tied to their extremities. In fo hot a climate, this liquor very quickly ferments, and would become acid, if the inhabitants did not add to it fome of the wood of the Jbulamea, which, by the fermentation, is en- tirely freed from its bitter tafte, and preferves the liquor a long time. One of thefe palms may yield daily, for above two months in the year, from a gallon and a half to two gallons of this liquor. In order to faci- litate its efflux, the incifions of the pedicles are daily renewed. As the heat of the fun favours the afcenilon of 352 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l 792. of the fap, one would naturally fuppofe that the tree would yield a greater quantity of this liquor during the day than during the night. The fa6t, however, is quite otherwife, for the humidity ■which is abforbed by the leaves in the night, mixing w^th the juice, increafes its apparent quan- tity ; but that v/hich is obtained during the day contains much more of the faccharine principle, which is to be extradled. This extract forms a kind of fiigar, which the Malays Ccdl goulaifan (black fugar.) It is com- monly met with in fmall loaves, vs^hich retain the fhape of the hemifpherical veffels, in which the redundant water is evaporated. Its colour approaches to that of chocolate ; but it is deeper. On breaking thofe little loaves, there appear, efpe- cially tow^ards the centre, yellowifh fhining grains, a circumftance which renders it probable, that there would be no great difficulty to bring it to the degree of cryftallization, neceflary to convert it into fugar of a good quality. Such as it is, the natives fcarcely ufe any other, that v/hich is ex- tracted from the fugar- cane being fold for feven or eight times the price. From this aimoft exclufive ufe of the goula itan, one w^ould be apt to conclude, that the fugar- cane was not produced in the ifland. Ai- moft all the inhabitants, however, devote fmall portions SjEPT.] OF LA PEROUSE. 353 portions of their gardens to this valuable plant ; but they content themfelves with regaling on its juice, which they exprefs by maftication. In addition to the agreeable and wholefomc liquor afforded by this fine palm, the leaves (or I'lmhs*^ are adorned, towards the bafe, with fila- ments which the natives convert into good cor- dage. From the form and black colour of thofe filaments, one would take them, at the firft fight, for horfe-hair, but they are alm.ofl twice as large. The young fruit, prepared with fugar, m.akes an excellent comfit. Some fractures in the earth near the bottoms of the hills, difclofcd to our view the hard, clear, ^YtjJIeatite, which forms their bafes. 22d. In an excurfion which I made to the fouth-wefl:, I found many rocks of very friable Jchijius, of a light grey colour, and near a very hard fpecies of ajbejios. One would be apt to imagine, that, in an ifland fo little removed from the Equator, the prepara- tion of the fubje6ts of natural hiflory would be * The French word is feui lies. But the Englifli ufe the word iimb, for the fhoots of the cocoa-nut tree, the cabbage tree and other fpecies of pahn; and very properly : they arc too large to be called leaves, and, being deciduous, can- not be called branches, in the ordinary fenfe of that terni. ■ — Tranjlator. Vol. L Z fmgularly 354 VOYAGE I^ SEARCH [l/Q^, ' fingularly facilitated by a quick deficcation. The contrary, however, was fo much the cafe, that I was obliged to make great exertions to favethe fruits of my botanical harvelt fron:i ruin. In fac^, the air, in paffing over tlie waters of the ocean, becomes charged with a degree of humidity, which greatly injures fuch preparations, and the heat of the climate quickly dcftroys tliofe plants which are moil retentive of their juices. 23d. At four in the morning, we directed our courfe towards the caft. We had fevcral times to crofs the beautiful ri- vulet, known by the name of Vai-Tom.on, which enters the fea a little to the caftward of the town. Its banks were covered with a srreat number ot plants, among which arc feveral fpccies of the jii/Jixn. I obfcrvcd on the furface of the brook^ the fpecics diftinguiflicd by the name of thej?//- ficca tenclla ; and I admired the precaution taken by nature for its prcfervation, in difpofng along the ftalk large oval tubercles, filled v»'ith air, to make the plant A^lm. Thofe veficles are but litt'ic different from tljc air-bladders, Vvith which mofl fiiii are furniilicd ; only in tins initance, each vcficle is compofed of a great number of linaller ones ; bccaufe otherwife they would be in danger of being deltroyed, by the shocks of the different bodies brought down by the llream. Kotw-ith- Sept.] of la perouse. 355 Notwithftanding the iliade of the furrounding trees> the elxcdrpus monogyniis was covered, even to its loweil branches, with fine flowers, elegantly- figured i In thofe folitary forefts, w^here the fian does not eafily penetrate the thick foliage, it is aftonifhing to obferve the vivid colours of 'feveral kinds of parafite plants, of the genus of orchydes, moliily cleaving to the trunks of the largefl trees. In the leaft cro^'/ded fpots, the tree of the araVia clafs, defignated by the name of the cujjoyiia thyrjifioray adorned the forefl: w4th their large pal- mated leaves. Among the great number of lizards which were bufily purfuing infedis, I admired the agility of that called the flying dragon f draco volans, Linn.). During the greatefl heat of the day> that pretty animal rapidly darted from branch to branch, by extending two membranes in the form of wings, hj means of which it fufi:ains itfelf for fome time in the air. Nature having denied it the mufcles necelTary for the vibration of this kind of wrings, it can only fpread them out to counterad: the ra- pidity of its defcent. With its hind feet it gives its body an impulfe, which not interfering with Its defcenfjve motion, fometimes carries it for- ward a few toifes, and to a height nearly equal to that of the place whence it darted. In my return, I wiflied to take fome branches Z 2 frona 35D VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l/OS' troni the ditFerent vegetables which grew in a garden belonging to a native of the ifland. But the guides who accompanied us, apprized me of the danger to which they believed I would expofe myfelf. Pointing to a little Ihed, they feveral times repeated, v>dth an air of refped: blended ■with fear, the word mat^, before our interpreter could explain to us, that, by this term, which means a dead perfon, they meant to fignify the ancient poileiror of the garden, who lay buried under the little flied, which we faw. The natives are perfuaded, that the foul of the deccafed poilef- fors wander in the neighbourhood of fuch places, in order to preferVe their products for the pre- fent proprietors. They believe, that any other perfon who fhould take any part of fuch pro- duces would die within the year ; and fo gene- rally is this belief diffufcd, that feldom does any inhabitant allow himfelf to touch the property of another ; fo that this tnaie is a bugbear, which almoft alw^ays infures the harveft to its legitimate poffciTor. The General went on board to review the ihip's company, and he procured advances for thern all. 25th. My collection was already fo numerous. and called for fo much care, that I fpent almoft the whole of the 24th in preparing them ; but the Sept.] of la perouse. 357 the next day Citizen Riche and I afcended the river called Baton Ga?iion, which empties itfelf into the road on the weft fide of the town. It is confined in a very deep channel, excavated by its current between the hills, which in many places are of dillicult accefs. We propofed to af- cend as far as we could, endeavouring to follow exactly the windings of the banks ; but their fteepnefs obliged us to take to the channel itfelf, where the water was fcldom lefs than eighteen inches in depth. We had advanced but a few fteps, when we met a Dutch failor, who had made his efcape from a large fhip loaded with cloyes, and which was on the point of failing for Batavia. The dread of periihing by the contagious malady fo fatal to Europeans, who remain there even for a very fhort time, had made this unhappy man re- folve to conceal himfelf in the woods till the fhip lliould have failed. We lamented his un- fortunate fituation ; but little did we forefee that the place vvhich he dreaded fo much, was to ter- minate our own peregrinations. On the banks of this river; there grew in abun- dance, a new fpecies of hegonia, remarkable for the fmallnefs of all its parts. A beautiful granite, of a fine grain, formed die bafe of thofc hills. Quartz, generally very Z 3 white. 358 VOYAGE IN SEARCH - [1702. white, v/as there in fomc cafes tinged by the green fleatite, and in others by iron, which gave it the colour of ruft. Mica was there diifeminated in a very uniform manner, and we found fchorl of a black colour, in minute ilender fragments. While we were employed in colle and without the greateft care we fhould have been overfet. If this acci- dent had happened, towards the middle of the road, it would have been difficult, on account of the rapidity of the current, even for the moft ex- pert Sept.] " of la perouse. ' 3/3 pert fwimmer of our number, to have reached the iliore. The danger diminiflied as we approached the place where we w'iflied to land. ' But we were much alloniflied: at the imprudence of one of the people belonging to the; Efperance, who,- although he could not fvvim, and w^as certain of being drowned, if we had been overfet, feveral times deranged the, equilibrium of -our little vef- fel. At laft, however, we got on ihore. The coaft was there covered' with the ihruh; calledy6U"i;o/(^ lohdla. It delights in fuch a fitua- tion ; and I alfo found it in New Ireland. At high water, the fea wafhed the -root of the beautiful tree whofe denomination, lieftftefa,\rt^ called the name of one of our moft able bbtanifts. Citizen I'Heritier. ' In proceeding weftward I found, among the fhells upon the beach, fome lavas very porous,' but yet too heavy to fwim in water. x\s I had^ not obferved, in the inland parts of the ifland, any ftones which had been fubjc its force was much diminifhed towards the Ihore, we kept as near it as we could, a manoeuvre which was much facilitated by the fliallownefs of our vefTel. I was at fome pains in obferving the great di- minution of the current towards the lliore ; but I did not expedl to find it fo confiderable. The principal caufe appeared to me to be the proxi- mity of the land, which detained the water by a kind of adhefion ; whereas, at a greater diftance, the fea being^ much deeper, its upper ftrata, which Oct.] of la perouse. 379 which form the current, glide with facility upon the lower, and thus the frid:ion is extremely di- minilhed. While there is a very rapid current towards the middle of the road, there is frequently none clofe to the fliore ; and fometimes one in a con- trary dirc(5lion, which ought to be afcribed to the diiferent points of land, protruding into the fea. In a deep part, bordered- by a fandy bottom> we obferved fome filhing places, formed by a paling of bamboos fo clofe together, that the fifh Gould not efcape through it. The entrance was dry at low water ; fo that the fiilies which were thus encircled at high water could not get out when the tide had a little fubfided. Befides, the fifhes, which commonly prefer the deepeft water, advanced towards the farther part of the inclo- fure, where the depth, even at low water, was ftill about three feet. This refervoir imprifoned thofe fihes which were moft eafily decoyed, and man was not the only fiilier who frequented it ; for we obferved there feveral fpecics of herons; Our prefence drove fome of them away, But others flill remained, with their long legs deeply immerfed in the water, patiently waiting till the fifhes came w^thia their reach. The fiiliing mar- tens are alfo frequent attendants at thofe inclo- fures ; 380 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [}7Q2. iures ; ibme of them were perched upon the |)amboos, from whence we faw them dart, from time to time, upon the £flies, which afforded them an abundant fupply of food. We -then halleried to a point of landfufRcientIy advaaced into the fea, to induce the Dutch to build a redoubt upon it. But they had abandoned this fortification, as well as another which we obferved on the oppofite fliore nearer to the en- trance of the road. We went on board at a fmall (diftance from the former redoubt, and fleered fof the coimtry-houfe of M. Hoffman, chief furgeort of the hofpital, with whom - we had formed an acquaintance. After making a hafty breakfaft, at which fpices- were ferved up with a profufion, which made us remember we were in the Moluccas, I went to view the vicinity of this habitation, where a marfliy fituation afforded me, among a great number of other plants, the beautiful fpecies of acanthus, with leaves like thofe of holly (acanthus iUcifoUuSj Linn.), and alfo its variety, with wholes leaves. ^ We then returned towards the redoubt, the form of which, on the fide next the fea, is femi- circular, being not more than eighty-one toifes in length and fifty-one in breadth. The walls are above fix feet in height, above three in thicknefs^ on OcTi] OP LA PEROUSE. t 3SJ on the land fide, and fix towards the road, with embrafures to receive forty pieces of cannon. While I was on fliore, Citizen Riche fet our canoe-men a diving, and they frequently brought him up very valuable marine productions. The road of Amboyna abounds with beautiful fliells, which are feldom met w-ith clfewhcre ; the molt delicate being protected, in its numerous deep re- ceifes, from the motion of the waters, are often found in perfc(5l prefervation. Our Papow proved to be not only the beft di- ver, but the merriefl: of all our guides. His hu- mour, which was truly laughable, very much di- verted his comrades. He ad:ed feveral fcenes of comedy, which he told us w^as a favourite amufement among his countrymen. One of thofe which he repeated the ofteneft, becaufe it pro- duced general applaufc, reprefented a w^oman ready to lye in. He entertained us, when wc were taking fome refrefliment, with the fincft part of the piece, and he feemed to do great juf- tice to the charad:er. . Some of the inhabitants of the South Sea Iflands a6t fimilar comedies. Captain Cook, iri his fccond voyage, relates, that at the Society Iflands, he was prefent at fuch an exhibition. I took the opportunity, while our Papow was in fo good a humour, to alk him, Wiiat method the ^82 .VOYAGE IN SEARCH [1/92. the people of his country took to fcparatc the umbilical cord ? He told me, that they burnt it, above an inch from the body, a mode of opera- tion which has been pra(5tifed by fome furgeons, and that, for this purpofe, the Papows employed a well kindled torch. We re-embarked, in order to proceed farther, always following the fame bank. Some of the erythr'ma corallodendron made themfelves remark- able by their fine bright red flowers. On the fteep fides of the hard grey rocks, which formed the neighbouring fhore, grew fome trees of the vacoua (paiidanus odorattffimaj , which over- hanging the fea, gave thofe places a very pic- turefque appearance. The large fpherical fruit, depending from the extremities of their branches, increafed their natural inclination towards the water, the furface of which was always covered with ripe fruit. Thefe delightful fcenes 2;ave us reafon to be pleafed with our excurfion. Having palled forne time there, we re-embarked, in order to advance flill nearer to the entrance of the road. A charming fituation, in the vicinity of a cot- tage occupied by a native, induced us to go on fliore. The mafter of the cottage was abfent ; but we found in this peaceful habitation, a young woman, encircled by her children, whom Ihe was amufing. Oct.] of la perouse. 