VOYAGE 

ROUND THE WORLD, 

PERFORMED 

In the Years 1785, 1786, 1787, and 1788, 

BY THE BOUSSOLE AND ASTROLABE, 
Under the Command of 

J. F. G. DE LA PEROUSE: 

PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, 

UNDER THE SUPERINTENDENCE OF 

L. A. MILET-MUREAU, 

Jrigadier-General in tlie Corps of Engineers, Director of Fortifications, Member of the 
Constituent Assembly, and Fellow of several literary Societies at Paris. 



IN TWO VOLUMES. 

fLLUSTRATED BY A VARIETY OF CHARTS AND PLATES> 
IN A SEPARATE FOLIO VOLUME. 

TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH. 



VOL. L 



LONDON : 



PRINTED BY A. HAMILTON, 



FOR G, G. AND J. ROBINSON, PATERNOSTER-ROW; 
'J. EDWARDS, PALL-MALL; AND T. PAYNE, MEWS-GATE, CASTLE-STREET. 

1799. 




TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. 



There is no sort of publication that excites greater at- 
tention than books .of voyages and travels. It is natural to the 
heart of man to desire to become acquainted with his species 
under all the modifications of government, civilization, and 
climate. Confined as we are by the laws of the universe within 
the petty limits of this globe of earth, man would not be the 
active, enterprising, and inquisitive animal he is usually de- 
scribed, if the student in his closet, and the merchant in his 
counting-house, did not feel themselves excited to observe, in 
the degree in which their circumstances admit, the productions, 
the geography, the structure, and the inhabitants of this diver- 
sified planet,- 

It has been a peculiarity of the present age, for various suc-^ 
cessive voyages of discovery to be made, under the patronage 
of different political governments, and with all the accommo- 
dations that the exchequer of those governments could afford. 
The record of these voyages has been particularly a subject of 
curiosity. They may be expected to contain greater fulness of 
information, and may reasonably be conceived to bear the stamp 



TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. 

of a higher authenticity. In the catalogue of these, the book 
now laid before the world is one of the most magnificent in it's 
conception, and recent in it's execution. 

The plan of the voyage is fully developed in the commence- 
ment of the work, and is calculated to excite interest and ap- 
plause. Perhaps, for the period to which it's execudon was 
limited, it was too compi'ehensive : yet, though it has undoubt- 
edly left many important questions to be decided by succeed- 
ing navigators, it was capable of effecting much, and much 
was actually accomplished. 

The examination of the eastern coast of Tartary, and the 
discovery, as it may be called, of one of the most extensive 
islands on the globe, separated from the condnent by a strait, 
which was traversed in all direcdons, would be sufficient of 
themselves to recommend any voyage to public notice, and will 
for ever give to this importance and individuality. 

On the north-western coast of America much was done to- 
wards refuting the idle nodon of a navigable passage from the 
Pacific ocean to the Adantic ; and what la Perouse left incom- 
plete, in this respect, has since been fully effected by an Eng- 
lish seaman, captain Vancouver, who was employed for three 
successive summers in the invesdgation. 



There is a farther coincidence between these navigators, 
.rthy of being pointed out. La Perouse was of opinion, 



TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. 



from every thing he saw, that the greater part of the land along 
which he coasted made no part of the continent, but consisted 
of islands and this conjecture has been satisfactorily verified by 
the investigations of captain Vancouver^. 

In contrast with this coincidence, between two navigators 
unacquainted with each other's discoveries, we may mention 
here their both findings upon a closer inspection, that- the 
Behring's Bay of Cook does not exist ; this acute officer having 
probably been deceived by the appearance which the land pre- 
sents at a distance. La Perouse, however, discovered a river 
on this spot, which escaped, the observation of Vancouver. 

With regard to natural history, an addition greatly more 
considerable would doubtless have been made to our stock, had 
the men of science, who accompanied the expedition, lived to 
return with the stores they had collected ; or had they followed 
the example of their illustrious leader, in transmitting during 
the voyage an account of the discoveries already ascertained. 
The papers, however, subjoined to this work, and which in 
some points are extremely curious, as well as the plates accom- 
panying it, are proofs that their labour was not entirely lost. 

Independently of the professional skiH and sagacity of la Pe- 
rouse, it is worthy of remark, in what language he expresses 
himself on different occasions, upon topics connected With au- 
thority and freedom. This is an additional fact, serving to cor- 
roborate the opinion, that the French revolution did not t^ke 



^TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE,- 

place till the minds of the people were ripe for liberty, or at 
least for that degree of liberty, at which they would perhaps 
have rested for the present, had they been left to the naked 
operation of internal causes. 

Of the translation it remains to be observed, that much so- 
licitude has been employed to render it faithful, that nothing 
contained in the original is omitted in it, and that the whole of 
the nautical and other tables is given entire, and it is hoped 
with accuracy. The French account of Maurelle's voyage, 
taken from Barrington's Miscellanies, has been carefully com- 
pared with the original, by which several mistakes in it have 
been corrected. In the measures, those of the French have 
been retained, lest some mistake might have been committed 
in converting them into the English. This^ however, the 
reader may easily do for himself, in any particular instance, 
reckoning the Parisian foot to the English as 1068 to 1000, 
and remembering, that the French foot, like ours, contains 
twelve inches, but that the French inch is divided into twelve 
jines instead of ten. 




THE 



EDITOR'S PREFACE. 



public, familiarised to the melancholy idea of the loss 
of the two ships, that were sent on the unfortunate expedition 
undertaken by la Perouse, will be surprised at the publication 
of a journal of his voyage. The decree of the constituent as- 
sembly, however, by which the charts and memoirs sent home 
by that navigator were directed, the one to be engraved, and the 
other to be printed, was sufficient to announce that we were not 
wholly deprived of the fruits of his labours. His foresight in- 
duced him to avail himself of every opportunity that offered, 
and even to seek others, of transmitting his journals to Europe ; 
and it is much to be wished, that the men of science, who ac- 
companied him, had not been prevented by self-love from trans- 
mitting to us their's in the same manner; as we should then 
not have had to regret their almost total loss. 

La Perouse, occupied by the difficult and numerous particu- 
lars attendant on the command of an important and dangerous 
expedition; obliged at every step, to judge of the present, and 
VOL. I. b 



IHE 



J 



11 



EDITOR'S PREFACE. " 

Jook into the future, and consequently to modify bis ideas ac- 
cording to circumstances; could neither digest methodically, 
nor arrange in order, those materials, which were to have been 
employed by him, in writing the history of his voyage ; and in 
the eyes of an editor, who was altogether a stranger to the 
transactions recorded, these materials could not but appear still 
more confused. 

As nothing, that can tend to promote the progress of the 
human understanding, ought to be omitted in a voyage of disco- 
very, artists and men of learning form an essential part of such 
expeditions. Each, on his return, arranges his materials, and 
imparts to the particular object of his labours that degree of 
perfection of which he deems it susceptible : and from a well- 
digested combination of these different parts arises a complete 
narration, where every thing is connected, and every thing in it's 
place. Here, from an unexampled fatality, all our navigators 
have perished ; and I alone have been obhged, by collecting 
what has escaped the wreck, to supply the want of the true and 
energetic hues of those, who would have said nothing, but what 

themselves had felt. 

In yielding, far from readily, to the sohcitations which have, 
induced me to undertake this laborious but honourable tafK, the 
difficulties, which must necessarily occur in a work, to attend 
equally to all the parts of which is nearly impossible, were by 
no means diminished to my apprehension. 

The public, no doubt, will regret with me, that the late minister 



EDITOR'S PREFACE. 

of marine, Fleurieu, at present member of the national institute, 
and of the board of longitude, a literary character of rare and 
distinguished merit, who at first readily undertook the office of 
editor, should have been obliged by circumstances to relin- 
quish it. ' 

The same feelings which prompted me to display, in the tri- 
bune of the constituent assembly, such zeal for the publication 
of this voyage for the benefit of the deserving widow of la Pe- 
rouse, induced me to endeavour to direct the choice of govern- 
ment to some seaman, qualified to supply the place of him who 
had first been named to be it's editor; butFrance had already lost 
great part of her most distinguished naval officers, and the rest 
were either in employ, or had voluntarily withdrawn themselves. 
The minister therefore could only turn his eyes upon some in- 
dividual, who at least had made natural knowledge his study, 
and acquired habits of accuracy from mathematical pursuits, as 
these essentially constitute the basis of such an undertaking. 
Beside, the choice of a man possessing these acquirements in 
preference was conformable to the wishes of la Perouse ; for he 
v^rote to one of his friends nearly in the following terms:—" If 
" my journal be published before my return, let the editing of 
" it by no means be entrusted to a man of letters ; for either he 
" will sacrifice the proper terms, which the seaman and man of 
[' learning would prefer, and will look for in vain, but which to 
" him will appear harfli and barbarous, to the turn of a phrase ; 
" or, rejecting all the nautical and astronomical details, and en- 
deavourmg to make a pleasing romance, he will commit mis- 
takes, from a want of the knowledge his education has not 



EDITOR'S PREFACE. 

allowed him to acquire, which may prove fatal to those who 
^' ihall follow me. But choose an editor versed in the mathe- 
matical sciences, who is capable of calculating and comparing 
my data with those of other navigators, of rectifying errors 
which may have escaped me, and of guarding himself against 
the couimission of others. Such an editor will preserve the 
" substance of the work; will omit nothing, that is essential; 

will give technical details in the harsh and rude, but concise 
" style of a seaman ; and will well perform his task, in supply- 
" ing my place, and pubhshing the work such as I would have 
<^ done myself." 

This wish having served me constantly as a guide, those read- 
ers, who have no other object but amusement, need not proceed: 
any farther; I have not laboured for them, but for the seamaa 
and man of learning. In a work, where the matter demands, 
more attention than the manner, and where fidelity in facts, and 
accuracy of expression, are the most important qualities, clear- 
ness and precision have been my aim, and I have never sacri^- 
ficed to elegance, at the expence of truth. Let this confessiorii 
be at once my excuse, andmy plea for the reader's indulgence^. 

With this view I have scrupulously preserved the character 
of each writer's style, merely subjecting it to' the estabhshed 
rules of the language ; though, when some idea has occurred to 
me, which might serve to connect the rest, some expression, 
that might complete an image, render it more striking, or give 
greater harmony to a period, without altering it's substance^ I 
have thought myself at liberty to employ it. 



EDITOR'S PREFACE. 



No doubt the following work would have been more vakiable, 
had it come from the pen of the late minister Fleurieu, who 
would have enriched it with his own profound knowledge : I 
must inform the reader, however, that I have consulted him on 
every occasion, when I had any doubts ; and always found in 
him that modesty and complaisance which are the inseparable 
companions of true knowledge and talents. 

If to collect, arrange, and digest properly all the parts of 
such a work, were a difficult enterprise, the details of publica- 
tiou; the labours, the researches, the steps which nothing but the 
most active zeal could support, and the delays induced by im- 
perious circumstances, would seem sufficient to render it im- 
practicable. 

The publication was decreed in 1791; and in 1793, when I: 
was engaged for it, nothing was begun. The decreasing value- 
of paper-money induced the artists and tradesmen to recede 
from their agreements, almost as soon as they were formed, or 
frustrate my exertions by the most provoking inactivity, arising, 
from the hope of better times. Opinion, bordering on mad- 
Mess, required the denominations and customs of another period, 
to be accommodated to the times, in defiance of the truth of 
history, which obliged me to remain inactive in this: respect for 
more than a year. At length a new kind of paper^money was^ 
issued, and the finances were in a state of embarrassment, when* 
specie re-appeared. Such were the physical and moral causes- 
0f the delay to which I was exposed. 



