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dcterms:isReferencedBy "http://resolve.library.ubc.ca/cgi-bin/catsearch?bid=1658859"@en ;
dcterms:isPartOf "British Columbia Historical Books Collection"@en, "A voyage round the world"@en ;
dcterms:contributor "Milet-Mureau, L. A. (Louis Antoine), 1756-1825"@en ;
dcterms:creator "La Pérouse, Jean-François de Galaup, comte de, 1741-1788"@en ;
dcterms:issued "2017-05-09"@en, "1799"@en ;
edm:aggregatedCHO "https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/bcbooks/items/1.0347410/source.json"@en ;
dcterms:extent "x, 532 pages : maps (folded), table, illustration (folded) ; 21 cm"@en ;
dc:format "application/pdf"@en ;
skos:note """ m
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I
4
)
^
VOYAGE
ROUND THE WORLD, ■/
IN THE YEARS 1 ?85, 1786, \\787, AND 1788,
By J. F. G. DE LA PEROUSE:
' PUBLISHED. CONFORMABLY TO THE DECREE OF THE
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY,
OF THE 22D OF APRIL, I79I,
AND EDITED BY
M. L. A. MILET-MUREAU,
BRIGADIER GENERAL IN THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS,
DIRECTOR OF FORTIFICATIONS, EX-CONSTITUENT,
AND MEMBER OF SEVERAL LITERARY SOCIETIES AT PARIS.
IN THREE VOLUMES.
TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH.
VOL. I.
SECOND EDITION.
LONDON:
FEINTED FOR J. JOHNSON, ST. PAUL'S CHURCH YARD*
1799.
J3
CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME.
The French Editor s Preface ~ page i.
Preliminary Difcourfe of the French Editor p. 15*
Decree of the National Affembly, the gth February 1791, for .fitting out the Ships der
Jigned to go in Search of La Peroufe p. 59.
Decree of the National Affembly, the zid April
1791, concerning the printing the Journal*
Accounts, and Charts, fent by La Peroufe,
of his Voyage as far as Botany Bay p. 61.
Memoir, or Note'of the King, containing par-
ticiclar Inftructions to M. De La Peroufe,
Captain in the Navy± commanding the Frigates La Boujfole, and JOAJirolabe p. 62.
Firft Part. Plan of the Voyage - p. 63.
Second Part. Objects relating to Policy and Commerce - - - p. 8r,
Third ParL ' Operations relating to Ajlronomy,
to Geography, to Navigation, to Natural Phi-
lofophy, and to the different Branches of Natural Hi/lory p. 95.
fourth Part. Of the Conduct to be obferved
with the Natives of the Countries where the
two Frigates may ma'ke a Landing p. 104.
Fifth Part. Precautions to be taken for preserving the Health of the Crews, p. 110.
Extract
■Mill
VIll
CONTENTS.
Extract from M. Be La Peroufe"s'general Instructions - - - p. 117.
J^oles Geographical and Hiforical, to be added
to the King's \\ Memoir of particular Instruction to M. De La PSroufe, Southern Atlantic
Ocean - p. 118.
Great South Sea - - p. 139.
Great Equatorial Ocean - p. 153.
Great Northern Ocean - \\ p. 185.
Letter from M. Le Marechal De Cafries to
M. De Condorcet, perpetual Secretary of the
Academy of Sciences | p. 221.
Memoir drawn up by the Academy of Sciences,
jor the Ufe and Direction of the Scientific
Perfons embarked under the Orders of 'M. De
Z,a Peroufe
p. 222.
p. 224.
p. 226.
p. 231.
p. 232.
p. 234.
P- 235-
p. 238.
p. 241.
Quejiions propofed by the Society of Medicine,
to the Gentlemen zvho are to accompany M.
De La Peroufe on the intended Voyage, read
in the Sitting of the $iftofMay, 1785. p. 249.
§ 1 ft. Anatomy, Phyjiology - ibid.
a § 2d.
Geometry, AJironomy, Mechanics
Phytic? - -
Chemiftry -
Anatomy ~
Zoology I *
Mineralogy
Qbfervations of M. Buache
Hf»3"SS
CONTENTS.
§ 2d. Hygieine
§ 3d. Of Difeafes
§ 4th. Of the Materia Medic a
§ 5th. Surgery
1*
P- 25S-
p. 258.
p. 261.
p. 264.
Sketch of Experiments to be made for preferving
the Water on Ship-board from Corruption,
communicated to M. Dex La Peroufe by the
Abbe Tejfier, of the Academy of Sciences, and
of the Society of Medicuye \\ p. 267.
Memoir for directing the Gardener in the Occupations and Duty of his Voyage round the
World, by M. . Thouin, firft Gardener of the
Botanical Garden - - p. 276.
Inventory of the. Merchandize and Effects entr
barked on board the Ships under the Orders
of M. De La Peroufe,
and Exchanges.
P-
A Summary Account of Injtruments of Aftrono-
my, of Navigation, of Natural Philofophy,
of Chemijify, and others, for the Ufe of the
Scientific Perfons and Artifis employed in the
Voyage of Difcoveries. - - p. 321.
A Catalogue of Books of Voyages, of Aftrono-
my, of Navigation, of Natural Philofophy,
and others, conjigned to M. De La Peroufe,
for the Ufe of the Officers and Scientific Men
embarked under his Orders - P-'325-
A Lift of the Names of the Officers, Scientific
Men, Artifts and Sailors embarked in the
Frigates
± CONTENDS.
Frigates La Bouffole and VAftrolahe
der the Orders of M. De La Peroufe.
1785. p.
Narrative of an Interefting Voyage in the
gate the PrinceJJa, from Manilla to San
by F. A. Maurelle p.
Extract from the Narrative of a Voyage
in 1779, by F. A. Maurelle, for difcot
the Weft Coaft of North America p
Fri-
Blaz,
34°-
made
)ering
. 4*8.
. CHAPTER I.
Object of the Armament of the two Frigates—
Stay in the Road of Br eft—Pqffagefrom Br eft
to Madeira and Teiieriffe—Stay at thofe two
Iftands—A lourney to the Peak—Arrival at
Trinidada—We put in at the Ijland of St.
Catherine upon the Coaft of Br ofil p. 441
CHAPTER II.
Defcriptiqn of the Ijland of St. Catherine—06-
fervations and Events during our Stay—Departure from St. Catherine's—Arrival at
Conception - - p. 480*
CHAPTER III.
Defcription of Conception—Manners and Cuf~
toms of the Inhabitants—Departure from Talc-
aguana—Arrival at Eafter Ijland p. 509.
1 LIST
THE FRENCH EDITOR'S PREFACE.
THE public, familiarized with the melancholy
reflection of the lofs of the two fhips in
the unfortunate expedition commanded by La Peroufe, will be furprized at the publication of the
journal of his voyage. The decree of the conr
iiituent affembly» which ordered the engraving of
the charts and the printing of the journals fent
home by this navigator, might have announced,
however, that we*were not entirely deprived of
the benefits of his voyage. His forefight made
him not only take advantage of,"but feek for
every opportunity of fending his journals to Europe. It is to" be regretted, that the felf-love of
the fcientific perfons embarked along with him did
not allow them, In like manner, to difpatch to
their country all the fruits of their labours | we
fhould not in that cafe have had to regret the
almoft total lofs of them. La Peroufe, occupied
with the difficult, arid numerous details, which
the command pf an expedition, as important as
dangerous, rriuft neceffarily include, forced at
every ftep to judge and forefee, and confequently
" to modify his ideas according to circumftances,
£ould not collect with order, or arrange with
Vol. I. B method.
^J
Mttti
mwmm
'% THE FRENCH EDITOR'S PREFACE.
method, the materials from which he was t«
compofe a hiitory of his voyage. Thefe materials muft neceffarily appear Hill more confufed
;and mifplaced to the view of an editor, who was
personally a ltranger to the voyage.
As nothing which may contribute to extencj,
the progrefs of the human mind ought to be
neglected in voyages of difcovery, fcientific men
and artifts form an effential part in fuch expeditions : upon their, return, each arranges his own
materials,, and gives to the particular object of
•his ftudy that degree of perfection, of which it is
fufceptible; from the well-underftood connection
of thefe different p^rts refults a complete relation, whe.e all is contained, and each in its proper place. In this inftance, by an unexampled
fatality, our new argonauts have all perifhed ; and,
it has fallen to my lot, alone, by collecting whatever has efcaped the wreck, to fupply that accu?
rate and forcible reprefentation of the navigators,
who would not have expreffed any thing, but
what they themfelves had experienced.
In giving way, not without reluctance, to the
felicitations, which made me undertake this pain*
ful though honourable talk, I did not deceive
myfelf with refpect to the difficulties, which ^
muft neceffarily have to encounter in a work, all
the parts of which it was not eafy equally to com?
prife and to adjufL
THE FRENCH EDITOR 3 PREFACE. 3
■ The public will undoubtedly regret with me,
that the Ex-minifter of marine Fleurieu, at this
time member of tha national inftitute, and of
the board of longitude, inftructed as he is in
fubjects of this nature, of fuch rare and diftin-
guifhed talents, and who would willingly have
taken upon himfelf the editing of this work, was
forced, by circumftances, to relinquifh it.
The fame intereft which induced me to mani-
feft, in the tribune of the confrituent affembly, a
ftrong zeal for the publication of this voyage, for
the profit of the much efteemed widow of La
Peroufe, occasioned me to endeavour to direct
the choice of the government to a naval officer,
^capable of fupplying the place of him, who had
been at 'firft appointed to the undertaking. But
prance had already loft moft of her eminent fea
officers, and the reft were either on (ervice5 or had
voluntarily withdrawn themfelyes: it was only in
the power of the rninifter to appoint a man, who
had at leaft applied himfelf to the ftudy of natural hiftory and mathematics, an effential qualification for fuch a work. The choice of a man,
who fhould poffefs in a preferable degree this
kind of knowledge, was, beiides? conformable to
the intention of La Peroiift; for he wrote to one
of his friends nearly in thefe words. M If my
journal fhould be printed before my return, Jet
gare be taken not to entruft it to a man of
8 £ ~ letters,
I
mm
mm*m
4 THE FRENCH EPIT0R S JPREFACE.
letters, who will facrifice to the turning of #
phrafe the proper word, which may appear harih
and barbarous to him, but which the feaman and
the man of fcience would prefer, and will look
for in vain; or, perhaps, laying afide all the nautical and aftronomical dqtails, and delirous of
making of it an interefting rorr$,nce, ne W*U
commit errours, for want of knowledge which his
education may not have permitted hinvto ac-
quire, errours which will prove fatal to my fuc-
ceffors; but chopfe an editor verfed in mathematical knowledge, who maybe capable of calculating,
of combining my data with thofe of other navigators, of correcting the errours which niay have
efcaped me, and not commit others himfelf.
Such an editor will dive to the bottom ; he will
fupprefs nothing effential; he will give the technical details in a rough unpolifhed ftyle, but con-
cifely arid like a feaman, and he will perform
his talk well, by publifTiirig the work as I fhould
have wifhed to dq it rnyfeif.-5
This defire having constantly ferved me as a
rule, I declare to thofe who, in reading, have no
other object than amufernent,' that they ought
'not to proceed further; I have not laboured 'for/'
them, but only for feamen and men of fcience.
It has been my endeavour in a work, the matter of which ;s more important than the form,
mi
1m
ggi FRENCH EDITOR S PREFACE. §
and of which the belt praife will be fidelity in the
relation offadts, and accuracy in expreflion, to be
clear and concife; I have made no facrifice to
grace at the expence of truth: this confeffion is
rny excufe, at the fame time that it befpeaks the
indulgence of the reader.
It is with this view, that I have religioufly re*
fpected the character of ftyle in each author, in
meerly fubjecting their memoirs to the known
rules of language; but when an idea has pre-
fented itfelf to me, which might ferve as a
connection to others, an expreflion which might
render an image more perfect, or more obvious,
or give to a phrafe more harmony without altering
its import, I have considered rnyfelf at liberty to
employ it.
The work about to be prefented to the reader
would doubtlefs have been more valuable, had
it proceeded from the pen of the ex-mimfter
Fleurieu, who might have enriched it by his
profound knowledge : I ought, however, to make
it known, that I have confulted him as often as
I have been at a lofs, and I have always found in
him that complaifance and modefty, which are
the infeparable companions of real talent and
fcience*
If to collect, to difpofe, to arrange methodically all the parts of a work like this, were a difficult enterprize, the particulars relating to its pub-
B 3 lication.
WmWmmm
6 THE FRENCH EDITOR^ PREFACE.
nation, the toils, the refearches, and inquiries,
which the rhoft active zeal alone could go through,
and unforefeen obstacles, appeared to rendet it
impracticable.
The decree for its being printed was paffed
in the year 1791, and nothing was begun in
1793, the period at which I wras entrusted with
it. A paper money every day decreafing in value, occasioned the bargains and agreements with
the artifts and printers to be broken almoft as foon
as made, or induced them to oppofe my efforts
with a difcouraging ifiertnefs, founded upon
the hope of better times; public opinion bordering on madnefs, which then forced men to
accommodate to the times, in opposition to
the truth of hiftory, the appellations and cuf-
toms of other times* compelled me to remain inactive during more than a year j after all
this, a new paper money, and the embarrafsments
of the government when fpecie re-appeared, have
been the phyfical and moral caufes of the hindrance I have met with.
To enable me to reconcile the difficulties of
editing, which arofe out of the circumftances of
the moment, I wastlrongly importuned to write
the voyage in the third perfon. Thus becoming
the historian, and appropriating to myfelf the
materials of this wwk, I Should, have thrown
1 the
THE FRENCH EPITOll S PREFACE. |
{he navigator into the back ground : this pro-
jtofal did not gain upon my felf-love; I facrificed
it to the intereft which is always infpired by a
man who relates his own feelings, who defcribes
the difficulties of his own Situations, and who
makes you a partaker in his pleafures and pains.
If circumftances have Surrounded me with obstacles during my labour, the refult will prove,
at leaft, that government has not ceafed to protect the fciences and the arts, during the moil
aftonifhihg of revolutions* which has raifed up
fcgainft it a war as general as burdenfome.
I have explained the nature and difficulties of
my labour i I will now Speak of the form of the
work* of its distribution, and of the care taken
in the execution of it.
The title of Voyage roiind the World, which
I have given it* although Strictly fpeaking it
could not have been acquired but by the returri
of La Peroufe into one of the ports of France*
will neverthelefs not be contested* becaufe we
may confider & Voyage round the World as
terminated, when, departing from Europe* we
arrive at China, after having doubled Cape Horn,
and croffed the South Sea: befides, the events
that occurred during their year's voyage, after
their arrival- atk China, were more Striking and
ll&zardpus, than a mere return to Europe* .
b4
The
I
8 THE FRENCH EDITOR^ PREFACE-*
The work, confifting of four volumes in 8v&*
and of an atlas in 4to, is divided in the following
manner.
The firtt volume contains all the preliminary
articles relative to the expedition; I have only
added to them the translation of a Spanifh voyage, the manufcript of which was tranfmitted
by La Peroufe, and which I thought I could not
place any where elfe, without rendering the volumes too unequal.
A celebrated author refcued from oblivion the
magnanimous conduct of D'Affas, who facrificed
his life to fave the French army, by calling out,
" This way, Auvergne, here is the enemy." The
fociety of natural hiftory at Paris, had the me-'
rit of fixing the attention% of the reprefentatives
of the nation upon the expedition of La Peroufe, by the petition it prefented the 22d of
January* 1791. The affembly loft no time in
taking it into consideration, though they were
then engaged in very important bufinefs.
The two decrees which palled in confequence,
as honourable to the affembly as to thofe who
were the object of them, are placed at the head
of the work; they breathe humanity and fen-
fibility, and will forever fay to thofe who are
willing to tread in the Steps of La \\ Peroufe,
" When you Shall have Smithed your career
through all furroundine dangers, though you
fhoulel
THE FRENCH EDITORS PREFACE. £
fhould fail in the attempt, you may reft fatisfied,
that a grateful country will honourably confecrate
your name, in the temple of memory."
I have not confined myfelf to the cuflom of
publishing the names of the officers, and men
of Science, alone, who make up a part of fuch
expeditions: the publication of an exact lift of
the fhips companies appears to me to be an act-
more comformable to juftice, and to the principles of the French government jj I have thought
sllfo, that fuch a register will henceforth be the
only register of the dead, acceflible to the families of our unfortunate navigators.
The instructions and the geographical notes
which follow, written by the ex-minifter of the
marine Fleurieu, are too precious a model not to
be rendered public : it is, befides, the only an-
fwer I choofe to make to a note of Gettee
o
Forftef, mifreprefehting the truly fcientific motives which determined this expedition. I regret,
that a man whom I efteem fhould have expreffed
himfelf thus, in his Voyage Hijlorique et Pit-
torefque fut le's rives du Rhin. (Vol. J, page 311,
i of the French translation.)
" At the period, when the interesting and tin-
tively facilitate the enterprizes of each ijition.
If England, §pgin, Holland, Portugal, Ruflia*
the United States of America, and France, would
defray the expence of an expedition every three
years, we might be certain, that in lefs than
twenty years geography would attain i its utmoft
limits.
Undoubtedly France would have continued to
favour the progrefs of geography, if, for fome time
paft, interferes of far greater importance, and an
expensive war to fupport thefe interests, had . not
wholly occupied her, and contracted all her exertions; but peace, by recalling, in a great meafure*
the attention of government to the fciences and
arts, promifes us new expeditions for their benefit, ijpis
When thefe enterprizes are taken up in an
enlarged view-* all the fciences are gainers by them.
Although the philofopher be in a great meafurc
Stationary, the great refults of voyages become
not lefs a part of his domain ; ready in collecting
the obfervations of the navigator, he poffeffes
himfelf of his ideas, unfolds them, and by analyzing and claffing the fenfations which have given
birth to them, connects them to the general fyftem,
thus communicating new life to every part of
fcience. fe^:
PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE, 'fcHf
If navigation, thus enlarged, may be expected
to contribute powerfully to extend the limits of
the- human understanding, it is the part of government, with- this view, to excite the exertions of
ability, to reward its fuccefs, to collect and publish its difcoveries, to receive and weigh all the
hints, thoughts, and views of genius, and to attract from every quarter all thofe who, by their
merit and their labours, belong to every country
and to every age, with®&t any regard to their opi^
nrons upon other fubjects, unconnected with the
great bufinefs in hand.
This plan would naturally involve the'examination of fome important questions in geography,
and especially that of an univerfal meridian ; for
there is not a geographer, who has not experienced
the inconvenience-of the variety of meridians. It
is neceffary to be perpetually on our guard againft-
mifbtktes; the fmalleft comparifon to eitabliih be-*
tween the meridians rendering it neceffary to add
or Subtract. This evil comes from navigators
having each employed, in the formation of
their charts, the meridkh adopted by their nation,
and they have often adopted a peculiar one fat
themfelves. On the other hand, fome, to mark>.
their longitudes, have taken their departure from
the weft; others from the safl^xounting to 360.
degrees. The reft, and-tliofe the greater.number
#mong the moderns, have divided their longitudes-
C
mtQ.
ml
&mmMKBa^-mm*a imp
ZZ PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE.
into eaft and weft; but the difference between
the obfervatories of Europe being the fame with
the meridians of their antipodes, it follows, that, by
this division between eaft and weft, a longitude
would be, as in our hemisphere, eaft to one, white
it would be weft to the other. Thence many
errours have arifen, which would be avoided^
reckoning- uniformly the longitudes to 360 degrees, and agreeing to take a departure from the
weft.. The only, objection againft this way of
reckoning is, that it does not give conftantly, by
the progreflion of degrees, an idea of the dij&^nce;
that is to fay, that as far as 1 &o degrees, the meridian of the .antipodes, we are fully fenfible that
the degrees mark the distance, but going on from
this Ioint, every one does not immediately con*
ceive, that at 200 degrees of longitude he is le&
distant from the meridian whence the reckoning
begaii, than at 180; whereas, in faying 160 degrees of eaft longitude, inftead of 200 degrees of
longitude, he immediately perceives where he is.
It muft be confeffed, that the objection againft
reckoning to. 360 degrees is a very weak one,
confidering at the fame time the merit of a mode
of proceeding fo Simple, and fo little liable to mif-
take; a merit not to be concealed by thofe few
perfons who. will not give themfelves time to
learn or judge of the very little distance between"*
their own meridian and th&t which, is 3.590 «
diftant
PRELIMINARY piSC<>FRSE. 23
diftant from it. The advantage which refults from
the manner of counting the longitude up to 360.
degrees is neverthelefs a trifle, compared witl*
that of the adoption of a common meridian,
which Should ferve as a bafis to the geography of
^nations. It is eafy to conceive, that the felf-
loye of every one will, without end, Struggle to
gain for its own the preference. Every consideration laid afide, the meridian that would appear,
the molt convenient to take, inafmuch as it would
cut very little earth, and would leave the meridians of the maritime powers of Europe on the
eaft, would be that of the remarkable peak, which
nature feems to have placed in the middle of the
feas, to ferve as a beacon to navigators; I mean
the Peak of Teneriffe. A pyramid, constructed
at the expence of the affociated powers, fhould b&
raifed to a point through which the meridional
line ought to pafs, and a commiStlon of astronomers, chofen from among ths members of the
prppofed union, Should determine, by a feries of
operations, the exact difference between this common meridian, and that of the great obServatoriss
of the two hemifpheres.
Thefe operations, to which the amplitude of
our means might enfure the greatest accuracy^
would remove every uncertainty of calculation
concerning the quantity to be added or fubtracted,
in the comparifons of meridian with meridian;
C 4 tiiey
wmmmm
24 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE.
they would do away the differences produced in
the refults of their comparifons obtained at various
periods, and which might be taken for errours,. if
it were forgotten, that the aftronomers, after
frefh obfervations made "with more care and better
instruments, have changed the product of distance
between the meridians of the obfervatories of Paris
and of Greenwich. This difference, which was
reckoned 2019', has been acknowledged to be 2° 20's
if it were aqueftion, indeed, of extreme preciiion,
it would be neceffary to carry it to 20 20' 15", or
9 2i' of time, on account of the oblate figure of
the earth, in Supposing it at is-cr, agreeably to the
obfervations of the aftronpmer Lalande, whofe
merit every one knows, and whofe calculations
unite perfpicuity with precision in a high degree.
The idea of a common meridian, which I have prefixed to another w?ork, occurred to me by the reflections, which the examination and methodising
of this Suggested to me; it may pofiibly not be
well received, but I may bt allowed to exprefs my
wifh for its adoption, until the inconveniences, if
any there be, are demonstrated, a
This new meridian leaves at lealt our imrnenfe
Materials of geography in their full value ; if this
W^re not the cafe, it Should be rejected, as I reject for
the prefent, though with considerable regret, that of
the new division of the circle, becaufe it is accompanied with the ferious evil of almoft wholly de-
ftroying
tty^N
PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 2J
ftroying them: it may be neceffary to explain this,
which is by no means foreign to my fubject. More
partial than any one to decimal calculation, treated
iff with fo much accuracy in the writings of the
ingenious and learned Borda, as well as in thofe of
other members of the temporary commiflidn of
weights and meafures, I cannot however diffemble
the inconveniences of the division of the circle
into 400 degrees. They are fuch as can only b@
gotten over in the courfe of many centuries after
the era in which it is univerfally adopted, during.
which it will be neceffary to retain both diviiions*
to- facilitate the labour of comparing our new
charts with thofe of other nations and powers, and
with the old .materials of geography.
If the portion of time Jknown by the name of
a day require the decimal diyifipn, thefun, in his
annual revolution, cannot be included in the plan ;
Since then there is a.limit in nature where decimal
calculation flops, and it cannot divide the period
of a folar revolution, why Should it be adapted to
the division of a circle ?
It will be faid, that this division of the circle into
400'degrees conforms perfectly w-ith that of the
day into 10 hours, the hour into ioo.minurtes, and
the minute intarrEQO feconds, making a" degree
of the circle correfpond with twq minutes and a
half of time; it may further be obferved, with
xeafon> that the bails of all meafures, denominated
metres
It
S-6 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE,
yietre, being multiples of the ten-niillionth part
©f the quarter of a meridian, thence there refults
a natural decimal division, Since the degree is
found to have a hundred thoufand rnetjgs, or
twenty leagues, of five thoufand metres each :
but thefe advantages, and that of offering in general an uniform Scale in the degree and its Subdivisions, cannot do away the inconveniences that
would refult from the propofed change.
The great defign of bringing about an unifert
mity of weights and meafures has given birth to
the fublime idea of difcovering a natural Standard.
This Standard is precifely fuch, in fact, as we
fhould find among an enlightened though newly-
difcovered people, if they had made the fame pro-
grefs in the arts and fciences, and if they had, like
us, conceived the project of establishing an uniform
mity of weights and meafures, and taking their
general Standard, from nature.
What occafion could be . more favourable for
difcuffing the advantages and inconveniences in
the adoption of the uniformity of weights j and
meafures, and of the decimal division, than that
of a congrefs compofed of reprefentatives of the
moft renowned and learned Societies in the world?
If the various governments agreed to admit this
uniformity in cafes where it Should be deemed ufe-
ful, its Simultaneous and univerfal admifEon
would double the benefit; and this would be
the fureft way of overcoming the difficulties arifing
from
PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 2J
from its application to the division of the circle,
and of time.
What "nation better than France could henceforward by her influence, as extended as powerful,
realize the plan of this congrefs ? As great in her
enterprizes as in her conceptions, in her operations
as in her views, She had determined, as I havefaid,
to order a voyage of difcovery; the plan drawn
up was adopted by the government; the preliminary instructions mil prove, that it was as vaft as
Skilfully conceived in its extent, and in its details.
An able chief was neceffary for commanding the
expedition; La Peroufe was ehofen. His toils
and his constant fuccefs in the navy had inured
him to every fpecies of danger, and pointed him
out as more proper than any one elfe, to follow the
difficult and dangerous courfe of a long navigation
upon unknown feas, and in the midft of countries inhabited by barbarous people. On this
fobject a few particulars are offered to the reader,
concerning the life of this illLiftrious but unfortunate officer.
Jean-Francis Galaup de La Peroufe, chefd'ef-
cadre, was born at Albi, in 1741. Entering at
a very early age into the marine fchool, his en-
thufiafm was firft excited by the example of
thofe celebrated navigators, who had done honour
to their cototry, and he took from that time the
r^folution to walk in their Steps $ but, being
only
WOSM
PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE,
only able to advance in this difficult road by flow
degrees, he prepared himfelf, by previously Studying their* works, hereafter to equal them. He united,
at a very early period, experience with theory;
he had been eighteen years at fea when the command of the laft expedition was intrufted to him.
He entered, as midfliiprhan, the-rjih of November, 1756, and ferved five years at fea,
during that war, the ftrft four on board le
Celebre, la PomoriQ, le-,Zephyr, le Cerf, and the
fifth on board le Formidable, .commanded by
Saint-Andre du Verger, Thi& fliip made one in
the fquaidrQn, under the ordeis of Marfhal de
Conflans, when it was 'met pff Belle Tile by the
English fquadron, Le Magnifi'que, le Herqs, le
Formidable, composing the rear-divifton, were
attacked and furrounded by eight or ten Eftglifh
Ships. The fight began, and- foon bgcame general;
it was fo terrible, that eight men of war, IJnglifli
or French, were fwnk during the action, or ran
upon the French coafts, where J-hey were obliged
to be burnt. Le Formidable, rrlqre roughly
handled than the reft, was the only-, one taken,
after a vigorous refiftarice. La Peroufe conducted
himfelf with gre^t bravery in this action, in
which he was feverely wounded.
Reftored again to his country, he ferved in the
fame capacity, three years longer, on board le
Robuftc, where he distinguished himfelf on many
occafions \\
if
PRELIMINARY-DISCOURSE, tf
accafions; and his growing merit began to draw
upon him the eyes of his fuperior officers.
The firft of October, 1764, he was promoted
to the rank of enfeigne de vaiffeau. A man of a
lefs active difpofition would have availed himfelf
of the indulgence of the peace, but his ardour
for the profeffion allowed him no repofe. To
judge of his unwearied aftivity, it is fufficieiit
to Sketch a flight picture of his naval life, from
this epoch to 1777. He ferved
In 1-765, on board the flute F Ad our;
1766, on board the flute le. Gave §
1767, as commander of the,flute 1'Adour;
1768, as commander of la Dorothee;
1769, as commander of le Bugalet;
17 71, on board la Belle-Poule ;
%^ 1772, Ibid.
*773>1
1774s commanding the flute la Seine & les
17 75' > Deux-Amis, off the coaft of Malabar;
1776,
*777>
lieutenant from, the 4th of April,
In* the year 1778 the war broke out again between France and England;' hostilities commenced, the 17th of June, by an engagement
with la Belle-Poule. . ^Ml
In 1779, La Peroufe commanded L'Amazone,
one of the (hips in the fquadron. of D'Eftaing.
Defirous of covering the defcent of the troops, at
the
, 'liiinliai
30 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE*.
the island of Grenada, he -anchored within pistol**
fhot of an English battery. During the battle be*
tween this fquadron and £hat of admiral Byron,
he was fixed upon to carry the orders of the commander in chief along the line. After this he
took, on the coaft of New England, the Ariel
frigate, and contributed to the capture of the
Experiment.
Being made a captain the 4th of April, 1780, he
commanded the frigate L'Aftree, when, being oft,
a cruize with L'Hermione, commanded by captain
La Touche, he fought an obftinate battle, on the
21 ft of July, with fix English Ships of war, fix
leagues from the North Cape of the Ifle Royale.
Five of thefe Ships, the Allegiance, of twenty-
four guns, the Vernon, of the fame force, the
Charleftown, of twenty-eight, the Jack, of fourteen, and the Vulture, of twenty, formed a line
to receive him; the Sixth, the Thompfon, of
eighteen, remained out of gun Shot. The two
frigates bore down together upon the enemy,
under a crowd of fail; it was (even o'clock, in
the evening, whenthey fired the fifft Shot. They
ranged along to leeward of the English line, in
order to cut off their-retreat. The Thompfon
remained all the time to windward. The two
frigates manoeuvred with To much Skill, that they
threw the little English fquadron into diforder;
in about half an hour the Charleftown frigate,
2, com-
PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. §ft
toffirfi6dore, ' and the Jack, were forced to fur-
tender, and the three other veffels would have
^perienced the fame fate, if the night had not
concealed them from the purfuit of the frigates.
The following year the French government
formed the project of taM&g and destroying the
eftaMifhments of the Englifh in Hudfon's Bay.
La Peroufe appeared -a proper officer to accomplish this troublefome miffion, in a dangerous fea;
he received his orders to quit Cape Francois the
31ft of May, 1782. Hecommanded the Sceptre,
of 64 guns, and was followed by the two frigates
L'Aftree and L'Engageante, of 36 guns each,
commanded by captains de Langle and La Jaille;
the land forces on board thefe Ships consisted of
two hundred and fifty infantry, forty artillery men,
four:field pieces, two mortars, and three hundred
bombs.
The 17th of July, he made Refolution Islands
but no Sooner had he penetrated twenty-five
leagues into Hudfon's Straits than he found
his Ships entangled with ice, from which he
received considerable damage.
The 30th, after having Struggled inceffantly
againft obstacles of every kind, he made Cape
Walfiiighafn, Situate in the rhoft wefterly part
of the Straits. In order to arrive Speedily at
Prince of Wales's Fort, which he had propofed
fkft'to attack, he had not a moment to lofe, the
rigour
I
^4. ; ^It'ELXMlNART DISCOURSE;
rigour of the feafon obliging all veffels to quit
this fea at the beginning of September j, but ii$
foon'er had they entered Hudfon*s Bay, than they
met with thick fogs: and on the 3d of Auguft,
at the firft clearing up of the weather, he fouad
himfelf furrounded with ice as far as he could fee,
which obliged him to lie to. Nevertheless he overcame thefe obstacles, and on the Eth% in the even*
.Ins:* having difcovered the flag; on Prince of
Wales's Fort, the French Ships ran by their lead
within a league and a half of it, and anchored in
eighteen fathom water, muddy ground. An
officer* fent to reconnoitre the approaches to the
fort, brought word, that the Ships might bring
up, with their guns to bear on it, at a very
little distance. La Peroufe, making no doubt,
that the Sceptre alone could eafily reduce the
enemy Should they refift, prepared for effect*
ing a defcent during the night. Although
counteracted by the tide and the darknefs, th&
boats unoppofed approached within three quarters
of a league of the fort. La Peroufe, feeing no
dip. linen for defence, although the fort ap*
pea ed to him capable of a vigorous one, fcnt a
Summons to the enemy; the gates were opened;
the governor and garrifon .Surrendered at dif*
cict on.
This part of his orders being executed, he failed
the nth of Auguft for Fort-York 1 he experienced
PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 33
rienced Still greater difficulties to get there, than
any he had yet met with in this expedition; he ran,
in fix or feven fathom water, along a coaft fcattered
over with rocks. After having run the greatest
riSks, the Sceptre and the two frigates difcovered
the entrance of Nelfon's River, and anchored, the
20th of Auguft, about five leagues from land.
La Peroufe had taken three decked boats at
Prince of Wales's Fort; he fent them with the
Sceptre's yawl to gain information of Hayes's
River, near which Fort York is Situated.
The 21 ft of Auguft, the troops embarked in the
boats; and La Peroufe, having nothing to fear
from the enemy by fea, thought proper to Superintend their debarkation.
Hayes's Island, on which Stood Fort York, is
Situate at the mouth of a great river, which it
divides into two branches; that which paSfes before the fort, is called Hayes's River, and the
other Nelfon's River. The French commander
knew, that all the means of defence were erected upon the firft; there was befides one of
the Hudfon's Bay Company's veffels, carrying
twenty-five nine pounders, anchored at the mouth.
He refolved to pufh up by Nelfon's River,
although his troops had on this Side to march
about four leagues; but he obtained the advantage of rendering the batteries, which were placed
upon Hayes's River, ufelefs.
Vol, I. D They
m
34
TK^MM^A^^ DISCOURSE.
They atriY^d ,the 2ift, in the evening, at the
mouth of Nelfon's River, with two hundred and
fifty men, with the mortars and guns, and provision for eight .days, in order not to be compelled to
have recourfe to the ihips, with which it was difficult to communicate. La Peroufe gave orders
for the boats to anchor in three fathom, at the
entrance of the river, and he advanced in his
boat, with De Langle, the fecond in the expedition, Roftaing, the commander of the
troops, and Monneron, the captain.of engineers,
in order to found the river, and infpect its
banks, where it was feared the enemy might
have raifed fome works of defence.
They difcovered, that the bank was not of
eafy accefs; the fmalleft boats Sguld only get
within two hundred yards of it, and that the intervening ground was a foft mud. He then
thought it proper to wait for day, and remain at
anchor : but the ebb running out much falter
than they had expected, the boats were difcovered to be aground at three o'clock in the
morning.
Exafperated rather than difcouraged by this
accident the troops debarked, and, after having
walked near a mile up to the mid-leg in mud,
they arrived in a meadow, where they drew up in
order of battle; thence they marche^lpwards a
wood, wrhere they expected to find a dry path
which
#Jt*XlMINARY DISCOURSE. 35
.^Ntt&Wi^to lead $hem t^wa*#sthe Fort. None
-was found, and the whole day was employed in
Peking for that which did not exlft; ;
La Peroufe ordered Monneron, the captain o£
-engineers to trace out one, by the compafs,
through the middle of the wood. This difficult
labour being executed, ferved only to make it
evident, that there were two leagues of marfhy
ground to crofs, in doing which the troops would
often link up to the knees. A hard gale
of wind coming on, in the night, obliged
the anxious Peroufe to rejoin his Ships. He
reached the fea Side with all hafte; but the
Storm continuing, he could not get aboard.
The next morning he took advantage of a lull,
and found means to get on board an hour before
a fecond gale. An officer, who fet off at the fame
time, was wrecked, but, together with the crew,
had the good fortune to get on Shore; yet he
was unable to return on board, in lefs than three
"days, naked and almoft dead with hunger. The
Ehgageante and the Aftree loft two anchors each
in the: fecond gale.
However, the troops arrived before the fort the
24th in the morning, after a very fatiguing
rnarch, and it furrendered at the firft Summons.,
La Peroufe caufed the fort to be demolished, and
gave orders to the troops to re-embafku without
delay.
D2
This
wmmmm
wmtm
36 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE.
This laft order was frustrated by another -ftfctog
gale of wind, which expofed the Engageante to
imminent danger; her third anchor broke, as
well as the tiller, and her long-boat wras loft. The
Sceptre loft alfo her long-boat, yawl, and anchor.
At length the fine weather returned, and the
troops re-embarked. La Peroufe having the governors of Prince of Wales and York Forts on
board, fet fail, in order to quit a coaft abandoned to ice and tempefts, where his military
fuccefs, though unoppofed by the flighteft resistance, yet neverthelefs had been preceded by fo
many difficulties, fatigues, and dangers.
If La Peroufe, as a military man, were obliged,
in conformity with rigorous orders, to deftroy the
poffeffions of his enemies, he did not forget, at
the fame time, the refpect that was due to misfortune. Having known, that at his approach
the Englifh had fled into the woods, and that his
departure, on account of the destruction of their
fettlements, would expofe them to die with hunger, or fall defencelefs into the hands of the fa-
vages, he had the humanity to leave them provision and arms.
Can there.be, on this Subject, an eulogium
more flattering, than the following Sincere declaration of an English feaman, in his account of a
voyage to Botany Bay ?—" We ought to call to
€C mind with gratitude, in England efpecially, this
" humane
1
PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE^ * 37
** humane and generous man, for his conduct,
" when ordered to deftroy our establishment in
" Hudfon's Bay, in the courfe of the laft war."
After a testimony fo juft and true, and whilft
England has deferved fo well of the friends of
fcience and the arts, by her eagernefs to publish
the accounts of her voyages of difcovery, Shall we
be compelled to reproach another English officer
for a breach of his engagements with La Peroufe.
Governor Hearne had made ajourney by land,
in 1772, towards the north, commencing it from
Fort Churchill in Hudfon's Bay, a journey of
which the particulars are looked for with impatience ; the manufcript journal of it was found
by La Peroufe among the papers of this governor, who infifted upon their being left in his pof-
feffion as private property. '"This journey having
been neverthelefs undertaken by order of the Hudfon's Bay Company, with the view of acquiring
knowledge in the northern part of America, the
journal might well have been deemed to belong
to this Company, devolving in confequence to the
victor; neverthelefs, La Peroufe gave way to the
intreaties of governor Hearne, and allowed him
to retain the manufcript, but on the exprefs condition, that he Should have it published as foon as
he returned to England. This condition appears
not to have been performed even to this moment^,
. * It was publiihed in 1795, though apparently not In £on-
iequence of thi&^romife. T.
D 3 Let
%:
gl, PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE,
Let ts&hope,, that tfel& remark, rendered public,
will poduce the intended effect or urge the go-^
vendor to make it known, whether the Hudfon's
Bay Company, who dread that others Should interfere in their commerce and affairs, have prevented its publication*.
At the time of the establishment of the peace
with England, in 1783,, this expedition ended.
The indefatigable La Pen&iftr enjoyed not a long
repofe, a more important fervice awaited him;
alas ! it was deftined to be thedkft. Ms was appointed to command the expedition projected in
17$5* preparations for which were forwarding at
Breft.
3fc Shall norJconforiif to a prarjfetce; tfoat is very
common, in pointing out, beforehand, tiie track of
our navigator^ therct>aSte mid the iflar&fe that he
has explored or vifited in the main ocean, the
difcoveries which he has made: in the Asiatic
feas, and the important benefits he has; rendered
to geography : I make this facrifice to the reader,
whole curiofity would rather be ei&tifed than anticipated, and who would prefer, without doubt,
following; the courfe of the navigator himfelf. i
So far I have considered in La Peroufe only
the warrior, and the navigator 1 but he deferves
equally to be known for his perfonal qualities;
for he was not lefs calculated to conciliate the
* The above anecdote was- unknown to nfe* when $ wrote
the note* which will be feen in v«i, II, page 161,
men
Preliminary discourse. 39
men of fvery country, or to make; himfelf ref-
pected by them, than to foreSee, and to conquer
the obstacles, which it is allotted1 ttf human wif*
dom to furrriount.
Uniting in himfelf the vivacity peculiar to
the inhabitants of warm climates, with an agree-
JBle wit, and an equal temper, his mildnefs and
his amiable gaiety made his company always
fought after with eagernefs : on the other hand,
matured by long experience, he joined to uncommon prudence a firmnefs of character, which
is the characteristic of a Strong mind, and which,
increafed by the hardships of a feaman's life,
rendered hirri qualified to attempt, and to conduct the greateft enterprizes with fuccefs.
After the combination of thefe various qualities, the reader, witneffing his patience in circumstances requiring great labour, the fevere
refolutions that his forefight dictated, the caution
he was obliged to exercife towards his people, will
be little aftonifhed at the benevolent and moderate, as well as" circumfpect conduct of La
Peroufe towards them; of the confidence, fome-
times even of the deference he paid to his of-
ficerSj and of his paternal care towards his Ships
companies; nothing that could' intereft them,
either by* relieving their hardships or contributing
to their happinefs, efcaped his watchfulnefs, and
folicitude* Not willing to make of a mercantile
D 4 fpecu«
mm
4© PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE.
Speculation, a fcientific enterprize, and, refigning
the whole profits of trade to the failors alone,
he referved to himfelf the fatisfaction of having
been ufeful to his country, and to the fciences.
Perfectly fucceeding in his views, with regard to
the prefervation of their health, no navigator has
ever made fo long a voyage, under fuch inceffant
changes of climate, with crews fo healthy; Since,
at their arrival at New Holland, after thirty
months failing, and a run of more than Sixteen
thoufand leagues, they were as well as at leaving
Breft.
Mafter of himfelf, and never fuffering firft
impreffions to carry him away, he was enabled
to practice, efpeeially in this voyage, the precepts
of a philofophical humanity. If I were more dif-
pofed to make his eulogy, neceffarily detached
and incomplete, than to leave the reader the
pleafure of appreciating him by facts, accompanied wTith all their circumstances, and to eftmate
him by the general tendency of his writings, I
could cite a crowd of paffages from his journal,
the turn and character of which I have faith*
fully preferved, which Show the man: I could efpeeially point out his attachment to that article
of his instructions, engraven on his heart, which
ordered him to avoid Shedding a Single drop of
blood; having followed it constantly in fo long
a voyage, with a fuecefs becoming his principles,
and
PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 41
and when, attacked by a barbarous horde of Savages, he had loft his fecond in command, a naturalist, and ten men of the two Ships companies,
repretling the powerful means of vengeance he
had in his hands, and fo many warrantable motives for ufing them, I would Show him, restraining the fury of the crews, and fearing to Strike.
one Single innocent victim, among fo many thou-
fands of criminals.
As equitable and modeSt as he was enlightened,
we Shall fee with what refpect he Spoke of the immortal Cook, and how defirous he was to render
juftice to thofe great men, who had run the fame
career.
Equally juft towards all, La Peroufe, iri his
journal, and in his correfpondence, difpenfes with .
equity the praifes, which were due to his affoci-
ates:—he names alfo the Strangers, wtio, in different parts of the world, have favourably received them, and procured them aSliftance. If
government, of whofe difpofition, we cannot
entertain a doubt, would fulfil the intentions of
La Peroufe, it would confer upon thefe latter, a
mark of public gratitude.
Juftly prized by the English feamen, who had
an opportunity of becoming acquainted with him,
they have evinced an unequivocal efteem for him,
in their writings. All thofe who were in habits
of intimacy with him, have given him praifes,
which,
mam
i
42 preliminary discourse.
which, though juft, would be too long to recount.
But to fpeak of his virtues, and oT his talents,
is to recollect his misfortunes, and to awaken our
regret: the idea of the former is henceforward in-
parably connected with the remembrance of the
latter, and they raife for ever a monument of
grief and gratitude, in the heart of every friend
to the fciences and to humanity. If I have experienced any pleafure at the conclusion of the
troublefome labour which this work required,
and after the care and attention it has colt me
till its publication ; it is, undoubtedly, at this moment, when I am allowed to be the instrument of
the French Republic, in paying to his memory a
tribute of national gratitude.
La Peroufe, according-to his laft letters from
Botany Bay, was to return to the IJle de France,
in 1788*. The two following years being expired, even the important events, which occupied
and fixed the attention of all France, were unable
entirely to detach it from an intereft in the fate
which appeared to threaten our navigators. The
firft accents of fear and grief on their accounts
were heard at the bar of the national affembly,
* See inVol. Ill the extracts from two of La Peroufe's letters, dated JBotany Bay, the 7th of February, 1788.
by
PRELIMINARY BISCOURfE. 43
ly means; of the members of the? fociety of A£-
tural hiftory.
*c During two years," faid they, B$ Fr#i£e' has
1 in vain expectdS the return of M. De La Pe-
*c rotife; and thofe who infd^ft themfelV&s in'
f his perfon, and in his difcoveries, have: M0
8j knowledge-' of his fate. Alas! their appre-
" henSions are perhaps more frightful than his
l!*f}$$& l ' "'
The King of France's Frigates the BouSTole and Aftrolabe,
• commanded by-De La Peroufe and De Langle, failed front
'the port of.-BreSt, in June, 1785. ■ ^'3|S$*H
i ^ ,- i I \\ ■.,-. :f* SO
PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. $$
So many precautions taken for the fuccefs of a
great expedition, the expence it occasions, and
the troubles and the evils it draws after it,
j$iy occafion many prejudiced and Systematic
perfons to doubt whether thefe pains and
cares be compenfated by the reciprocal utility,
which mankind find^jn voyages of difcovery.—ft
Although I might queftion the utility of introducing domeftic animals, and a few farinaceous plants „
among Lavages, compared with the evils which
refult to them, from the falfe or fuperficial notions
that our principles fuggeft to them, and from the
fudden communication of our manners and our
euftoms; I fay, that after having given them detached notions, which they know not how either to
extend or to apply, vegetables and animals which
they neither preferve nor perpetuate, then to
leave them to themfelves, is to give them the
knowledge and defire of gratifications which they
cannot procure, and thereby to promote their un~
happinefs: but to raife them by degrees with the
view to civilize them, to j make orderly colonies
before we make a pqlifhed people of them, and r|o|
; to give them new wants and new ways of acting,
without the means of providing for the one, and
beneficially ferving themfelves by the other; is tQ
prepare and to fecure to their posterity the happy
fruits of the expanfion of the human facujties.
, If we, as well as they, may Suffer fome inconveniences from our communications with them,*
E,4 when
k
ll
J
1
1 I
1 -atm-L^--
56 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE.
when our respective Situations are fo different, yet
the great advantages that the arts and fciences receive from voyages of difcovery, cannot reafonably
be contested. It is the nature of civilized man to
enlarge the fphere of his knowledge and enjoyments, by the advance of his understanding and
the enlargement of his defires. The navigator, as
he proceeds, difcovers new and ufeful productions ;
determines the Situation of different places, thus
giving fecurity to his own route and that of
others; learns to judge his fellow-creatures by
a greater number of comparifons; and every pro^
greffive movement he makes is a Step towards the
knowledge of man and of nature. It is grand, it
is beautiful, to incur expences, and to run rifks,
for the wants of fociety at large, and the growth of
true riches.
If fome philofophers have difapproved of voyages
in general, becaufe expeditions undertaken with
ambitious and interested views have been followed
by acts of barbarity, it is becaufe thefe have been
confounded with voyages of difcovery, which have
had for their object to carry benefits to our fellow creatures, and to enlarge the field of fcience.
Thefe benefits, we Shall perhaps be told, are trjf
price of their blood ; becavafe they cannot be kept
within bounds, without employing againft them a
force, which, becoming destructive to the navigators themfelves, occafions a double crime in the;
eyes of philofophy and of nature. N|lfl3
3Le$
PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. 57
Let us confult the navigators known by their
moderation ; their accounts prove to us, that, by
employing the means which prudence dictates, it
is eafy to reftrain the favages by the mere difplay
of force : quickly attached by benefits to navigators whom they refpect, they are fufceptible of
gratitude, and confequently of every other fentiment.
We muft, however, do juftice to the motive
which has milled thefe philofophers : this refpec-
table motive is humanity; we ought therefore to
be of one opinion henceforward, from the conduct
of our navigators, feeing their extreme care and.
caution for the life of favages, who deftroy each
other upon the Slightest pretexts; the ferocity
of thefe laft foftened by civilization ; and the im~
menfe quantity of blood Spared by the abolition
of human facrifices, fo revolting, and fo gene*
rally fpread throughout favage nations*
VOYAGE
VOYAGE
RQUND THE WORLD,
IN THE YEARS
1785, 1786, I787, AND I788.
Decree of the National Affembly, of the gth of
February, 17 91.
THE National Affembly, after having heard
its united committees of agriculture, of
commerce, and of marine, decrees,
That the King be entreated to give orders to all
ambaffadors, residents, confuis, and national agents,
at the courts of foreign powers, that they may
engage thofe different fovereigns, in the name of
humanity, and of the arts and fciences, to charge
all navigators and agents whatfoever, their fub-
jects, in whatever place they may be, but efpe-
cially in the foutherly part of the South Sea, to
make inquiry after the two French frigates La
Boufole and IJAftrolabe, commanded by M. De
La Peroufe, as well as after their crews, and to obtain every information, which may afcertain their
existence or their Shipwreck; fo that in cafe M.De
La Peroufe and his companions Should be found,
no matter in what place, there be given to them
everyx
i
II
f lill
60 LA PEROUSE'S VOYAGE
every affiftance, and all means procured for them,
that they maybe enabled to return to their country
with whatever may belong to them ; th^National
Affembly engaging to indemnify, and even to re-
compenfe, according to the importance of the
fervice, whomfoever fhall lend them fuccour,
obtain news concerning them, or only reftore
to France whatfoever papers and other effects may
have belonged to thefe nayigators in their expedition.
It is further decreed, that the King be entreated
to direct, that one or more veffels be equipped,
and feveral learned and experienced perfons, natu-
.ralifts, and draughtfmen embarked therein, to the
commanders of which may be given in charge the
double million, to fearch after M. De La Perqufe,
according to the documents, instructions, and or I
ders, that Shall be given to them, and alfo at the
fame time to make inquiries relative to the fciences
and to commerce, taking every meafure inde-
pendantly of the purfuit after M. De La Peroufe,
and even after having met with him, or obtained
news concerning him, to render this expedition
ufeful and advantageous to navigation, to geography, to commerce, and to the arts and fciences.
Compared with the original, by us Prefident and Secretaries of the National ASTern^ly.
Paris,
(Signed)
February, 1791.
DUPORT, Prefident.
LIORE, ■) c
BOUSSION, j becretanes«
Decree
ROUND THE WORLD. 6l
Decree of the National Affiembly, of the zid
of April, 1791.
The National Affembly decrees, that the accounts and charts fent by M. De La Peroufe, of
that part of his voyage as far as Botany Bay, Shall
be printed and engraved at the expence of the
nation, and that this expence Shall be defrayed out
of the fund of two millions, ordered by the 14th
article of the decree of the 3d of Auguft, 1790.
Decrees, that as foon as the edition Shall be
completed, and that as many copies are taken
from them as the King would like to difpofe of,
the furplus Shall be fent to Mad. De La Peroufe,
with a copy of the Decree, as a testimony of their
fatisfaction for the exertions of M. De La Peroufe
for the public welfare, and for the increafe of
human knowledge and ufefMdifoovery.-
iJjUecrees, that M. De La Peroufe Shall remain on
the lift, of naval commissioned officers until the1
return of the ftiips in fearch of him; and that his
pay Shall continue to be reeved by his wife,-
according to the difpofition that he had made before his departure.
Compared with the original, by us Prefident and Secretaries of the National Affembly.
(Signed) REUBELL, Prefident.
GOUPIL-PREFELN, }
MOUGINS-ROQUEFORT, V Secretaries.
ROGER, )
faris, 25th April, 1791.
NOTE
t
ill:
6± LA PEROUS'E S VOYAGE
NOTE OF THE KING,
To ferve as a particular inftruction to the Siettf
De La Peroufe, captain of the navy, commanding the frigates La Bouffiole arid LAftrd-
labe.
(aOjuNE^Ss.)
HIS Majefty having caufed to be equipped, at
the port of Breft, the frigates La Bouffole, commanded by the Sieur De La Peroufe*; and L'Af-
trolabe, by the Sieur D Langle* captains of the
navy, to be employed in a voyage of difcovery,
is about to make known fo the Sieur De La Peroufe, to whom he has given the command in
chief of thefe two veffels, the fervice he will have
to perform, in the important expedition, which he
has confided to his care* j | ph$t&$
The different objects which his Majefty has had
in view in commanding this voyage, have rendered it neceffary, that the prefent inftru&ion
fhould be divided into feveral parts, in order tfeita
it may explain more clearly to the Sieur De La Peroufe the particular intentions of his Majefty, upon -
every one of the objects that will engage his | attention.
The firft part will contain the route or plan of
his voyage, according to the order of the difcoveries it is in contemplation to make or to carry to
perfection;
ROUND THE WORLD. 63
perfection; and there will be joined to it a collection of geographical and fhSftorical notes, which
may guide him in the-various inquiries, to which
he will devote himfelf;
The fecond part will-treat of the objects relating
to policy and to commerce.
The third will Explain the operations relative to
aftronomy, to geography, to navigation, to natural philofophy, and to the different branches of
natural hiftory, and will regulate the labours of
the aftronomers, natural philofophers, naturalists,
fcientific perfons, and artifts employed in the expedition.
The fourth*part will prefcribe to the Sieur De La
Peroufe, the conduct it will be neceffary for him
topurfue, with the Savage people and the natives
of the different countries which he will have opportunities1 of difcovering or vifiting.
The fifth and laft will point out to him the precautions he will be required to take, to preferve
the health of his crews.
FIRST PART.
Plan of the Voyage,
The Sieur De La Peroufe will fail from Breft -
Road, as foon as every preparation Shall have been
made,
He
HBMLgggg rv
64 tA perouse's VOYAGE
He will touch fucceSiively at Funchal, in the
island of-Madeira; and at Praya, in that of St-
Jago* He will provide himfelf with fome cafks
of wine in the firft port, and complete his water
and wood in the laft, where he may alfo procure
himfelf fome refreshments. He will obferve, however, with regard to Praya, that he ought to
make the Shortest poffible Stay there* becaufe the
climate is very unheakhy at the feafon when he
will reach it.
He will crofs the line in the 29th or 3.0th degree of weft longitude from the meridian of Paris;
and if the wind Should permit him, he will try
to reconnoitre Pennedo de fan Pedro (fee note 2}
and to afcertain its position.
He will examine the island of Trinidad, (notes
10 & 11) will anchor there, and may wood and
water, as well as fulfil there a particular object of
his instructions.
In leaving this island he will run into the latitude of Ifte Grande de la Roche (note 19) ; he
will follow the parallels of 440 and 450 to 50 degrees of longitude, in 35 degrees of weft longitude, and he will give up the fearch of this ifland
if he have not met with it when he Shall have
reached that meridian. If he Should prefer making it from the westward, he will neverthelefs keep
between the above-mentioned meridians.
He will run afterwards into the latitude of
Terre de la Roche, called by Cook the Ijland
of
ROUND THE WORLD. 6$
of Georgia, in the 54th degree of fouth latitude.
He will make the north weft end of it, and will
particularly examine the fouthern coaft, which
has not yet been vilited.
Thence he will look out for Sandz&ich Land,
(notd 21) in about 57 degrees fouth latitude:
he will obferve, that captain Cook could only in-
fpect fome points on the weft fide of this land,
and that the extent of it towards the eaft and to
the fouth is unknown. He will examine particularly the eaft coaft, in order afterwards to run
down the fouth fide, and double that end of it,
if the ice do not oppofe an invincible obstacle
to his purfuits.
When he is affured of the extent of this land to
the^eaft and the fouth, he will Shape his courfe to
make Staten Land, double Cape Horn, and anchor in Christmas Sound, on the fouth*weft coaft of
Terra del Fuego, where he will provide himfelf
with wood and water; but if he finds it too dif-
cult to beat to the weStward, by reafon of the
winds which ufually prevail in this part, and the
currents which fometimes run Strong to the eastward, he will Stand for the coaft of Brazil in the
latitude he can belt make it; run along this land
with variable winds or land breezes, -and may even
touch at Falkland's Islands, which offer refources
of different kinds. He will afterwards pafs Strait
le Maire, or double the eaft end of Staten Land to
Vol I. F reach
*tm*msmmm
jS6 LA PEROUSE's VOYAGE
reach Chriftmas Sound, which, in any cafe, muft
be the firft rendezvous of his Majefty's Ships in
cafe of feparation. SirrS
In quitting Chriftmas Sound %awill Shape his
courfe fo as to pafs the meridian of 85 deg. weft,
in the latitude of 57 degrees fouth, and he will
keep in this parallel to 95 degrees of longitude, to
look for Drake's Port and island (note 23).
He will afterwards crofs the meridian of 105
deg. in the parallel of 38 deg.? in which he will keep
to 115 deg. of longitude, endeavouring to find an
island faid to be difcovered by the Spaniards, in
1714 (note 25J, in 38 deg. of latitude, between
the 108th and 110th meridian.
After this fearch, he will get into the latitude of
q*i° d upon the meridian of 108 degrees weftj to
look in this parallel for F*$ft?r Ijland, fituate in
1120 8' of longitude. He will anchor there to
fulfil the particul^ object, which will be prefcribed
in the fecond part of the prefent instructions.
From this island he will return to the latitude
of 32 deg. on the meridian of 120 deg. weft, and he
will keep in that parallel to 135 deg. of longitude, to find land feen by the Spaniards in 1773
(note 27).
At this point of 135 deg. of longitude, and 32 of
latitude, the two frigates are to part compjny.—
The firft will Stand on to the intermediate parallel between 1 6 and 17 deg., and will keep in it from
/ the
ROUND THE WORLD. ()J
the 135th to the 150th meridian weft from Paris,
whence She will Steer for the island of Otaheite.
The interval from the 16th to the 17th degree of
latitude, on a Space of 25 degrees in longitude,
not having been vifited by any modern navigators,
being fcattered over with low islands, it is poffible
that the .Ship which follows the above-mentioned
track ifcill meet with new islands, which may be inhabited, as are moft of the low islands in thefe
feas.
At the fame time the fecond frigate, going from
the fame point of 32 degrees of latitude, and
135 of. longitude, will get into 250 12' fouth
latitude,' and try to keep in this parallel,, beginning in the 131ft or 13 2d degree of longitude,.
This frigate will-look out for Pitcairn Island, discovered, in 1767, by Carteret, and Situate in 250 12'
of fouth latitude. The* longitude of this island
is yet uncertain, becaufe this navigator had no"
means of afcertaining it by obfefvation. It is
much to be defired it might be determined* with
jprecifion, becaufe the position of this iiland, if
well known, might ferve gradually to rectify that
of other islands or lands difcovered fubfequently
by Carteret.