383 amufing, with a very fimple ftringed inftrument, which Ihe accompanied with her agreeable voice. It was formed of a joint of bamboo, about lix inches in length, covered at one end with a piece of parchment, like a drum. Three llrings of bark, each of them ftretched by a bridge, w^ere fixed to the two extremities of this cylinder, which was placed upon the knees. The two moil diftant chords founded an oftavc, and the inter- mediate one a fifth with the fartheft chord. A circle at each extremity, about 4-loths of an inch in height, fupported other firings, intended to render the inflrument more fonorous. Thefc firings were more or lefs flretched, by a (lider, w^hich connected two and two together, and which could be moved at pleafure, through al- ^ mofl w^hole length, as in our drums. A little flip of bamboo bark, put the chords fupported by the bridges into vibration. The accom.paniment, al- though monotonous, feemed infinitely plcafmg to our guides, whofe ears were accuftomed to this fpecies of mufic. This habitation was encircled with nutmeg- trees, not far advanced in growth, but already wxU proportioned ; although at Amboyna, their culture is not generally relifhed. The vicinity formed a beautiful orchard, in which the brilliant flow^crs of the eugenla malaccenjls attracted our ad- miration ; 884 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [1/92* miration ; and there we alfo partook of the agree- ably acid fruit of the averrhoa caranibola. The Ihore was embeUiflied, almoft to the edge of the water, by a large plantation of the fpecies of tree called acfchtnomeiie grand'iflora, which bears the largeft flower of all the leguminous plants, and w^hich is commonly of a beautiful white, but alfo fometimcs red. The natives frequently eat it boiled, and in fome cafes they ufe it raw, by way of a falkid. The bark of this tree yields a bitter extradl, w4iich they adminifter as a tonic in fevers. The day was drawing to a clofe, and the cur- rent fet againft us. We were therefore obliged to keep clofe in fhore, and it was night before we got back to the town. 4th. As foon as I . had difpofed, in the mofl convenient manner, the produce of my laft ex- curfions, I went towards the fouth-eaft, to a little diftance from the town, and I ftill found plants to add to my colle6lions. At my return, I faw a white negro, of Papow origin. His hair was white, and his fl^-in fair, and marked in fome places with red, like tlioie of the red-haired Europeans ; but his fight was not weak, as it commonly is in other Albinoes. This young Papov^*^, was a flave to a Dutch- man, and had been but a Hiort time at Amboyna. Where Oct.] of la perouse. 385 When I firft caft my eyes on him, he was playing on an irtllrument, which I was furprized to fee among thole people : it was a Jew's harp, cut out of the hardeft part of a bamboo, but was not quite fo large as the iron ones which we ufe. As the tongue of it could not be bent, to make it vibrate with the fin2:ers, a little ftrin^; tied to one of the extremities of the inftrument communi- cated the irapulfe neceifary to agitate the tongue, which then gave the fame found as the iron blades of our Jew's harps. I was told that this inftrument was very agreeable to the Papows. 5th. We had, for fome days, formed the dciign of vifiting the country houfe belonging to the Commander of the place, fituated near the farthefb end of the road ; and his fon favoured us with his company. We fet off before day-break; and it was fcarccly five o'clock, before we were feated in our canoes. We fbon arrired under a flied, furrounded with trees, which afforded a falutary protection from the fcorching heat ; and they were by no means a vain decoration to this delightful retreat, for moft of them bore excellent fruit. Among the different anonas which were offered to us, the beft was of the fpecies known by the name of anona mur'icata. In a little time, we re-embarked, and we were Vol. I, B b near 386 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [1792, near 5,000 toifes from the town, when we paiTed a point of land, beyond which the road extends itfelf greatly towards the north. A frefli breeze from the fouth-eaft impeded our progrefs, and drove the waves againft our flight veiTel, which proved very inconvenient. At the fame time, a large boat, loaded with w^ater for the Efperance, came out of the creek, into which runs a river which affords that article to the Ihipping. They bring the water from that great dillance, becaufe it is much more eafily ob- tained there than near the tow^n, where, however, the water is alfo very good. The current occafioned by the return of the tide oppofed our courfe ; but our boatmen re- doubled their efforts, and we at lafl reached the end of that long branch of the road. We walked for fbme time under the Ihade of nutmeg trees, which, as wxll as the young plants, were much more numerous there, than in any other part of the country which we had hitherto vifited. The Commander's fon was here In the midfl of his relations. We were near the houfe of one of his coufms, who was a native of the ifland ; and there we behoved to dine after their manner. Fiih, bread, fago, rice, and fome fruits, formed our repaid. As we were not ferved with fpoons, we Oct.] of la perouse* 337 we were obliged to imitate our hoft by taking up the victuals with our fingers ; but we did not eat the lefs on that account, nor with a worfe ap- petite. All of us reconciled ourfelves very well to bread inade of fago ; the fifh was ftrongly feafoned with pimento, but fome glaffes of the water of the fago-tree diminiflied the violence of its effeds. While we fat at dinner, we were entertained with mufic. A kind of fpinet was accompanied by a man's voice ; a drum ferved as a bafe, and a tamtam as a counter-bafe. After dinner our holl: carried us in his canoe about 500 toifes towards the eafi:. There we faw a man employed in preparing a fago-tree. This tree, which was about eighteen inches in thicknefs, had been cut down a little time before. It was already opened for a part of its length, the whole of which did not exceed forty feet, and it had afforded a great deal of fago. This palm, like the other trees of this genus, preferving nearly the fame diameter for its whole length, yields nearly as much fago towards the top of the trunk as towards the root. (Fig. A. Plate xlii, is an exa^l figure of a young fago tree.) The external part of its trunk is formed of a very- hard ligneous ihell or cruft, four lines and a half Bb 2 in "3^8 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l70^^ in thicknefs. The trunk is a large cylinder filled ■with pith, which is interfperfed, through the whole length of the trunk, wath ligneous fibres, about the thirteen-thoufandth part of an inch in thicknefs, and often above two lines diftant from each other. They pound the fago after taking it out of the tree ; they then put it into bags made of a fort of canvas, furniflicd by the bafes of the limbs of the cocoa-nut tree. On thofe bags they throw, from time to time, pure water, which carries off the Ja-cula (or fedmient), while this kind of fearce, or ftrainer, partly retains the w^oody fibres. The water repleniflicd with the fsecula is re- ceived into troughs, about three feet in length, formed of the lower part of the limbs of the fago tree. On the end of each trough they faften a ilrainer, to retain that part of the fasculi^ which has fubfided, and the ligneous fibres which have ■efcaped the firft walhing, fwim on the water. ■ This lafl: ftrainer required no preparation : it was of the fame nature with the other; both being a fibrous contexture, which differs from our ftuffs in this, that its component fibres arc fimply applied, and run parallel to each other through- out the whole Icnc'th ; but fome fhort lateral fibres, which travcrlc the longitudinal ones, bind them Oct.] of la perouse. 38Q them together, and form a firm contexture of the whole.* . To clear the fieculas of the fago of the. ligne- ous fibres which ftill remain, after having been wafhed in the facks or bags, it is again put into troughs, commonly tour in num"ber, and arranged; one higher than the other ; fo that what is not depofited in the firfl, may be received into the fecond, ,and,fo on. '^nb:-^ rm^-io The texture of the fago tree well deferves exa- mination, and therefore I difiedicd the trunk of one, in which I obferved the conformation of parts common to many other fpecies of palms, as Citi- zen Desfontaines has fo well defcribed, in a me- moir on plants with feminal leaves. 0th and /th. I could not go any great diftancc from the town on the two following days, on ac- count of the affiduous care neceiTary to prefervc my collediions. An intelligent affiftant to each naturalifl:, would have faved that precious tirhe, * The reader willt)brcrvc, that the kind of fcarce here defcribed, is merely a natural produftion, which is not over plainly intimated by the Author. They are commonly called by the Englifh cocoa-nut ftrainers. They referable frag- ipents of very coarfe brown linen, but are not fu pliable. If 1 rightly remember, they arc from two to three feet in length, and where broadeft, which is about the middle, from a foot to about lifteen inches in brpadth. — Tranjl.itor. B b 3 which 390 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l7Q2. which ihould have been employed to a much better purpofe. 8th. But this day, light had fcarcely appeared, when we were upon the road. In croffing it we directed our courfe towards its entrance, and very Xi drly approached a redoubt, about 5,000 toifes dift^nt from the town. In that place, the road was at leaft 3,500 toifes in breadth; fo that an enemy had nothing more to fear from this bat- tery, than from the firft which I have defcribed. This is conftrudled exadlly in the fame manner ; but it is fituated nearer to the. entrance of thq road. Near this fpot was a hamlet, compofed of fome cottages, the neatnefs of which indicated the ealy circumllances of the inhabitants. The lea fup- plied them copioufly w ith food, and moft of the houfes were encircled with well cultivated gar- dens. Some of thofe inlanders raifed fowls, and dif- pofed of them at the market in the town. We accepted the invitation of one of thofe honeil: peo- ple, who infilled on treating us with new laid eggs. Moll of the gardens were furrounded with fhrubs, among which we dillinguilhed the Ja^ tropha curcaSf which being planted clofe together, formed OqT.] PF LA PEROUSE. 3QI formed a good fence. Its feeds have a vefy agree- able tafte;, refembling that of the hazle-nut. The natives apprized us, that, when eaten even in a fmall quantity, they induced great drowfinefs. They did not know^ that the narcotic quaUty re- fides in the part, know^n to the botanilts by the name of the embryo ; and I had the pleafure of Showing them, that, when this part is removed, the kernel may be eaten, without any inconve- nience. Advancing farther jnto the country, we ob- served fome individuals of the arnotto, bixa orelr- Ia7ia, which were cultivated with little care. When we had reached the entrance of the road, we faw at a diftance feveral large canoes ftrivmg to make it, and fome others which had nearly gained that object. Our little canoe had arrived at the place of Tcndezvous, when the boiftcrous tide raifed waves, which did not a little embarrafs the flecrfman ; the fea being at the fame time very much broken, {t was, in Ihort, abfolutely neceiTury f r us to wait till it was calmed, before we could goon bcard^ In order to proceed to the othe/ iide of the road, which was the moil diftant excuriion we had hi^ thcrto made. For fome time we kept along the Ihore, ui order that we might the moxc ealily oppoic the B b 3. tide, .JQf VOYAGE IN ^EAR^H [^17Q2. tide, and compenlate the lee-Way, which was oc- casioned by the force of the current. Near the extremity of the road, a great number of dolphins •fdelpli'mus delph'isj, darting rapidly through the water, paffed us at fo fmall a diftance, as to make fuch of us as could not fwim, feriouily afraid that we fliould be overfet. We immediately landed near a little habita- tion, fituated near one of the finefl parts of the illand. The fifhermen on the other fide had provided us abundantly with their article, which one of our number had a mind to drefs, after the fafhion of the inhabitants of the South Sea Iflands, who ufc the milk of the cocoa-nut as their onlv fauce. To this difh, fo much praifed by Captain Cook, he' made an addition of pimento. V/e had the fatisfad:ion to obferve, that this compofition was extremely agreeable to our hofts, to whom it was unknown ; and they cheerfully furnifhed our guides with every thin«; necefiarv to fucceed com- pleatly in preparing it. He who gave directions for the compofition of this excellent mefs, ac- quired among the inhabitants the reputation of being a very good cook ; and we were much di- verted by their perpetually afking us, if he was not the chief cook on board of our fliip. In the vicinity of this cottage, 1 admired the beauties Oct.], of la perouse. 393 beauties of the llirub, known by the name of abroma avgujia. The hedyfariim umhellatiim made a cllitinguifhed figure, amidll fcveral new Ipecies of the faine genus. The nutmeg-trees invited to this fpot pigeons, of the fpecics columha alhoy Linn. The crops of thole which we killed were full of nutmC2;s. The exccffive pcrfpiration, occafioncd by tlie heat of 'the climate, often induce cutaneous dif- eafes.