EDITOR'S PREFACE. 



To enable me to surmount the difficulties arising from the 
circumstances of the moment, I was strongly urged to write this 
voyage in the third person. Thus becoming an historian, and 
appropriating to myself the materials of the work, I should have 
thrown the navigator into the shade, by placing myself between 
him and the reader. This proposal did not seduce my self- 
love, which I sacrificed to the interest, always excited by a man, 
who relates what he has felt, who describes the perilous situ- 
ations in which he has been placed, and who makes the reader 
the companion of his pleasures and his pains. 

If circumstances fettered me during my progress, and sur- 
rounded my path with obstacles, the result will at least evince, 
that the government has not ceased to protect the arts and 
sciences, during the course of the most astonishing of revolu- 
tions, which has excited against it a war as general as it is bur- 
densome. 



Having explained the nature and difficulties of my under- 
taking, I have now to speak of the form of the work, it's ar- 
rangement, and the care that has been taken in the execution 
of it's mechanical part. 

The title of a Voyage round the World, which I have given 
it, though strictly speaking it could not claim this without the 
return of la Perouse to some port of France, assuredly v/ill not 
be disputed; since a voyage round the world may be consi- 
dered as ended, when a ship, that has sailed from Europe, has 




EDITOR'S PREFACE.- 



vii 



doubled Cape Horn, and arrived at China througli the Pacific 
Ocean. Beside, did not our navigators, in the course of the 
year succeeding their arrival at China, perform a longer, more 
brilliant, and more dangerous voyage, than would have been that 
of their simple return to Europe ?. 

The work consisting of four-volumes 4to''', and one of charts- 
and plates in folio, is divided in the following manner : 

The first volume contains all the prehminary pieces respect- 
ing the expedition ; to which I have added only the translation 
of a Spanish voyage, the manuscript of which was sent home by 
la Perouse, and which I could not have placed elsewhere, with-* 
out rendering the volumes too unequal in bulk. 

A celebrated author has rescued from oblivion the miagnani;. 
mous self-devotion of Dassas, who sacrificed his life to save the 
French army, crying out : " This way, Auvergne ! here are the 
enemy!" The Parisian Society of Natural History had the 
merit of calling the attention of the representatives of the nation- 
to the expedition of la Perouse, by the petition, v/hich it pre- 
sented on the 22d of January 1791. The national assembly, 
delayed not to take it into considerationj notwithstanding the: 
importance of the labours, on which it was employed. 

* In the present translation the whole is comprised in two volumes 4to, with the charts 
plates in a separate folio volume, as in the original. The first two volumes are completely in-~ 
eluded in one, andtlie last two in another, by reducing the size of the type, enlarging that of the ■ 
page, and allowing a few more sheets to each volume, so as to render the work somewhat 
cheaper than it could otherwise have been, without any diminution of it's beauty or utility. 



EDITOR'S PREFACE. 

The two decrees, passed in consequence, equally honourable 
to those who were the subjects of them, and to those by whom 
they were voted, are placed at the beginning of the work. They 
breathe the sentiments of humanity and feeling, and say in words 
immortal to all w^ho may be desirous of treading in the steps of 
la Perouse ; " When you have run your career, amid the dan- 
gers of every kind with which you are surrounded, you may rest 
assured, if you fall, that your grateful country will emblazon 
your names with honour in the temple of Memory." 

I have not confined myself to the custom of recording the 
names of the officers and men of science alone engaged in such 
an expedition : the pubhcation of an exact hst of the crews ap- 
pears to me more agreeable to justice, and the principles of the 
French government : at the same time I conceived, that this 
list would be the only register, to which the families of our un- 
fortunate seamen could hereafter refer. 

The instructions, and geographical notes, which follow, and 
which are the work of Fleurieuthe late minister of marine, con- 
stitute a model of too much value, to be withheld from the pub- 
lic. Beside, it is the only answer I shall deign to make to a 
note of George Forster, which had a tendency to vilify the mo- 
tive of this expedition, which was the advancement of science 
alone*% I am sorry, that a man, whom I esteem, should have 

* Part of the instructions will show, that the advancement of science was not it's sole ob ^ 



EDITOR'S PREFACE. 



himself as follows in his Historical and Picturesque Tour on the 
Banks of the Rhine: vol. i. p. 311, of the French trans- 
lation. 

" At the time when the unfortunate and interesting la Pe- 
rouse departed to make new acquisitions for philosophy and 
commerce, a minister presented to the council a memorial on 
the incalculable advantages of the enterprise. This memorial, 
though long, was read with eagerness; yeti it : contained but a 
single idea, which was this: * Sire,' said the minister, ^ would 
you divert your subjects from this dangerous anglomania, this 
passion for liberty, destructive of peace and good order, amuse 
them with new ideas, give them food for their idle hours, the 
poignancy and variety of which may cherish the frivolous turn 
of their minds. They had better be employed in admiring the 
ridiculous tricks of a few Chinese apes, than in following the 
fashion of the day, which leads them to admire the horses and 
philosophers of England." 

The second and third volumes contain the whole of the 
journal of the voyage, and the tables of the route of the two 
ships, in which will be found the result of the astronomical 
and meteorological observations. 

To the progress of astronomy we are indebted for the means 
of determining the longitude at sea with great precision : and 
when the public are informed, that the astronomer Dagelet, 
member of the Academy of Sciences, had the superintendance 

VOL. I, C 



EDITOR'S PREFACE. , 

of this department, they cannot fail to have the greatest con- 
fidence in his accuracy, and that of the tables and charts de^ 
pending on it. 

If the journal do not always agree with the tables and charts, 
it is owing to the impracticability of delaying the printing till" 
the whole could be completely compared and verified. Such 
differences, however, will not be frequent, or of much impor- 
tance : and when they occur, the preference ought to be given 
to the tables, and more particularly to the charts, which have 
been executed under the direction of the first hydrographer to 
the navy, Buache, member of the National Institute, and of 
the Board of Longitude. I owe him here particular thanks, 
for his readiness to assist me by his exertions in this important 
part. 

The longitudes throughout the work, when the meridian is 
not mentioned, are reckoned from that of Paris 

I have aimed at accuracy in writing proper names ; but the 
names of places being as variously given in different accounts as^ 
the languages of their authors are dissimilar, it was necessary, 
writing^hese words of pure convention, to follow the orthogra- 
phy most generally received, adapting it to the idiom of the 
country. 

The fourth volume is composed of memoirs, or detachea 

^ The iBeridian of Paris is 2° a.0' east of Greenwich. T.. 



EDITOR'S PREFACE. 



papers, sent to government by the men of science employed in 
the expedition, with such others as I have been able to collect. 
For this purpose I made the necessary application to the late 
Academy of Sciences, and such individuals as I suspected might 
have had correspondents among the companions of la Perouse ; 
but in vain : for I have obtained only those, of which scattered 
fragments have appeared in journals of natural philosophy, and 
these I have been eager to add to this volume. 

In the course of the work I have added notes, wherever I 
thought they might be of utility; and I have distinguished them 
by the initials of the words note of the editor''''. ■ 

The number, size, and beauty of the charts and other engrav- 
ings, have induced me to unite them in a separate volume of a 
larger size. A national work, executed with such attention, ap- 
peared to me to merit this care for their preservation. If it be 
not generally approved, I shall answer, that such is the form of 
the elegant edition of Cook's third Voyage, pubhshed by order 
of the English government, and at it's expence. 

That the work might at length be finished, I found myself ob- 
liged to distribute the drawings, entrusted at first to five artists of 
known talents, to a greater number of engravers ; whence a little 
want of uniformity, and inequality of perfection, have necessarily 

* Note du Redacteur, N. D. R. In the present translation these are signed (French 
Editor) : the few by the translator are marked with a T : those without any signature^ 
when they occur in the journal, are by la Perouse; in the other papers, by the writer of 
them. T. 



EDITOR'S PREFACE, 

ensued ; though I have neglected nothing, to render it as little 
perceptible as possible 

If this work be such, as might have been hoped from the ma- 
terials put into my hands, and after the unexpected loss of our 
navigators, my most pleasing reward will be, to have fulfilled the 
views of government, and given my assistance towards that mo- 
nument of gratitude, which it has thought fit to erect to their 
memory. 

* In the present translation, we trust, there b no reason for this eomplamt: the whole of th® 
charts having been engraved by Neele, and the plates ehiefly by Heath. T. 



INTRODUCTION 

BY 

THE EDITOR. 



By the reception which all Europe has given to the narra- 
tives of the late voyages round the globe, it has appeared to ma- 
nifest it's good wishes for the progress of the natural and physi- 
cal sciences. But it must be confessed, among the numerous 
admirers of works of this kind, some have had nothing more than 
amusement in view ; the object of others has been, by proudly 
comparing our customs and manners with those of savages, to 
estabhsh the superiority of civilised man over man uncivilised ; 
while men of learning alone, and these are the smaller number, 
have sought, and almost always found, materials- for extending 
their knowledge,. 

The accounts, of voyages of discovery may be reckoned among 
the most interesting books of modern history. Man, naturally 
tiie admirer of what is new and extraordinary, transports him- 



INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR. 

self in imagination to distant regions; puts himself into the place 
of the navigator ; shares his dangers and liis escapes, his pains 
and his pleasures ; and becomes his inseparable companion, 
through the variety of objects^ which excite his attachment, or 
feed his curiosity. 

In this point of view, extracts of voyages, such as Prevost has 
given, divested of all the dry and tedious particulars that relate 
to astronomy and navigation, are unquestionably more agreeable 
to the reader than the originals. But these extracts are not the 
source to which the seaman and man of science will resort : 
since the materials, after thus passing through the literary cru- 
cible, though they come out more light and brilliant, no longer 
possess that solid principle which constitutes science, and which 
alteration destroys. 

Almost all tke authors or translators of works of the nature 
of the present have enumerated the voyages that have preceded 
those they publish, and the discoveries that have resulted from 
them. Thus they have given a sketch of the acquisitions made 
by geography, while they point out the works in which they are 
recorded. I shall not here repeat those particulars which are to 
be found elsewhere ; but shall content myself with giving a more 
complete chronological list of the principal voyages, to which we 
are indebted for discoveries in the Pacific Ocean. 

Magellan, a Portuguese, in the service of Spain 
Garcia de Loaes, or Loaysa, a Portuguese, in the same service 
Alphonso de Salazar, a Spaniard - - - ~ 

Alvar-ez Saavedra, a Spaniard - - " " 



1519 
1525 
1525 
1526 



INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR. 



Ferdinand Grijalva, and Alvaredo, Spaniards 


1537 


Gaetan, a Spaniard 


1542 


Alvarez-de Mendana, a Spaniard » » « 


1567 


Juan Fernandas, a Spaniard - _ „ _ 


1576 


Sir Francis Drake, an Englishman _ _ 


1577 


Thomas Candish, or Cavendish, an Englishman 


1586 


Sir Richard Hawkins, an Englishman 


1594- 


Alvarez de Mendana, a Spaniard - _ - 


1595 


Oliver van Noort, a Dutchman 


1598 


Pedro Fernandes de Quiros, and Luigo Vaes de Torrcz, Spaniards 1606 


George Spilberg, a Dutchman ~ _. 