In quitting Pitcairn Ifland, the fecond veffel
will Stand to the weftward, and afterwards to the
north-weft, to look fucceffively for the. islands of the
Incarnation, of St. John the Baptift, of St. Elmo, of
F 2 the
1
6S LA PEROUSE*S VOYAGE
the Quatro Coronadas, of St. Michael, and of the
Conversion of St. Paul, difcovered by Quiros, in
1606,(note 28), which it is fuppofed may be fituate
to the fouth-eaft of Otaheite, and which have not
been feen, or even fought for, by the navigators of
this century. The fecond (hip will thus, by a north-
weft courfe, arrive at 150 degrees weft longitude,
and at 19 degrees of latitude, whence She will
proceed to Otaheite.
It is to be prefumed, that the two frigates may
be there towards the latter end of April. That
island will be the fecond rendezvous of the king's
Ships, in cafe of feparation. They will, in the
firft place, anchor in the bay of Oheitepeha, fituate at the north-eaft part of the island called
Tiarabou, or Otaheite-ete, which is found to
windward of the bay of Matavai, fituate at the
north point, or Point Venus; and they will afterwards put into this latter place, in order to procure at thofe two different anchorages, with greater
facility, fuch refreshments as they may Stand in
need of.
: The Sieur De La Peroufe will leave Otaheite
after a month's Stay. He may, in his way, vifit
Huaheine, Ulietea, Otaha, Bolabola, and others
of the Society islands, to procure the remaining fup-
plies of provifion, to provide thefe islands with European articles, ferviceable to their inhabitants,
and to fow feeds, plant vegetables, trees, &c.
which
ROUND THE WORLD. 69
which may in time prefent new refources to European navigators crofling this ocean.
In quitting the Society islands, he will Steer a
north-weft courfe to get into the latitude of the
o
Iflarid of St. Bernard of Quiros (note 28J, about
the nth degree. He will not proceed in his fearch
for this island further than from 158 to 162 degrees
of longitude; and from the latitude of 11 degrees
he will Stand to the north-weft, till he gets into
the 5th degree of fouth latitude, and between the
166th and 167th degrees of longitude; he will
then Shape his courfe to the fouth-weft, to crofs,
in this direction, the part of the fea fituate to
the north of the archipelago of the Friendly ISles,
where it is probable he will meet, according to
the reports of the natives of thofe islands, with a
great many others, in all likelihood inhabited,
and which have not yet been vifitedby Europeans.
It would be deiirable if he could again find the
iiland of the Bella Nacion of Quiros, which he
fhould look for between the parallels of 11 and 11 f
degrees from the 169th degree of longitude, up to
the 171ft, and fucceflively the Navigators Islands
of Bougainville, likewife he will go to the Friendly
islands to procure refreshments.
Upon leaving the Friendly Mands, he wilf get
into the latitude of the IJle of Pines, Situate at"
the fouth-eaft point of New Caledonia (note-%<))>,
and after having made it, he will coaft it wefterly^
F 3 tg
If
70 LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
to afcertain whether this land be all one iilahd, or
formed of many islands.
If, after having run down the fouth-weft coaft
of New Caledonia, he can make Queen Charlotte's
islands, he will try to reconnoitre the island of
Santa Cruz of Mendana (note 30), and determine
its extent to the fouth.
But if the wind Should not allow of this courfe,
he will make for the Deliverance Islands, at the eaft
point of the Terre des AifacMes, difcovered, in
1769, by Surville (note 32); he will run along
the fouth coait, which neither, this navigator, nor
any other, has examined, and he will fatisfy himfelf whether, as is probable, thefe lands do not
form a group of islands, which he will try to
particularize. It is to be prefumed, that they are
peopled on the coafts to the fouth, as we know
thofe to the north are; perhaps he may procure
there fome refreshments.
He will endeavour, in like manner, to examine
an island to the north-weft of the Terre des Arfa-
cides, the eaftern coaSt of which was feen by
Bougainville in 1768; but he will purfue this re-
fearch no farther than to be able without difficulty
afterwards, to make Cape Deliverance on the
fouth-eaft point of Louifiade (note %$)', and,
before reaching this cape, he. will examine, if he
the eaft eoaft(jdS
From
ROUND THE WORLD. 71
From Cape Deliverance he will Steer a courfe for
Endeavour Straits (note 34), and will, in thefe
TO&its, try to afcertaifTwhether the land of Loui-
Siade be contiguous to that of New Guinea; and
he will examine all this part of the coaft, from
Cape Deliverance to the island of St. Bartholomew,
eaft north-eaft of Cape WalSh, of which we have
xat prefent but a very imperfect knowledge.
It is much to be wifhed that he could infpect
the Gulf of Carpentaria (note $$); but he will
have to obferve, that the north-weft monfoon,
to the fouth of the line, begins about the 15th
of NoVeinoer, and that the limits of this monfoon
are not fo fixed, that they may not fometimes extend themfelves beyond the 10th degree of fouth
latitude. It is therefore important, that he obferve
the greateft diligence in this part of his Survey,
and that he pay attention to combine the length
of his courfe, arid rate of his failing, fo as to have
repaffed the longitude of the fouth-weft point of
the Island of Timor, before the 20th of November.
If, contrary to all appearance, it Should have
been impoffible for him to have procured refreshments, wood, and water, in the places'he had touched
at after his departure from the Friendly files,
which may be fuppofed to have been about the
15th of July, he will Stop, at Prince's Iflaha, &t
the entrance of the Straits of Sunda, near the
wefteth point of the island of Java, ^
W* F 4 On
mmtmmm
72 LA PER0USE S VOYAGE
. On leaving Prince's Ifland, or if he have not been
forced to put in there, in quitting the channel to
the north of New Holland (note 35), he will
direct his courfe fo as to infpect the fouth coaft of
this land, and he will begin this examination as
high up towards the equator as the winds wall
permit him. He will furvey; the weft coaft, and
infpect more particularly the fouthern coaft, of
which the greateft part has never been explored,
and he will approach to the fouth of Van-Diemen's
Land (note 36), at Adventure Bay, or at Frederick
Henry Bay; thence he will make for Cook's Straits,
and anchor at Queen Charlotte's Sound, fituate
in the Strait between the two islands which form
New Zealand. This port will be the third rendezvous for the frigates in cafe of feparation. He
will repair his Ships there, and provide himfelf
with refreshments, wood, and water.
It may be prefumed he can fail from this port
at the beginning of March, 1787.
In going out of Cook's Straits, or New Zealand
Straits, he will Stand fox, and remain between, the
parallels of 41 & 42 degrees, as far as the 130th degree of weft longitude. When he fhall have reached
this longitude, he will Stand to the north, in prdej
to get to windward, and into the latitude of the
Marquefas islands of Mendoza (note 38); to fup-
ply the wants of his Ships, he will put into the
port of Madre de Dios of ]{Iendana, on the
cM? weftern
ROUND THE WORLD. 73
weftern coaft of the iile Santa Chriftinia (Cook's
Refolution'sBay); this port will be the fourth rendezvous in cafe of feparation.
It may be prefumed that this paffage will take
up two months, and that he will be ready tp fail
again about the 15th of May.
If, in failing from the Marquefas illands of Men-
doza, the winds Should be Sufficiently favourable
for him, to make, at leaft, a northerly courfe, he
might reconnoitre fome of the islands to the eaft
of the group of Sandwich Illes (note 40): he
will afterwards repair to thefe laft,' where he may
take a/ fupply of provision, but he will not Stay
there.
He will fail, as foon as he can, to make the
north-weft coaft of America; and to this effect:
"he will Stand to the northward, as far as 30 degrees,
to get out of the trade winds, and that he may
make the above coaft in 3 6° 20' at Punt a de
PinoSy to the fouth of Port Monterey, of which
the mountains (ovfiefraj of Santa Lucia, are the
marks.
It is probable, that he may arrive at this coaft
about the 10th or 15th of July (note 41).
He will particularly endeavour to reconnoitre
thofe parts which have not been examined by
captain Cook, and of which the relations of Ruffian and Spanish navigators have given no idea.
He will oMbrve, with the greateft care, whether,
si
74 ^A PEROUSE S VOYAGE
in thofe parts not yet known, fome river may not
be found, fome confined gulf, which may, by
means of the interior lakes, open a communication with fome part of Hudfon's Bay.
He will pufh his enquiries to Behring's Bay,
and to Mount St. Elias, and will infpect the ports
-BueareHi and LosRemedios, difcovered, in 1775*
by the Spaniards.
Prince William's Sound, and Cook's River, hav-
feg been Sufficiently explored, he will $ot make a
point of vifiting them; but after maki'rig Mount
St. Elias, he will Steer a courfe for the Shumagin
islands, near the p^nkifula of Alafhka.
He will afterwards examine the archipelago of
the Aleutian islands (note 42), and fucceffively
the two groups of islands to the weft of the for^-
mer, concerning the true position and the number
of which we are uninformed, and which altogether
constitute, with the coafts of Alia and America,
the great northern bafm or gulf.
When this examination is completed, he will
put into the port of Avatfcha (note 43), or St.
Peter and St. Paul, at the fouth-eaftern extremity
of the peninfula of Kamtfchaikft.
He will try to be there about the 15th or 20th
<$ September; and this port will be the fifth rendezvous in cafe of feparation.
He wiH diligently provide for the wants of his
there, amF wtH gain the neceffary information
,0>
. ROUND THE WORLD. 75
tion fo as to be fure of finding provifion there
when he comes agajftfcin 1788.
He will fo arrange his operations as to be
ready to fail in the firft ten days of October.
He will coaft along and examine all the Kurile
Islands (note 44), the north-eaft coaft, the eaft
and the fouth of Japan; and, according as the
feafon advances, and he may find the winds more
or lefs favourable, the feas more or'lefs difficult, he
will extend his refearches to the ifla
>rU
the
eaft and the fouth of Japan, and to the islands
of Lekeyo, as far as Forrnofa.
When he Shall have completed this examination,
he will put into Macao and Canton, or Manilla,
according to circumftances.
This port will be the Sixth rendezvous in cafe
of feparation.
It is prefumed, that he ought to be there towrards
the end of the year 1787.
He will get his Strips repaired and victualled,
and will wait in port the return of the fouth-
weft monfoon, which commonly fets in about
the beginning of March. Fie may, notwith-
.Standing, delay his departure till the firft of
April, if his crews have need of longer reft, and
if, after the information he Shall have gained, he
fcteink the* navigation northward would be too
hazardous before this period.
What
H
nHPiinMir
76 LA PE£OUSE?S VOYAGE
Whatever may be the length of his Stay, he
will Shape his courfe in quitting this port, to
pafs the Straits, which feparate the island of For-
mofa from the coaft of China, or between this
island and thofe which lie to the eaft.
He will examine with care the weft coaft of
Corea, and infpect the gulf of Hoan-hay, taking
care not to Stand in fo far as to prevent him from
weathering the fouth coaft of Corea, with a
fouth-weft, or foutherly wind.
He will afterwards examine the eaftern coaft
of this peninfula, that of Tartary, where the
pearl fishery is carried on, and that of Japan, on
the other fide. All thefe coafts are abfolutely
unknown to Europeans.
He will pafs the Straits of TeJJby, and explore
the land known by the name of Jeffo (note 45^,
and that which the Dutch have denominated.
Staten Land, and the Ruffians, Nadezda Island,
about which there are at prefent only confu'fed
ideas, from fome ancient accounts which the
Dutch Eaft India Company have fuffered to
tranfpire, but the accuracy of which has not
been afcertaincd.
He will finifh his obfervations upon fuch of the
Kurile Islands (note 4.4.), as he may not have
been able to vifit in the preceding month of
November, in coming from Avatfcha to Macae.
He
ROUND THE WORLD. 77
He will pafs between fome of thefe islands
as near as he can to the foutherly point of
Kamtfchatka; and will anchor in the port of
Avatfcha, the feventh rendezvous in cafe of fe-
paration.
After refitting and victualling, he will go to
fea again, at the beginning of Auguft.
He will come into the latitude of 37 deg. §
north, on the meridian of 180 deg.
He wrill Steer to the westward, to look out
for land, or an island which is faid to have been
difcovered by the Spaniards, in 1610, (note 48^;
he will follow up this fearch to the 165th of eaft
longitude. He will Stand afterwards"fouth-weSt,
and fouth-fouth-weft, to examine the difperfed
islands fituate in this direction, to the north eaft
of the Ladrones, or Marianne Islands.
He may put in at the island of Tinian, but
he will fo contrive to combine the time of his
Stay, and his further courfe, with the north-eaft
monfoon, which only begins in October to the
north of the line, fo that on quitting the ille of
Tinian he may run down and examine the New
Carolinas (note 49J, fituate fouth-weft of the
island of Guaham, one of the Mariannes, afid:
to the eaft of Mindanao, one of the Philippines.
He will proceed in this examination as far as the
islands of St. Andrew.
1^
K
78 LA PEROUSE'S VOYAGE
He will aifter^wards come to an anchor at the
iifend of MManao, in the port fituate on the.
fouth Side of the ifiand, behind that of Sirangam.
After a Stay of a fortnight, taken up in fup-
plying himfelf with refreshments, he will fet fail
for the Molucca islands, and may anchor at
Ternate, to procure what further provision may
be wanting.
As the north-weft monfoon, which then blows
to the fouth of the line, would not permit him
to pafs the Straits of Sandd, he will avail himfelf of the variation of the wind near the equator, to Steer between Ceram, and Bourro, pr
between Bourro, and Bout on (note $0) ; and
he will endeavour to Stand out from between
fome of the islands to the eaft or weft of Timor
(note 51;.
It is probable, that, having then run beyond
the parallel of 10 deg. fouth, he will find himfelf to be out of the north-weft monfoon, and
th&t he may eaSHy, with the winds from the
eaft, and fouth-eaft, Stretch towards the weft,
and make the IJle of France, which will be the
eighth rendezvous of the Ships, in cafe of fe-
paration. $&$ll
He will Stay at the Tile of France only fo long
as is abfolutely neceffary to put himfelf in a condition to return to Europe, and will take advantage of the laft months of the fummer, for
f ■. the
ROUND THE WORLD. 79
the navigation which will remain to be performed
in the feas fouth of the Cape of Good Hope.
On quitting the Ifie of France, he will
ftand into the parallel between 54 and ^ degrees fouth, to look for Cape Circumcifion (note
54^, difcovered by Lozier Bouvet, in 1739.
- He will crofs this latitude at 15 deg. of eaft
longitude, and follow the parallel between 54 and
55 degrees, up to the meridian of Paris, or o of
longitude.
When he arrij^s at tfeaf point, he is to quit
the Sfurch aft^ath^iil^jidg^^
If at this period he jiidge the fhips to be $f$:
fofficiently provided \\yith:: provision, to make
their return to Europe, he may go into the
Cape, of Q.Qod Hope, to put them into a condition to continue their voyage ; and this port
may be, the ninth rendezvous for the veffels, in
cafe of fepar^tion.
Whatever he may have done in this refrj^t^
he will, in coining.back to Europe, endeavour
to reconnoitre the islands of Gou^h (note 1SJ,
d'Alvarez (note i7), Triftan d'Acunha (note
16)y Saxemburgh (note 14.J, and Dos Picos
(note 10J, and if he meet with them, he will
afcertain their positions, which remain to this
time uncertain.
He wrill refeurn to the port of Brett, where it is
probable, he may awve in July, or Auguft, 1789.
AlthouehN
LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
Although the courfe of the Sieur De La Peroufe is thus traced by the prefent instruction,
and his going into the various ports, and his
flay there are pointed out, his Majefty does not
mean to have it understood, that he Should invariably Subject himfelf to this plan. All the
calculations here prefented ought to be governed by the circumstances of his navigation, the
condition of his crews, of his provision, and his
Ships, as well as by the events of his voyage,
and accidents which it is not poffible to forefee.
All thefe caufes may more or lefs produce a change
in the plan of his operations; and the object of
the prefent instructions is only to make known
to the Sieur De La Peroufe the difcoveries which
remain to be made, or to be perfected, in the*
different parts of the globe, and the courfe which
appeared convenient to be followed: that he
might proceed with order, in hisvariousrefearches,
in combining his different routes, and the periods
of his going into harbour, with the feafons, with
the predominant or periodical winds, in every
latitude he has to go through. His Majefty,
relying therefore on the experience and judgment
of the Sieur De La Peroufe, authorizes him to
make the changes which may appear to him neceffary, in the cafes which have not been fore-
feen,
■ Vjfri
ROUND THE WORLD. 8l
feen, provided he keep as near as poffible to
the plan which is traced out to him; and conform himfelf efpecially to that which will be
prefcribed in the other parts of thefe instructions.
SECOND PART.
Objects relating to Policy and Commeree.
HIS Majefty has pointed out in the firft part of
thefe instructions, to the Sieur De La Peroufe
the courfe which he will have to follow, in the
inquiries and difcoveries which he has to make,
in the greatest part of the terreftrial globe; he
is about to make known to him, in this*, part, th&
objects relating to policy and commerce, which
ought particularly to occupy his attention, at the
different places at which he may touch; fo that the
expedition which his Majefty has ordered, in contributing to perfect geography, and extend navigation, may equally fulfil, under other considerations, the views that his Majefty propofed to
himfelf, for the intereft of the crown, and the
utility of his fubjects.
i ft. The duration of the Stay, that the Sieur
De La Peroufe Should make at Madeira, and at
St. Jago, will t>e too Short to enable him to acquire any exact knowledge of thefe Portuguefe
colonies; but he wiU neglect no means of obtaining
Vol. I. G S?| inform-'
82 LA PEROUSE's VOfAGE
information, refpecting the forces, that the crowri
of Portugal keeps there, refpecting the commerce
carried on there, by the English, and other nations, and the great objects concerning which it
may be interesting to be informed.
2ndly. He will fatisfy himfelf whether the
English have entirely evacuated the Island of Trinidad ; whether the Portuguefe be established therej
and in what confifts the establishment the latter
may have formed there Since the evacuation.
3dly. If he Should happen to fall in with the
Ifle Grande of la Roche, he will examine whether
it contain any commodious and fafe port, where
wood and yvater are to be procured; what facility
it can offer to form an establishment, in cafe the
whale-fiShery might draw French adventurers into
the Southern Atlantic Ocean; whether there be
any part which might be advantageoufly fortified,
and kept by a fmall number of troops, a poft,
in Short, convenient for an establishment, fo far
off from Succour and the protection of the mother country.
4thly. He will examine the Island of Georgia,with
the fame views; but it is probable, that this island,
being fituate under a higher latitude, holds out
lefs facility than might be expected from the position of Ifle Grande-, and that the ice, which
obstructs the fea during a part of the year in
the vicinage of Georgia, would throw great ob-
%i:J ftacles
ROUND THE WORLD, B'j
Itacles in the way of ordinary navigation; and
would intimidate the fishermen from making this
island a point of rendezvous and retreat.
5thly. The islands of the great equatorial
ocean will offer but few obfervations to be made
relative to policy and commerce. Their distance
feems likely to prohibit the nations of Europe
from forming establishments there: arid Spain
only could have any intereft in occupying islands*
which* being feated at nearly an equal distance
from her poffeffions in America and Afia, might
become places of Shelter and refreshment, for her
trading Ships which traverfe the great ocean,
However that may be, the Sieur De La Peroufe
will principally attend to the climate and the
productions of every kind, in the different islands
of this ocean, where he may land, to learn the
manners and cuftoms of the natives, their religion, the form of their government, their manner of making war, their weapons, their veffels,
the distinctive character of each tribe, whatever
they may have in common with other favage nations, as well as with civilized people, and principally for what each in particular is remarkable.
Of thofe islands where the Europeans have already been he will endeavour to learn* whether
the natives of the country have distinguished
the different nations which have vilited them,
and he will try to get out of them what opv-
G z. nion
^
IfongiS
mm***
84 LA PEROUSE's VOYAGE
nion they may have of each of them in particular. He will inquire what ufe they have
made of the different merchandize, of the metals,
the tools, the Stuffs, and the other things, which
the Europeans have carried them. He will inform himfelf whether the cattle and other arii-
1 mals, which captain Cook left upon fome of the
islands, have multiplied, what grain,, what herbs
from Europe have belt fucceeded, what method
the islanders have practifed for their cultivation,
and to what ufe they have turned their produce.
Every where in Short, he will examine what has
been related by fuch navigators as have published
accounts of thofe islands, and he will principally
endeavour to remark what may have efcaped the
refearches of his predeceffors.
During his Stay at Eafter Island, he will fatisfy
himfelf, whether the population decreafe there, as
there is room to prefume, after the obfervations
and the opinion of captain Cook.
On pairing to the ifland of Huaheine, he will
Strive to make acquaintance with Omai, that
iSlander whom the English navigator established
there on his third voyage; he will learn from
him what treatment he met with from his countrymen, after the departure of the English, and
what ufe he has himfelf made of the lights and
knowledge which he muft neceffarily have acquired
during his Stay in Europe, for the fervice, benefit,
and melioration of his country,
fithly^ If
ROUND THE WORLD. 8jJ
6thly. If during the infpe&ion and examination
he will make of the islands of the great equatorial ocean, and the coafts of the continents, he
Should meet with any Ship at fea, belonging
to fome other power, he will conduct himfelf
towards the commander of fuch Ship, with all
the politenefs established and agreed upon, between poliShed and friendly nations; and if he
meet with fuch in fome port belonging to a people'
considered as Lavage, he will concert meafures with
the captain of the Strange veffel, for effectually preventing all manner of dispute, all altercation between the crews of the two nations, which might
be aSMtare together, and to lend each other mutual
affitance, in cafe either might be attacked by the
iflanders or favages.
7thly. In the vifit he will make to New Caledonia, Queen Charlotte's Islands, and the Land
of the Arfacides, and that of Louifiade, he will
carefully examine the productions of thefe countries, which, being fituate under the torrid zone,
and in the fame latitudes as Peru, may open a
new field of fpeculation in commerce; and, without giving way to the reports, undoubtedly exaggerated, which the ancient Spanish navigators
have made of the fertility, and the riches of fome
of the iflands, which they difcovered in this
part of the world, he will only obferve, that
the reconciliation of various accounts, founded
G 3 upoi
mm*ammm
S6 la perouse's vqyagji
upon geographical combinations, and upon the
knowledge and information which modern,voyages have procured, give room to think, that
the land difcoyered, in the one part, in_i768, by
Bougainville, and in the other, in 1769, by
Surville, may be the islands difeovered in 1567,
by Mendana, and known Since by the name
qf Salomon's Iflandss which name was given them
In after-times, by the idea whether true or falfe
that was entertained of their riches.
He will examine with Similar attention the
northern and weftern coafts of JSJew Holland,
and, particularly, that part of thofe coafts which,
lying under the torrid zone, may participate in
the productions common to places in the farne;
latitudes.
8thly. He will not have the fame inquiries to
rnake at the islands of New Zealand, which the
accounts of Englilti navigators have very fully
made known. But during his Slay in Queen
Charlotte's Spund? he will endeavour to discover, whether England have formed, or projected any establishments upon thefe islands;
and in cafe he Should learn that any has beer;
formed, he will endeavour j:o vifit them and obtain
informatiqn of the State of it, and of the Strength
$nd object of fuch eftablifhment.
9thly. If, in the refearches he will make in the
lorth-weft coaft of America
he meet with, in
fome
I StOU^'6 VHE WOlOlBa &J
fome poii#thereof,--felts or factdSes, belonging
to his Catholic M*$gft^ he will feduloully avoid
every thing which may give umbrage to the
governors of thofe establishments; and he will
make ufe of the ties of blood and friendship,
HWch unite the two fovereigns fo clofely, in order to procure, by thefe means, all the afliftance
and refreshments of which he may Stand in need>
and with which the country may be in a condition to furnirj$ him.
It appears, that Spain has had the intention of
extending its title of poffeffion as far as the Port
de los Remedios, about the 57th degree and a
quarter of latk&de; but there "is nothing which
gi^s -£ffurance, that, in ordering it *$q. be in-
fpected in the year 1775, lfi©?,has formed any
establishment there, any more than alt the Port of
JBucarellij fituate about two degrees lefs northward. As far as it is poffible to judge by the
defcriptions of this country, which have made
their way into France, the actual poffeffion of
Spain r does not extend beyond St. Diego, and?
Monterey, where She has raifed little forts, and
guarded them by detachments drawn from California, or New Mexico.
The Sieur De La Peroufe wijfo endeavour to
obtain" the knowledge of the condition, the
ftrength, the objeft of thefe establishments, and
$0 apprize himfelf, whether thefe be the only
G $ QQ$$
88 la perouse's voyage
ones that Spain has formed upon thefe coafts.
He will examine, in like manner, at what latitude
plight be begun the procuring of furs and ftiiis*
what quantity the American Indians cotd4
furnith; what merchandize, what objects would
be the moft eligible for the traffic of peltry ; what
conveniences might be found for forming an
establishment upon this coaft, in cafe of this
new commerce prefe&ting fufficient advantage to
the French merchants, to induce them to engage
themfelves in it, in the hope of exporting thefe
furs to China,, where we are affured they find a
ready fale.
He will, in like manner, endeavour to gain a
knowledge of what kind of Skins may be pur-
chafed, and if thofe of the otter* which bear the
higheft value in Af% where they are much
fought after, be the moft common in America
He will take care to bring to France Specimens of
all the different furs, which he may have been able
to procure: and as he will have occafion in the
courfe of his voyage to put into China, and
perhaps to touch at Japan, what fpecies of Skins
in thefe two empires have the moft eafy, moft
certain, and moft lucrative fale, and what be*
nefit France might promife itfelf from this branch
of -Commerce, In Short, he will try, during his
{lay on the coafts of America, to difcover whe*
thsr the Hudfon's Bay eftabli&ments, the forts
ox
ROUND THE WORLD* 89
or factories of the interior, or any province of
the United States, have opened, by the medium
of the wandering favages, any communication of
commerce or barter, with the people xff the weft
coaft.
iothly. It is probable, that in visiting the A leu*
tian islands, and the other groupes fituate to the
fouth of the large northern Archipelago, he will
meet with fome Ruffian establishments cjNfactories.
He will endeavour to learn their constitution, their
Strength, their object; what is the navigation of
the Ruffians in thefe feas, what Ships, what men
they employ there; how far they extend their commerce, as alfo whether there be any of thefe islands
#nich acknowledge the dominion of Ruffia, or
all be independent; in fine, whether the Ruf-
iians have not by fmall degrees Stretched themselves to the very continent of America.
He will profit by his Stay in the port of Avatfcha,
to increafe the knowledge to be acquired in
thefe particulars, and to procure for himfelf at
the fame time, if it be poffible, whatever information he may need refpecting the Kurile Ifles,
the land of Jeffo, and the empire of Japan.
nthly. He will make his examinations of the
Kurile Ifles, and of the land of Jeffo, with pru>
dence and circumfpection, as much in consideration of that which concerns his navigation in a
fea
$0 LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
fea which is not known to Europeans, and which
paffes for tempeftuous, as in the communication
which he may have with the inhabitants of thefe
islands and lands, whofe character and manners
muft neceffarily have fome conformity with thofe
of the Japanefe, who may have fubjugated part
of them, and hold communication with the others.
He will fee by the geographical and historical
notes joined to the prefent instruction, that Ruflia
does not extend her dominion further than to
thofe of the Kurile Ifles, the ne&refr; to Kamt*
fchatka; and he will examine, whether, in the
number of foutherly and independent ifles, there
be not one remaining, upon which, in the fuppo-
Sition of a commerce in Skins and furs to;|^
opened with France, it would be poffible to form
an eftablifhment, or factory, which might be r^^
dered fecure from any infult on the part of thq
islanders.
12thly. With regard to Japan, he will endeavour to reconnoitre and infpect the north eaft,
and the eaft coaft, and go on Shore in fome one of
its ports, in order to fatisfy himfelf whether its
government in reality oppofe any invincible ob^
ftacle to every eftablifhment, to every introduction
of commerce or barter with Europeans, and whe«?
ther by the enticement of furs,«which are an object;
of utility and luxury to the Japanefe^ it would
not be poffible to prevail on the ports of the eaft
ROUND THE WORLD. pi
pr north -eaft $oaft, to admit fhips, which fhould
^rfbg furs, and receive in exchange teas, Silks,
and other, productions of their foil, and the
works of their manufacture; perhaps the prohibitory laws of this empire, which all the accounts
of this country Speak of as fo fevere, are not in
force on the coafts to the north-eaft and eaft,
with fo much rigour as at Nangafaki and the
fouth coaft, places too near the capital to expect
any relaxation in them.
i3thly. During the time the Sieur De La Peroufe is $t Macao, he will take the neceffary
meafures to obtain the convenience of wintering at
Canton. He will addrefs himfelf for this purpofe
to the Sieur Vieillard, his Majesty's conful at
China, and he will charge him to take fuch
meafures with the Chinefe government, as will
be proper to fucceed therein. He will take advantage of his Stay in this port, to inform
himfelf exactly and in detail of the prefent State
pf the commerce of the European nations at*
Canton -, and he will inquire into this important
object, under all the points of view, in which
it may be interesting to be informed.
He will gain every information which may be
ufeful to him in his future navigation in the
feas to the north of China, upon the coafts of
Corea, and of Eaftern Tartary, and of all the lands
gr iflands which remain to be infpected in thefe
parts.
iSHtififltifl
II
92 LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
parts. He will not neglect, if it be poffible, to
procure a Chinefe and Japanefe interpreter, and a
Ruffian interpreter for his fecopd call at Avatfcha;
he will bargain with them for the time he may
keep them in the fervice of the Ship, and on
his return, will land them at Mindanao, or at the
Moluccas.
i4thly. It is neceffary he be informed, that the
Japanefe pirates are fomefimes very numerous in
the fea comprifed between Japan, Corea, and
Tartary. Their weaknefs requires no other precaution on his part, than being on his guard
during the night, to prevent a furprife on theirs;
but it will not be ufelefs, that he Should endeavour
to fpeak to one of them, and engage him by pre-
fents and promifes of recompence, to pilot his
Majefty's Ships, in his furvey of Jeffo, of which it
is believed one part is under the dominion of
Japan; in the paffage through the Straits of *ifteffoy,
which: the Japanefe muft neceffarily know; and
in the exploring of fuch of the Kurile Ifles, as
they may be in the habit of frequenting. This
Same pilot may be equally ferviceable in vifiting
fome port on the weft coaft. of Japan, in cafe cir»
cumftances Should not have allowed a landing at
any point of the eaft or north-eaft coaft. But
whatever ufe the Sieur De La Peroufe may make
of the faid pilot, he muft not give up to his advice'and Suggestions, but with the moft cautious
referve.
ROUND THE WORLD. 93
referve. It is proper alfo, that he Should engage,
if he can, fome fishermen of the Kurile ISles, to
ferve him as pilots for fuch of thofe islands as
border on Kamtfchatka.
The Sieur De La Peroufe will thus, in Standing
again to the northward, endeavour to complete his
knowledge of the islands, which he could not make
in coming from Avatfcha to Macao, and to corn-
pen fate on the weft coaft of Japan, for what he
he had not been able to effect upon the eaft and
north-eaft coaft.
The reconnoitring of the coafts of Corea and of
Chinefe Tartary ought to be made with much
prudence and eircumfpection. The Sieur De La
Peroufe is not ignorant, that the Chinefe government is very diftruftful: he Should in confequence
avoid hoifting his colours, or making himfelf known,
nor Should he permit any thing to be done, which
might excite upon thefe coafts the inquietude of
that government, left the effects of it Should be
felt by the French Ships which trade to Canton.
I5thly. In exploring the Caroline islands, which
are fcarcely knowrn but by name to moft of the nations of Europe, the Sieur De La Peroufe will endeavour to learn whether the Spaniards, as they
have frequently projected, have tyet formed any
establishment there.
He will obtain the knowledge of the productions of thefe islands, and of all thofe which he
may
£4 LA PEROUSE'S VOYAGE
may have been able to difcover to the north-eait:,
and to the weft-fouth-weft of the Marian, or
Ladrone islands.
i6thly. In the Stay which he will make at Tinian, one of the Marian Iflahds, he will obtain Information concerning the establishments, the
forces, and the commerce of the Spaniards in
that archipelago and its environs,
He will make the fame inquiries at Mindanao,
in order to know, as much as he can, the political,
military, and commercial State of this nation in
the Philippines.
17thly. During the ftay he will make at the
Moluccas, he will neglect nothing with refpect to
the information to be obtained concerning the
Situation and the commerce of the Dutch in thefe
islands. He will ftudy particularly to learn the
advantages which the English derive in their commerce from the liberty this power has obtained,
by its laft treaty of peace with Holland, of navigating and trafficking in the whole extent of the
Afiatic feas, and he will endeavour to learn what
ufe England has made of this liberty, and whe-<
ther She have already gone to far as to open by
this way any new branch of commerce in this patt
of the world,
i8thly. If the Sieur De La Peroufe put into the
Cape of Good Hope, he will obtain precife information concerning the prefent Situation of that
colony.
ROUND THE WORLD. J 55
colony, the forces that Holland or the Dutch
Eaft India Company keep there fince the peace,
and the State of the new and old fortifications
which defend the town, and protect the anchorage.
i9thly. Generally in all the islands, and in all the
ports of the continent, occupied or frequented by
the Europeans, where he may land, he will with prudence, as much as the time he Slays, and circumstances will permit, make every inquiry whicl^
may enable him to communicate in detail the
nature and the extent of the commerce of each
nation,- the forces both by land and by fea that
each keeps in them, the connections of intereft or
friendship which may exift between each and the
chiefs or natives of the country where they have
their establishments, and generally all that can
intereft either policy or commerce,
THIRD PART.
Operations relating to Aftronomy, to Geography^
to Navigation, to Natural Philofophy, and to
the different Branches of Natural Hiftory.
ift. HIS Majefty having appointed two aftrq-'
nomers to be employed under the orders of the
Sieur De La Peroufe, in the expedition which he
has confided to hirn* and his two frigates being,
provided
96 LA PEROUSE's VOYAGE
provided with all the instruments of aftronomy
and navigation, of which ufe can be made either by feasor land, he will take care in the courfe
of the voyage, that one or other of them makes
all the astronomical obfervations which may appear to him of any utility.
The object of the greatest importance to the
Safety of navigation is, to fix with precision the
latitudes and longitudes of the places where he
may land, and of thofe within fight of which he
may pafs. With this view he will recommend to
the aftronomer employed on board each frigate,, to
obferve with the greateft exactnefs the movement
of the time-keepers, and take advantage of every
favourable circumftance for verifying, on Shore,
whether they have kept good time during the
run, and to confirm by obfervation the change
which may have happened in their daily movement, in order to keep an account of the change,
fo as to determine, with greater precision, the
'longitude of the islands, the capes, or other remarkable points, which he may have obferved
and laid down in the interval of the two verifications.
4s often as the Slate of the Sky will permit
him, he will order lunar obfervations to be
taken, with the instruments for that purpofe, to
determine the longitude of the Ship, and to
compare it with that which the time-keepers*
indicate
ROUND THE WORLD. 97
fridicate at the fame point of time: he will take
c^re to multiply the obfervations of each kind,
fo that the mean refult between different operations may procure a more precife determination.
Whenever he paffes within Sight of any island
of land, at which he does not propofe to go on
Shore, he will be fore to keep himfelf as much as
poffible on its parallel at the time when obfervations are made of the meridian height of
the fun, or of any Star, from which to calctilate
the latitude of the Ship; and he will keep under
the fame meridian while obfervations are making
to determine the longitude. Thus he will avoid all
error of position, and reckoning, which may injure
the exact nefs of the "determination. He will caufe
daily obfervations to be made, when the weather
will permit, of the variation* and dip of the
magnetic needle.
As foon as he arrives in any port, he will make
choice of a commodious. Spot of ground to pitch
his tents, and fet up his portable obfervatory, with
which he is provided, and he Should place a guard
over it.
Independently of the observations relative to
the determination of latitudes and longitudes,
for which there will be employed every kind of
method known or practifed, and of thofe for
knowing the variation of the compafs, he will not
fail to obferve every celeftial phenomenon which
Vol, I, H ma?
mm
98 ; 1A PEROUSe's VOYAGfi
may be perceived; and on all occasions he will -
obtain for the two aftronomers all the affirtance-
Which may affure the fuccefs of their operations.
His Majefty is perfuaded, that the officers and
the naval cadets, employed in the two frigates,
will zealously endeavour to make, in concert
tvith the aftronomers, every obfervation which
may have any lifeful connection with navigation ;
and that thefe laft perfons, on their part, will be
eager to communicate on the earlieft occasions
the fruits of their Studies, and that theoretical
knowledge, which may contribute to carry the
nautical art to perfection^
The Sieur De La Peroufe muft caufe a double
journal to be kept on board eachfrigate, in which
muft be entered, day by day, as well by fea as by
land, the astronomical obfervations, thofe relative to the employment of the time pieces and all
others* Thefe obfervations will be inferted in
the rough in the log-book, that is to fay, in it
will be. Simply written the quantity of degrees,
minutes, &c. given by the instrument at the.
moment of obfervation, without any calculation,
and in pointing out only the known error of the
instrument, of which ufe will be made, if it have
jbeen afcertained by the accuftomed verifications.
Each of the aftronomers fhould keep one of
thefe journals, and the other Should remain in
the hands of each captain,
The \\
ROUND THE WORLD, $t)
The aftronomer wiLVbefides keep a fecond journal, wherein he Should in like manner infert, day by
day, all the obfervations which he may have made*
to which he will join for every operation* all the
calculations whiten neceffarily lead to the la'ft refult.
At the end of the voyage the Sieiri De La Peroufe Should have the two journals deposited in
his hands, which Shall have been kept by the
aftronomers, after they have beep certified as
true, and Signed *
2ndly. When the Sieur De La Peroufe Shall land*
at thofe ports* which it may be interesting to be
acquainted with, in a military point of view, he
will obtain that knowledge through the chief
engineer, who will give him a circumstantial
report of the remarks he may have made, and of
the plans which it may have been in his power to
lay down.
The Sieur De La Peroufe is to order exact
charts to be drawn of all the coafts and islands
he Shall have infpected; and if they have been
previously known he muft verify the exactnefs of
the defcription arid of the charts, which other
navigators Shall have given of them.
To this effect,* whenever he navigates along a
coaft, or in fight of islands* he muft caufe them
. to be furveyed very exactly with a quadrant, or
with an azimuth compafs; and he Should ob*
ferve, that the furveys, on which the moft re-
H 2 liance
IP
i
100 LA FERGUSES VOYAGE
liance may be had for the construction of charts^
*re thofe by which a cape or any; remarkable
object can be laid down by means of another.
He will employ the officers of. the two frigates,*
and the geographic engineer, to lay down, with
care, the plans of coafts, bays, ports, and anchorages, which he Shall be within reach of exploring ; and to each plan he muft add an instruction,
containing every thing relative to the appearance
and bearings of the land, the marks for failing in*
and out of the harbours, the proper births for
anchoring, or mooring, and the belt place for
watering; the foundings, the quality of the
bottom, the dangers, rocks, and Shoals, the predominant winds, the trade winds, the monfoons,
the time they laft, and the period of their changing ; in Short, all the nautical details which it
may be ufeful to make known to navigators.
All the plans of countries, of coafts, and of
ports, muft be made in duplicates; one of them
muft be deposited in the hands of each captain ;
and at the end of the voyage the Sieur De La
Peroufe Should take into his poffeffion all the
charts and plans, and the instructions relating to
them.
His Majefty leaves it to him to fix the period
at which he will order the decked boats to be
put together, which are embarked in pieces on
board each frigate; he will perhaps do this
during
ROUND THE WORLD. " lOl
during his Slay at Otaheite. Thefe boats may
be employed very ufefully in following the frigates, whether in vifiting the archipelagoes,
fituate in the great equatorial ocean, or for exploring in detail the parts of a coaft, and in founding the bays, the ports, the paffages, and, in
thort, for facilitating every fearch or inquiry,,
which requires a veffel drawing but little water,
and capable of carrying a few days provision for
its crew. $0$
jdly. The naturalists appointed to make, during their voyage, obfervations peculiar to their
fludies, will be employed each of them in thofe
departments of natural hiftory, with which they
are beft acquainted.
The Sieur De La Peroufe fhould, in confequence,
prefcribe to them the refearches which they will
have to make, and fhould distribute to them the
instruments and apparatus appropriate thereto.
He Should be attentive, in the distribution of
the bulinefs, not to employ any individual on two
different Subjects, fo that the zeal and the intelligence of every one of the learned perfons on
board, may have their entire effect in promoting
the general fuccefs of the expedition.
He Should communicate to them the memorial
of the academy of fciences, in which this fociety points out the particular obfervations, to which
i| would defire the profeffors of natural philofo-
Hz
Phy
gas*
ffii'iiifriMiMi
102, LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
phy and natural hiftory attend to during the
voyage; and he Should recommend them to
concur, every one in what may concern him, and
according to circurnftances, in fulfilling the ob-?
jects pointed out in this memorial.
He muft in like manner communicate to the
furgeon of each frigate the memorial of. the
. fociety of medicine, in order that both may
make fuch obfervations as will fulfil the wifhes of
this fociety.
The Sieur De La Peroufe, in the courfe of his
voyages, and his Stay in port, muft caufe a journal
to be kept on board each Ship, of all the obfervations relative to the wind and weather, the
currents, the variations of the atmofphere, and
all that concerns meteorology.
During his Stay in harbour, he fhould caufe obfervations to be made on the genius, the cha^
racter, the manners, the cuftoms, the temperament, the language, the government, and the num-t
ber of the inhabitants.
He fhould have the foil and the productions
of the different countries examined, and every
thing which relates to mineralogy.
He fhould have the natural curiofities collected,
as well terreftrial as marine; he will have them
claffed in their order, and have a defcriptive catalogue for each fpecies? in which ought to be
v!R£&p
Hound the world, to^
mentioned the places where they have been found,
the ufe which the natives of the country make of
them, and, if they be plants, of the virtues which
they attribute to them.
He Should in like manner collect and clafs the
clothes, the arms, the ornaments, the pieces of furniture, the implements, the mufical instruments, and
all the effects ufed by the different people he may
vifit; and each object ought to have a ticket of
label on it, with a number corresponding wit'ft'
that of the catalogue.
He will get drawn, by the draughtfmen embarked in the two frigates, all the views of the
land, and the remarkable Situations, portraits of
the natives of the different countries, their manner of drefs, their ceremonies, their paftimes, their
edifices, their veffels, and all the produdions of.
the earth and of the fea, if the drawings of thefe
different objects Should appear to him of any ufe,
in facilitating the comprehension of the defcrip-
tions the fcientific men have made of them. AH
the drawings which Shall have been made in the
voyage, all the cafes containing the natural curiosities, as well as their defcriptions, and the collection of astronomical obfervations, Should be put
into the-hands of the Sieur De La Peroufe, at the
end of the voyage, and no one of the men of
fc*ence, or artifts, will be allowed to referve for
H 4 himfelf
X04 ££ perouse's voyage
himfelf, or for another, any of the fpecimens of
natural hiftory, or other objects, which the Sieur
De La Peroufe Shall have deemed deferring to be
comprized in the collection deftined for his Majefty.
4thly. Before his return to the port of Breft, at
the end of the voyage, or before his' arrival at the
Cape of Good Hope, in cafe he Should put in
there, the Sieur De La Peroufe Shall caufe to be
put into his hands all the journals of the voyage
which Shall have been kept on board the two fri- .
gates by the officers and' marine cadets, by the
aftronomers, fcientific men, and artifts, by the
pilots, 'and by all other perfons. He muft enjoin
them £o keep a ftrid): iilence relative to the object
of the voyage, and the difcoveries which may have-
been made, and he muft demand a promife of
them to this effect; he muft affure them, moreover, that their journals and papers will be re,*
ftored to them.
FOURTH PART.
Of the Conduct to be obferved with the Natives
of the Countries, where the two Frigates may
make a Landing*
THE accounts of all the voyagers, who have
preceded t%t Sieur De La Peroufe in the feas
which
ROUND THE VOYAGE. I05
which he is about to traverfe, have informed him
beforehand of the character and manners of part
of the different people with whom he may ;havb-
;to communicate, .as well in the iflands of the
great ocean, a,.s upon the coafts of the north-weft
of America.
His Majefty doubts not but that, Improved by
the reading of fuch authors, he will make a point
.of imitating the good conduct of fome of thofe
navigators, and of avoiding the faults of others
who have preceded him.
Upon his arrival in any country, he Should feek
to conciliate the chiefs or principal men, as well
by marks of good will as by prefents; and he muft
affure Jiitnfelf of the refources which be may find
upon jthe fpot for iupplying the wants of his
/hips, jjjjgp
Pe Should ernploy all honourable means to
form connections with the natives of the county-
He Sirould feek to difcoyer what are the merchandizes or objects of Europe to wrhich they appear to attach the greateft value, and he ought
to compofe an affortment which will be agreeable
to them, and which may invite therjn to make
exchanges.
I He will.feel the neceffity of putting in ufe all
the precautions which prudence may fuggeft, to;
maintain his Superiority over the multitude, with?
out
I
•iOO IvA PER0USE S VOYAGE
out feeing obliged to employ force; and whatever
•fluttering reception he may meet with from the
lavages, it is important that he Should always Shew
rltimfelf in a State of defence, becaufe it would be
to be feared, that his fecurity might engage them
to furprife him.
Upon no occasion muft he fend a boat aShore,
tmlefs it be furnished with its fwivels, firelocks,
(words,- pikes, and a Sufficient quantity of ammunition ; it muft alfo be commanded by an officer,
who Should be ordered never to lofe Sight of the
boat committed to his care, and always to leave
fome.men in it for its protection.
He muft permit no perfon either among the
officers or crew to Sleep aShore upon any account
but that of fervice; and thofe whofe functions
oblige them fo to do, muft retire before night into
the tents pitched aShore, which ferve as obferva-
tories or magazines. He muft place a guard
there, where an officer ought alwrays to Sleep, to
maintain good order among the failors and foldiers
attached to that duty, and to prevent, by an active and continued watchfulnefs, any attack or
enterprize of the favages.
He will take care to anchor his Majefty's frigates
within reach to protect the eftablifhment; and he
Should give orders to the officer, who may be on
.guard, concerning the Signals which the latter will
have to make in cafe of alarm.
ROUND THE WORLD. loy
Asfoon as thefe difpofitions are made, he Should
employ himfelf in providing for the fubfiftence of
his crews and the other wants of the Ships; and
after having made a choice as to quantity of his
commodities, implements, and goods of every
kind, with which the two frigates are furnifhed>
he fhould form a magazine afhore, under the protection of a guard; but, as he is informed, that
in general the islanders of the great ocean have an
irrefiftible inclination to theft, he muft take care
not to tempt them by the fight of too great a
number of objects collected together in one place,
but to carry every day on Shore only the effects
which may be employed in exchange during the
courfe of that day.
He will regulate the value of thefe exchanges,
and he will never allow any one to furpafs the
price which Shall be fixed on each article of trade,
left by agreeing, in the commencement of their
dealings, to too high a price for the articles which
he would procure, the natives might refufe to
fell more afterwards at a fmaller price.
He muft eftablifh only one magazine for the
two frigates; and to preferve good order there and
prevent all abufes, he muft fpecially charge an
pfficer to treat with the favages, and Single out
the petty officers or other perfons who will be required to perform, under his orders, the fervice of
the magazine..
H ' No
I08 LA PEROU^e's VOYAGE
; No officer, or other perfon of the Staff, or of the
crews, can be allowed, under any pretence whatever,; to barter any thing, if the Sieur De La
Peroufe have not given him ' exprefs. permiffion,
and have not regulated the rate of exchange.
If any oi\\q of the people of either crew Should
conceal any article belonging to the (hips, or
:any part of the merchandize intended for exchange, the Sieur De La Peroufe muft order him
to be punifhed according to the feverity of the
laws; and he Should punifh Still more feyerely
thofe who, being in the fervice of the magazine,
(hall have abufed his confidence, and have fecreted
effects to traffic with, fraudulently.
He .will recommend to every perfon among the
crews, to live in a good understanding with the
natives, to endeavour to conciliate their friendship by a proper way of acting and refpect; and
he muft forbid them, under pain of the moft rigorous punishments, ever to employ force for
taking from the inhabitants what they may not
be willing to part with.
The Sieur De La Peroufe, on eyery occafion,
will act with great mildnefs and humanity towards
the different people he may have any intercourfe
with during his voyage.
^He will apply himfelf zealouSly and with inte-
teSl about all the means which may meliorate their
condition, in procuring their country vegetables,
fruity
ROUND THE WORLD. itfgF.
fruits, and trees, ufeful in Europe; in teaching
them how to fow and cultivate them; in acquainting them with the ufe they ought to make
of- thefe prefents, the object of which is to multiply upon their foil the productions neceffary to
a people who draw almoft all their food from the
earth.
If imperious circumstances, which it is prudent
to forefee in fo long an expedition, Should ever
oblige the Sieur De La Peroufe to avail himfelf
of the Superiority of his weapons over thofe of a
favage people, in order to obtain the neceffaries of
life, in fpite of their opposition, fuch as fubfift*
ence, water, and wood, he ought not to ufe force
but with the greateSt moderation, and Should pu-
nifti thofe of his people with extreme rigour who
go beyond thefe orders. In all other cafes, if he
cannot obtain the good will of the favages by a
kind treatment, he Should endeavour to conftrain
them by fear and threats, and Should not have
recourfe to arms but in the laft extremity, only
for defence, and in cafes where moderation might
decidedly riSk the fafety of the Ships, and the lives
of French, whofe prefervation is committed to his
care.
His Majefty will look upon it as one of the
moft fuccefsful parts of the expedition, that it
may be terminated without cofting the life., of a
Single man.
FIFTH
lid
LA PEROUSE S VOYA6&
FIFTH PART.
Precautions to be taken for preferring the Medtht
of the Crews.
THE Sieur De La Peroufe knowing the intention of his Majefty with regard to the conctect he
fhould obferve towards the favage nations, and ]
the wilti his Majefty nas, that the vifit of Frenchmen, far from being a misfortune to thefe people,
may, on the contrary* procure them advantages
of which they are deprived, will certainly forefee*-
what particular care he ought to pay to the pre-
fervation of the crews employed in the expedition
which his Majefty has trufted to his conduct.
The Ships under his orders are abundantly provided with every aid which can prevent the dif-
cafes of the fea, orarreft their progrefs, as we'llra#'
with thofe which are intended as fubftitutes for
ordinary diet, and to correct its bad effect. Her
will keep a watchful eye, that thofe various helps*
and fuccours are ufed properly, and in due rnea-
fure; and will be extremely vigilakt concerning,
the various refources, which the different ports into
which he puts may offer him, for procuring refreshments and whokfome aliments for his crews,*
in order to repair the effects of a long ufe of fait(
meats.
His
ROUND, THE WORLD.| - 111.
.His.Majefty-confides in. the prudence of the
'Sieur De La Peroufe as to the form which may appear to him. the moft convenient to be established
on board the two frigates for the Stowage of the
Ship's provifion in the hold.
He Should take care to infpect and air, while
he remains in port, fuch parts of the Ship's Store!
as evince a tendency to decay, the progrefs of
which may be Stopped by this precaution.
He will neglect no opportunity to procure freSh
fifti for his crews, and to renew his falted provision by the means which have been put within
his power, and in making ufe of the method which
has been, practifed with fuccefs by the navigators
of later times who have traverfed the great ocean.
The SieurDe LaPeroufe is not uninformed, that
one of the precautions, which contribute the moft
efficaciously to preferve the health of the feamen,
is the: continual attention to keep the Ships and
crews extremely clean.
He will make ufe to this effect of all the known .
means, fuch as ventilators, fumigations, and per-*
fumes, to renew and purify the air of the holds )
and between decks. He.will everyday, if it can |
be done, have the hammocks and the clothes of
the crews expofed to the open air; and in order
that the failors and other perfons on board may j
not neglect the cleanlinefs of their perfons, he
Should divide them into fqttads, the inflection
and
^BMutmtSmmt
iHH
i:
. jB* LA 'PEROUSEf& VOtAGS
and care of whofe conduct he will distribute artioiig'
the officers of the two frigates
Each of the officers ought to render an account
every week, to the captain, of the State of the clothing and of the wants of the fquad which* has been
committed to his care; and upon the order of the
Sieur De La Peroufe, the clothing for Supplying
fuch deficiencies, which his Majefty has ordered
to be embarked, will be given out to the crews
of the two Ships, according to the distribution
which" Shall have been regulated by the commanding officer, and in the circumstances where he'
Shall judge this affiftance neceffary.
The Sieur De La Peroufe Should eftablifh the *
moft exact difcipline among the crews of the two
frigates, and he will carefully keep a Strict hand to
prevent any relaxation in this refped; but this
feverity, feafonable in every part of fervice, and
absolutely neceffary in a voyage of feveral years,
will be tempered Ipy the conftant effect of thofe
paternal cares which he will owe to the companions of his fatigues; and his Majefty, knowing the
fentiments with which he is animated, is affured,
that he will be constantly occupied in obtaining
for his crews all the accommodation, and all the '
indulgence he can grant to them, without injury
to the interests of the Service and the object of the
expedition.
ROUND THE WORLD,
'*x#
Mis ;Mfejefty could not give to the Sieur De La
jperoufe a more distinguished mark of the confidence he has in his zeal, his ability, and his prudence, than in committing to him one of the moft
extensive enterprizes which has ever been projected. Some of the navigators* who have preceded
him in the career of difcoveries, have left him
great leffons and great examples; but his Majefty
is perfuaded, that, equally ambitious of glory*
equally zealous for the increafe of human knowledge, equally perfevering as his models, he will
cme day deferve to be ccnfidered One himfelf for
thofe, who, Stimulated by the fame courage, are
defirous of contending for the fame celebrity.
NO TE.
In drawing up a plan of navigation for the
Voyage of difcovery, the conducting of which is
confided to M. De La Peroufe, the object has
been for him to follow, in the different feas,
tracks which have not been followed by any of
the navigators who have preceded him; this Step
has appeared to be the molt fure of multiplying
difcoveries, and of considerably advancing in this
Voyage the great work of the complete defcrip-
tion of the terreftrial globe.
There has neverthelefs been a necetTtty for pointing out islands already known, as ports where there
is a certainty that M. De La Peroufe may pro*
cure fubfiftence by means of barter and exchange,
for which the means are furnifhed him by th£
Vol. L I quantity
fr^Nanp'cc
||4 LA PfckOTJSfi's VOYAGE
quantity of mefGh&hdize of every kind which com-
pofes the affortment, accommodated to the fancy
of the islanders, with whom he will have occafion
'to trade. But in communicating to the French
tommander the places for refreshment and repofe
that have already been frequented, attention is
had to direct him to arrive there by tracks, which
have not hitherto been followed; and in the number of merchandizes* with which he has been furnished, it has not been neglected to put up
many of kinds which are not yet known in
the islands he may touch at, in order that the
natives of the -country may know, that the nation
which brings them, is a new nation to them, and
one by which they have not yet been viSited.
Different elements of calculation have been
employed to eftimate the duration of time in performing the different runs. In the common failing in open feas, it is fuppofed that the Ships with
trade winds might run thirty leagues in 24 hours;
twenty-five leagues only have been allowed to the
Tarhe fpace of time, for thofe parts where prudence requires the Ships Should lie to a part of
fh
night; twenty leagues only where the Ships
in this laft cafe, a cer-
ftfe1 on difcovery: and
tain number of days are added for the time which
is loft in fecorin6itring and infpecting a coaft. It
is from thefe data, that the time neceffary for making the funs, and remaining in port, has been
estimated ; but all thefe calculations may be influenced by the circumstances of the Ships, the
events of the voyage, and unforefeen accidents.
The total duration of the voyage will neceffarily exceed four years; it would be impoffible
in a Smaller fpace of time to fulfil all the objects
his Majefty
ias in view.
The
dical
returns
m
the ^different monfoons
the fame time, to
the
ROUNt) fKE WOKLllL
tx.
the north and fouth of the line, are data to
which1 the courfe is neceffarily fubjected, and
which infinitely oppofe the navigation in the
neighbouring feas of the arcfcipelagoes, and of
the continent of Afia, by the obligation the navigator finds himfelf under of going into each
tract of fea, only when the winds are favourable*
This consideration of the monfoons has required
different combinations, to accommodate the
courfes to it, without greatly augmenting the
total duration of the voyage, fo that each particular run Should not exceed the limits prefcribed
by the quantity of wood and water, which each
Ship can carry for her complement'# men. Further, his MajeSty's Ships are furnished'-with Stores
of every kind, more than Sufficient to laft a four
years voyage, in adding the accidental refources
which the accounts of modern navigators have
pointed out, and which the foresight and activity
of M. De La Peroufe will inftruct him how to procure, at the different places where he may put in*
The laft voyage of captain Cook lafted fouryeaglj
two months, and twenty-two days ; and his vef-
fels were not provided as tBofe of his Majefty
will be.
If, as there is reafon to expeifcfroni the zeat
and capacity of the commander of the expedition,
all the objects pointed out in his instructions Shall
have been fulfilled, the voyage of M. De La Peroufe will leave hereafter to navigators, who would
attempt difcoveries, only the merit of giving to
the world more circumstantial details of fome portions of the globe.
There remains to be made known the Steps
which have been followed in the construction of
the hydrographic charts, which will be put into
I 2 the
wm
LA PEROUSE's VOYAGE
the hands of the commanders of the ShipSy after
his Majefty Shall have approved of them.
Firft a chart of the fouthern ocean has been"
prepared, upon which are traced, from the journals
of navigators, the courfes which have led them to
difcoveries; and thofe are pointed out which yet
remain to be made or verified. This chart has
been constructed from the beft French, Spanish,
English, and Dutch charts; and it has been Subjected to aftronomical obfervations, by which the
positions of the principal points of the continents
and islands have been determined.
The extent of the great ocean, commonly
called the South Sea, or Pacific Ocean, has ne-
ceffitated the division of it into three bands or
zones, of which the firft contains the AuStral
Ocean, or the fp^ce contained between the an--
tarctic circle, and the tropic of Capricorn.
The fecond, the great Equatorial Ocean, or interval comprized between the two tropics.
The third and laft, the great Boreal Ocean, or
the feas enclofed between the tropic of Cancer,
and the arctic circle.
As the courfes of M. De La Peroufe will not
carry him beyond the Sixtieth parallel of north
and fouth latitude, it has been thought ufelefs to
trace, on the charts prepared for his voyage, either
the great Polar Boreal Ocean, or the great Polar
AuStral Ocean.
To accomplish the laying down the chart of
the Great Ocean, the journals of all the navigators of this century, and of thofe of anterior periods, who have navigated this fea, have been
consulted. The plans of the details which they
have given have been confulted, and by reducing
their fcale, they have been made to enter into this
general
ROUND THE WORLD*
II
I
general chart. The known tracks of all navigators, ancient and modern, are traced thereon, in
order to place under one point of view, the recent difcoveries, with thofe,of former periods, and
to prove in certain cafes, their identity.