- The bodies of five of our hofts were co- vered with dry tetters, the Icales of which falling oif, were immediately facceeded by frefli ones; and appeared the more confpicuous, on account ot tlic colour being a contrafl: to the copper tint of their Ikins. This malady frequently invades every part of the body. We alfo law fome chil- dren, who were affected by another cutaneous dif- order, froili which they did not appear to fuffer any pain: almoft the whole of their bodies were covered with large warts, not much more than an inch diftant from each other. I feldom vifited a cottage at Amboyna, in which I did not find inftruments of mufic ; and I met with one here, which I never faw any where elfe. It was a fort of hautboy, tlic lower extremity of which terminated in two diverging branches pierced with holes in the fame order in each, and thus forming two flutes, both founding the 3p4 VOYAOE IN SEARCH [l f 92. the fame notes. The natives Jove to pir/ In uni- {on, ^nd ^pply pne li^nd to each branch, I returned to the tov/n, 2)1 a dark night, whet^ tlit water in the road, prefented to my view col» le^fHons of little bodies, vs^hich illuminated large portions ot the furiace. 1 he water which I took up in the moil luminous parts, left on the filtre, through which they were paffed, little molecules •which dif^red in no refpect from thofc which I had already examined, before our arrival at the Cape of Good Hope, and in other places, at a great diftance froip land. We made the land near the town, at the moment of high water, and were obliged to w^ade, more than 150 toifes, through the water, which was fo Ihallow as not to admit our canoes to come near enough the fhore to land us. The filhermen were kindling their fires to decoy t^e fifh, which the tide had brought thither in fuch numbers, that we faw their nets filled with them. gth and 10th. The two next days were em^ ployed in viewing the vicinity of the town. I was iiirprized to find in fb fmall an ifland, {o many different fpecies of vegetables ; but doubtlefs its proximity to Ceram had enriched it with part of the plants of that extenfive ifland. In the evening, the Governor gave an enter*^ tamment, this having been the anniverfary of one, of 6CT.] OF LA PEROUSE. BQ5 of his fons, who was m Europe finifhing his edu- cation. All the naturalifts were invited, and we made our appearance at the Government-houfe, an hour after fun-fet. As the coohiefs of the at- mofphere was not then inconfxfi:ent with danc- ing, the ball had already begun, and feveral coun- try dances were formed in the great faloon, in which the Governor received us, on our firfl vint along with General Dentrecafteaux. This faloon was a kind of gallery, which was decorated with fome engravings, and a few very indifferent pictures, placed at a great diitance from each other. The walls were only plaflered with fome coats of lime ; although it would not have been difficult to have adorned them with fine wainfcotting at a fmall expence; as thc- ifland produces feveral kinds of wood proper for inlaid work.* * The number of fcorplons and folopendras (or forty- legs) before obferved to have been brought en boar<- witli the wood taken in at Carteret harbour, might have fug- gefled to the Author, that wainfcotting only ferves as an afylum to thofe and other vile infe£ls, which fwarm in mull tropical countries. For the fame reafon, a great number of prints and piftures are inconvenient, and it is fcarcely pofll- ble to preferve paper from the attacks and the excrements of infers. Plain painting and white-wafhing are almoll the only decorations, which the infides of houies conveniently admit in thofe climates ; as the Author would have difco- vered, if he h^ continued to refide in them. — Tranfiator. Almoft 3q6 voyage in search [i7Q2. . Almoft all the daughters of the Company's fervants were at the ball. The heat of the clime certainl}/ forbade all violent motion ; yet we were jfurpri?;cd to fee the young ladies dance^in a man- ner fo very unfavourable to the difplay of their graces. They contented themfelves with walking llowly, fcarcely obferving the figures, and their fupine air^ formed a ftrong contrail with the ex- treme quicknefs, which the compofer ha(i given to the country dances which they performed. The orcheltra confifted of four negroes, who played on the violin, and another who performed on the bafs. The ball was fucceeded by a fplendid fupper, which was ferved up in the fame apartment. From the fmall number prefent at half an hour pail nine, 1 fuppofed that the party at fupper would not be numerous ; but the greater part of the gueils, not caring for the dance, did not come till about ten at night. Gaiety prevailed at this entertainment, which lailed a good part of the night ; and the dancing was refumed, and continued till fun-riie. , We were farprized that we had not the com- pany of M. Strampfer, one of the miniilers of the Protcilant perfuafion, who had received us fo kindly ; but wx foon learned that he had lately incurred the difpleafure of the Governor, becaufc forfooth. Oct.] of la perouse. S97 forfboth, after having diligently attended to the education of that gentleman's children, for fe- yeral years, the poor man had rcquefted pay- ment ! It might well be fiippofed, that the boafted honour of having educated the children of the Governor, was a compenfation not quite fufficient for a man w ho had a family of his own ; but he could obtain nothina;' more ! ! ] 1th. I employed a part of this day, in fur- veying' the beauties of feveral gardens, and among the plants which adorned them, I obferved the Chinefe box-tree, miirraya exotica, which formed very fine avenues, alfo the mixed car- manthine, jiiftitta vanegata, and the variegated turnfole, croton vanegaUim, io remarkable for the beauty of their flowers and their foliage. The lawjhnui mermis^ called by the natives, howign'ia laca, is employed as on the continent of Afia, to ftain certain parts of the body, and par- ticularly the extremities of the fingers. The Chinefe make the mofl ufc of this article. Soon afterwards 1 came to a cottage, fur- rounded with a great number of cocoa-nuts, fuf- pended from the leaves of the roof, and from the adjoining trees. The owner of this cabin, pointing to his numerous family, told me that he was preparing to make a large plantation of cocoa-nut trees. Moll of thofe nuts had ger- minated. 3gS VOYAGE IN SEARCH [j 7Q2* minated, and he faid that the plants muft be about eighteen inches in height, before they were committed to the earth, affuring me that, but for this precaution, many of them would rot, without fpringing up. As the moment of our departure from Am^ boyna approached, I fent on board the collections, w^hich I had made in that charming illand, and on the 13th I followed them in perfon. 14th. The exprefs orders, which had been if- fued the evening before, for every one belonging to the expedition to repair on board the frigates, made us fuppofe that every thing was ready for our departure^ and that nothing but contrary winds could prevent us from failing. A part, hovr'ever, of the water, which had been con*- fumed while we lay at anchor, ftill remained to be replaced ; and, as this bufmeis was not iinilhed till the afternoon, we could not take our depar- ture till the next day. The people belonging to the fhips w^ere very well fatisfied with this relaxation. They had en- joyed as much leifure as they could deiire, and Haves had even been employed to bring on board our complement of wood and water, in the large ihallops which they ca.\\yaco7i. Our fhip had been caulked, and having been furveyed. Oct."] of la perouse. 399 furveyed with fcrupulous attention, was found to be generally in good condition. The iiland of Amboyna, called Ambon by the natives, was then the Dutch government in In- dia, which ranked next to the general one of Batavia. The latitude of the place of the obfervatory, towards the weftern extremity of the town, was found to be 3° 41^ 4o" S. and its longitude 120^ 9' E. The variation of the compafs there, was 1'^ 13^ 20" W. A flat dipping needle gave 3° of inclination. Although the heat was oppreflive, the ther- mometer varied regularly every day, only from 22^ to 25°. The barometer kept conftantly at 28 inches two lines, its variation not exceeding one line. At the place where we lay at anchor, the time of high water, at the full and change of the moon, was at half an hour paft twelve at noon, and the water rofe about eight feet. The tides take place twice a day. The road of Amboyna forms a channel about 10,200 toifes in length, and its mean breadth is about 3,400 toifes. In many places, towards the fides, there is good anchorage, notwithftanding that the bottom> in fome fituations, is coral. About 400 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l792. About the middle, the depth is too great for anchoring. The fort, which is called Victory Fort, is built with bricks, and the Governor and fome of the members of the council refide in it» It was then falling into ruin, and from every gun vvhich was fired, it fuftained ibme damage. The garrifon was compofed of about two hundred men ; the greater part of them natives of the ifland ; the reft were European foldiers in the Company's fervice, and a weak detachment of the regiment of Wirtemberg. Moft of the European foldiers were tormented 'with the defire of revifiting their native country ; but none of them had yet feen the happy mo- ment of return. Some who had been .amuled with this vain hope, for many years, were a fource of dejeAion to the reft. The fmall number of foldiers who furvive any long refidencc in India, renders thofe who have .paffed. fome years there, ftlil more valuable ; and hence the Dutch Eaft India Company feldom fulfil their promife to allow the men, whofe time is expired, to return to Europe., l^yerj method is tried, m order to induce them to make a frefli engagement ; and they who careiuUy avoid every ■ ftipulation, which carl tend to . prolong their . confinement in the ifland, do not the' fooner ob- tain Oct.] of la perOuse. 4oi tain their liberty. I have met fome of thofe un- happy men who had been detained in the illand more than twenty years ; although, in conformity with the terms of their agreement, they ought to have been then free. The Mand of Amboyna is divided into feveral diftri<5ls, which in many places, form fo many villages, called nygri. The command of each nygri is conferred on a native, who is decorated with the title of orancaye. This man, to whom the police of his little canton is entrufted, is him- felf altogether fubordinate to the Dutch govern- ment, to whom all weighty cafes are referred. The Dutch commonly chufe for orancayes, na- tives who profefs the Proteftant religion, prefer- ring the ancient chiefs, or their nearell relations, and above all thofe who are richeit. Each of thofe orancayes has the governmicnt of about one hundred natives. The Dutch Com- pany, when they invefl them with their autho- rity, prefent them with a filver-hilted fword. Thofe chiefs are cloathed in the European ftile, all in black, and they wear three-cocked hats, very much pointed and deprelTed. Of this drefs of ceremony, fhoes form a part, v^ h:ch they wear w^hen they arc obliged to appear in public, or in the prefence of their Dutch fuperiors. The title orancaye is compounded of two Ma- VoL. 1. C c layan 402 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l7Q2. layan words oran kaya, the literal tranllation of which is, a rich man. The dignity of orancaye, is by no means an empty title : it gives thofe petty chiefs the means of making their fortune, which they feldom fail to do, although very vexatioufly to thofe who are fubjecled to them ; for when raifmg contributions on the poor Amboynians, on account of the agents of the Company, they take care not to ne- gled: their own intereffcs. It neverthelefs happens, fometimes, that their fortunes decline fafter than they increafed, when the agents, of the Company find the means of turning the avarice of the oran- cayes to their own advantage. The inhabitants of Amboyna fpeak the Ma- layan language, which is very foft. Its analogy with the language fpokcn in the South Sea Iflands, has induced me to prcfent the reader, at the end of the fecond volume, with a very copious voca- bulary, which I coUec^ted at Amboyna and in the ifland of Java, where I remained a long time, at the clofe of this expedition. The ufe of betel has been eftabllfhed among thofe people, time immemorial. They take fome young leaves of the pepper tree called piper Jirihoa, in Malay y/r/", and having covered them with a little very fine lime, made of burnt ihells, and newly llaked, they chew them with the arec- nut. Oct.] of la perouse' 4o3 nut. Some of them always continue this amufe- ment, except when they are eating or lleeping. I was much furprized that, notwithftanding their incclTant ufe of hme, thofe people had in general very found teeth. They become, however, of a blacklfh colour, which penetrates the enamel withoiit diminifhing its polifh. They are in the practice of cleaning them frequently with a powder which is not very far fetched ; for it confifls merely of a calcareous ftone of moderate hardnefs, which they pound between two pieces of hard grey ftone. They alfo ufe a fmall quan- tity of this laft ftone, to rub the external part of their incifive teeth. Thofe people, not content with chewing the betel, import from Malacca an extradl of a bitter plant, known by the name oi gamher, which they ufe for maftication. Mountains of moderate elevation cover Am- boyna, and principally the eaftern part of that ifland. The coffee which they gather appeared to us inferior to that of the Ifles of France and of the Re-union. Befides, the Dutch fettled in the Moluccas, are very carelefs in its preparation. Their domeftics are in the pradlice of fubjedling it to a degree of torrefadtion, which almoft re- duces it to a cinder, in order that they may have Co 2 the 404 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l7Q2, the lefs trouble in pounding it, with the wooden peftles and mortars, which are the only machines they ufe for this purpofe. The greater part of the mariliy grounds are al- lotted to the cultivation of the fago tree, which furnifhes the inhaj^itants with wholefome food. It forms an article of their fea~ftores for long voyages, as does alfo the Canary almond, which they dry for prefervation. That almond has like- wife a vejy agreeable tafle when newly gathered. The rice confumed at Amboyna is not the pro- duce of that ifland. Yet it would fucceed well, on moft of the low lands, where the water which iffues from the bafes of the mountains, prefents very convenient fituations for its culture. But the Dutch Eaft India Company has prohibited the application of the land to this article ; be- caufe the purchafe of it drains from the ifland the fpecie paid by the Company for cloves. Thus thofe monopoUlls prevent the accumulation of ready money, and procure, at a very moderate rate, the produce of the labour of the inhabitents. Befides, as rice is much ufed by perfons in tole- rable circumltandcs, it is found to be a branch of lucrative commerce to the Company's agents, who import it chiefly from the ifland of Java. By fuch means that Government, exclufively coiifulting its own interefts, cramps the induftry of Oct.] of la PEROtJSE. 