1614 


Le Maire and Schouten, Dutchmen 


1616 


L'Hermite, a Dutchman - - - 


16S3: 


Abel Tasman, a Dutchman^ - - 


1642 


Antony la Roche, a Frenchman ^ » _ 


1675 


Cowley, an Englishman - 


1683 


Dampier, an Englishman ~ - 


1687 


Davis, an Englishman - . » _ 


1687 


John Strong, an Englishman » „ ^ _ 


1689 


Gemelli Carreri, a Neapolitan, - - 


1693 


Beauchene Gouin, a Frenchman 


1699 


William Funnell, an Englishman - 


1703 


Woodbs Rogers, an Englishman - 


1708 


Lewis Feuilleci a Frenchman - - _ 


1708 


Frezier, a Frenchman:. 


1712 


Gentil de. la Barbinais, a Frenchman 


1715 


John Clipperton. and George Shelvocke,, Englishmen, 


1719 


Roggewein, a Dutchman - 


1722: 


Anson, an Englishman - _. 


1741 


Le Ken-Brignori, a Frenchman =. „ _ 


1 747 


Byron, an Englishman - - ». 


176# 


Wallis, an Englishman - — - 


1 766 


Carteret,, an Englishman . =• - ^ 


1766 


Pages, a Frenchman - ^ „ 


1766 


Boogainville^ a. Frenchman- =- ». ^. 





m 



XVI 



INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR. 

Cook, an Englishman - - - 

Surville, a Frenchman - - - 

Marion and du Clesmeur, Frenchmen 
Cook, an Englishman - - - 

Cook, Gierke, and Gore^ Englishmen 



1769 
1769 
1771 
1772 
1775 



Cook's last voyage was known only by the death of the illus- 
trious commander of the expedition, when France, availing her- 
self of the leisure arising from the peace she had just concluded, 
conceived her rank among the maritime powers, and still more 
her ardour and her means for the advancement of science, called 
upon her to fit out an expedition on a voyage of discovery, that 
she might contribute her share to the completion of our know- 
ledge of that globe, which has so long been the habitation of 
man. If in the present day we have advanced so far in it's ex- 
amination, if the situation of each of it's known parts be hence- 
forth fixed, if every step carry us nearer to our end ; we are in- 
debted for this to the progress of astronomy. In the distances 
of certain stars, the motion of which is calculated with precision, 
astronomy presents us with certain bases, which enable us to de- 
termine the longitude, with sufficient accuracy to render naviga- 
tion secure, in the midst of a vast sea, where heretofore it was es- 
timated only by approximation almost at random, whence the 
greatest errors were liable to accrue. The benefit thus conferred 
on us by astronomy ensures us in future the fruit of our expe- 
ditions, and a knowledge of geography scarcely short of per- 
fection. 

There are means, unquestionably, of accelerating this desira- 
ble object ; and this is a proper place for oifering a few hints on 




INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR. 



a matter of so much importance. These means might be com- 
bined in a kind of congress, formed of agents from the principal 
maritime powers, that might be desirous of sharing the glory of 
such an enterprise. 

This congress, composed of astronomers, hydrographers, and 
mariners, should turn it's attention to all the ancient discoveries, 
which have not been recognised in modern days ; to all those 
parts of the globe, where discoveries remain to be made or com- 
pleted, or particulars to be investigated ; to the seasons in all the 
latitudes of either hemisphere, the prevailing winds, monsoons, 
currents, refreshments and assistance that may be obtained, 
&c. 

These inquiries should constitute the basis of a set of general 
instructions, to be given to the commanders of a grand expedi- 
tion ; and, that the plans of several might not tend to the same 
object, the sum of the discoveries to be made should be divided 
among the maritime powers of Europe, paying attention to their 
.possessions and setdements, which might render particular en- 
terprises more easy to particular powers. 

Would England, Spain, Holland, Portugal, Russia, the 
United States of America, and France, be at the expense of 
an expedition every three years, we may venture to affirm, 
that, in the course of twenty, geography would have attained it's 
utmost height. 

VOL. I. d 



INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR. 

France would unquestionably have eontinued to promote the 
progress of geography, if interests more important, and an ex- 
pensive war carried on to support them, had not employed her 
entirely, and demanded all her resources for some years past. 
Peace, however, recalling the attention of government in great 
measure to the arts and sciences, promises new expeditions for 
their advantage. 

When enterprises are undertaken with grand views, all the 
sciences are gainers by it. Though the philosopher is seldom 
fond of quitting his home, he fails not to reap the fruits of 
voyages. Ready to collect the observations of the navigator, he 
seizes his ideas, investigates them, connects them with the gene- 
ral system, while he analyses and classes the sensations from 
which they have sprung, and thus gi\ es new life to every brancH^ 
of science. 

If navigation, thus ennobled, must powerfully contribute to- 
extend the limits of human knowledge, it is for the government 
to call forth the exertions of talents, recompense their success, 
collect and pubhsh the discoveries, receive and reflect all the 
rays of thought and views of genius, and attach to itself, from 
every point of the glbbe, men who for their merits and labours 
belong to all countries, as well as to all ages, without paying 
any attention to their opinion on subjects already left at a di- 
stance, and of which we ought to consider only the result, which- 
may prove favourable to the execution of the proposed pla^ 
when a general peace shall be established^. 



INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR. 



This plan would lead to the examination of some questions of 
importance to geography, and particularly that of an universal 
meridian ; for there is no geographer, who has not experienced 
the inconveniences arising from the difference of the meridians 
employed in charts. This obliges us to be continually on our 
guard against errors ; the least comparison to be made between 
different meridians requiring additions or subtractions. Navi- 
gators have given occasion to this, by employing in their charts 
the meridian adopted by the nation to which they belong, or 
frequently, indeed, a particular one of their own. On the other 
hand, some have reckoned their longitude westerly, others east- 
erly, round the globe. Others, and these the greater number 
among the moderns, have divided their longitude into east and 
west : but, the difference between the meridians of their anti- 
podes being the same as those of their observatories in Europe, 
it followed from this division, that the longitude was called east 
by one, where it was called west by another, in the opposite he- 
misphere, as well as in this. Hence errors arise, which would 
be avoided by reckoning the longitudes uniformly as far as 
360°, and agreeing to calculate them to the west. The only 
objection, to be made to this method of computation is, that it 
•does not always give a clear idea of the distance by the num- 
ber of degrees : as far as 1 80°, the antipodes of the meridian, it 
is obvious^ the distance and the number of degrees would 
accord ; but beyond this point every one is not sufficiently 
instructed to conceive, that 200° of longitude are nearer to 
the meridian from which the reckoning begins than 180°^ 



INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR. 

while by saying 1 60° of longitude east, instead of 200° of lon- 
gitude, no one can be at a loss about the distance. 

It must be confessed, the objection against reckoning to 
360° is of very htde weight, compared with the advantage of a 
simple proceeding, liable to no error ; an advantage not to be 
rejected in favour of those few, who are incapable of learning to 
judge of the litde distance between their meridian, and that 
which is 359° 59' from it. 

The advantage of this mode of reckoning the longitude to 
360°, how^ever, is trifling, compared with that of the adoption 
of a common meridian, to serve in future as a base to the geo - 
graphy of all nations. I am sufficiently aware, that self-love 
will urge each to prefer it's own : but, setdng aside all private 
considerations, the meridian, which appears most eligible to be 
adopted, because it cuts very litde land, and leaves the meri- 
dians of the maritime powers of Europe to the east, is that of 
the remarkable peak, which nature seems to have placed in the 
midst of the sea, to serve as a pharos to navigators, the peak of 
Teneriffe. A pyramid, constructed at the expense of the asso- 
ciated powers, should be erected on the point through which 
the meridian line is to pass ; and a committee of astronomers, 
chosen from the members of the proposed union, should deter- 
mine, by a series of calculations, the exact difference between 
this common meridian and those of the principal observatories, 
of both hemispheres. 



INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR. 



xxi 



These calculations, the accuracy of which would be un- . 
questionable from the perfection of our methods, would remove 
all uncertainty respecting the sum to be added or subtracted in 
comparing one meridian with another; and they would settle 
the differences arising in the results of their comparisons ob- 
tained at different periods, which might be taken for errors, 
were it not remembered, that astronomers, from recent obser- 
vations made with more care and better instruments, have chang- 
ed the difference of longitude that had been fixed between the 
meridians of the observatories of Paris and Greenwich. This 
difference, which was considered as 2° 1 9\ has been found to be 
2° 20' ; or, if strict accuracy were required, 2° 20^ 1 or 9' 
ST" of time, to which it must be carried on account of the flat- 
tening of the poles, supposing this to be t^^, conformably to the 
observations of Lalande, with whose merit the whole world is 
acquainted, and in whose calculations perspicuity and precision 
are united in a very high degree. 

The idea of a common meridian, which I here propose at 
the head of a journal of a grand voyage, originated from the 
reflections suggested to me by an examination of the work, when 
preparing it for the press. It has smiled on me in the midst of 
my labour ; it may not be generally approved ; but I may be 
allowed to express my wishes for it's adoption, till it's inconve-^ 
niences, if it have any, be demonstrated. 

This new meridian would not in the least diminish the value 
of the vast materials in geography we possess : if it wou'ldj 



xxii . INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR. 

every thought of it should be discarded, as I reject, for the 
present, though with great regret, that of the new division of 
the circle, because it has the serious defect of nearly annihilat- 
ing them: for this it was necessary I should assign a reason, 
and here it does not lead me from my subject. 

Though no one can be more partial to the decimal mode of 
calculation, which is discussed with so much justice in the writ- 
ings of the learned and ingenious Borda, as well as in those of 
the other members of the temporary committee of weights and 
measures, I cannot dissemble the inconveniences attending the 
division of the circle into 400 degrees. These are so great, 
that it is impossible for them to disappear, till several ages have 
elapsed after the period of it's general adoption, during which 
both divisions must be retained, to facilitate the labour of 
comparing our new charts with those of other powers, and the 
ancient materials of geography. 

If that portion of time, which is termed a day, accord with 
the decimal division, the annual revolution of the sun will not 
conform to it. Since, then, there is in nature a limit to deci- 
mal calculation, and it cannot divide the solar revolution, why 
should it be employed in the division of the circle ? 

It may be said, that this division of the circle into 400 de- 
grees, perfectly adapts itself to that of the day into ten hours, the 
hour into a hundred minutes, and the minute into a hundred 
:seconds; which makes a degree of the circle correspond with 




INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR. 



xxiii 



two minutes and a half of time. It may be observed too, and 
justly, that the basis of all measures, called a metre, being taken 
from nature, and formed of the ten-thousandth part of the 
quarter of the meridian, the result is a natural decimal division, 
since the degree is found to contain a hundred thousand metreSy 
or twenty leagues of five thousand metres each. But these ad- 
vantages, and that of offering in general a constant scale for the 
degree and it's subdivisions, cannot remove the inconveniences 
arising from the changes proposed. 

The grand idea of rendering, our weights and measures uni-- 
form has given birth to the sublime thought of seeking a stan- 
dard in nature. This standard is in fact precisely what we 
should find in an enlightened nation, completely unknown to 
us, if such nation had made the same progress in the arts and 
sciences, and conceived like us the design of establishing an uni- 
formity of weights and measures^ by taking it's basis from nature. 

What opportunity more favourable for discussing the advan- 
tages and inconveniences of adopting an uniformity of weights 
and measures, and the decimal division, could offer itself, thani 
that of a congress composed of the representatives of all the - 
most celebrated learned societies throughout the world ? If 
the different go.emments should consent to embrace this 
uniformity and this division, supposing they should be judged 
advantageous, their simultaneous and universal admission would 
enhance the benefit ; and then the greatest exertions might be 




XXVI 



INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR. 