This general chart of the Great Ocean is. the
refult of all that navigators and geographers have
produced up to this time. It will not be endeavoured to reprefent here in detail the various
materials, which have been examined, and employed ; the mere enumeration would require a
volume. All that remains to be done is, to
join to the King's instructions to M. De La
Peroufe a few geographical and historical notes,
upon fome parts which require to be more particularized, and there will be added to the two charts of
the Southern Atlantic Ocean and Great Oceans
a collection of thirty-feven other charts, or original manufcript plans, of the leaft frequented
parts of thofe Seas.
Extract from M. De La Peroufe's general In-
ftructions,
26th June, 1785,
HIS Majefty" authorizes the Sieur De La Peroufe to grant fome months pay to the crews
as a bounty, the quantity of which he will regulate according to circumstances: he will only
obferve, that the Sum of fuch bounties, during
the whole voyage, muft not exceed one year's
pay. Befides thefe bounties, which he will grant
I
according
I
1
tii
LA PEUOUSE S VOYAGE
according to merit to the petty officers, failors,
"and foldiers, he will give the two crews to under-?
(land, that it is the intention of his Majefty, that
the pay of thofe who Should die during the
voyage, reckoning from the day of their deceafe,
fhould be thrown into a mats, to be distributed
in gratification to the people composing that
crew, of whom the deceafed man made one ; and
that the pay acquired unto the day of his death
be accounted for to his family, as well as the value of his clothes, if they Should have been distributed. JiSfi
NOTE S,
GEOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL,
To be added to theKing's Memoir, ferving as a parr
ticular instruction to Monjieur De La Peroufe,
Captain in the Navy, commanding the Frigates
La Boujfole, and LAftrolabe.
Southern Altantic Oce^n.
Note i. The three funken rocks, fituate to
the fouth-fouth-weft of the ifland of St. Jago,
©ne of the Cape de Verd islands, as well as the
French Beacon, and the breakers feen by the
Casfar, in 1730, to the fouth-fouth-eaft of the
fame ifland, are laid down after the English chart
ROUSfD THF WORLD. il A c 1 .
£ Lgftglt. 32 15 welt ot Fans.
ISle dos Picos is laid down according to the
Dutch charts, fubjecting its position to that of
Trinidad.
11. Iflands of Martin-Vets. Thefe are three
rocks which lie refpectively to each other north and
fouth, except the moft northerly, which is a little
more to the weftward; they do not occupy more
-than a mile in extent.—(Extract from the Original
Journal of Halley, printed in the Collection of
Voyages in the Southern Atlantic Ocean, by A.
Dalrymple, London, 1775, in quarto, page 53.)
In the Journal de M. Lozier Bouvet, (printed
in French, ibid, page 7 of this JQurnal) it is faid,
that the fmall islands of Martin Vas are at eight
leagues distance, and bear eaft 1 north of the Ijland
of Trinidad. Their latitude is the fame as that
of this island.
12. The
^j
1^4 LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
12. The Ijland of Afcencaon, on the coaft of Brazil, is placed according to the notes of M. Dapres*
page 9 of Difcours du Neptune Oriental;
Latitude - - 20° 25' fouth
Longitude - - ,38 o weft of Paris*
This pofition fuppofes, that its distance from
Cape Frio is 120 leagues, as M. Dapres Shews
(ibid page 9).
13. Rock difcovered in 1692, andfunken rock in
1701. Thefe dangers are placed after Mr. Dal-
rymple's chart of the South Sea, which is to be
found at the end of the work cited in the 1 ith note.
14. Ifland Saxenburgh. This island was difcover-
ed in 1670 by John Lindeftz Lindeman,a Dutch-
man, in 30°! of fouth latitude, and about 22 degrees of weft longitude from Paris, being aware of the
change made in the position of the other islands in
the fame track of fea, with which navigators wete
led to place it by the bearings and distances of their
reckonings.—See Navigations aux Terres Auf-
trales, by the Prefident De BroSTes, vol. 11^
page 48.
15. Kattendyke is laid down according to Dal-
rymple's chart belonging to the work cited in the
11 th note, and from the general chart of Cook's:
third Voyage.
"16. IftandsofTriftand'Acunha. The rule followed for laying down thefe islands is from the
instruction of M. Dapres (page 10 of Neptune
Oriental) which fixes the latitude of them between
If
Hound the world.
37° 10' and 37° 45'fouth, and their, longitude at
16° 30'or 17 degrees weft of Paris, from a mean
refult between the different courfes of feveral Ships,
Which point out 34 degrees for the difference of
longitude between thefe islands and the Cape of
Good Hope, which is 16° 3' 45" eaft of Paris.
Halley fays, in his journal, that he has determined the latitude of the moft foutherly of
thefe islands to be 370 25' fouth.—See page 41 of
his journal in the work of Mr. Dalrymple, cited in
note ii.
A defcription of thefe islands is to be found
fufficiently particularized in the instructions of
Neptune Oriental, by M. Dapres, page 10.
Befide the anchorage'of the north of the principal of the islands of Triftan d'Acunha, marked:
in the chart put into the hands of M. De La Peroufe, it is further known (from the report of a
navigator worthy of credit, whence the following particulars are learnt) that there is a kind of
port or haven to the eaft of the fouthern poirft :
this port is not vifible in running down the coaft,
becaufe it is concealed from the view by great
canes or reeds, which being thrown down and
lying upon the furface of the water, crofs each
other by certain winds, and totally mafk the entrance of the port; it may be half a mile in breadth
by three quarters of a mile in length ; its figure is
very nearly that of a horfe Shoe. The water is found
to
*mmmm
126 LA PEROUSE's VOYAGE*
to be twenty-eight fathoms in the middle of the
entrance, and fourteen near the Shore ; the depth
of water is alfo fourteen fathom in the middle
of the length, and ten fathom only at the head
of the harbour; the bottom is a black fand, and
good holding ground.
It is neceffary to obferve, that the fouthern point,
that is to fay, that of the fouth weft of the iiland?
is terminated by fome rocks or breakers, which
run out near a quarter of a mile; they are not laid
down uponthe chart delivered to M. De La Peroufe,
becaufe it is a copy, without the leaf! alteration, of
the only plan known of thefe islands, upon-which
thefe breakers are not laid down.
17. Ifland of Diego d'Ahnre%. It is laid down
after the general chart of Cook's Third Voyage,
and by the islands of Triftan d'Acunha, preferving
the bearing and distance which this chart gives it
from thefe laft islands.
\\ Latitude - - 38° 53' fouth.
Longitude - - 130 weft of Paris.
18. Gough's Ifland. So called from the name of
an English Eaft India Captain, who difcovered it
in 1715. In the New Directory for the Eaft
Indies, by W. Herbert, W. Nicholfon, and others,,
(5th edition, 1780, pages 371 and 372) it appears, that Gough Ifland is a high land, fituate ir*
400 15' fouth latitude
Greenwich, or 40 1 7'
and ic
57
to the
of
to the, weft of Paris. Cap-,
tain
'ROUND THE WORLD. f±J
fein Vincent, commanding the Ofterley, a Ship be-
longing to the fame Company, alfo made Gough.
Ifland in 1758^ in the latitude pointed out by him
who difcxi&ered it; but he believes, according to
hi$ reckoning, that in pla&ng it in i° 57' weft of
Greenwich, it is carried a few degrees too far to
the eaftv'lftl
e3Tifis-iilarid is not known to French navigators^
but, as it may be fallen in with by Ships, which,
willing to go directly to the Indies or to China,.early
in the feslfon, without touching- at the Cape^ df
Good-Hope, might keep in laugher latitudes, in
order afterwards to make the islands of Saint Paul
and Amsterdam, it will, without doubt, appe*r4nte-
tefting to determine its true position, and it is*
to be wished, that M. De La Peroufe, who has the
means of doing it, may be near enough to give it
his attention.
19. Ifle Grande of La Roche. This island is
only to be placed by conjecture from the following
account, ^ffaioh has been extracted and translated
from the Spanish work entitled Defcripcion- geographic a y derrotero de la Region auftral Ma-
gallanico, etc. por el Capitan don Francifco de
Seixasy Lovera; en Madrid, 1690 in 4to; fol. 29.
" In the month of May^ 1675, Anthony De La
R Roche, a Frenchman by birth*, then in the fer-
" vice
' * It is furely by miftake that captain Cook, in the gene-
fcfel introduction to his fecond Voyage, jpage xv. of the original,
~amim
wiHn
::12& LA PEROUSE's VOYAGt
*c vice of the English, returning from the Mlariti
€g of Chiloe, on the coaft of Chili, having doubled
*c Cape Horn, and wishing to enter into the South
ic Atlantic Ocean by the Straits of le Maire,(itwas
*c not known then that there wTas a channel to the
" eaft of Stat en-Land) met with Strong wefterly
*6 winds and rapid currents, which carried him fo
KC far to the eastward, that it was impoSfible for/
"■ him to get hold of the land which forms the*
*.c Strait of Magellan. The month of May was
*c already far advanced ; the winter was beginning
€* in thefe climates, and la Roche began to de-*
*c fpair with regard to his voyage. His uneafinefs
ic grew greater Still when he faw unknown land
At nine o'clock we difcovered a continent of
about twenty-five leagues in length, lying north-
eaft and fouth-weft, full of Steep mountains, of
a frightful afpect, and of fo extraordinary a
^efght, that we could fcarcely fee their fummits,
though at more than fix leagues diftance; the
quantity of fnow which covered them hindered
ins from obferving whether they were wooded."
The obfervations upon which we can belt rely,
and which we were able to make (being then
three leagues from the little island, which was
at an equal diftance from the great land), are,
that there is a very deep creek in this continent,
lying about eight leagues eaft and weft from the
faid ifland; it was the only place which appeared
to us proper to be inhabited; we might have
been ten or eleven leagues off. It appeared to
us to be of great extent as well in length as in
breadth; there is on the larboard hand, at its
entrance, to the north-northnveft of us, a low
point, the only one we could fee from its mouth;
it appeared to us detached from the main land;
we even thought that it was an ifland, or that,"
if it joined the land, it muft have been by an
ifthmus,
" The 30th at break of da^, we might have
been at ten leagues from this new land; in this
pofition we obferved no current, and we found
no bottom; we always faw plenty of birds and,
fea wolves.
K 4 f At
iMMia
MS
SJO LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
u At noon, the land prefented the fame afpect,
*f except the fummits of the mountains, which
" were covered with clouds; the calm and very
f.
u In 1714, the captain of a Spanish brigan-
" tine left Callao to go to the ifland of Chiloe*
" and being in 38 degrees of fouth latitude, and
" at five hundred and fifty leagues (Spanish, 17$
" to a degree) to the weft of Chili, difcovered
" an elevated land that he coafted a whole day;
* Dalrymplefs Hijlorical ColleSlion of Voyages, and Difcoveries
London, 1770, in 4to, vol. I, page 94.
f Printed at Rennes, chez Vatar, 15 pages in 4to. See
alfo the Memoire de Pingre, fur le choix et Petat de lieux pour
le pajjage de Venus dn^jfuin 1769; Paris, Cavelier, 1767^
4to.
■*fl
LA PEROUSES VOYAGE.
e judged by the fires he obferved during fne?
*c night, that it muft be inhabited. Contrary
*c winds having obliged him to put in at Concep-
" tion, he found there a Ship called the Fran-
" gais, commanded by M. Du Frefne-Mariorr,
" who affirms he has feert the journal of the Spa-
t nidi captain, and has re&d the fact which lias
" juft been related." j
Thefe islands are placed on the chart of the
Great South Sea, in 38 degrees of fouth latitude,
and between 108 and 109 degrees of weft lorf-
gitude. This position agrees with the opinion
of captain Cook. See his fecond voyage, vol.
II, page 274, of the original.
Thefe iflands call to recollection the difcovery attributed to Juan Fernandez, a Spanish
pilot, under the name of Terres De luaft Fer1-
naiideZ) which the charts lay down to the weft
of Chili. This navigator died without having
pointed out the latitude and longitude of his
difcovery : it is only known, that, *about the year
1576, he ran 40 deg. to the weft of the coafts
of Chili, having Steered weft, and fouth-weft,
and after a month and half of navigation, he
reached aland, which he defcribed as being a vaft
continent. This distance of 40 degrees of longitude, to the weft of the coafts of Chili, is not
far removed from that, where the land faid to
have been difcovered by the Spaniards, in 1714,
is
ROUND THE WORLD. 149
h placed. See, for the land feen by Juan Fernandez, Dalrymple's Historical Collection of
Voyages and Difcoveries, vol. I, page 53; and
the Voyages translated from Dalrymple by M.
De Freville, page 125.
26. ISle De Paque, or Eafter Ifland. This
ifland, difcovered in 1722, by Roggewein, a
Dutchman, was feen and vifited, in 1774, by
captain Cook, who determined the position of
it. See his fecond voyage, vol. I, page 276,
of the original.
The Spaniards touched at Eafter Ifland, the
16th of November, 1770, and called it San
Carlos, or Saint Charles. There is added to the
collection of charts, with which M. De La Peroufe is furnished, the plan which the Spanish
(hips had taken of this ifland, round which their
boats made a tour. They place it in 2 70 6' fouth
latitude, and 268° 19' from the meridian of Tene-
riffe, or 11 o° 41'weft of Paris; that is to fay,
they have carried it too far to the eaft, by about
one degree and half.
The variation of the compafs there, according
to the Spaniards, in 1770, was 20 30'eaft,
27. islands faid to have been feen by the Spaniards* in 17735 in 32 degrees of fouth latitude,
and 130 degrees^weft of Paris.
This pofition is the fame which is given from
the account of M. Croizet, captain of a French
U 3 ihips
> I
I 40
LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
Ship; and is that which captain Cook had adopt*
ed. See his fecond voyage, vol. II, page 267,
of the original. 1
It appears, however, that this pofition may be
difputed; and upon the following grounds:
It was at their return from Otaheite, in 1773,
that the Spanish Ships difcovered the islands fituate in 32 degrees of latitude; and it is highly
probable, that the longitude they affigned to
thefe islands, (with which M. Croizet had been
acquainted) is affected with the fame error
they made as to the longitude they affigned to
Otaheite. By the extract of their voyage to this
ifland, communicated to one of M. Surville's
officers, during their Stay at Lima, it may be
feen, that the Spaniards have placed the ifland of
Otaheite, which they called IJla D'Amat*, in
170 29' latitude, and in 2330 32' of longitude
eaft from the meridian of Teneriffe, which an-
fwers to 1450 28' of longitude weft of Paris.
Now the longitude of this ifland has been determined, by the numerous obfervations of captain
Cook and the English aftronomers, at 1510 52'
weft of Paris : the pofition given by the Spa-,
niards is thus an error of 6° 24' towards the
eaft.
* From the name of the Vice-roy of Peru, who ordered
tlie expedition.
K . If
ROUND THE WORLD. 1^1
If the longitude of the iflands difcovered, at
32 degrees of latitude, be affected by the fame
mistake, they ought to be laid down in 1360 24'
weft of Paris, inftead of 130 degrees, very nearly under the fame meridian that Pitcairn Ifland
is placed.
It is obfervable, neverthelefs, that captain
Cook has followed this meridian in his fecond
voyage, without perceiving any thing; he perceived nothing in his firft voyage in crofting the
parallels of 128 and 129 degrees of longitude:
but there is Still between thefe two courfes a
Space of eight degrees, from eaft to weft, not
failed through, in which it is to be hoped the
iflands difcovered by the Spaniards, in 1773, in 32
degrees of latitude, may be again feen.
A general remark may be made, that all the
ancient difcoveries of the Spaniards, and which
there have been opportunities to verify, have been
found fituate much farther to the weft than
they had reprefented them to be; and up to the
prefent time their modern difcoveries in the
Great Ocean appear affected by an error on the
fame fide.
Captain Cook being in the latitude of thefe
iflands, and very near under the meridian they
are wont to be placed on after the correction
above pointed out, that is to fay, 32030' lati
tude, and 1'
40
weft of the meridian of
L4
mmm^mmM
m^k.
i
%■$% LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
Greenwich, or 136° weft of Paris, makes an ob*.
fervation deferving mention.
I This day, fays he, (22d July, 1773,) was
*c remarkable, by our not feeing a Single bird.
** Not one had paffed fince we left the land,
" (New Zealand) without feeing fome of the fol-
cc lowing birds, viz. albatroffes, fheerwaters, pin-
i tadoes, blue petrels, and Port Egmont hens.
" But thefe frequent every part of the Southern
s< Ocean in the higher latitudes; not a bird, nor
fl any other thing was feen, that could induce us
" to think that we had ever been in the neigh-
i bourhood of any land." (Cook's fecond voyage,
vol. I, page 135, of the original.)
This obfervation might induce a belief, that
there is but little hope to find the iflands or land
feen by the Spaniards in 32 degrees of latitude,
in looking for them in the- longitude of 136
degrees weft of Paris, Since captain Cook being
binder this meridian, and nearly in the fuppofed
parallel of thefe islands, faw not a bird, not $
fign of land. There is no foundation, however,
for calling their existence in quef^ion; and after
Jiaving given the reafons which leave a- great uncertainty upon their true pofition, there remains
only to rely on M. De X^a Peroufe for taking
thefe reafons into consideration,, in the refearch
he will make after them. It muft be qbferyed,
in concluding this article, that it is very probable
they
ROUND THE WORLD. 153
they are more weftward than 1360 c weft of
Paris, Since the Spaniards fell in with them in
coming from Otaheite to Peru: and it would
have been neceffary, that they fhould make more
than a good fouth-eaft courfe, with the trade
winds fouth of the line, in order that they
Should run down 220 o' of eaft longitude, while
making only 14I- degrees of latitude.
GREAT EQUATORIAL OCEAN.
28. Islands of the South Sea, or .of the Great
Equatorial Ocean, between the 26th, and the
1 oth degree of fouth latitude, and the fpace com-
prifed between the 130th degree of longitude,
weft, and the 170th eaft of Paris.
For all the iflands contained within thefe limits there is occafion only to refer M. De La
Peroufe to the accounts of the voyages of Byron, Bougainville, Carteret, Wallis, Furneaux,
and Cook; he will find in them all the geographical, phyfical, and historical details, which
may be irfeful to hirn in fearching for fome df
thefe iflands, and in the Stay that he may be dif-
ftofed to make there. With regard to the an-
ciently difcovered iflands in the fame feas, by
Mendana, in 1567, and 1595, Quiros and Tor-
rez, in 1606, Le Maire and Schouteii, in 1616,
Abel Tafman5 in 1642, and Roggewein, in 1722,
they
I|4 LA PER0USE S VOYAGE
they have all been inferted in the chart of the
Great Equatorial Ocean, which has been delivered
to M. De La Peroufe for his voyage, conformably to the indications which may be drawn from
the original narratives publifhed concerning the
difcoveries of thefe navigators. The pofitions
given to them on the chart differ much, however, from thofe which had been affigned from
thofe very narratives j but the proved identity
of fome of thefe iflands with thofe which have
been recognized by modern navigators, having
contributed to rectify many of the ancient determinations, ufe has been made of fome of
thefe rectified points, as foundations to correct
one after another, and, at leaft in part, the
pofitions of fome other anciently difcovered
iflands, which have not yet been again found :
there are however, many refpecting which great
uncertainty remains, becaufe the journals of ancient navigators are fo devoid of obfervations
and of dates, fo Sterile in nautical facts, that
there can often be drawn from them only un-
fatisfactory conjectures; their Silence about the
moft interesting circumstances of the voyage fome-
times deprives the geographer of all means of
combination, of all comparifon with other journals, whence lights might be drawn as a guidance
through the obfcurity.
ROUND THE WORLD, 155
The courfes indicated, and the drfooveries made
by thefe ancient navigators, will here be fumma-
rily traced, as far as they can be deduced from
the relations which have appeared to merit the moft
confidence. It is much to be defired, that chance
•and happy combinations may enable his Majesty's Ships to meet fome of the iflands thus loft
to navigation; which, while offering them, in
the courfe of their difcoveries, refources in the
neceffaries of life and refreshments, may alfo
contribute to the extension of human knowledge.
1. The Voyage of Magellan*, (1519,) From the
ftrait to which this navigator gave his name,
he Stood weft-north-weft as far as the equator,
which he croffed at 9858 miles from the ftrait,
and near the 170th degree of longitude eaft from
Paris; in this long run he difcovered only two
little defert iflands, at the diftance of 200 leagues
from each other, viz. San Pedro, in 18 or 19
degrees of fouth latitude; de los Tiburons, in
14 or 15 degrees of fouth latitude.
Thefe iflands which Magellan called by a general
name Unhappy Iflands, are Still unknown; and they
are not marked upon the chart of theGreat Equatorial
* See the voyage and navigation from the Molucca
Hands, by the Spaniards, defcribed by Anthony Pigaphet-.
ta ; Ramufio's Colleclion^ -Decadas da Afia,—de Barros
e Couto;——Navigations aux terres aujlrales, by De Brojfes ',—*
J)alrymple?s Hiitorical Colle&ion, and others.
I Ocean.
MH
I$6 , LA PEROUSE's VOYAGE
Ocean, becaufe their pofition is not pointed but
in a manner fufficiently precife. Of all the iflands
difcovered Since Magellan, there is only Cook's
Savage Ifland, and Bougainville's Enfant Perdu,
which can reprefent to us the two Unhappy Iflands:
they are 200 leagues from each other, like
thefe, and nearly in their latitude; Savage Ifland
is in 190 1' latitude, and 1720 30' weft longitude
from the meridian of Paris: L'Enfant Perdu, in
140 6' of latitude, and 1790 2/ eaft longitudef
2. The Voyage of Mendana*, (1567.) £rom
Callao, a port of Lima, 'Mendana flood to the
weftward, and made a run of 1450 leagues, (Spanish of j 7! to a degree) without finding land.
He difcovered then $
Jefus Ifland, a fmall one, inhabited, latitude
fouth, 6° 15'.
Candlemas Shoals, a reef of rocks with many
little iflands; the middle in 6° 15" of fouth latitude, and 170 leagues from Jefus Ifland,
Ifabella Ifland, 95 leagues in length, and 20
in breadth, of which the fouth-eaft point is in
90 o' of latitude, and the north-weft in 70 30'.
They anchored in a- harbour which is on the north
* Geographia Indiana de Herrera.-r--~r////?^r7<2 de las Indias,
Xopes Vas. Navigations aux terres auftrales, by De Broffes.
#- Dalrymple's Historical Collection.—-?Decouvertes dans.lc
■pier du. Sud, etc.
round the world.' 157
fide, and a brigantine, which was fent thence oa
difcovery, found the iflands following:
Malaita, thus called by the Indians, a large
ifland, fourteen leagues eaftward of a great bay,
in 8 degrees of latitude.
La Galera, a little ifland of five leagues cir*
cu inference, fur rounded by reefs.
Buona-Vifta, twelve leagues in circumference,
in 90 30' of latitude. %1r?
La Florida, twenty-five leagues in circumference, in 90 30' of latitude.
San Dimas, ^ forming a chain which ex-
Saint Germain, vtends eaft and weft with Flo-
La Guadelupa,Jrida.
Sefarga, in 915 30' of latitude, a round ifland,
of eight leagues circumference, with a volcano in
the middle.
Guadalcanar, a very extenSive land, with a
good harbour.
-Saint George, near Ifabella Ifland, from which
it is feparated only by a channel; a good harbour, and pearls were found there.
Saint Christopher, a narrow and mountainous
ifland, with a good harbour, in 11 degrees of
latitude.
"} two little iflands to the
Saint Catherine, f eaft of St. Christopher, three
Saint Anne, (leagues distant from each
Jother.
mm
2$3 LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
There is a good harbour on the eaftern (hoi'6
of the latter.
Befide thefe iflands, cited in the relation of
Christopher Suarez De Figueroa, many others
are to be found, named in the defcriptions of
Herrera, and De Bry, and which m&y be feen
alfo upon ancient charts; fuch as Saint Nico^s,
Arrecifes, Saint Mark, Saint Jerome, &c.
All thefe islands, Since known under the name
of Solomon's Iflands, appear to be the Terres'
Des Arfacides,. difcovered by Surville, commanding the Ship Saint-Jean-Baptifte, in 1769*
3d. Mendana's fecond voyage*, (anno 1596.)
From Payta, on the coaft of Peru, he fleered
weft, as far as 1000 leagues from the coaft,
without feeing land. Difcovery was then made,
as follows: |gg|
The Marquefas of Mendoca, between nine and
ten degrees of fouth latitude, four iflands which
were called La Magdalena, San Pedro, La Do-
tninica, and Santa Chriftina j in the weftern
part of this laft was found a good harbour, which
was called Madre de Dios. (They have been
again found in 1774 by capt. Cook.)
The iflands of San Bernardo in io° 45' latitude,
and 1400 leagues from Lima, four little low iflands,
Navigations aux terres auJlraleJ.-
-Decouvertes dans le Mer du Sud,
-Hiflorieal Collection^
fandy,
ROUND THE WORLD. 1^9
iandy, .and defended by a reef of rocks. The
circuit round all of them may be eight leagues.
(It appears that thefe are the lame iflands which
v/ere feen in 1765 by commodore Byron, who denominated them Iflands of Danger -, and it is after
the reckoning of his courfe that they have been
laid down in the chart in io° 51' of latitude, and
1690 30'of weft longitude from Paris.)
La Solitaria, in io° 40' of latitude, and 1535
leagues from Lima, a little round ifland, a league.
in circuit.—(It has not been ittn Since, but its
pofition, deduced from its diftance from the iflands
of San Bernardo and Santa Cruz, appears fufficiently
.0' latitude, and 17 8° 20' weft
exact; it is in 10'
longitude.)
The ifland of Santa Cruz, a large ifland, with a good
harbour for anchoring, in io° 20' of latitude, and
at 1850 leagues from Lima. It was again feen in
1768 by captain Carteret, who called it Egmont
Ijland, making a part of Queen Charlotte's Iflands;
and it is according to the track of this navigator,
that it has been laid down in the chart in eleven
degrees of latitude, and 1610 35' of eaft longitude.
4th. Voyage of Quiros andTorrez, (anno 1606.)
From Callao, they Steered fouth-weft and weft
as far as a thoufand leagues from the coaft of Peru,
without feeing land. They difcovered afterwards
as follow J
Encar-
i-66 lA perouse's voyage
Encariiacion, In 250 of fouth latitude, and at &
thoufand leagues from Peru, a little ifland foul?
leagues rdnnd, and fo low, that it is fcarcely per*
ceptible above the watef.
Sail luan Baptifta, an island twelve leagued
in circumference, very high land, two days and
a half fail from Encarnacion Ifland, to the weft-
ward.
San Elmo, fix days fail from San Juan Bap^
tifta; an island thirty leagues in circumference,
furrounded by a reef of coral; the middle of the
ifland is covered Spy the fea.
Las Quatro Coronas. Pout inacceffible islands,.
a day's fail from San Elmo.
San Miguel, at four leagues diftance from
Quatro Coronas, to the weft-north-welt; it is
ten leagues in circumference, and lies north and
fouth.
La Converfion de San Paulo, to the wreft«
north-wqft of San Miguel, half a day's fail.
La Dezana, four days fail from Converfion de
San Paulo ; about the latitude of 180 40'
' La Sagataria, one day's fail from Dezana; I
large ifland, the north-weft point of which is
in 170 40' of latitude. Information wras gained at
this ifland, that there 'was other land to the weft-
Ward.
There is great reafon to believe, that the Saea-
taria of Quiros is the fame ifland as Otaheite I
I the
&0UND THE WORLDS l6x
the latitude, the bearing of the coaft, that was
run down the land fpoken of, to the weft of the
Sagataria, perfectly agree with the ifland ' of'
Otaheite. La Dezana, of Quiros, will, in confe-
quence, be the ifland of Ofnaburg of Wallis,
the Boudoir of Bougainville, the Ifland Maitea
of Cook, eaft-fouth-eaft* of Otaheite.
For the other iflands which precede La Dezana, it appears, that they have not yet been
known. Cook thinks that Pitcairn Ifland, difcovered by Carteret, is the Ifland of San Juan
Baptifta, of Quiros; but the difference of Size
does not permit the adoption of that opinion.
San Juan Baptifta is twelve leagues in circumference, and Pitcairn is only three: befides, the
diftance of a thoufand leagues, from the Encar-
* It may be feen by thefe difcoveries of Quiros, that
there muft be a chain of coniiderable iflands fouth-fouth-eaft,
and fouth-eaft of Otaheite, which may ftretch much further
to the Southward, even to the gzd degree, where we know
the Spaniards faw iflands in 1773. If very ancient charts
might be cited at this time, and regard paid to them, a
belief might be entertained that the continent which they
reprefent to have been difcovered by Fernand Gallego, and
extending itfelf to the weft-north-weft, and north-weft from
Cape Horn, to New Guinea ; is nothing elfe than this chain
of iflands, which extend further in the fouth-eaft, than the
point where the difcoveries of Quiros commenced : it would '
be found further weft, than the firft track of captain Cook,
in a fpace of fea which has not been vifited in thefe latter
times.
Vol. L M nacion
J.t>2 .LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
nacion of Quiros to the coafts of Peru, would
place this ifland to the weft of Pitcairn, by fome
degrees, and fo much more the Ifland of San
Juan Baptifta; which is two days fail to the weft
of Encarnacion, as before Shown. It is to be ob-
ferved, that the Marquefas of Mendoca, which
are placed at 6° o' to the weft of Pitcairn, were
pointed out by Mendana as at iooo leagues
from the coaft of Peru.
According to Dalrymple (Hiftorical Collection,
vol. I, page 5,) the Ifland of San Juan Baptifta, would be in 260 o' of latitude, and that
of San Elmo, in 28° o'. However it may be,
it is in the fouth-eaft of Otaheite, that the ancient iflands of Quiros muft be looked for.
Taking his departure from Sagataria, and continuing his courfe to the weft, Quiros difcovered
the following iflands.
La Fugitive, two days, or two days and half
fail from Sagataria. It was perceived in the north-
eaft; but being too far to leeward, they could
not land there.
El Peregrino, one day's fail from LaFugitiva.
Here alfo they did not land on account of the
wind.
(It is not very eafy to know where to place
thefe two iflands, unlefs they are fuppofed to be
fome of the Society Iflands, or others yet unknown, north-eafLof thofe).
R0UNT3 THE WORLD. 163
San Bernardo, fix days fail from the Island of
Peregrino, and in io° 30'fouth latitude; a level
ifland, fix leagues in circumference, and of which
a fait water lake, or the fea, occupies the centre.
(This ifland muft not be confounded with'
thofe of San Bernardo, difcovered by Mendana,
and which were four in number. Moreover,
Quiros, in a memorial prefented to Philip the
Third, King of Spain, makes no mention of the
Ifland of San Bernardo, and he cites Nueftra
Sen6ra Del Socorro, as the name of the Ifland
which immediately follows Peregrino: it appeared uninhabitable).
Gente Hermofa, or Handfome Nation, {QVtn.
days fail from the Ifland of San Bernardo, and
in the fame latitude as Mendana's Ifland of
Santa Cruz, viz. in 11° o' fouth latitude: fix
leagues in circumference, on which the inhabitants were the faireft and handfomeft to be ken
in thofe feas; the women in particular were of
rare beauty, and clothed in a light covering.
(In the above cited memorial of Quiros, the
name of Gente Hermofa is not to be found,
but inftead of it, that of Monterey, who was
viceroy of Mexico).
Taumago, at thirty-three days fail from the
Ifland of the Handfome Nation, and almoft in the
parallel of the Ifland of Santa Cru^: it is a
considerably large ifland, where were found wood,
M 2 water,
164 tA PEROUSE's VOYAGE
water, and refreshments, with very peaceaMe
Inhabitants. (There it was learnt, as well as
from an Indian, who was taken from the place
and carried to Mexico, that there were many
iflands furrounding it, fuch as Chicayana,* Guay-
topo, Mecarailay, Fonofono, Filen, Naupau, &c.
which have not been feen Since by any naviga
tor. It is remarked that, in the run from the
Ifland of the Handfome Nation to Taumago,
there were almoft always prefages of land, fuch as a
reat quantity. of p&mice ftone,- and numerous
flocks of birds),
Tucopia, fix days fait from Taumago, and in
3 2° o' of fouth latitude : in coafting along this
ifland, w^here they could not go aShore, it was
learnt from the inhabitants, that there was much
land to the fouth, fail was made accordingly to
that quarter to look for it.
Nueftra Sendra De La Luz, a high land, at
14° 30' fouth latitude. (This ifland appears to
be the peak of L'Etoile, to the north of the
great Cyclades' of M. De Bougainville).
Tierra Del EJpiritu Santo, and Harbour of
La Vera Cruz. This land, which was the extremity of the voyage of Quiros, has been Since
found by M. De Bougainville, who called it Les
Grandes- Cyclades,, and afterwards by captain
Cook, who named it the New Hebrides. This
laft has preferved in the north, the name of Tierra
ROUND THE WORLD. l6j£
Del Efpiritu Santo. On leaving this land, Quiros
made fail for New Spain, or Mexico, where he
arrived without making any other interesting
difcoveries: but Torrez, who was feparated from
the fleet, Stood to the weftward, and paffed between New Holland and New Guinea,, in the
fame manner as captain Cook has Since done in
the Endeavour.
5th. Voyage ofLc Maire and Schoute?i* (anno
1616). From the ISle of Juan Fernandez, where
thefe navigators went on Shore, after having dilT-
covered.the Straits of Le Make, and been the firft
to double Cape Horn, they flood to the weft-north-
weft 925 leagues from the coaft of Peru, without
feeing land ; then were discovered as follows:
Hond Eiland, or Ifland of Dogs, in 150 12*
fouth latitude, and at 925 Dutch leagues (15 to a
degree) from the coaft of Peru, a little ifland about
three leagues in circumference, but fo flat that it
is in part overflowed at high water.
Sondre-grond, or Bottomlefs Ifland, in 150
15' of latitude, and at 100 leagues weft of the
Ifland of Dogs, inhabited, and of 20 leagues
■circumference. According to the relatic
Le
Maire, its latitude would be
inftead of
150 15 , whicn the relation of Schouten gives.
* Diarium vel Defcriptio Itineris facli a Guilt. Scbciitenio, «—
Miroir oofl et vjeft-i?idical, etc.—~Speculum orientalis_ occidentalif-
que Navigat. etc.—Navigations aux Terres 4uftrales.-—Hiftorktaj^
Collection, &Q.'~DecoMvertes dans la Mer du Sud, etc.
M 3 Water-
t66 la perouse's voyage
Water land', in latitude 140 46', and 15 leagues
from Bottomlefs Ifland. Water was found there,
and a fpecies.of creffes, but it did not appear to be
inhabited.
Ulyegen, or the Ifland of Flies, in 150 30' of latitude, and 20 leagues from Waterland ; a low ifland,
inhabited, where the visitors were affailed by,a prodigious number of flies.
The Ifland of Cocoas, in latitude 160 10' fouth,
twenty-three days fail from the Ifland of Flies; a
hiigh ifland, appearing like a folitary mountain,
well peopled, and covered with cocoa nut trees.
The Ifland of Traitors, in 16° 5' of latitude, and
two leagues to the fouthward of the Ifland of Cocoas;
the land flat and inhabited. Thefe laft two islands
were feen again in 1767, by captain Wallis, who
gave the name of Bofcawen to the Ifland of Cocoas,
and that of Keppel to the Ifland of Traitors ; he
found the firft in 150 50' fouth latitude, and the
fecond in 150 55', which makes a difference only
of 15 minutes from the latitude given by Le Maire
and Schouten.
It is remarked, that, on the evening preceding
their arrival at thefe iflands, Le Maire and Schouten met with a canoe filled with Indians, failing to
the fouthward, a circumftance which indicates,
that there are other iflands in that direction.
Goede-Hoop, or the Ifland of Good Hope, in the
fame parallel as the Ifland of Cocoas, and thirty
\\ , leagues
■
ROUND THE WORLD. 167
leagues to the weftward: an inhabited ifland, about
two leagues in length from north to fouth.
Hoorn Eilands, in latitude 140 56', and about
1550 leagues from the coaft of Peru ; two iflands
fituate within gun Shot of each other, and inhabited ; wkh a good haven at the fouthern extremity of the larger one: every fort of refreshment was found there.
At a hundred and fifty-five leagues from the
Hoorn Iflands, thirteen days after having quitted
them, and in 4 degrees of fouth latitude, Signs of
land were obferved. Then
Four fmall iflands, furrounded by fand banks
and fhoals, and inhabited, in 40 30', and five days
before making that part of New Guinea which is
now called New Ireland, .
Twelve or thirteen iflands occupying about
half a, league from fouth-eaft to north-weft, three
days before reaching New Guinea.
Three low iflands, covered with trees, and named
in confequence GroenEilands, (Green Iflands) one
day before reaching New Guinea.
Sight of the Ifland of St. John.
New Gidnea, or eaftern coaft of New Ireland,
distant, by dead reckoning, 1840 Dutch leagues
from the coaft of Peru.
N. B, Of all the islands (ctn in this voyage,
none have been Since found out, except thofe of
Cocoas and Traitors, which have been vifited by
M4 Wallis^
wmm
168 £a perouse's voyage
Wallis; they are laid down iipon the chart froni
the journal of this navigator, and the diftance of
all the others regulated from that of thefe two
iflands.
6th. Voyage ojAbelTafman,*fanno 1642). From
Batavla, Tafman touched at the ISle of France,
then called Mauritius: thence fleering to the
fouthward, as far as 40 or 41 degrees of fouth
latitude, and afterwards to the eaftward, as far
as the 163d degree of longitude from the meridian
of Teneriffe, or 1440 eaft of the meridian of Paris,
the meridian of Teneriffe being 19° o' weft of the
former, he difcovered as follows:
The land which was called Van Diemen's, m
42° 25' fouth latitude and 1630 o' of longitude
from the meridian of Teneriffe. He anchored in a
bay which received the name of Frederic Henry^
in 430 io' of latitude, and 1670 55' of longitude.
Another high and mountainous land, which
was called New Zealand, in 420 io' latitude,.
and 18 8° 28' longitude, he anchored in a great
bay, fituate in 40p 49' latitude, and 1910 41'
longitude j the conduct of the natives of the
country gave occasion to call it Affaffins Bay.
A groupe of iflands, called the Three Kings, in
340 gp South latitude, and 1900 40" longitude,
* Oudmnieuvo ooftlndien, etc. door F; Vale.ntyn*r-Navigation?
mix Terres Jufraks,-?~-IIift.QXKdl Colkclion,*— Dkouvertes danz
h'Utr du $udkJ
They
HOUND THE WORLD,. 169
They were found at the end and to the weltward
of a length of coaft, which was run down from
Affaffms Bay,
The Ijland of Pylftaarts, or Wild Ducks, in latitude 220 35', and longitude 2040 1$'; a high and
fleep ifland, of two or three leagues in circuit.
Amfterdam Ifland, in latitude 21° 20', and longitude 2250 (J; alow and flat ifland, the inhabitants
of which were hofpitable and benevolent. (This Is
the Tongataboo Ifland of captain Cook, one of
the Friendly Ifies).
Ijland of Middleburg, & high and inhabited
ifland to the S, E, of Amfterdam, It is the Eooa
of Cook,
Uitardam% Namokoki, and Rotterdam, inhabited and cultivated iflands, in 2©0 15' of latitude, and 2060 19' of longitude. (The natives
give to the latter ifland the name of Annamookat
which captain Cook has retained).
Prince William's Iflands, and the Shallows of
Heemfkirck, in 170 19" of latitude, and2oi° 35^
of longitude : thefe are eighteen or twenty
little iflands furrounded by Shoals and reefs of
rocks.
The Iflands ofOntonglava, in latitude 50 z\\ and,
by dead reckoning, 90 Dutch leagues from the>
part of New Guinea called at prefent new Ireland |
it is a clutter of twenty-two little iflands.
The Iflands of Marck, Three days fail from the
-.Avr/asir*- pre—
I 70 t'A PER0USE S VOYAGE
preceding. Another clutter of fourteen or fifteen
little inhabited ifles, and which had before been
feen by Le Maire and Schouten.
The Greexi Iflands. Four days fail from the
preceding, and one day's fail before arriving at
St. John's Ifland
The Ifland of St. Lohn.
St. Mary's Cape. On the eaftern coaft of New
Guinea (now New Ireland)'in latitude 40 30', and
longitude 1710; thence ftanding to the north-
weft along the coaft of New Ireland, pairing the
Iflands of Anthony Cave, of Garet Dennis, &c.
then to the fouthward and weftward along the
northern coaft of New Guinea.
All the lands and all the iflands feen in this
voyage have been feen again in our times, and
found in the pofition which Tafman had affigned
them ; they are laid down in the chart according
to the tracks and obfervations of modern navi-
tors.
• 7. Voyctge of Roggewein* (anno 1722). From
the Ifland of Juan Fernandez, Roggewein failed to
the weft-north-weft, with the intention of making
Davis's Land, which he did not find. He
difcovered
Eafter Ijland. In 270 4 of fouth latitude, and
265* 42' of eaft longitude from the meridan of
* Expedition de trots VaiJfeaux, Sec.~—Vies des gouverneurs
de Batavia—Navigations aux Terres Aujlrales.—Hijlorical
ColkaiGn.—Decouvettes dans la Mer du Sud.
Teneriffe,
ROUND THE WORLD. 171
Teneriffe, according to the author of Vies des
Gouverneurs de Bafavia ; which anfwers to long.
1130 18' weft of the meridian of Paris; an inhabited ifland, 16 Dutch leagues in circumference,
and remarkable for the Statues or coloffal figures
raifed in great numbers upon the coaft. (It was
vifited by captain Cook, who found it in latitude
270 5', and longitude 112° 6'weft of Paris; and
who called it Eafter Ifland. It was alfo feen, in
1770, by the Spaniards, who lay it down in latitude 270 6', and longitude 2680 1 9' from the rue -
ridian of Teneriffe, which anfwers to no° 41'
longitude weft of Paris; thefe laft navigators have
given it the name of San Carlos).
Carls-hof, or Charles's Court, in 150 45'
fouth latitude, and after a run of eight hundred
leagues from Eafter Island. According to the
French relation of this voyage, it is a little flat
ifland with a kind of lake in the middle. Roggewein
believed it was the Ifland of Dogs of Le Maire and
Schouten, and the Dutch account afligns neither
latitude nor longitude to it: it has been laid
down, in the chart, relatively to its diftance from
the Mifchievous Iflands, which are about twelve
leagues to the weftward, and the pofition of
which is now known.
_ Mifchievous Iflands, in 140 41' fouth latitude,
and 12 Datch leagues to the weftward of Charls-
hof: thefe are four low and inhabited iflands,
which
MM.
I72 . . LA PER0USE S VOYAGE
which are from four to ten leagues in circumference. (Roggewein loft a veffel there, a circumstance which occasioned him to give the title
of Mifchievous to one of thefe iflands : two others
were called the Two Brothers, and another the
Sifter: five men of the crew remained there, who
deferted and were left behind. There is reafon to
believe, that thefe iflands are the fame as thofe of
Pallifer, difcovered by Cook in his fecond voyage,
and the English navigator is of the fame opinion.
See Cook's fecond voyage, vol. I, page 315, and
following).
. Aurora Ifland, eight leagues weft of the Mifchievous Iflands"j a little ifland of four leagues in
circumference, which has not yet been recognized.
Vefper Ifland, a low island, twelve leagues in
circumference, difcovered the fame day as Aurora
Ifland, and which is equally unknown at prefent.
The Labyrinth, a group of islands, to the
number of fix, of a charming appearance, which
are together of about thirty leagues extent $
they are twenty-five leagues to the weftward
of Mifchievous. The Dutch narrative of the
voyage makes no mention of the Labyrinth,
but an inacceffible ifland, which it lays down in
150 17' fouth latitude. There is reafon to believe, that thefe are the islands feen Since by commodore Byron, and which he has named Prince
of Wales's Iflands).
-&*S| Recreatiojiy
I*j
ROUND THE WORLD.
Recreation, in i5°47' fouth latitude, according to the Dutch account, or 16° o' according to
the French account; an inhabited ifland, twelve
leagues in circumference, high above the fea, and
covered with great trees: refreshments were
found there. (It is laid down, in the chart, in longitude 1550 20'weft of Paris, by taking the medium of the differences of longitude between this
ifland, Eafter Ifland, and New Britain, or New
Ireland, fuch as refult from the chart which
accompanies the Dutch edition of this voyage.
This ifland has not yet been feen again).
Bauman's Iflands, in 150 o' fouth latitude,
according to the Dutch chart above mentioned,
and 120 o' according to the French: thefe are
numerous iflands of ten, fifteen, and twenty
leagues in circumference, and have excellent anchorages, and mild pacific inhabitants. (They are
laid down, in the chart, in 150 of latitude, conformably to the Dutch chart, and nearly in longitude 1730 weft of Paris, from the difference of
longitude that the fame Dutch chart gives between thefe iflands and New Britain).
Solitary Ifland, called Single Ifland in the
English charts, In latitude 130 41' 'according to the
Dutch account, and a day and a half's fail to
the weft from Bauman's Iflands, or about thirty
leagues. (It appears like two iflands, and it might
. be conjectured to be the Iflands of Cocoas and
5 pll Traitors
I
I74 LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
Traitors of Le Maire and Schouten. But the
difference of latitude forbids the adopting this
opinion).
Tienhoven and Groningen, two considerable
islands, feen Some days after having quitted Single
Ifland. Tienhoven was coafted along during an
(Mitire day without feeing its termination ; it appeared to extend itfelf in a femi-circie towards,
Groningen. Neither the Dutch account nor its
chart make mention of thefe two iflands ; and the
French account, which fpeaks of them, points out
neither their latitude, nor their diftance from any
other land, fo that it is not poffible to affign
them any place in the chart.
29. New Caledonia. It does not appear, that the
ancient navigators had any knowledge of this
Ifland. M. De La Peroufe is referred to the particulars given of it by capt. Cook, who difcovered
it in his fecond voyage. See his fecond voyage,
vol. II, page 10s, and following, of the original,
and the chart which relates to his difcovery.
30. The Ifland of Santa Cruz, an ifland difcovered by him, in his Second voyage, in 1595, or
Egmont and Queen Charlotte's Iflands, viflted by
Carteret in 1767. Seethe Navigations aux Terres
Aujlrales of the prefident de Broffes, vol. 1,
page 249, and following; Dalrymple's Historical
Collection, vol. I, page 57, and following, and
page 185; Dccouvertes dans la Mer du Slid*
Hawkef*
ROUND THE WORLD. 1J$
Mawkefworth's Colle&ion, Carteret's Voyage,
vol. I, page 568, and following.
31. Tierra del Efpiritu-Santo, of Quiros, difcovered in 1606, or Great Cyclades of Bougainville,
in 1768, and New Hebrides of Cook, in 1774. See
Navigations aux Terres Auftrales, by de Broffes,
vol. I, page 306, and following; vol. II, page
243, and page 348 and following—An Historical
Collection, by Dairymple, vol. I, page 95, and
following, and page 203, and page 1 of the
T)3Lt3L~-Decouvertes dans la Mer du Sud, page
201, and following, and page 427—Voyage de
Bougainville, page 242, and following;---Cook's
fecond voyage, vol. II, page 23, and following,
of the original, and the chart of the New Hebrides,
vol. II, page 25, ibid. All this part has been
laid down on the chart of the Great Equatorial
Ocean* from the journal and obfervations of
captain Cook.
32. Terre des Arfacides, difcovered by Surville
in 1769.
Surville* had the firft Sight of this land the 7th
of October, 1769; it appeared to him very high
and woody. At the time of the difcovery the latitude of the Ship was 6° 57' fouth, and its longitude by account 1520 28' eaft of Paris: but this
longitude, corrected by that of New Zealand,
determined by captain Cook, where Surville
* Extracted from the manufcript journal of M. De Surville.
touched,
$7§ LA PEROUSE^S VOYAGE
touched, ought to be 1530 45" at the place of
his land-fall, .which is a few leagues only north-
weft.of his Port Praflin.
He failed along the coaft in the direction of
eaft-fouth-eaft, and found a harbour formed by
an afTemblage of iflands, where he anchored, to
which he gave the name of Port Praflin. In his.
Way to this harbour, after he had difcovered land,
he met with a great number of little iflands,
which appeared, at firft fight, to make part of
the continent, but he found them afterwards to be
little iflands at three leagues diftance from the
main land*; Friday, the 13th, he anchored in
Port Praflin, of which he has given a plan-f* : the
islands which form it were covered with trees,
and at high water were partly inundated.
The natives of the country Shewed great diftruft;
and after having given the French to understand,
by Signs, that water might be had at a certain
place, which they pointed out at the bottom of
the harbour, they drew them thither that they
might fall into an ambufcade. A briSk engage-
O DO
ment enfued, when Su'rville's people re-embarked
I The different views of thefe coafts, fuch as they were
taken from the Ship's detfk, and the complete Journal of
Surville, may be feen in the Decouvertes des Francais en 1768
tf 1769, dans le Sud-Eft & la Nouvelle Guime, fcfr. . Paris-,-
imprimerie royale^ 1790,
I Ibid,
In
Round the world." 177
in their boats, many of them being wounded,
and thirty or forty of the favages killed.
The people who inhabit thefe countries are in .
general of the negro fpecies; they have woolly
black hair, flat nofes, and thick lips* They
powder their heads with lime, which, without
doubt, burns their hair, arid makes it appear red.
The cuftom of thus powdering thetnfelves has
been remarked, by M. de Bougainville, of the
people who inhabit Baie de Choifeul, on the
north-weftern part of this continent. They have
bracelets of Shells for ornaments, and they wear
intire Shells round their necks, and girdles of
human teeth (without doubt thofe of their enemies whom they have made prifoners of war); the
greater part have a large hole bored in their ears,
and through the cartilage of the nofe, from which,
are fufpended bunches of flowers, Their weapons
are lances from eight to nine feet in length, clubs,
or bludgeons, of the fame materials, bows and
reed arrows of forty or forty-four inches in length,
the points of which ate tipped with a fharp bone;
they carry a Shield made of ruShes and the bark
of a tree, two or three feet long and one broad.
Their canoes are very light, and are from fifteen,
or twenty-five, to fixty-five feet in length. The
feams are covered with a kind of cement, which
renders them impenetrable to the water.
Surville could obtain no fupplies from thefe
Vol. I.
N
people;
170 LA- PEROUSE's VOYAGE
people. He only got poffeffion of a young favagey
of thirteen or fourteen years old, whom he designed to make ufe of as an interpreter, in the-
profecutlon of his difcoveries.
He left Port Praflin the twenty-firft of October, and continued to ftretch along the land towards the eaft-fouth-eaft, and afterwards towards
the fouth-eaft. In many places he loft fight of
the coaft, and could perceive no land in thefe
intervals; he thence concludes, with reafon, that
the chafms, or openings, are bays, very deep
gulfs, or channels, which, dividing the land
into many iflands, form an archipelago. In his
Way many canoes came off from the Shore, and
went on board him/ He made numerous pre-
fents to the favages, but every where obferved
marks of the greatest diftruft. Thefe people are
great thieves, like all the inhabitants in the iflands
of the Great Equatorial Ocean,
Surville obferved^ that the young Indian, whom
he had brought from Port Praflin, could not make
himfelf understood by the Inhabitants of the coaft,
and that he was in great fear of them, a circum-
ftance which induced Surville to believe that this
land was of great extent, and that the people of
the different iflands in this archipelago have no
communication with each other but to make
war.
When * he had reached the
ifland, which he
called
round the World. 179
tailed De La Contrariete, fituate about 4 degrees and half to the eastward, and 2 degrees to
the Southward of Port Praflin, he found a people
refembling thofe of that harbour; robuft men, Entirely naked, of the height of five feet and five feet
and a half (French) having woolly hair, and powdering it with lime, wearing the fame ornaments,
and ufing the fame arms. Thefe went on board
his Ships with the greatest boldnefs, accepted all
that was given them, and endeavoured to Steal that
which was not given them. The country in this
part wore a pleating afpect; the odour of the
aromatic plants, which reached the very fhips,
occasioned Surville to regret, that he could not
land in a gulf§ which he fuppofed to exift to the
weftward of the islands* which he called The
Three Sifters.
When he had arrived at 11° 7' fouth latitude,
and 159° to the eaft of Paris, he perceived a large
cape, with two little iflands before it; and from this
point he faw the land Stretching away to the
Weft and fouth-wefl. As he perceived no other
beyond this cape, and was in hafte to get a clear
offing* he called the iflands, which he law, Iftes
de la Delivrance, and the cape, Cap Oriental
des Arfacides. The 8th of November he loft all
fight of the land.
Such is the epitome of Surville's Difcovery, to
which is connected land {qqti by Bougainville,
Vfchich is the north-weft part of the Terre des
N 2 Arfacides,
iBd lA perOuse's voyage
Arfacides. See his voyage, page 264, and
following.
It will be proper alfo to confult the account that
Figueroa has given * us of Mendana's Difcoveries,
in his firft voyage, in 1567. There is every reafon to believe, after numerous combinations and
comparifons, that Solomon's Iflands, difcovered at
that period by Mendana, are the fame which have
been Since found by Surville, in 1769.
M. De La Peroufe, in the collection of manufcript charts, committed to his care and ufe,
will find one relating to the modern difcoveries in
this part, upon which the difcoveries of Mendana
have been endeavoured to be reprefented, as well
as they could be laid down, after the defcriptions
given by Figueroa, Herrera, and other Spanish
historians, who do not agree upon the particular
extent of the different islands, or on their
relative positions; but it was Sufficient to Shew
the prefumed identity of the difcoveries of Mendana and of thofe of Surville; and it is certain,
that the refearches which M. De La Peroufe is
expected to make will eftabliSh that which is here
only prefented as a probability,
* See Echos de D. Garcia Hurtado de Mendoza, quarto Mar-
quez de Cannete, by Chriftoval Suarez de Figueroa ; Madrid, 1613 Hijlorkal Collection, by D'alrymple, vol. I,
page 176—Decouvertes dans la Mer du Sud, translated from*
the Englifh by Freville, page 89*
if, Terres
HHM
ROUND THE WORLD. ijjl.r
33. Terres De La Louifiade, difcovered, in
1768, by M. de Bougainville.
Thefe lands were unknown before this period.
There was only an imperfect and confufed relation of a difcovery, in 1705, of the northern
coaft by the Dutch yacht, the Geelvinck.
For Louifiade, fee Voyage de M. De Bougainville, page 255, and following: and for the journal
of the Geelvinck * the Navigations Auftrales, of
the prefident de Broffes, vol. II, page 444.
34. Endeavour Straits, between New Holland
and New Guinea.
See Hawkefworth's Collection of Voyages round
the World, vol. Ill, p. 610, and following
(Cook's firft Voyage).
It appears that Torrez, who commanded one
of the Ships of Quiros's fleet, in 1606, is the
firft navigator who paffed between New Holland
and New Guinea.
See the relation of Quiros's voyages in the
authors cited in thefe notes.
35. North and weft coafts of New Holland.
There is nothing to be offered, which can be
* It is now proved, that the pofition firft given to Geel-
vinck's Land is not the true one. See Decouvertes des Frantais
en 1768 et 1769, dans le fud ejl de la vouvelle Guinee, page xiv
qf the preface, (Fr. Ed.)
N
deemed
182 la perouse s voyage
deemed authentic, or fufficiently detailed, concerning this part of the greateft ifland in the world.
M. De La Peroufe is referred to the Voyages
de Dampler, for the northern coaft, fome parts of
which this exact navigator has reconnoitred; and
to Navigations aux Terres Auftrales, by the prefident de Broffes, vol. II, page 438, for the
north and weftern coaft, and vol. I, page 426,
and following, for the difcoveries of the Dutch in
New Holland.
There is added to the collection of manufcript
charts, put into M. De La Peroufe's hands, a copy;
of that which is referred to by the prefident de
Broffes, and which contains, the examinations and
difcoveries the Dutch made of part of the weftern
coaft. The foundings too are added, and particulars extracted from the journals of the English
navigators, who have been there more recently.
36. South of Van Diemens Land, a part of the
fouth of New Holland.
See, in the hiftory of captain Cook's fecond
voyage, what has been faid by captain Furneaux,
who was there in the month of February, 1773,
(vol. I, page 107, and following, of the original).
See alfo captain Cook's third voyage, vol. I,
page 91 of the original.
3 7. Ifland of New Zealand. . This land was difcovered, in 164.2, by Abel Tafman, a Dutchman 1
is given are in no
refpect
but as the details which h
ROUND THE WORLD.
181
refpect circumstantial, it would be u&lefs to repeat them, and Captain Cook's voyages leave
nothing wanting off this head : See Hawkefworth's
Collection, vol. II, page 281, and following, of
the original (Cook's Voyage); Captain Cook's
fecond voyage, vol. I, page 69 of the originals
ibid, page 225, and following, vol. II, page 146,
and following; Cook's third voyage, vol. I5 page
118, and following, of the original.
In thefe works are to be found,: independently
of defcriptions and astronomical and nautical obfervations, all the charts and particular plans
which have been constructed by the English navigators.
38. Margins of Mendoza's Iflands, difcovered,
in 1595, by Alvar Mendana, a Spaniard: See in
note 28 Mendana's fecond voyage.
Thefe islands were again difcovered in. 1774,
by captain Cook, and nothing better can be
done, than to refer to his account for all that
concerns their description and their geographical pofition, (Cook's fecond voyage, voLcft
page 297, and following, of the original).
39. Ifles of Nublada, Rocca-PafUda, and
others, on the eaft-fouth-eaft of Sandwich
Iflands. tBjff
It is believed that Juan Gaetano, a Spaniard,
is the firft navigator, who had a knowledge of
thefe iflands, in 1542.
N 4 : He
tffaMta
t84 LA PEROUSE'S VOYAGE
He left Porto-Santo, near Port Nativity, on th§
coaft of Mexico, about 200 of north latitude.
He difcovered fucceffively the iflands Nublada,
Rocca-Partida, and 200 leagues weftward of this
laft, a bank, in 13 or 14 degrees north latitude,
upon which he found but feven fathoms water.
Continuing his courfe to the weftward, he met
with fome other islands lying to the weft of the
Sandwich Ifles. {Raccolte di Navigationi e
Viaggi da Ramufio, vol. I, page 375).
The iflands difcovered by Gaetano have been
laid down on the chart of the Great Equatorial
Ocean, with which M. De La Peroufe is furnished, according to that of Anfon's voyage,
which Anfon had copied from one he found
on board the Manilla galleon when he captured
it.
40. Sandzvich Iflands, difcovered by captain
Cook, in his third voyage, in 1778.
Although the courfes of the Spanish galleons
-would readily enable thefe veffels to examine
iflands fituate between the 19th and 20th north
parallels, yet it does not appear, that, in any
period, the Spaniards have had a knowledge of
them. They offer an excellent port for- their Ships,
which trade from Afia to America over the Great
Equatorial Ocean; and it is not likely, that they
would have neglefted forming an eftablifhment
to
ROUND THE WORLD. iSjJ
on iflands fo advantageoufly Situated for communication between the two continents. We
owe all the particulars that we poflefs concerning
thefe iflands to captain Cook and captain King.