405 of the natives, by obliging them to abandon, ib to fpeak, every fort of cuhivation, except thofe- of cloves and nutmegs. The Dutch alfo take care to limit the cultiva- tion of fpices, in order that the quantity produced may not much exceed the ordinary demand. Thofe meafures, though de{lru6live of all activity are, hov^ever, well luited to the fupine difpo- fition of thofe people. Many farinaceous roots, and a variety of trees, afford them abundant fupplies of food, almofh without cultivation ; as if nature had thus in- tended to compenfate man, for the inactivity to which file feems to have condemned him, in Co fultry a climate. Engrafting would doubtlefs contribute to im- prove the various fruits produced in this ifland ; but no perfon, even among the Europeans, has yet fucceeded in that experiment ; for they have always allowed the joint to dry, before the circu- lation of the fap was iliirly eltablifhed between the {lock and the fcion. It would, however, have been eafy to prevent that accident by keeping the part in a fuitable ftate of moifture, till the junc- tion was fairly formed. The European kinds of puh'c are but little adapted to the heat of the climate. A very fmaU banana, Cc\lled p'^cvig radja, is C c 3 looked 406 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l7Q2. looked upon as the beft kind. Next to the Utcht and the mango, it appeared to me the beft fruit in Amboyna. They have ieveral fpecies of the litchi, among which ought to be reckoned the nephel'mm lappaceum, or the ramh-outan of the Malays. Thofe celebrated botanifts, Linnasus, Juffieu and G^ertner, were miftaken in the claf- fification of that genus ; doubtlefs, becaufe they had not an opportunity of examining its parts of frudlification, in a ftate of perfedlion. Lirmasus has clafled it among the euphorbia, Juffieu among the compofites, and Gaertner among the amentace^ ; but it evidently belongs to the tribe of foap-berry trees (Sapindus fapon- arm, Linn.). The fame reflridlive fyftem, which we experi- enced at the Cape of Good Hope, alfo prevails at Amboyna. In order to ptevent any augmenta- tion in the price of commodities, the Company undertook to furnifh us with provifions ; and gave the natives a trifling price, for articles which they fold to us at a very great advance. The Dutch have transformed a cuftom ftill more pernicious into a law, which authorizes the chiefs employed by the Company to take from the natives, without any payment, the pro- vifions neceffary for their daily confumption. Nothing can be imagined more opprcffive than this Oct.] of la perouse. 407 this arbitrary contribution. The moft laborious man, like the moft lazy, is almoft fure of being ftripped of every thing but a fcanty fubfiftence. Hence moft of the natives content themfelves with the eafieft fpecies of cultivation, paffing in idlenefs that time which, under a different go- vernment, they might have employed in placing themfelves in eafy circumftances. The fifcal, who fuperintends the police, com- pleats the oppreffion of the inhabitants. That officer has the power of impofmg, for his own henefit, pecuniary fines, which he fixes according to the meafure of his own rapacity, and the cir- cumftances of the natives, whom he is often pleaf- ed to find guilty, when they have not commit- ted the flighteft offence ! ! A Mr. M'Kay, how- ever, then exercifed that office in a manner very different from that of moft of his predecelTors. The inhabitants very much extolled his huma- nity, which was the more praife -worthy, as he had it in his power to do them every pofTible mif- chief with impunity. That brave man told us, that he preferred mediocrity of fortune to riches obtained by fuch means. Mr. M'Kay, when ex- plaining to us one day the prerogatives of his of- fice, informed us that fome of our failors h-ad caufed a riot, at an unfeafonable hour of the night, in the houfe of a very rich Chincfe, who fold C c 3 arrack 408. VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l793. arrack and other fpmtuous liquors ; adding, with much franknefs, that the powers with which he was invefted entitled him to extort a large fum from the Chinefe, by way of fine, and to convert it to his ov.^n ufe, Others, faid he, would not have fcrupled to have availed themfelves of fuch an opportunity ; but I never had occafion to re- pent of my moderation. The clove is the principal article of produce at Amboyna, and feveral little iflands to the eaft- ward of it, where it fucceeds extremely well. The Dutch have placed refidents there, to prevent the exportation of that precious commodity. The nature of the foil of Banda appeared to me more favourable to the cultivation of nuLniegs than that of Amboyna; for it is generally acknow- ledged that the nutmegs of the latter ifJand are interior to thofe of the former. Nutmeg-trees and clove-trees were formerly diffufed over the iflands of Terriate, Tidor, Ma- kian, &c. in much greater abundance than in Am- boyna and Banda ; but the Dutch, determined to appropriate to themfelves the exclufive benefit of thofe precious trees, obliged the chiefs of the firft- mentioned iilands to deilroy the plantations of them. Their agents, who refide there, make very rigorous vifitations, in order to fee this order exe- cuted ; and thofe articles are only culiiivated at Amboyna^ Oct.] of la perouse. 4oo Amboyna, and the other iflands immediately de- pendent on the Company, where they can exer- cife continual vigilance. This inquifition, im- poied by Dutch avarice, is very much fVuflrated by the birds, which convey to the neighbouring iflands the feeds of the fpice-trees from thofe where they are cultivated. This circumftance made the Company refolve to fettle refi dents in thofe iflands, whofe principal bufniefs it is, con- tinually to fearch tor and deftroy all the young fpice-trees they can meet with. But it alfo often happens that the feeds are dropped in fituations ib precipitous, as to efcape the moil adlive vigilance. The Haves introduced, into the Moluccas, are chiefly brought from Macaflar and Ccram. The women of Macaflar are generally of a m.iddiing flaturc, and have agreeable features. Their hair is not cnlped ; and their complexion, though flill more yellow than that of European women la- bouring under the chlorofis, yet procures them, from the natives of the Moluccas, the name of white women, paranpoiiang pout'i. Before the Dutch eftabliihed the flave-trade, the illandcrs of Ceram were in the barbarous prac5lice of devouring their prifoners of war. It is melancholy to learn that they have abandoned that atrocious cuflom, only becaufe they turn their captives to better account by felling them. If, 410 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l792. If this change of fyftem has been attended with an apparent good, it muft alfo give rife to more frequent wars. Man muft indeed have funk to extreme degradation, when the introduction of flavery becomes inftrumental to his civilization ! This, however, may be faid of a people who were formerly cannibals. The Dutch fettled in the Moluccas, fpeak the Malayan language to their Haves ; taking fpecial care not to teach them their own mother-tongue, left the flaves Ihould underftand their converfation among themfelves. . • As foon as the Dutch had fecured the exclufive commerce of the Moluccas, they endeavoured to afcertain the population of thofe iflands, and, by exaggeration in that particular, in order to convey a great idea of the fubjugated country, they ftated it at 150,000 fouls, which, according to univerfal opinion, and the moft recent eftimates, is double the number of people in the Moluccas. The quantity of cloves annually produced in that fettlement is about 2,000 packages, each 534 pounds avoirdupois. The crop of two years forms the cargoes of three fhips, two of which are fent in one year, and the third in the year fol- lowing. The quantity of cloves and nutmegs ex- ported fometimes exceeds the confumption ; and, in that cafe, it is well known that the Dutch Eaft Oct.] of la perouse. 411 Eaft India Company burn the overplus, in order to keep thofe commodities always at the fame price. In fpite of all their anxiety to monopolize the fpice trade, it is computed that one-fiftieth part of the crop is annually fmuggled. As the fmall falaries of the Company's agents do not allow them to make their fortunes rapidly, feveral of them have recourfe to means of improving their fituation, which, though certainly dangerous, are eafily put in pradlice. And, notwithftanding all the vigilance of the Company, their fervants fucceed in depriving them of a fmall part of the fpices. It is not long fmce the Governor and Lieute- nant-Governor of Banda were depofed and fent to Batavia, for having converted to their own ufes part of the produce of that illand. But thofe abufes are come to fuch a pitch, that this ex- ample will only ferve to make others condu we faw a phceno- menon, which we had already obferved feveral times, and which never fails to alarm navigators, who fometimes, during the night, take it for the efFe(5l of breakers. The air being fcarcely in m^o- tion, Ave obferved the fea foaming at fome diftance. V/aves followed each other in quick fucceffion, and we were iufl: approaching to the fpot. A very heavy fwell, occafioned by the fca receiving an impulfe contrary to that communicated to it in the preceding night, fucceeded the agitation of the water. The caufe appeared to me to depend on the tide ftruggling between lands, where the currents acquire a velocity proportioned to the confinement of the channel. About nine o'clock in the morning, we faw Killer Oct.] of la perouse. 425 KiiTer ifland, extending from S. to E | S. E. It is very mountainous, efpecially on the weftern fide. Its greateft dimeniion is from W. S. W. to E. N. E. It is fituated in 8° 1 3^ 2" fouth latitude and 123° 32'' X"/" eaft longitude. Dark weather prevented us, till about three o'clock P. M. from feeing the north fide of the ifland of Timor, although our diftance from it was then but about 5,000 toifes. Its lofty moun- tains rofe above the clouds, and during the night we had obferved, fires at ditferent elevations, on their fides. Doubtlefs the inhabitants, at thofe altitudes, find it comfortable to correA by fires the cold air of the night, and perhaps alfo they may ufe them to fray away the wild bcafts. Thofe fires ferved as fo many light-houfcs to dire<^ our courfe along fhore, when fome gentle breezes in- terrupted the calm which prevailed for a great part of the night. 24th. About feven in the morning, we were within 2,500 toifes of Laphao, a little Portu- guefe fettlement, on the weft fide of Timor, in lat. Q" 22' 45" S. and long. 122° 23' -36" E. The Portuguefe flag hoifted there, bore S. 30°E. They faluted us with five guns. A canoe with a double outrigger, immediately came off to view our fliips, to which it very nearly approached; but 426 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l792. but initantly returned towards the fliore, without flailing us. On coming ftill nearer the land, we faw both natives and canoes, upon the fandy beach. We founded feveral times, with thirty fathoms of line ; but found no bottom. About four o'clock P. M. we faw the Ifland of Batou, bearing fouth-eaiV, diilant about 10,000 toifes. Ft is feparated from Timor, only by an interval of 2,50^0 toifes. 20th. Calms being frequent on the coafl: of Timor, we Hood off Ihore this afternoon, by help of a breeze from the fouth, and fteered towards the weft ; but without finding a fteadier wind. Thofe calms appear to be cauled by the heats, which at that feafon of the year are the more vio-^ lent, as the fun darts his rays almoft perpendicu- larly. The continuance of the calms renders the na- vigation very troublefome along thofe coafts, on which there is always danger of being thrown by the currents. The great irregularity of thofe currents, renders it very difficult to conftrud charts of thofe coafts ; and hence the great dif- agreement between thofe which have been hi- therto offered to the pviblic. A great number of whales of different fpecies, , feveral times furrounded our Ihip, and leaped out of Oct.] of la perousE. 427 of the water clofe alongfide. From the little fear with which they approached us, we concluded that they had never been purfued by fiflicrs. We were peftered with the fpecies of parrot called lorries, of which our people had bought a great number at Amboyna. Their piercing cries gave us no reft in the day time. Their new fitua- tion, on board fliip, did not agree with them, for they died daily. They were feized with convul- ilons for which we found vitriolic ether a pallia- • tive ; but it did not preferve their lives. The mortality alfo fpread among our featherecj ftock, the greater part of which were feized with violent difeafes in the eyes, in confequence of the coldnefs of the nights ; and thofe which were -de- prived of fight, foon died of hunger. It would, however, have tkeen very eafy to have prevented that difagreeable circumftance, by iheltering them from the night air, with a fail properly fpread over their coops. The w'ater, which we toojc in at Amboyna, (did not juftify the great encomiums beflowed upon it, for keeping well at fea. It had already becorrie fo putrid, that it could not be drunk, till the inflammable air, with which fortunately it was but weakly united, had been expelled by ftrong agitation. This unejcpedted decompofitioii certi^ioly arofe from the negligence with which, the ■i:'.i i 428 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [1/92, the cafks had been cleanfed. There remained enough of the fermentative principle of the old water, quickly to corrupt the new. It is certainly very difagreeable to be obliged to drink the corrupted water of fait marfhes ; but it is encouraging to know that by agitating it fome minutes, as I havcfhown, it refumes its ori- ginal purity. At half an hour paft four A. M. we faw, by flar light, the illand of Savu, extending from W. 13° S. to S. 2f W. at the diftance of 1,000 toifes. We fteered weft, in order to pafs to the northward of that little ifland ; and about half paft nine, we were a-breaft of the bay in which Captain Cook anchored, in his fecond voyage, ^after having paffed Endeavour Straits. We dif- tinguifhed five canoes plying very near the Ihore, where they were fheltered from the waves, which ipent their force upon a little reef, level with the water. The ifland of Savu prefcnts an enchanting pro- fpeft ; being interfed:ed, efpecially towards the fouth-weft, by very beautiful hills, whofe gentle declivity feems to offer to the natives a foil of eafy and favourable cultivation. Groups of cocoa-nut trees fcattered on the (hore, afford fhelter to fome cottages, which ad- ditionally embelliili thofe charming plantations. That Oct.] of la perouse^ 42^ That if] and, on which the Dutch haye a fmall •lettlement, is in 10° 25^ 4H" S. lat. and 119° 45' ] q" E. longitude. About noon, a httle ifland, within our view, extended from S. 4(5° 3o^ W. to S. 57° 30' W. at the diftance of 7>500 toifes. It appeared to us not to exceed 5,100 toifes in length. Its lati- tude is 10° 28' 50" S. and its longitude 1 19° 50/ 17" E. 29th. At fix o'clock A. M. New Savu bore E. 31'' 30^ S. at the diftance of about 5,100 toifes. That little ifland, which is very low, is in 1 0" 37' 28" S. lat. and 1 19° 2^ 47" E. longitude. At fun-fct, we faw" a part of the illand of San del Bofe, in the N. N. E. diftant about 2 0,5 00 toifes. It is covered with mountains of a mode- rate elevation, and is fituated in 10° 27' 4" S. lat. and 1 18° 6' 34" E. longitude. The pofition of a little ifland, which bore from N. 1° E. to N. 30 30' W. at 20,5oo toifes diftance, was afcertained to be 10° 27' S. lat. and 118° 7' 5" E. longitude. 