He was in 1765, on board the flute Adour ; 

1766, on board the flute Gave ; 

1767, commander of the Adour ; 

1768, commander of the Dorothee ; 

1769, commander of the Bugalet ; 
1771, on board the Belle-Poule ; 
1771, ditto; 
1773,^ 



1774, Commander of the flute Seine, and the 

1775, 5-Deux-Amis, on the coast of Malabar ; first 

1776, ' 
1777, 



heutenant from the 4th of April, 1777. 



In the year 1778 a war broke out between France and Eng- 
land; hostilities commencing on the 17th of June with the cap- 
ture of the Belle-Poule. 

In 1779 la Perouse commanded the Amazone, belonging to 
the squadron under vice-admiral d'Estaing. To protect the 
landing of the troops at Grenada, he anchored within pistol-shot 
of one of the enemies batteries. When the squadron engaged 
that of admiral Byron, his post was to carry his admirals orders 
to the whole of the hne. Lastly, he took the sloop Ariel on the 
coast of New England, and contributed to the capture of the 
Experiment. 

Being appointed captain on the 4th of April, 1780, he com- 
manded the frigate Astrea, when, being on a cruise with the Her- 



INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR, 



xxvii 



mione, captain la Touche, he had a very obstinate engagement, 
on the 21st of July, with six English vessels of war, six leagues 
from the north point of Cape Breton. Five of these vessels, the 
Allegiance, of twenty-four guns, the Vernon, of the same, force, 
the Charles-Town, of twenty-eight, the Jack, of fourteen, and the 
Vulture, of twenty, formed a line to receive them ; the sixth, the 
Thompson, of eighteen guns, kept out of gun-shot. The two 
frigates bore down upon the enemy, with all their sails set. It 
was seven in the evening, when the first shot was fired. They 
ran along the English line to leeward, to cut off from them every 
hope of escape. The Thompson remained constantly to 
windward. The two frigates manoeuvred with such skill, that 
the little English squadron was soon thrown into disorder; and 
in half an hour, the Charles-Town, the commodore, was ob- 
liged to strike, as was the Jack. The other three would have 
experienced the same fate, if night had not favoured their es- 
cape. 

The following year the Frencli government formed the design 
■<)f destroying the English settlements in Hudson's Bay. La 
'Perouse was deemed a fit person for this arduous expedidon in a 
dangerous sea ; and received orders for his departure from Cape 
-Francais on the 31st of May, 1782. He had the command of 
-the Sceptre, a seventy-four, and was accompanied by the As- 
tree and Engageante frigates, of six and thirty guns each, com- 
manded by captains de Langle and la Jaille. On board these 
vessels were embarked two hundred and fifty foot, forty artille- 
ty-men, four field-pieces, two mortars, and three hundred shells. 



XXVlll 



Si 



! 



INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR. 

On the 17th of July he made Resolution Island, but he had 
scarcely advanced five and twenty leagues into Hudson's Strait, 
when his ships were entangled in the ice, and received consi- 
derable damage. 

On the 30th, after a continual struggle against obstacles of 
every kind, he made Cape Walsingham, in the westernmost 
part of the strait. Purposing to commence his attack with 
Prince of Wales's Fort, he had not a moment to lose, as the 
severity of the weather obliges all vessels to quit this sea in the 
beginning of September; but as soon as he had entered Hud- 
son's Bay, he was surrounded with fog, and on the 3d of Au- 
gust, the first time of it's clearing up, he perceived himself en- 
compassed with ice, as far as he could see, which obliged him 
to bring to. He surmounted every obstacle, however, and on 
the evening of the 8th discovered the flag flying on Prince of 
Wales's Fort. The French vessels advanced within a league 
of it, heaving the lead all the way, and anchored in eighteen 
fathoms, muddy bottom. An officer, sent to reconnoitre the 
approach to the fort, reported, that the vessels might come to 
an anchor with a spring upon their cables at a very little di- 
stance from it. La Perouse, not doubting, that the Sceptre 
alone could easily reduce the fort, if any resistance were offered, 
made the necessary preparations for disembarking his troops m 
the night. The tide and the darkness gave them some trouble, 
yet the long-boats landed only three quarters of a league from 
the fort without opposition. Though the fort appeared to be 
capable of making a vigorous resistance, as la Perouse per- 



I 




INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR. xxixi 

ceived no preparation for defense, he sent the enemy a sum- 
mons; on which the gates were opened, and the governor and 
garrison surrendered at discretion* 

Having executed this part of his orders, he set sail for Fort 
York on the 11 th of August. In his way thither he experi- 
enced still greater difficulties than he had hitherto encountered ; 
being obliged to navigate his ships in six or seven fathoms wa- 
ter, along a coast studded with shoals. After having run the 
most imminent risks, the Sceptre and the two frigates made the 
entrance of Nelson's river, and anchored about five leagues 
from the land on the 20th of August. 

La Perouse had taken three decked boats at Prince of 
Wales's Fort, and these he sent, with the Sceptre's cutter, to 
reconnoitre Hayes River, near which stood Fort York. 

On the 2 1 st of August the troops landed in the long-boats ; 
and la Perouse, having nothing to fear from the enemy by sea, 
thought it his duty to take the command of the disembarkation. 

Hayes Island, on which Fort York is built, lies at the 
mouth of a large river, divided into two branches. That which 
runs by the fort bears the name of Hayes River ; the other, of 
Nelson's. The French commander knew, that all the means 
of defence were confined to the former ; and beside, a vessel 
belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company, mounting twenty- 
five nine-pounders, was anchored in it's mouth. He deter- 



XXX 



INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR. 

mined, therefore, to advance by the way of Nelson's River, 
though on that side his troops would have about four leagues to 
march ; but then they could gain the advantage of rendering 
the batteries on Hayes River useless. 

On the evening of the 21st they arrived at the mouth of 
Nelson's river, with two hundred and fifty soldiers, mortars, 
cannon, and provision for a week, that they might have no oc- 
casion to be supplied from the ships, with which they could 
not easily keep up a communication. La Perouse ordered the 
long-boats to anchor at the mouth of the river, in three fathoms 
water ; and proceeded himself in his barge, accompanied by 
de Langle, his second in command ; Rostaing, the command- 
ing officer of the land forces ; and Monneron, engineer cap- 
tain, to sound the river, and explore the banks, where he ap- 
prehended the enemy might have erected some defensive works. 

This expedition convinced him, that the shore was inacces- 
sible. The smallest boats could scarcely approach within two 
hundred yards of it, and thence to the shore the men must 
wade through soft mud. Accordingly he judged it expedient 
to remain at anchor, and wait for day-light ; but the tide fall- 
ino- much more than was expected, the long-boats were found 
to be dry aground at three in the morning. 

Exasperated instead of being discouraged by this obstacle, 
all the troops disembarked ; and, after having waded half leg 
high through the mud for a quarter of a league, they reached 



INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR. 

a meadow, on which they formed. Thence they marched on 
towards a wood, where they expected to find a firm path leading 
to the fort. They could discover none, however; and spent 
the whole day in looking for a road that did not exist. 

La Perouse directed the engineer, captain Monneron, to mark 
out one through the middle of the wood by the compass. This 
laborious task being executed, taught them that they would 
have two leagues of marshy ground to cross, in many parts of 
which the men would sink up to the knees in mud. A gale of 
wind, coming on in the night, made la Perouse uneasy to join 
his ships, and he returned to the shore ; but the storm continu- 
ing, he could not embark. On it's abating, he availed himself 
of the interval, and reached his vessel the next day, only an 
hour before a second gale of wind sprung up. An officer, who 
set off at the same time with him, was cast away. Fortunately 
he got on shore with his crew, but it was three days before they 
returned on board, naked, and famished with hunger. The 
Engageante and Astree bst two anchors each in this second 
gale of wind. 

^The troops, notwithstanding, arrived before the fort on the 
morning of the 24th, after a very toilsome march, and it sur- 
rendered on the first summons. La Perouse ordered the fort 
to be destroyed, and the troops to reimbark without delay. 



This order was frustrated by another gale of wind, which ex- 



xxxu 



INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR. 

posed the Engageante to the most imminent danger: her small 
bower anchor broke, her tiller was sprung, and her long-boat 
was lost. The Sceptre lost her long-boat also, her cutter, and 

an anchor. 

At length the weather became fair, and the troops reim- 
barked. La Perouse, having on board the governors of Prince 
of Wales's and York Forts, set sail, to get clear of these seas, 
exposed to ice and storms, and where his mihtary successes,- 
obtained without ressistance, had been preceded by such dan- 
gers and toils. 

Though la Perouse, as a military man, was obliged, in 
-obedience to strict orders, to destroy the possessions of our ene- 
mies, he did not forget the respect due to misfortune. Know- 
ing, that, at his approach, some of the English had fled into 
the woods; and that his departure, now the settlements were 
destroyed, would expose them to die of hunger, or to fall de- 
fenceless into the hands of the savages ; he had the humanity to 
leave them arms and provision. 

Can there be a more flattering eulogy on this subject, than 
the frank avowal of an English seaman, in his account of a voy- 
age to Botany Bay ? " This humane and generous man ought 
" to be remembered with gratitude, in England particularly, 
" for his conduct when ordered to destroy our settlement in 
Hudson's Bay last war." 



INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR. 



After this just and honest testimony, and when England had 
deserved so well of every friend to the arts and sciences, by 
her readiness to publish the results of the voyages of discovery 
she has achieved, shall we have to reproach another English- 
man for having failed to fulfil his engagements with la Perouse ? 

In the year 1772, governor Hearne made a journey to the 
north, setting off from Fort Churchill, in Hudson's Bay, the 
particulars of which are expected with impatience. An ac-= 
count of this journey was found in manuscript among the pa- 
pers of the governor, who was very pressing that it should be 
returned to him as his private property. As the journey was 
undertaken, however, by order of the Hudson's Bay Company, 
with a view of obtaining knowledge of the northern part of 
America, the journal of it might have been considered with 
propriety as belonging to the company, and now of right de- 
volved to the conqueror ; yet the goodness of la Perouse's heart 
induced him to yield to the urgent solicitations of governor 
Hearne, and he returned the manuscript to him ; on the ex- 
press condition, however, that he should print and publish it 
immediately on his arrival in England. This agreement does 
not appear to have been fulfilled to the present day. Let us 
hope, that the remark here made, when it becomes public, 
will effect the purpose, or at least induce the governor to inform 
us, whether the Hudson's Bay Company, which is extremely 
jealous of any interference in it's affairs and it's trade, have 
objected to it's publication*. 

* I was not acquainted with the anecdote here related, when I wrote the note in p. 415. 
^French Editor.) 

In the note here alluded to the editor seems too nmch biassed by his .favourite notion of a 
VOL. I. f 



XXXIV 



INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR; 

The re-establishment of peace with England in 1783 pnt 
an end to this campaign : but the indefatigable la Perouse did 
not long enjoy repose ; another expedition of more importance 
awaited him, unfortunately destined to be his last. He was 
appointed, in the year 1785, to the command of a voyage 
round the world, the preparations for which were making at 
Brest. 

I shall not follow the custom, in pointing out before-hand 
the route which our navigator pursued in the two hemispheres, 
the coasts and islands, which he reconnoitred or explored in the 
Pacific Oeean, the discoveries which he made in the Asiatic 
seas, and the important services which he rendered to geo- 
graphy. This sacrifice I make to the reader, whose curiosity 
would rather be excited than forestalled, and who unquestion- 
ably would prefer to follow the course of the voyager himself. 