See Cook's third voyage, vol, II, page 190, and
following, 525 and following, and page the ift,
$nd following, of the 3d vol. in the original*
GREAT NORTHERN OCEAN.
41. North weft coaft of America, from Port
Monterey, fituate in about 36° 42' of north
latitude, to the Aleutian Ifles.
In 1769 and 1770 the Spaniards ordered Port
Monterey to be examined, as well as that of San
Diego, which is more to the fouthward; they
raifed little forts there, and formed a kind of establishment, fearing that fome foreign power might
extend its views to coafts which, though in the
neighbourhood of the poffeffions of the Crown of
Spain, appeared not to belong to it.
The expedition was ordered by the marquis de
Croix, viceroy of New Spain, prepared by Don
Jofeph de Galvez, intendant of the army, visitor
general of the kingdom, and executed by Gafpar
de Portola, captain of dragoons, commander of
the troops, and by the packet-boats the San-
£arlps and the San-Antonio, commanded by Don
Vicente
11
w^bSl 11,
loo
Vicente Vila, pilot of the royal navy, and Don
Juan Perez, pilot for the navigation of the Philippines.
The journal of this voyage has been printed in
Spanish, at the printing-office of the government
of New Spain.
It is..faid in this work, that :the\\constancy of
the north and north-weft winds, which predominate to the northward of California almoft all the
year, oppofes great difficulties to all Ships which
would run to the' north-weft coafts of 'America. -
The country to the north of the .peninfula of
California is, from the fame authority, tolerably
fertile, and the natives very tractable. 4§jg|
The Spaniards fpent more than :a year in finding again the port of Monterey, although they
ought to have been wrell acquainted with its pofition, Since it had been difcovered, in 1602, by
the general Vifcaino, commandant of a fquadron,
which Philip the Third ordered to be fitted out
for the difcovery and reconnoitring of the coafts
to the north of California. After great fatigues,
and long refearches by fea and by land, they fuc-
ceeded at length in difcovering it anew in 1770,
nearly in the parallel that Vifcaino had pointed
out in the relation of his difcoveries.
According to the obfervations made by the
Spaniards in'1770, the Port of Monterey is fitu-
4 ate
ROUND THE WORLD. 187
&te in latitude 360 40'-*9 immediately . to the
northward of the chain of mountains, (or Sierra)
of Santa-Lucia.
It is a vaft bay, much refembling that of Cadiz,
with anchorage in four, fix, or eight fathom water, according as the anchor is let go nearer to or
farther from the Shore: it is good holding ground,
fine fand. An interval of fome years elapfed
without any profecution of thefe northern difcoveries by Spain. The entrance and the fucceffive
runs of numerous English Strips in the Great
Ocean, at length roufed its attention; and in
1775, the viceroy of Mexico, Don Antonio
Maria Bucarelli, ordered an armament t© proceed
in the infpection of the. north-weft xoafts of
America, as far as 650.
Three fmall Ships were employed in this enterprize,
which was entrusted to Don Juan de Ayala. The
Hon, Daines Barrington translated into English the
journal of Francifco Antonio Maurelle, pilot of the
Second Ship, commanded by Don. J. F. De La Bodega, and has printed it in his Mifcellanies (London, -178-1, in 410.) It is from the translation of
JsAr. Barrington, that the following abstract of the
voyage of the Spaniards is taken.
* In the voyage that the Spaniards made, in 1775, t0 tlie
northern coaft of California, which is related hereafter,
they fixed the latitude of the Port of Monterey at 360 44'
ijorth.
They
I
mm*
tZS la perouse's voyage
They failed from San Bias* the 17th of
March, 1775, meeting with contrary winds during the firft part of their voyage; and the 21 ft of
May, after a confultation of all the officers, it was
decided, that they Should afcend as high as the
43d degree of latitude, rather than put into the
Port of Monterey. This decision was founded
upon the hope of finding at this height the entrance of Martin d'Aguilarf', difcovered in 1603,
where water might be had, and the Ships refitted.
(In fome charts this entrance is laid down in 45
degrees).
The 7th of June, in latitude 410 30', although
fill! at a confiderable diftance from land, they
distinguished a long range of coaft, which extended from the fouth-weft to the north-eaft; a
talm prevented them from getting near it.
The 8th, they perceived the land much more
distinctly at nine leagues diftance; the currents,
according to their obfervation, had carried them
to the fouthward twenty-nine minutes in twenty-
four hours.
The 9th they entered a harbour, which
they called Trinidad, fituate in 410 7' ob-
* On the coaft of New Gallicia, a province of Mexico, at -
the entrance of the Vermillion Sea. *
f M. De La Peroufe will find in the Cvnfiderations gtogra-
fhiques & phyfiques of Philip Buache, all the information
that can be had relative to this entrance of Aguilar, and to
that of Fuca, mention of which is made in this journal.
ferved
ROUND THE WORLD. 189
ferVed latitude, and 190 4 to the weftward of
San Bias.
The Spaniards fpeak highly of the country, and
its inhabitants. Thefe Americans paint their bodies black and blue, and they have nearly the
fame cuftoms, and ufe the fame weapons as thofe
whofe defcription is found in the account of the
third voyage of captain Cook, when he vifited
the north-weft coaft of America. We are not in
poffeSlion of any chart of this harbour, but the
journal informs us, -that it was drawn by Don
Bruno Heceta, J. F. De La Bodega, and F. Antonio Maurelle, the author of the narrative. It is
there faid, that although the harbour is repre-
fented as open* yet it is to be understood, that it
is Sheltered on the fouth-weft, as well as on the
north-north-eaft, and eaft.
On the weftern part is a hill, fifty fathoms in
height, contiguous to the northern coaft, on which
is fituate another of twenty fathoms, each of
them offering a fafe Shelter, not only againSt the
winds, but even againft an enemy.
At the entrance of the harbour is a little
ifland of considerable height, quite barren; and -
the two fides of the coaft are Skirted w(ith high
rocks, which offer an eafy landing, veffels being,
able to go fo near them, that a communication
may be formed with the land by a ladder. Near
the flat part of the Shore are feveral Smaller rocks,
whi(&$'
tg& la peP-ouse's voyage
which Shelter a veffel at anchor from the fouth"*
eaft and fouth-weft winds.
The tides are as regular there as in the feas and
On the coafts of Europe.
The Spaniards, during their Stay, tried to go
in a boat up a river, which runs from the north-
eaft to the fouth-weft, and which they had difcovered from the Summit of a mountain: they found'
that the mouth was larger than neceffary for the
difcharge of its own waters, which loft themfelves
In the fand on the fhctfe; being, however, unable"
to afcend it at low water, they traced its banks on
foot for the fpace of a league, and found it to be
in moft places twenty feet in breadth, and five
in depths They denominated it Rio de las Tor-
tolas (the River of Turtle DoVes *'•) becaufe on their
arrival they perceived a great many of thefe, as
well as of other birds.
They found fome plants and fruits upon the
Skirts of the mountains, and in the vicinity of the
harbour.
They quitted the port of Trinidad, the 19th of
June, with a north-weft wind, which had prevailed during their whole Slay at the place.
It appears, that Don Juan Perez-f, one of the officers of the fquadron, had already been employed in
fome
* Mr. Barrington tranflates it Pigeon's River.
f This Don Juan Perez is, without doubt, the pilot of the
K^Hiippines, employed in the expedition undertaken in 1769,
but
ROUND THE WORLD. I9I
feme difcoveries to the northward, of which no information is given; for, whether he were actually on
board the fleet, as may be concluded from fome
circumstances of the narrative, or whether they
were only poffeffed of his journal, it is evident,
that his advice is cited with marks of great deference. He reprefented, that there had been
winds from the fouth and fouth-eaft, which had
enabled him, and without much difficulty, to
keep along the coaft to the high latitudes. His
opinion was, that it ought not to be approached
before arriving at the 49th degree, and Don Maurelle, author of the relation from which this extract is made, was of his opinion.
The 9th of July, the Spaniards judged them-
felves to be in latitude 45
and according to
the French charts, which they found very defective
in this part from a want of authentic materials, in
the latitude of an entrance, or river, faid to have
been difcovered by Juan de Fuca, in 1592.
They perceived that the fea was coloured as it
ufually is within foundings of a coaft: they faw
at the fame time a great many red fifties, twenty
feet in length, and fea oranges (a.fgeeies of marine plant). Every thing inclined them to believe
they were not far from land.
but the Spaniards did not then puih their inquiries,fo far to
the northward as in this of 1775. It would appear, that Mr.
Barrington had no knowledge of thevex^edition kfcfj&Q*
1$Z tA PER0USE S VOYAGE
The nth they got fight of it at twelve league
diftance.
The 12th at night they were only a league from
it. They distinguished numerous little ifles and
mountains covered with fnow; they faw alfo a
barren little island of only half a league in circuit*
which they named Ifland of Dolores. In this
pofition they estimated their latitude at 470 39^
lbngitude 210 53' weft from the meridian of San
Bias.
The 13th they anchored on the coaft in 30
fathoms water, two leagues and a half from the
land, to Wait for one of the Ships which had fallen
aftern, lat. 470 28', and 210 34' to the weft of
San Bias.
They fet fail again in the evening; and when
the fquadron was collected together they anchored
again in eight fathom, lat. 470 21', and long. 21°
29' weft of the meridian from which they fet out.
The natives of the country appeared in great
numbers in their canoes, and even went aboard
the Spanish Ships. They were prefented, in exchange for the Skins that they brought, with articles of copper and bits of this metal, on which
they appeared to fet the greateft value; they ex-
prefled their defire for thefe, by pointing to the
googings of the rudder.
The Spaniards were defirous of going aShore for
Wood and water, but the Americans, who had
5 placed
HOUND THE WORLD* 193
placed themfelves in ambufcade, wourided many
among them; and on the Side of the natives a
Considerable number were killed.
The Spaniards again put to fea, the winds
continuing to blow from the north-weft and
north.
On the firft of Auguft came on a thick fog,
they therefore flood off from the coaft.
On the fifth, winds from the fouth-eaft.
On the 13th, a change in the colour of the
fea; vaft numbers of fea oranges, and many
birds. $,Mj?it$
The Signs of land became more numerous on
the 14th and 15th: they then reckoned themfelves in latitude 5 6° 8', 154 leagues * weftward of
the continent, and only Sixty leagues from an
ifland, which was laid down (fays the journal)
upon their chart, and which Maurelle reprefents
as the projecting point of an archipelago, fituate
upon the fame parallel. It appears, that the chart
in question is that of Don Juan Perez *f, who had
already, as has been faid, made a voyage to the
north, but there is nothing further known of this
* Of 17 and a half to a degree.
f It feems that Don Juan Perez could not pofiibly have any
practical knowledge of the country or feas to the north ; for,
in the expedition of 1769, in which he was employed, the
-Spaniards had afcended only to Monterey, fituate in lat.
360 40' or 44'.
I Vol. 1 O Ifland,
194 LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
island. It is not faid in the journal whether it
were to the eaftward or to the weftward of the
Ship. It is, however, very probable, that Maurelle fpoke of fome ifland bordering on the penin-
fula of Alalhka, fuch as Cook's Trinity Ifland,
and that he considered AlaShka, and all the iflands
which are in its neighbourhood., as forming an
archipelago. This appeared to be the opinion of
the Ruffians before the difcoveries of Cook threw
light upon that part of America.
The 16th, at noon, the Spaniards difcovered land
in the north-weft; and a little time after, it appeared open to the north-eaft, and prefented to
the view feveral capes and mountains, among
which was one, eminently overtopping all the
others: it is (fays the author of the journal) of
an immenfe height, its fummit inclines considerably on one fide, and it?s form is the moft beautiful and moft regular that was ever beheld; it
is infulated, being detached from a chain of other
mountains. The furrimit was at the time covered with fnow; below were feveral large bare
fpaces, which extended to the middle of its fides,
and from this height, to its bafe, the furface was
covered with trees of the fame kinds as thofe
which had been feen at Trinity Harbour.
The Spaniards gave the name of San lacinto
(Saint Hyacinth) to this ifland; and the cape,
which terminates it on the fide next to the fea^ was
i called
ROUND THE WORLD. 19^
Called Del Enganno, (Cape Deceit). The journal
places the mountain and the cape in latitude 57°
2!, and the author adds that, by two obfervations
repeated at the diftance of a mile, it was concluded that they were 340 12' weft of the meridian of San Bias; but he leaves every thing in the
dark as to the means made ufe of for afcertaining
the longitude. It is, however, from the pofition
of this cape, that all the other points of the coaft,
as mentioned, have been laid down upon the chart
of the voyage which accompanies the journal.
(Mr. Barrington, who obtained a copy of the
journal, and translated it, could not procure the
chart).
The 17th of Auguft a faint breeze from the fouth
allowed the Spaniards to enter a bay in latitude
5701 i', and 340 12' weft of San Bias. This bay is
three leagues wide at its entrance, and is protected
on the fouth fide by Cape del Enganno. Upon
the coaft opposite to this cape, they difcovered
a harbour, the mouth of which was more than a
league acrofs, Sheltered from all except foutherly
winds. They Surveyed the whole curve of the
bay, at a little diftance from the coaft, and
never found lefs than fifty fathoms water; but the
mountains running to the very edges, they could
difcover no beach proper to land at. They dif-
tinguifhed neverthelefs a fmall river, but as it was
night, could not get nearer to infpect it, they
O % therefore
II1
tm
I96 LA PEROtfSE's VOYAGE
therefore let go the anchor in Sixty-fix fathonj
water, clayey bottom.
They called this bay De Guadalupa.
When they were getting under way on the
18 th, they faw two canoes, each containing four
Americans, two men, and two women, who appeared unwilling to approach near the Ships, but
made Signs to the Spaniards to go on Shore.—*
The navigators continued failing along the coaft
with a wind to the north-weft till nine o'clock in
the morning, when they entered another harbour not fo large as the former, but the environs
of which appeared to offer more refources to navigators : a Stream eight or ten feet wide empties
itfelf into it; and a continued chain of lofty
iflands very near each other protects it from almoft
every wind. They anchored there in eighteen
fathom water, fandy bottom, about piftol Shot
from the Shore ; they faw upon the bank of the
river a high building, and a wooden parapet, fup-
ported by Slakes driven into the ground; they
diftinguifh'ed ten Indians there, betides women
and children.
They called this harbour De Los Remedios (Remedies) and found it to be fituate in lat. 57°,
18', and 340 12' weft of the meridian of San
Bias.
They erected a crofs on the Shore, and cut
another in the rock', and performed the ceremony
of
ROUND THE WORLD. I9*r
of taking poffeffion of the country, conformably
to their instructions.
They then made choice of, and marked out,
a place for taking in wood and water.
During all this time the Americans did not quit
their parapet; but as foon as the Spaniards had
retired, the Indians tore down the crofs which
had been fet up, and planted it in the fame
manner before their houfe, and made Signs, by
opening and extending their arms, that they had
taken poffeffion of that fymbol.
The 19th, the Spaniards having gone on Shore
to take in wood and water, the Americans Shewed
themfelves on the other fide of the river ; they
were unarmed, and carried a white leaf at the end
of a pole. The Spaniards made Signs to them,
that they were only come to take in water: upon
which the chief of the Indians, judging the
Signs implied, that they were thirfty, advanced
into the middle of the brook, holding in his hand
a cup filled with water, as alfo fome dried fifh,
which were received by a Spaniard, and prefented
by him to their commander, who in return fent
to the Americans fome glafs beads and bits of
cloth. They Signified that thefe prefents did not
pleafe them; but infilled, by Signs, that others
Should be fent to them, when, upon the refufal
of the Spaniards, they menaced them with long
lances, armed at the point with Sharpened Stones*
O
The
19^ - LA PEROUSE'S VOYAGE
The Spaniards contented themfelves with remaining on their guard; and when the Indians found
they had no mind to attack them, they retired.
Wood and water fo much wanted were procured.
The mouth of the river affords a very ample
fupply of SlSh; the country is covered with firs,
as at Port Trinity ; the inhabitants are clothed in
the fame manner, and like them wear a bonnet
over their hair which covers the whole head. The
Spaniards judged from many particulars, that the '
favages of this country have a fort of civilization.
The cold was exceffive, the rain abundant,
and the fogs very thick. They never perceived
the fun during the three days that they paffed in
the harbour of Los Remedies.
They quitted it the 21 ft of Auguft, and Stood to
the northward, with the wind from the fouth-eaft.
• The 22d, latitude 57° 18'.
"They ran into the 58th degree of latitude in
vifiting this coaft, where they made no difcovery;
and they concluded that all the Straits, or fup-
pofed entrances, had no existence. Sicknefs had
made considerable ravages among the crews for
fome time, and as its fatal effects augmented
every day, they deemed it impoffible to puSh their
inquiries to a higher latitude, but giving up the
enterprize, they made fail to the fouth-eaft.
The 24th Auguft, being in latitude 570 17',
Jhey doubled a cape, and entered into a great
bay,
ROUND THE WORLD. 199
bay, where they difcovered an arm of the fea to
the northward : they experienced very troublefome
cold weather; but the fea was quite fmooth, and
the (hips in perfect fafety from any wind.
The anchorage is good, and the frelh wrater a- -
bundant, either from the lakes or the rivers, affording plenty of fifh. They had the bay examined
by means of one of the fchooners, and they dropped their anchor at the entrance of the arm of the
fea, in 20 fathom water, in a bottom of foft mud.
This harbour was called Bucarelli, after the name
of the viceroy of Mexico : a milder climate was
experienced here than in latitudes not fo high;
and this difference was imputed to the volcanoes
which are found in the neighbourhood of this
harbour, and the fires of which are perceived in the
night, though at a very considerable diftance.
The Spaniards took poffeffion of the country
in the name of his Catholic Majefty, and they
provided themfelves with water and wood.
They imagined, from the ruins of a hut, and
by other marks, that the country was inhabited,
but they faw not one inhabitant.
By two obfervations made on different days,
they fixed the latitude of Bucarelli at 550 17',
and its longitude at 320 9' weft of the meridian
of San Bias.'
The mountains in the environs of this harbour are covered with trees of the fame fpecies
O 4 as
Itfi
&06 la perouse's voyage
as thofe which are found in the lefs northerly
parts of this coaft.
At the diftance of fix: leagues was perceived an
ifland of a moderate height, winch they called
San Carlos.
They fet fail again on the 29th, with the wind
at north, blowing pretty freSh, but at noon a
calm fucceeded, and they found themfelves abreaft
of a very low and barren ifland ; it is Skirted with
rocks to the eaft and weft. They anchored in*
22 fathoms water, and about two leagues diftance
from the Ifland of San Carlos.
In this pofition, a cape was difcovered at the
diftance of four or five leagues, which was called
Cape Saint Auguftin.
In going from this cape, the coaft Stretches to
the eaft as far as the eye can reach it.
The force of thefe two currents, which in this
place run in opposite directions, was fo violent,
that it was not poffible to found : and as thefe currents appeared to follow and depend on the tides, it
was concluded that the opening perceived in the
land might be a river, or that at leaft this entrance
had no communication but with the Great Northern Ocean.
Cape Saint Auguftin is Situated in about 550
latitude.
As the feafon was not yet advanced, the zeal of
the Spaniards began to revive; and with the
view
ROUND THE WORLD. 201
view of fulfilling the intentions of his Catholic
Majefty expreffed in their instructions, they deter*
mined to attempt to get again to the northward.
The 28 th of Auguft, the wind was variable, they
availed themfelves of it to approach the coaft, and
they found there, as they expected, the winds from
the fouth-weft.
The 29th and 30th, wind fouth, veering towards
the fouth-weft, in fudden and violent fqualls, fea
running high, till the firft of September; they were
carried, during this interval, as far as latitude 5 6° 50'.
In the beginning of September the winds were va-:
riable; but the 6th they fettled in the fouthrweft, and
blew a violent Storm. The 7th, the wind having
Shifted to the north,they Stood in for the land again,
in latitude $$ deg.; the crews were worn out with
fatigue, and fcarcely could they find one man, in
either of the veflels,able to affift in working the Ship
with the officers, who-were obliged to fupply the
want of failors : every idea of profecuting the difcoveries to the northward was now abandoned.
The nth, in latitude 53P 54', land was km
at eight or nine leagues diftance: they kept a Sufficient offing to be in no danger of getting embayed, and yet near enough not to lofe fight of
it; but it was impoffible to make any obfervation
on the coafts. It was only in latitude 470- 3',
that, failing at the diftance of a mile from the
land, the capes, the creeks, and other remarkable
points could be distinguished in fuch a manner
ii
I
202 LA PEROUSE's VOYAGE
as to be laid down upon the chart they were con-
ftructing.
The 20th, they were half a league from the
coaft, precifely in the fame Situation they had been
in, the 13th of July preceding, but it was difcovered that there was a difference of feventeen
leagues (Spanish') between the longitudes, by acr
count of thefe two periods of time.
The 22d, with the wind at north-weft, they
directed their courfe to fetch Port Monterey.
The 24th, land was feen in latitude 45 ° 27', and
they coafted it within cannon Shot. They lay to
during the night:, becaufe they reckoned themfelves
in the fuppofed latitude of the entrance of Martin
d'Aguilar, the existence and pofition of whichv
they wished to verify. This refearch was continued as far as the parallel of 450 50', and 200
4' to the weft of San Bias. Arrived at this latitude and longitude, a cape was difcovered re-
fembling a round table, which they called Cape
Mezari, beyond which the coaft runs away to the
fouth-weft- Ten fmall iflands were perceived,
and fome iflets almoft level with the water, whence
it may be concluded, that, if the entrance or river
of Martin d'Aguilar existed in this part, it could
not have efcaped a refearch made fo near to the
coaft: the author of the journal agrees, however/
that d'Aguilar had pointed out the latitude of
43 degrees for the entrance of his river; but he
obferves
ROUND THE WORLD. I03
t)bferves, that the instruments of which this ancient
navigator muft have made ufe, in 1603, could
not but be very defective, and that he ought not
to rely upon the latitude he affigned to the entrance. It may be fuppofed, adds he, that
d'Aguilar has pointed out too northerly a latitude, and that we might have found his river,
at 420, or below; yet, it is fcarcely to be hoped,
Since, except fifty minutes or thereabouts, this
part of the coaft has been vifited.
The Spaniards, in returning to Monterey,
again fought for the harbour of San Francifco,
and having found it in latitude 3 8° 18', they
entered a bay Sheltered from the north and fouth-
weft, whence they distinguished the mouth of
a great river, and, a little higher, a large harbour
of which the form was that of a bafon. They
judged that this might be the harbour of San
Francifco, which the Hiftoire De La Californie
places in 3 8° 4'; but the roughnefs of the fea
did not allow them to enter it: they doubted,
however, on examining it nearer, whether it were
Port San Francifco, becaufe they faw no inhabitants, and did not perceive the little islands
defcribed to be oppofite to it. In this State of
uncertainty they let go the anchor near one of
the two points, or capes, which form the entrance
of the harbour, and they called that point near
which
mmmm
£04 LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
which they anchored, and which is the northern*
moft, Punta De Arenas, (Sandy Point.)
The natives of the country foon prefented
themfelves on- both fides of the harbour, and rowed
from one Side to the other in their canoes; two
of thefe canoes left the reft, and came along fide
the Ships; thofe who went on board carried with
them, and offered plumes of feathers, in the form
of aigrettes, and garlands, and a box filled with
feeds, refembling nuts in tafte, which they exchanged for glafs beads, looking glaffes, and
fcraps of cloth.
Thefe Indians are tall and Strong: their colour
is that of all the people on this coaft. Their proceedings had an air of generality; for they appeared not to expect any return for the prefents
they made, and this wras a conduct which the
Spaniards had not before met with among any
of the tribes they had had an opportunity of
visiting.
Sicknefs had made too great a progrefs among
the crews, to allow them to Slay and minutely
examine the harbour, and to take its foundings\\
and as they could not perfuade themfelves that
it was the harbour of San Francifco, it was named
Port De La Bodega, a
It is certain, that this harbour is the fame that
Drake had difcovered on the 17th of June, 1579^
the
hound the World. £6£
the latitude of which he fixed at 3 8° 30'. The
account he gives of the inhabitants agrees with
the recent report of the Spaniards. Thefe fix
the latitude of their Port De La Bodega at 38°
18', and its longitude at 180 4' t0 the we& °f San
Bias.
The latitude pointed out by Drake differs
only in 12' from that of the Spaniards; and for
the time when he obferved, and the instruments
which he made ufe of, it may be considered as
exact. Mr. Barrington, with reafon, reproaches
the Spaniards for not having preferved to this
harbour the name of the brave heretic who
firft difcovered the coafts
01
f the
north-weft part
of America, of which he had taken poffeffion
in behalf of the crown of England, and to which
he had given the name of New Albion.
The 4th of October, the Spaniards qui ted
the* port of Sir Francis Drake, with the firft of
the flood, the direction of which was contrary
to the current of the river. Thefe two- powers
acting opposite ways, the waves, driven up On.
both fides, rofe to fuch a height, that they entirely covered the Ship, and Stove the boat to
pieces, which was laShed alongside. The entrance of this harbour is not deep enough for a
Ship at anchor to refill the impulfe and the fwell
of the fea, when the tide and the current of the
river are in opposition. The author of the jour-
*Y*^£
mm*m~***
±x>6 la perouse's voyage
nai fays, that, if they had been previously inform*
ed as to thefe circumstances, either they would
have kept their firft anchorage, or have taken
another further from the entrance of the haven. In every part they founded, they found
an equal depth. Don Maurelle affirms, that it
is eafy to get; into the harbour with northwesterly winds, which predominate upon this
coaft; but he thinks, that it would be neceffary
for any one wifhing to go out with the fame
winds, to anchor at a greater diftance from the
points; and he adds, that this precaution would
be fuperfluous when the winds are fettled at
fouth-weft, eaft, or fouth.
The mountains bordering on the fea are absolutely barren; but thofe of the interior appear
to be covered with trees: the plains exhibit
verdure, and feem to invite cultivation. The
account published by Drake fays, that he called
this country New Albion for two reafons; the
firft, becaufe by the nature of the banks and
white rocks, which edge the coaft, it prefents
the fame afpect as England: the fecond, becaufe
it was juft and reafonable, that this land Should
bear the name of the country of the firft navigator who had difcovered it.
The Spaniards, as it has been faid, quitted
Drake's Harbour, the 4th of October, and after
having doubled the cape, which they called
Dei
hound the world. 207
Del Cordon, and which forms the entrance of
the harbour with that of Las Arenas, they made,
Sail to the fouth-fouth-weft, with a moderate
wind. They fteered afterwards to the weft, to
make a cape, which was feen to the fouthward,
at the diftance of about five leagues.
The 5th, they failed near the little iflands
which are Situate to the weft, and abreaft of the
harbour they had juft quitted.
The 7th, they anchored in Port Monterey, in
three fathoms water, fandy bottom. They determined its latitude to be 3 6° 44'*, and longitude
17 deg. to the weft of San Bias.
The firft of November they left this port.
The fourth, at noon, with a fair wind at north-
wTeft, they continued their courfe to the fouthward, until the 13th of the fame month, when
they had fight of the coaft of California; and
they followed it as far -as Cape S. Lucar, which
they doubled the 16th at fix o'clock in the evening.
They fuppofed this cape to be in latitude
220 49', and 5 deg. to the weft of the meridian of
San Bias.
The fame day, the 16th, they got fight of the
Hands Trois-Maries, and, the 20th at night,
* The pilots employed in the expedition* of 1769—70
determined this latitude to be 3 6° 40'.
they
1
am*
208
LA PEROUSe's VOYAGE
they re-entered the port of San Bias, whence they
had departed 260 days before.
In order to trace the north-weft coaft of America, upon the chart of the Great Boreal Ocean,
with which M. De La Peroufe is furnished, it
has been a rule to regulate the geographical pofitions given by the Spaniards, by combining them
with thofe of captain Cook, which have ferved
to rectify the former in thofe parts not within
reach of being vifited, and of which the Spaniards had but * a tranfient view. To the chart
of the Great Equatorial Ocean are added particular charts of certain portions of coafts, and
plans of harbours and bays,, different, in many
refpects, from thofe which have been given, for
the. fame parts, in the relation of captain Cook's
third voyage. M. De La Peroufe may have
an opportunity of afcertaining which of thefe plans
are drawn in the moft accurate manner. There
is no certainty yet, whether that portion of
America, which extends itfelf in a projecting
point towards the fouth-weft, be an ifland,
or a peninfula. The Ruffian charts, that of
St^hlin in particular*, reprefents all the lands,
comprifed under the name of Alafhka, as a great
ifland, feparated from the continent by a chan-
* An Account of the new northern Archipelago, lately
difcovered by the Ruffians, in the Seas of Kamtfchatka, and
Anadir, &c. London, 1774, in o&avo.
2 nel
&OUND THE WORLD; 20£
feel forty leagues wide, with many fmaller iflands
to the north and horth-eaft of Alafhka. Captain
Cook. has. vifited the coaft, fufficiently hear in
thofe parts which he has reconnoitred to be certain that it is not interrupted, or divided by
channels, arid that the continent Stretches itfelf,
at leaft, to the vicinity of the ifland of Shu-
magih. But he fufpects the existence of a
Strait to the-north-north-weft of the ifland Ha-
tibut, which would feparate the Peninfula of
Alafhka from another portion of land Situate in
the fouth-weft, and designated upon the chart
under the name of the Ijland of Oonemak.
M. De La Peroufe is referred to captain Cook's^
Third Voyage, (vol. II, pages 403, and 488,
of the original), and to the charts that are joined to it, as well as to thofe which make a part
of the manufcript collection.
42. Aleutian, or Fox Iflands, and other
islands which ar£ fuppofed to be fituate to the
Weft, weft-fouth-weft, and weft-north*weft of
them.
Captain Cook has only vifited the islands of
Oonalafhka, (part of the Fox islands), and the
ftrait between thefe iflands, with a few of the
harbours which belong to therm With regard
to the other islands of this duller, and of thofe
Of other clutters, Situate more to the weftward,
Vol. I. P tfe
J
210 LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
we have no knowledge but by the accounts of the
Ruffians, and they are too inexact to deferve any
confidence.
M. De La Peroufe ought to regard them only
as a nomenclature, and to look after thefe iflands
with the fame precaution, as if they wTere absolutely unknown. He will find all thefe accounts
collected in the work of Mr. Coxe, the title of
which is, H Difcoveries of the Ruffians;" and in
the chart joined to this work, which gives all the
difcoveries of that nation to the eaftward of
Kamtfchatka. See pages 149, 194, of the tranf-
lation.
43. The Harbour of Avatfcha, or Saint Peter and Saint Paul, at the extremity of the
Peninfola of Kamtfchatka.
To the collection of manufcript charts, delivered to M. De La Peroufe, is added, a particu -
lar plan of this port, upon a large fcale, different
from that which is found in captain Cook's third
voyage, to which, however, he is referred for
the nautical and other particulars which may be
ufeful to him, when he touches at that port.
See Cook's- Third Voyage, vol. Ill, page 183,
and following, page 284, and following.
44. Kurile Iflands.
Captain Gore, who fucceeded captains Cook,
- and Clerke, in the command, towards the end of the
third
IQ>
HOUND THE WORLD. 211
third voyage made by the English in the Great
Northern Ocean, vifited none of the Kurile Ifles,
and before which he paffed, coafting along the
eaft fide of them.
If Muller may be believed*, it would appear
that Yefo, or leffo, is the name that the Japanefe
give to all the iflands that the Ruffians defignate
tinder that of Kurilfki, or Kuriles. The firft
of thefe iflands, the moft northerly, is but a
Short diftance from the fouth point of Kamtfchatka-}- : it is two or three hours row from one
to the other; and it may be prefumed, after
the accounts given of them, that the iflands
neareit to Kamtfchatka only are tributary to
Ruffia; and that thofe which lie more to the
fouthward are independent of it. Muller designates all thefe iflands in the following order,
commencing with the moft northerly.
1. Schumtfchit.
2. Purumufchur, at two or three hours diftance from the firft.
3. Mufchu, or Ouikutan, half a days journey
from the fecond.
4« Ujachkupa, wefterly of the three former,
and at fome diftance from the firft.
5. Sirinki, over againft the Strait which fepa-
rates the fecond from the third.
# Voyages et Decouvertes des Ruffes.
f Called Lopatka Point.
P 2
6. Ku*
tOM
2tZ LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
6. Kdkumiwa? a little uninhabited ifland to tn'd
fouth-weft of the fifth.
7. Araumakutan, uninhabited, a volcano.
8. Siafkutan, a few inhabitants; but thofe of
the neighbouring islands afiernble there, for the
purpofes of traffic.
9. Ikarma, a little defert island, to the weft of
the eighth.
10. Mafchautfch, a little defert ifland, to the
fouth-weft of the ninth.
11. Igaitu, another defert ifland, to the fouth-
eaft of the eighth.
12. Schokoki, a days fail from the eighth.
13. Motogo, a little ifland to the fouth.
A Ibid. N. B. Between
14. Schafchowa,
15. Ufchijchir,
16. Kit id,
thefe three iflands the
currents are very rapid
and the fea riles to a
great height.
17. Schimufchir, inhabited.
18. Tfchirpui, remarkable for a high moun*
tain..
19. Iturpu, a large ifland, well peopled, covered with great forefts: bears, and other fpecies
of animals are found there. It contains feveral
anchorages and rivers, into which fhips may retire for fafety. It is believed, that the inhabitants of this ifland are independent of Ruffia,
and acknowledge no other dominion.
to. Uriip*
HOUND THE WORLD. 213
20. Urup. I am affured, fays Muller,
that the inhabitants of this ifland are independent.
21. Kunafchir. This ifland is the largeft of all
thofe which have been mentioned, and its population is great.
22. Matmai, or Matfumai, the laft ifland,
and the largeft of all. The capital town of the
fame name, Matmai, is Situate on the fea Shore; on
the ibuth-weft fide; it was built and is inhabited
by the Japanefe; it is a fortified place, furnished
with artillery., and defended by a numerous gar-
riion.
The ifland of Matmai is the place of exile
for perfons of distinction at Japan; it is fepa-
rated from that empire by only a narrow channel,
but which is confidered as dangerous, becaufe the
capes, wliich project on both fides, render the
navigation difficult.
The Engiifn, in Cook's third voyage, have
taken no notice but of the firft and Second of
the Kuriles, yet they have collected, from the
clergyman of Paratounka, particulars interesting
in a considerable degree concerning thefe iflands
in general, and fome of them efpecially.
It appears, that the domination of the Ruffians does-not extend beyond the .ifland of Uf^
chilchir, the fifteenth named, and that all thofe
which follow it are independent. The people of
P a thf>0*
4 I uieie
mamm
&14 la perouse's voyage
thefe iflands pafs for being fenfible to friendship,
hofpitable, humane, and generous. See Cook's
Third Voyage, vol. Ill, page 378, of the original. Confult alfo the Considerations geogra-
phiques et phyfiques of Philip Buache, page 55,
and others.
45 The Land of Yefo, or leffb. It has been
Shewn in the preceding note, that the Japanefe confound this coaft or land with the Kurile Iflands;
but it is generally believed, that it ought to be
diftinguifhed from them. Cook's voyage has
thrown no light upon this matter; it even appears, that, to construct, the general chart of his
voyage in this part, the old known charts have
only been copied.
For the Land of Jeffo, may be confulted the various accounts collected by Philip Buache, who
has inferted them in his Confide rations Geogra-
phiques 8C Phyfiques, page 75, and following.
See alfo the charts belonging to this work, and a
feries of views drawn by the Dutch, while they
were examining a part of it, in 1643.
To the collection with which M. De La Peroufe is furnished, is added the copy of the
chart drawn by the Dutch, which details all the
particulars of their difcoveries.
46. The eajtem coaft of Lapan. In Cook's
third voyage is a chart of a fmall part of this
coaft, and the nautical obfervations which relate
ROUND THE WORLD. 2I£
late to it. (Vol. ill, page 307, and following, of
the original). See alfo the chart comprifed in
the collection furnished to M. De La Peroufe.
47. Lekeyo IJlands, to the fouth-weft of
Japan; Philip Buache has given, in his Confi-
derations Geographiques cf Phyfiques, (page
130,) extracts from all the letters the miffion-
aries have written relative to thefe islands, concerning which there is but little known at prefent. See alfo the Lettres Edifiantes.
48. A large Ifland, peopled and rich, faid to
have been difcovered by the Spaniards towards
the year 1600.
In the Philofophical Tranfactions of the Royal
Society for the year 1674, No. 109*, vol. 9, page
201, paragraph 11, is to be found the following
note concerning this ifland: " That in the
" South Sea, at the 37! deg. northern latitude,
" and about 400 Spanish, or 343 Dutch, miles,
" that is, 28 deg. longitude eaft of Japan, there
" lay a very great and high ifland, inhabited by
*c a white, handfom, kind and civilized people,
" exceeding opulent in gold and Silver, as had
" been experimented many years Since by a Spa-
" nifti fliip Sailing from the Manilles to Neiv
Spai?iej inlbmuch that the King of
1 g o
^ain m
" the year 1610, or 1611, for further difcovery,
$ and to take poffeffion of the fame, fent out a
€i {hip from Acapulco to Japan ,•
vhich by
p 4
11
conduct
2,10 LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
*' conduct proved fuccefslefs: Since which tim4
" the profecution of that difcovery had been;
^ neglected."
SUPPLEMENT.
49. Caroline Iflands, A particular chart is con*
ftructed of thefe iflands from that of Father Canr
tova, and the accounts of other miffionaries, which
have been collected in the way of an extract, as a
fupplement to the Hiftoire des Navigations aux
Terres azi/trqles of the prefident de Broffes. ^Vo^,
II, page 443, and following),
50. Ifland to the fouth, between Mindanao and
the Moluccas. See, for all this part, captain
Forfler's Voyage to New Guinea,
M. De La Peroufe will find, in his collection
of charts, a particular one of the Straits of Way-
gew and New Guinea, and a chart of the weft
part of New Guinea, with the iSJands q£ Arrow,
and part of that of Ceram.
Thefe charts may be ufeful, in cafe contrary
winds fhould oblige him to fail through thefe
Straits. M. De La Peroufe may alfo confult a
chart to be found in vol II, page 310, pf the
Hiftoire des Navigations aux Terres auftrales^
under the title of Carte des Iftes desPapous, copied
from the original of Mia JmacTirion, a Dutchmj
in.
AU
HOUND THE WORLD.
£11
All this part agrees with what captain Forfler has
publifhed on it fince.
51. Straits to the eaft and weft of the Ijland of
Timor. M. DeLa Peroufe will find, in the account
of Dampier's voyages, instructions which may ferve
as a guide to his Ships in Sailing through whichever of thefe Straits circumstances and the wind
may induce him to prefer.
In the collection which has been put into his poffeffion, there have been introduced particular plans of
thepaffages, fuch as the Straits of Allofs, of Lombock,
of Solor, of Sapy, and others among the fouthem
islands of the archipelago of Alia, -which are but
little frequented by European navigators.
M. De La Peroufe will take notice, that the
fouthern and eaftern coafts of the ifland of Sum-
bava, or Combava, have not yet been examined.
52. For the Ijle de France, and the Cape of
Good Hope, he is referred to the Neptune Oriental of «M. Dapres, and to the instructions thereto
joined.
53. Iflands of Marfeveen S* Denia. Thefe are
two little iflands known by the Dutch, whither
they fend, it is faid, for wood ; the fituation
of them is neverthelefs undetermined. Captain
Cook regretted not having it in his power to
fearch after thefe iflands. [Second voyage,
vo\\. II, pages 244 and 246 of the original).
*piey are laid down upon the chart of the South
■MOMMH
2l8 LA PEROUSE's VOYAGE
Sea, conformably to the pofition which Cook's
third Voyage has given them on the general chart;
that is to fay, Marfeveen, the moft northerly of
the two iflands, in 40 degrees and a half fouth
latitude, and at two degrees and three quarters
to the eaftward of the meridian of the Cape of
Good Hope ; and Denia in 41 degrees of latitude,
and three degrees to the eaftward of the Cape;;
but it may be obferved, that on Halley's variation
chart they are placed at 41 degrees and a half.
of latitude, and 4 degrees eaft of the meridian
of the Cape.
54. Cape (or ijle) Circumcifion, difcovered the
firft of January, 1739, by M. De Lozier Bouvet.
This navigator took hisdeparture from the Ifland
of Saint Catherine, on the coaft of Brazil. He ufed
the chart of Pieter Gooz, who places this ifland in
333 degrees of longitude, reckoning from the
Ifland of Teneriffe, which correfponds with 46
degrees weft of the meridian of Paris. Hid courfe
corrected, from the Ifland of Saint Catherine to
Cape Circumcifion, gives 33 degrees three quarters
difference of longitude to the eaft; and he thence
concluded the longitude of this cape to be from
26 to 27 degrees of longitude from Teneriffe ; that
is to fay, from 7 to 8 degrees eaft of Paris,
But the longitude of the place whence M. Bouvet took hisdeparture, viz. that of S. Catherine,
was erroneous by 4 degrees; for this longitude,
corrected
ROUND THE WORLD. 2I9
corrected according to thofe which recent obfervations have given for Rio-Janeiro and Buenos
Ayres, ought to be 329 degrees from the meridian
of Teneriffe (inftead of 333), or jo deg. weft of
that of Paris (inftead of 46). Therefore, if 50
degrees weft, the longitude of S. Catherine, be
fubtracted from 53 degrees three quarters, the
farthest point of M. Bouvet's run eaftward, there
will remain three degrees three quarters for the
eaft longitude of Cape Circumcifion, inftead of
from 7 to 8 degrees, which M. Bouvet had computed, and which, in fact, he had a right to compute, agreeably to the chart of Pieter Gooz, who
laid down the Ifland of S. Catherine, or the meridian whence he took his departure, four, degrees
- too much to the eaft.
M. Le Monnier, of the academy of fciences, has
attempted to determine the longitude of Cape
Circumcifion by the theory of the variation of the
compafs; and he fixes this longitude between one
and two degrees to the eaft of Paris. See his
Differtation in anfwer to Mr. Wales, printed at
the end of the firft volume of the translation of
the third Voyage of captain Cook.
But as the differences of meridians, deduced from
obfervations on the variation of the compafs, can
at belt be only uncertain approximations, it has
been thought advifeable, to adhere to the difference
of
J
i*M
1
£.26 LA PER0USE S VOYAGE
of meridian which refults from the calculations of
the courfes of M. Bouvet, from the Ifland of S.
Catherine to Cape Circumcifion, without pretending to maintain, however, that the reckoning kept
by this navigator is exempt from error. The
Cape is confequently laid down, upon the chart
of the South Sea, at three degrees three quarters
eaft from Paris.
According to this pofition, founded on the re'a-
fons deduced as above, it is no longer a matter of
furprife, that if, as there is every reafon to believe,
there be fuch a-place as the Cape (or Ifland) of
Circumcifion, it Should have efcaped the refearches,
of captains Cook and Furneaux, Since the firft,
in his track from the weftward, did not get into
the latitude of this cape, which is fituate upon
I the parallel of 540 fouth, till he was only at about
eight degrees eaft of Greenwich, or five degrees
two-thirds eaft of Paris; and the fecond did not
get into the latitude till he was only at ten degrees
and a half from Greenwich, or eight from Paris $
both of them therefore muft have run beyond it
when they got into its parallel.
jLrli* X X £4 i'X
ItOUND THE WORLD,
221
LETTER
From M. Le Marechal De Caftries to M. de Con**
dorcet, perpetual Secretary of the Academy of
Sciences.
Sir, Verfailles, March 1785,
THE King having come to the refolution to
employ two of his frigates in a voyage, which may
at the fame time realize objects beneficial for his
fervice, and furnifh more extensive means of perfecting the knowledge and the defcription of the
terreftrial globe, I could wifh the academy of
fciences would caufe to be drawn up a memoir, detailing distinctly and at fome length the
different physical, aftronomical, geographical, and
other obfervations, which may be thought moft
convenient and important to be made, as well by
fea in the courfe of the voyage, as upon the lands
or ifblhds which may be1 touched at. To direct
the views of the academy to the plan which it
may adopt in this refpect, I am to inform you,
Sir, that the Ships of his Majefty will have orders
to proceed as far to the north and fouth as the
fixtieth parallel, and that they will traverfe the
entire circumference of the globe, in refpect to
its longitude. The academy, therefore, may include in its fpeculation nearly the totality of the
5 known
ll
222 LA PER0USE S VOYAtfl
knowrn coafts or iflands, and the whole extent of
the furface of the fea on both fides, comprehended
between the two great maffes of land which form
the continents.
• By inviting the academy to engage in a labour
which will prove fo very agreeable to the King,
you may affure yourfelf, Sir, that the greateft
attention will be paid to fuch obfervations
and experiments as the academy j may point out,
and that the greateft exertions will be made to
comply entirely with its wifhes, as far the circumstances of the voyage will allow the performing of
operations of this nature. It will afford pleafure
to his Majefty to learn, that the erudition of the
academy concurs with the love of glory and the
zeal which animate the officers of his navy; and
he cannot but anticipate the greateft advantages
in the probable advancement of the fciences, from
an expedition of which the principal object is
to further their progreis.
MEMOIR
Drawn up by the Academy of Sciences, for the
life and direction of the learned and fcientific
perfons embarked tinder the orders of M. De
La Peroufe.
M. le Marechal De Caftries having, by direction
of the King, demanded of the academy a memoir,
which
ROUND THE WORLD. 223,
which might point out fuch obfervations as it
Should judge the moft neceffary to be made
in the intended voyage round the world, undertaken for the progrefs of the fciences, the academy
accordingly has commissioned each of its firft pensionaries of the different claffes to collect the particular memoirs furnished by the various members
of his refpective clafs; and moreover has caufed
thefe memoirs to be arranged and reduced into
proper form by four commiffaries, and is anxious
to lay the general refult as foon as poffible before
the minister, as a proof of the ardent wiSli it feels
to concur, by its zeal and its care, in the execution of an undertaking, the fuccefs of which will
contribute equally to the glory of the monarch,
to that of the nation, and to the advancement of
the fciences.
To throw as much order and perfpicuity as
poffible into this fummary, the academy has judged
it proper to affemble, under one point of vie\\v,
the obfervations relative to various branches of
fcience, which reSemble each other in the nature
of their object, although cultivated by different
claffes. Such are the obfervations which relate to
the Studies in which the claffes of geometry, aftro-
nomy, and mechanics are engaged. Thefe obfervations may be placed with the more propriety at
the head of this memoir, as they are connected
with cofmography, and have by that means a more
direct
224 LA PER0USE S VOYA&S
direct relation to the principal object of the voyaga
to be undertaken by order of his Majefty.
GEOMETRY, ASTRONOMY, MECHANICS.
ONE of the fhoft interesting refearches, which
the navigators can be at prefent employed in
making, is that which relates to the afeertaining
of the length of the pendulum, vibrating Seconds j
in different latitudes. The inductions which have
hitherto been drawn from this instrument, to determine the variations of gravity, reft on a very
limited number of operations, made by different
obfervers, and with different instruments; and
this want of uniformity in the operations muft
have a neceffary influence on the certitude of the
confequences deduced from the comparifon of the
refults.
It is evident, that a collective number of operations of this kind, performed with care, by the
fame perfons, and with the fame instruments, is
much wanted ; and the academy cannot too earnestly recommend to the navigators, to profecute
this inquiry with all the exactnefs poffible in every
place they may put into on their voyage. ^
The determination of the longitudes will be
neceflfarily one of the principal points, to which
the navigators will direct their attention; in order*
however, that Still greater advantages may be obtained
-~^ —
ROUND THE WORLD.
22/
tained from their refearches on this head, the academy recommends to them to preferve the original calculations from the obfervations of longitude, by the diftance of the moon from different
Stars, as in the event of any astronomer's hereafter correcting the elements which Should have
ferved to determine the longitudes in queftion^
this correction may be alfo employed, in its
turn, to rectify the calculations of thefe fame
longitudes.
The navigators, being furnished.with epheme*
rides, know beforehand the moment of the different eclipfes which will happen during the courfe
of their voyage,' as well as the places where they
will be vifible. The academy requefts of them
not to limit their obfervations to the inftants of
the commencement or the end of thefe eclipfes,
but to designate the Situation of the horns in "the
moft particular manner poffible.
. The phenomenon of the tides is a fubject too
nearly allied to navigation not to engage particularly the attention of the voyagers. What appears to be moft neceffary in this investigation is,
to obferve with care the double tides of each day.
The academy thinks it expedient further to remark, that there are no accurate obfervatioris extant relative to the tides onthe weft coaft of Africa,
or on that of America, any more than to thofe
on the Coafts of the Moluccas and Philippine Iflands.
Yol. I. Q With
i
tl6 LA PEROUSE's VOYAGE
With regard to any obfervations to be made
pertaining to geography, they will be directed conformably to the plan which has been pointed out
to the navigators by his Majefty.
The academy have only to fubjoin a copy of
fome remarks, which have been drawn up for
the purpofe by M. Buache, its geographic affo-
ciate.
PHYSICS.
AMONG the great variety of objects which the
ftudy of phyfics comprehends, it is peculiarly incumbent on the navigators to direct their attention to fuch as are governed by a regular caufe,
but the intensity of which is neverthelefs Subject
to variations, which can only be determined
by connected and multiplied obfervations. Of
this nature is the variation of the compafs.
Obfervations on the variations of the needle
making a principal part of the means of direction,
which will be employed by the navigators, the
academy, ort this head, judges it fufficient to recommend to them to obferve, by the help of the
accurate instruments with which they will be fur-
nilhed, the diurnal variations of the needle, while
they make any Stay on land.
It has L)een difcovered by fome obfervations
firft made at Brett, at Cadiz, at Teneriffe, and at
Goree, on the coaft of Africa, and afterwards at
Breft,
• HOUND THE WORLD. £27
Breit, and at Guadaloupe,, that the intenfenefs of
the magnetic force of the needle was vifibly the
fame in thefe different places. The academy
wishes the navigators to repeat thefe observations
in a larger extent of country, calculating the
magnetic force by. Jth& continuance of the ofcilla-
tions of a good dipping needle.
The obfervations in queftion cannot be very
correct, unlefs they Should be made on Shore,
or in roadfteads. However it will not be amifs
to try them alfo at fea, in very calm weather,
when it is poffible they may afford refults Sufficiently exact. It is recommended alfo, as a
matter of the greateft importance, to prove the
magnetic force in thofe points where the inclina*
tion is the greateft, and in thofe where it is the
fmalleft
The navigators are alfo defired to obferve,
with the utmoft care, the dip of the needle in all
fuch places as the Ships may touch at, and even
at fea when the weather will permit it. In this
laft cafe, it will be neceffary to keep minutes of
the uncertainty of the obfervations, and alfo to>
affign to them, as nearly as poffible, the degree of
precision. 1 ,
The academy further invites the navigators,
to keep an accurate journal of the rife or fall of
the barometer in the neighbourhood of the
qu at or, at different hours of the day, in order
Q *
ti
222
LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
to difcoyer, if poffible, that quantity of the va*
riations of this instrument which is produced by
the action of the fun and moon, this quantity
being then at its maximum, whilft the variations
produced by the ordinary caufes are at their mi*
nimum. It is unneceffary to add, that thefe delicate
obfervations require to be made on land, and
with the niceft precautions.
The navigators may alfo aScertain the truth of
a report, pretty commonly credited, that the
mercury rifes an inch higher in the barometer on
the weft coaft of America than on the eaft
coaft.
The Slate of the atmofphere, and its continual
variations, the noticing of which is an object of
the higheft importance in'a voyage by fea, will
moreover furnifh the navigators with a detail of
meteorological refearches, interesting from the
frequently oppoilte directions of the upper winds,
compared with thofe which blow near the furfacc
of the fea.
As the navigators carry out with them a certain
number of fmall aeroftatic balloons, the academy
recommends the making ufe of them in order to
afcertain the height where the winds which blow
in the lower part of the atmofphere. change their
direction, as well as the courfe of thofe directions*
Thefe obfervations require particular attention
irr all places where the trade winds prevail,
and
ROUND THE WORLD. 329
and it would be curious and interesting, to trace
the connexion which thefe winds have with
thofe in the upper region of the air.
As the fluid on which the navigators are about
to float will attract their attention by the divers
currents they will find in it, they are invited to
lay before the academy, on their return, an
abstract of their important labours for afcertain-
ing the currents in different parts of the globe,
by comparing the courfe, determined by the ordinary means, with the courfe computed by the
obfervation of the longitude and latitude.
Betides the effects which are in the ordinary
courfe of nature, the navigators may find opportunities of obferving phenomena which on^y prefent
themfelves at intervals, fuch as certain meteors,
and, among others, the aurora borealis and auftra-
lis. The academy recommends the obferving
the height and amplitude of thefe auroras%.
There is a difference of opinion concerning the;
caufe which produces water fpouts: fome attribute- them to electricity, others confider them
as the effect of a whirling motien contracted
by a mafs of air *, The navigators would do
well
* According to this laft hypothecs, the centrifugal force of
the particles of air at a diftance from the axis of rotation
muft diminifh the prefTure of thofe which are placed near
that axis, force them to let go the water which they held
CM in
£30 LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
well to obferve attentively all the circumstances
which may1* conduce to the explication of this
Singular phenomenon.
The navigators will have it in their power to
make a number of experiments upon the temperature of the fea, and upon its faltnefs in different
latitudes, and at different depths, the fpecific
weight of its waters, with its different degrees of
bitternefs, according to the diftance more or
lefs from the coafts. The academy alfo wifhes
them not to neglect the comparifon of the temperature at a, certain depth, with that of the fluid
It will be proper alfo, that the navigators take
all opportunities to obferve the temperature
in any holes dug in the earth, or excavations
which they may meet with, as well as that of
fprings and deep pits.
in difTolution, and occafion a cloud, the form of which will
be nearly that of a revolving Solid (folide 4e revolution,) the
■Small drops of which will quickly difperfe themfelves by the
effect of the centrifugal force.
The preffure of the air of the atmofphere not being diminished in the direction of the axis of rotation, the air muft
perpetually renew itfelf, making its way by the two extre-
tremities of this axis, and, by the diminution of the preftureA
keep up in the interior a continual precipitation of water,
which will laft as long as the whirling movement, the
-abundance of which will depend on the fwiftnefs of the
movement, and on the mats of air which it affects.
;>eame$
ROUND THE WORLD. 23 I
Seamen have distinguished the flat pieces of
ice, which cover certain parts of the fea, from the
thick rnaffes, which refemble iflands, and appear like floating mountains, it is much to be
wished, that a well connected examination of the
circumstances relative to thefe two kinds of ice
may furnifh room for conjectures concerning their
formation.
The light which Shines fometimes upon the
furface of the fea has been attributed to the appearance of a multitude, of fmall luminous animals ; but as this light is visible in every place
where the fea is put in motion, it will be neceffary to examine this phenomenon more circumstantially, if poffible, than has hitherto been done,
in order to difcover, whether the brightnefs in
queftion may not be traced to fome other caufe.
CHEMISTRY.
THE folution of the under recited queftion
would be of ufe to throw light upon the theory
of gaffes : is the air purer, or does it contain more
vital air on the furface of considerable tracks of
fea than elfewhere, as Mr, Ingen-Houfz thought
he remarked upon the fea which wafhes the coafts
of England ? and in cafe the experiment be verified, a trial may be made, whether the refult be
the fame in the open fea as on the coafts, where
Q 4
largfc
%$% LA PEROUSE'S VOYAGE
large quantities of fea-wrack, and different plants,
which cover its Surface, are met with.
It appears now Sufficiently evident, that feda-
tive fait is found naturally in the water of fome
lakes, fuch as that of Monte-Rotondo in Italy,
This circumftance is not, perhaps, peculiar to
that lake; and it remains Still an object of inquiry for the navigators, in cafe they Should
vifit the interior of any countries, where they
may have occasion to land. If they fhould hap-.
pen to meet with any mineral alkali, they are
defired to examine the fobftances of which it is
compciunded, its diftance with refpect to the fea,
and other circumstances of that kind, which may
ferve as a bafis for conjectures relative to the
means which nature employs to operate the alka-
lization of marine fait.
Laftly, the navigators, attentive to all inquiries
which may afford light to chemistry, in whatever
relates to the proceffes of the arts, will notice,
in the countries and places they may touch at, the
colours employed for the dyeing of Stuffs, the fub-
ftances from which thofe colours are extracted, and
the means employed for their application.
ANATOMY.
The attention and the curiofity of thofe who
have undertaken great voyages have naturally
been directed towards the different varieties which
are found in the human fpecies. Moft voyagers
nave
ROUND THE WORLD. 233
have contented themfelves with noticing and de-
fcribing the exterior characters, which arife from
the colour, the Stature, the conformation, and other
differences of the fame nature, which are fufcep-
tible of being caught with facility even by the
eye of an ordinary obferver.
It is to be wished, that this comparifon might be
extended to the interior parts, by anatomical re-
Searches; with this view, there Should be procured
the bones of the head and the os hyoides of a dead
body of a good Size, from among fuch tribes or
nations as may appear to differ fenfibly from thofe
of the temperate regions of Europe in the form.
of the vifage, or that of the whole head; fome
knowledge might thus be obtained concerning the
,re found in man with refpect t
pones of the head,
knowledge Still rr.
;ht be made of tli€
n of different nat
varieties which
the form of th<
To render th
a comparifon m
the body of m
which painters obferve for representing
lure, in a beautiful and comely figure,
the height of the body into eight part
be neceffary alfo to take it in a righ
the bottom of the heel to the crown of
interesting,
portions of
with thofe
la belle na-
by dividing
s. It would
t line from
the head.
The dimensions it will be requisite to meafure
with the greateft ca
are
the ends of the middle Sing
extended at full length, th
the length between
*rs of the two arms
S length of a Single
arm,
*34
LA PEROUSE's VOYAGE
arm, from the arm-pit to the extremity of the
middle finger; the circumference of the head at
the height of the brow; that of the thorax or
cheft at the breaft; and that of the belly at the
navel.
Anatomists have found, that the number of the
lurnbar vertebra has varied fometimes from five
to fix. It would be expedient to examine, whether the corpfe, in the countries where the men
are of an extraordinary height, have, fix lumbar
vertebrae.
It will be proper to add to thefe informations, as far as may be poffible, that of the duration of life, and of the age of puberty in both
foxes. lllte
ZOOLOGY.
Zoology, in the prefent State of the fcience, pre-
fonts a field of obfervation well adapted to intereft
the navigators by the advantages it may reap from
their difcoveries, for the progrefs pf comparative
anatomy; yet this object cannot be fuccefsfuily-
attained, unlefs their defcriptions Shall comport
with a common method. The academy invites
them to make ufe of the method which has been
adopted in the Hiftoire naturelle generate 8C par-
ticuliere> as being that which contains the largeft
affemblage of defcriptions in this kind ever yet
made upon one uniform plan.
i With
HOUND THE WORLD. 235
With regard to the defcription of new fpecies
of birds which may be met with, the Ornithology
of M. Briffon may be taken for a model.