30th. This day the current ceafed to fet wefl- ward, and carried us ten minutes northward. The bight in the coaft of New Holland to the fouth ward of Timor, probably caufes this different diredion of the currents, which conftantiy fet from eail to weft through Endeavour Strait ; for : they 436 VOlTAGI: IN SEARCH [l/O^. they foon refumed their wefterly direction, and carried us from 20 to 24 minutes daily. It muft be obferved, that Captain Cook> after having paffed Endeavour Strait, experienced,- like us, a change in the currents, for twenty-four hours, but in a ftill greater degree than we did. 3lft. After lofmg fight of San del Bofe, we met with no other land till our arrival on the fouth-wefl; coafl of New Holland. The light winds which we experienced, made us appr^hen- five, that w^e fhould arrive on that coaft, too late to iinilh. our furvey of it. November 3d. In the afternoon of this day, ■^ve were probably at no great diflance from fome rocks, for we were furrounded with a great num- ber of birds, which never venture far from the land, and we did not lofe fight of them, till the approach of night. 4th. We continued to fee many birds this day. Navigators in traversing thofe feas, ought to re- double their vigilance, in order to avoid the rocks, which thofe birds frequent. l6th. Our ftag fell over board during the night, through an opening, left at the extremity of the gangway, much larger than neccffity re- quired. Befides this lofs, wc had to regret that one of our hinds had been delivered over to the butcher's knife, bccauic it was dying with fick- nefs. Nov.] 'of LA PEROl^SE. 4^1 nefs. We acquainted Captain Huon With thi* accident, begging him to take all pofUblc cafe of his ftag ; but it died before our arrival in New Holland. We paiTed the Trials at too great a diftance to have a view of them ; but we iaw a great num- ber of birds, which doubtlefs took fheiter there during the night. The fpecies of cockroach, called blatfa germa- nica, had multiplied to fuch a degree, during th€ months we had palfed between the tropics, as to incommode us exceedingly. Thofe infeds, not contented with our bifcuits, gnawed our linen, paper, &c. Nothing came amifs to them. Their tafte for vegetable acids was furprizing ; no iboner was a citron opened than they attacked it ; but it was ftill more aftohilhing to obferve the rapi- dity with which they emptied my ink-glafs, when I happened to leave it open. The caufiiicity of the vitriol which they fwallowed, appeared to have no bad efFed: on them. The fugar extracted from the fago-tree, which we brought from Amboyna was a bait, which they could not refift. We deftroyed great num- bers of them, by mixing a fmall quantity of that fugar with water in a vefTcl, into which they tumbled. Thofe infers tormented us dill more in the night 435 VOYAGE IN SEARCa [l 792« night than in the day^ They continually difturbed our repofe, by paffing over any part of our bodies which happened to be uncovered. The cockroach, called hlatta ortenialiSf made its appearance on board fdon after our departure from Breft ; but it foon took leave of us, and its place was fupplied by the firft mentioned fpecies* 17th. This day w^e were carried 38'' to the north- weft. The Trials, from which we Wfcre not far diftant, and.fome fhoals, doubticfs caufed vejy ftrong currents. , 1 gth. This day we paiTed the tropic of Capri- corn. The mercury in the barometer role, on the fame day, to 28 inches 5 lines, which appeared the more furprizing, as it varies but little in the tropical regions. It was befides the only in- ftance, in our whole voyage, in which it rofe fo high in fuch a latitude. Although the thermo- meter was not lower than 18°, we experienced a keen fenfation of cold. 21ft. We began tp meet wath variable winds, bein^ in latitude 25° S. Our goats daily perifhed for want of proper food. We loft at the rate of two in the day. 28th. About five o'clock P. M. the Efperance being to windward, had very nearly run foul of us ; though the wind was favourable for fteering. That piece of negligence in the officer of the watch. jDec] of la PEROUSEi 438 watch, might greatly have injured the fhips, and might have obhged us to abandon our defign of viiiting the fouth-wefl coaft of New Holland, which it was our bufmefs to explore, without lofs of time. But fortunately a boom, placed in the critical moment between the Ihips, prevent- ed the accident. December 6th. The appearance of feveral fpecies of fea-gulls, and other birds, which never flray far from the coaft, indicated our proximity to land. The wind blew too violently from the S. S. W. to permit us immediately to ftand in for it with fafety. Befides, the fea having been ftrongly agitated, and the horizon much ob- fcured with clouds, we refolved to fteer S. E. | S. hoping that next day circumftances would be more favourable. At noon, we found our latitude to be 34° 12^ fouth, and our longitude 112^ eaft. We lay to all night, founding many times with 1 1 2 fathoms of line, without finding any bottom. 7t^. About half paft two in the morning, we were fteering E. S. E. and at day-break, the Ef- perance made the fignal for land at N. E. diftant about 15,400 toifes. It was the weftern extre- mity of the fouth- weft cojift of New Holland, Vol. I. E e difcovercd 434 VOYAGE IN SEARCH _ [l/Q^ difcovered by Lewen in l622 ; being a low land^ extending from N. W. to S. W.* At fix o'clock v/e tried, E. I S. E. and when we came within 5,000 toifes of the coaft, we followed its direction towards the S. E. A very ftrong gale at W. N. W. drove us at the rate of" 15,400 toifes in the hour. The interior country was interfperfed with fandy downs, which had the appearance of the greatefl: fterility. Thofe fmall hills, fcattered on a flat country, looked at a diftance like little iflands. In the intervals which feparated them were fome flirubs, the blackifh foliage of which^ ■indicated a ftate of fuiFering. The peaked rocks, which rofe in the midft of thofe fandy plains, the explained formation of the downs, the bafes of which were doubtlefs compofed of other rocks of the fame nature, but of forms more favourable to the accumulation of the fand by the winds. Frefli water muft be fcarce in fuch fandy re- gions, where that which falls from the clouds doubtlefs penetrates to great depths, without meeting with ftrata to ftop their progrefs. This morning our blackfmith was found dead * Should not this laft bearing be S, E. ? — Tran/Iatcry iijk Dec] of la perouse. - 435 in his hammock. The preceding evening- he had partaken of a feafl, which the gunners for- merly ufed to celebrate with exadnefs. They had long been faving a confiderable part of their provifions for this entertainment. The unfortu- nate fon of Vulcan, extenuated, like the reft of us, by the abftinence to which we had been con- demned fnice our departure from Amboyna, had too much indulged his appetite, and we were de- p«rived of him by a ftroke of the apoplexy. Tiiis lofs would have been irreparable, if good fortune had not condud:ed on board of our fliip, at the Cape of Good Hope, the very intelligent work* man who fucceeded him. At noon, being in latitude 34*' 45^ 36" fouth, and longitude 113° 38^ 56", the neareft part of the coaft bore N. E. diftant 5,100 toifes ; and the land we faw, fet from W. 15° S. to E. 40° 30' S. The mountains now began to affume the ap- pearance of a regular chain, the higheft of which did not fecm to exceed 200 toifes in perpendicu- lar elevation. We obferved large trails of them entirely denuded of vegetation : in other places? feeble flirubs were fparingly fcattered, with here and there a tree of moderate height. The mountains fometimes prefented feveral •chains, rifmg by degrees above each other, E e 2 At 435 VOVAGE IN SEARCH [lyQi^ At four o'clock P. M. we faw Ibitie breakers hear the coaft, and a little to the eailward, two rocks 510 toifes from the beach, and which \vc paffed at a very fmall diftarice. The largeil was remarkable for a feparation in the middle, from which rofe perpendicutafly, about twenty-five toifes above the level of the fea, an ifolated piece, in the form of a very flat plate. I took it and its bafe, to be compofed of a fort of hard grey ftone. We admired the fine effedlof the weaves, w^hich rifmg to the very fummit of the rock, aflumed a colour perfed;ly white, and defcend* ing again in foam, difptayed that fmgular rock^, as if it had jufl emerged from the bofom of the deep. The coafl then extended very regularly towards E. S. E. its little bights being terminated by points, the mofl proininent of which fcarcely advanced 1,000 toifes into the fea. Being driven by an impetuous wind, we were not without apprehenfions, on finding ourfelves {6 near a coafh which offered us not the leait fhelter ; but we clawed off during the night, by fleering S. S. W. A very rough fea from the W. N. W. made our fhip labour prodigioufly. Having been fo long accuflomed to navigate fmooth feas, we had loft the habit of fupporting fuch violent agitation : the wind blew in impe- tuous Dec] of la perouse. ' 437 tuous fqualls, and allowed us to carry very little fad. 8th. About half an hour paft fix this morning we ftood to the north-eaft, towards the land, near to which a ftrong breeze at weft foon carried us ; but w^e fell to leeward. The coaft then ftretch- ed almoft diredily eaftward ; and the interior land prefented the fanie appearance as on the preced- iijg day. We obferved vaft yellowifh tracks, w hich appeared to conllft of hard ftone, on which wx did not diftinguifh the fmalleft trace of ve- getation. At noon our latitude was 35° 1/^ foKth, and our longitude 115" 12^ caft. In a little time the mountains fubfided, and we came in fight of a vaft plain of fand, in which were interfperfed, at great diftances, little hills, of which fome formed .capes, advancing a fmall way into the fea. About four o'clock P. M, we paifed a clufter of rocks, fituated near the coaft, and fcarccly cover- ed with flirubs, the difmal green of vihich was a proof of the fteriljty of the foil.. At fix, we were abrcaft of a bay, of which we could not fee the fartheft extremity. It would have afforded us .pcrfcd; fecurity againft the impetuous winds which blew, while we were upon tliat coaft. A foreland; which advanced from the north- weft to E c 3 the 438 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l7Q2' the fouth-eaft, near 5,ooo toifes into the fea, fome little iflands and feveral rocks, fituated at the entrance of that bay, prefented abundant pro- tection from the winds in the offing ; but the waves ran fo high as to prevent us from fending a boat to found it. We lay to during the whole night. Being about 2,500 toifes from the fhore, we had foundings with 42 fathoms of line, the bot- tom being ilieils and bits of coral mixed with very tranfparent quartzofe fand, "vvhich feemed to me an indication that we fliould have found a good bottom in the bay which we had pafled. gth. During the night, a clear iky permitted us to fee the land, from which we ftood off a little, having dill the fame kind of bottom. The weft wind was not very violent, and at half paft four in the morning, we made fail, in order to ftand along the coaft, which trended to- w^ards the north-eaft, and a httle farther on, to- wards the eail: and the fouth-eaft. At eight o'clock we pafled a bay, which ap- peared to reach 15,400 toifes into the land, and to have an opening of at leaft equal extent. It is expofed to the fouth-eaft wind, but fecure againft that of the weil. Farther on, we faw in the offing fomiC little ,yock?, not very diftant from the ffiore. At Pec] of la perouse. 43g At noon, being in latitude 34° 48^ fouth, and longitude 1 iG^ 52^ eaft, we iliw, within the land, N. 4" W. a mountain mofe elevated than any ■which we had obferved, on the preceding days. Being ifoiated amidft vaft plains of land, it pro- duced a very pidiurefque efFexfl, and appear-ed to be about 25,500 toifes diftan-t from the coaft. Its Ihattercd iiimmit expofed to view many irre- gular peaks, molt of them perpendicular. Such peaks indeed extended over the whole mountain, which ftretchcd 7,<3oo toifes from eaft to wxft. This configuration left no room to doubt, that the rocks of which itconfifted were not extremely hard- We had not yet ieen the leaft indication of in- habitants, fmce we began to coafl: thofe llerile lliores. It was to be fuppofed, that fome Iprings of frelli water would attratft them to the bale of that mountain ; and accordingly the fmoke ot two fires, which they had kindled, convinced us of their prefence. About half pall four ©"dock P. M. after having doubled a cape terminated by fome rocks near the lliore, we came abreall: of a bay as wide as that which we had feen in the morning, but not i-eaching fo fur into the la^id. The lurroundmg land was generally very low ; but w-e obferved, towards its calicrn part, fome little hills detached E e 4 from 440 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [^7Q2. from each other. It offers excellent fhelter from weft and fouth-weft winds ; but it is entirely ex- pofed to thofe of the fouth-eaft. Tropical birds with red ftreaks, and fome al- batrolfes, of a darker colour than thofe commonly feen at the Cape of Good Hope, flew around the lliip. "^ We lay to all night, and founding every hour, Y/e had conftantly thirty-three fathoms of water, with a bottom of grey fand. 10th. At half paft four in the morning, we ftood towards N. i N. E to get in with the coaft, and we foon faw it extending from N. 2^^ E. to W. 25° N. A clear horizon permitted us to fee other low lands, ftretching towards the north- caft. We foon after paiTed between the main land and the reefs, which were 10,200 toifes diftant from it. About eight o'clock, we left others, l_',8oo toifes diftant ; and it was not long till we faw, that a little ifland w^hich we perceived to- wards the eaft, was connefted to the land by a chain of reefs whiv.h, advancing into the offing, otlig :d us to keep on its fouth fide till we had doubled it. Three fires fucceffively kindled o.n the point of land, where the reefs originated, apprized us that the natives were on that ipot. The produce of the Dec] of la perouse. 