Hitherto I have considered la Perouse only in his military 
and naval capacity ^ but he deserves equally to be known for 

north-west passage, to consider, that la Perouse saw, and no doubt read with attention, the- 
original iournal of the voyage, intended by Hearne for the perusal of himself and h.s em- 
plovers only ; and in which, of course, there could be no intention of deceivmg from motives 
of policy, whatever there might be in the narrative published, with which the ed.tor appears 
to have been unacquainted. We must add, that an account of this journey, perfonned m the 
years 1769, ^770, 1771, and 1772, was published in the year 179^: not, however, m conse- 
luence of the pronnse to la Perouse, but because some particulars of it had transpired winch 
lere or which the company wished to persuade the world were, erroneous. The a,^r 
s L; the most probable : or why should the company, to which the pubhc --y ^i ^ - 
debted for any kind of information, have kept the account secret so long? There is httle 
doubt, too, but that Hearne would readily have fulfilled his engagement to la Perouse, as 
the publication could not have failed to have been profitable to himself, had he not been pre= 
vented by the Hudson's Bay Company, as M' Milet-Mureau conjectures. T. 



■SHI 



INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR 



XXXV 



his personal qualities : for he was not less fitted to gain the 
friendship or respect of men of all countries, than to foresee 
and overcome every obstacle, which it is within the power of 
human wisdom to surmount. 

With the vivacity common to the people of the south, he 
united a pleasing wit, and an evenness of temper. The gentle- 
ness of his disposition, and his agreeable gaiety, rendered his 
company always desired with avidity : on the other hand, his 
judgment having been matured by long experience, he joined 
to singular prudence that firmness of character, which is the 
lot of a strong mind, and which, increased by the laborious 
life of a mariner, rendered him capable of attempting the 
greatest enterprizes, and conducting them to success. 

From the combination of these different qualities, the reader, 
observing his invincible patience under toils enjoined by cir- 
cumstances, the rigorous counsels dictated by his foresight, the 
precautionary steps he took with different people, will be little 
astonished at the beneficent and temperate yet circumspect 
conduct of la Perouse towards them, at the confidence he re- 
posed, and the deference he sometimes paid to his officers, and 
at the paternal care he exhibited towards his crews. Nothing 
that could concern them, either in preventing their hardships, 
or promoting their welfare, escaped his watchfulness and care. 
Unwilling to convert a scientific enterprise into a mercantile 
speculation, and leaving the profit of all the articles of trade to 



INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR. 

the crew alone, he reserved for himself the satisfaction of hav- 
ing been useful to his country and to science. Ably seconded 
in his cares for the preservation of their health, no navigator 
lias made so long a voyage, accomphshed such an extensive 
course, and been exposed to such incessant change of chmate, 
with such healthy crews, since, on their arrival at New Hol- 
land, after a voyage of thirty months duration, in which they 
had sailed more than sixteen thousand leagues, they were in as 
good health as on their departure from Brest. 

Master of himself, and never suffering himself to be carried 
away by the first impression, he was capable of practising, 
particularly in this expedition, the precepts of a sound and hu- 
mane philosophy. Were I more desirous of composing his eu- 
logy, necessarily isolated and incomplete, than of allowing the 
reader the pleasure of forming his own judgment of him from, 
facts, with all their concomitant circumstances, and from the 
whole of what he has written, I should quote a number of pas- 
sages in his journal, the character and turn of which, scru- 
pulously preserved by me, faithfully depict the man : I should 
exhibit him particularly careful to follow that article of his in- 
structions, deeply imprinted on his heart, by which he was en- 
joined, to avoid spilling a drop of blood ; adhering to it con- 
stantly during a long voyage, with a success owing to his 
principles; and when, in consequence of an attack from a bar- 
barous horde of savages, he had lost his second in command, a 
naturalist*, and ten men of the two crews, notwithstanding the 

* In fact he lost two naturalists on this occasion, as father Receveur likewise died of hh 



INTRODl/CTION BY THE EDITOR. 



powerful means of vengeance in his hands, and so many excuse- 
able motives for employing them, restraining the rage of his 
people, and fearing to destroy a single innocent victim among 
thousands of the guilty. 

Not less modest and equitable than he was enlightened, it 
will be seen with what respect he mentions the immortal Cook, 
and how he endeavoured to do justice to those great men, who- 
had pursued the same career. 

Equally just towards all, la Perouse, in his journal and in his 
letters, equitably dispenses the praise, to which his companions, 
had a claim. Nor is he less mindful of those strangers, who 
received him with friendship, and afforded him assistance, in 
different parts of the world. If government, of which there 
can be no doubt, wish to fulfil the intentions of la Perouse, it 
owes to these a testimonial of the public gratitude. 

Justly esteemed by those English mariners, who had oppor- 
tunities of knowing him, they have unequivocally testified their 
respect for him in their writings. 

All those who are acquainted with him, have bestowed on; 
him the justest eulogies, which it would take up too much rooms 
to recite. 

wounds, while the ships lay at Botany-Bay , and' was buried there. An inscription was erected! 
to his memory, but destroyed by the natives soon after the departure of the ships. Governor)- 
Philip caused it to be re-engraved on copper, and set up afresh. See Philip's Voyage to Bo- 
tany-Bay Ch.. X. T. 



INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR. 

But to speak of his virtues and his talents, is to recal to mind 
our misfortunes, and awaken our regret : the remembrance of the 
one is inseparably connected with the idea of the other, and both 
will for ever constitute the basis of a monument of grief and gra- 
titude, in the heart of every friend to science and humanity. If 
I feel any pleasure after the painful task imposed upon me in 
this work, and after the care and trouble it has cost me previous 
to it's publication, it is unquestionably at this moment, when I 
am permitted to be the organ of the French repubhc, in paying 
the tribute of national gratitude to his memory. 

La Perouse, according to his last letters from Botany Bay, 
ought to have reached the Isle of France in 1788 ^\ The two 
succeeding years having passed away, the mind of the French 
nation could not be diverted from the fate, which was to be ap- 
prehended from our navigators, by the important events, that 
occupied and fixed the attention of all France. The first de- 
mand on this head, the first expressions of fear and sorrow, were 
heard at the bar of the national assembly from the members of 
the society of natural history. 

For two years/' said they, " France has in vain expected 
the return of M' de la Perouse ; and they, who are interested 
in his discoveries, or personally concerned for him, have not 
the least knowledge of his fate. Alas ! what they suspect is 



* See Extract of a Letter from la Perouse, dated Botany Bay, February the 7th, 1 788, 
in vol. ii. p. ^79- 



INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR. 



xxxix 



perhaps more dreadful than what he has experienced: per- 
haps he has escaped death only to suffer the continual torment 
of hope continually reviving, continually disappointed : per- 
haps he has been wrecked on some of the South-Sea islands, 
where he stretches forth his arms towards his country, and 
vainly expects a deliverer 

" It was not for trifling objects, it was not for his private 
emolument, that M' de la Perouse braved all kinds of danger.. 
That generous nation, which was to reap the fruit of his la- 
bours, owes him attention and assistance : 

" We have already learned the fate of several of his compa- 
nions, swallowed up by the waves, or massacred by savages : 
cherish the hope we have, of saving those of our brethren, who 
have escaped the fury of the waves, or the rage of cannibals^ 
let them return to our shores, though they should die with joy, 
on seeing this land of freedom " 

The demand of the society of natural history excited the 
liveliest emotions, and was quickly followed by a decree, enjoin- 
ing the equipment of two frigates, to proceed in search of la 
Perouse. 

The motives from which the decree was passed, and the terms 
in which it was reported, evince the tender and affectionate sen- 
timents inspired by our navigators, and the eagerness with whick 



5ct 



INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR. 

the shghtest glimpse of hope was seized, in the desire of finding 
them, without thinking on the great sacrifices the search would 
require : 

" Long have our wishes called for M' de la Perouse, and 
the companions of his glorious, too probably likewise unfortu- 
nate voyage. 

" The society of naturahsts in this metropolis has just rent 
the veil, which you dared not remove : the mourning is be- 
come general, and you appeared to embrace with transport 
the idea it suggested of sending vessels in search of M"^ de la 
Perouse. You have ordered your committees of maritime 
affairs, agriculture, and commerce, to submit to you their 
thoughts on such an interesting subject; and the sentiment, 
which appears to have produced your determination, has like- 
wise dictated their opinion. 

« We have scarcely the consolation to entertain the least 
doubt, that de la Perouse has experienced some terrible 
disaster. ^ 

« We cannot reasonably hope, that his vessels still plough 
the seas : either he and his companions are no more ; or, cast 
on some desert shore, lost in the immensity of unknown seas, 
and confined to the extremity of the globe, they have to con- 
tend, perhaps, against the climate, against beasts, against men, 
against nature herself, and call for succour on their country, 



INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR. 

wliich can only fornl conjectures of their misfortune. Perhaps 
they have been wrecked on some unknown coast, on some bar- 
ren rock. There, if they have found a hospitable people, they 
breathe indeed, yet call on you : if they have fallen on a desert, 
perhaps wild fruits and shell-fish alone preserve their existence ; 
fixed on the shore, their eyes wandering over the distant seas, 
to espy the happy sails, which may waft them to France, to 
their relations, to their friends. 

" Reduced to embrace an idea, which, perhaps, is but a 
consolatory error, you are no doubt induced like us, , to prefer 
this conjecture to the afflicting thought of their loss: an idea^ 
which the Parisian society of naturalists has just submitted to 
you, and which de la Borde had already suggested to every 
susceptible heart in a memoir read at the academy of sciences. 

" But if you be moved, if you be struck by* this idea, you 
will no longer give way to unavailing regret : humanity enjoins, 
that we fly to the , assistance of our brethren. Alas! where 
shall we seek for them ? of whom shall we inquire after their 
fate? Is it possible to explore all the coasts of a sea in some 
degree unknown P to touch at all the islands of those vast 
groupes, which threaten the navigator with such numerous 
perils ? to visit every gulf? to penetrate into every bay ? Even 
were we to land on the island, in which they are concealed, 
might we not miss them in one part, while we visited another ? 

Unquestionably the difficulties are greatj success almost 

VOL. le , o- ' ■ - 



( 



xlti 



INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR. 

more than can be hoped; yet the motives for the attempt are 
strong. It is possible, that our unfortunate brethren are stretch- 
ing out their arras to us for assistance ; and that we should re- 
store them to their country, is no impossibility : we cannot be 
permitted, therefore, to decline a research, which at least will 
redound to our honour. Tins we owe to men, who have de- 
voted their lives for us : this we owe to the sciences, that ex- 
pect to reap the fruit of their labours. What ought to excite 
us still more is, that M' de la P^rouse was not one of those ad- 
venturers, who court great enterprises, either to procure wealth, 
or acquire fame : he was not even ambidous of commanding 
the expedition, with which he was charged; he would have 
wished he could refuse it ; and when he accepted the command, 
his friends knew, that he resigned himself to his fate . . . .'. • • • 

" Fortunately we are acquainted with the track, to be pur- 
sued in this melancholy search : fortunately we can put into the 
hands of those, who may have the charge of this affecting mis- 
sion, a clew to guide them through the dangerous labyrinth, 
which they will be destined to explore. 

" The proposal of search, which humanity enjoins, cannot 
be brought before this tribunal, to be combated by parsimony, 
or discussed by frigid reason, when our feelings ought to decide. 



« To M' de la P6rouse, or to his memory, this expedition 
be the most glorious recompense, with which you can 



INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR. 



xliii 



honour his labours, his sacrifices, or his misfortunes. It is 
thus, that rewards fliould be conferred. 