The tafte for uncommon Shells has made moft
voyagers more attentive, in their refearches on
this head, to what may gratify the curiofity of
amateurs, than to what may furnilhnew lights
to the learned. A very material point would be
to examine all the Shells found on one and the
fame coaft, particularly the predominant fpecies,
and to obferve the conformation of the animals
contained in them: and further to compare, as
far as can be done, the petrified Shells of dirfer
rent latitudes, with the live Shell filh of the
adjacent feas; and to notice wliether the petrified Shells of Europe have their living analogies
in remote feas, as feems to have been the cafe
in fome instances.
MINERALOGY.
Mineralogy opens a vaft and fertile field to
the obfervations of the voyagers. Thefe obfervations will be enhanced in value in proportion
to their mutual connection, as from this circumstance they will have a tendency to enlighten each
pther: thus an examination of the fubftances or
Strata which form the two correfponding coafts
of a Strait, or of thofe which compofe the foil
of
236 LA PEROUSE'S VOYAGE
of an ifland on one fide, and the continent
which it faces on the other, may furnish caufe
for conjecture whether a fea Shore be of ancient
or new formation, whether an ifland be near to
the mouth of a river, or whether it have made
a part of the continent.
It would be further ufeful to inquire in every
ifland of any extent, or on fuch portions of the
continent as may be particularly infpected, at
what height above the level of the fea marine
depofites are found in horizontal beds or Strata.
It has been fufpected, that mountains compofed
of horizontal and calcareous Strata diminish in
height in proportion as we come nearer to the
equator, and that, in that part of the world,
the mountains which have this Structure of
horizontal Strata fcarce rife above the level of
the fea. This would be an important fact to
afcertain.
In general the alpect of mountains, efpecially
towards the places where their fides, cut in a peak,
might offer more marked indications of their
Structure, the composition of rocks of granite,
which form the nucleus of many of thefe mountains, the products of volcanoes, and above all
the bafaltes, &c. are fo many objects of refearch, ,
which cannot efcape the enlightened attention of
{he navigators.
Cryf-
ROUND THE WORLD. . 237
Crystallizations prefent, to the eyes of naturalists, an appearance too attracting to render it
neceffary to advife the navigators to collect as
great a number of them as they poffibly can. The
academy, however, wifhes them, to pay a particular attention to certain varieties not found in
the King's cabinet, or which do not appear under
forms fufficiently pure, or fufficiently pronounced.
Here follows a lift of them, in which the nomenclature adopted by M. Daubenton, in the methodical distribution of minerals, is made ufe of.
1 ft. Rock-Cryftal in two pyramids, withput
any indication of an intermediate prifm.
2. Feld-Jpar in an oblique prifm, with four
fides or fronts.
3. The octaedral cuneiform ponderous fpar,
with acute fummits.
4. The fluor fpar in regular octaedra.
5. The calcareous fpar, in pointed and very
projecting rhomboids.
6. The calcareous fpar, with fix rhomboidal
fronts, and fix lozenge faces.
7. The ferruginous pyrites with twenty triangular faces.
8. Cobalt mineralifed with fulphur.
To accommodate the voyagers in their fearch of
thefe varieties, the academy will furnish them with
polyedra executed in wood, exactly reprefent-
ing the forms of the crystals. The voyagers
will
238 ^A PEROUSE S VOYAGE
will of courfe procure Specimens of fuch wo6ds
and marbles as they Shall judge to be the moft curious.' It fhould be obferved here, that the
fpecimens of this kind in the King's cabinet, are
7 inches long, by 5 wide, as it is neceffary' they
fhould poffefs this magnitude, in order to trace
accurately the characters of a wood or marble.
In the wood, moreover, fhould be a tranfverfe
feet ion; in a flump 10 inches long, they may
eafily take a round or folid piece cut tranfverfely^
and a fmall board or plank, 7 inches long, fa wed
longitudinally, by an incifion which paffes through
the" pith.
The voyagers, where they land, may happen to
meet with tourmalines and other cryllals, which
become electric by fimple heat.* As moft
part of thefe cryftals are in clutters adhering
.to the gangue by one of their extremities, and
in different directions, the academy recommends
to the travellers to make experiments, to afcer-
tain whether the Species of positive or negative
electricity, constantly manifested by thefe cryftals
at one of their ends, have any relation to the position of thefe cryftals, whether on their gangue,
or relatively to one another.
j BOTANY.
The various voyages undertaken for a number
of years pafta have enriched botany by the difcovery
iiy^^^uiwuu.,
ftOUND THE WORLD. 239
Covery of a multitude of'plants unknown before;
and the powers of nature are fo inexhaustible,
that we are led to expect a new harveft from the
refearches of our voyagers; it were to be wished
however, that thefe refearches might be principally directed towards objects of utility, fuch as
the knowledge of plants made ufe of by the
inhabitants of the different places where the
voyagers may put in, whether for food, for medicine, or in relation to the arts. They might
alfo collect fpecimens, and feeds of plants, of
which the parts ufed only are commonly {qui
us; adding, at the fame time, complete defcriptions of them: in this clafs, are almoft all the
woods ufed in dyeing, thofe which cabinet makers
work in for ufe or ornament, and certain roots,
barks, and leaves, which are current in the way
©f trade, and the origin of which ought to Stimulate
our curiofity the more, in proportion as their ufe
is become more familiar to us. In general, navigators cannot beftow too much time and labour in procuring a rich and varied collection
of feeds of exotic trees and plants, gathered in
countries which do not very fenfibly differ in»
temperature from that of France; and the productions of which, when naturalized in our climate,
may ferve one day to adorn our plantations, or to
multiply our artificial meadows.
A plant
r
"»-' ~*m I'lKri
24O LA PE"ROUSE S VOYAGE
A plant is cultivated in New Zealand, of the
liliaceous tribe, known by the name of New %ea*
land flax. This flax is made ufe of in that country
in the manufacture of cloths, cordage, and different
articles of weaving. Captain Cook brought to
England a great quantity of the feeds of this
plant, none of which came to maturity. The
tranfporting a few lets of this plant would be
perhaps one of the. fineft prefents the voyagers
could make to 6ur climates.
We have in France/ only the male plant of
the paper mulberry tree, (mortis papyrifera, Lin-
net,
ifed
m.
hina to make paper, and in
the Ifland of Otaheite to make Stuffs* We are
acquainted with only the female plant of the
;weeping wihW, (falix Bahijlonica, Linn.):—
the male of a dioecious fpecies of Strawberry,
called frag aria Chilenfis, is alfo unknown to
us ; it grows naturally in Chili, whence it has
been brought by M. Frezier. The fruits of this
plant, which, m
their native foil, grow
times to the Size of a pullet's egg, are much
fmaller on the fets which are cultivated in
France; this difference may arife, in a great
meafure, from our want of the male plant, the
abfence of which is but imperfectly fupplied by the
farina of the hautboy, or large Strawberry. If,
from, any particular circumstance, the voyagers
Should touch at countries which produce the various
&6-frNt» THE #b&£-3iK £4*
feftris.plants in queftion, they Should consider of
the beft means to bring home plants of that fex,
which h wanting in each of the above-mentioned
fpecies.
The academy h^s joined to this Various notes,
■tfhieh hava been communicated by many of its
mernfoers, and in which the voyagers will find
the explanation of the proceedings relative to
fome of the Objects propofed in th& memoir.
OBSERVATIONS OF M. BUACHE.
.. 'Government having- been very affiduous i'A
collecting all the geographical information^ that
Eoukl be procured relative to the feas through
which it is propofed to fail in this new voyage* it
will be fufficient to point out here the particular
parts of thefe feas-, where new difcoveries may be
expected to be made.
1 St. In the foutherly part of the South Sea,
there are two fpaces, which are yet but little
known, and where th&re is every reafon to hop$
for the difcovery of new land.
The firft is the fpace fituate to the fouth of
Eafter and Pitcairn Iflands, between the 30th and
35th degrees of latitude. Cook's new charts
mark a group of iflands there, faid to have been
difcovered by the Spaniards in 1773; and moft of
the navigators who have paffed to the north of
- Vol. L R this
■H
%^t LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
this fpace, have met with indications of land. K
is moreover obferved, in the hiftory of the voyages
to the South Sea, published by Dalrymple, that
the pilot Juan Fernandez, in his voyage from
Lima to Chili, about the year 1576, kept at a
diftance from the coafts of America of about
40 degrees, that he might not be obliged to
it niggle continually againft adverfe winds; and
that after a month's failing, he came to a coaft,
which, from its extent, he conceived to be a continent. The country was fertile, and inhabited
by a white people, of the Size of Europeans, who
were clothed in a very fine Stuff; they received
the navigators in a friendly manner, and furnished
them with the productions of the country. Fernandez, propofing to fit out an armament, and
to return to this new country with his companions, kept the fecret of this difcovery, but died
before the project could be executed, which was
foon after loft Sight of. This land of Fernandez,
different from the ifland to which that navigator
gave his name, may be the fame as the group of
iflands faid to have, been difcovered by the Spaniards in 1773.
The Second fpace which deferves to be exa-.
mined more particularly, is that which is com-
prifed. between the New Hebrides and New
Guinea. M. De Bougainville and M. De Surville
-yire the only..navigators who have paffed through it,
and
HOUND TEE WORLD. %^
&nd from the Situation of fuch parts of the land
as they faw, there is every reafon to believe, that
this land is the fame as the ancient iflands difcovered by Mendana in 1567, and known-afterwards by the name of Solomon's Iflands. M. De
I Surville kept this land in fight for a hundred and
twenty leagues together, and upwards, and always in the latitude affigned to Solomon's Iflands.
As a great part of the ancient discoveries of
Mendana. and of Quiros have been found again,
there is every reafon to believe the reft will be
found, and with this view their memoirs deferve
to be confulted. The Ifland Taumago of Quiros,
will probably be found again, with thofe of Chi-
cayana, Guaytopo, Pilen, Naupau, and others
near it, Since it was on quitting that ifland, or
about ten days after, that Quiros obtained fight
of the Tierra del Efpritu Santo, which at prefent is known under the name of the New Hebrides.
2ndly. The northerly part of the Pacific Ocean;
. lefs known Still than the foutherly part, may give
occafion to a yet greater number of difcoveries.
There is firft to the fouth of the Marianne islands,
or Ladrones, between the 5th and 10th degrees
of north latitude, a chain of iflands divided
into feveral clutters, which extends more than 25
degrees of longitude: thefe iflands are known
only by a vague defcription, and a chart con-
St^ K z * ftructed
244
LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
*~#
ftructed upon the bare report of the inhabitants or
fome of th'efe iflands, who were eaft by a tempeft
upon the coaft of the Tfland of Guam, and whom
father Cantova examined concerning the Situation
of thefe iflands; they have efcaped the obfervations of navigators, becaufe in their run they directed thrir courfe towards the Ifland of Guam,
which is more to the north.
That part of this ocean which is to the north-
eaft of the Ladrones, or to iht eaft of Japan, is
equally unknown; We have1 only indications of
there being a good number of iflands of fome importance, and among others, a pretty considerable
ifland is faid to be fituate at about three hundred
leagues to the eaft of Japan, to which its inhabitants refort for the purpofes of trade.
The land of Jeffo, to the north of Japan, does
not appear to be the fame as the Ruffians and
English have represented it. The information
which Cook's laft voyage gives us refpecting the
eaftern coaft of Japan leads us to think, that the
chart of the difcovery of Jeffo, made by the
Dutch veffel the Kaftricum, is tolerably correct *
but the Dutch have only difcovered part of this
land, which may therefore be worthy of further
invfeftigation.
j 3-dly. Upon the weft coaft of America, to the
north of California, it is more than probable that the
River of Martin d'Aguilar, in 43 degrees of latitude,
ROUND T.HE WORLD.
^45
imde, will be again difcovered. Martin d'Aguilar
was one of the pilots of Sebaftian Vifcaino, whofe
voyage on this coaft is one of the moft interesting
that has been made.
It is much to be wished, that fome information
could be obtained of the people in the interior
of the countries to the north of California j and,
upon this point, Carvers Travels may be con-
fulted, and even the letter of Admiral De Fuente,
however it may have been cried down. It is alfo
defirable that, in returning home, the navigators
may explore the Iflands of Denia and Marfeeven,
fituate to the fouth of the Cape of Good Hope,
and whither the Dutch fend to fetch wood, &x.
If it be intended to fail towards the fouth
pole, with a view to any investigations in natural
hiftory, it would be proper to Steer to the fouth-
weft of the Cape of Good Hope, and of Cape
Horn,
In the firft cafe, Cape Circumcifion might be
found again, in the longitude that M. Le Mon-
nier has affigned to it, that is, between three and
four degrees of longitude f o the eaft of the meridian of Paris f this pofition is indicated by
other obfervations independent of thofe of M. Le
Monnier. In the latter cafe, the iflands and har-
• bour where Drake landed might again be brought
into notice,
R3
lie
-'«
it^6 LA PEROUSE'S VOYAGg
The navigators are alfo defired to notice th£
riarnes which the inhabitants themfelves give to
the iflands they may difcover, and endeavour to
procure a vocabulary of the different names given
by thofe islanders to the moft remarkable objefts,
and thofe which are of moft neceffary ufe,
EXAMINATION OF THE NATURE OF THE
AIR.
The analysis of the atmolpheric air, and its degree
of falubrity, in different Sir ores and latitudes, and
at different/ elevations, is an object fo much the
more interesting, as there have hitherto been no
accurate experiments on this fubject, and as we
are ignorant whether the nature and composition
of the air be the fame in different parts of the
world and at different elevations. The teft of
nitrous air appears to be the moft Simple and the
rnoft fore. M Lavoisier, in a memoir, printed
in the collection of 1782, has Shewn, that, provided more nitrous air be employed than is
neceffary for faturation, it will be always eafy
to afcertain, by a Simple calculation, the quantity of vital air contained in a given quantity of
atmofpherical air.
A principal requifite in experiments of this
kind is the procuring of nitrous air as nearly as
poffible pure. That which is produced from the
folution of mercury by the nitrous acid is the
pureft of all $ but for want of it, that which is obtained-
ROUND THE WORLD. 2^f
tained by means of iron may be ufed without inconvenience.
The firft thing to be done is to introduce
two hundred parts of nitrous air into the eudiometer, then add a hundred parts of the air on
which the experiment is to be made, and obferve
the number of parts which remain after abforption.
The number obtained by fob trading the remainder from the fum of the two airs, multiplying this refult by forty, and dividing the pro-
duet by a hundred arid nine, will exprefs the
quantity of vital air contained in a hundred parts
of the air examined.
It will be proper to keep a memorandum of
the height of the barometer and thermometer.
SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF THE AIR,
It being a part of the plan of the navigators
to take on board the frigates an air-pump, we
think it would be advifable to add to it a
globe of glafs, capable of being adapted to it,
which might thus be exhausted of the air, and
afterwards filled with it. By noting the difference of weight between this globe or matrafs
when empty and when filled with air, the fpecific
gravity of the atmofphere, in different latitudes,
will be obtained. It is of particular moment to
obferve with the greateft care the height of the
barometer and thermometer, during each of thefe
operations.
R4 To
$4? LA PEROUSE's VOYAGE
To make experiments of this nature, the navi*
gators are fuppofed to have in their poffeffion a,
very exact pair of fcales, which will give the
weight with nicety and precifion to half a grai^,- \\
EXAMINATION OF WATERS,
The abbe Chappe, in his voyage to California,
determined the fpecific gravity of fea water, in a
great variety of places, and thence have refulted
a number of interesting deductions with refpect
to the degree of faltnefs which it poffeffes. M,
De Caffini publifhed the refult of thefe experiments
from the notes which he found in the manuferipts
of the abbe Chappe. It is of importance to
purfue thefe experiments, as an opportunity now
offers for determining, fo to fpeak, in one Single
voyage, the degree of faltnefs found in almofi;
every fea-
The navigators will require for this purpofe
a very accurate hydrometer, constructed upon the
principles of Farenheit, and Similar to that which
M. Lavoiffer directed to be made for the abbe
Chappe, The fame instrument may be employed for afcertaining the fpecific gravity of
the water of lakes, rivers, and Springs; and by
joining thereunto Some experiments made, with
jeagents, an idea may be formed both of the
(quality, and of the quantity of Salts contained
m thofe waters,
Wfce&
ftOUND THE WORLD. 249
When after the experiments by regeants and fpecific gravity, the water Shall appear to contain any
thing remarkable, a portion of it may be evaporated, and the reiiduum laid by, carefully labelled,
fn order to be examined on the return of the
voyagers,
QUESTIONS
■propofed by the Society of Medicine to the gen-
v tlemen who are to accompany M. De La Pe ?
roufe on the intended voyage, read in the fitting
of the 31 ft of May, 1785.
Every thing which relates to natural hiftory and
to natural philofophy, in'the voyage about to be
undertaken round the world, muft neceffarily interest the fcience' of medicine, and contribute to
its advancement; but the fociety of medicine
rather wilhes to confine its views to the objects
which particularly concern the fcience. As the
questions to be propofed are pretty numerous, we
Shall prefent them here under titles which will form
fo many heads of medical enquiry*
§ I. ANATOMY, PHYSIOLOGY.
Structure of the human body, and the functions
of its organs.
Moft voyagers have written upon the general
form and Structure of the bodies of the inhabitants
§t>ferved by thern in different countries; their.defcriptions,
2£0 LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
fcriptions, however, are now well known to be
filled with exaggeration and errors. We have
every reafon to expect greater accuracy from the
fcientific gentlemen who accompany M. De La
Peroufe, and they are requested to notice the following objects.with particular attention.
i St. The ordinary Structure of men and women ; the great and the fmall diameter of the
head ; the length of the fuperior and inferior extremities meafured from the joint of the arrn to
the extremity of the middle finger; from the
thigh to the extremity of the great or fecond toe;
the circumference of the pelvis; the width of
the cheft; that of the fhoulders; the height
of the vertebral column, meafured from the
firft vertebra of the neck to the facrum : thefe
proportions are taken according to the divisions of
painters.
2ndly. The form and colour of the Skin and its
different regions; the fame with refpeft to trie
hair and. nails.
. 3dly. The particular form of the head or cranium, that of the face, and efpecially of the forehead,
of the nofe, eyes, ears, mouth, chin, teeth, tongue,
with the hair of the head and of the beards
4thly. Thefe different parts of the body are thofe
which the natives are accuftomed to deform by
holes, incisions, and by extraneous fubftances
which they infert into them, as well as by oils,
ROUND THE WORLD. 25!
•and by colours prepared with ochres or vegetable
juices.
It may be ufeful to defcribe'minutely the pro-
ceffes by which the favages imprint thefe indelible
marks in their Skin; the fubftances they make ufe
of for this purpofe; how they prepare and apply
them; the age and the circumstances in which
they practice this operation, and above all, the
alterations, local deformities, or other effects produced thereby upon each individual. *
5thly. The defect, the excefs, or the different
conformation of the parts of the body, as the elongation or flattening of the forehead, the dilatation
or narrowing of the nofe, the extent of the mouth,
and of the ears, whether thefe differences be uniformly the effect of the natural organization, or
'produced by particular practices. Dampier affirms, that the inhabitants of Van Diemen's Land
are deficient in two of their teeth: Is this a natural or artificial defect ? It is thus that the double
"mouth of the inhabitants of America, in the
vicinity of Prince William's Sound, obferved by
captain Cook's men, is the effect of a tranfverfe
incifion made beneath the lower lip. The peculiarities of the apron in'women, the prodigious
lengthening of the fcrotum, and the brown- fpot
upon the backs of children, obferved in many parts
of America—do they really exift, and are they
the production of nature ?
We
a,$Z LA PEROUSE 3 VOYAGE
We yet know very little relative to the ufing
of the two hands indifferently. The queftion
which regards ambidexterity, or the preference we
give to one hand over the other, has not yet fufficiently occupied the attention of naturalists; it is
therefore important to examine whether the people
which may be vifited rr^ake a like ufe of both their
hands in working, or whether they employ one in
preference, and whether the pre-eminence of the
right, among polished nations, be not the effect
of prejudice. It would be alfo of ufe to difcover
whether, among the people who are accuftomed
to go naked, there are not fome who can ufe their;
feet with as much dexterity as their hands, and
.for the fame purpofes.
6thly. We have yet had no well-established accounts refpecting the comparative Strength of different men: it would be well to make experiments
on the burdens carried by the inhabitants of
thofe countries where nature has not been debilitated by effeminacy and the various cuftoms admitted into polifhed nations, together with the
fpace which they can pafs in a limited time, either
.by walking or by running,
7thly. The nature of the fenfe of fight, of hearing, of fmelling, may furnifh fome important facts
with refpect to the vigour or the imbecillity of
their organs. Much has been Said of the acute-
nefs of the fenfe of fmelling in, favage tribes; it
would
ROUND THE WORLD. 253
TI?ould be curious to verify this matter, and to
difcover whether in the individual, in whom this
refined faculty exifts,it have not a tendency to impair the energy of fome other fenfe.
s 8thly. The voice, the greater or lefs diftinctnefs
of articulation, are important fubjects for examination, as well as the expreffions of joy, of plea-
fe*s, and of pain.
9thly* The age of puberty in men and women,
Whether the latter be in all climates fubject to
the periodical evacuation ? Whether its quantity
be influenced by climate, and what is the period of
its ceffation ? What is their condition during pregnancy ? Are they delivered with eafe or difficulty ?
Do they Stand in need of help in this operation ?
Do they tie the umbilical cord ? Is this operation
performed before or after the coming away of the
placenta?' Do they fwaddle their children, or
what means do they adopt for Supplying the place
of fwaddling clothes ? Have they any particular
practice in the treatment of new-born children,
fuch as moulding or Shaping the head, and washing them ? Do the mothers themfelves Suckle
them, and to what age ? And are there more males
than females born ?
iothly. What proportion of children die from
birth to the age of puberty, and what in general
k the length of the life of men in the different
climates ?
•'Mb' iithlyl
$54 £A PER0USE*S VOYAGE
nthly. The quicknefs or flownefs of the pulfe
compared to that of Europeans, which is nearly
that of Sixty-five or fevemy pulfations in a minute,
I2thly. The affinity which the colour of the
ikin has to that of the humours. The Spermatic
fluid of men more or lefs tawny, the cerebral pulp,
and the blood, have they any correfpondence with
the colour of their Skin? Does this colour vary
among the blacks in any individuals, fuch as the
white negroes, the pale, wan negroes, &c. ? Is
this variation produced by difeafe, or from a constitution changed by the influence of climate, as
is thought to be the cafe with regard to negroes
tranfplanted into cold countries ?
i3thly. Are there in America men to be found
whofe breafts contain milk in Sufficient quantity.
to fuckle children, as has been reported ? What
opinion is to be formed of the hermaphrodites of
Louisiana ? Does the favage life render the inclination of the fexes periodical among many tribes ?
Is it true that certain natives of America caufe
their virile member to be flung with infects, in
order to excite in it a considerable fwelling.
I4thly. We Shall take no notice here of giants,
pigmies, men with tails, &c. becaufe thefe pretended extravagancies of nature were never feen,
unlets by prejudiced or ignorant voyagers, or becaufe they never existed unlefs in their wild imaginations.
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7 C ~
§11. HYGIEINE.
Of the air, water, aliments, habitations, cloth*
big, exercifes, and the paffions, as far as they
concern the health of men.
THIS part of medicine prefents the largeft field
of obfervation to the voyagers; but it is one of
thofe concerning which there are fewer questions
to propofe, becaufe in general thefe things of
courfe come under their notice. The following
articles, however, claim particular consideration :
i ft. The nature of the air in the different places
tried by the eudiometer; its higheft and loweft
temperature in the fun and Shade; its drynefs,
humidity, weight, elasticity, and its electrical.
Hate,, meafured by the different electrometers, and
efpecially by that of M. De Sauffure ; the division
of the feafons; the prevailing winds, or their
variations; the nature of meteors, as fnow, hail,
rain, thunder, hurricanes, fea and land water-
Spouts; the change of the air by vapours, or by the
emanations from vegetables, comparing, according to the experiments of Ingenhoufz, the fluids
which exhale from their different parts expofed to
the (fhade or to the Tun, particularly of thofe
which are faid to be noxiou,s to animals or plants
in their neighbourhood.
5 2dly,
#5(5* lA perousf/s tOYA6£
2ndly. It will be of advantage to analyfe trig
fea water at different depths* nearer or further;
from the fhore; alfo frefh water and bfackifhs
with the nature of the falts they contain. For
this purpofe, the principal re-agents pointed out
by Bergman are recommended, and efpecially evaporation; the water drunk by the iflanders, and
the different ufes they apply it to ; mineral waters*
cold or hot; factitious beverages, fweet or fermented ; the manner of preparing them ; the vegetable or animal fubftances of which they are com-*
pofed ; their effects; and, above all, of the kava, a
liquor prepared from a root, in the iflands of the
South Sea, to which Anderfon attributes a ftupifying
quality, and the property of drying up the fluids*
fo as to occasion the Skin to fail off in fcales from
thofe who drink of it to excefs.
3;dly. The food. Do the inhabitants of the dif*
ferent countries which may be vifited, fupport
themfelves with vegetable or animal diet, or with
both ? Do they feafon their victuals ? What preparatory operations does their food undergo ? Do
they make regular meals, and do they eat Sparingly
or in abundance ? Do they ufe fait with their victuals ? What comparifon may be made between
the roots, fruits, &c. which ferve them for food,
and our vegetables ? What are the farinaceous
fubftances they ufe ? What Species of fern is that
fubStance, which is ufed
for
ROUND THE WORLD. 257
for food by the inhabitants of New Zealand ? Have
they no aliment in the form of powder, upon
which they feed during their voyages ? From
what plant is it procured, and what procefs does
it undergo in the preparation ? Are there not vegetable fubftances to be found by diligent fearch,
unknown to the natives, and which may be ufed
for food ? May there not be fome vegetables from
which a faccharine fubftance might be obtained,
analagous to that of the fugar-cane, and with more
facility and lefs expence ?
4thly. The habitations, their form, extent,,
openings, expofure, the foil on which they are
fituate, the materials of which they are constructed, the nature of the Shelter they afford, their
drynefs or humidity; whether the inhabitants retire within them during the night, and throughout the whole year, or only at certain feafons,
how much of the day they fpend in them; in
what number they collect together in them,
withgsgard to the fpace occupied; whether they
Sleep on beds, on mats, or upon the ground; and
whether there be not fome islanders who have no
habitation, and who live always in the open air:
the forms and materials of their clothing, &c.
AH thefe fhould be objects of inquiry.
5thly. The occupations of the two fexes, their
labours, exercifes; in what refpect they preferve
or impair the health of the inhabitants.
VoL.I. S 6thly,
HI
258 LA frEROUSE S VOYAGE
6thly. The paffions, manners, prevailing character of each nation; the practices made ufe of
to promote the Secretion of different humours,
as that of chewing tobacco, betel, or any analogous fubftance, or fmoking, ufing fridlions,
unctions, baths cold or hot, vapours dry or moift,
with the influence of thefe various ufages, and
particularly of the oily unctions and of tatooing,
upon the perfpiration.
§ III. OF DISEASES.
THE difeafes peculiar to the climates which
will be vifited, may furnish important obfervations. Cook and Anderfon have noticed, although with but few particulars, thofe which prevailed in the Friendly and Society Iflands. Th%
obferved in the inhabitants of the former a
blindnefs which was owing to an imperfection of
the cornea; tetters, and other herpetic eruptions,
which leave fpots upon the Skin, and affedl one
half of the natives; large dangerous ulcers, of a
corrofive nature, often occasioning the lofs of
the nofe; indurated Swellings, fo as to be without
feeling, of the arms and legs; and tumours of
the tefticles. Anderfon, from whom thefe obfervation are quoted, has pointed out five or fix
diforders he faw at Otaheite; but has only fpoken
at large of the dropfy, the fefa'i, or indurated
fwelling, and the venereal difeafe, which the crew
of capt. Cook carried thither in his two former visits.
It
ROUND THE WORLD/ £59
It appears that the diforders to which the
islanders are moft liable are thofe of the Skin.
Although Anderfon faw ho Sick in their beds,
and though the islanders of the South Sea for the
moft part neglect to treat their diforders in any
regular way, the navigators are requested to
attend carefully to the following particulars, feveral of which relate to diforders considered as
new in our climates.
lit. Are there any acute difeafes or fevers
among thefe islanders ? Anderfon has only mentioned chronical ones. Among the former are
there any eruptive diforders ? Does the fmall-pox:
exift there ? What are the circumstances of its
progrefs, and what ravages does it make ? Do
the people, who may be vifited, know any thing
of inoculation ? Is there any climate where this
difeafe is endemical ? Are the people attacked
with contagious or epidemical distempers ? Have
they experienced the fcourge of the plague ? Are
the children Subject to the tetanus, and to the
croup ? An accurate defcription of all the diforders of this clafs is requested, and more efpecially
what relates to their crisis, and what afhnity they
bear in their progrefs and nature to the fame
maladies in our climates.
2dly. Among the chronic diforders which prevail
• Ih the South Sea, thofe of the Skin appear to be the
moft common, To what may the great number
S 2 ©f
p
260 LA PEROUSE'S VOYAGE
of tetters and ulcers, obferved by Anderfon, in
thefe iflands, be attributed ? Are they owing to
the oily unctions, or to the Stinging of infects ?
Do thefe engender in them frequently, as is commonly the cafe in ulcers of warm climates ? Arc
riot the ulcers which corrode the face, and deftroy
the nofe, cancerous ? Are the indurated fwellings
of the arms and legs, defcribed by Cook, to be
imputed to this distemper ? Are the inhabitants
fubject to the leprofy, to the morbus pediculofus,
and to the dracunculus, or Guinea worm ?
3dly. Does the venereal difeafe exift in the
countries vifited, whether continent or iflands?
Does it appear to be natural, or to have been imported thither ? What remedies do they make ufe
of to cure it ? In what State is it in the Friendly
and Society Iflands, whither it was carried by Cook
in his firft voyage ? By what Symptoms does it
manifeft itfelf ? Is it true that the iflanders arc
Strangers to the gonorrhoea ?
4thly. Is the fcurvy endemical in any particular
countries ? What are its fymptoms in the warm or
cold countries ? What ravages does it make, and
what remedies do they apply to it ?
5thly. Are the rickets, and the deformities which
take their rife from this difeafe, known in the
countries to be explored ? Are nervous, convulsive, or fpafmodic diforders, and efpecially the epi-
lepfy, to be found there ? Are the children fubject
—
ROUND THE WORLD. fc6r
ject to illnefs, and particularly convulsions, during
dentition ?
6thly. Are there certain men or wromen particularly appointed to take care of the Sick ? What
remedies and what methods of treatment do they
adopt ? Are there any hofpitals, or do they feparate
certain claffes of difeafed perfons from fociety ?
§ IV. OF THE MATERIA MEDICA.
IT appears, according to the relation of Anderfon, that the priefts are the only inhabitants of the
South Sea Iflands who take upon themfelves the
charge of curing the Sick, and that for this purpofe they make ufe of certain juices of herbs, but
he gives no defcription of thefe plants, or of the
other prefervatives to which they have recourfe
againft diforders of the Skin, ulcers, Swellings,
dropfies, &c. The women recover themfelves
from the effects of child-birth, according to this
naturalist, by fitting upon warm Stones, wrapped
up in two pieces of cloth, between which they lay
a fpecies of.muftard; this remedy makes them
fweat profufely, it does not fucceed however with
venereal patients. Thefe people therefore have but
an imperfect knowledge of the virtues contained
in the remedies which nature offers them ; they
are even unacquainted with any thing which can
operate as an emetic. It remains for the navigators therefore to make experiments oh the qua-
S 3 Htie£
262. LA PEROUSE'S VOYAGE
Jities of plants, to ascertain their tafte, and obtain
knowledge relative to their other phyfical properties, not only in the islands of the South Sea, but
in all other countries where they may land. For
this purpofe the following particulars are recommended to-their attention.
1 ft. Examine the tafte, the fmell of the roots,
woods, barks, leaves, flowers, fruits, and feeds of
the vegetables in the countries but little known,
and compare them with the different vegetable
fubftances employed in Europe as medicines, and
make Similar experiments upon the fap which exudes from trees, as well as upon animal fubftances,
2dly. Obferve the different remedies which are
applied in hot countries to the difeafes which
afflict the inhabitants, and. defcribe even the fu-
perftitious ceremonies which are often the only medicine known anaongft barbarous nations. ^Hra'
3dly. Try the effect of decoctions of fome of the
emollient, aromatic, and acrid plants, in thofe
diforders of the Skin to which the inhabitants are
liable.
4thly. Let mercury be applied in friction in cafes
of the venereal difeafe, among the inhabitants of
the South Sea Iflands, and let them be affifted
with the means to rid themfelves of this cruel
fcourge; above all obferve the effects of mercury
ppQri thefe people.
ULX
ROUND TH£ WORLD.
26c
5thly. Endeavour to difcover whether fome fu-
dorific vegetables of thefe iflands may notliave an
anti-venereal virtue, fuch as, particularly, the
lobelia fyphillitica (rapuntium Americanumflore
dilute cceruleo), and the celaftrus inermis, of
Linneus.
6thly. Examine whether there do not exift in
fome of the hot countries, plants analogous to
the cinchona, fimarouba, ipecacuanha, camphor,
opium, &c. and whether the iflands contain any
emetic or purgative plants likely to be of ufe.
7th]y. Get information, and make obfervations
on the properties of the anacardium, which in Louisiana is reputed to be a cure for infanity; on the
virtue of the telephitm, and of the gramen mari-
num, or Sea herb, which the Greenlanders prefer
to fcurvy-grafs for the cur. of the fcurvy; upon
the cortex winteranus, the root of Belaage*,
of Columbo-}-, and that of Juan Lopez %.
8thfy. Endeavour to learn which are the tribes
that poifon their arrows, what fubftances they ufe
for this purpofe; the nature, the defcriptibn of the
plants from which they extract the venomous
juice, . and efpecially the remedies they administer to prevent the deleterious effects of it:
inform yourfelves alfo whether fait and fugar may
* At Madagafcar.
f Ifland of Ceylon.
% Coaft of Mofambi^ue,
S A
fe«
264 LA FEROUSE'S VOYAGE
be considered as an antidote againft the wounds
made by thefe arrows, as there is fome reafon to
think, from the experiments of Condamine.
9thly. Take notice of the animals, and efpecially
ferpents and venomous filh, and endeavour to find
out the caufe on which this dangerous property
depends in the latter, and if there be any means
by which it may be prevented,
iothly. Inform yourfelves carefully of the remedies, internal or external, which are efteemed Specifics in the difeafes of the different people; defcribe
the nature of thefe fpecifics, the manner of
preparing and taking them, their dofes, their
effects, and the period of the difeafe during
which they are taken or applied: it is by this
means we have learned from the Peruvians the
valuable properties of the cinchona.
nthly. Collect in a particular herbal, and
distinct from that of botany, fuch plants, or parts
of plants, as are ufed for aliments, remedies, or
poifons, in the various countries which may be
explored.
§ V. SURGERY,
Qf difeafes and chirurgical operations.
ANDERSON remarks, that forgery has made
a greater progrefs among the islanders than medi
cine,
ROUND THE WORLD. 265
cine, as muft neceffarily be the cafe among a
people fubject to few difeafes, but liable, in com*
mon with all men, to external accidents. Captain Cook makes mention of a woman of Le-
fooga, in New Zealand, who performed the office of an oculift: She dreffed the eyes of a child
with two wooden probes, which (he rubbed upon
their membranes, even till the blood ran. It appears that the natives of the Friendly Iflands
have no great dread of wounds, Since they inflict
them on their own heads voluntarily to exprefs
their grief; they alfo cut off the little finger with
an axe made of Stone when they are ill, and one
of the joints of the fame finger when their chiefs
are fo. Many of thefe islanders are obferved to
have a little finger wranting on one hand, or even
on both. This practice is, doubtlefs, allied to
their fuperftition : they alfo make incifions in different parts of the body, and efpecially in the legs.
Anderfon further remarks, that they are very bad
furgeons, as he faw an arm awkwardly amputated,
and a dislocation of the fame part, which was not
reduced many months afterwards. Neverthelefs,
thefe islanders, according to him, can judge when
wounds are mortal, and know how to apply fplints
to fractured limbs: they can moreover introduce
into wounds where there are fplintered bones, a
piece of wood to fopply the place of bones
brought away; and Anderfon faw cicatrices from
the
266 LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
the thruft of a pike, which evinced the cure of
wounds that would have been thought mortal in Europe. Laftly, the clafs of men in Otaheite, that are called tahoua, make an incision Bn
the prepuce of infants, which operation they perform at one Stroke with the tooth of a Shark;
they cure the fwelling which fupervenes, by applying hot Stones to the part. The facts wliich
appear important to be collected relative to this
part of furgery, may be reduced to the following:
ift. Are dislocations, fractures, ruptures, and
chirurgical maladies in general, very common
among people who live in a State of nature ?
2dly. What means do they employ for curing
thefe different diforders ?
3dly. Have they particular instruments ? Of
what form are they, of what materials, and how
ufed ? Let fome be purchafed, and a collection
made of them.
4thly. Are circumcifion and infibulation prac*
tifed ? If fo, how are the operations performed ?
jjthly. Are there any men or women to whom
the feparate care is delegated of treating particular
chirurgical diforders, as thofe of the eyes, the ears,
the teeth, the .Skin, child-bearing?
6thly.What are the form and nature of the weapons they make ufe of in their battles; thofe of
the
ROUND THE WORLD. 267
the wounds they inflict, and the manner in which
they treat and cure them ?
At the Louvre, the 31ft of May, 1785.
(Signed) Mauduyt, Vicq-D'Azyr,
DeFourcroy, SThouret.
I certify the prefent copy to be conformable to
the original lodged in the office of the fecretary
. -
ROUND THE WORLD. 2 5 J
Precautions to be obferved in the carriage of
growing plants:. vf*f v :
The prefent feafon does not allow us to take up
the vegetables or Shrubs which are in the open
ground, and at the period of their molt kixuri^aj
vegetation; but at Paris it will be eafy to find in pots
everything which in the country is cultivated in the
open ground; it is neceffary then to be furnished
with thefe articles from our nurfery men; the
almpft certain fuccefs will compensate for-the trifling expence of carriage to the place of embarkr.
ation.
The carrying; of trees cannot be-done with any
JO J
hope of fuccefs, except in "boxes, wherein they may'
vegetate during■. tte voyage. It is neceffary for
|jmt- purpofe to be .furnished, with a box forty
inches long, by twenty broad, and as much ia
depth, with a dozen holes bored through the
bottom for the Superabundant water.to runoff.
Its upper part muft be compofed of a triangular
frame,; upon wtiich lattice work of iron wire muft
be-fitted, with glazed frames, and window. Shutters, to keep up a free circulation of air, increafe
the warmth, when neceffary, and keep out the
cold.
The felection of the fpecies bgfec
oe con
formably to the Statement drawn out and placed
at the end of this memoir, it will be proper, to
purchafe
——
$84 .LA PEROUSF/s VOYAGE
purchafe only young plants, and fuch as are
branchy to the end of their Stalk. Care muft
be taken that they are healthy, vigorous, and their
grafts are as near as poffible to their roots. When
as many are collected as it is poffible to put into
one box, they muft be packed up as follows.
At the bottom of the box, and upon the holes
bored for the running off of the water, muft be
placed fmall tiles to prevent the earth from
being walhed away by the waterings; after that
there muft be laid down a bed of Stiff earth, three
indies in depth, preffed lightly down. It is upon
this ~bed, that the firft Stage of young trees,
chofen from among the largeft, muft be laid,
and efpecially thofe which, like fig-trees, vines,
cherry-trees, &c. are not liable to injury from
their Stems being deeply buried : the clods of
earth which are taketi out of the pots with thefe
|)lants muft be laid together, as clofe as poffible,
and the fpaces filled up with earth, compofed
of heath mould, which muft be prefled and
fpread as well as poffibfe, fo that this firft rank
may form one folid mafs; a bed of heath mould
of two inches depth muft cover the firft
ftage. The arrangement of the fecond muft be
managed in the fame manner. It ought to be
difpofed as the firft, clod muft be laid againft
clod, the Stems of the higheft in the middle, and
by gradation the loweft towards the edges, all
the
ROUND THE WORLD. 285
the interftices muft then be filled up with heath
fand, without regarding the burying the Stems
of the trees in the under bed, provided three or four
of their Shoots are above ground. Laftly, the whole
mafs muft be compreffed, either by beating the
box againft the ground, or by forcing it down
with the hand, fo that no vacancies may remain,
and neither the jolting of carriages, nor the rolling
of the Ship occasion any derangement.
In order to be Still more fure of this advantage,
a bed of mofs might be laid on the furface of the
upper bed* and that again covered with frefli
wheat Straw, both together of the thicknefs of
an inch and a half, which might be kept down
by a frame crofting the box between the Stems
of the young trees, without touching them, and
nailed upon two ledges, fixed in the infide, the
length of the two fides.
The plantation being thus finished, the trees
muft be pruned in fuch a manner, that the
branches, the neareft to the wire wrork, will be
about an inch or two from it; afterwards the
whole mafs of this box muft be well watered,
and, a few days afterwards, it may be fent off to
Brett by the carriers.
In order to diminish the lofs of the moifture in
the box, which it will be impoffible to renew
during a journey of twelve or fifteen days, it will
fee proper to clofe- the lateral Shutters, but to
leave
ami
" $86- LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
leave the two final 1 ones at the extremities Operi,-
fo that the air may be renewed, and the plants
preferved from decay.
On the arrival of the boxes at Breft, the firft
care of the gardener Should be to open them, to.
raife the wire lattice, and to cut away the
abortive Shoots; afterwards he Should probe the
earth to examine its State of moifture, and
to remedy any little disturbance the carriage
might have occasioned. After the privation of free
air that thefe trees will have experienced, it will not
be prudent to expofe them fuddenly to the fun y
it will be more advifeable to defend them from
it, either by placing the boxes in the Shade, or
by covering them with canvafs for a few days.
The care of the boxes, and nurfing of the trees,
during the voyage, will be confined to the watering them, as often as neceffary, and preferring,
them from extreme heat as well as from great
cold, either by covering them with canvas during
the day, and giving them as much air as poffible
during the night, or putting them down between
decks in the cold latitudes; befides a little ufe of
the pruning knife may be neceffary to Shorten, now
and then, the too vigorous among them which
might hurt their neighbours.
The trees, arrived at the place of destination,-
mult be taken out of the boxes, with the earth
about the roofs, in the moft careful manner
poffible*
ROUND THE WORLD. 2S7
poffible, and planted in fuch afpects, and in fuch*
foil, as will belt agree with each of them; and
during his Slay the gardener will watch over their*
prefervation. If the whole of the package be not
intended for the fame place, he will only take
out of the box fuch individual plants as he pro-
pofes to fet, and will fill their places with fuch
productions from the country as he may think
ufeful to Europe. The judgment of the gardener
muft be relied on for making the natives of the place
understand, that thefe trees are prefents, and that
they ought to watch them carefully on account of
the benefit they will derive from them. This is
nearly all that can be faid concerning the firft
part of the gardener's commiffion : we Shall fflm?
fpeak of the fecond.
SECOND PART.
Of the gathering fuch vegetables as may be
ufeful to Europe, and of their prefervation
during the voyage.
1 THESE collections Should comprife, ift,
The feeds, 2dly, the bulbs and fie Shy roots of.
vivacious plants, 3dly, the faplings of interesting
trees, the feeds of which are not to be procured.
The feeds Should be harvefted when there is a
choice of them to be had, and in their perfect-'
maturity ; but as it often happens, that the Short.
ftajr
288 LA PEROUSE's VOYAGE
flay made on an ifland leaves no opportunity to
delay the gathering of feeds which are not perfectly ripe, while it is neceffary, neverthelefs, not to
difpenfe with the gathering them; there is an
advantageous mode of proceeding, but in fuch
a cafe an indilpenfable precaution is to be ob*
ferved.
The herbaceous plants, of which the feeds are
found to be not above three parts, or even two
thirds ripe, it will be neceffary to have them
plucked up by their roots, afterwards, tied in
truffes, arid in that form conveyed to the Ship,
where they muft be fufpended in a place defended from the fun and from moisture ; there
cannot be a doubt, but that a part of the feeds
of thefe plants will ripen in the fpace of fix or
eight days; they may then be gathered and put
up.
If it Should happen, that fome interesting
plants, from wtiich it is ardently deSired to obtain feed, be found at a period when their feed is
but jutt fecundated, there is no occasion to
defpair of fucceeding. In this cafe, it is proper to take up the plants with the roots, and
the clods of earth about them, and to plant
them in bafkets. Thefe baSkets Should be clofed
with their own covers, or with mats, for the firft few
days; the plants fhould be watered night and morning, and by degrees uncovered; the ripening of the
c feeds
ItOUNft TfitE WOULD* 289
feeds will thus be effected during the voyage,
and there will be no caufe to regret having loft
an opportunity, which might never again occur,
of procuring to Europe a precious vegetable.
If, through good fortune, perfectly ripe feed be
met with, Still the manner of gathering it in is
not a matter of indifference, with refpe£t to its
prefervation. Not only does it require care to
avoid Shaking out the feeds, but it is neceffary
alfo to gather them in their chaff and with their
peduncules, Thofe which grow in hulks, pods,
and capiules, will remain in their feed-veffels
which it will be even neceffary to tie, in order
that they may not open during the voyage; the
fame will be neceffary with regard to cories,
and in general all dry fruits. The fmall feeds
which grow in fpikes, in panicles, in whorls, and
in bunches, muft be gathered quite entire with
ftalks of five or fix inches long, and twilled
different ways, in order to intercept' all external
communication of the air with the germ of the
feeds.
To preferve feeds during fo long a voyage, and
in fuch different latitudes, requires indifpenfable
precautions. It is certain, that feeds left in their
cups and capfules will keep better than others* but
it is requisite, that they be very dry, as well as the
other parts about them, and that afterwards- they
be freed from infects, and the eggs of infe&s,
Vol. L U which
MHMJ
IQO
LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
which might be hatched during the voyage, and
devour the feeds without being perceived. Some
hours of exposition to an ardent fun will Suffice to
produce the firft effect; and if imperceptible infects be fufpected, or eggs fhut up in the cover- "
ings of the feeds, by taking the precaution to
place them under a bell in which a little fulphur
is lighted, the vapour will kill them in a few
minutes. Affured that the feeds do not contain
a fviperabundant moisture, or infects, they may
be folded up, each fpecies by itfelf, in Strong
paper.which has not been fized. Upon each
of thefe packets muft be put a number, corresponding with a fample of the plant, or tree,
-from which the feed has been gathered; afterwards thefe different packets muft be ranged in a
tin box, preffing them as clofe as poffible, as
much to fave room, as to prevent the effect of
the rolling of the fliip, when by not being well
confined, they might rub together and deftroy
each, other. The box filled, and fhut clofe with
its lid, Should be foldered as it were hermetically;
and the article it contains fuperfcribed thereon,
as, for example : " Seeds gathered from fuch a
period to fuch a period, in fuch a place''
When feveral boxes like this are gotten together,
they are to be packed up in a Strong wooden
eheft, which muft be covered with oil-Skin, with
a ticket.
ROUND THE WORLD. 29I
a ticket, or label, like the former, 011 the outfide.
The naked, or uncovered feeds, of the bulk
of hazel nuts and above, will require another
preparation. It is proper, immediately after they
are gathered, to leave them expofed to a free
air, in a fafe place, during a convenient time, to
fweat out the too abundant moifture they may
contain, and at the fame time to perfect their
maturity : after which they muft be examined,
in order to reject the informed, the abortive, or
thofe perforated by infects. There muft then.
be difpofed at the bottom of a tin box, of a
fufficient Size to hold twice the quantity of the
feeds, a bed of earth one finger thick; upon this
firmly fix a bed of feeds, kept at fome lines
diftance one from another, thefe feeds muft again
be covered with fix lines of earth, and another
bed of feeds difpofed thereon as before; and fo
continue one after another, till within a fingers
breadth of the upper part of the box, which muft
be left to admit the laft Stratum of earth, and this
ought to be Strongly preffed down by the lid,
which muft afterwards be foldered.
The mould ufed for this operation Should be
neither too dry nor too moift, but fuch as is
found on the furface of the earth, when it has not
rained for eight or ten days. Too dry, it might
abforb the moifture neceffary to preferve the
* U 2 feeds ^ -
2^2 LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
feeds; too wet it would occafion them to rot*
It is on the juft medium between thefe two . extremes, and proportionally to the nature of the
feeds, that the fuccefs of this kind df package
depends.
There is no need to mention, that it is neceffary, after foldering the box, to put a ticket upon
it, Signifying what is contained in .it, and cor-
refponding with the herbal and with the gardener's
journal; the importance of this precaution is too
obvious.
The naked feeds of a fmall Size, below that of
a pea,' may be put at random with the earth,
without obferving any regularity with refpect to
beds or layers, but in all the other particulars
arranged as the preceding.
The feeds inclofed in flefhy calices, in berries,
or in pulpy fruits, fuch as figs, goofeberries,
apples, peaches, &c. ought to be taken thereout
when the fruit begins to rot, a Sign of the perfect maturity of the feed; they are to be fpread
out to the open air, after which they may be Shut
up in tin boxes, with earth, as has been before
directed.
To vary the chance, and leave nothing to
hazard, it might, perhaps, be fuitable to pack
up a portion of each fpecies of thofe feeds which
come enclofed in capfules, pods, &c. with earth,
and in the fame manner as directed for naked
feeds.
ROUND THE WORLD. 293
feeds. This precaution might, above all, be very
fit to be taken in the harveft or feed time of the beginning of the voyage : the proceffes for preferring
the feeds cannot be too much varied during fo
long a voyage.
So far, all the boxes which have been recommended to be fealed up as faft as they are filled,
ought not to be opened in any cafe until after the
period of arrival in France, when it may be thought
proper to fow the feeds: they will require no other
care during the voyage than to be difpofed of in a
part of the Ship the leaft expoled to variations of
atmofphere; they ought, however, to be preferved
from too much moifture, and above all, from too
much drought.
Among the feeds, there is no certainty, that
there do not exift many the germination of which
it is impoffible to retard, fuch as thofe of the palm**
tree, the myrtle, the Stellated plants, and in general
all thofe the feeds of which are filled with a horny
fubftance, and which have bu£ a very fmall embryo
lodged in a little cavity ; thefe families are numerous in fine trees, the greateft patt ufeful. The
very fmall fuccefs met with in the feeds of thefe
trees, which have been brought to us with numerous precautions, appear to prove this impossibility ; it is expedient then to employ other
means for procuring thefe interesting objects. We
think it would be proper to fow the feeds at the,
U 3 fiwne
If
■fl
mil!'
^94 LA PEROUSE's VOYAGE
fame time as they are gathered. For this purpofe
it would be neceffary to have a cafe, the dimensions of which may be made proportional to the
quantity of feed intended to be put into it, but
which muft not have lefs than twenty inches of
depth. This cafe muft be filled with a light
and rich mould, taken from a fpot covered with
grafs, at the time it is wanted; the feeds muft
be fown very near each other, at different depths;
the largeft, fuch as the cocoas of the Maldivia
Iflands, in eight inches depth, and the moft de*
licate in four lines. There muft be a fpace left
of about two inches, between the earth and the
fuperior edge of the cafe, to add a bed of mofs,
which muft be confined by four or five crofs Sticks,
nailed on the edges of the cafe to feeure the mafs
againft the rolling of the Ship. The fowings, made
in cafes or troughs after this manner, muft be further protected from the ravages of rats, and other
domeftic animals of the Ship, during the voyage,
by a range of hoops fixed acrofs the top, and interwoven or plaited with iron wire. The care
and cultivation of thefe feeds will confift in keeping the earth of the cafes, by waterings, in a flate
of moifture favourable, to the germination of the
feeds, in preferring them from the fcorching rays
of the fun, by covering them in the day-time with
a coarfe canvas, and above all, by preferving them
from the cold in thofe climates where the frofts
might
111
ROUND THE WORLD, 295
might give reafon to dread their effects, by conveying them to thofe parts of the fliip where
they would be moft fafe; and laftly, by keeping
down the moft voracious plants which might injure
the moft delicate ones: two little doors made at
the two ends of the wire grating, will facilitate
the means of performing this operation as often as
is found neceffary.
It has all along been prefumed, that the gardener, commissioned with the collecting vegetables,
would find ripe feeds, or thofe nearly ripe ; but it
may happen, that he may meet with neither one
nor the other, and being in a Situation where he
cannot take up the individuals in their kind, fee
nimfelf in the fad neceffity of quitting a fpot without being able to Shew to Europe a Single article
of its productions: m a cafe like this, there is a
refource remaining, wliich he may make ufe of,
under even the moft unfavourable circumstances.
Every body knows, that th(
fepr
eed.s or
egetable
fall as fait as they ripen, and that many are wafhed
by the rain-waters into the low places, or are carried by the winds to the Skirts of woods: in gathering with a befom, in thefe different places, a
bulk of fome cubic feet of earth, taken from a
considerable .furface, there will be a certainty of
collecting a great many feeds of indigenous plants;
and thefe earths, enclofed in troughs or boxes,
after having been properly dried, will preferve the
U 4 feed
296 LA PEROUSE'S VOYAGE
feed till his arrival in Europe. We have had proof
of this in that which has been fent by M. Aublet
from Cayenne. This traveller had embarked three-
fcore cafes, filled with trees and precious plants
from that colony ; the trees died on the way;
but the foil in which they had been planted, being
fpread over a large furface of hot-beds, and covered with frames, produced a great number of
plants, many of which are ftilj preferved in our
gardens. Such means may therefore be ufed with
the certainty of fuccefs; it is indeed the only one,
in certain cafes, by which fome fpecies of plants
can be had.
The parts of fructification of plants of the
family of ferns, mufhrooms, &x. are fcarcely
known; Still lefs known are the feeds of thefe
plants. Hitherto the attempts to fend the Stems
with roots to Europe, have been unattended
with fuccefs; it is probable, that in gathering up the earth where thefe plants grow, and
mixing with it their leaves in different States,
germs may be obtained, which, if well managed
in their firft openings or expansion, might afford
us interesting plants. For this purpofe, it is requisite, that the gardener, charged with the duty
of fending thefe things to Europe, Should pay the
greateft attention to note in his journal, the nature
of the foil he has collected, its expofition or afpect,
the
ROUND THE WORLD. 297
the degree of moifture ordrynefs, and laftly, whether he took it up in a woody or open place.
To fave room as much as poltible, and to
profit to the utmoft from the fowing bare feeds,
the mould which accompanies them muft be cho-
fen in the manner before directed, rather than
taken at random, a circumstance which will require additional attention Still, but will procure a
further advantage alfo.
To terminate, in Short, all that remains to be
faid on the fending feeds here, we Will endeavour
to establish the proportions in which every one
ought to be gathered.
It is not to be doubted, that the trees and plants
which may be ufeful in Europe for the food of its
inhabitants ought to hold the firft rank in eftima^*
tion ; fuch as that fpecies of fern the root of which
ferves the natives of New Zealand for aliment.
The plants of ufe in the arts ought to hold the
fecond; fuch as may conduce to the decorations
of our gardens, the third ; and., laftly, the fourth
will comprife the plants which are only proper to
have a place in the botanical gardens. The quantity collected fhould alfo be proportioned to the
climate in which it is done. In countries where
the temperature is analogous to that of Europe,
no rifque is run in gathering a great abundance,
becaufe it will be eafy to make ufe of thofe feeds
which require fowing in the open ground ; and
thei r
29S LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
their, quantity will afford the means of multiplying
them in every province in France. Thofe in
countries more warm ought to be gathered in
fmaller quantity, becaufe thefe feeds Standing in
need of hot-beds and frames, and of being confined, in order to raife them, only a very few can
be preferved, unlefs it were defired to fend them
to our colonies of the Antilles or of India; in that
cafe, it is neceffary, that the cultivation of thefe
objects Should be made fufceptible of other advantages. Another obfervation not lefs important
is, to collect, a greater quantity of each Species of
' feeds \\n the laft years of the voyage than in the
firft; becaufe it is poffible, that in fpite of all the
pains, a part of the feeds gathered or fown in the
commencement of the voyage will become impoverished before the return to Europe, and that
there will be a great deal of every kind not in a
condition to grow, while the harvestings of the
laft years of the voyage will be infinitely better.
If the touching at fome of the European fet-
tlements Should be forefeen, it would be advife-
able that the gardener made his difpofitions before
hand, to depofit there a bale of. little packets of
every fpecies of feeds which he may have chofen,
and that he join thereto a duplicate of his herbal,
of which the numbers will correspond with thofe.
he affixes to the little bags of feeds he brings back
to Europe. The -articles thus fent maybe contained
,a; -v-.^
&OUND THE WORLD. 299
tained in tin boxes, enclofed in oil-cloth, and ad-
dreffed to M. Le Marechal de Caftries, for the
King's gardens.
The carriage of bulbs, bulbous roots, flefiiy roots
of vivacious plants, and their cultivation during the voyage.
There cannot be a doubt, but that, if thefe plants
be met with in their State of regofe, that is, when
their fructification is completed, and their Stems
dried, it is the moft favourable feafon for taking
them out of the ground; they Stand in need of
no other care afterwards than to be picked from
their dead branches, and that part of their covering which might be impregnated with the moifture
of the air, and occasion the rotting of the bulbs;
expofed to the rays of the fun for a few days they
will have parted with the perfpirable moifture,
' and may be put up in boxes, layer above layer,
with fine fand, and efpecially that which is dry.
If thefe plants are only met with in full vegetation, it will be requitite to dig them up with a
clump of mould about the roots, and plant them
in bafkets, thus cultivating them tili their Stalks
are dead, when they may be drawn out without
rifk. By taking the precautions pointed out in the
preceding article, their prefervation may be effected,
5 Thefe
LA PER0USE S VOYAGE
Thefe bulbs not being fufceptible of having their
vegetation retarded, at the periods when they are
accuftomed to grow, will Shoot, dowhat you will to
prevent them; it is neceffary therefore, that the
gardener be attentive to infpeft, from time to time,
the boxes in which he Shall enclofe them.—When
he perceives the commencement of their entering
into vegetation, it will be proper for him, to take
them out, and prepare one or more boxes of eight
inches or a foot at moft for their plantation. They
muft be filled with a light rich loam inclining to
fandy, which the gardener will take from a fpot
appearing fertile in plants, always with the view of
acquiring indigenous productions, a circumstance
which-will multiply the chances without adding
to the burden of carriage. The bulbous roots may
be planted half an inch from one another, and at
the depth of from one to four inches according
to their Size, The plantation finished, it will be
well to leave a vacancy of two inches between the
earth and the edge of the box, to receive a bed
of long mofs, or when that is not to be had, of
dry grafs; let battens be nailed upon the box, for
fecuring the whole from the rolling of the veffel;
and afterwards work the cover with hoops and net
Work of wire.