441 the fea is doubtlefs the principal refource of thofe people, who inhabit fo barren a foil. At noon, we were in 34° 11^ fouth latitude, and 1 1 8° 22'' eaft longitude, when the little illand already mentioned bore N. 38° W. at the dif- tance of 1,020 toifes. Other -£res lighted along the coaft, fent up large columns of fmoke, intended no doubt, bj the inhabitants, to let us know that they were there. About half paft four o'clock, we ftood away from a little illand, diftant 20,500 toifes from the coaft. It was joined to a feries of reefs, which extended above 5 1 0 toifes towards the eaft. The lead then indicated ten fathoms water, but fome time afterwards, twenty -one fathoms of line did not reach the bottom. We were becalmed, a fhort fpace, towards the clofe of the day ; but a fmall breeze at fouth-eail foon fprung up, and permitted us to ftretch to the fouth- weft, which courfe we held during the whole night. We hove the lead every hour, and had a bot- tom of quartzofe fand, mixed with broken lliells and coral, at a depth varying from twenty-five to thirty-three fathoms. 11th. This morning, we ftood towards the eaft. 44^ VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l702. eaft, with all fails fet, having a frefh breeze fron; the W. N. W. At fix o'clock A. M. The mercury in the ba- rometer had fallen more than three lines. Al- though the weather was fine, this certain indica- tion of a great lofs of equilibrium in. the atmo- fphere, merited ferious attention. We neverthe- lefs advanced before the wind, towards the centre of a group of little iflands, about 5,100 toifes from the coaft, although we were uncertain cf finding a pafiage between them, when wc faw them" at a diftance. About ten o'clock, when wc were intangled among them, we difcovcred that they were joined together by reefs. The fky aifumed a menacing afpe(fl:, the horizon lowered in the W. S. W. and prefently the v/ind blew from that point, with the greateft impetuofity. It was to no purpofe, that we fpent a long time in feeking among thofe reefs an opening, which might al- low us a pafiage into the open fea; and as we had no other than that by which wc had entered, we put about, in order to gain it. The impetuofity of the tempeft having forced us to furl mofi; of our fails, the Ihip fell off fo much, that we went to leeward of our intended exit. Our running rigging giving way on all fides, our manoeuvres .were much retarded. Our repeated attempts to extricate Dec] of la perouse. 443 extricate ourfelves, were unfuccefsful : we always fell back into our dangerous fituation, there to beat about, in a fpace abounding with funken rocks, at different depths, on which the iliip was in danger every inftant of being dafhcd to pieces ; and it required an experienced eye to diftinguifh thofe rocks, in a fca fo ftrongly agitated. Citizen Raoul, a very fkilful young mariner^ in whom our Commander had great confidence, was at the mafl head, directing the movements of the Ihip. Many times we were carried clofe to rocks concealed by the waves ; but he conducted us fafely paft them all, though it was very difficult to diftinguifli them, even at a fmall diftance. The Efperance, which did not keep to wind- ward fo well as our fhip, was clofe in with the fhore, havinp" no other alternative than to caft an- chor or be flranded. About one P. M. we faw her at a conllderable diftance, in a place where we did not think flie could come to an anchor. She had clued up all her fails ; and we were very uneafy about her, being apprehenfive that flie had ftruck. But the iteadinefs of her mafls foon re- moved our fears, by fliewing us that ihe was riding at anchor. Her dillance, however, and the force of the wind, hindered us from diftinguifhing her fignais. We did not hcfitate to have recourfe to the fame 444 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l 7Q2. fame Ihelter. The Commodore immediately gave orders to bear down under the fore-fail ; and we were foon alongfide of the Efperance, which was feebly defended from the waves by a little ifland. We were advifed by thofe on board that frigate, to fteer clofe to the land, in order to obtain a bet- ter ftation than they. In approaching near to the little illand, we had the frightful fpe^lacle of an impetuous fea which, when it had cleared the fouth point, opened, by its precipitate fury, a gulph which expofed to view part of the bafe of the rock. The dread of coming too near the land induced us to let go our anchor to windward of the Efperance, but not fufficiently within the anchoring place, to avoid falling foul of her, if our fhip fliould drag her anchors. The danger was fo much the greater, as our Iheet-anchor could not hold faft the fliip. The axes were in readinefs to cut the mafts, in order to give lefs hold to the wind, when our bell bower fecured us in our pofition. We now rode at anchor in nineteen fathoms of water, with a bottom of quartzofe fand, mixed with broken Ihells. We were violently agitated by the waves, and expofed to almoft the whole force of the wind ; and we were apprehenfive that our cables woul.d give w^ay, in which cafe we muH have been dafh- cd Dec] of la perouse. 445 ed upon the rocks, where the waves broke in a tremendous manner. In the evening, we let go a tl)ird anchor, to give us more fecurity againft fuch violent agita- tion. 12th. The mercury in the barometer, which had funk to 27 inches 8§ lines, fenfibly rofe, as foon as day light appeared, and announced to us the termination of the tempeft. The furge having confiderably abated, Captain Huon fent his boat to tell us, that on the preced- ing day, the Efperance was driving towards the land fo rapidly, that ihe was on the point of being ftranded, when Citizen Legrand, an officer of diftinguillicd merit, went to the maft-head, in the Very midll of the tempeft, and almofl; immedi- ately came down, exclaiming with enthufiafra, that the fiiip was out of danger ! He then pointed out the anchoring- place, w^hich he had viewed, and in which he was certain that fhe would ride in fafety. This difcovery favcd both the lliips ; for the Recherche, obliged to beat about in the night among dangerous rocks, after ftruggling as long as fhe could, againft the tempeft, in hopes that a chansre of the wind would enable her to o get into the open fea, would at lafl have been mfallibly wrecked. ■ We gave to that bay the name of Citizen Le- grand, 446 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l792* grand, which will recal the fignal fervice which that able mariner rendered to our expedition. His advice was to come to nearer the land, and it was to be regretted that it was not followed, for the larboard chain by which the Efperance rode gave way in the night by the force of the waves, and that frigate fwinging by one anchor, would foon have been driven afhore, if another anchor had not fortunately taken hold. That fhip had alfo loll: tvt'o of her rudder-irons, and had no fpare ones to replace them. They were broken by the violent fliocks of the waves againft the rudder, in the combined motion of pitching and rolling. The motion of pitching, all things elfe alike, is much quicker at anchor than at fea. From the place where we lay at anchor, we reckoned twelve little iflands, befides^the rocka a;nd breakers, v.'hich atforded us llielter. The fea^ in that vail: bafui^ fent in very heavy waves ; but fortunately we were anchored in good holding grourid. The little iflandj to leeward of which we lay at anchor, bore from S. 25° W, to W. 3^^ N. In the morning, a boat was fent thither from each fnip, to take the foundings ; for we intended to come nearer to it. They found every where an excellent bottom, and eight fathoms of water, at a fmall dillance from the land. Some Dec] of la perouse. 447 Some perfons, in order to get on fhore, were obliged to plunge into the water, for the boat would have been ilove, if it had gone near enough to fet them on Ihorc dry. Many Icais, of the fpecles which BufFon deno- minates petit phoque, and Linnaeus phoca puJtlJa, bafked quietly in the fun^ upon the rocks and the fandy beach ; and fonie of them allowed them- felves to be knocked on the head. It is proper to obferve, that the figure which BufFon gives this amphibious animal, has undoubtedly been taken from a fkin badly ftuifed ; for it reprcfents the neck much fmaller than the head, as is the caie in moft quadrupeds ; but the fcal being formed for fwimming, has nearly the fhape of a filli, the head being lefs than the neck. In the fame figure, the ears are reprefented as very open, whereas they are nearly of a conical fhape, without any other aperture than a longitu- dinal flit. It would feem that nature intended to hinder the water from entering the ears of that animal ; for he has the power of fhutting them clofely when under the water, and of open* ing them, though flightly, when he emerges. On the fame illand, there was a numerous flock of fwans, fevcral of wliich allowed themfelves to be taken by the hand ; but the reft, apprized of ihe danger, immediately flew away. This new ipecies. 44$ VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l 792. fpecies. Is fomewhat fmaller than our wild fwan, and of an afh-coloured grey, a little lighter on the belly. The bill is blackifh, with a tumour of a fulphur-yellow at its bafe. The legs are ilightly tinged with red. Our main-fail had fuffered a fmall rent when we wxre flruggling againft the tempeft the pre- ceding day. This morning we availed ourfelves of the fine weather, and Ihifted it. loth. A fmall breeze at fouth-eaft, fucceeded the tempeft. As the moment was favourable, we warped, early in the morning, nearer to the Ihore, from whence we w^ere then diftant but about 150 toifes. I landed on the little illand on the fouth-weft of us. It Is mountainous, and not more than 2,050 toifes in length, and 1,025 in breadth. The fwell was not yet fufficiently abated to allow us to land with facility. It was neceflary for us to fcize the moment of the higheft furge for allowing our wherry, kept faft by a fmall painter, to come clofe to the beach, and each time one of us leapt on fliore. As the edge of the wherry, on which it was neceffury to place the foot, in order to jump out, prefented an in- clined plane, and the beach w^as fteep, we ran the rifk of tumbling into the water, and being carried off by the furges, which followed each other very quickly. Dec] of la perouse. 44g quickly, and from which even a good fwimmer would have found it difficult to efcapc. That was not the' only d-anger we had to apprehend ; for we might have fallen a prey to a large lliark, which kept at a fmall diftance a-f!:ern. We had obfcrved him hovering about the Hiip ever fince day-break, and he followed our boat as if he longed for one of us. The chaplain of the Re- cherche fell into the water, and would have been devoured by that anima], if the cockfvvain of the boat had not refcued him frorn the danger. Some fa ilors belonging to the Efperance, when ftrolling upon the rocks, killed a number of feals of different colours ; white, grey more or lefs deep, and brown, bordering upon black. They were, however, all of the fame fpecies, which has been denominated by ^w^on petit pJwque. Their flefli was found very good eating. The little ifland on which wc were, was com- pofed of fine granite or quartz. There were alfo quantities of feldt-fpar and mica ; this laft in blackilh plates. We alfo obfcrved fome fewjpi- cula of black fchorl. The granite lay bare in many places. The vegetable mould, collected in the Icaft precipitous fituations, was covered with fhrubs, fome times fo clofe together, as not to be cafily penetrated. I plucked a magnificent fpecies Vol. L F f " of 450 VOYA.GE IN SEARCH [l792, of leptojpermumy remarkable for its filvcry leaves, and bright red flowers. I found there feveral new ipecies, belonging to the tribe of ihymelea (mezereons), which have but two Jlamina, and of which Forfter has com- pofed a new genus, under the denomination of Tjanljia. I alfo obferved new fpecies of the rumexj the lobelia and the huplevrum. The w^ftern part of that little ifland prefents, in one of its higheft parts, a plain furface of cal- careous ftone, the Jlrata of which follow the gentle declivity of the mountain. Strata of the fame ftone doubtlefs formerly covered the other parts of the ifland, and mafles of granite ferved as their bafes ; but probably they have tumbled down, and have left the fteep places expofed ; for in the north-eaft, w^here the mountains fall with a very * gentle declivity, there are ftill fome calcareous ftones, at a fmall difl:ance from the beach. I was not able to difcover any fliells, by all the fearch I could make. From the fummit of that little ifland, wx had a difliant view of a part of the reefs and rocks on which our fliips were in danger of being wrecked, before they arrived at this anchorage. Their number ftill appalled us, and we were aftoniflied at having effeded our efcape from fo many dan- gers. Two Dec] of la perouse. 451 TwQ fea-gulls, a male and a female, of the fpecies called by BufFon, hourgmeftre, and by Lin- nasus, larusfiifaiSy perched upon the heights at a fmall dlftance from us. The female having been Ihot, the male frightened by the noife of the ex- plofion, took to flight ; but prefently returned, and being determined not to abandon his mate, was killed by her fide ! I alfo fired at a feal, which lay at a diftancc from me. Feeling himfelf wounded, and diftruil- ing his ftrength, he durft not take to the water. Immediately another very large one, hearing the cries of that which I had wounded, came and licked the blood with apparent fatisfadlion ; but at the fight of a long-boat, which Vv'as Peering towards them, they plunged into the fea. Soon afterwards, I faw more of thofe animals advancing towards the beach. Before they ven- tured upon the land, they never failed to raife their bodies nearly half out of the water, and they remained fomc time in that attitude, fmelling and gazing all round, in order to difcover whether or not they could fafely come and repofe upon the rocks. 