Actions like these render illustrious the nation, that is ca- 
pable of them ; and the sentiment of humanity, by which they 
are dictated, will characterise our age. The European no 
longer visits the remotest fliores, to invade and despoil them ; 
but to confer benefits, and dispense the means of enjoyment : 
not to plunder the metals, that foster corruption ; but to pro- 
cure those useful vegetables, which serve to render man's life 
more easy and agreeable. Lastly pious navigators will be seen, 
and savage nations will not behold them without being softened, 
affectionately inquiring after the fate of their brethren, at the 
extremities of the globe, of men and deserts, of rocks, ca- 
verns, and shoals : they will be seen in the most treacherous 
seas, in the windings of the most dangerous archipelagoes, a- 
round islands peopled with cannibals, wandering in search of 
their fellows, to rush into their arms, to succour, and to save 
them." * ^ 

Scarcely had the ships sent in quest of la Perouse departed, 
when a rumour was spread, that a Dutch captain, passing by 
the Admiralty Islands, to the west of New Ireland, had seen a 
canoe, manned by the natives, who appeared to him to be 
dressed in the uniform of the French navy. 

General d'Entrecasteaux, who had the command of this expe- 
dition, having stopped at the Cape of Good Hope^ was in- 



^11^ , INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR. 

formed of this report ; and notwithstanding it's feeble authenti- 
city, and the httle probabihty of it's truth, he hesitated not a 
moment to change his course, and hasten to the place indicated.. 
His ardour being unaccompanied by success, he recommenced 
his search, in the track pointed out by his instructions ; and he 
finished it, without being able to obtain the least information, or 
the slightest probability respecting the fate of our unfortunate 
navigator. 

Different conjectures respecting the cause of his loss have 
been framed in France. Some, not knowing the course he had 
to pursue from Botany Bay, which is traced out in his last let- 
ter, have advanced, that his ships were caught in the ice, and 
that la Perouse with all his companions had perished by the 
most horrible of all deaths : others have said, that, as he was to 
arrive at the Isle of France toward the end of 1788, he must 
have fallen a victim to that violent hurricane, which was so fatal 
to the frigate Venus, never heard of since, and in which the 
Resolution lost all her masts. 

Though we cannot contradict the latter assertion, it ought 
not to be admitted without proof. If it be not the truth, la 
Perouse must probably have perished in a gale of wind, on 
some one of the numerous reefs, with which the groupes of 
islands he had still to explore might be supposed to be studded, 
- as in fact they were found to be by general d'Entrecasteaux. 
The mode in which the two vessels sailed, always within hail, 
would render the same shoal fatal to both; so that at length 



INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR. 



xlv 



they experienced the misfortune, to which they were so near on 
the 6th. of November, 1786, and were swallowed up by the 
waves, without being able to reach any land. 

The sole hope, that can remain is, that they may have been 
wrecked on the shores of some uninhabited island ; in which 
case it is possible, that some individuals of either crew may 
still exist on one of the innumerable islands in those archipela- 
goes. Remote from the track pursued, they may have escaped 
the search, and can be restored to their country only by some 
chance conveying a vessel to them, they being probably desti- 
tute of every means of constructing one themselves. 

It is impossible to avoid observing, however, that savages 
make very long voyages in simple canoes ; and it may be 
judged, from an inspection of the map, that, if the ship- 
wrecked mariners had landed, either on a desert island, or 
among savages, by whom their lives had been spared, they 
would have been able, in the course of nine years, to have 
gotten by degrees to som^e place, from which we should have 
heard news of them ; for it is probable that they would have 
left no means unattempted to extricate themselves from a state 
of anxiety and seclusion, to which death itself would be pre- 
ferable. If, therefore, any hope remain, it must be at best 
irery slight. 

A navigator has asserted, that he had seen indications of th& 

shipwreck of la" Peirouseo.. That the reader may judge of the 



INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR. 

confidence they deserve, I shall give his deposition literally, 
U'ithout indulging myself in any remarks, farther than con- 
fronting the author with himself, and comparing what he says 
with the narrative of Bougainville. 



Extract from the minutes of the justice of jie ace of the city and 

commune of Morlaix. 

George Eowen, captain of the ship Albemarle, on her voyage 
from Bombay to London, brought into Morlaix, being interro- 
gated respecting what he knew of la Perouse, who sailed from 
France on a voyage round the worid, made answer, that, m 
December, 1791, being on his return from Port Jackson to 
Bombay, he himself saw, on the coast of New Georgia in 
the eastern ocean, part of the wreck of M' de la P^rouse's 
ship, floating on the water f, and that he imagines it to have 
belonged to a French-built ship : that he did not go ashore, but 
that the natives of the country came aboard his vessel : that he 
could not understand their language, but that he conceived, 
from their signs, some ship had visited those parts : that these 
.people were acquainted with the use of several implements of 
iron, of which they were very desirous: that he, the depo- 

* Explored by lieutenant Slx)rtland, df the English navy, in 1788 ; but discovered in part 
by Bougainville in 1768, and still farther by SurviUe, captain of a French East-Indiaman, who 
named it Tene des Jrfacldcs, the Land of the Arsacides. (French Editor.) 

La Perouse must have been lost in 17B8. I leave it to those, who are acquainted with the 
cfFects.of the waves on a shipwrecked vessel, to Judge whether these remams could stdl exist 
■ boating on the water at the end of December, 1791. (F^nch Editor,} 



INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR. 



nent, had bartered several iron articles with these Indians for 
beads and bows : that, with regard to the character of these In-- 
dians, they appeared to him to be peaceable and better in- 
formed than the inhabitants of Otaheite, since they had a per- 
fect knowledge of the implements of iron : that their canoes 
■^yere made in a superior manner : that, when the natives were- 
on board his ship, he did not yet know any thing of the wreck, 
but saihng along the coast, he perceived it about midnight, on: 
the 30th of December, 1791, by the light of a large fire,, 
which was burning on the land f : that, had it not been for this 
fire, he should probably have run on the rocks of Cape Decep- 
tion. The deponent farther declares, that all along this part- of 
the coast of New Georgia he observed a great number of cabins, 
or huts : that these Indians were of a stout make, and p-entle 
disposition, whence he, presumes, that, if M' de la Pirouse, 
or any of his crew, were on the land, they are still living t: 
and that he knows, of all the vessels which have navigated these 
seas, none but M' de Bougainville, the Alexander, the Friend- 
ship, of London, M' de la Perouse, and the deponent, ever 
were at this place ; consequently he presumes, the wreck must 

■* These Indians-, dfescribed as peaceable people^ attacked Bougainville's longboats, which 
he had sent ashore for water, the moment, the)^ entered into Bale de ChoiseuL (French Editor.) 

t It is surprising, that the wreck, seen by George Bowen, and assei ted to be that of la 
Perouse's ship, and of French construction, whence we must suppose it to have been con- 
siderable In size, and examined with attention by a person very near, should have been merely 
perceived at midnight, by the light of a fire on the land, (French Editor.) 

X Bougainville, being obliged to repel the attack of the Indians by force, seized two of their 
canoes, in one of which he found, among other things, a hman Jaw Jialf roasted, no dubious 
proof of cannibalism. (French Editor.) 



INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR. , 

liave belonged to the ship of M' de la Perouse'^'j since the 
Alexander was sunk in the strait of Macassar, and the Friend- 
ship arrived safe in England. Being interrogated, whether he 
had seen any garments upon the natives of the country, de- 
noting them to have had. communication with Europeans, he 
answered, that these Indians were naked : that the climate is , 
very hot, and that he understood by their signs, that they had 
seen ships before : that he saw in the possession of these In- 
dians fishing-nets, the threads of which were made of fiax, and 
the meshes were of European workmanship f : that he took a 
piece of one out of curiosity, from which it would be easy to 
judge, that the materials and workmanship were European." 

These are all the tokens of the fate of our navigator that 
have been obtained to the present day. 

Still there are pubHc indications of the track he pursued, and 
the places he visited, subsisting in the medals struck on occa- 
sion of the voyage, and left or distributed by la Perouse during 
the course of it. About a hundred in silver or bronze had 
been delivered to him, with six hundred others of different 
kinds. As we know what part of the voyage remained for him 

* The English captain no longer gives it as certain, that the wreck seen was that of la Pe- 
rouse's ship : it is now but a simple presumption. (French Editor.) 

f Bougainville found in the canoes, which fell into his hands, nets with very fine meshes, 
and skilfully constructed. It is probable, that their perfection led George Bowen into an error, 
(French Editor.) 



INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR. 



to perform, these medals may some day show nearly the place 
where it was interrupted by his loss. 

As the medal relative to the voyage, become an historical 
document, may be met with at some future period by the navi- 
gators, I cannot refrain from making it known, though I have 
not thought proper to give an engraving of it. On one side it 
has the effigy of the king, with the usual legend : on the re- 
verse is the following inscription, within two olive branches, tied 
by a riband : 

Les fregafes du roi de France, la Boussole et V Astrolabe, cojU" 
mandees par MM. de laPerouse et de Langle, parties du port de 
Brest en Juin 1785. 

" The Boussole and Astrolabe, frigates belonging to the king 
of France, commanded by M"'" de la Perouse and de Langle, 
sailed from Brest in June 1785." 

So many precautions taken for the success and authenticity of 
a grand expedition, the expense occafioned by it, and it's con- 
comitant toils and misfortunes, will induce some prejudiced 
systematics to question, whether these cares and toils be suffi- 
ciently compensated, by the reciprocal benefits men derive 
from voyages of discovery. For my part, though I cannot 
bring myself to acknowledge the introduction of domestic ani- 
mals, or a few farinaceous plants, into a savage nation, as any 

VOL. r, h 



INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR. ■ 

benefit, when weighed against the^ evils that accrue to it, from 
the false or superficial notions it's people imbibe from our prin- 
ciples, and from the sudden communication of our manners and 
customs ; in other words, though I am of opinion, that, after 
having imparted to them unconnected articles of knowledge, 
which they can neither understand nor apply, and vegetables 
and animals, which they neither cultivate nor preserve, to a- 
bandon them to themselves, is to render vain the defire of 
knowledge and enjoyment excited in them, and is in reahty, to- 
contribute to their unhappiness : yet to raise them by degrees, in 
order to civilize them, to give them morals before we give them 
manners, and not to impart to them new wants, or new arts, till 
we furnish them with the means of satisfying the one, and using 
the other to advantage, is to prepare and secure to their poste- 
rity the happy consequences ensuing from the improvement of 
the human faculties. " 

Though inconveniences may arise to them and to us from such 
an intercourse, where the relations between the two parties are 
so different, the great advantages the arts and sciences derive 
from voyages of discovery cannot reasonably be disputed. Ci- 
vilised man feels a necessity of proportioning his knowledge 
and enjoyments to the capacity of his intellect and the extent 
of his desires. The navigator, as he advances, finds new pro- 
ducdons advantageous to mankind ; discovers the various parts 
of the globe, and gives security to his own course and that of 
others ; teaches men to form a due judgment of their fellows 



INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR. 

from a greater number of points of comparison ; and every new 
step he takes is an advancement towards the knowledge of man 
and of nature. It is noble, it is lovely, thus to incur expence, 
and to run riiks, for the necessities of society at large, and the 
augmentation of true riches. 

If some philosophers have condemned voyages in general, 
because expeditions undertaken with ambitious and interested 
views have led to acts of barbarity, it is unquestionably from 
their having confounded these with voyages of discovery, the 
objects of which have been, to confer benefits on remote nations, 
and extend the boundaries of science. 