During the vegetation of thefe bulbous plants,
the culture ought to confift in light fprinklings of
water, in primings, in afliduous attentions to defend
them
ROUND THE WORLD* 30I
them from a too powerful fun, from heavy rains,
and above all from cold.
When the vegetation of the bulbous plants is
accomplished, it will -be neceffary wholly to deprive them of water; to accelerate the withering
of their fpires, by leaving them expofed to the
full fun; after this nothing can hinder the taking
thefe bulbs out of the earth and putting them up
in boxes, obferving the precautions pointed out
for their prefervation. This care muft be repeated
as often as the feafon revolves during the voyage.
In order not to lofe the hiftory of the vegetation of thefe fpecies of bulbs by the numerous dif-
placings,it wrould be convenient there were a leaden
number attached to each by a bit of fine iron wire,
fuch number as would correfpond with the gardener's journal.
Of the choice of fuch living trees as it may be
defirable to bring to Europe, and of the care of
them during the voyage.
There ought to be a very moderate ufe made of
thefe means of acquiring the productions of a dif- '
tant country, and efpecially in the firft part of the
Voyage. There are but very few vegetables, which,
cultivated during three or four years in boxes, and
experiencing almoft fudden changes from one temperature to another, can refill fo great a contrariety,
2
$&£ LA* PER0USE S VOYAGfc
fiety,. in fpite of the affiduous pains, of the details
of which we are going to give a rough draft: it
Is therefore abfolutely neceffary to refrain from
drooling any objects in this manner, except thofe
which are effential, and of which the feed is not
to be had.
It is requisite to felect the individuals young,
thofe coming from feed are preferable to others
which grow on a fucker; it is definable they fhould
be healthy and vigorous, that they Should be of
the Size of the thumb at bottom, that they Should
be branchy from their root, if poffible; and they
muft be tranfplanted with care, fo as not to break
or rub the roots.
They ought to be planted in the boxes as near
as poffible to each other.
To do this with fuccefs the following means
ought to be employed. The box, formed of found
wood, Should be placed level upon treffels, w7hichl
will raife its bottom fomerinches from the ground,
in a place Shaded from the fun. In the bottom
of the box, over the holes which have been bored
in it, muft be placed cockle Shells or fmall Stones
to prevent the earth from going out, and Still
to allow the water to run off; after this make a
bed of light and rich mould, from two to three
inches in height, for the whole extent of the
box; afterwards, if the trees and Shrubs propofed
to; be brought are with naked roots, they muft be
put
ROUND THE WORLD.
103
put one againft the other, placing thofe the firft
which have the lafgeft roots, and thofe which are
the leaft provided with fibres, between the other,
and the clofeft poffible to fave room ; laftly with
the earth fine and dry, in order that it may infi-
nuate itfelf between the fpaces of the roots, bury
the trees as high as the branches, taking care as
faft as it is fcattered upon the roots to fpread it
and work it down either by jolting the box againft
the ground or by ufing a dibble to prefs it in between the roots, fo that every void may be filled
up. This operation performed,, the box muft be
watered, and the watering repeated feveral times,
until the water make its way through the holes at
bottom, and then cut the young trees down to
about feven or eight inches above the earth; it
will be advifeable to cover the furface of the
earth with a bed of mofs of fome inches thicknefs,
as well to preferve the moifture as to render the
whole mafs more firm by means of a wooden
grating. f||||
If the Shrubs, inftead of being naked at the
roots, have a clump of earth about them, their
. fuccefs will be the more fore; then thefe clumps
• muft be brought clofe together in the box, and
to regain the lofs of room they will occasion by
their bulk, flips or fuckers of trees may be planted
between every one of them and be thus propagated,
fuch as the paletuviers, figs, and other Spongy*
trees;
I HflillilWK
■»
3O4 LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
trees; in addition to all this, feeds may be planted,
as in the other, and may be arranged and managed
in the fame way.
The boxes thus filled with Shrubs may be put
on board Ship; their management may be the
fame as in our hot houfes; it will confift firft in
daily waterings proportioned to the need of the
individual Shrubs, and to the degree of heat in the
climates where they may be met with; it would
be better to err by defect than by excefs, the con-
fequence is lefs to be apprehended for the prefervation of the trees. Thefe waterings muft be
made with freSh water, fea water being hurtful to
almoft all vegetables; water muft be given them
every night and morning in hot latitudes, with the
rofe on the fpout of the watering pot, in the form
of fmall rain, fo as to walh the leaves and the Stems
before the earth imbibes it. In cold countries, on
the contrary, there is no need to water them but
on preffing occasions; the warmeft hour of the day
muft be chofen, and the water given to them by
the pot without the roSe, and poured on the roots
of thofe plants which have need of it.
': Independently of this care, it is important that
the gardener watch the Shrubs every day, that he
clear away the dead leaves and the infects which
might hurt them, that he clip the too vigorous
fihoots, that he Shelter them from the cold, from
^he extreme heat, from the drought, from too
much
ROUND THE WORLD. 305
much moifture; and above all, in thofe Situations
where it will not be poffible to leave them the
free air, that he renew from time to time the
air of the boxes, by opening for fome hours the
two little Shutters at the end; without this, the
plants would blanch, and their leaves grow fpeckled
or become mouldy, and at length perilh.
The fucculent plants of a mucilaginous nature,
fuch as different fpecies of cactus, aloes, euphorbi-
ums,woody purflain, ficoides, &x. may be brought
in their natural Slate, after the fame manner as
the Shrubs; but it is neceffary to keep them
apart, as they require a feparate management.
Thfc earth, in which they are to be planted very
near each other, ought to be of a compact nature ; fix or eight inches deep at the bottom of
the box will be fufficient to receive them : inftead of mofs, there muft be put over the earth
a bed of long Straw, or very dry hay, kept clofe
down by a grating of wood; and when thefe
plants Shall have been planted in thefe boxes,
they muft be plentifully watered to confolidate
the earth about their roots during the voyage.
They Should not be watered but when they Stand
in great need; air muft be given to them as
often as poffible, and they muft especially be
preferved from wet and cold.
Thefe are nearly all the effential precautions,
neceffary to be taken for the fuccefs of the plants
Vol. I. X of
jo6 la perouse's voyage
of this nature. The understanding of the gardener will fupply an infinity of little details which
are not to be forefeen: but we think, that thefe
methods of enriching Europe with foreign productions ought not to be ufed but in the ye#r of
the return of the Ships.
A lift of the articles neceffary for the gardener
during his voyage.
i. Twenty-four tin boxes of different Sizes,
from ten inches in length, by eight in breadth,
and fix in depth; to twenty inches in length,-.by
Sixteen in breadth, and twelve in depth.
Thefe boxes are defigned to put a part of the
feeds in, which will be exported from Europe,
and they will ferve on the return to contain the
Seeds which may be met with during the voyage.
. 2. Two watering pots, one with a fine rofe,
the other with a gullet, for watering the plants
growing on board the Ship, and for the feeds fawn
in the different fpots of cultivation in the voy
age.
3-
box
pruning knives of different Sizes, to
ferve both in gardening and harvesting.
4. Two grafting knives for the fame ufe.
c. Two quicksilver thermometers graduated
alter Reaumur, to be placed in the boxes of
living; .
ROUND.THE WORLD. 3O7
living plants, in order to direct the gardener
concerning their cultivation. iMj§&
6. The ten punches neceffary for Stamping the
numbers proper to mark the trees and plants,
which will be exported from Europe, and thofe
which will be brought to it.
7. Sixty pounds of Sheet lead, of a line thick,
to make the rickets.
8. A Staff fix feet long, divided into feet
throughout, which, at the bottom, muft have a
focket for a fmall fpade to fcrew in, with which
plants maybe taken up roo t sand all; and, at
the upper end, another cavity to fix a fmall
crefcent with a hook to come at thole branches
of trees which will be out of the reach of the
hand.
9. Two mattocks, or pick-axes,; one end flattened, the other pointed, proper for making the
holes neceffary to the plantation of trees, and
taking up thofe which are intended to be brought
to Europe.
10. Two fpades, designed for the fame ufe.
11. Two clafp hand-faws, proper for fawing off
the branches of trees, where it would be impof-
fible to obtain the feed otherwife.
12. Three tin boxes, Sixteen inches long, by
ten broad and Hx deep, divided in the infide into
many compartments, opening with hinges, and
having rings to fufpend them by Shoulder belts,
X 2 to
smm
:o8
LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
to go harvesting for feeds, and collecting, plants
for the herbal.
13. Six fither tin boxes, of Sixteen inches
length, by eleven of breadth, and a foot deep,
to put the dry plants in, the numbers of which
muft correfpond with thofe which will be put
upon the feeds gathered.
14. Six reams of large and Strong brown paper,
not Sized, to prepare the fpecimens of plants designed for the herbal.
15. Four reams of large white paper, to put
the dry plants on.
16. Four books in quarto of writing paper, proper for the gardener's journal, and for entering the
accounts of the productions which he takes away,
and thofe which he will bring back in the courfe
of his voyage.
17. A large writing cafe furnifhed with two
pen knives, a dozen pencils, and a ftilet for dii-
fecting feeds.
18. A magnifying glafs with two lenfes.
19. The E'lemens & Agriculture Joy Duhamel,
2 vols, in i2mo.
20. The Phyfique des Arbres, of Duhamel,
2 vols, in 4to.
Thefe two works are designed for the instruction and amufement of the gardener, during fo
long a voyage.
A lilt
ROUND THE WORLD.
309
A lift of the feeds, and the quantity neceffary
to be bought, for fowing in the various places
chofen for cultivation.
FIRST DIVISION.
Subftmices which may be eaten without preparation.
Fruits of Trees.
rApples
6 bufhels,.
Kernels of ^
Pears
1 Grapes
& ditto.
8 do.
LGoofeberries 8 litrons (or qrs.
of pecks.)
fPeaches
2 buiheis.
J Apricots
Stones of \\ ^, .
j Plumbs
(^Cherries
1 do.
1 do.
fdo.
Almonds-
- 2 buShels.
Nuts
2 do.
Fruits of Herbs.
^Melons <
ff different kinds,
6 litrons.
1 Water-melons, red and 1
Seeds of\\ white. J
4 do.
/Artichokes, white and violet,
4 do.
vGuinea
Pepper.
1 do.
x3
Herbs
510
1A PEROUSE S VOYAGE
Seeds of ^
Herbs.
r Celery, of different varieties, i bulheL
j Chervil - - - | do.
Creffes (alenois) - i do.
Parfley, of different varieties, 4 litrons*
1 do.
1 do,
I bufheL
fdo.
1 do.
1 do.
Purflain (golden)
Sorrel -
Lettuce (cabbage)
Lettuce (roman)
I Small lettuce for cutting,
I. Endive, or wild fuccory,
Roots.
Onions, white and red
Turnips of different varieties -
1 do.
2 do.
Radifhes of different fpecies 6 litrons.
Turnip rooted radifhes, black and white, 2 do.
Garlick - 1 do.
Efchalots - - - 1 do.
SECOND DIVISION.
Subftances which need no other preparation for
eating than to be roafted.
Roots.
Potatoes
Carrots of divers" varieties
1 litron.
2 bufhels.
Chiroui
ROUND THE WORLD.
Chiroui
Parfnips
Salfafy (Spanish)
Salfafy (white)
311
3 litrons.
ibufhel.
i do.
I do.
Beet-root (red, white, and yellow,) 3 bufhels.
Farinaceous Seeds.
'Wheat of different fpecies 8 bufhels.
Maize of different varieties 4 do.
Buck wheat, or black corn 4 do.
I Piedmont rice - 4 dp.
Barley of different fpecies 4 do.
Oats of different varieties 2 do.
Rye - - 4 do.
To be bought
at Breft.
THIRD DIVISION.
Productions which are not eatable nnlefs boiled,
and on that account are proper only for thofe
people who have convenient veffels for cooking
them,
Peafe of different fpecies . - 6 bufheis.
Kidney beans of different fpecies 6 ditto.
Garden beans of different varieties 3 do.
Lentils of the large fpecies - 2 do.
Chich-peas, white and red - 1 do.
Lupines - 2 litrons.
X 4 Vetches
312
XA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
Vetches, white and black
2 ditto.
Fenugreek
j^m
i do.
White muftard
-
i do.
The egg-plant
*|§l||
fdo.
Cabbages, white
i buthel.
Cabbages, red
w$t$
i do.
Citrul, or Pompion
-
i do.
Cucumber
§^f
i litron.
Gourd
-
i ditto.
Calebafh gourd
-
i ditto.
Orach
§?%a
i buShel.
Chard-beet
^9^1
£»do.
Tobacco
~
i of a litron.
Note.—It will be proper to divide this affort-
ment of Seeds into four equal parts, every one of
which muft be enclofed in a box, not to be opened
but at the time of fowing, in order to avoid the
inconvenience of letting the air get at fuch feeds
as are not to be fown for many months, and even
a year after they are gathered.
Enumeration of vegetables which ought to be
conveyed in their natural ftate.
Fruit Trees and Shrubs.
i Apple tree—red calville.
i Apple tree—white.
% Apple trees—true rennet.
2 Apple
I
ROUND THE WORLD. 3
2 Apple trees—d'apls,
1 Pear tree-—English beurre.
2 Pear trees—bon-chretien.
2 Pear trees—craffan.
2 Pear trees—Saint-Germain.
4 Vines—golden chaffelas.
4 Vines—mufcadine.
2 Vines—raifin de Corinthe.
2 Peach trees—groffe mignonne
1 Nectarine tree.
2 Plumb trees—reine claude,
1 Plurnfc tree—mirafcelle.
2 Plumb trees—large damafcene of Tours.
2 Apricot trees—common.
2 Peach apricot trees.
3 Fig trees—white.
2 Fig trees—angelique.
2 Fig trees—violet.
2 Cherry trees—Montmorency*
2 Black heart cherry trees.
2 White heart cherry trees.
2 Olive trees—true.
1 Quince trees—Portugal.
1 Mulberry tree—black.
2 Garden chefnut trees. <3§*§
1 Nut tree—tender Shell.
1 Almond tree—tender fhell.
2 Ralpbeny buShes—Maltefe.
Legu-
*p4 la perouse's voyage
Leguminous Plants.
Potatoes of different varieties ^
Jerusalem artichoke - f Tobe hadatBreft,
Garlick - - - i
Efchalots - - J
Weft-India fweet potatoes and yams, to be taken in at the Cape de Verd Iflands, or at the Cape
of Good Hope, or in North America.
Shrubs for Pleasure.
Rofes—hundred leaved.
Lilacs.
Tuberofes.
INVENTORY
ROUND THE WORLD.
3*5
INVENTORY
Of the merchandize and effects embarked onboard
the flips under the orders of M. De La Peroufe, for making prefents and exchanges*
IRON in bar
Iron in plates
Iron nails of different fizes '
Packets of iron wire
Copper in Sheets
Packets of copper wire -
Lead in Sheets
Clothes of different kinds
Nets for fiShing -
&c. &c. &c. &c.
Hatchets of different Sizes and adzes
Joiners chiffels and gouges
Carpenters augurs
Iron hammers and malls
Iron wedges to cleave wood
Long faws, framed
Long: faws, unframed
I Furnifhed by the
Port of Breft.
J
200O
25OO
5°
J
00
Hand faws -
Pincers round and flat, and others to draw 1
'55°
5°°
600
nails
v 1000
Knives
Ii6
LA PERPUSE S VOYAGE
700O
1000
2400
1200
500
1000
100
9000
50,000
1,000,000
Knives of different forts and Sizes
Pruning knives -
Pairs of fciffars for taylors, and others
Steel files ....
P^afpers of wood -
Packets of brafs wire afforted, weighing lbs
Gimlets, or borers ...
Wimbles with their bits
FiShing hooks -
Needles of different Sizes
Pins afforted -
Looking glaffes framed of different Sizes 600
Drinking glaffes with feet 1800
Water bottles - - 200
Cups and faucers of India porcelain, co-1
loured and gut - - - 3
China bowls, idem - 50
Bugles, or beads of coloured glafs, afforted j
packets
Glafs rings in colours
600 Goblets
100 Ewers
600 Plates
100 DiShes
Tinder boxes
Flints for tinder boxes
Amadou (a tinder made from the fungi
of trees) lbs. -
Glue
1
400
2000
"Of pewter.
1000
30,000
200
ROUND THE WORLD. 317
Glue, founds - - - - 200
Copper pots for the glue - - - 50
Ringing bells of two kinds, packets - 24
Combs, of wood, bone, and horn - 2600
Blowing bellows - - - - 24
German organs, large - - - 4
Serinets, or fmall organs - - - 12
Dragoons' helmets in copper, with plumes 1
and horfe-hair tails - -J
Gorgets of poliflied copper
Caffe-tetes in polifhed copper
Medals in Silver, or bronze, the King's effigy, with the infcription bearing the
names of the Ships, and the epoch of
the voyage, fome with chains of the
fame metal, and fome without chains
Other medals, in Silver or bronze, with the | •
King's effigy - - i
Buttons of coloured glafs, fet in copper, |
gilt, tranfparent and fparkling, dozens 5
Buttons gilt, Silvered, and of polished cop- 7
per, dozens - i
Vermillion, packets -
Feathers red, yellow, and white, bunched, }
aigretted in plumes, &c. to the amount f 1100
of French livres J
Artificial flowers, to the value of livres 300
52
102
12
100
96
20
2000
R
Fine
r 5000
3>S; LA PERGUSe's VOYAGE.
Rae jewellery, confifting of rows of beads,!
white, coloured, Striped, changeable and f
reflecting; of ear-rings Shaped like pears,
and like girandoles of divers colours and
divers faShions-; of necklaces, bracelets, |
and medallions, to wear about the neck
in various forms and colours; of. rings
of different faihions, fpying glafies
mounted in wood, in copper, and in fiSh
Skin, to the value of livres _,^|fe>< J
Toys and common jewellery, confifting of^.
magic lanterns, flint-glafs bottles, fmooth
and diamond like, gilt and coknrred;
gilt nails, convex glaffes, multiplying
glaffes; whittles in bone and wood ; etwees of bone, engraved, in open work, in J> 900
imitation of lace, and plain; others
in pafteboard, painted and varnished;
hearts and rings fet with Stones; knight's J
croffes, ear-rings, counters, &c. to the
value of livres - J
Tinfel, confifting of gallootos, net-work,
in Spanish points, Brandenburghs, &c.
in gold, in Silver, and in coloured foil,
for livres
Gauzes, gold and Silver, with wavy colours, 7
/> \\ r 7°o
en faux, to the value of livres 3
Silk ribbands of different colours, ells 1200
Flowered
m
ioo
ROUND THE WORLD. 319
Flowered Silk Stuffs, damafked, clouded,
&c. in remnants, ells
Calamancoes, in different Stripes and colours, - ells
Coloured Silk handkerchiefs - - 200
Linen handkerchiefs, coloured - 500
Common cloths, forges, knittings, and flan- 7 |
nel of different colours,
Scarlet cloth,
Dutch fcarlet
Red fringes
ells
ells
ells
ells
100
25
200
12
5°
5°
I5°
Q
Scarlet coats -
Serge, red, white, and blue, ells
.Blankets -
Linen cloth Striped, blue and white, ells
Printed callicoes of different patterns, with
large flowers, in remnants, ells
Muflin, in remnants, ells
White linen, in remnants, ells
Red tape, pieces -
Thread of different colours, Skeins
Flock-paper, of different colours, large patterns
80 rolls, of nine ells each.
Flowered paper, 80 quires.
^o
100
500
I200
Anaff
ortment
}f garden
ieec
kinds (befide thofe enumerated by the Sieur
Thouin, firft gardener of the royal botanical garden) to the value of about 400 livres:
The total of the merchandize embarked forpre-
fents and exchanges amounts to 58,365 livres :
'5 And
1
JIG EA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
And the particulars recommended by the Sieur
Thouin in feeds, in trees, Shrubs and plants, to
2,330 livres.
The total of the instruments of aftronomy, of
navigation, of phyfics*, &c. and of books bought
in France, amounts to 17,034 livres.
There have been expended in England for different articles, about 6000 livres.
There has alfo been a considerable Stock of
effence of fpruce embarked in the (hips, as well
as of malt for making beer, with other preferva-
tives againft the fcurvy. The provisions of this
nature, and other objects designed to preferve the
health of the Ship's companies, may be valued at
30,000 livres.
The extraordinary expences of fitting out for this
voyage, including in the calculation the extra value of the provision, occasioned by its Superior
quality, will not exceed 150,000 livres.
(The table of the perfons of fcience, and of
the artifts embarked for the expedition, is not
included herein).
# Not comprifmg the three quadrants which have been
lent by aftronomers.
A SUMMARY
ROUND THE WORLD.
\\m
A SUMMARY ACCOUNT
Of the inftruments of aftronomy, of navigation, of natural philofophy, of chemiftry,
and others, for the ufe of the fcientific perfons and artifts employed in the voyage of
"difcoveries.
ASTRONOMY AND NAVIGATION.
THREE aftronomical quadrants.
An instrument for obferving the transit of
planets.
Three aftronomical time-keepers, and two calculators.
Several aftronomical telefcopes, night telef-
copes, and prifm telefcopes.
Five time keepers.
An English pocket watch, or chronometer, for
the longitudes.
Four reflecting circles, by M. de Borda, to ob*
ferve the heights and distances of the Stars.
Three English fextants for the fame ufe.
Four theodolites, or graphometers, with and
without telefcopes, to meafure the angles on land,
and construct plans,
Two affortments of chains and of Staves for the
fame ufe.
Vol, L
Afteel
322 LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
A Steel fathom rod, with its fcale, the fame
which ferved for the meafure of a degree of the
meridian at Peru.
Divers instruments for meafuring the length
of the pendulum.
Two Engliih compafles for obferving the variation of the magnetic needle.
Two dipping compaffes lent by the English
board of longitude, the fame which were ufed in
captain Cook's laft voyage.
A compafs of the fame nature executed by
M. Le Dru.
Several other compaffes of different ufes, fuch
as miners compaffes, and others.
Several fuitably chofen magnetic bars, in their
cafes, to retouch the compafs needles in cafe of
neceffity.
Several fand glaffes, half hour and half minute.
A fuitable cheft, with all the tools in clock
and watch-making, and others for repairing the
inftruments, for the ufe of the clock and watchmaker embarked in the expedition.
Several cafes of mathematical inftruments, for
the ufe of the aftronomers and engineers, and other
inftruments fuitably chofen for defigns and draw-
NATURAL
fcOUND THE WOUD*
323
NATURAL PHILOSOPHY AND CHEMISTRY.
An air pump, double barrelled, with all its apparatus.
A plate electrical machine of fifteen inches
"with all its acceffories.
A great number of barometers, thermometers,
and hygrometers, of different kinds, for making
various experiments.
A concave burning mirror, of a foot diameter.
Two univerfal microfcopes of Dellebarre's invention, with their micrometers.
A great number of compound magnifying lenfes
with three and four glaffes, and fimple lenfes.
Two machines for meafuring the depth of the
fea.
A machine to afcertain the temperature of the
fea and its faltnefs at different depths.
Several hydrometers.
"Several aerometers.
A large linen balloon lined with jofeph-paper,
twenty-fix feet high and twenty-two and a half in
diameter.,
Three paper balloons, and three of ox gut.*'
Two foaphanders.
An hydroftatical balance with all its acceffories.
Phofphoric bougies.
=* Gold beaters leaves ate mack -fcf this when duly prepared. T.
Y % An
£2^T~ LA PEROUSE'S VOYAGE
An eudiometer, by Volta.
An eudiometer, by Fontana.
A chemical apparatus.
A pneumatic apparatus, by Rouland.
A reverberatory furnace.
An affortment of retorts, matrafles, crucibles^
and other utenSils of chemistry.
A Silver bowl for the chemical operations.
A compleat affortment of acids, of alkalies, of
vinegars, of lime, and other objects neceffary for
a chemical cheft.
BOTANY AND NATURAL HISTORY,
An aflbrtment of boxes for collections of
plants.
Brown paper, for drying plants, 50 reams.
Nine cafes enclofing fcalpels, pincers, fciffars^
&c. for diffections.
Eight nets in polifhed Steel and in wire work,
for catching infects.
An affortment of Shrubs, plants, feeds, &c. de*
noted in M. Thouin's lift.
A portable cafe of mineralogy.
DRAWING.
Several cafes containing an affortment of colours,
brulhes, &c. papers felected of different kinds for
the drawings in botany, for plans, &c.
A CATALOGUE
ROUND THE WORLD.
3^5
A CATALOGUE
Of books of voyages, of aftronomy, of navigation,
of natural philofophy, and others, confignedto
M. de la Ptroufe, for the ufe of the officers and
fcientific men embarked under his orders.
VOYAGES,
Hiftoire generate des Voyages, by the abbe Pre-
voft.
Hiftoire des Navigations aux Terres Auftrales,by
the prefident de Broffes.
Historical Collection of Voyages, &c. by Dalrym-
pie,
Hawkesworth's Collection, and Cook's three Voy*
ages in French and English,
Difcoveries of the Ruffians, by Coxe,
Voyage of the Ruffians, by Mullen
of M. de Ghabert,
of M. de Fleurieu.
of M, M, de Verdun, Borda, and Pingre,
of Phipps, to the North Pole,
of Anion.
of Bougainville.
of Kerguelen.
of Pages.
of Dampier,
of La Condamine*
Y 3 Voyage
$26 LA perouse's voyage
Voyage of Ulloa,
de la Martinique, by Chanvalon,
Travels in California, by the abbe Chappe,
Voyage of M. SorMerat.
Obfervations du P. Feuillee, 8^1
tMcouvertes dans les Voyages de la Mer du Nord,
Queftiori fur les Voyages D'Arabk, by Michaelis,
Considerations geographiques, & phyfiques fur
les nouvelles Decouvertes.
Decouvertes des Europeans dans les differentes
Parties du Monde,
ASTRONOMY AND NAVIGATION.
Hiftoire de l'AStronomie ancienne 8?: moderns,
by M, Bailly. -(f-
Aftronomie de M. De Lalande,
Aftronomie de La Grille,
^Exposition du Calcul aftronomique,
Tables de Mayer,
Tables de Logarithmes,
Flamfteed's Atlas.
Ccshim auftrale, de La CaJle.
Meridienne de Paris.
Figure de la Terre, by Bouguer.
Traite d'Optique, by the fame.
——I—- de Navigation, by the fame.
* du Navire, by the fame.
'JJautical Almanack, for the years 1786, 1787*
.1788, 1789, 1790,
Calendrier
ROUND THE WORLD. $2?T
Calendrier perpetuel.
Metrologie de Paucton.
Differtation fur les Longitudes en Mer.
Vocabulaire de Marine, by M. Lefcallier.
Difcours du Neptune Oriental, by M. Dapres,
All the books ufual in navigation.
NATURAL PHILOSOPHY
Journal de Phyfique, compleat, 28 vols. 4to.
Recueil de Phyfique, by Deflandes,
Cours de Phyfique, by Defaguliers.
Eteffique de Muffchenbroek.
Opufcules phyfiques, by the abbe Rochon.
Lettres phyfiques fur la Terre, by M. De Luc,
Etectricite de M. Sigaud De La Fond.
Rouland, fur les Gaz.
NATURAL HISTORY.
Hiftoire Naturelle, by M. De Buffon.
Dictionnaire d'Hiftoire naturelle,
GEuvres d'Hiftoire naturelle, by Charles Bonnet.
Sur la Formation des Montagnes, by M. Pallas.
Memoire pour raffembler les Curiofites d'Hiftoire
naturelle.
Tableau phyflco-meteorologique, for the obfervations to be made in the voyage.
Construction de Thermometres.
Hiftory of the winds, by Bacon,
Y 4 Enquiries
328 LA PEROUSES VOYAGE
Enquiries concerning the modifications of the at*
molphere.
Flux and reflux of the fea, by Defland-s.
VoSfius, Sur les courans^
Peyfonnel, on currents and corals.
Hygrometrie, by M. De Sauffure.
Effay on hygrometry.
Resistance of fluids, by Boffut.
Hales's Instructions concerning the rendering fea-
water frefh.
Difcovery'of the ventilator by Hales.
Means of preferving the health of Ship's crews.
Difeafes of fea-faring people, by M. Poiffonier
Defperrieres.
Advice concerning the conveyance of trees, plants,
&c. by fea.
Treatife on vegetation, by Muftel,
Philosophical letters upon falts, by Bourguet,
Syftema nature, auctore Linnaso.
Linn^i genera et fyftema plantarum.
Linnasi Philofophia botanica.
Linnari Supplementum.
Forfter, Genera plantarum.
3?tumier, Plantarum genera. &$iB
Adanfon, Families of plants,
Thefaurus %eylanicus.
Herbarium Amboinenfe.
Thunberg, Flora Japonica.
Burmanni Plantas Africans.
JJergii Plants Capenfes.
ff HOUND THE WORLD. 329
Pifo et Marcgravius, hiftorise Indite.
Dillenii Hiftoria Mujcorum.
Klein, Animal kingdom.
Forfkal, Defcriptio animdlium.
Lettre fur les animaux, by Leroi.
Pallas, Spicilegia Zoologica.
Pallas, Mifcellanea zoologica.
Ornithologfe de Br ffon.
Derham's Synopfis of birds.
Gouan's Hiftory of fifties.
The art of fishing. k
Conchyliologie de Dargenville.
Conchyliologie fluviatile.
Klein, Sur les ourfins.
Pallas, Elenchus zoophytorum.
Fabricii Elementa entomologice. j
Fabricii Genera infecttorum.
Fabricii Species infectorum. .
Muller, De vermibus terreftribus.
Dictionnaire de chymie.
Chemistry by M. De Fourcroy.
"Cryftallographie de M, Rome de Lifle,
Effay upon a theory of cryftals. ?*£$
The Works of Henckel.
of Dubofe d'Antic.
of Marcotte.
Carte mineralogique, by Guettard.
Origine des langues, par Court de Gebelin,
Encyclopedic
^ffrnoirs of the Academy of Sciences.
1 A LIST
m
LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
A LIST OF THE NAMES
Of the officers, fcientific men, artifts, and
failors embarked on board the frigates La
Bouffble and LAftrolabe, under the orders of
M. De La Peroufe.
JULY I785.
LA BOUSSOLE.
Meffrs.
De La Pe'rouse, capitaine de vaijfeau, commander in chief, employed as chef de divifion,
and made chef d'efcadre, the 2d of November, 1786.
Lieutendns.
De Clonard, made capitaine de vaijfeau.
d'Escures.
Enfeignes. s ^
Boutin, made lieutenant de vaijfeau, the iSt
of May, 1786, andmajor, the 14th of Aprils
1788.
DE PlERREVERT.
C o l 1 n e t , lieutenant de fregate, made fo us- lieu*
tenant de vaijfeau, the ift of May, 1786.
Gardes de la Marine.
Mel de Saint-Ceran, put on Shore at Manilla, the 16th of April, 1787.
DE MONTARNAL.
BE
ROUND THE WORLD. 33!
PE RouxDarbaud, volunteer, made elevede la
marine, the ilt of January, 1786, and lieutenant de vaijf eau, the 14th of April, 1786.
Frederic Broudou, volunteer, made lieutenant de vaijfeau, the 1 ft of Auguft, 1786.
Engineers, fcientific men, and arlifts.
de Monneron, captain of the corps of engineers, engineer in chief.
Bernizet,'geographical engineer.
Roll in, engaged as furgeon-majqr.
Lepaute Dagelet, of the academy of
fciences, profeffor of the military fchool, and
aftronomer.
de Lam anon, natural philofopher, mineralogist, and meteorologist.
L'abbe'Mong'es, regular canon of the French
church, naturalist, performing the functions
of chaplain.
Due he' de Vancy, draughtfman of figures
and landfcapes.
Prevost le jeune, botanical draughtfman.
Collignon, botanical gardener.
Guery, clock-maker.
Warrant Officers.
Jacques Darris, premier maitre d'equipage*
E'tienne Lormier, idem.
Vincent le Fur, maitre d'equipage.
Je'rome Lap rise Mo uton, made fouslieutenant de vaijfeau. ,*jf|j$'
Francois
33& IA PEROUSE 8 VOYAGE
Francois Tayer, contre-maitre..
Francois Ropars, idem.
Jean-Michel Le Bec, quart ier-maitre.
Jean-Baptiste Le Maitre, fecond pilote.
Eutrope Faure, aide-pilote.
Gunners and fufileers.
Pierre Talin, pay-mafter ferjeant of marines,
premier-maitre canonnier.
Edme-Fran£ Monti, made capitaine de vaijfeau*
Enfeignes.
Freton de Vaujuas.
Daigremont.
de la Borde Marchainville, fupernume-
rary.
Blondela, lieutenant de fregale.
Gardes de la Marine.
de la Borde Boutervilliers, made lieu-
tenant de vaijfeau, the firft of May, 1786.
Law De Lauriston, idem.
RaxI De Flassan, fupernumerary, made lieutenant de vaijfeau, the firft of May, 1786.
Scientific men and artifts.
M<*nge, profeffot of the military fchool, aftro-
nomer, fet on Shore at Teneriffe, the 29th of
Auguft, 1785.
De La MARTiNivERE,doftorof phyfic, botanift,
Dufresne, naturalist.
Le
mttmm
£0
&A PEROUSE S VOYAGE
Le Fere Receveur, of the order of cordeliers, naturalist, and performing the functions of
chaplain.
Prevost, (the uncle) botanical draughtfman*
Lav aux, furgeon in ordinary of the navy. "
Lesseps, vice-conful of RuSila, interpreter; fet
on Shore at Kamtfchatka, and commiSfioned
to carry the difpatches of M. De La Peroufe
to Paris.
Warrant office?^.
Francois Lamare, maitre oVequipage.
Francois Marie Audignon, idem, fupernu-
merary.
Se'bastien Rolland, contre-maitre.
Guillaume-Marie Gaudebert* idem.
Mathurin Le'on, premierpilote.
Ad r i e n d e Ma v e l , fecond pilote,
Pierre Brossard, aide-pilote, made fous- lieutenant de vaiffieau.
Jean L'Aine', aide pilote.
Gunners.
Jean Gaulin, ferjeant of marines, maitre canonnier.
Le'on ard Soul as, corporal, fecond canonnier.
Jacques Morel, aide-eanonnier.
Pierre Chauvin, idem.
Pierre Phi lib y, idem.
Francjois Saulot, idem.
Chris-
HOUND THE WORLD. 33J
Chiustophe Gil bert, corporal, aide
EOUND THE WORLD.
JDeparture from the Port of Sifiran, fituate
on the eaftern coaft of the Ijland of Luco-
nia, in 140 20' north-latitude, 126° 34' weft
of Cabo San Lucas, in California, 1210 20'
eaft of Paris, and 20' weft of San Ber~
nardo, in the mouth pf the fir ait.
I put to fea oji the 21ft of November, with
fine breezes from the eaft-north-eaft, and,eaft,
which in a little time became Strong; and as they
were directly contrary, I ran upon different tacks
to get to the northward, and clear the Ifland of
Catanduanes. Thefe winds carried me to the
latitude 16° 14', which I found by obfervation
on the 30th. I then bore away to the fouth-
fouth-eaft, and faw the ifland again on the 3d of
December; it bore from me fouth-eaft by fouth,
distant five leagues. I concluded, that the currents* had drifted me i° 26' to the weft, notwithstanding the correction which I had made of
piy north-north-weft courfe. In this pofition^
where I was delayed by the winds, which did not
allow me to ftepr to the fouth-eaft, I was further
* Befides the currents, the lee\\**ay had, without doubt,
piuch influenced the direction of the courfe : but it was apparently upon the reckoning of this leeway that the courfe
jiad been corrected.
obstructed
LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
obstructed by a heavy and mountainous fea, and
by winds extremely boisterous, which obliged me
often to lie to under the forefail, fuffering every
poffible difficulty to get to windward, fo as to be
able to continue my voyage.
The 9th of December, after having made feveral boards, I found myfelf again in fight of
Catanduanes, and took my laft departure from
it; the moft foutherly point of the ifland bearing weft-north-weft 3 deg. weft, distant ten or
twelve leagues; which put me in 130 24' latitude,
and 1220 26'longitude eaft of Paris, 46'eaft of
San Bernardo,
We had then tolerably freSh breezes from the
fouthward and weftward; I took the advantage
of them, to run to the eaftward till the 14th of
December, when the winds veered again to the
eaft-north-eaft, eaft, and eaft-fouth-eaft. Thefe
changes obliged me to run to the fouthward,
keeping clofe to the wind.
The 18th, according to one of the charts by
which I Shaped my courfe, I ought to have been
to the eaftward of the Ifland called The Martyr,
at feven leagues diftance; and between the 20th,
and 21 ft, I ought to have paffed by that called
The Triangle: but by another chart, I was on
the 19th in the proximity of the Ifland of Yap, or
the Great Caroline; and on the 20th, abreaft of
the Iflands of Pelew, without having fight of had they
not been feparated now and then. This fight
touched me to the very foul : I begged the King
to put an end to the combat; he acceded to
my requeSt, arid all of them did me honour for
the compaffion I -ft§d Shewn to thefe young fe-
-$$&lfs..
Th/*
ROUND THE WORLD* 38$
The tubou afterwards directed an old woman
to Sing for our entertainment: from her neck was
fufpended a tin cruet, (probably to contain fome
fluid required to moiften her mouth and throat).
She never ceafed Singing for half an hour together
in one Strain, accompanying her Song with actions and geftures, which might have made her
pafs for an actrefs declaiming on a theatre. The
diversion ended, we returned to the king's
houfe : I found the queen there ready to receive
me, which (hb did with her accuftomed Signs of
benevolence. I ajked her why She was not at the
entertainment; She anfwered me by faying, thefe
fort of combats were far from agreeable to her.
The ties of friendship now became Stronger than
ever, infomuch, that the tubou called me his
hoxa, that is to fay, his fon. I prefently took
leave of him and of the queen, and returned on
board my Ship. The Shore all the way was covered with Indians, who offered thoufands of ca-
reffes and kindneffes to my people for having
condefcended to be prefent at their fpectacle.
The conquerors took me upon their Shoulders,
and lifted me into my long boat. The tubou,
who from his houfe faw the crowd, and wrell knew
how much I fuffered when the Indians mixed with
my people, ordered his captains to drive away the
intruders, and he fell into fiich a paffion on the
occafipn, as to come out, with a great Stick in his
^Sfc Vol. I. C c hand,
386 LA PEROUSE'S VOYAGE
hand, Striking all thofe who fell in his way. They
fled into the woods, except two, more roughly
handled than the reft, who were left for dead upon
the fpot; I am at a lofs to know whether they recovered or not.
Every thing was in readinefs for our putting to
fea, and I refolved to do fo on the thirteenth, had
not a gale of wind from the north and from the
north-weft fprung up, blowing directly into the
paffage through which I was to go out. The wind
grew Stronger and Stronger, and yet at our an- ;
chorage the fea was fcarcely rougher than common; but notwithstanding all thajt, and though
I had three anchors down, the Sheet cable gave
way, and I remained riding by the hope*, and the
fmall bower.
On the 15th, the wind fell, but while I was
preparing to get under way to fea, the cable of
the hope broke, fo that I had only the fmall bower
anchor to hold my Ship. Thefe accidents, added
to the difappointments I had met with in the
courle of my voyage, deeply difconcerted me. All
my cables were rotten, as well as all thehaliards,
Sheets, tacks, braces, and lifts, in a word all the
cordage of the fhip*jy. This bad State of my rig-
ring
* This is the nam£ of an anchor in Spain. liSs*
f A long detail of the damage and accidents of the Ship's
tackling and rigging is paSTed over, a$ well as an endlefslif!
Klii of
ROUND THE WOULD* dg?
ring left me in the fad expectation of lofing my
laft anchor; under fuch an occurrence, nothing
but certain ruin was to be expected in fo distant
a clime. To fupply the firft preffing neceffity, I
had a cable carried to the neareft rock j it ferved
conjointly with my remaining anchor to hold my
fhip for the time, I employed people alfo to endeavour to fweep for the two loft anchors; they
laboured at the work for twenty-four hours without effect, the water was too deep.
The uneafinefs of mind with which I was afflicted, prevented my yielding to an invitation
from the tubou to be prefent at an entertainment
Similar to that which he had given before; but
this prince who called me his fon, and who without doubt loved me almolt as much as if I had
really been fo nearly allied to him, never* failed
to fend me every evening two bafkets of roots,
fome fowls, and fome fifh. He ordered all the
provifion, which had been amaffed for this intended fecond great fete, to be brought to me :
he came himfelf often on board the frigate, he
dined with me feveral times, and took his afternoon's nap on board.
On the 16th I tried to get out; the wind not
being fair, I plied to windward, and though
of complaints of the author, which could not be amufing
to the reader ; befides, there are a great many faults in th*
manufcript, and I am not fufficiently Salted & nautical
Wrafcology to correct thenvall.
388 LA P£ROUSE*S VOYAGE
the current counteracted my way, and the paflage
was fo narrow that I had fcarce room to tack, I
found myfelf on my laft Stretch to windward of
all the points; but a violent fquall taking me
a-head, drove me down towards the rocks between which I was failing. I found myfelf now
more diftreffed than ever: I had no other coisrfe
to take than to return to my old harbour, to let
go the anchor, and immediately carry a cable
to land to hold me in the belt rnanner poffible.
On the 18 th I (ent my firft pilot in the boat to
found another channel,'flickered, it is true, by
many islands, but which notwithstanding allowed
us an eafy outlet by means of the wind which
then prevailed. The pilot, when returned, affured us that in the whole channel the bottom
was good, free from banks, and the paffage wide
enough to tack, if neceffary. I prepared, therefore, to go out the day following, viz. the 19th ;
and on that day at two in the afternoon I had
gotten clear of all She islands; in my Situation it
was what I deflred the moft.
The Indians and the tubou did not expect this
Separation; it was without doubt affecting to
them; the king and the queen took leave of me
with the Strongest demonstrations of forrow, and
the Indians in their canoes accompanied us till we
were out of their archipelago.
This
■*■*
ROUND THE WORLD. 389
This harbour, which I named El Refugio, is
formed by three considerably large iflands, and by
many other fmaller ones. I gave to the whole
clufter the .name of Don Martin de May org a.
The harbour is fituate in 18* 36'fouth, and 179*
52' eaft of Paris. The fafeft Shelter is to be found
in it from all weathers: the winds may blow in
vain with the greateft fury, the fea will not be the
lefs calm; even a hurricane would not be felh
In going out betwreen thefe iflands, whether b^
the channel to the north-weft, or by that to the
fouth-weft, there is water of fifty-five fathoms,
with a flinty, Stony, or gravelly bottom. The
fame bottom goes all the way to the centre of
the gulf, two cables length from the land,
where the depth is but thirty-five or forty fathoms; the water Shoals even to twelve or fifteen
fathoms in fome of the creeks, There are in this
place neither Shoals nor reefs, it is neceffary,
however, to ehoofe an anchorage with the lead
going, becaufe in fome coves the bottom is in
part earth*, and part fand.
The fertility of the land is fuch, that its cultivation cannot fail to promife a favourable harveft*
Every where are feen an endlefs number of cocoa-
nut trees, beautiful banana trees, ranged in lines
with the greateft order, numerous plantations of
Should it not be rock, inftead of earth ?
potatoes,
39^ LA PER0USE S VOYAGE
potatoes, as may be conceived from the gr6at
quantities fent to us on board every day; other
roots very fweet, and nearly of the fame fpecies,
alfo abound there. Lime trees, fugar canes, fruits
.nearly refembling apples, oranges, and Shaddocks.
In a word, two or three equis having once
conducted me into a fertile part of the country,
I admired the order with which every thing was
difpofed ; no weeds were fuffered to grow between
the plants; their roads too were kept in repair
with a diligence deferving imitation by the moft
civilized nations. Noticing the zeal they evinced
for agriculture, I gave them fome garden beans,
ibme maize, fome feeds of pirnento, and of rice;
explaining to them their ufes, and affuring them,
that they would grow and profper in their fo much
better foil.
They alfo cultivate Shrubs, ranged in the fame
order as the banana trees, the bark of which ferves
them for weaving their cloaks or counterpanes -,
they make of it alfo a fort of petticoat.
The conduct of thefe Indians, during the whole
time of our Stay in their harbour, testifies the
confidence they repofed in us: it- was not in my
power to fhew the fame for them. I never went
Qn fhore but with an armed detachment, which
infpired them with terror, in confequence they
never
ROUND THE WORLD. 39!
never gave us any ground to complain, if it were
nor from their inclination to ftfcal, a paffion which
the Indians cannot Surmount. Every time they
came on board, clothes, iron-work, whatever fell
in their way, they confidered as lawful prize. They
drew out through the port-holes, or the windows,
whatever was within their reach. They thieved
even to the very chain of the rudder: I made
my c6mplaints to the king; he gave me permiffion
to kill whomfoever I Should detect in the act; and
I was affured he had himfelf difcovered and punished with death the authors of the complained
of theft. Our vigilance was neceffarily called into
action; we furprifed the islanders Striving to tear
away the new rudder chains; we fired a piftol at
tjaem, one of them fell dead on the occafion,
and this was an awful leffon for thofe who were either on board, or alongside of the frigate; they
faid to themfelves, or to one another ckitp (robber)
fuma (death),
I did all in my power ta difeover whether they
had any fort of religion, whether they worshipped
any creature or falfe god; we Saw nothing which
could make lis even fufpect any adoration of this
nature.
We eafily pronounced the words of their language, they pronounced thofe of ours alfo equally
eafy; a Stay of a few months would have enabled
\\js to make ufe of either indifferently. If my
C c 4 nusfor-
39^ LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
misfortunes had not wholly abforbed my mind, I
Should have collected together numerous words of
their tongue, which might have ferved as a vocabulary for holding a converfation with thefe Indians.
In the few interviews I had with them, I got
the names of all the parts of the human body, and
of the cardinal numbers up to ten.
They affured me, that two frigates had touched
and refreshed at their iflands, that the captains,
with five or fix officers each, had Slept on Shore;
that they had received from them chaplets of
glafs beads, fome hatchets*, and adzes.
■ On the 16th of March, when I was getting
ready to depart, they told me, that two Ships
Similar to my own were then making fail to the
north-weft; and they enumerated fo many parti-*
culars of the fact, that it was impoffible to doubt
the truth of it.
The equis commonly wear a mother-of-pearl
Shell about the neck : they have the little finger
of both hands cut off clofe to the root.
The tubou endeavoured in every poffible way
to engage me to retire with the frigate to the
place of his ufual abode, where he urged, that I
* It may be concluded from this that the frigates were
Spanifti, and probably alfo the two veSTels about to be
fpoken of.
fhould
■^
ROUND THE WORLD. 393
fhould find a much greater plenty of eatables. I
Should certainly have accepted his firft invitation
in the profpect of finding better Shelter, and more
especially for the "greater facilities the change of-
fered for putting my rigging in order, which circumstance other Indians as well as he did not
fail to hold up to me and affure me of, but the
nature of my cornmiffion did not permit me to
follow my own inclination.
During the Short Stay I made in this harbour, I
was not able to difcover what were precif
th
functions of the equis, how they were distributed,
of what nature was the authority of the tubou,
or how far his power extended. The laft days in
particular of my remaining in port my chagrin
was fuch, that I thought of nothing elfe but how
I Should put to fea again. Otherwift
it
may
affirmed with truth that, except for the Sad accident of parting my cables, which expofed me to
a thoufand dangers, I Should never have made a
more happy Stay in port; Since befides a fufficient
provision of water, and the repairing twenty-five
pipes empty and unfit for ufe, we found more refreshment for the crew, than we could have had in
our own harbours: there was confequently no
caufe to regret the half allowance which I ceafed
to distribute; there was a fuperfluous provi-
the
defperate Slate, reco-
2 vered
fion for 'many days: the fcorbutic, who by
xurgeon s report were in
394 ^A perouse's voyage
vered their health while there. We, in Short, met
with a prince fo much dilpofed in our favour, that
he unceasingly clafped me in his arms, offering meat the fame time every thing' he had at his
command.
Departure from Port Refugio, in the Iflands of
Don Martin de Mayorga, in latitude i8° 38'
Jouth, ayidiycf 52' eajl of Paris.
The 20th of March, having gotten clear of all the
iflands, I kept clofe hauled with the wind from the
eaft-north-eaft, running to the fouth-eaft, or to
the points of the compafs neareft. In this courfe
we difcovered, bearing fouth 6o° 30' eaft, a very
elevated ifland, distant, fifteen or Sixteen leagues;,,
and at fun-fct, three other iflands were visible, ex-.
tending from the fouth to the weft-fouth-weft^
five degrees weft, and five degrees distant from the
moft easterly.
This view obliged me to put about at nine,
o'clock at night. At one o'clock I again tacked.
to the fouthward, to -get near to thefe islands./
We perceived in the islands neareft to us above,
forty-eight Sires.
The 21ft, at Sun-rife, wre counted ten islands,
on the Starboard hand, and fix on the larboard :
we crbffed to the fouthward of them by the large
channels they form between them. We faw none
HOUND THE WORLD. - 391}
a-head of us until arrived in a vaft gulf we difcovered, at the diftance of about five or fix leagues,
an infinite number of iflands, which defcribed a
circumference to a great extent, the centre of which
we occupied. In crofting one of the Straits formed
by thefe islands, we faw the bottom ; by the lead
we had five fathoms, but for an inftant only; the
moment afterwards the depth increafed.
Seeing myfelf furrounded by fo many low
iflands, or little iflets, which left numerous channels between them, I attempted to get out by
fome one of thefe openings; but on approaching
them we found them obstructed by furious breakers,
which did not allow me to get out to the fouthward. I refolved to Stand to the weftward towards that very lofty ifland we had feen the day
before at a great diftance. I did not doubt but
I Should be able in its vicinity to explore a
way out of this archipelago.
As foon as the fun rofe, various canoes arrived fucceffively after each other, loaded with
the fame fruits and provision as thofe of the
iflands I had juft quitted. The marketing began ; Shreds of cloth were the price of their commodities.
The tubou of thefe iflands fent me two hogs,
and fome cocoas: he invited me to go to the
island where he refided. He came afterwards
himieJf
» if
39^ * and to which he gave this
name ? He Should havetnformed us.
fmall
39S la p'erouse s voYAG£
fmall island by itfelf, which I named La Sola*
The 27th, we perceived another to the weft-
fouth-weft, three degrees weft, at the diftance
of ten leagues. I gave it the name of Vafquez.
The night between the 27th and 28th, the
wind became violent, and the fea very high, At
midnight I was obliged to bring to till day break:
the weather then grew ferene, and I Stood to the
weftward, with a light breeze from the north-
eaft.
The 29th, finding myfelf in 2^° 52' fouth latitude, and as I fuppofed in 1790 17' to the £aft
of Paris, the wind veered to the weftward: I
availed myfelf of it by Steering fouth-eaft-by-
eaft, deSirous to get more to the fouthward, at
the fame time to make eafting in my longitude.
I followed this courfe till the 3d of April, when,
in 300 o' of latitude, and 174° 22' longitude
weft of Paris, the wind became almoft entirely
calm. i
Thus circumstanced, and'upon continual complaints being made that the Ship's bread was not
eatable, I refolved to look at it myfelf. When I
law the State it was in, I could not but consider
myfelf as, placed in the moft dreadful Situation,
to which any human being could be reduced,
who fails in unknown feas, without hope of any
fuccour. I never can look back to that fad moment, but the recollection of the afflicting pic-
. ture
round the World. 399
lure, which then Struck my fight, again rends my
heart in pieces. I can declare with confidence,
that if God had not fupported me in that for-
rowful and trying Situation, I Should have funk into
the deepeft defpair, feeing no proipect whatever
of continuing our voyage.
I called Don Jofeph Vafquez, the firft pilot,
tome, Don Juan D'Echeverrla, the fecond; as
alfo all the warrant officers; and I appointed Don
Pedro Carvajal, the furgeon, to make the written report of the council we were going to hold,
and of the deliberations which might be taken
thereon.
I led them one by one into the bread room.
We there found millions of cockroaches: it is neceffary a man Should have feen them with his
own eyes, to have an idea of the number of thefe
infects. Thefe pelts had fo much infefted the
Ship, that the holy father, who officiated as
chaplain, was obliged to have recourfe to exor-
cifms more than once. For my own part, I had
the precaution to distribute in the cabins, bread
i%oms, and in every part of the Ship, pots*
fmeared on the infide with honey mixed with'
fugar: every day brought me a bucketful of
thefe infe&s. I confumed in this manner almoft
* In the text, fpittfag pots are made ufe of,
all
40$ LA PEROUSE s voyage
all my honey, and their number did not appeaf
diminished.
The bread, at firft opening the room, feemed
untouched ; but near the partitions, all the bif-
cuit had disappeared, and the floor prefented nothing but a mafs of bran andduft. In regard to
the diminution of the allowance which I had.
ordered on the 16th of February, and to the
retrenchment of an ounce in every pound, which
had been made even from our firft departure from.
Sifiran, there ought Still to have remained three
hundred and twenty-nine arrobes* of bread, without counting the other provision, which were in
plenty enough: but on that unhappy day I faw
myfelf reduced to two large binns of duft rather
than bread-}-. I ordered the three caSks of re-
ferve to be opened, which had been well hooped
and pitched in the feams: they Shewed no appearance of having ever held any bread; they were
filled with cockroaches only.
I immediately took the precaution to pick out
all the bread poffible, and to lock it up in the
arm chefts, and in that which contained the Ship's
colours. It was weighed, and was found to be
* The arrobe weighs twenty-five pounds; the pound 1$
16 ounces.
f Muck is abridged here from the original.
forty
*m
ROUND THE WORLD. 40*
forty arrobes. In the ne^t place, I ordered the
potatoes which the Ship's crew might have, to be
collected together : but as- it was fifteen days fincb
the provision had been given out, there could
fcarcely be two baskets full collected. Thirdly,
I ordered all the hogs to be killed, as alfo all the
other animals, except fome few fowls designed
for the ufe of the lick. I kept for the fame fer-
vice, too, what little honey remained out of the
Stock I laid in at Sifiran. The fourth precaution
I thought it neceffary to take, was inftantly to
fufpend even the allowance of bread, and to dif-
tribute to every one of the crew, a fmall ration
of the potatoes, with which I had fupplied myfelf from the Indians, three ounces of pork, and
one of rice. I had no other object in all this
but to preferve their lives, till I Should be in a
condition to afford them greater Succour. Laftly,
I refolved to Share with them my own provifion,
referving for the laft refource the two chefts, which
I confidered as facred.
After having taken all thefe refolutions, I held
a council with the officers I have before men*
tioned. I reprefented to them what I had done
Since the 20th of January, what bread there ought
to have remained in Store, and what actually did
remain. I told them, that I Should the more readily
communicate to them the precautions I intended
to take, as they had themfelves been ftibje&ed
Vol. I Dd &
$6% LA PEftOUSE $ VOYAGE
to the retrenchments which I had believed it
neceffary to make, retrenchments which had occasioned my being confidered as a tyrant, as
having an unfeeling heart, as a man who had
thrown off every fentiment of humanity; that we
were then feventeen hundred and Sixty leagues
from Peru, twelve hundred and forty from
Guam, in the Marians; that the winds would be
favourable for following either of thefe routes,
except fome calms or contrarieties, which always
might be expected in fuch voyages; that they
had the State of the provision under their own
eyes; in Short, I begged of them to declare what
they would do, if they had the command of a
Ship under Similar circumstances. They all unanimously anfwered, that death only could be
worfe than the condition we were then in; that
of the two routes propofed, although neither the
one nor the other held out much hope of fafety,
yet, that it was not poffible to difpenfe with the
preference for the Marians, trying at the fame
time if fome relief might not be had at the
iflands of Martin De Mayorga, concluding that
we had not provision for a month. The firft
and Second pilot fupported all that had been re-
prefented to me; I myfelf being perfuaded that
their- advice was the beft, but above all, being unwilling to contribute to the lofs of fo many unfortunate perfons, or obstinately to oppofe what
appeared
ROUND THE WORLD, 403
appeared to me to be moft for the intereft
of the king, gave orders for Steering to the
northward, with a view of getting forty leagues to
the eaftward of the iflands at which I had already
touched, and where I hoped Still to find fome
refreshments. This refolution I did not take,
however, without a fenfation more painful than
that which accompanied the infpection of the
bread and other provision: I would have preferred death to Standing again to the northward ;
and if I had not allowed myfelf to be dictated to
by calm reafon, I had taken the mad refolution
to have purfued our voyage to the eaftward.
The calmnefs of my mind now forfook me ; I was
far from experiencing that tranquillity of foul,
with which I have often endured an infinity of
vexations and croffes in the very dangerous
voyages I have undertaken for making n@w difcoveries** The reflection, that we could not
take any other Step, was not fufficient to pacify
me, efpecially when I recollected, that this difcovery of our wretched condition took place
juft as we had overcome the difficulties of our
navigation, when in Short we had reached a
latitude in which we could rely on favoura-
* What Services would not this navigator render to geography, if he thought proper to communicate his difcoveries to the public 1
Dd
bk
4$4 LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
ble winds, fuch as I counted on for fpeedily arid
fuccefsfully completing our voyage. It is certain, however, that if the idea had occurred to
me a fortnight later, of looking myfelf into the
State of our provision, our greateft hope remaining woull have been only to breathe on fome
defert ifland, had we met with fuch a one. And
in our actual Situation, if the refreshments the
Indians furnished us with had been lefs abundant, there would have been no other courfe left
me, but to have fought the firft land whither
we might betake ourfelves as to a refuge, It was
then, in truth, an interference of providence, by
which we found the iflands of Mavorga, whence
we had drawn fuch powerful and timely relief.
With variable winds, which blew from every
f)oint in the horizon from the 4th of April, I
continued my courfe to the north, or as nearly fo
as I could between that point and the eaft. The
9th a breeze from the fouth-eaft to the north-
6aft began to prevail: I took advantage of it to
get forty leagues to the eaftward of the iflands,
in order to find them the more eafily^ in following their parallel.
On the 16th the wind moderated, the 18th it
frefhened, accompanied with dark clouds and
heavy rains; we were obliged to lie to all the
night. At day-break we ran down towards the
iflands, but the current had carried us fome minutes
to
ROUND THE WORLD. A^J 40j
to the northward; the bad weather prevented us
from taking any obfervation; thefe islands besides being very low, we did not perceive them.
We faw to the nbrth-weft the ifland which is to
the fouth-weft feven degrees fouth of the island
of Latte, and being nearer it, we made Latte
at the diftance of fix leagues. It thence refulted,
_that my reckoning was thirty miles aftern of the
fhip, and confequently that we had paSfed between the two groups of iflands, De Galvez and
De Mayorga, at a little diftance from both, but
which the continued fogs, and a cloudy Sky, had
prevented us from feeing.