14th. As on the preceding day, I had gathered an abundant harveft of objeds of natural hiftory, of different genera, it became neceiiary for mc to F f 2 pafs 452 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l7Q2* pafs a part of this day on board, in order to defcribe and prepare them. About five o'clock P. M. the tents belonging to the obfervatory were fent on fnore to be pitched. I wifhed to. embrace this opportunity to make another vifit to the little ifland. As the tide was only beginning to rife, a landing could ftill be effected ; but in a little time it vv^ould been im- poffible to get back to the boat, and we fhould have been obliged to pafs the night on Ihore. This confideration prevented feveral of my com- panions from landing. The interval to be got over before reaching the fliore, was about twenty feet, and at every furge, the water rofe there above fix feet perpendicularly. There was a ne- ceffity for feizing the moment between the tvro furges, or of running the rifk of being fwept into the fea, an accident which actually happened to the furgeon's mate of the Recherche. He had told us before hand, that he would get on fliore with dry feet ; but not being fufficicntly quick in his motion, he was hurried along the Ihore by a violent furge. Fortunately he could fwim, and returned towards the boat ; but in a very different plight Irom what he had fuppofed, when he boafted of his agility. Thofc who had landed w^ere obliged to pafs the Dec] of la perouse. ' 453 the night on fhore, without any other provifions than a few bifcuits. Urged by thirft, they fcram- bled in a very dark night,, above 1 ,000 toifes, over rocks, in order to procure, wiiter, and, to add to theif misfortune, they found it brackifli. Enormous fliarks, of the moft common fpecies, Xhcfqualus car-chanas, frequently appeared in the bafni where we lay at anchor. On board the Ef- perancc, they caught one which was about thir- teen feet in length, and of more jthan proportion- able bulk. As every circumftance convinced, us of the impoffibility of renewing our flock of water, the officer iecond in command ordered, that each perfon fliould be allowed only three quarters of a bottle daily. At the fame time he, as well as the Commander in Chief, ufed it without rcfhri(flion. I thought, however, that water was one of thofc articles, the enjoyment or privation of which ought to have been extended to all, without dif- tin6lion. ]5th. The 2:eo2;raphical en8;incer of the Re- cherche, fet out at day-break, in the barge, to furvey the little group of iflands, to examine whe- ther there was any pallage to the callward, be- tween the rocks, and to look out for a proper w^atering place. I ardently wilhed to have joined fhis expedition ; but as geographical operations F f 3 have 454 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l792. have but little connexion w^ith refearches in na- tural hiftory, v^e were not apprized of the hour of departure, for which every thing was arranged fo clandeflinely, that I knew nothing of it, till the barge was pufning off from the frigate. The impoffibihty of getting a boat to convey me to the main land, made me refolve to pals this day, on the ifland in the fouth-weft, the fea- iine of which T traced, fetting out in a'north- wefterly direction. I foon arrived in the fouth- weft part of the ifland, near the moft elevated land, where I found a little rill of freih water, iffuing from a fiffure in a granite rock. This dif- covery diffufed great joy among us ; for we had been for fome time reduced to very fhort allow- ance of that article. Very near that rill, I faw fome cavities full of limpid water, which I had reafon to believe as frelh as that which iifucd from the rock ; for it was more than 200 toifes above the level of the fea. But I was millaken : it was very fait, and farther on, other excavations filled with the fame water, were t)ordered with cryftals of fea fait in Jamhia fo thin, that at a certain diftance, they refembled glafs. This fad: having been mentioned on board by thofe who accompanied me, fome perfons, in order to account for the phenomenon affirmed, that the waves mull beat up to that height Dec] of la perouse. 455 height in bad weather, notvvithftanding the coaft was guarded by very large rocks ; although in* deed they were but at a fmall diftance from the bafes of the mountains. As the rill, which was very w^eak, furniflied flowly the w^ater necclTary to quench our thirfi, we wxre obliged to remain befide it, vshcn prc- fently fome little drops of the fait water with which we were wetted, convinced me that the air raifed to the place where we ftood, the iea water, attenuated by impinging againft the rocks. It was not long till our clothes were covered with it, as if we had been expofed to a flight fog ; and this water had loft none of its faltnefs. Some birds came to our retreat to quench their thirft. There I killed the charming yellow turtle dove, remarkable for fix or eight golden feathers towards the bafcs o{ its wings, and which induced White to call it The golden winged pigeon (fee page 43, where he has given a good figure of it). I had before found the fame fpecies at Cape Die- men. There wc alfo caught many- penguins, of the fpecies called apfenodyta minor ^ and which Captain Cook likewifc met with at New Zealand. They were in the fame manner concealed in very deep holes in the rocks, from whence it was frequently ycry difficult to expel them. Ff4 The 456 VOTAGE IN SEARCH [^7Q2. The fummit of one of the highefi: mountains, which I vifited this day, for the firft time, was formed of calcareous ftone difpofed in ftrata al- moll: horizontal, fimilar to thofe which I had be- fore m.et with on thofe heights. It was of a very iine grain, with fome few fmail cavities. I did not there obferve any fhells. It may be prefum- ed, that that conformation was the etfed: of a flow depofition of calcareous matter in a ftate of folution. The change of the foil prefented me with fome plants, which I had not yet found, I gathered a new fpecies of very tall ffaUlanteJ eucalypt2(Sy of which the following is a defcrip- tion : The moft elevated twigs of that flirub, are not above thirteen feet in height. They are fmooth, are furnifhed, chiefly towards the extremity, with- leaves, alternate, oval, elongated, flightly bent, and about four inche.^ in length. The flowers are feffile, and generally eight or ten in number, at the extremity of a common peduncle, about an inch and one-fiith in length, having all the chara<5lers of the genus eucalyptus. Their flamina, which are very numerous, have long liiaments of a yellow colour. The ftyle pro- jects a little over the flamina. The calix is very much elongated, and is ^ pulhed Cucn?./,fO,<. ■^EC] OF LA PEROUSE. 459 three lower ones are equal among themfelves, ilrait and terminated by a point. The iupcrior border of the vexillum is hollow- ed, and almoft entirely covers the alas of the carina. The ftamina, which are fix in number, are all feparatcd from one another. The ovarium is oval, elongated, and terminated by a recurvated Hyle. The pod is oval, and filled with a great number of black and almoft fpherical feeds. This plant is perennial, and its leaves are iimple, alternate, feffile, coriaceous, long, dentated, and have two little fpines for ftipulce. The form of the leaves has induced me to de- lineate this fpecies, under the name of cJiorlzema eiicijo Explanation of the Figures. Plate XXI , Fig. 1 . The plant. Tig. 2. The flower. FJg. 3. The expanfion of the petals. Fig. 4. The ftamina ; the corolla and the calix having been removed. Fig. 5. The ovarium. Fig. 6. The pod. • Very early in the morning the Eiperance had fent a boat to the main land, with a view to fome aftronomical 460 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l 79-. aftronomical obfervatlons. Citizen Riche had alfo landed there. The rendezvous was fixed for two o'clock in the afternoon, at the landing place i but the boat's crew waited in vain till fcYcn in the evening, when they v/ere obliged to return to the fliip, from their want of provifions, and the dangerous fituation of the boat, if the furge had rifen ever fo little. They left upon the beach a written note, acquainting Citizen Riche, in cafe he fliould return thither, that they would return and take him off very early the next morning, if the weather would permit. The geographical engineer, who had been fent to furvey the little iflands, returned in the evening, having deterrnined the pofition of more than twenty of them, fcattered in the fpace of a de- gree in longitude, and as much in latitude. He landed in fevejr^l places, without finding a com- modious watering place, and the only rill of frefh water which he difcovered could fcarcelv furnifli a fufficiency for the daily confumption of the fliips. But he had found an anchoring place, be- hind the point of the mainland, which bore from us, E. N. E. but it was not fo deep as that which we occupied. The difcoveries of Nuyts terminated at this archipelago. We were aftoniflied at the prccifion with which the -latitudes had' been determined by Dec] of la perouse. - 4O1 by that navigator, > at a time when nautical and aftronomical inflruments were fo imperfed:. I oua:ht to extend the fame obfervation, to almoft all thofe afcertained by Lewen on this coaft. For fome days the winds had blown from the eaft, inclining to the north in the morning, and to the fouth in the afternoon. The fands, fl'rongly heated by the folar rays, caufed this diurnal varia- tion. The equilibrium of the atmofphere was not affefted by thofe winds, and hence the mercury in the barometer commonly ftood at 28 inches, 3 or 4 lines. 17th. This day the weather being favourable, a boat was fent in queft of Citizen Rlche. That naturalift, enraptured with the riches and no- velty of all the produ(5lions of that region, which ,no obferver had hitherto vifited, had doubtlefs been fo abforbed in admiration of them, that he had quickly loft his way ; and he had not yet re- turned to the appointed rendezvous. When advancing in the diredion which he w^as feen to take on the preceding day, our people faw, at a fmall diftance, fome favages, with whom, however, any communication was impoiTiblc ; for they always fled when our people oucred to ap- proach them. The fituation of Riche was fo much the more alarming, as he had been abfent nearly a day and a half, 452 VOYAGE IN SEAKCH [^7Q2. a half, and as we knew that he had landed upon that flerile foil without provifions. The boat, which returned about two o'clock in the afternoon, brought the difmal intelligence that he was not to be found. Captain Huon im- mediately waited on the Commodore, in order to concert with him the meafures, which it would be adyifeable to take, on this difagreeable occa- fion. The Commodore having fent for the natu- ralifl: Defchamps and me, Captain Huon told us the methods he had taken to recover our vmfor- tunate colleague ; ftating to us the dangers to which he muft necelTarily be expofed, in advanc- ing alone into the interior country, where, per- haps, he had fallen by the attacks of the favages ; in iliort, he laid, he could not but apprehend the moil fatal event, believing it to be impoffible that he could willingly have abfented himfelf fo long. The nature of thofe burning fands, which arc totally deftitute of water, rendered all the conjec- tures, which we could form concerning him, ftill more melancholy. As our ilock of water was partly confumed, and we had found no means of renewing it, at that anchoring-place. Captain Huon, atter re- prefenting to us the difad vantages of prolonging our ftay, added, that it was evident any farther fearch could only injure the expedition, without ex pr effing Dec] of la perouse. 463 expreffing the Icall hope of finding our unhappy alTociate. Defchamps, upon whom thofe arguments had the defired effed:, efpoufed the opinion of the Captain, and feconded his propofition for failing, by declaring that it could not be diilembled, that we could now do nothing more than lament the lofs of our friend. Thofe probabilities had not the fame weight with me. But it was neceflary for me to perfuade the failors ; and I employed what I thought the moft proper argument for that purpofe, by citing, in fupport of my opinion, an inftance taken from the voyages of the mod celebrated of navigators. I reminded them that, in December 1777> two failors flrayed from Captain Cook, into the ifland of Noel, one of whom was abfent a whole day, and the other eight and forty hours ; that Cook had ordered feveral detachments to fcarch for them with the greateft care ; that Noel, however, was but a little low ifland, fcarcely covered with flirubs, whereas New Holland, where Rlche had loft himfelf, w^as an immenfe region. I rcqueft- ed, therefore, that the fam.e time Ihould be al- lowed to fearch for our unhappy friend, as Captain Cook had emi ployed in fceking one of his failors. This reafoning produced all the effe^fl v/hich I could dcfire. A boat 464 VOYAGfi IN SEARCH [l792. A boat was immediately difpatched, from each iliip, for the main land ; and I had the pleafure to be of the party, whofe bufmefs it was to ufe every method, and to make every effort, to recover our unfortunate mefs-mate. The Commodore ordered guns to be fired every half hoar, to enable Hiche^ if flill alive, to dircd: his fl:eps with the more certainty towards the an- choring place. The wind favoured us, and, in a fliort time, we made good our landing. After having advanced into the country, in different diredlions, we returned to the landing place, on the approach of night. We traverfed a track wholly covered with fand, where we found extenfive fpaces abfolutely defli - tute of vegetables. But I favv with furprize, en thofe diflant fliores, the grafs known by the name qI fpmifc%fquarrofus ; and thus had a new and an admirable inftancc of the facility with which plants, which grow on the feafhore, diffufe them- fehes to prodigious diflances. In thofe arid wafles, grows a fine plant which nearly refembles the im, and which naturally claffes itfelf with the genera dilatrh and argoJaJia, It forms, however, a nev/ and a very diflindl ge- nus, principally by its irregular corolla. , • I have ,.7Vn caez^r /^ t/u\) : A a/c f Dec".] -^OF la PEROItSE.' 405 i have delineated it under the name of anigo^ zantJios. Its flowers have no calix. The corolla has the form of a tube, the edges of which are divided into fix unequal parts recur- vated inwards. It is covered with reddiih pili. I The ftamina, which are fix in number, are in- ferted under the divifions of the corolla, which is placed upon the ovarium. The llyle is fimple, as well as the ftigma. The capfule is nearly fpherical, and of the fame colour with the flower by w^hich it is fur- mounted. It has three cells filled with a great number of angular feeds. The top of the ftalk is covered with reddifli pili, like the flowers. I have denominated this fpecies antgozantlios rufa. Explanation of the Figures, Plate XXIL Fig. 1. The plant. Fig. 2. The flower. Fig. 3. The flower divided longitudinally, and expanded, in order to expofe the ftamina to view. Fig. 4. The ftamina. Fig. 5. The capfule. Although in the day, the heat was yerypower- VoL. I. Gg ful AVd VOYAGE IN SEARCH {'^792. ful upon the -land, we experienced a very keen cold in the night. As foon as day began to dawn, we divided our- ielves into .two parties. That w^hich I ^.ccom- panied advanced towards the north, andtheoth^er towards the north- weft. ., Directing our fteps by the compafs, we had proceeded at leaft 5,1 00 toifes acrofs plains of cal- careous fand, heaped up in different places, when we arrived in a very narrow bottom, where the verdure of th^; plants formed a very pleafmg con- Jt-raft with the, difmal places we had traverfed, and they grew in a very rich foil. There we faw fome cavities which afforded us a little frefh wa- ter, but they wxre too diitant to be of any ufe to the fhips. Continuing our route, I obferved in the midft of thofe fands, fome rocks of a calcareous nature, w^here I collected fome fine plants, which ftill refifted the aridity of the foil. Among the great number of the tribe of the protea, wliich I ob- ferved there, I lliall mention tw^o fpecies of hmikfia^ w^hich 1 call bank/la repens, and hanlfia nivea. The iirft has a creeping ftalk, thickly covered with reddifh down, terminated by flowers joined together in a conical form. The leaves are pinnatifid, and when very young, are v^^^ i-V^A Jiti-f fiyJ^Sfpc/i-i^n/e, F,-emdilly, /oiij/iril /Oiv. Dec] of la perouse. 