These benefits, perhaps it may be said, are the price of their 
blood ; since they are to be kept in order only by the employ- 
ment of force, which, becoming fatal to the navigators them- 
selves, occasions a double crime in the eyes of nature and of 
philosophy. 

But let us consult navigators noted for their moderation, and 
their narratives will convince us, that, if we resort to the pre- 
cautions suggested by prudence, it is easy to restrain savages by 
the simple display of force : speedily attached by acts of kind- 
ness to voyagers whom they respect, they are susceptible of gra- 
titude, consequently of every other sentiments 

Justice, however, should be done to the motive, by wliich 
these philosophers have been misled : this respectable motive is 



INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR, 



humanity. In future we must be of one opinion, observing 
the conduct of our navigators, and their extreme respect for the 
lives of savages, who destroy one another on the shghtest pre- 
tence ; seeing the ferocity of these softened by civihzation ; and 
considering the vast quantity of blood spared by the abolition of 
human sacrifices, so revolting to our feelings^ and so generally 
practised in savage nations. 



CONTENTS. 



'ECREE of the National Assembly, February I, lygi. . , . . , . . . .. . . p^cre f. 

Decree of the National Assembly, April 22, 1791; . , , . . s 

General list of the officers, men of letters^ artists, seamen and marines, embarked on board the frigates 

la Boussole and r Astrolabe 4 

Private instructions from' the king to the sieur de la Perouse. , . . .11 

Part I. Plan of the voyage 12' 

II. Subjects relating to politics and commerce. 24 
III. Operations respecting astronomy^ geography, navigation, physics, and the different branches. 

of natural history ^ , ... 33 

JV. Of the conduct to be observed towards the natives of the countries where the two frigates 

may land , 39. 

V, Precautions to be taken for preserving the health of the crews. .... .... 44 

Extract from the general instructions of Mr. de la Perouse, June 20, 1785 48 

Notes geographical and historical, to be subjoined to the king's private instructions to Mr. de la Pe- 

rouse 49' 

Letter from the marshal de Castries to Mr. de Condorcet, perpetual secretary to tlie academy of 

sciences. hq 

Memoir drawn up by the academy of sciences for the astronomers and others, embarked under the 

command of Mr. de la Perouse. .....II9 

duestions proposed by the society of medidne to the navigators accompanying Mr. de la Perouse. 136 
§ 1. Anatomy, physiology. ............. . . ... ibid. 

§ 2. Hygeine . . . 140' 

§ 3. Of diseases ' , .„ 

§ 4. Of the materiia medica 144 

§ 5. Surgery. 147- 

Experiraents to be made for preserving the water put on board from corruption, communicated to Mr. 
de la Perouse,. by the abbe Tessier. ..... , 

. . .149' 

Memoir for the direction of the gardener in the duties he has to perform on his voyage round the 

world. By Mr. Thouin, first gardener to the botanic garden . . 156.; 

Catalogue of goods and merchandise put on board the vessels under the order of Mr. de la Perouse, for 

the purpose of barter, and making presents ^ jg2, 

Summary of the instruments of astronomy, navigation, natural philosophy, chemistry, &c. &c. fer the 

use of the men of science and artists employed in the voyage of discovery. ..... . iqQ ' 

Catakgue of books of voyages, astronomy, navigation, physics, natural history, delivered to Mr. de la, 

Perouse, for the use of the officers and men of science embarked under his command. . . 180 



CONTENTS. 

Na„atl,-e of an «g voyage of U.e mgate 1. Pri^^^^^^^^^ 

^7^1 ■ ■ ' ■ ■ , • , by Don Francisco Antonio Maurelle, ensign of a 



CHAPTER I- 



^. • , f,i„,„afrlBales— Stay in the harbour of Brest— Passage from 
Object of the e.pedif,on-r.tt.ng - 1* :„as_Lc„r,ion to the Peak-Arrival at Tri- 

Brest to Madeira »f "-Stay ^^^^^^^^ 

mdad— Touch at the island of St. Catneime on 

C H A P T E R 11. 

M , of St Cntherine-Observatlons and occurrences during oar Stay-Departure 

Description of the island of St. Catnenne 

from St. Cathetine's-Arival at Conception. 

CHAPTER HI. 

.eseriptionofConeeption-Mannersanact.s.o„r,of.einha«ta.s-I,ep^^^^^^ " 

Arrival at Easter island, ° 

C H A P T E R IV. 

description of Easter isiand-Occur-rences ti.ere-Manners and enstonrs of tlre inhahita„ts. . 31? 

CHAPTER V. 

. „f Mr de La„* into the interior parts of Easter island-New observations on the manners 
'-::::sof!;:;n:ttes:the,naUtyandcn,tore„ftheirsoi,..c ■ • • 

C H A P T E R VI. 

Vol nW-vations-Arrival at the Sandwich islands-Anchor 
c ^ V^^{pr Island— Astronomical obscxvations ^ 
'^r:rb:':K:rt:epointheis,andofMowee-Pepartore. ■ -3 

CHAPTER VII. 

.epartnre fro™ the Sand.ich -^tf ^^r^ :r ^^^^^^^^^ 
■ St. Elias-Discovery of Ba.e de ? ' J _.o,„„r a dee,, bay-Favonrabie report of 

which we preserve tire name of Behung s . ^„,„i„g_i,escrip.io„ of the bay, to 

:::e:f:::.r::::':fB:i:::;«-^-.--"» 

Traffic M'iththem-Praceedings during our stay. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAP T,E R VIIL 

Continuation of our stay at Port des Fran9ais — At the moment of our departure we experience 
dreadful misfortune — Concise account of the particulars of this event — We return to our first ar 
chorage — Departure 3* 



CHAPTER IX. 



Description of Port des Frangals— It's latitude and longitude— Advantages and disadvantages of this 
harbour— It's vegetable and mineral productions— Birds, fishes, shells, and quadrupeds— Manners 
and customs of the Indians— Their arts, weapons, dress, and inclination to theft — Strong reasons 
to presume, that the Russians alone have an indirect communication with these people : their mu- 
sic, dancing, and passion for gaming — Dissertation on tlieir language. 392: 



C H A P T E R X.. 

Departure from Port de Frangais — We proceed to explore the coast of America — Captain Cook's Bay 

of islands — The pilot ^.faurelle's pori:; of los Remedies and Bucarelli — lies de Is Croyere Islands 

of San Carlos — Description of the coast from Cross Sound to Cape Hector — AVe reconnoitre a large 
gulph, or channel, and accurately determine it's width — lies Sartine— Captain Cook's Woody 
Point— Verification of our time-keepers— Polnte des Brisans — lies Necker — An-ival at Mon- 
terey. 412. 

CHAPTER XL 

Description of Monterey Bay— Historical details respecting the two Californlas and their missions- 
Manners and ca utoms of the converted and tlie independent natives Grain, fruits and veo"etables 

of every kind— Quadrupeds, birds, fishes, shells, &c.— Military constitution of these two provinces 
— Account of their trade, &c ■> ' ■■ • ......... . . 436, 

CHAPTER XII. 

Astronomical observations— Comparison of the results obtained by the distances orthe sun and" moon, 
and our time-keepers, which have served as the basis of our chart of the American coast— Reasons 
for thinking that our work Is intitled to the confidence of navigators — Vocabulary of the language 
of the difterent nations in the neighbourhood of Monterey, with remarks on their pronunci- 
ation. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Departure from Monterey— Plan of the course intended to be followed in crossing the Pacific Ocean 

to China — Vain search after the island of Nostra Senora de la Gorta — Discovery of Necker island . 

Meet during the night with a sunken rock, upon which we were in danger of being lost— Descrip- 



CONSENTS. 

f ion of tills roc^^-Detcraalnatioii of If s latitude and longitude-Unsuccessful search after the islands 
of la Mira and the Gardens-We make the island of Assumption, one of the Ladrones-Description 
and tme position of this island in latitude and longitude-Error of the former charts of the Ladronc 
islands-Determine the longitude and latitude of the Bashee. islands-Anchor in Macao road. 470 

' CHAPTER XIV. 

Arrival at Macao-Stay in the road of Typa-Oblf mg reception on the part of the governor-De- 
^ scription of Macao-It's government-It's population-It's relation wUh the Chmese-Departure 
from Macao-Anchor at the island of Luconia-Uncertainty of the pos.t.on of the shoals of Buhnao. 
Mansilog, and Marivelle-Description of the village of Marivelle, or Mirabella-Enter Mamila 
bay by the soutliern passage, after having attempted in vain the northern-Marks for working mto 
the bay of Manilla without danger— Anchorage at Cavite. • ^85 

CHAPTER XV. 

Arrival at Cavite-Reception by the commandant of the place-M. Boutin is sent to Marulla to 
wait on the governor-general-His reception-Account of Cavite and Us arsenal-Descnpt.on o 
Manilla and it's environs-It's population-Disadvantages arising from the government estabhshed 
!t f Pena c s o which we were witnesses during Passion week-Duty on tobacco-Inst.tut.on 
^ZT^^ company-Reflections on this establishment-Account of the islands to the 
south of the Phihppines-Continual war with the Moors or Mahometans of these different .lands- 
Stay at Manilla— Military state of the island of Luconia 



CHAPTER XVI. 

Departure from Cavite-Meet wi'th a bank in the middle of the channel of 

longitude of this bank-We anchor two leagues in the offing opposite the an-n fort of Zealand- 
We set sail a^ain th. next day-Account of the Pong-hou, or Pescadore .slands-We make the 
island of Botol Tobaco-xima-and run along the island of Kuml, which makes a part of the kmg- 
dom of Liqueo-The ships enter the Japanese sea, and sail along the coast of Chma_We steer our 
course for the island of Quelpaert-We run along the coast of Corea, and make astronom^al ob- 
"ns eveiy day-Particulars respecting Quelpaert, island of Corea, S.c. -Discovery of Dagelet 
Island— It's loiigitude and latitude, 



VOYAGE 

ROUND THE WORLD, 

In the Years 1785, 1786, 1787, and 1788o 



DECREE OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, 

FEBRUARY g, 1791. 



1 HE National Assembly, after having heard the report of it's united 
committees of agriculture, commerce, and naval affairs, decrees:. 

That the king be requested to give orders to all the ambassadors, residents, 
consuls, and agents, of the nation, in foreign countries, to intreat, in the name 
of humanity, and of the arts and sciences, the different sovereigns of the nations 
in which they reside, to enjoin all navigators and agents of every descriptioa 
under their command, wherever they may be, but particularly in the south- 
ern part of the Pacific Ocean, to make all possible search after the two French 
frigates, /a Boussole and r Astrolabe, commanded by M-- de la Perouse, and 
after their crews 3 as likewise every inquiry, that may serve to confirm to 
us whether they be yet in being, or have been lost; in order, that, if 
de la Perouse and his companions should be found, or met with, no matter 

VOL. K jj 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

in what pUce, every assistance may be given them, and they may be fur- 
nished with all possible means of returning to their country and bnng.ng 
with them whatever they may have in their possession: the national as- 
sembly engaging to indemnify, and even to recompense, according to the 
imporLce of the service, every one that may furnish any assistance to these 
navigators, procure intelligence of them, or merely be the cause of restoring 
to France any papers or effects, that may belong or have belonged to their 
expedition : 

It farther decrees, that the king be requested to equip one or more ves- 
sels, on board which shall be embarked men of science, naturalists, and 
draughtsmen ; and to confer on the commanders of the expedition the double 
t ssL of s eking after M' de la Perouse, in conformity to documents. 
Tt notions, and orders, which shall be given them . and at the same time 
of making researches with regard to the sciences and commerce, takmg 

ensure to render the expedition, independently of the search after 
M'lra Perouse, or even after they may have found him, or obtained news 
of him, useful and advantageous to navigation, geography, commerce, arts, 
and science. 