As the only hope which fupported my failors
was to be able to gain the iflands of Mayorga, I
hauled my wind as clofe as poffible, and reefed my
top-fails, but the fea was high, the wind violent,
and the night dark; I was therefore obliged to
give up the idea of making thefe iflands, perfuaded,
that I could not approach, them 'which befides
was very doubtful) without lofing many days.
My crew, however, grew disheartened at the unhappy State they faw themfelves in; their weakness was fo great that, in order to hoift a top-fail,
it was often neceffary the men from the forecaftle
and the quarter deck Should mutually affift each
other. The moft rigorous diet of an holpitai could
not have enfeebled them more. To raife their
Ipirits, I defired them to consider, that by the
D d 3 courfe
m
****
^n
406 LA PEROUSE's VOYAGE
courfe we held, we Should infallibly fall in with
other iflands, where they might recruit their
Strength; that the winds were favourable, and
that we advanced with flowing Sheets every day
towards the termination of. our fufferings. Thefe
reafons compofed them, they took patience.
On the 21 St, we difcovered to the north-north-
eaft, and to the eaft-north-eaft, two islands, which
I named Confolacion, becaufe my crew derived
comfort from them, being" thence provided with
fweet potatoes, pigs, cocoa-nuts, bananas and
fowls, which the natives brought us, during
the thirty hours I remained on their Shore. If
the weather had been a little lefs unfavourable,
our fupplies had been more abundant; the crew,
however, by barter and exchange, in which their
clothes were fo little fpared as to endanger their
Stripping themfelves naked, made provision for
more than eight days; our failors again recovered
their ttrength, and were in a better condition to
fupport the greateft misfortune that yet awaited
them.
As on our approach to the island we faw
coming towards us a great number of canoes
laden with provision, I fufpended the fcanty allowance which I furnished from my own Store :
it is eafy to conceive the object of this par-
irnony.
The
ROUND THE WORLD. 407
The Indians of thefe iflands fpeak the fame
language as thofe of Refugio, their character of
mind is the fame. Their confidence in us was
fiieh, that nineteen among them Slept on board
without our being able to prevent them ; and the
following day we were obliged to have recourfe to
force to rid ourfelves of their company.
They were defirous of engaging me to land in
their ifland, where they faid they would exchange
with us a great many large hogs, the fmallnefs of their
canoes permitting them only to Ship the leaft ; but
as my time was precious, I fatisfied myfelf in feeing that no one neglected himfelf, and that all provision was made of which the circumftances allowed;
The 2 2d, at night, I Steered to the north norths-
weft, with a light wind from the north*, and in
this courfe I difcovered, on the 24th, another
ifland, which I named Maurelle. The wind became calm, except a few fqualls, and fome transient puffs from the north, which prevented my
making the ifland before fun fet: a fouth-eaft
wind then fpringing up, I got within three leagues
diftance; but the night, and this distance, too
great for the little canoes of thefe Indians, made
* There is fome error here 5 I cannot believe that with a
yrind from the north the Spaniards could have failed to the
north-north-weft: it ought to be read, without doubt,
£ wind from the. north-eajl, or a courfe to the vjejlrnorth-wefi.
Ddi
two
403 LA PEROUSF/s VOYAGE
two of them that were failing toward us go back,
laden no doubt with refreshments.
The winds continued to blow from the firft
and fecond quarter, (from the north:to eaft, and
from the eaft to South) fometimes freSh, fome-
times fo faint that they lulled at laft into a calm.
I availed myfelf of every favourable moment, and
on the 5th of May I was in latitude fix degrees.—In this pofition we found a very low
ifland furrounded by a fandy Shore, which terminated in an impenetrable reef, near to which I
could find no ground with a line of more than
fifty fathoms. The ifland was covered with a
thick plantation of * cocoa-nut trees. This fight
gave the more pleafure to the Ship's company, as
the provision obtained at Confolacion Ifland were
exKkhfted that very day. I fent the long boat
armed, to bring us, if poffible, a good Supply of
cocoa-nuts; the breakers of the reef prevented
her landing; the frigate, nevertheless, got fo near
the Shore, that the natives fpoke to us from the
heights; but we faw no means of getting clofer.
However the Indians launched their canoes not
without extreme difficulty in confequence of the
obstacle of the reef. They reached the Ship in
great numbers, but the difficulty of the navigation had not allowed them to load their canoes
* It will be feen prefently that this ifland was called Ifla.
dtl Cocal. Cocal Signifies a plantation of cocoa palms.
with
ROUND THE WORLD. 409
with any considerable quantity of cocoa-nuts.
They tried to tow the frigate, by making a number of lines faft to her head, and rowing altogether towards the ifland, whence they threw
ropes alfo to haul us in towards the Shore. Finding after a trial of fix hours that they had not
made any progrefs, and expecting no fuccefs at
laft, I fet fail to the north-weft.
The inhabitants of this iflet already began to
vary the pronunciation of feveral common words
from the other iflands. They came on board fo
befmeared with paint, that a man mighiibave been
tempted to take them for the images of demohs.
The greater part of-them had beards fo long
as to hang down upon their breafts. Near the
cocoa-nut plantation was fo great a number of
huts, difpofed in fuch excellent order, that the
population might reafonably bethought considerable.
On the 6th I felt obliged to reduce the at
lowance of bread to five ounces, the pork to
three, and the beans to two, all which I took out
of my own provision, there being none in the
King's Stores; and although I thought it impof-
fible that my crew could be Supported upon ten
ounces of bad victuals, yet the fad manner in
which the Ship was provided did not allow me to
afford them more,
The
*&
\\
4IO LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
The fame day, at night, we Saw another ifland,
flatter, but larger than the preceding; I called
it San-Augufiin : I left it to the fouth-weft at
the diftance of fix leagues.
On the 13th, in re-croffing the line, we had
fqualls from every point of the compafs. AH the
remarks I had made on the State of the horizon,
after leaving Cocal Ifland, ferved to perfuade me,
that wre had left to the eaft a great deal of land,
which, without doubt, along with Solomon's
Iflands, forms a String of iflands more or lefs
open to the fouth of the equinoctial line.
During the Short time that-the allowance of
bread was lirnitdd to five ounces, there was not
one of all the crew but complained of a weakness in the Stomach. All were fo feeble, that the
Jyinds of the forecattle-and quarter-deck together
could with difficulty hoift the fails; this often
obliged us to work the Ship in a more difadvanta-
geous manner, than we Should otherwife have
s
dc
-On the 22d I reckoned I was upon the flats of
St* Barthelemy. Prudence would ^ave required,
without doubt, that I Should fometimes lay to during the night, the more fo, as the wind was not
only brisk, but fometimes very Strong: yet I was
too much affected by the melancholy condition of
my people, the greater part of whom were attacked
with the fcurvy, occasioned by the bad quality of
2 | the
4ii
lling* to lofe a
1, and The extreme vigi-
the whole crew fupplied
I Should have taken under
ROUND THE WOR
the bread. I was therefore'nc
moment; I crowded' iail, and '
lance I recommended t
thofe precautions, whicl
other circumitances.
On the 24th our latitude was 139 16' north,
and all the dangers were oven I then Steered weft>
by-north for Guam, the capital of the Marians,
where on the 31ft I anchored in the road of
Umata; and I received there, without delay, the
relief neceffary for re-eftabliShing the health of
my crew.
As I had only one anchor, which was too little
to trull to in the road, I fent an exprefs immediately to Don Philippe Zerain, governor of the
ifland. I communicated to him the then State of
my Ship, and the object of my cornmiffion; I entreated him to put me as fpeedily as poffible into
a condition to fet fail - again; I declared to him,
that however worn my fails and rigging might be,
I was neverthelefs refolved to make for New Spain,
in order to deliver into the hands of the viceroy
of Mexico the important difpatches, with which
I was entrusted. I added, that I hoped he would
facilitate my obtaining the indifpenfable Supplies
neceffary for fo long a voyage: that I did not aik
for thofe articles of food which were cuftomarily
furnished to the King's Ships (they could not have
been obtained in the presidency) but thofe only
fccS which
LA PER0USE S VOYAGE
which eould be collected in the ifland, requiring
only that their quantity on the whole might be
equivalent to. the ordinary victualling.
The governor would himfelf be the judge of all
that was neceffary to the fuccefs of my com-
mifiion. Conceiving of how much confequence
it would be, Should the violence of the wind
blow us out of'the. road, and feeing my crew
totally bereft of provision, he fent a temporary
fupply on board for fifteen days in rice, maize, and
hogs, without discontinuing the daily refreshments
furniShed us for the recovering the health of the
fcorbutic, and enabling the crew to' undertake a
new voyage. He fent alfo to another presidency,
at ten leagues diftance from Umata, for a very old
anchor: it actually wanted a fourth part of the
Stock, but I repaired it in a manner fo as to
render it fit for fervice, and by the help of a
wooden anchor, which I constructed with the carpenter's affiftance, v/e were at the end of eight
days riding by three anchors, not however entirely
to the fatisfaction of the crew.
Nothing now remained to be done but taking
in water, for affuring our fubfiftence, whether at
anchor or under fail. Upon my firft arrival I had
taken care to fee my calks put aShore one after
the other: it was not long Since they had been
filled at the Mayorga Iflands.
What was then our aftonilhment when w$
i " found
H0t?ND THE WORLD,.
4.1'
found we had no more than two butts of water,
and even one of thefe wanted full a barrel of being
complete ! I requested the governor, the major
of the fort, and my whole crew, to be witneffes,
with their own eyes, of the enormous watte. Every
$ue rendered thanks to God for having Saved us
from the imminent danger with which we had
been threatened.
As moft of the Staves, and all the heads were
eaten into throughout, we were obliged to repair them anew: but after this work, the butts,
which before held fix barrels, now held only four.
We could therefore make up of thefe wrecks
only forty-eight butts. The governor, comprehending th*3 insufficiency of this fupply, tent on
board thirty Cannes, each containing eight quar-
tilloes *. This fupply appeared to be incompetent
to make up for the ravages we had reafon to
txpect from the destructive infects. I affumed
courage, however, hoping that in the abundance
of our provision they would find wherewith to
fatiate themfelves.
* Here is probably fome miftake. According to Pau&on
(Trmte des Mefures, Folds, &c.) the thirty Cannes, of
eight quartilloes each, would have contained but a hundred
and twenty-five Paris pints; and more than the half lefs,
according to Sejournart's Dictionary. This would have
heen a very weak fupply indeed I it is neceSTary apparently,
to read eight hundred or eight thoufand quartilloes.
The
414 JA PEROUSESVOYAGE
The eatables which I obtained, without any
eoft to the royal treafury, were a hundred and
forty anegues* of maize, fixtyof rice, thirty hogs,-
twenty young bulls (or oxen perhaps) forty-five
a
—*
418 LA PEROtTSE'S VOYAGE
departure, and the other was attacked with a
phthisis when he embarked *.
San-Bias, the 27th of September, 1781,
On board the frigate the Princeffa.
F. A. MAURELLE.
EXTRACT
From the narrative of a voyage made in 1779*
by Don Francisco-Antonio Maurelle, enfign of
I frigate, in the fervice of the King of Spain,
for difcovering the weft coaft of North America*
Within a few years the Spaniards have under*
taken three voyages for examining the W7eft coafts
of North America. In the firft, Don Juan Perez,
chief pilot, afcended as high as 55 deg. of latitude ; and, upon his return, he twice reconnoitred
the coaft between this point and the port of Monterey,
* I have not been difpofed to add any remark to th£
narrative of this voyager which is intitled interefling by
Maurelle; but as in hydrography fome fervice is derived
from the moft inexacl journals, notwithstanding the too Severe judgment againft this by La Peroufe in the extract of
his correspondence, in the laft volume, I have thought, ^t
might become ufeful to fome navigators, or throw light
upon" fome.geographical difcuftions. (Fr.Ed.J
The
ROUND THE WORLD. 419
The fecond voyage is of the date of 1775, and
for this purpofe a frigate and a fchooner were fitted
out. The fchooner was commanded by Don Juan
Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra, a lieutenant in
the navy. Don Maurelle, who accompanied Don
de la Bodega, and who was then but fecond pilot,
Sketched a relation of this expedition. A copy of it
fell into the hands of the English, and the Hon,
Dairies Barrington has published it, translated into
English ; captain Cook mentions it in the account
of his third voyage ; but captain Dixon, in the introduction to the narrative of the voyage he made
in thefe feas, accufes Don Maurelle of manifest
falfehood ; it is inconteftible, according to him,
that this officer has never been in thofe tracks
where he is faid to boaft of having made what
captain Dixon calls fruitlefs refearches. The ac-
cufation is Strong; if it be well founded, Don
Maurelle certainly merits no confidence. He
fays, " We now attempted to find out the ftrait
if of Admiral Fuentes, though as yet we had not
R difcovered the archipelago of St. Lazarus,
" through which he is faid to have failed. With
§j| this intent, we fearched every bay and recefs
$ on the coaft, and failed round every headland,
I lying to in the night, that we might not lofe
" fight of this entrance. After thefe pains taken,
j and being favoured by a north-weft wind, it
*' may be pronounced that no fuch ftraits are to
E e 2 i be
42p LA PE&OUSE S VOYAGE
" be found *." Captain Dixon next proceeds to
Say, fpeaking of Queen Charlotte's Iflands, " The
" fituation of thefe iflands, viz. from 54 degrees
" 20 min. to 51 deg. 56 min. north latitude, and
" from 130 to 133 deg. 30 min. weft longitude,
ci evidently Shews that they are the archipelago
" of St. Lazfarus." But is it fully proved, that
what captain Dixon calls Queen Charlotte's Iflands,
is really a group of many iflands ? We are
told, that " there is every reafon to believe it, by
" considering the great number of fmall Straits
" which have been feen in ranging along the
S coaft." But thefe fmall Straits may be nothing
elfe than creeks; no one of them has been penetrated into. Captain Dixon had other affairs to
attend to; his object was not to make difcoveries, but to purchafe fine furs cheap, and to fell
them dear at China. Befides, he is not the auf
thor of the narrative; it is, fays the introduction,
by a perfon as little practifed in the literary career,
as accuftomed to a maritime life. But captain
Dixon tells us, in the fame introduction, that he
has carefully corrected whatever relates to navigation. All, without doubt, is very well corrected ;
but to fupport the erroneous opinion, which
people appear to be in, of the reality of the
difcoveries of Admiral Fuentes, it is not neceffary
f See Barrington's Mifcellanies, page 508."
to
ROUND THE WORLD. 4&fe
to tax with impofture a navigator, who had no
other view than to make new difcoveries.
The difcoveries made by Maurelle in the fecpnd
expedition extended to the 58th degree of latitude. Don Maurelle particularifed them upon a
chart, which probably has not fallen into the
hands of the English : the Spaniards will publish"
it perhaps, and then the difcoveries of Maurell%
may be combined with thofe of Cook and Dixon.
Don de la Bodega and Maurelle difcovered,
among the reft, in lat. 550 18", the entrance into
a harbour which they fuppofed to be a very
good one; they gave to this entrance or opening
the name of Paffagio de Bucarelli, in honour of
friar Don Antonio-Maria Bucarelli y Urfua, viceroy of Mexico, who fpared nothing which depended on him to facilitate the fuccefs of thefe
expeditions. They difcovered two very good harbours alfo, that of Guadelupa, in 570 1i', and that
of Los Remedios, in 570 18'. Cook, in his third
voyage, in 1778, had a view of thefe harbours,
but he did not put into them.
The King of Spain gave orders for a third expe-
pedition, in 1777; it was intended, to complete
the examination of the north-weft coaft of America, from the 58th degree to the 70th. Don Bucarelli fitted out two frigates. Don Ignacio Ar-
teaga, a lieutenant ir* the navy, commanded the,
Princejfa $ La Favorita was under the orders of
Ee 3 pon
4ZZ LA 1?ER0USE S VOYAGE
Don de la Bodega, who took Don Maurelle for
fecond captain, then enfeigne de fregate. They
agreed to rendezvous firft at the entrance of Bucarelli, where they were to take in wood and water,
&c.
On the nth of February, 1779, they left the
harbour of San Bias, which they place in lat.
21° 30' north, and long. 1070 6' weft of Paris,
They arrived, the 3d of May, at the entrance of
Bucarelli, the geographic Situation of which, according to them, is in $$° 18' north, and 1390 if weft
of Paris. There does not - ppear to be a ground for
questioning the exactness of the latitude of Don
Maurelle; fo much cannot be faid of his longitudes, which probably were not determined by-
obfervation, but by account. According to a
Survey made by captain Cook the preceding year,
on the coafts adjacent to the entrance of Bucarelli,
this entrance ought to be very nearly 2270 to the
eaft of Greenwich, or 1350 one-third to the weft
of Paris.
Bucarelli's entrance introduced the Spaniards
into a vaft gulf; they anchored there the third of
May, in a harbour, than which, they fay, there
Is not a finer in Europe; they gave it the name
of Puerta de la Cruz.
On the 18th of May Don Maurelle was diA
patched with two longboats to make the tour of
the gulf
|j|l In,
ROUND THE WORLD. 423
In this expedition, which he did not finish till
the 12th of June, he furveyed all the capes, all
the iflands, all the principal parts of the great
gulf; he delineated all the creeks, all the bays,
and all the particular harbours.
Every one of thefe bays, every one of thefe harbours, fays he, are good and fafe. He gave names
. to all thefe places; and afterwards laid down an
extenfive and very exact plan of the whole of the
great gulf: it is much to be wished this plan was
published, as wdl as the chart Don Maurelle
constructed of the coafts and the iflands that the
Spaniards difcovered in the courfe of their expedition. The chart, however, would be lefs effen-
tial than the plan, the fame coafts having been
vifited by Cook the preceding year$ but fome
particulars might be found in it which may have
efcaped the English argonaut.
Don Maurelle met with very few habitations
in his expedition; he faw but one village, fituate
at the top of a high hill; it was not to be afcended
but by a flight of Steps, or rather by a wooden
ladder ; if the foot flipped you fell down the precipice.
The Spaniards were not a long time in the
harbour of La Cruz without receiving a visit
from the Indians in its neighbourhood, Bartering
took place; the Indians gave their peltry, and
E e 4 various
424
LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
various trifles, for glafs beads, bits of old iron, &c„
By this traffic the Spaniards were enabled to gain
a fufficiently exact knowledge of their genius, of
their offensive and defensive arms, of their manufactures, &c.
Their colour is a clear olive; many among them
have, however, a perfectly white Skin: their countenance is well proportioned in all its parts. They
are robuft, courageous, arrogant, and warlike.
They clothe themfelves in one or two undreffed
ikins (with the fur apparently); thefe are the Skins
of otters, of fea wolves, of benades (a fpecies of
deer), of bears, or other animals, which they take
in hunting. Thefe dreffes cover them from the
fieck to the middle of the leg; there,are, however,
many among them who wear boots of fmootfi
Skin, refembling EngliSli boots, only that thofe of
the Indians open before, and are laced tight with
a String. They wear hats woven from the fine
bark of trees, the form of which refembles that
of a funnel, or a cone. At the wrifts they
have bracelets of copper or iron, or for want of
thefe metals, the fins of whales; and round the
neck, necklaces of fmall fragments of bones of
fifhes, and other animals, and even copper collars
of the bignefs of two fingers. They wear in their
ears pendants of mother of pearl, or flat pieces of
popper, on which is emboffed a refin of a topaz
colour.
ROUND THE WORLD. 42.5
colour, and which are accompanied i with jet
beads. Their head of hair is long and thick,
and they make ufe of a comb, very like ours, to
hold it together in a fmall queue from the middle
to the extremity ; a narrow ribbon of coarfe
linen, woven for this purpofe, ferves as a ligament.
They wear alfo, as a covering, a fpecies of
fcarfs* a vare and half long -f and one vare broad,
woven as the peillons J of Peru; all around it hangs
a fringe half a quarter of a vare broad, the thread
of'which is regularly twitted.
The women give proofs of their modefty and
decency by their drefs. Their phyfiognomy is
agreeable, their colour freSh, their cheeks ver-
millioned, and their hair long ; they plait it together in one long trefs. They wear a long robe of
a fmooth fkin tied round the loins, like that of a
nun; it covers them from the neck as low as the
feet -, the Sleeves reach down to the wrifts. Upon
.* It is in the Spanifli, algunas prefadas. I know not
whether prefadas ftgnify any other thing than green colour,
perhaps prefadas has been written for Jrazadas, a covering ;
the/ for they, and the * for the z are often met with in the
manufcript.
f The Spanilh vare is about three French feet long.
f % The SpaniSh peillon is a fpecies of ancient robe, which
is ftill in ufe at Peru ; the editor has not been able to dif-
f oyer how it is woven.
this
426 LA PEROUSE's VOYAGE
this robe they put divers Skins of otters or other
animals to defend themfelves from the inclemency
of the weather. Better dreffed, many of them
might difpute charms with the moft handfome
Spanish women ; but diffatisfied with their natural
charms, they have recourfe to art, not to embellish, but to disfigure themfelves. All the
married women have a large opening in the under
lip, and this opening or orifice is filled up by a
piece of wood cut in an oval Shape, of which the
. fmalleft diameter is ahiioft an inch; the more a
woman is advanced in years the more this curious
ornament is extended : it renders them frightful,
the old women efpeeially, whofe lip, deprived of its
wonted fpring, and dragged by the weight of this
extraordinary jewel, neceffarily hangs in a very
disagreeable manner. The girls wear only a
copper needle, which croffes the lip in the place
where the ornament is intended hereafter to be
placed.
Thefe Indians in war make ufe pf cuiraffes and
Shoulder pieces of a manufacture like that of the-
whalebone Stays among the Europeans. Narrow
boards or fcantlings form, in fome Sort, the woof of
the texture, and threads are the warp : in this
manner the whole is very flexible, and leaves, a
free ufe to the arms for the handling of weapons,.
They wear round the neck a coarfe and large
gorget which covers them as high as below the
eyes.
23E
"ROUND THE WORLD. 427
eyes, and their head is defended by a morion, or
Skull-piece, ufually made of the head of fome ferocious animal. From the waift downwards,. they
wear a kind of apron, of the fame contexture as
their cuirafs. Laftly, a fine Skin * hangs from their
Shoulders down to the knee. With this armour,
they are invulnerable to the arrows of their enemies j
but thus armed, they cannot change pofition with
lb much agility as if they were lefs burdened.
Their offensive arms are arrows; bows of which
the Strings are woven like the large cords of our beft
mufical instruments; lances four vares in length,
tongued with iron; knives of the fame metal,
longer than European bayonets, a weapon how*
ever not very common among them; little axes-
of flint, or of a green Stone, fo hard that they
cleave the moft compact wood without injury to
their edge.
The pronunciation of their language is extremely difficult; they fpeak from the throat, with
a movement of the tongue againft the palate.'
The little ufe the women make of the inferior
lip greatly injures the diftinctivenefs of their km-
guage. The Spaniards could neither pronounce
nor write the words which they heard.
From the vivacity of fpirit in thefe Indians,
* It is in the manufcript quera: this word I do not think
to be Spaniih; I have fuppofed it ought to be read cuera,
the name of a fpecies of slothing made of Skin,
and
428 LA PEROUSE's VOYAGE
and from their attention amply to furniSh the
market established in the harbour, it may be concluded, that they are pretty laborious. They continually brought Stuffs well woven and Shaded by
various colours, the Skins of land and fea wolves,-,
of otters, bears, and other fmajler animals; of thefe
fome were raw; and others dreffed. There were
to be found at this market alfo coverlets* ofcoarfe
cloth, Shaded with white and brown colours, very
well woven, but in fmall quantities; large ribbons of the fame linen which might match with
that of the Spanish officers mattraffes; Skeins of
thread fuch as this cloth was made of, wooden
plates or bowls neatly worked; fmall boats, or
canoes, painted in various colours, the figures of
which reprefented heads with all their parts ; frogs
in wood, nicely imitated, which opened like tobacco boxes, and which they employed to keep
their trinkets in : boxes made of fmall planks, of
a cubical form, being three quarters of a vare on
each fide, with figures well drawn, or carved on
the outfide, reprefenting various animals; the
covers fabricated, like Flanders etwees, with rabbeted edges, formed fo as to Shut into the body
of the box; animals in wood, as well thofe of the
earth as of the air -, figures of men of the fame
material, with fcull-caps reprefenting the heads of
* The word prefadas occurs again: I have prefumed> that
it muft be xe&dfrazadas, bed coverlets,
various.
ROUND THE WORLD. 419
various fierce animals; fhafes and nets for fishing ;
copper collars for the neck, and bracelets of iron
for the wrift, but which they would not part with
except at a very high price; beak-like inftruments
from which they drew founds as from a German
flute. The principal officers took fuch of thefe
merchandizes as were moft agreeable to them, and
left*the remainder to the Ships crews.
' As the Indians difcovered, that the Spaniards
were very dainty in their fifh, they did not let
them want for choice: the greateft abundance
was in falmon, and a fpecies of Sole or turbot
three vares and a quarter Ions;, broad and thick in
proportion ; cod and pilchards were alfo brought
to market, and fishes relernbling trout. From
all this it may be inferred, that this gulf is full
of fifh ; the banks too are covered with Shells.*
The quantity of mother-of-pearl that thefe Indians cut to pieces for making ear-rings awakened
the curiofity of the Spaniards: they tried to dif-
.cover whether thefe people had not in their poffeffion, or whether their country did not produce pearls, or fome precious Stones: their refearches were fruitlefs, they only found fome Stones
which they judged to be metallic, and which they
carried on board, not having the neceffary means
for extracting the metal they might contain.
Thefe Indians fed upon fifh, freSh or dry, boiled
•r roafted; herbs and roots which their mountains
43$ la pe&ouse's voyage
tains yielded them, and particularly that which
in Spain is called fea parfley; and laftly upon the
flefli of animals, which they take in hunting: the
productions of the chafe are undoubtedly abundant, feeing the number of dogs' they keep for
this purpofe.
The Spaniards did not perceive among them any
veftige of religion, unlets it be obferved, that they
incline fometimes towards the fun ; but is this
done as an act, of devotion ? The anfwer is not
eafily made to this queftion.
Don Maurelle in his expedition round the gulf
found in two iflands three dead bodies laid in
boxes of a Similar form to thofe which have been
defcribed above, and decked in their furs. Thefe
biers were placed in a little hut upon a platform,
or raifed floor, made-of the branches of trees.
The country is very hilly, the mountains are
lofty, and their Slope extends almoft every where
to the fea. The foil, lime-Stone; it is neverthelefs
covered with an impenetrable foreft of tall fir
trees, very large and very Strait. As thefe trees
cannot Strike very deep into the earth, the violence
of. the wind often tears them up by the roots:
they rot and become a light mould, upon which
grows a bufliy thicket, and in this are found nettles, camomile, wild celery, anife, a fpecies of cabbage, celandine, elder, wormwood, forrel; and without doubt there are other plants along the rivers.
The
■w
ROUND THE WORLD. 431
The Spaniards faw ducks, gulls, divers, kites,
ravens, geefe, Storks, gold-finches, and other little
birds unknown to them.
The commerce between the Spaniards and the
Indians was quite undisturbed: the former kept
themfelves always on their guard, ready for felA
defence if attacked; the latter contented themfelves with Stealing all they could fecretly, if not
obferved, but openly, if they believed themfelves
the ftrongeft. In the defire to preferve peace
and quietnefs, the Spaniards Shut their eyes upon
petty thefts: but if any were committed on them
too prejudicial to be tolerated, they feized either
fome canoe, or fome perfonage of distinction,
which they did not releafe till restitution was
made; but all this was attended with no effufion
of blood..
The defire to obtain iron, cloth, and other1
Stuffs, was Stronger among the Indians than paternal love; they fold their children for fome wares
of fluff, or for fome broken pieces of iron hoops.
The Spaniards In this manner bought three young
lads, one from five to fix years old, another of
four, and the third from nine to ten, not to make
Slaves, but christians of them; they hoped befides
to derive ufeful information from them as to the
nature of the country and its inhabitants. Thefe
youths were fo contented in being with the Spaniards, that they hid themfelves, when their parents
milt
432 LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
came on board, from the apprehenfion of being
again restored to them. Two young girls were
alfo purchafed with the fame view; one very ugly*
feven years of age; the other younger, better
made, but Sickly, and almoft at the gates of
death.
The oldeft of the boys appeared of a lively disposition, and of a more than ordinary understanding; he prefently made himfelf beloved by all the
crew. He Signified through very expreStive Signs,
what his countrymen meditated, what they were
going to do, and what was the end propofed: he
took the foldiers by the hand, conducted them
to the depofits of arms, put muSkets into their
hands, made Signs to load them, and to fire upon
this or that canoe, but to fpare fuch a one as belonged to friends or favorites. The environs
therefore of this harbo'ur are inhabited by various tribes, enemies to each other.
At the full and change of the moon, the fea
rifes in the harbour of La Cruz feventeen feet
three inches English ; it is then high water at a
quarter after 12 at noon : the lowefl tides are
fourteen feet three inches; the night tides exceed
by one foot nine inches thofe of the day*
The winds from, the fouth, fouth-eaft, and
fouth-weft, being always accompanied by fogs or
and with continual rains, the Spaniards on
5 th of June quitted the harbour of La
Cruz,
ROUND THE WORLD. |jgg
Cruz, and repaired to that of Sari-Antonio, with
the view of nibre eafily getting out of the gulf
with the firft north-weft wind; this they were
not able to do till the firft of July*
The 16th of July* they difcovered, half a league
to leeward, a Shoal which they reckoned to be in
latitude 5 90 2'and longitude i47°46'*: they faw
Mount Saint Elias at a great diftance, the fuma
mit of which they fay may equal that of Orifaba
in height.
The 17th, at noon, Cape Saint Elias bore weft
40 deg. north, distant three leagues: they estimated its latitude at 590 53', its longitude 149°
20'* The charts reprefent an ifland in the vicinity of this cape: the point of this island near-4
eft to the cape bore north 18 degrees weft,
distant five leagues. From this cape the coaft
runs away to the north, inclining a little towards
the north-weft: they distinguished in this part
feveral large bays, where they think there may be
well Sheltered harbours*
The ifland, fays Don Maurelle, is larger thaia
it is reprefented upon the charts 1 the Spaniards
being only half a league from it, difcovered a
Shoal to the fouth-weft*
\\
* All the latitudes are to the north, the longitudes to the
weft of London. It has already been remarked, that thefe
longitudes could not be depended upon, NifS
Vol, L Ff The
dUPS
434 laperouse's voyage
The i 8 th, they got fight of a vaft gulf, fet
the weft of Cape Saint Elias y this gulf is ten
leagues in depth. The 20th, they were boarded
by two canoes of a Singular 'construction; very
thin boards of planks form the wood work ? their
planks are attached to each other by moderately
Strong cords, and yet leave void Spaces between
them; fo that without the lining, this would
form an exaft Skeleton of a canoe. This Skeleton
is. furrounded every where with the Skins of animals, leaving in the upper part only a round"
opening ; the borders of thefe Skins ferving as a
girdle, are faftened round the body of him who*
manages the canoe; and. that the water may not
etiter it by this opening, the conductor puts on a
Jkirt made ©f bladders, fewed very exactly and
dofely together, and conveniently tied upon the
borders of thk Dpening. We may conceive thefe
boats to b& extremely light: their form is exactly th$t of a hi&p J their prow has the fame
curve as the bridge whereon the Strings of the
harp are faft^hed. The Indians, who navigated
thefe canoes,- tvere clothed in Skin jackets, which
fufficiently defended them from cold; their hats
refembled thofe of the inhabitants of Port Bucarelli; large glafs beads hung from their ears.
Their fifhing inftruments are darts worked to extreme nicenefs as it a lathe, a large pole, a blown
lip
MB
&5UNl> tHE WORtDi
43 £
Ttp bladder, a harpoon the point of which is
bone, and a long cord made of the entrails of
animals, and conveniently twifted. They dart
the harpoon at the otter, or fea wolf: the animal thus Struck endeavours to dive, but the
bladder will not allow him; and the Indian pre-
fently draws him within his reach. The young
Indians taken on board at Bucarelli were defirous
of communicating with thefe : they did not,
however, understand one another.
Thefe two canoes engaged the Spaniards to
put in at the neighbouring coaft: they anchored
there the 20th of July, at midnight; but early the
next day they gained a creek then bearing north
of them, at a league diftance. They were Sheltered from the north-weft, the north, and fo on to the
fouth : a little further in, they would have been
Secure from every wind. This harbour, to which
they gave the name of Puerla San I ago, lies in
latitude 6o° 13", and longitude 1370 52'.
To fatisfy themfelves whether they were near
an island or a continent, they fent off the long
boat, which, after having failed fix or fevea
leagues to the north-north-weft, reported, that
the coaft then trended towards the eaft; whence
they concluded,, that the land near which they
anchored was an ifland*.
* On a ferious- examination, "this harbour I think is
Ilea* Cape Hinchinbrpke, Cook made no obfervation upon
F £ 2 the
4^6 LA PEROUSE's VOYAdS
Six canoes of Indians, each canoe twenly-fix cvt*
bits long, and four broad, lined with white* Skins*
otlierwife of a construction nearly refembling that
of European boats, paid a vifit to the Spaniards,
Before' they drew very near they hoifted three
flags, the firft of a carnation colour, the fecond
white, and the third blue; but they Struck them
before they came up alongside the Ship. They
were accompanied by two women, whofe fex is
distinguished by glafs beads os other baubles
hanging from both fides of the mouth. In other
refpects they are habited nearly in the fame manner as the women of Port Bucarelli.
The commandant had f>een once a fishing in
the long boat, he filled it in a Short time with
a fifh agreeable in flavour, which they called
parga mulato : but the fifh which abounds the
moft in thefe feas, is the falmon; the par go
mulato is only plentiful at the bottom of the
fmall creeks upon the Shore.
The Indians, who inhabit this country, are
ro.buft, tall in Stature, and large in proportion 5
the environs- of this cape, any more than captain l>ixon;
The long boat might have penetrated into the: bay, which
is called Rofe Bay, upon Dixon's chart; and feeing it entirely Shut up to the earf, it might have continued its courfe
towards the coail, ilretching along to the north-north-weft.
I think further, that the tranfcriber may have written 157*
52' for the longitude, inftead of 1530 52': the manufcript
abounds ia fsfruks,-
they
■w*
ROUND TH$ WORLD. 437
they are induftrious, and difpofed to thieving.
The copper points, with which all their arrows are
tipped, inclined the Spaniards to think they had
ittnAes of this metal in their country.
The 28th of July, our navigators weighed anchor, to fail pound a point which they faw to the
fouth-weft, 5 degrees fouth, at the diftance of
11 leagues, (probably the fouth point of Mon*
tagu Ifland). They were defirous of keeping the
land in fight, but the rain, and the fogs, would
not always let them.
The 30th they lay to until the next day,
when they difcovered themfelves to be near a
clufter of iflands which extended from the fouth-
fouth-weft to the fouth-fouth-eaft : they anchored
the 1 ft of Auguft to the fouth of one of thefe
iflands, which they named Ifla de Regla; they
place it in 1550 52' of longitude, by account, and
590 8' of latitude, by obfervation *. Don Maurelle
believes, that thefe iflands form that which, upon
* Upon the chart of Prince William's Sound (third volume
of Cook's third voyage) there is a place where, we may
fuppofe the group of iflands of which the Ifla de Regla
makes a part; it is to the fouth-weft of Montagu Ifland,
about lat. 590 8' and 2100 30^ to 40'longitude eaft from
Greenwich, or 151° 40'to 50' to the weft of Paris, Cook
paffed about 15 leagues to the y/eftward of thefe iflands;
pixon as much to the eaftward of them: thefe iflands
maybe too low to be feen at this diftance; they may alfo
$>e more to the weftward than is imagined, ;^al|^
'''% Ff3 Beliin's
43^
LA PEROUSe's VOYAGE
Bellin's chart, engraved in 1766, is called Cape
de Saint Ermogene: the latitude is the fame.
The Ruffians, obferving this group a great way
off, did not difcern the intermediate channels which
divide it into many iflands, but took it for a
point of firm land. Towards the fouth of the Ifla
de Regla are many other iflands.
The 3d of Auguft, the Sky being clear, there
was feen to the north-weft 7 degrees north,
at the diftance of more than twenty leagues, a
mountain certainly higher than the Peak of Teneriffe, quite covered with fnow. In the evening,
by twilight, it was obferved to vomit torrents of
thick fmoke : the crater from which this fmoke
iffued was a little more to the eaft than the fummit
of the mountain, it wras judged to be a volcano.
Near this mountain another prefented itfelf to
view, very high alfo, upon which no remains of
fnow were feen; this bore weft-north-weft 8 degrees weft, distant fifteen leagues. Afterwards
two others were feen, the largeft of which was
fet to the weft-fouth-weft 4 degrees fouth, at
the diftance of thirteen leagues: thefe two,
although high, were much lefs fo than the preceding, and yet they were totally covered with
fnow. ijfc
On the Ifla de Regla were found many fmall
cabins or huts, fea wolves, nearly flayed, a great
number of birds heads, but not one inhabitant*
z ' After
ROUND THE WORLD. 439
After a Stay of two or three days, a canoe appeared
off one of the neighbouring points; the Indians
uttered fome words, but they would not come
alongfide the frigates.
The expedition of the Spaniards terminated at
this ifland. They quitted it on the 7 th of Auguft,
and came to anchor at San Bias, the 27th of November. From Cape Saint-Elias to the Ifla de
Regla, they took, with the moft fcrupulous ex-
actnefs, the bearings of all the iflands, capes, and
bays, which they faw; but the winds and the
currents, very frequent and very violent in thefe
feas, drove them off the coafts oftener than they
defired, and prejudiced the accuracy of their
reckoning. Neverthelefs, if they publish the
chart they have constructed according to their
bearings, their obfervations, joined to thole of
captain Cook, of La Peroufe, and captain
Dixon, will contribute not a little to improve the
geography of this part of the coaft of North
America. ||1§S
End of the Preliminary Part,
Ff4
VOYAGE
LA PEROUSFS VOYAGE
MOUND THE WORLD
DURING THE YEARS
1785, 1786, 1787 and 1788.
CHAPTER h
Object of the armament of the tzvo frigates—Stay
in the road of Rreft—Pqff'age from Breft to
Madeira and Teneriffe—Stay at thofe two
iflands—A journey to the Peak—Arrival at
Trinidada—We put in at the Ifland of St Catherine upon the coaft of Brafil.
JT^HE ancient fpirit of difcovery appeared to
4» be entirely extinct. The voyage made by
Ellis, in 1747? to Hudson's Bay, did not anfwer
the expectations of thofe who advanced money
for the adventure. On the ift of January, 1739,
oaptain Bouvet imagined that he faw land in
540 fouth; but it now appears probable that it
was only a field of ice; and by this mistake the
progrefs of geography was materially impeded.
The fyftem-makers, who .fit down in their clofets,
ftnd there draw the figures of lands and iflands,
x con-
44^ .I*A PEROUSE S VOYAGE
concluded that the fuppofed Cape of Circumcifion was the northern point of a foutheijn continent, the existence of which feemed to them
demonstrable as neceffary to the equilibrium of
the globe *.
Thefe
* The partizans of the existence of a Southern Continent
will, no doubt, confider the aflertion of De La Peroufe
as hazarded. Neverthelefs, without pretending that Cape
Circumcifion, difcovered by Bouvet, rather belongs to an
immenfe fiel^ of ice *, than to arr ifland ; without refolving
the idle problem of the exiftence of a Southern Continent,
which can only be Situated in a latitude that muft keep it for
ever infulated from th,e reft of the globe, X will venture to
fay that Cook's firft voyages towards the South Pole have
• fufficiently decided the queftion : and that Le Monnier's
differtation to prove that Cook did not feek Cape Circumcifion in its true longitude has loft all its importance f, While
making my profeffion of faith in that refpecl-—while con-
fefiing that 1 believe in the exiftence of a Southern Continent, I do not think at the fame time that it is neceffary to
the equilibrium of the globe. Of what confequence, indeed,
could be the weight of fo fmall a protuberance to fo enormous
a' mafs as the globe, in which the fmalleft difference of
internal homogeneity would be a fufRcient compenfatioh
for Superficial folidity.
Although captain Cook hopes that hefhallhear no mom of
H Southern Continent T, it will, perhaps, be advjftable, fome
cen~
* Captain Cook having gone very far to the fouthward of the land
difcovered by Bouvet, it is clearly impoflible that Cape Circumeilian can
belong to a Southern Continent.
f See the -Memoir ez de IfAcademte DesSciences de Paris, of the year
M776, page 6655 of the year 1779, page xi» See alfo CooFs fecond ani
% Cttok's third Voyage, vol. Ill,,
rou^-i>c "ip^c world. 443
n¥&?fe tvyo voyages are w^J>calculated to dif-
courage i^d^y^pals, who, out of mere curiofity,
J&cfifke confiderabje fums in an undertaking,
'-flylycli has long ceafed to engage the attention of
the different maritime powers of Europe. \\ §
In 1764, England fitted out a new expedition,
the command of which was given to.commodore
Byron. The account of this voyage, like thofe
of Wallis, Carteret, and Cook, is well known.
In the month of Jslfevember 1766, M. de Bougainville •' Sailed from Nantz with the Boudeufe
H&igate, and E'toile Flute. Be followed nearly
£}%g fame track as the Engiiib; navigators, and
^ifoovered feveral islands. The 5 account of his
-voyage cornpofed in an interesting manner, contributed not a lijfcflft to give the;French that tafte
for (H4&£yeries w&hi2h had lately been revived in
England with fo much energy.
centuries hence, to afcertaSS the progref§ttl&at the ice may
jsgake towards the Equator, and thus to brf-hg Buftbn's ingenious fyftem of the gradual refrigeration of the globe to the
proof. But it will require a good many ages to obtain a probable remit; for, in different years, and at the fame time of
the year, navigators have met with ice in higher or lowft:
ijj^itudes. It is faid, that the whale-fifhers, who go anna-
ally to Spitsbergen, once advanced within a degree of the
pole. It alfo appears that Lorencio Ferrer de Maldonado, of
whom 1 Shall fpeak elfewhere, failed through a north paffagej
which our moft intrepid navigators have never been able
$q fiijd, having been conftantly repelled by the ice.
In
%44 LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
In 1771j M. de Kerguelen was fent upon a
^voyage towards the Southern Continent, the existence of which at that time no geographer ventured to difpute. In the month of December of
the fame year, he got fight of an island, but was
prevented from exploring it completely by the
badnefs of the weather. Full of the ideas of all
the learned men in Europe, he made no doubt
of his having perceived one of the capes of the
Southern Continent; andfo eager was he to bring
home the news, that he did not delay his return
a Single moment. He was received in France
like another Columbus; and immediately after a
Ship of the line and a frigate were equipped to
continue fo important a difcovery. This extraordinary choice of veffels would alone fuffice to
Shew that enthuliafm fuperfedes all reafon and
reflection. M. de Kerguelen received orders to
go and make a furvey of the fuppofed continent
he had difcovered. The bad fuccefs of his fecond
voyage is well known $ but even captain Cook,
the moft Skilful of navigators, would not have
fucceeded in fuch an enterprize, with a Ship of
64 guns, a frigate of 32, and a crew of feven
hundred men \\ perhaps, indeed, he would not have
accepted fuch a command, or would have procured
the adoption of other ideas. However this may
be, M. de Kerguelen returned to France with no
better "information than before $ and all idea of
farthejr
ROUND THE WQRL0, 44^
Tarther difcoveries was laid afide. The King died
in the courfe of this laft expedition. The war of
1778, directed the views of the nation to far
different objects; but we did not forget that our
enemies had the Refolution and Difcovery at fea,
and that captain Cook, by labouring for the extension of human knowledge, had a claim io the
friendship of every country in the univerfe*.
The principal end of the war of 1778 was to
fecure the tranquillity of the feas , and that end,
was attained by the peace of 1783. The fame
fpirit that made us take up arms in order that-
the Slags of the nations, the leaft powerful at fea*
Should be refpected as much as thofe of France
and England, necelfarily directed itfelf during the
peace to whatever might tend to the general benefit of mankind. The fciences, by fofteningth&
■PP
* Every thing concurs here to make me record a fa&
equally glorious to the French, and to him, who in the
jnidft of a war politically neceffary,- became the object of
it.
At the commencement of hostilities againft England, in
1778, an order was given to all French Ships that might
fall in with the Refolution and Difcovery, commanded by
captain Cook, to let them pafs freely without examining
them; and, far from treating them as enemies, to furniflx
them with all afliftance of which they might ftand in need.
It is thus that a great nation fhews a religious refpecl for
the progrefs of the fciences, and of ufeful difcoveries,
(Fr. Ed).;
manners
PPUP
upwp
446 LA PEROUSE's VOYAGE
manners of men, have, perhaps, contributed even
more than'good laws to the happinefs of fociety.
The voyages of different Eriglifh- navigators,
#hile extending; human knowledge deferved the
juft admiration of the whole world. All Europe
accordingly fet the higheft value upon captain
Cook's talents, and upon the firm temper of
his mind. But in fo vaft a field there will be
room to acquire frefli knowledge for centuries to
come—coafts to furvey; plants, trees, fifh, and
birds to defcribe; minerals and volcanoes to obferve ; nations to ftudy, and perhaps to rendeP
more happy, Since a farinaceous plant, or a new
fpecies of fruit, muft be inestimable benefits to the
inhabitants of the islands in the South Sea*.
' i®B'4 Thefe
* Can the benefit derived from a new farinaceous plant, or a
lifew fruit, or even the introduction of domeftic animals, be
compared to the fum of evil which thofe people will
find to refult from the.adoption of European cuftoms and
manners ?
After examining this problem in a philosophical, political*
and even a religious point of view; after enquiring what
they poffefs, with the conviction we muft naturally feel that
their defire of more can only be produced by knowledge
they at prefent have not; we Shall conclude, I think, by
ardently wifhing that they may long enjoy their happinefs*
and that unalterable tranquillity which is founded upon
content of mind, an unreftrained enjoyment of the fentiments
of the heart, and the obfervance of laws derived from
nature herfelf.
The
•rouS© the worlo. 447
Thefe different refte'Saons fuggefted the project
of a- voyage round the World; and fcientific men
of all defcriptions were enrolled in the expedition.
The following paffages, extracted from Cook's third voyage*.
give powerful fupport to my opinion.
" When the Adventure arrived firft at Queen Charlotte's
Sound, in 1773, Mr. Bay ley fixed upon this place for making his obfervations; and he and the people with him, at
their leifure hours* planted feveral Spots with Englifh garden
feeds. Not the Jeaft veftige of thefe now remained. Though,
the New Zealanders are fond of potatoes, it was evident that
they had not taken the trouble to plant a Single one (much
lefs any other of the articles which we had introduced)
and if it were not for the difficulty of clearing the ground
where potatoes had been once planted, there would not have
been any now remaining, &c." vol. I, page 125.
t{ Thefe two chiefs became Suitors to me for fome hogs and
goats. Accordingly I gave to Matahonah two goats, a
male, and a female with kid; and to Tomatongeauooranue
two pigs* a boar, and a fow. They made me a promiSe
not to kill them ; though I muft o'wn I put no great faith
in this. The animals which captain Furneaux fent on fhore
here, and which foon after fell into the hands of the natives,
I was now told were all dead, &c." vol. I, page 131.
f< He (Faweikaroon) faid that the captain of her, during
his ftay here, cohabited with a woman of the country, and
that fhe had a fon by him,ftili living, and about the age of Ko-
koa; who, though not born then, feemed to be equally well
acquainted with the flory. We were alfo informed by
Taweikarooa that this Ship firft introduced the venereal
. difeafe amongft the New Zealanders. I wifh that fubfequent
vifitors from Europe may not have their fhare of guilt in
leaving fo dreadful a remembrance of them among this un*
happy race, &c. Sec." vol. I, page 141. (Fr. Ed.)
M. Dagdet,
y
44ft. t.A PEROU9E*S V0YAG&
M. Dagelet, of the academy of fciences, and Mc
Monge*, embarked in quality of aftronomers £
the former on board the Bouffole, and the latter
on board the Aftrolabe. M. de Lamanon, a
member of the academy of Turin, and a corref-
pondent of the academy of fciences, was charged
with the department of the natural hiftory of the
earth and it's atmofphere, otherwiie called geology.
The abbe Monges, a regular canon of St. Genevieve, and editor of the lournal de-Phyfique, undertook to examine and analize mineral fubftances,-
and to contribute to the progrefs of the different
brandies of phy Sicks. M. de JuSlieu recommended
mh de la Martiniere, a phyfician of the college of
Montpellier, for the botanical department. He had
as an alliftant a gardener from the King's garden,
whofe fpecial duty it was to cultivate andpreferve
the plants and feeds that it might be poffible to
bring to Europe, This was M. Collignon, who
embarked upon the recommendation of tVL
Thouin. MeSfieurs Prevoft, uncle, and nephew,
were engaged to paint every thing belonging to
natural hiftory. M. Dufrefhe, a great naturalist*
particularly Skilful in claSfing all the productions
of nature, was fent to us by the controller-general
of the finances. And laftly, M. Duche de Vancy
*■ The health of M. Monge became fo bad, in his paffage
from Breft to Teneriffe, that he was obliged to go on Shore*
and to return to Francje. g>''%&'%
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»°
hound the World. 449
received orders to embark, in order to paint the
drelTes and Scenery of the difTerent countries we
might vifit, and every thing elfe that it is impof-
fible to defcribe. All the learned bodies in the
kingdom were defirous upon this occanon of manifesting their ardent zeal for the progrefs of the arts
and fciences. The academy of fciences, and the
medicfal fociety, addreSTed each a memoir to the
Mafechal de Caftries, concerning the moft important obfervatioas we Should have to make in
the courfe of our voyage.
The abbe TeSfier, of the academy of fciences,
propofed a method of keeping freSh water fweet.
M. Du Fourni, an architect, alfo communicated
to lis his obfervations upon trees, and upon the
level of the fea.
M. Le Dru fent us a memoir in which he
recommended the making of feveral obfervations
upon the magnet, in difTerent latitudes and longitudes, and added to it a dipping compafs of
his own making, begging us to compare it's refult with that which'Should be given by the two
inftruments of the fame kind lent to us by the
commiSfioners of the English board of longitude.
Here I cannot help expreffing my gratitude to
Sir Jofeph Banks, who, upon hearing that M.
Monneron could procure no dipping compafs "at,
London, was good enough to lend us thofe that*
had been made ufe of by the celebrated captain
Vol. L
Q-2-
.QQK
— n in. • _*'^-'ft
45°
LA PEROUSE's VOYAGB
Cook. I received them with a fentiment of religious refpect for the memory of that great man.
M. De Monneron, a captain in the corps of
engineers, who had accompanied me in my expedition tofludfon's Bay, embarked in quality
of chief engineer. His friendship for me, as well
as his,fbndnefs for travelling, induced him to fo-
licit the appointment.
In the laft place, M. De Fleurieu, an old poft
captain in the navy, and director of the ports
and arfenals, constructed himfelf the charts that
We were to ufe during the voyage. He added a
whole volume of the moft learned notes and
difquifitions concerning the different navigators
from Christopher Columbus to the prefent time.
I owe him a public testimony of my gratitude
for the information I have received from him., and
for the many proofs of friendship he has given
me*.
* The lofs of our navigators, an event regretted by all
JF.urope, is particularly injurious to the arts and fciences.
The immeijfe collection made by the men of fcience, and a
part of the memoirs,-perifhed with them. , The reader muft
not expect to find, in the atlas, all the details that the journal feems to indicate. This voyage, which in its prefent
ftate is highly interefting, would, but for its tragical event,
have afforded a complete body of information of the moft
valuable kind. If any hope yej: remain, it is very weak indeed, and grows frill weaker- every day. (Fr. Ed).
The
*£&£
ROUND THE WORLD. 45i
The Marechal De Caftries, minifter of the
marine, who recommended me to his Majefty
for the command, fent the moft positive orders
to the different ports to furniSh us with whatever might contribute to the fuccefs of the expedition. Lieutenant General D'Hector, commandant of the naval department at Brett, entered into his views, and attended to all the particulars of the out-fit as if the command had
been his own. Having been empowered to appoint my own officers, I chofe for the command
of the Aftrolabe, M. De Langle, a poft captain, who commanded the Aftree in my expedition to Hudfon's Bay, and who had given on
that occasion the greateft proofs of abilities and
energy of mind. A hundred officers offering
themfelves to M. De Langle and me, to ferve
in the expedition, we were enabled to Select from
among them as many men of distinguished profef-
fional talents as we wanted. At length, on the 26th
m June, my instructions were delivered to me,
and on the ift of July I fet off for Breft. I
arrived there on the 4th," and found the equipment of the two frigates in great forwardness.
The Shipping of a variety of things had been
deferred, becaufe it was neceSTary to make an option between articles in requeft among the favages,*
and provisions of which I wished to have "a Sufficient quantity for feveral years. I give the pre-.
G g 2 ference
45^ LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
ference to the former, considering that with thern
we Should be able to procure freSh Stock; and
that at the end of a certain time the Ships provisions would be almoft entirely decayed.
We had on board, befides, the frame of a
decked boat*, of about twenty tons burthen,
two pinnaces, (chaloupes bijcayennes)\\, and a
Spare mainmaft, tiller, and capftan. The whole
quantity of things rjontained in the BouSTole, was
really incredible. M. De Clonard, my fecond
captain, had Slowed her with that zeal and intelligence of which he has given fo many proofs.
The Aftrolabe had taken on board exactly the
fame articles as ourfelves. On the nth, we were
in the road, our veflfels being fo encumbered that
it was impoffible to heave at the capftan; but
we had a favourable feafon for our departure, and
were in hopes of reaching Madeira without encountering any bad weather. M. D'Hector or-
* Or boyer, a very Strong* kind of veffel, with flat floor
timbers, ufed in Flanders and Holland, and very fit for inland navigation. (Fr. Ed.)
f Barca-longa, boats uncommonly long, and very Sharp
at the extremities, well contrived to navigate in the Swell
of a fea. (Fr. Ed.)
Whenever this word has occurred, it has been translated
pinnace, which is a kind of boat that appears to be more an-
fwerable to the above description than any other in ufe in
the Britifh navy, though it is certainly not the fame as the
barca-longa. (T.)
*fm^ dered
mi
ROUND THE WORLD. 453
dered us to anchor in the road with harbour
moorings, that we might have nothing to do
biM:-to flip the cables whenever the wind Should
permit us to fail.
On the 12th, our crews were muftered. On
the fame day the aftronomical clocks intended
to afcertain, when in port, the daily rate of our
time-keepers, were^put on board both. Ships. The
latter had been embarked and under obfervation
for a fortnight before. MeSfieurs Dagelet, and
Monge, and the reft of the Scientific men and
artifts, had reached Breft earlier than I; and
even before the arrival" of the two aftronomers,
MeSfieurs De Langle, and D'Eicures, had obferved the going of the time-keepers. Unfortunately the aftronomical clock with which they had
been compared, was found to be fo bad that it
was neceflary to do all the work over again.
On the 13th, in the evening, M. Dagelet delivered to me the following note:
" On our arrival at Breft we found can aftronomical Station eftabliShed in the intendant's garden where MeSlieurs De Langle, and D'Efcures,
bufied themfelves in making obfervations in order to determine the rate of going of the timekeepers. Uut, as the instruments of the- academy
of Breft were in very bad order, particularly the |
aftronomical clocks they had made ufe of, they
perceived, after feveral days observation, that it
was neceSTary to make the comparifons relative to
G g 3 the
454 LA P&ROUSE-S VOYAGE
the time-keepers by referring them all to No 25*,
which was in the oblervatory. When our inftruments were fet upon Shore, I determined the rfcteJ
of going of my clock, by altitudes of the fun
and Stars, comparing every day the time-keepers, No. 18, and No. 19, by means of Signals
made on board. Thence I formed the following
table of their daily rate :"
Days of the
Month.
No. 18.
Lofs upon the mean
time of Paris.
No. 19.
Lofs upon the mean
time of Paris [
June 28
| 36 40 , 0.
27' 51", O.
3°
37 °7> Ijf
27 47> 7-
July 1
■ 37 z9> o-
27 45, 0.
2
37 31, 0.
27 44, 2.
3
37 39> 5-
j 27 45> 4-
4
37 5T> 8-
f 27 44> 0. j
5
38 05, 0.
27 42, 0.
6
0 0.
27 42, 1.
7
38 36> 7«
27 42, 1,
8
38 49> 3-
0 0.
91
39 °3> 1
< 27 48, 8.
10
, 39 J3> 6-
27 42, 5.
11
39 27> °-
Stopped.
12
0 0.
0 36, 6.
I3I
0 0.
0 36> 4-
* All the time-keepers embarked on board the two frigates were invented and conftrutted by Ferdinand Berthoud,
who distinguished them by numbers. (Fr. Ed.)
The
""^Bs
■*a*sszfzmm
ROUND THE WORLD. ' 455
The wefterly winds kept us in the road till the
lit of Auguft. The weather in the mean time being foggy with -Showers of rain, Iwras afraid that
the humidity might affect the health of our crews.
In the fpace of nineteen days however we only
landed a tingle man with a fever; but we difcovered that fix failors and a foldier, infected with
the venereal difeafey had efcapfed the examination
of our furgeons.
I failed from Breft Road on the ift of Auguft.
Nothing interesting occurred during the run to
Madeira, where we anchored on the 13th. The
wind had been constantly fair, a circumstance highly neceSTary to Ships which, being too much by
the head, Steered very ill. M. De Lamenoii observed the luminous particles in the fea watec,
which, in my opinion, proceed from the dissolution of marine bodies. If this light were pro-'
duced by infects, as many natural philofophers
affirm, they would not be fpread with Such profusion from the pole to the equator, but would
affect particular climates*.
Before
# After the refult of the experiments prefented by Ri-
gaud, in 1768, to the academy of fciences, it is impoilible
to doubt the exiftence of polypi, or luminous animals in the
fea. I do not know upon what La Peroufe can ground an
affertion, combated by Godeheau, who obferved at the MaU.
dives, and on the Coaft of Malabar, places where the fea
js more uminous than in the latitudes of which our navi^
Gg4 gator
45« **A PEROUSE S VOYAGE
Before we were well at an anchor, Mr. Johnston, an English merchant, {ent a boat laden with
fruit on board of my Ship. Several letters of
recommendation to that gentleman from London
had preceded me, and furprized me much, as I
was entirely unacquainted with the perfons by
whom they were written. The reception given/
us by Mr. Johnfton was So kind, that we could
jiot have expected a better from our relations, or
our beft friends. After having paid our refpects
to the governor, we went to dine at his houfe.
The next day we breakfafted at the charming
country feat of Mr. Murray, the English conful,
and returned to town to dine with M. Montero,.
Charge des Affaires of the French confulate.
During the .whole of that day, we enjoyed all.
gator is Speaking, that the water was covered with little
living luminous animals, emitting a kind of oily liquor,
which floated on the furface, and diffufed, when agitated,^
a phofphoric light.
I believe then in the exiftence of thefe animals^ which is
maintained by Nollet, Roy, Vianelli, Grifellini, &c. I
alfo think that the phofphoric oil of certain fifties, being
carried to the furface of the water, produces in part that
light which is perceptible in every fea.