467 are coated with the fame down as the ftalk ; ib that one would take that plant for feme fpecies of acroftichum ; but when more advanced in age, they- are very fmooth. Explanation of the Figures, Plate XXIII. Fig. 1. The plant. Fig. 2. The flower. . -r ; Fig. 3. The corolla divided tranferfely, and viewed through a magnifying glais. • - • Fig. 4. The ftamina magnified. Fig. 5. The ovarium, with the ftyfe and the ftigma. The fpecies of han\Jia, which I call 7iivea, is remarkable for its long leaves, dentated very deeply, and white on the under fide. Explanation of the Figures, Plate XXIV. Fig. 1 . The plant. Fig. 2. The flower. Fig. 3. The corolla expanded. Fig. 4. A part of one of the divifions of the corolla, viewed through a magnifying glafs. Fig. 5. The ftamen, viewed through a magni- fying glafs. Fig. 0. The ovarium furmounted by its ftyle. I alfo found there the eucalyptus cormita, and many other plants of the myrtle tribe. G cr 2 At 46s VOYAGE IN SEARCk [irpS- At the end of four hours, very quick walking, we arrived on the banks of a great lake which has a communication with the fea. The natives had recently made fires in many places which we paiTed. We faw no kangarous ; but their excrements^ which we faw every where in great abundance,, convinced us that that quadruped has multiplied greatly on that coaft. We alfo obferved excre- ments which very much refembled thofe of the cow ; but we did not fee the animal to which they belonged. We faw^ in the fand the prints of a cloven hoof, more than three inches in breadth. There is no doubt that that region is inhabited by animals much larger than the kan- garous. It affords but little food for birds ; and accordingly I found none in this excurfion except two fpecies, a mujcknpa, which I afterwards met with in the Moluccas, and the fine fpecies of red crefled cockatoes, pjittacus moJuccerifis, which are met with in the fame ifiands, in flocks of many hundreds. When I attempted to approach them, they always removed to a great diftancc, flying rapidly, with fudden ftarts, and emitting loud and very diiagrec :'j]e flirieks. The banks of the lake, which we followed for fom.^ time in approaching the fea, are fomewhat marfhy. The lake extends a great way into the land; Dec] of la perouse. 4oq land ; for the other party, who proceeded towards the north-weft, alfo arrived on its banks. Some of them came to our rendezvous to acquaint us, that they had obferved on the very edge of the kke, towards the part fartheft from the fea, the prints of fhoes, which left no doubt that Richc had paffed that way ; but that the marks of naked feet which appeared near his, gave grounds for apprehending that he had been dragged by the favages into the interior country. What tended to give ftill more probability to this conjecture was, that they foon found his handkerchief upon the fand, and a little farther on, one of his piftols. At a fmall diftance, they law a little fmoke from a deferted fire, around which they found fome bits of paper, on which they recognized the hand- writing of Riche ; and befides, the fand ftill bore the marks of one who had been v^fting himfelf on the fpot. We returned towards the landing place, la- menting the fate of our unfortunate mefs-mate, and had very nearly reached the fliore, in a hope- iefsftate of mind, when we faw one of thofc who had been left to take care of the boat, running to meet us with the pleafing intelligence, that Riche was ftill alive, and that he had juft arrived at the landing-place, extenuated with hunger and fatififue. He had been above fiftv-four hours on G 2: 3 ihorc. 470 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [^7Q2. liiore, with no other pro vifion than fome bits of bifcuit. The famifhed {late to which he was reduced, rendered it imprudent for his friends to allow him to indulge his appetite, and in giving him food we tried gradually to bring into a6lion the digeUive powers of his ftomach. His appear- ance, at iiril entirely difcompofed, became by de- grees re-animated. When he had recovered from the ftate of ftupor into which he had been thrown , by fo long a privation of nourilhment, he told us that, near the fire which we had found ftiil burn- ing, there was a little rill of frefn water, at which he had quenched his thirft ; and that, by dint of fcarching among the plants, analogous to thofe which yield efculent fruits, he had difcovered a fh ub of the tribe of plaqueminiers which furnifh- ei him with fome fmall fruits ; but in a quan- tity Infufficicnt for the fupply of his necefnties. On the hxd day of his abfjnce, he found the fpring, near w^hich his things had been picked up. There he paired the night, and the next day he fpent wholly in feeking the anchoring-place,- without b:ing able to find it. In all this painful peregri- nation, he had not met wilh a drop of water ; but chance happily conduced him in the evening to the fame fpring, where he palled the fecond night. Having feen favages at a diiiance, he had attempted to obtain fome intercourfe with them,\ Dec] of la perouse. 471 them, in order to know their manner of fubfift- ence, and to ailcthem for fome food ; for he was violently tormented with hunger ; but they al- ways fled, when he was advancing towards them. They frequently fet fire to the dried grafs which was difFufcd over the fand. In thai; climate, men not being under the ncccffity of wearing cloaths, they were ail abfolutcly naked. Some cazoards and kangarous of the large fpe- cies, were the only animals feen by Riche. Al- though in a ftate of weaknefs, he had carried for two days a numerous colled'tion o£ very inte- refting produ(5lions ; but, during the third day, his ftrength funk fo rapidly, that it was with great difficulty he could trail himfelf along the fhore, in queft of the ih'ip^, and in thofe circum- ftances, he was obliged to abandon his whole coileclion, not being able to rcfcrve even the moil precious articles. As foon as he had a little recovered his ftrength, we conveyed him towards the Ihips. It was to little purpofe that we made the fignals agreed upon to announce our fuccefs. Every one was fo convinced before hand of the inutility of our refearches, that they did not underftand the meaning of them, till we had come clofe to the fliips, and Riche was feen in the midft of us. The horrible fituation in which he would have been, Ggl if 4/2 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l7y2. if the opinion entertained by fome perfons con- cerning him had prevailed, ought to be arv alarm- ing and dreadful leflon to captains and natu- ralifts who undertake long voyages ; for, if we had quitted that anchoring place the day before, his exiftcnce would have been terminated by a irxoll: frightful death, in all the anguifh of the moll ter- rible defpair. Though it was demonftrated by this fa6l, that it was poffible for a man to lofe himfelf for more than two days in that country, the greater part of our failors chofe to be of a different opinion ; fome of them being more willing to believe and to fay, that Riche had dcfignedly abfented him- felf ; as if it could be believed, that he w ould wantonly expofe himfelf to all the horrors of fa- mine. During our ilay at that anchoring place, wc could not fifh with the feine. But on board the fliips, fome fifties were caught with the hook, among which w^ere the labrus cyprhwides, and feveral new fpecies of the gcnws perca. We lay at anchor, ni latitude 2>?>'^ 55^ fouth, and longitude 11 9" 82^ eail. The variation of the compafs was found to be 0° weft. 19th. All the boats having been got on board 'over night, we w^aited for the morning to weigh anchor. X)ec.] of la perouse. 473 anchor, if the wind Ihould ferve. It fliifted from the N. E. to the E. S. E. and at fix o'clock A. M. we were under fail. Faffing to the northward of the little ifland which had flickered us, we advanced into the open fea. At noon, being in latitude 34'' 12' 54" fouth, and in longitude 1 19° 21' eaft, the mofi: foutherly of the rocks bore E. 2° S. diftant about 3,400 toiies, and the moft northerly land bore N. 3° E, For fome days, eaft winds prevailed, which niade us apprehend great difficulties, in explor- ing that coail ; and analogy gave much probabi- lity to that fuppofition ; for at the Cape of Good Hope, which even extends fome degrees farther to the fouthward than that part of New Holland, eaft winds alfo predominate at the fame feafon of the year. 24th. About noon this day, we had only reach- ed 34^ 24' fouth latitude, and 120° 22^ eaft lon- gitude ; and the little iiflands at which we had anchored were ftill in fight. The eaft wind blew very freffi in the after- noon, but in the evening, we had a hot fuffocating breeze from the land. Immediately w^e were en- veloped in a very thick fog, the air being loaded with a humidity which pervaded every thins;. I can compare it to nothing fo properly, as to thofe fosfs 474 VOYAGE IN SEA.K,CH [l792. fogs whidh Southerly winds diffufe .over the Me^ diterranean, near the. African coaft, in a very hot feafon. The fands, heated by the folar rays, had communicated to the atmofpherd an additional power of retaining water, and we fpund ourfelves immerfed, as it were, in a vapour bath of a mo- derate temperature. About eleven at night, we loft fight of the Efperance, which did not anfwer the fignals we made,, till three hours afterwards, when we heard a very diftant report of a gun. 25th. The breeze was weak : we plied clofe to windward ; and when day-light appeared, we faw the Efperance at a fmall diftance. The wind foon began to blow forcibly from the fouth-weft; and for fome time, we went at a great rate to- wards the eaft. At noon, we were in 34° 14^ fouth latitude, and 121° eaft longitude; and two hours after- w^ards, we perceived behind fome little iflands, a large bight, which appeared to offer us excellent flicker. The natives announced their prefence by the fmoke of fires, a great way from the ihore, and from each other. The barometer having defcended ftill lower than when it foretold the tempeft, which forced us to anchor in Legrand road, we Hood off fliore^ to Dec] of la perouse. 4/5 to avoid being embayed on that dangerous coaft. We afterwards lay to, for the whole night, keep^ ing the fhip's head towards the fouth and S. S. E. There was a very heavy fea : the wind blew impetuoufly from the S. W. and the W. S. W, and increafing gradually, it raged with thegreateft violence for almoft the whole night,, raifmg th^ waves to a prodigious height. We had nne, and foon after we brought to, before a very frefh breeze at weft. We founded feveral times v»ith a line of eighty- three fathoms, without reaching the bottom. As Jan.] of la perouse. 485 As we were embayed upon the coaft, by a wind at S. S. W. we were obliged to tack. 21 ft. At noon, we were in latitude 43° 44' S. and longitude 144° lO W., when the Mew-ftone bore W. 1 0" 30'' S., the Eddy-ftone S. S.E. 1°E. and the neareft land about N. N. W. at the dii- tance of 1,540 toifes. 22d. Very early this morning, we were at the entrance of the Bay of Tempefts. The wind blowing from the E. S. E. hindered us from en- tering Dentrecafteaux's Strait, where we intended to anchor in a bay which we had explored the preceding year, and which was extremely com- modious for giving our fhips all the neceflary re- pairs. But we were obliged to enter the Bay of Rocks, a name, which fome rocks almoft lev;el with the water, fituated near its middle, had in- duced us to give that bay, which is the iirft on the larboard, on entering the Bay of Tempefts, and lies in the dired:ion of north-eaft and fouth- weft. The Efperance anchored there in very good time. Having proceeded up this bay, about one-third part of its length, we found but fixteen feet of water ; and confequently it would not have been prudent for us to go farther, without founding all the way, which was the eafier to be done, as we 486 VOYAGE IN SEARCH [l7Q3. we had feveral boats afloat. Cretin, who had taken foundings in this road the preceding year, told our Commander that he would not find lefs water in it than fixteen feet ; and this prevented all farther fear ch. That affertion, however, ought not to have been entirely adopted ; for, befides that Cretin had not founded the bay fo delibe- rately as to be able to inform us refped:ing its depth within a foot or two, he was in doubt whether or not he had performed that operation at low^ water, ^a circumflance which would produce a difference of at leaft fix feet, and confequently would not have left fufficient water for our Ihip. Notwithftanding thefe confi derations, we did not hefitate to fteer to the larboard, and to approach ftill nearer to the low Ihore. The confequence was, that we ran a-ground, but fortunately upon a fandy bottom. This accident happened at half an hour pafi; nine o'clock. The wind blowing in heavy Iqualls, from the high mountains, drove the fhip violently towards the fliore, and fixed her deeper and deeper into the fand. The Efperance immediately fent her long-boat and her pinnace, which, in conjundlion with our own boats, made vain efforts, on the ftarboard fide of our ftiip, to tow her off. It then became neceilary to carry out an anchor to the W, N. W. and Jan.] of la perouse. 48J^ and to fix the fliip bj a hawfer, to prevent her from behig carried nearer the land. Next, in or- der to Hghten her, the falt-water, with which. moft of our cafks were filled, was emptied into the hold, and all the pumps fet a-going to pump it out. As foon as we had difcharged this bal- laft, we fet the capftan to work upon a large an- chor, which had been put down clofe to the firft ; but, with our utmofl: efforts, it was near one P. M. before we could difengage the Ihip from the fand-bank, and get her fairly afloat. END OF THE FIRST VOLUME. Cillet, Frinter, Salilbury-Squue. ^^A^l/ ^^^i/*- ^V^e€ ^ . f'^/C '..ms> aT>i. ^ /yi^ . .•<,.>«•«' t;v?f j?-^-^ •-i>o' r^ ^ «, i. -V- ■^o-'V ?^ ^ Ay^ 34^' '^-^tr:^ ^•'*-^'*««**y y.^-f-^?^ P i-*-*" -^-^jj ,'..y ^z*^ i^**'^ i I -;. '-v •>v^OaZ".r r fc; C^.-\ ^^cy^e^^ff^ <-^ ^-v- ,-<-»■ '^' :-V^ ^>' .^■/-■■^i- ■ <■'' K* •* • I- >nlt *• Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide Treatment Date: Dec. 2004 PreservationTechnologies A WOBLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION 111 Thomson Park Onve :.C«^.,