I can adduce in fupport of my opinion the effect of the
©51 of the bonetta, which becomes luminous when Shaken.
Forfter's obfervations on the phofphoric light of fea water,
at the end of Cook's fecond voyage, and thofe of Lalande, in
the Journal des Sad that thofe Vhp fhould expunge
1*3 : W
'4§6 la perouse's voyage
Trinidada had always made part of the Portuguefe
poffeffions , and that the English had evacuated it
upon the firft requeft made to them by the Queen
of Portugal ; the King of England?s minister having moreover made anfwer that the nation had
never given its fanctiori to the fettlement, which
was only an adventure of private individuals. The
following da% at eleven o'clock, the boats of the
Bouffole and Aftrolabe returned, and announced
a fpeedy vifit from Don Antonio DiGama, major
general of the colony. He did not come? however, till the 13th, when he brought me a moft
obliging letter from his commanding officer. The
feafon was fo far advanced, that I had not a moment to lofe; and our crews enjoyed a moft excellent State of health. I had therefore flattered
myfelf, on our arrival, that I Should be able to provide for all our wants, and to fail again in five or fix
days; but the foutherly winds and the currents
were fo Strong, that our communication with the
land was frequently interrupted. This neceffarily
delayed my departure*
an ifland from the globe, would be in a manner refponfible;
for the riiks to which navigators who might fall in with it
jjrould be expofed by the falfe fecurity infpired by the charts ;
while its being laid down, even in an uncertain manner, by
keeping, alive the attention of mariners, may render the finding of it again a matter of greater facility. (Fr. Ed.)
I had
ROUND THE WORLD. 487
I had given the preference to the Ifland of St.
Catherine, over Rio Janeiro, merely to avoid the
forms to be gone through in great cities, which
-always occafion a lofs of time; but experience
taught me that it combined a variety of other
advantages. Provisions of all kinds were in the
greateft abundance : a large ox colt eight dollars.
A hog of a hundred and fifty pounds weight,
four; two turkies were to be had for a dollar ; it
was only neceffary to eaft the net, in order to
haul it up again full of fifh; five hundred oranges
were brought on board, and fold to us
than half a dollar; and Vegetables were alfo at
a very moderate price. The following fact will
give an idea of the hofpitality of thefe good people:
One of my boats having been overfet by the furf
in a creek where I was cutting wood, the inhabitants who affifted in faving it, forced our half-
drowned failors to Sleep in their beds, and paffed
the night themfelves upon mats fpread on the
ground in the fame room in which they exercifed
this noble hofpitality. A few days afterwards they
brought on board the Bouffole the malts, grapnel,
and colours of the boat, articles highly valuable
to them, and which would have been of the
greateft ufe in their canoes. Their manners are
mild; they are kind, polite, and obliging; but
fuperftitious, and jealous of their wives, who never
appear in public.
I i 4 Our
488 la perouse's voyage
Our officers went in purfuit of game, and killed
feveral birds of the moft beautifully variegated
plumage; among others, a rollier, of a very fine
blue colour, which Buffon has not defcribed,
though in this country it is very common.
Not having forefeen the obstacles that detained
us twelve days in this road, we did riot fend our
aftronomical clocks on Shore, thinking that we
Should only pafs five or fix days at anchor. We
had, however, little reafon for regret, as the Sky
was constantly cloudy. The longitude of the
ifland was confequently determined by distances
from the fun to the moon. According to our
obfervations, the moft northerly point of the
ifland of St. Catherine may be fixed at 490 49' weft
longitude, and 270 19'fouth latitude.
On the evening of the 16th, every thing being
embarked, I fent my packets to the governor, who
had kindly undertaken to convey them to LiSbon,
where I addreffed them to M. De Saint-Marc,
our conful-general. Every one had permission to
write to his family and friends. We flattered ourfelves with hopes of failing the following day; but
the northerly winds, which would have been fo
favourable to us in the open fea, kept us at the
bottom of the bay till the 19 th of November,
when I got under way at day-break. The calm,
however, forcing me to anchor for a few hours,
we
to*.
round the world. 489
we did not get clear of all the iflands till night
was coming on.
We had bought at St. Catherine's a fufficiency
of oxen, hogs, and poultry, to feed the Ship's
company at fea for more than a month ; and we
had added orange and lemon trees to our collection
of other trees, which, Since our departure from
Breft, had been preferved in a thriving State in
boxes, made under the direction of M. Thouin.
Our gardener was alfo provided* with kernels of
oranges and lemons, and with feed of the cotton Shrub, of Indian corn, and, generally fpeak-
ing, of all the vegetables which, according to the
report of navigators, the inhabitants of the islands
in the South Sea were in want of, and which are
more analogous to their climate and manner of
living, than the productions of the French kitchen
garden. Of the latter, however, we alfp carried
out an immenfe quantity of feed.
The day of our departure, I gave the Aftrolabe
new Signals, which were much more extenfive than
thofe we had made ufe of heretofore. We were
about to navigate in the midft of fogs, and in
tempeftuous feas; and thefe circumstances required new precautions. I agreed alfo with M.
De. Langle, that in cafe of feparation, our firft
rendezvous Should be the harbour of Good Suc-
cefs in Lemaire's Straits, Supposing we Should not
tmve paffed its latitude on the firft of January ;
and
I
,49® LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
and the fecond, Point Venus, in the island of
Otaheite. I informed him alfo, that I Should
confine my refearches in the Atlantic Ocean to
Ifle Grande de la Roche, not having time to feek
a paffage to the fouthward of Sandwich Land. I
now felt much regret at not being able to begin
my expedition by the eaft ; but I did not dare to
change fo entirely the plan that had been adopted
in France, becaufe I Should not have been overtaken by the official letters which had been announced to me, and wtiich might contain the
■moft important orders.
The weather was very fine till the 28th, when
we had a violent gale of wind from the eaftward.
It was the firft fince our departure from France.
•I was pleafed to fee, that although our Ships were
very indifferent failers, they Stood the bad weather
exceedingly well, and were capable of refitting the
heavy feas with which we Should have to contend.
We were then in 350 24' fouth latitude, and 43*
40' weft longitude; and I was Steering eaft-fouth-
eaft, becaufe I intended, in my fearch after Ifle
fjirande, to run into its latitude at about io° to
the eaftward of the position affigned to it in the
different charts. I was well aware of the great
difficulty of getting back again; but, in any cafe,
I was under the necetfity of making a great deal
of wetting, in order to arrive at Lemaire's Straits;
and all the way I Should advance upon that point
of
*Ufe
ROUND THE WORLD. 491
^f the compafs, while running down the latitude
of Ifle Grande, would bring me fo much nearer
to the coaft of Patagonia, where I was under the
neceffity of getting foundings before I could double
Cape Horn. I thought alfo that the latitude of
Ifle Grande not being perfectly determined, it was
more probable that I Should meet with it by plying to windward, between 44 and 450 of latitude,
lhan if I followed a Straight line in 440 30', as I
might have done by running from weft to eaft,
the wefterly* winds being as conftant in thefe feas,
as the eafterly breezes are between the tropics.
It will foon be feen that I derived no advantage
from my calculations, and that after a fruitlefs
fearch of forty days, during which I met with five
gales of wind, I was obliged to give it up, and
proceed on my voyage.
On the 7 th of December I was in the fuppofed
parallel of Ift£ Grande, in 440 38' fouth latitude,
and 340 weft longitude, according to lunar obfervations taken the day before. We faw lea-weed
pafs the Ship, and during feveral days were fur-
rounded with birds, but they were of the albatroSs
and petrel fpecies, which never approach theland,
unlets in the breeding feafon.
Thefe weak indications of land ferved, however,
to ,keep alive our hopes, and con Soled us for the
terribly mountainous fea in which we were navigating ; but it was not without anxiety that I re-
2 flefted
492- LA PER0USE S VOYAGE
fleeted I had Still $f of wetting to make before I
reached Lemaire's Straits, where it was of importance that I Should arrive before the end of January.
I kept Standing upon different tacks between
the 44th and 45th deg. of latitude till the 24th of
December, running down 150 of longitude in that
parallel; and on the 27 th I gave up the fearch,
well convinced that Ifle Grande de la Roche did
not exift*, and that the fea-weeds and petrels did
not prove the vicinity of land, Since I met with
birds and marine plants till my arrival on the coaft
of Patagonia. The chart on which the lhip?s place
on each day is fet off, will ferve to Shew the courfe
I Steered better than the details above given. I
am convinced that the navigators who may fail
hereafter in queft of the fame ifland, will not be
more fortunate than myfelf; but they ought only
to undertake it when failing eaft towards the Indian ocean. It is in that cafe no more difficult or
* If Ifle Grande de la Roche had been laid down on the
charts in a lefs conjectural manner, La Peroufe, after running
down the parallel affigned to it, might have fafely affirmed
that it did not exill 5 but as its pofition has been fo vaguely
determined, according to the journals of Antoine De La
Roche, and Americus Vefpucius, the fearch made by La Peroufe only proves that it does not exift in the pofition affigned
to it. As to the reft, I have nothing to add to the difcuffion
coatained in the nineteenth geographical note inferted in the
firft volume. {Fr. Ed.)
tedious
ROUND THE WORLD. 493
tedious to run down 300 in that parallel than in any
other; and if no land be found, the Ship will at
leaft be fo much farther on its way. I am fully
perfuaded that Ifle Grande, like Pepys Ifland, is
the creation of fancy * ; the account of La Roche,
who pretends to have feen lofty trees upon it, being entirely destitute of foundation. It is very
certain, that in 450, nothing but Shrubs can be
found upon an ifland feated in the midft of the
Southern Ocean, Since not a Single tree is met
with upon the Iflands of Triftan d'Acunha, Situated in a latitude infinitely more favourable to vegetation.
On the 25th of December the wind fettled at
fouth-weft, and continued to blow for feveral
days, compelling me to freer weft-north-weft,
and to depart from the parallel I had been con-
ftaritly following for twenty days. Having then
paffed the uttermoft point affigned to Ifle Grande
* I know that New Georgia indicated in La Roche's journal has been again found ; but I am much in doubt whether
the honour of that difcovery ought to be affigned to him.—-
According to his journal, there is a channel ten leagues wide
between Bird's Ifland and Georgia, whereas the channel is in
reality only one league wide. This is a miftake rather too
great for a feaman of the leaft experience to make, iffpeak-
ing of one and the fame place. It is, however, from the former land that you muft reckon, in order to lay down Ifle
Grande between 43 and 440 of longitude. I croffed all the
meridians from 35 to 50°, without difcovering it.
in
494 ' LA PEROUSE s VOYAGE
in all the charts, and the feafon being very far M*
vanced, I determined in future to Steer the courfe-
that would give me the moft wetting, fearing"
much left I Should find myfelf obliged to double
Cape Horn In the bad feafon of the year. But
the weather was more favourable than I could
venture to hope. The gales of wind ceafed
with the month of December, and January was
nearly as fine as July is upon the coafts of Europe. The only winds we had were from north-*
weft to fouth-weft, but we could carry all our
fiiils, and the various breezes were fo completely
indicated by the appearance of the Sky, that we
were certain of the moment when the wind wrould
change, and were confequently always prepared to
Stand upon the moft advantageous tack. As foon
as the horizon grew mifty, and clouds began to
cover the Sky, the wind veered from fouth-weft to
weft. Two hours after it was fure to be at north-
weft. On the contrary, when the foggy weather cleared up, we were certain that the wind
would fpeedily back again to weft and fouth-
weft. I do not believe that in fixty-fix days navigation, the wind blew from the eaftward more'
than eighteen hours.
We had feveral days of calm weather, and
•fmooth water, during Which the officers of the
two (hips went on Shooting parties, and killed &
considerable number of birds-, with which we
wertf
msix*
mmm
ROUND THE WORLD. 49J
Were almoft constantly furrounded. Their fport,
which was very generally productive, procured us
a fupply of frefh meat for our crews, and more
than once it happened to us to kill enough to
ferve out to the whole Ships company. The
failors preferred it to fait meat, and I am of opinion that it contributed infinitely more to keep
them in a good State of health.
In our excursions we killed nothing but alba-
troffes of the great and fmall fpecies, with four
varieties of the petrel. Thefe birds when Skinned,
and dreffed in a favoury way, were nearly as good
as the wild ducks eaten in Europe. They hav$
t)een fo well defcribed by the naturalists who accompanied captain Cook, that I only think it neceffary to give a drawing of them, that ornithologists may be convinced that we met with the very
fpecies, of which MeSfieurs Banks, Solander, and
Fofter have given defcriptions highly fatisfac-
tory.
On the 14th January we at laft Struck ground
on the coaft of Patagonia, in 470 50' fouth latitude, and 640 37' weft longitude, according to
our laft lunar obfervations. We never neglected
any opportunity of making them when the wea-?
ther was favourable. The officers of the Ship were
fb well verfed in them, and feconded M. Dagelet
fo well, that I do not think our greateft error
in
1
49& , LA PEROUSE's VOYAGE
in longitude can be estimated at more than half &
degree. &%&*
On the 21 ft, we got fight of Cape Fair Weather, or of the north point of Galtegos River,
on the coaft of Patagonia. We were about three
leagues from the land, in forty one fathom water,
over a bottom of fmall gravel, or little argillaceous Stones of the Size of peas. Our longitude,
obfe ved at noon, being compared with the chart
of Cook's* fecond voyage, only differed by if
which we were farther to the eaftward.
.On the 22d, at noon, we fet the Cape of the
Virgins, bearing weft, four leagues distant. This
land is low, with fcarcely any verdure. The view
given of it, by the editor of admiral Anfon's
my age, appeared to me to be very exact, and
its pofition is accurately determined in the chart
of Cook's fecond voyage.
. As far *as the Cape of the Virgins, the lead
constantly brought up mud, or die the fmall
pebbles mixed with mud, which are found in the
direction of the mouths of rivers : but when we
came to Tierra del Fuego, we had almoft always
a rocky bottom, and only from twenty four to
thirty fathoms water, although at three leagues
diftance from the land, which induces me to
think that this coaft is not fo fafe as that of
Patagonia.
The
ROUND THE WORLD. 497
The latitudes and longitudes of the different
capes are determined with the greateft precision
by captain Cook's chart.
The direction of the coaft between thefe capes
has been laid down from bearings accurately taken;
but it has not been poffible to attend much to
thofe details in which the fafety of navigation
conSifts. Captain Cook, and all other navigators,
can only anfwer for their own routes, and the
foundings they have taken. It is very poffible
that when the water was fmooth, they may have
paffed clofe to Shoals and rocks upon which there
were no breakers. This navigation confequently
requires mudi greater caution than that of the
continent of Europe.
I have entered into thefe details, in order to
fhew the degree of confidence that may be placed
in charts of this kind, the moft perfect, no doubt,
that have been constructed while running rapidly
over an immenfe fpace. It was impoffible for navigators in former times, when lunar obfervations
were not in ufe, to approach their accuracy. It
is fuch, that I as firmly believe in the points we
have examined, being laid down within twenty
miles of the truth, as I do in the exact pofition
of the observatories of Greenwich and Paris.
On the 25th, at two o'clock, I took bearings a
league to the fouthward of Cape San Diego, which
. forms the weft point of the Straits of Lemaire.
Vol. I. Kk I had
I
498 LA PEROUSE'S VOYAGE
I had ranged along the land Since the morning at
that distance, and had followed, upon captain
Cook's chart, the bay where Mr. Banks went on
Shore in fearch of plants, while the Refolution
waited for him under fail.
The weather was So favourable, that it was impossible for me to grant the fame indulgence to
our naturalists. At three o'clock, I entered the
Straits, having doubled, at the diftance of f of a
league, Point San Diego, where there are breakers,
which do not, I believe, extend more than a mile ;
but having perceived others much farther in the
offing, I Steered to the fouth-eaft in order to avoid
them. I foon perceived, however, that the}?-were
occasioned by currents, and that the reefs,of Cape
San Diego were a great way off.
As it blew a frelh breeze from the north, I
could venture to approach Tierra del Fuego, and
ranged along it within lefs than half'a league of
the land. I found the wind fo fair, and the feafon
fo far advanced, that I immediately determined to
give up my intention of putting in at the harbour
of Good Succels, and to Stand on, without lofing
a momenta, to double Cape Horn. I considered
that it would be impoffible to provide every thing
I wanted without Staying ten or twelve days; the
Space of time I had found at St. Catherine's to be
rigoroufly neceffary, becaufe in thofe open bays,
where the fea breaks with fury upon the beach,
one
ROUND THE WORLD. 499
one half of the days are fuch, that a boat cannot
go aShore. If this inconvenience had been accompanied by a foutherly wind, which fhould
have detained me for fome time in the harbour of
Good Succefs, the favourable feafon would have
elapfed, and I Should have expofed my Ship to damage, and my crew to hardships and fatigue, very
prejudicial to the iticcefs of rriy voyage.
Thefe considerations induced me to Steer for the
ifland of Juan Fernandez, where I was fure of
finding wood and water, with refreshments far fu-
perior to the Penguins of the Straits, I had not
at that time a Single perfon Sick; I had Still eighty
barrels of water, and Tierra del Fuego has been fo
often vifited and defcribed, that I could not hope
to add any thing interesting to what has already
been faid upon the fubject.
During our run through the Straits of Le-
maire, the favages, according to cuftom, made
great,fires, to induce us to anchor. There was one
, upon the north point of the bay of Good Succefs, and another upon the north point of Valentine's Bay. I am perfuaded, with captain Cook,
that Ships may anchor indifcriminatdy in any of
thofe bays, where both wood and water are to be
had, though there is certainly lefs game than at
Chriftmas Harbour, on account of the favages
inhabiting them during a part of the year.
K-k
Dv
J
COO LA F&ROUSE S VOYAGE
j
During our navigation in the Strait, at half a
league distance from Tierra. del Fuego* we were
furrounded by whales : it was eafy to fee that they
had never been miokfted* They took no alarm at
our Ships, fwaffi rnajeftically along within piftol-
fliot of us; and will, no doubt, remain fovereigns
of thefe feas, till the fiShermen go to make war
irpon them as at Spitzbergen or Greenland, I
doubt whether there be a better place in the
world for the whale-ftlhery. The Ships might lie
at anchor in good bays, within reach of water,
wrood, antifcorbutic herbs, and fea fowl, while
their boats without going a league, might kill as
many whales as would make them a complete
cargo. The only inconvenience would be the
length of the voyage, which would require near
five months for each run; and I fhould imagine
that thefe latitudes can only be frequented in the
months of December, January and February.
We were not able to make any obfervations on
the currents in the Straits which wre entered at
three o'clock in the afternoon, the moon being
twenty-four days old. We were drifted rapidly-to
£he fouthward till five, when the tide turned; but
as we had a Strong northerly breeze we Stemmed it
with eafe.
The horizoi* was fo mifty in the eaftern quarter,
that we did not perceive Staten Land, from whkh
hoWever we were lefs than five leagues distant,
fince
ROUND THE WORLD. 501
fince that is the whole width of the Straits. We
kept Tierra del Fuego clofe enough aboard to perceive, by the help of our glaffes, the favages ftir-t
ring up great fires, which is the only way they
have to exprefs their defire of feeing Ships come to
an anchor,
Another motive more powerful "Still, had induced me to give up my idea of touching at the
bay of Good Succefs. I had long been deviling
a new plan for my voyage, concerning which, how^
ever, I could come to no decision, till after having
doubled Cape Horn,
This plan was to repair, during the prefent year,
to the north-weft coaft of America, I knew well,
that if I had not received orders to do fo, it was
for fear I Should not have time to make fo long a
run during the winter ; for this project united an
infinite number of advantages, The firft was the
taking of a new track, and crofting parallels in
which it was poffible to meet with undifcovered
iflands: the fecond was the visiting more expeditiously of all the places pointed out to me, by
employing two years in the northern, and two in
the fouthern hemifphere. As my instructions ex-
prefsly faid that I was at liberty to execute the
King's orders in the manner that might appear to
me moft likely to infure the fuccefs of the voyage*
I only delayed the entire adoption of my new
K k 3 plan,
£Ot LA PEROUSE S, VOYAGE
plan, till I knew at what time I Should get into
the South Sea.
I doubled Cape Horn with much greater eafe
than I had dared to hope; and I am now convinced that this navigation is like that of all high
latitudes. The difficulties we expect to meet
with, are the effect; of an ancient prejudice which
will in time be laid afide, and which the reading
of admiral Anfon's Voyage has not a little contributed to keep alive in the minds of feamen.
On the 9th of February I was abrealt of the
Straits of Magellan in the South Sea, and Steering
for the ifland of Juan Fernandez. I had paffed,
according to my reckoning, over the pretended
land pf Drake ; but I had loft little time in fearch
of it, becaufe I was convinced that it did not exift*
Since my departure from Europe, all my thoughts
had been directed to the tracks of ancient na-.
vigators. Their journals are fo badly digefted,
that it is neceflary in a manner to guefs at their
meaning; and geographers, who are not feamen,
are in general fo ignorant. of hydrography, that
they have been unable to throw the light of Sound
criticifm upon journals which Stand fo much in
need of it. They have confequently drawn the
figures of iflands, which do not exift, or which,
like phantoms, vanifli at the approach of modern
navigators.
V
ROUND THE WORLD. 5Q3
1
In 1758, admiral Drake, five days after he
1
had failed Put of the Straits of Magellan, was
affailed in the Great Weftern Ocean by violent
gales of wind which lafted near a month. It is
difficult to follow him in his different courfes ;
but at length he got fight of an ifland in 57
degrees of fouth latitude. He put in there, and
faw a great number of birds. Running after-
wards twenty leagues to the northward, he fell
in with other islands inhabited by favages, who
were in pofleSIion of canoes. Thefe iflands produced wood, and antifcorbutic plants. How is
it poffible in reading this relation not to recognize Tierra del Fuego, and, probably, the Ifland
pf Diego Ramirez, Situated nearly in the fame
latitude as the fuppofed Ifland of Drake ? At
that time Tierra-del Fuego was not known. Le-
maire and Schouten did not discover the Straits
that bear their name, till 1616; and being per-
Suaded, that, in the fouthern, as well in the
northern hemisphere, there wras land extending
to the vicinity of the pole, they thought that
the fouth part of America was interfected by
channels; and that they had found a Second, like
that of Magellan. Thefe \\ falfe ideas were very
well calculated to lead admiral Drake into error,
.especially as he was drifted by currents, 15 or
16° to the eaftward of his reckoning; as has happened' Since in the fame Seas to a hundred other
K k 4 navi-
Hw-mmjwP*™*
504 LA PER0USE S VOYAGE
navigators. This probability becomes a certainty,
when we reflect that a Ship of this fquadron,
which made a Stretch to the northward, while
the admiral was making one to the fouthward,
returned into the Straits of Magellan, out of
which She had juft failed; an evident proof that
£he had made little way to the weftward; and
that admiral Drake had not got beyond the longitude of America. In addition to this, it may
be faid, that it is contrary to all probability, that
an ifland remote from the continent, and in 570
latitude, Should be covered with trees, while
not a Single ligneous plant is to be found upon
Falkland's islands, which are only in 5 j°; and,
although there is not an. inhabitant upon thofe
iflands, nor even upon Staten Land, which is
feparated from the continent by a channel of no
more than five leagues wide. Befides the def-
cription that Drake gives of the favages, canoes,
trees and plants, agrees fo perfectly with the Pe-
cherees, and generally fpeaking with every thing
•elfe we know about Tierra del Fuego, that I am
at a lofs to conceive how Drake's Ifland can Still
exift upon the charts.
p The weft-fouth-weft wind favouring rny intention of running to the northward, I determined not to lofe moments fo valuable in this
fruit lefs refearch; and continued my route towards the Ifland of Juan Fernandez. But having
1 examined
&
ROUND THE WORLD.
5°5
examined the quantity of provifions I had on
board, I found that we had very little flour and
bread left, becaufe I had been obliged as well as
M. De Langle, to leave a hundred barrels at
Breft, for want of room to Stow it away. The
worms had befides got into the bifcuit; and
though they had not rendered it unfit to eat, had
confumed about one fifth of the quantity. Thefe
feveral considerations made me give Conception a
preference over the Ifland of Juan Fernandez. I
knew that this part of Chili abounded in corn;
that it was cheaper there than in many parts of
Europe ; and that I Should find all other eatables
in plenty, and at a moderate price. I confequent-
ly altered my courfe a little to the eastward.
On the 2 2d, in the evening, I got fight of
the Island of Mocha, which lies about 50 leagues
fouth of Conception. The fear of being drifted
to the northward by currents, had made me haul
in for the land; but I think that it is a ufelefs
precaution, and that it is fufficient to Stand into
the latitude of the Ifland of Santa Maria, which
it is advifeable to make, taking care not to approach nearer than within three leagues, becaufe
there are funken rocks, which lie a great way out
from its north-weft point.
When that point is doubled, a Ship may range
along the land, all the dangers being then above
Water, and at a fmall distance from the Shore.
At
*+
506 LA PEROUSE's VOYAGE
At the fame time the paps of Biobio heave in
fight. Thefe are two mountains of fmall elevation, of which the name indicates the form. It
is neceflary to Steer a little to the northward of
the paps, towards Talcaguana Point, which forms
the weftern entrance of the Bay of Conception.
This bay is about three leagues wide, from eaft
to weft, and the fame depth from north to fouth;
but the entrance juft mentioned, is confined by
the Ifland of Quiquirina, Situated in the middle,
and forming two channels, of which the eaftern
is the fafeft, and the only one in ufe. It is about
a league wide. The w7eitern one between the
Ifland of Quiquirina, and Talcaguana Point, is
hardly more than a quarter of a league in width;
is full of rocks, and is only to be attempted with
a good pilot.
Bottom is found upon the coaft from the
Ifland of Santa Maria, to the entrance' of the
Bay of Conception. At three leagues in the
offing, we had feventy fathoms water, over a
bottom of black mud, and thirty, when we were
Shut in with the bay eaft and weft. From the
north point of the Ifland of Quiquirina, the water keeps Shoaling to feven fathoms, within two
muSket-Shots from the land. There is excellent
anchorage all over the bay, but Ships are only
Sheltered from northerly winds when lying abreaft
of the village of Talcaguana
At
■iii i—i—iirftr
ROUND THE WORLD. 50
At twro o'clock in the afternoon we doubled
the point of the Ifland of Quiquirina; but the
Southerly winds, which till then had been fo favourable to us, being now contrary, wre were
obliged to Stand on different tacks, taking care
to keep the lead constantly going. We endeavoured with our glaffes to find the city of Conception, which, according to Frezier's plan,
ought; to have been at the bottom of the bay,
in the fouth-eaft quarter; but nothing could we
fee. ' At five in the evening, pilots came on
board, who told us that the city had been ruined
by an earthquake in 1751, that it no longer
existed, and that a new one had been built at
three leagues diftance from the fea, upon the
banks of the River Biobio. We were told alfo
by thefe pilots, that we were expected at Conception; and that the letters of the Spanish minister had preceded us thither. We continued to
ply to windward, in order to reach the bottom
of the bay ; and at nine in the evening anchored
in nine fathoms water, at about a league from the
anchorage of Talcaguana, which we were to take
up the following day. About ten, M. Poitego,
& captain of a frigate in the Spanilh navy, came
to vifit me on the part of the commandant of
Conception. He Slept on board, and fet off at
break of day, in order to give an account of his
juiiflon. He pointed oaf previoufly the moft
convenient
\\
508 - LA PEROUSE*S VOYAGE
convenient place for us to anchor in; and before
he mounted his horfe, fent on board a greater
quantity of freih meat, fruit, and vegetables,
than was fufficient for the whole crew, whofe
good State of health appeared to furprize him.
.JsFever, perhaps, had any veffel doubled Cape
Hom, and arrived at Chili without having Sick
on board ; and in our twro Ships there was not a
Single man indiipofed.
At ffven in the morning we got under way
with all our boats towing us a-head | and an-*
-chored in. the creek of Talcaguana, at eleven
o'clock, on the 24th of February, in feven fathoms water, over a bottom of black mud, th§
middle of the village of Talcaguana bearing
fouth, 2i° weft;
Fort St. Auguftine fouth, and
Fort Galvez, near our watering place, north*
weft, 3^ weft.
From our firft arrival upon the Coaft of Chili,
w$ had taken lunar obfervations every day, and
found that our longitudes differed very little from
thofe affigned to it by Don George Juan;" but
3S we have reafon to think the prefent method
far Superior to that which was in ufe in 1744,
we Shall place the north point of the Ifland of
Santa Maria, in 370 i/ fouth latitude, and 75°
$5' 45" we^ longitude; the middle of the village of Talcaguana, in latitude 36°, 42' 21", and
Ki^f Ion--
round the world. 509
longitude 750 20', according to the obfervations
made by M. Dagelet in our aftronomical tents
pitched clofe to the fea-fide. The plan of Don
George Juan is drawn with fo much exactnefs3
that our operations have only ferved to afcertaili
its truth; but M. Bernizet, geographical engineer,
added to it a part of the courfe of the River of
Biobio, in order to Show the fpot on which the
new city is built, and the road leading to it,
(Atlas.)
1
CHAPTER III.
Defcription of Conception—Manners and eufi*
toms of the inhabitants—Departure from
Talcaguana—Arrival at Eafter Ijland.
THE Bay of Conception is one of the moft
commodious harbours to be found in any
part of the world. The water is fmootlv and
there is fcarcely any current, although the tide
rifes fix feet three inches, the flood being at its
height, at the full and change of the moon, at
45 minutes after one o'clock. The bay is Sheltered from all winds but the north, which in
thefe climates only blow during the winter; that
is, from the end of May to October, which is
alfo the rainy feafon. The weather is constantly
wetf
5IO LA PER0USE S VOYAGE
wet while that monfoon lafts; for the name of
monfoons may, with propriety, be given to thofe
Steady gales, that are followed by foutherly winds,
which blow all the reft of the year, and which are
accompanied by the moft delightful weather. The
only anchorage Sheltered from the north-eaft wind
that prevails during the winter, is off the village
of Talcaguana, on the fouth-eaft Shore, which is
now the only Spanish fettlement in the bay, the
old city o£ Conception, having, as I have already
faid, been destroyed by an earthquake in 1751.
It was Situated at the mouth of the river of Saint
Peter, to the eaftward of Talcaguana; and its
ruins are Still to be Seen. They will not exift fo
long as thofe of Palmyra have done, all the houfes
in the country being either built of mud, or of
bricks, dried in the fun. The roofs are covered
with pantiles the fame as in Several of the fouth-
ern provinces of France.
After the destruction of this city, which was
rather fwallowed up by the fea, than overturned
by an*'earthquake, the inhabitants difperfed, and
encamped upon the neighbouring heights. It was
not till 1763,, that they made choice of a hew
Site at a quarter of a league from the river of
Biobio, and at three leagues distance from old
Conception, and the village of Talcaguana. The
biihoprick, the cathedral, and the religious houfes
transferred to the new city, which is of
great
ROU*fBf THE WORLD. jll
great extent, becaufe the houfes are built only
one Story high, that they may be the better able-
to refift the earthquakes that happen every year.
The new town contains about ten thoufand inhabitants. It is the refidence of the bifhop, and
of the major-general, who is at the head of the
military department. This bilhopric confines on
that of San-Jago, the capital of Chili, wliere the
governor-general refides. It is Skirted to the eaft-
ward by the Cordilleras, and extends fouthward
as far as the Straits of Magellan; but its true limits are the river of Biobio, at a quarter of a
league's distance from the city. All the country
fouth of that river belongs to the Indians, except
the ifland of Chiloe, and a fmall district round
Baldivia. It is improper to give to thofe people
the name of Subjects of the King of Spain,, with
whom they are almoft always at war. The functions of the Spanish commandant are confequent-
ly of the greateft importance. He commands
both the regular troops and the militia, which
gives him great authority over all the citizens,
who, in their civil concerns, are governed by a
corregidor. Fie is befides charged exclusively
with the defence of the country, and obliged to
fight, and to negociate inceffantly. A new administration is at>out to fucceed the old one. It
will differ little from that of our colonies, as the
authority is to be divided between the command-
512 LA P&ROUSE S VOYAGE
ant and intendant. But it muft be obferved that
there is no fupreme court in the Spanish colonies,
thofe who are invested with the King's authority
presiding alfo as judges in civil caufes, with a few
civilians to allift them. It is eafy to perceive
that as juftice is not administered by judges equal
in dignity, the opinion of the prefident muft
almoft always bias that of the inferior members
of the court. The confequence. is, that juftice
is in fact administered by a Single perfon, which
muft be attended with great inconvenience, unlets we. fuppofe that perfon void of all prejudice,
free from all paSilons, and poffeffed of the moft
enlightened understanding.
There is not in the univerfe a foil more fertile
than that of this part of Chili. Corn yields
Sixty for one; the vineyards are equally productive ; and the plains are covered with innumerable
flocks, which multiply beyond all conception,
though abandoned entirely to themfelves. All
the inhabitants have to do is to fet up fences
round their refpective poffeffions, and to leave the
oxen, horfes, mules, and Sheep, in the inclofures-
The common price of a fat ox is eight dollars;
that of a Sheep three quarters of a dollar, but
there are no purchafers; and the natives are ac-
cuftomed every year to kill a great number of
oxen, of which thediides and tallow are alone
preferved, and fent *to Lima. Some meat is alfo
cured
ROUND THE WORLD. 513
cured in the Indian manner for the consumption
of the fmall coafting veffels in the South Sea.
There is no particular difeafe incident to this
country; but one which I dare not name is very
common. Thofe who are fortunate enough to
efcape it, live to a very great age. There are at
Conception feveral perfons who have completed a
century.
Notwithstanding fo many advantages, this colony is very far from making the progrefs that
might be expected from a Situation fo favourable
to an increafe of population ; but the influence of
the government inceffantly counteracts that of the
climate : prohibitive regulations exift from one
end of Chili to the other. This kingdom, of
which the productions, if carried to their higheft
pitch, would feed half Europe; of which the
wool would fuffice for the manufactures of France
and England; and of which the cattle, if faked
down, would produce an immenfe revenue; this
kingdom, I fay, is entirely destitute of commerce.
Four or five fmall veffels arrive every year from
Lima, with fugar, tobacco, and a fewr articles
manufactured in Europe, which the unfortunate
inhabitants can only purchafe at the fecond or
third hand, and after immenfe duties have been
paid upon them firft at Cadiz, then at Lima,
and laftly on their entering Chili. They can only
give in exchange wheat, which is fo cheap,' that
Vol. I. LI the
5*4
LA PEROUSE'S VOYAGE
the cultivator feels no defire to clear his wafte land,
tallow, hides, and a few planks; fo that Hie balance
of trade is always againft Chili, which with it's
gold*, it's mines, anckjt's trifling articles of barter, is unable to pay forthe Sugar, the Paraguay
tea, the tobacco, the cloth>xthe linen, the cam-
brick, and the commoner kinds of hardware, whicli
it confumes.
From this very brief Statement, it is evident
that if Spain does not change it's fyftem; if the
liberty of commerce be not authorized; if the duties paid upon foreign commodities be not reduced; if the government in Short will not believe
that a very fmall impoft upon an immenfe population is more productive of revenue than ex-
ceffive duties which annihilate that confumption,
the kingdom of Chili will never reach that pitch
of profperity which might be expected from it's
Situation.
Unfortunately this country produces a fmall
quantity of gold „ Almoft all the rivers being auriferous, the inhabitant by wafliing the earth can
earn, it is faid, half a dollar a day;. but as provisions are very abundant,, he has no real want to
* According to the information I received, the gold collected annually in the bifhoprick of Conception, maybe estimated at two hundred thoufand dollars. There are fingle
plantations at St. Domingo; which produce a& large an
income.
incite
ROUND THE WORLD* 513
incite him to labour. Without communication
with foreigners, and unacquainted with our luxury
-&nd arts, he can defire nothing with Sufficient
energy to overcome his Sloth. The ground therefore lies watte, the moft active of the natives being thofe who devote a few hours to the washing
of the fand of their rivers, which exempts them
from the neceffity of learning any trade. The
conlequence is that the houfes even of the richeft
inhabitants are bare of furniture, and that all
the workmen at Conception come from foreign
parts.
The drefs of the women confifts of a plaited
petticoat of thofe old-fafhioned gold and Silver
Stuffs formerly manufactured at Lyons. Thefe
petticoats which are referved for gala days, may,
like diamonds, be entailed in a family, and de-
fcend from the grand-mother to the grand-daughter. Such dreffes are, however, confined to a
Imall. number of females, the reft having hardly
wherewithal to hicte their nakednefs.
Sloth, Still more than credulity and fuperfti-
tion, has peopled this kingdom with nuns and
monks, the latter of whom enjoy greater liberty
than in any other country in the world. The
misfortune of having nothing to do, the want oS
family ties, the profeffion of celibacy, without
being feparated from the world, and their living
in the convenient retirement of their cells, has
L 1 2 rendered,
j;i6 la perouse's voyage
rendered, and could not fail to render them, the
greateft profligates in America. Their effrontery
is inconceivable. I have feen fome of them Slay
till midnight at a ball, aloof indeed from the good
company, and feated among the fervants. Thele
fame monks gave our young folks more exact information than they could get elfewhere concerning place's with which priefts ought only to have
been acquainted in order to interdict the entrance.
The common people of Conception are much
addicted to thieving, and the women are exceedingly eafy of accefs. They are a degenerate and
mongrel race; but the inhabitants of the firft clafs,
the true-bred Spaniards, are polite and obliging in
the extreme. I Shioud be wanting in gratitude, if
I did not paint them in colours fuitable to their
character, which I Shall endeavour to make known,
while giving an account of our own tranfactions.
I was fcarcely at anchor a-breaft of Talcaguana,
when a dragoon brought me a letter from M.
Quexada, commandant pro tefnpore, in which he
told me, that we Should be received like,, fellow-
countrymen. Fie added, with great politenefs,
that the orders he had received in that refpect,
were conformable to the fentiments of his heart,
and to thofe of all the inhabitants of Conception.
This letter was accompanied by refreshments of all
forts, which every one hastened to fend on board.
The quantity was fo great, that we could neither
eonfume them, nor knew how to flow them away.
Obliged
«to£
ROUND THE WORLD. flj*
Obliged to attend in the firft place to the refitting of my Ship, and to the depositing of our
aftronomical clocks and quadrants on Shore, I
could not go immediately to return my thanks to
the governor. I was ioip&tient for an opportu-"
nity of acquitting myfelf of that duty, but he
was beforehand with me, and came on board, attended by the principal officers of his colony.
The following day, I returned his visit, accompanied by M. de Langle, and Several of the officers
and fcientific men. We were preceded by a detachment of dragoons, the commanding officer of
which had Stationed half a troop at Talcaguana.
Ever Since our arrival, both they and their horfcs
were at our command. M. Quexada, M. Sa-
batero, commandant of the artillery, and the
town-major, came to meet us at a league's
diftance from Conception. We all alighted at
the houfe of. M. Sabatero, where an excellent
dinner was put upon the table; and at night there
was a fplehdid ball, to which the principal ladies
of the.place were invited.
The drels of thefe ladies, very different from
that to which our eyes were accuftomed, was
painted by M. Duche de Vancy. A plaited petticoat which leaves half the leg expofed, and
which is tied a great way below the waft;
Stockings Striped red, blue, and white; Shoes fo
Short, that the toes are bent double, which
L 1 3 makes
518 la perouse's voyage
makes the foot appear nearly round; fuch is the
habit of the ladies of Chili, They wear their
hair without powder, and divided behind into
fmall braids, which hang down their backs-
Their corfet or bodice is generally of gold or
Silver Stuff, and is covered with two Short cloaks,
the firft of muflin, and the fecond which is worn
over it, of wool of different colours, blue, yel-
J#w, or pink. With thefe woollen cloaks they
cover their heads when they are in the Streets
and the weather is cold; but when in a room
they pfually lay thejn on their knees j and there *
is a game played with the muflin cloak, by
Shifting it about inceffantjy, at which the ladies
of Conception diiplay a great deal of grace.
They are in general pretty, and fo charmingly
polite, that there is certainly no maritime city
in Europe where foreign navigators are received
with fp much kindnefs and civility,
About midnight the ball was at an end. As
the liQuies of the commandant and of |Vl. Sa-
batero could not contain all the French officers and paflengers, the inhabitants preffed us
to accept of beds; and in this manner we were-
quartered in the different parts of the town.
Before dinner, we had been to pay vifits to
the principal citizens, alid to the bishop, a man
of great fenfe, of agreeable manners, and of a
charity of which jjjie Spanish bilhpps afford frequent
ROUND THE WORLD. 5I9
quent examples. He is a Creole, born in Peru,
was never in Europe; and is Solely indebted to
his merit for his elevation. He talked to us of
the regret which major-general Higuins would
feel at'being detained upon the frontiers by the
Indians during our Short Stay intiis government.
The favourable report made of that officer by
every one, and the general efteem in which he
was held, made me lament the circumstances that
occasioned his abfence. A courier had been dif-
patched to him, and his anfwer, which was
brought while we were Still at Conception, announced, his fpeedy return. He had juft concluded a glorious peace, that was highly neceffary to the people of his government, their distant
habitations being expofed to the ravages of fa-
vage nations, who maflacre the men and children,
and make the women prifoners.
The Indians of Chili are no longer thofe Americans who were infpired with terror by European
weapons. The increafe of horfes, which are now
difperfed through the interior of the immenfe de-
ferts of America, and that of oxen and Sheep,
which has alio been very great, have converted
thefe people into a nation of Arabs, comparable
in every refpect |o thofe that inhabit the dejerts
of Arabia. Constantly on horfeback, they consider an excursion of two hundred leagues as a very
Short journey. They march, accompanied by their
L 1 4 flocks
520 LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
flocks and, herds; feed upon their fleSh. and milk;
and fometimes upon their blood *; and cover
themfelves with their Skins, of which they make
helmets, cuiraffes, and bucklers. Hence it appears that the introduction of two domestic animals has had a decisive influence upon the manners
of all the tribes which inhabit the country from St.
Jago to the Straits of Magellan. All their old
cuftoms are laid afide ; they no longer feed on the
fame fruits, nor wear the fame drefs; but have a
more Striking refemblance to the Tartars, or to
the inhabitants of the banks of the Red Sea, than
to their ancestors, who lived two centuries ago.
It is eafy to conceive how formidable fuch
people muft be to the Spaniards. How is it poffible to follow them in fuch long excursions ? How
is it poffible to prevent affemblages which bring
together in a Single point nations fcattered over
four hundred leagues of country, and thus form
armies of thirty thoufand men.
M* Higuins has fucceeded in gaining the good
will of thefe favages, and has rendered the moft
.Signal fervice to the nation that has adopted him;
for he was born in Ireland, and belongs to one of
thofe families that are perfecuted on account of
their religion, and their old attachment to the
houSe of Stuart.
* I have been affured that they fometimes bleed their oxen
and hprfes, and drink the blood.
i I cannot
ROUND THE WORLD. £21
I cannot deny myfelf the pleaTure pf making
known this worthy officer, whofe manners are fo
much to the tafte of every country. Like' the
Indians, I felt an affection for him after
firft hour's conversation. His return to Conception followed clofe after his letter; and I was
fcarcely informed of it, when he arrived at Talcaguana. Thus was my vifit again anticipated.
But a major-general of cavalry is fooner on horie-
back than a French fea officer; arid M. Higuins,
on whom the country depended for its defence,
was poffeffed of a degree of activity not eafily to
be matched. His kindnefs, if poffible, exceeded
that of M. Quexada. There was fo much of
truth in his manner, and his affection for all the
French was fo great, that no words could exprels
our fenfe of* gratitude. As we were under obligations to all the inhabitants, we refolved to give
a general entertainment before our departure, and
to invite all the ladies of Conception. A large
tent was pitched by the fea- fide, and we gave a
dinner to a hundred and fifty perfons of both
fexes, who had complaifance enough to come
three leagues to fee us. The dinner was followed.
by a dance, a fmall difplay of fire-works, and a
paper balloon, large enough to afford an agreeable
fpectacle.
The following day, the Same tent ferved us for
the purpofe of giving a great dinner to the crews
of
M
522 LA PEROUSE S VOYAGE
of both frigates. We all ate at the fame table.
M. De Langle and" myfelf were at the head, and
each officer, down to the loweft failor, was feated
according to the rank he held on board. Ouf
diShes were wooden bowls. Gaiety was depicted
in the countenance of all the tailors, who looked
better, and were a thoufand times happier, than
the day of our departure from Breft.
The major-general wishing, in his turn,, to give
an entertainment, we all repaired to Conception,
except the officers on duty. M. Higuins came
out to meet us, and conducted c^ur caValcade to
his hoiife, where a table of a hundred covers was
laid; to which all the officers and inhabitants of
note were invited, as well as feveral ladies. Between the courfes, a Francifcan monk, who had
•the gift of improvising, recited Spanish verfes, to
celebrate the union that prevailed between the
two nations. At iiight there was a ball, to which
' all the ladies repaired dreffed in their fineft clothes;
and a very pretty ballet was danced by officers in
mafks. It would be impoffible to produce a more
delightful fite in any part of the world. It was
given by a man adored in the country, to foreigners of the nation which had the reputation of being the moft gallant in Europe.
But thefe diversions, and this good reception,
did not make me lofe fight of my principal object.
On the day of our arrival I had given notice that
I Should
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5*;
I Should, fail on the 15th of March, and that if
our veffels Should be refitted, and our provisions,
wood and water put on board before that time,'
every one Should be at liberty to go and amufe
himfelf on Shore. Nothing could be better calculated to create difpatch than this promife, of
which I feared the effect as much as the failors de-
Sired it, becaufe wine is very common at Chili;
and becaufe every houfe in Talcaguana is a tavern,
and the women of the lower claffes almoft as com-^
plaifant as at Otaheite. No disturbance, however,
took place; nor did my Surgeon make a report of
any bad *CO,nfequences refulting from this indulgence.
During our Stay at Talcaguana, M. Dagelet regularly made- comparifons to afcertain the rate of
going of our timekeepers, with which we were
exceedingly well fatisfied. Since our departure
from France, No. 19 was found to have loft only
3(/| per day on the mean movement of the funt
which differs only half a fecond from its daily rats
at Breft, and one fecond, on comparing it with
that at which it went at Teneriffe. The fmall
time-keepers, No.' 25 and No. 29, varied fo materially, as not to deferve our confidence.
On the 15th, at day-break, I made the Signal
to prepare to fail; but the wind had unfortunately
fettled at north. It had been constantly between
fouth-foujth-weft and fouth-weft fince our firft arrival
24 LA PER0USE S VOYAGE
rival in the road. The breeze generally fprang
up at ten o'clock in the morning, and gave over
blowing at the fame hour in the evening, dying
away fooner, if it had begun at an earlier hour;
and on the contrary, lafting till midnight, if it
had only begun at noon; fo that there was about
twelve hours of wind and a calm of equal duration. This rule held good till the 15th, when
the wind, after a flat calm and exceffive heat, fettled at north. It blew a very frelh gale from that
quarter, with a great deal of rain during the
night between the 15th and 16th; but on the
17th, towards noon, a light breeze fprang up
from the fouth-weft, with which I got under
way. It was very faint, and only carried us two
leagues out of the bay, where we remained completely becalmed in a very heavy Swell of the fea,
occasioned by the late northerly gale. We were
all night long Surrounded by whales, which came
fo clofe to our Ships, that they threw water on
board from their fpiracles. It is worthy of remark,
that no inhabitant of Chili ever harpooned a Single
one. Nature -tias beftowed fo many good things
on the country, that feveral centuries will probably elapfe before that branch of industry is cultivated.
On the 19th, a foutherly wind enabling me to
gain an offing, I Shaped my courfe to the eaftward
of the Ifland of Juan Fernandez, which I did not
make*
iiaaaw
ROUND THE WORLD. 525
make, becaufe its pofition having been fixed by
the obfervations of Father Feuillee at Conception,
it is impoflible that there can be an error of io'
in longitude.
On the 23d, I was in 300 29' fouth latitude,
and 850 51' weft longitude, according to our timekeeper No. 19, of which the rate of going, Since
our departure from Conception only, was So exactly equal to that of No. 18, on board M. De
Langle's Ship, that there was not a difference of
two minutes of a degree in their refults till our
arrival at Eafter Ifland. It was not the fame in
the cold climate of Cape Horn. It appears, that
the table of temperature delivered to M. Dagelet at Paris by M. Berthoud, was not exact; and
the difference was fo considerable, as to occasion,
in No. 18, an error of longitude of more than a
degree between Lemaire's Straits and the coaft of
Chili.
On the 24th, the wind fettled at eaft, and did
not vary 50 till we were within about a hundred
and twenty leagues of Eafter Ifland.
On the 3d of April, being in latitude 270 f
fouth, and longitude 1010 weft, we had the wind
from north-eaft to north-weft. We alfo faw fe-
veraf birds, the only ones we had met with Since
we paffed by the Ifland of Juan Fernandez; for
two taille-vents, feen in a run of Six hundred
s league's, are not worthy of mention. This variety
of
526 LA PEROUSE'S VOYAGE
of winds is the moft certain Sign of land ; but natural philofophers will perhaps be puzzled to te!f
how the influence of a fmall ifland, in the midft
of antmrnenfe fea, can extend a hundred leagues.
At the fame time, it is not fufficient for a navigator to prefume that he is at that diftance from
an ifland, if nothing indicates the point of the
compafs, in which he may expect to meet with
it. The direction of the flight of birds after fun*
fet, never taught me any thing; and I am perfectly convinced that they are guided in all their
movements through the air by the allurement of
their prey. At the fall of night, I have feen
oceanic birds direct their flight towards ten different parts of the horizon ; and I do not believe-
that the moft enthufiaftic augurs would have dared
to draw any conclusion from their flight.
On the 4th of April, when I was at no more
than Sixty leagues distance from Eafter Ifland, I faw
no birds, and the wind was at north-north-weft.
It is probable that if I had not known thepofition
of the ifland to a certainty, I fhould have thought
that I had paffed it, and Should have put about.
I made thefe reflections on the foot, and cannot
help contesting that the difcovery of iflands is only
due to chance, and that very often the moft faga-
cious calculations have only ferved to put navigators out of their way.
On
ROUND THE WORLD. J'2J '
On the 8 th *pf April, at two in the afternoon,
I got fight of Eafter Ifland which bore weft 5*
fouth, distant twelve leagues. The fea was high,
with the wind at north; for four days it had never
Mown Steadily, but had Shifted about by the well
from north to fouth. I believe that the proximity
of a fmall island was not the only caufe of that inconstancy, it being probable that the trade wiad
is not regular at this time of the year in the latitude of 2 70. It was the eaft point that I perceived. I was precifely in the fame place where,
in 1786, Davis fell in with an ifland of fand, and
twelve leagues farther, with land to the weftward,
which captain Cook, and Mr. Dalrymple, have
fuppofed to be Eafter Ifland, found again in
1722 by Roggewein. But thofe two Seamen,
though very well informed, have not fufficiently
confidered what Waffer relates. He Says, (page
300 of the Rouen edition) u That captain Davis,
haying taken his departure from the Gallapagos,
with the intention of returning to Europe by
Cape Horn, and meaning to touch at Juan
Fernandez j only, felt a terrible Shock in latitude 120 fouth, and thought that lie had Struck:
upon a rock. He had constantly Steered fouth,
and according to his reckoning was at a hundred
and fifty leagues diftance from the continent of
America. He afterwards learned that at that
very point of time there had been an earthquake
at
ij28 la perouse's voyage
at Lima. Having recovered from his alarm, he
continued to run fouth, fouth-by-eaft, and
fouth-eaft, till he? reached latitude 270 20'; and"f
he relates that at two o'clock in the morning, the
people Stationed on the fore-caftle, heard the feh
break upon a beach. He brought to till day-
tight, when he faw a fmall ifland of fand, with no
rock near it. He ran within a quarter of a mile
of St, and about twelve .leagues farther to the
weftward faw land of considerable extent, which
was taken far a clutter of. Islands, on account of
the intervals between the different capes." Davis
continued his courfe towrards Juan Fernandez
without examining,it; but Waffer fays, | that
this tittle ifland of fand lies five hundred leagues
from Qopiapo, and fix hundred from the Galla-
pagos." The impossibility of this refult has not
been fufficiently attended to; if Davis, beingln
12° fouth latitude, and a hundred and fifty leagues
from the coaft of America, made good a fouth-
fouth-eaft courfe, as Waffer relates; as it is evident that this captain of freebooters muft have
fleered a courfe with an easterly wind, which
blows very frequently in thofe latitudes, in order
to fulfil his intention of going to Juan Fernandez,
we may conclude with M. Pingre that there is a
mistake
ot
•fiei
in Dampier's quotation, and
that Davis's Land is only two hundred leagues, inftead of five hundred from Copiapo. It would
then
*m
ROUND THE WORLD. 529
then be probable, that Davis's two iflands are
thole of Saint Ambrofio and Saint Felix, a little north of Copiapo; but the pilots of the freebooters were not fo nice in their obfervations, and
fcarcely ever found the latitude within lefs than
30 or 40'. I -would have fpared my readers this
little geographical difcuffion, if I had not had the
opinion of two jultly celebrated men to combat,
I muft, however, "obferve, that captain Cook was
in doubt, and that he fays he would have decided
the queftion, if he had had time to make a run
to the eaftward of Eafter Ifland. As I have run
down three hundred leagues in that parallel, and
have not feen the ifland of fand, I think that
no doubt ought any longer to be entertained, and
that the problem is fairly folved %
During
* In adopting the Solution of the problem difcuffed by
La Peroufe, I feel it incumbent on me to enter more at
large into the proofs that refult from the journals of different navigators.
It appears certain,'.as Pingre, Cook, and La Peroufe
remark, that there is a miltake of a figure in Dampier,
and that the fuppofed Land of Davis, can only be at two hun*
dred leagues from the coaft of America.
I agree with La Peroufe, that the obfervations taken of
longitude in Davis's time were £o erroneons, that the latitudes are alone to be depended upon. It is then after what
Waffer relates, that the route of Davis may be traced from,
his departure from the G'allapagos Iflands.
Davis, after leaving the Gallapagos Iflands, Rood to
Vol. I. Mm pM
JPf LA PEROUSe's V0YAC3g
During the night I ranged along the coaft
of Eafter Ifland, at three leagues diftance. The
weather was clear, and the wind had chopped
round
the fouthward as far as I z° fouth latitude, where he felt a
terrible fhock, &c. He had conftantly fleered a fouth courfe,
and was then a hundred and fifty leagues from the continent
of America.
By marking this firft point upon the chart it will appear that
he was in 870 weft longitude, or thereabout.
He continued his courfe fouth, fouth-by-eaft, and fouth-
eaft as far as the land which he difcovered in zj° 20' fouth
latitude.
According to Davis's route thus traced he muft have
really been about two hundred leagues from Copiapo, and
fix hundred from Gallopagcs, or i° to the fouth-eaft of the
fouth point of the pofition affigned in the French charts to
the Iflands of Saint Felix and Saint Ambrofe; it is already
evident that the extenfive land which Davis perceived twelve
leagues to the weftward, muft be the iflands of Saint Felix
r and Saint Ambrofe.
The Engliih charts place thefe iflands in 150 fouth latitude.
The French in 250.
Thofe of Green, in from 26° 20' to 270.
Cook acknowledges that he miffed the true latitude of thefe
iflands, by rather depending upon the tables of latitudes and
ongitudes> inferted in Robertforfs Elements of Navigation, than]
in Green's chart. He faw certain figns of land in the vicinity
of 250 fouth latitude.
Cook, when in 25° 50' and 25° 30', could neither fee
Davis's Land, which does not exift, nor the Iflands of Saint-
Felix, and Saint-Ambrofe, which muft exift in the 27th decree, and of which he had indications.
La
ROUND THE WORLD. $p.
round from north to fouth-eaft, in lefs than three
hours. At day break, I Steered for Cook's Bay,
which of all thofe in the ifland is the belt Sheltered from eafterly winds. It is confequently
only open to the weft; and the weather was fo
fine, that I was in hopes it would not blow from
that quarter for feveral days. At eleven o'clock I
La Peroufe, in coming from the eaftward, and running
down three hundred leagues in the parallel of Eafter Ifland,
could neither fee Davis's Land, nor the Iflands of Saint-
Felix and Saint-Ambrofe, of which the longitude is from z6°
to 2 70 to the eaftward of that ifland.
It is evident, as captain Cook and Dalrymple thought,
that Eafter Ifland, found again by Roggewein, in 1722,
cannot be Davis's Land.
It is evident that the Iflands of Saint Felix and Saint
Ambrofe cannot exift in the pofition affigned to them in
the Englifh charts, for as Cook remarks, Davis would have
met with them in his route.
It is evident that the Iflands of Saint-Felix and Saint-Ambrofe cannot exift in the pofition affigned' to them in the
French charts, a pofition conformable to that laid down by
Robertfon ; for then captain Cook would have found them.
It appears then demonftrated that Davis's Land does not
exift; but that iflands exift in. the 27th degree of fouth
latitude, at about two hundred leagues from Copiapo,
which iflands are no other than thofe of Saint-Felix and
Saint Ambrofe, badly laid down in all the charts; and
that thefe iflands are the fuppofed Land of Davis; fuch at
leaft, is the opinion I have formed, after confulting the
journals of different navigators. It is alfo that of a much
efteemed navigator of modern times—I mean Bougain-
Tille. (Fr Ed.)
was
53z
LA PER0USE S VOYAGE.
was only a league from the anchorage. The Aftrolabe had already let go her anchor, and I dropped
mine very near her; but the bottom Shelved fo
fuddenly that neither of them held, and we were
obliged to heave them up and make two boards
in order to regain the anchorage.
This accident did not damp the ardour of the
Indians. They fwam after us till we were a league '
in the offing, and came on board with a fmiling
look and an air oS fecurity which gave me a high
opinion of their difpofition. Men, more fufpi-
cious than they, would have been afraid, when
we got under way again, of being carried away
from their native land. But the idea of fuch an
act of perfidy never feemed to prefent itfelf to
their mind. They were in the midft of us naked
and without arms, having only a bit of packthread tied round their loins to confine a bundle
of grafs which concealed their private parts.
END OF VOL. ft
"""@en, "Page 524 misnumbered as 24.
Edition: Second edition.
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edm:hasType "Books"@en, "Travel literature"@en ;
dcterms:identifier "F5816 .L26 1799"@en, "II-0304-xvii-V01"@en ;
edm:isShownAt "10.14288/1.0347410"@en ;
dcterms:language "English"@en ;
edm:provider "Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library"@en ;
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dcterms:source "Original Format: University of British Columbia. Library. Rare Books and Special Collections. F5816 .L26 1799"@en ;
dcterms:subject "Voyages around the world"@en ;
dcterms:title "A voyage round the world, in the years 1785, 1786, 1787, and 1788 : published conformably to the decree of the National assembly, of the 22d of April, 1791. Translated from the French. Vol. I"@en ;
dcterms:type "Text"@en ;
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