Collated with the original, by us the president and secretaries of the 
national assembly. ■ Paris, February .4, 1791. Signed Duport, president, 
Liore, Boussion, secretaries. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



DECREE OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, 



APRIL 22, 1791. 



The National Assembly decrees : 

That the accounts and maps, sent by de la Perouse, of part of his 
voyage, as far as to Botany Bay, shall be printed and engraved at the expense 
of the nation; and that the expense shall be defrayed from the fund of two 
millions * granted by the fourteenth article of the decree of August 3, 1790 : 

That, as soon as the edition is finished, and such copies as the king may 
think proper to dispose of are taken from it, the remainder be sent to 
M™^ de la Perouse, with a copy of the present decree, as a testimony of satis- 
faction at de la PeroUse's devotion to the common weal, and to the 
promotion of knowledge and useful discoveries : 

ThatM"" de la Perouse shall still remain on the navy list, till the return 
of the vessels sent in search of him, and that his pay shall continue to be 
received by his wife, conformably to the directions given by him previous 
to his departure. 

Collated with the original, by us the president and secretaries of the 
national assembly. Paris, April Qj, 1791. Signed Reubel], president ^ 
Goupil-Prefeln, Mougins-Roqucfort, Roger, secretaries. 



* /.S3;333. 6s. 8d, 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



GENERAL LIST 

OF THE 

OFFICERS, MEN OF SCIENCE, ARTISTS, SEAMEN, AND 
MARINES, EMBARKED ON BOARD THE FRIGATES LA 
BOUSSOLE AND L'ASTROLABE, UNDER THE COMMAND 
OF M. DE LA FEROUSE. 



July, 1785. 



LA BOUSSOLE. 



Messrs. 
De la Perousc 



De Clonard 
D' Escures. 

Boutin 

De Plerrevert. 
Collnet 

Mel de Saint-Ceran 
De Montarnal. 

De Roux Darbaud 
Frederic Br'oudon 



rPost captain, commander in chief, employed a 
J commodore, and promoted to a broad pendant, 
^ Nov. 2, 1786. 

Lieutenants. 

t Acting as captain to the commodore, promoted 
t to the rank of post captain. 

En^gns. 

r Made lieutenant of a man of war, May i, 1786, 
3 andcommandingofficer of marines, April 14, 
1 1788. 

f Lieutenant of a frigate, made sub-lieutenant 
i of a man of war. May i, 1786. 

M'ldJIiipmen. _ 

Discharged at Manilla, April 16,1787. 

f Volunteer, made cadet, January i, 1786; and 
1 lieutenant of a man of war, April 14, 1786. 
f Volunteer, made lieutenant of a man of war, 
I August I, 1786. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



5 



De Monneron 

Bernizet 
Rollin 

Lepaute Dagelet 
De Lamanon 

Abbe Monges 

Duche de Vancy 
Prevost junior 
CoUlgnon 
Guery 



James Darris 
Stephen Lormier 
Vincent le Fur 
Jeremy Laprise Mouton 
Francis Tayer 
Francis Ropars 
John Michael le Bee 
John Baptist le Maitre 
Eutropius Faure 



Engineers, Men of Science, and Artijls. 

r Captain in the corps of engineers, engineer in 
t chief. 
Engineer and geographer. 
Surgeon -major, who had retired on half-pay. 
f Of the academy of sciences, professor at the 
C. military school, astronomer. 
_ _ f Natural philosopher, mineralogist, meteorolo- 

\ gist. 

_ _ f Regular canon of the Gallican church, natural 
1 philosopher, and doing the duty of chaplai . 
Draughtsman of landscape and figures. 
Botanical draughtsman. " 
Gardener and botanist. 
Watchmaker. 

Warrant and petty Officers. 

Master (premier maitre d'equipage). 

Ditto. 

Boatswain. 

Made sub-lieutenant of a man of war. 
- - - Boatswain's mate. 

Ditto. 

Quarter-master. 
Second pilot. 
Pilot's mate. 



Peter Talin - - - 
Edme Francis Matthew Livierre 
Anthony Flhire 
Francis Diege 
George Fleury 

John Bolet - . _ 
Peter Lieutot 
Stephen Dutertre 



Gunners and Marines. 

Quarter-master of marines, and gunner. 

Gunner's mate. 

Corporal. 

Marine. 

Ditto. 

Ditto. 

Ditto. 

Drummer. 



Carpenters, Caulkers, and Sail-makers. 

Peter Charron - - - . Carpenter. 

John Baptist Francis Soude - - Carpenter's mate. 

Andrew Chauve - - _ _ Ditto. 

Peter Meschin - - - _ Ciulker. 



Claude Nevki 
John Faudil 
Alexander Moreau 
James Francheteau 
Andrew VerrLer 
Laurence Point ei 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

- - - Caulker's mate. 

Ditto. 
Ditto, 

_ - - Sail-maker. 
,. _ _ . Sail-maker's mate, 

_ _ - - Ditto. 



William Durand.. 
John Masson. 
James Pochic. 
Julian Hellec. 
Francis Gorin. 
Peter Bretaud. 
John Frichoux. 
William Stephan. 
Peter Mary Lastennec« 
John Gohonnec. 
Yves le Bihan. 
Corentin Jers. 
John Luco. 
Lewis Plemer. 
Francis Lhostis. 
John Mary Dreau. 
Allen Marzin. 
Peter Bonny. 
Charles le Due, 



Caesar Augustin de Rozier. 
Michael Berrin. 
Francis Joseph Vautron. 
Andrew Roth. 

John Blondeau. 
Michael NiterhofFer. 



John Querenneur 
James le Car 
John Louvigni 
Simon Rolland 
Joseph Vanneau 



^l>Ie and ordinary Seamen. 

PaTul Joseph Beirtele. 

John Magneur, 

John Francis Duquesne 

Andrew Mary Je Brice. 

Bertram Daniel. 

John Garnier. 

Lewis le Bot. 

Allen Abgral. 

Charles Anthony Chauvry. 

Francis Gloahec. 

Joseph le Bas. 

Joseph Plevin. 

John Daran. 

John Donety. 

Peter Achard. 

William Pichard. 

Hilarion Mary Noret. 

John Peter Chevreuil. 

Julian Robert. 

Gunner's Crew. 

Peter Prieur. 
Marens Chaub. 
John Peter Fraicho. 
Peter Guilleraln. 
John Gillet. 
Joseph Rayes> 

Supernumeraries, 

Coasting pilot 
Surgeon's mate. 
Captain's clerks 
Cooper> 
Baker. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



John Peter Durand 
John Mary Bleas 
Rene Mary Cosquet 
James Quinion 



Peter Cazaurant. 
John Francis Blsalion. 
Francis Bretel. 
Michael Siren. 

Guyet de la Villeneuve 

John Charles Massepin 

Dominic Champion 

Peter Lebis 

John Jugon 

Peter Motte 

Six Chinese sailors. 



Armourer. 
Smith. 
Carpenter. 
Cook. 

Servants. 

Rene de St. Maurice, 
Lewis David. 
Eenjamin (a negro). 

Additional. 

Entered at Manilla, April 7 , 1787. 

Marine. 

Ditto. 

Ditto. 

Ditto, 

Ditto. 



Messrs. 
De Langle 

De Monti 



Freton de Vaujuas. 
Daigremont. 

De la Borde Marchalnville 
Blondela 



De la Borde Boutervilliers 
Law de Lauriston 

Raxi de Flassan 



L' ASTROLABE. 

Post captain, commander. 
Lieutenant. 

Made post captain. 



Supernumerary. 
Lieutenant of a frigate. 



Monge 



MidJJiipmen. 

Made lieutenant of a man of war, May i , 1786. 
Ditto. 

f Supernumerary, made lieutenant of a man of 
t war, May i, 1786. 

Men of Science and Artijlst 

f Professor at the military school, astronomer; 
1 put on shore at TenerifFe, August 29, 1785. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



De la Martlniere 
Dufresne 

Father Receveur 

Prevost, the uncle 
Lavaux 

Lesseps 



Francis Laraare 
Francis Mary Audignon 
Sebastian Rolland 
William Mary Gaudebert 
Mathurin Leon 
Adrian de Mavel 

Peter Brossard 

John I'Aine 



John Gaulin 
Leonard Soulas 
James Morel 
Peter Chauvin 
Peter Philiby 
Francis Saulot 
Christopher Gilbert 
John Peter Huguet 



Robert Mary le Gal 
John Berny 
Francis Bizieu 
John le Cam 
John Francis Paul 
Lewis Mevel 
Yves Quelenec 
Fr^incis Leboucher 
John Grosset 
Oliver Creachadec 



Doctor of physic, botanist. 
Naturalist. 

e Cordelier, naturalist, and doing the duty of 
\ chaplain. 

Botanical draughtsman. , 

Navy surgeon. 
C Russian vice-consul, interpreter ; put on fliore 
< at Kamtschatka, and charged with M' de la 
Perouse's dispatches to Paris. 



Warrant and petty Officers. 

Boatswain. 



Ditto, supernumerary. 

Boatswain's mate. 

Ditto. 

First pilot. 

Second pilot. . 
f Pilot's mate, made sub-lieutenant of a man 
1 of war. 

Pilot's mate. 

Gunners. 

Serjeant of marines, gunner. 

Corporal, gunner's mate. 

Quarter-gunner. 

Ditto. 

Ditto. 

Ditto. 

Corporal, quarter-gunner. 
Drummer, ditto. 



Carpenters, Caulkers, and Sail-makers, 

Carpenter. 

Carpenter's mate. 

Ditto. 

Ditto. 

Caulker. 

Ditto. 

Ditto. 

Caulker's mate. 
Sail-maker. 
Sail-maker's matc». 



Yves Bourhis 
Bastien Taraiou 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 

Ditto. 

Quarter-master's mate. 



Able and ordinary Seamen. 



Lewis Alias. 

Peter Mary Rio. 

John Moal. 

Joseph le Quellec. 

Bertram Leisseigue. 

Julian Ruelland. 

John le Bris. - 

Dennis le Cors. 

John le Guyader. 

Peter Banniou. 

Joseph Richebecq. 

Francis Mary Vautigny. 

Yves Hamon. 

John Hamon. 

Giles Henry. 

Goulven Tarreau. 

William Duquesne. 

Charles James Anthony Riou. 

Francis le Locat. 

Yves Lewis Garandel. 

William Lambert^ Nicole. 

John Monen?. 



Lewis Mezon. 
William Quedec. 
Peter Fouache. 
John Redellec. 
William Autret. 
Claude Lorgi. 
John Gourmelon. 
John Bernard. 

Allen Cree, ran away at Conception, in Chilj^ 

March 14, iy86. 
John Mary Basset, discharged at Macao, in 

China, January 19, 1787. 
Peter Mary Fidele Paugam. 
John Lewis Bellec. 
Joseph le Blois. 
John Mary LetanafF. 
Francis Feret. 
Mathurin Causiau. 
William Richard. 
Laurence Robin. 
Julian Masse. 
John Thomas Andrieux. 



Gunner's Crew. 



Peter Guimard. 
Lewis David. 
Joseph Fretch. 

Lewis Span, ran away at Conception, March 

14, 1786. 
Christian Thomas. 



John Baptist Pliner. 
Coderant Lendcbert. 
John Walter Plumeur. 
Juliens le Penn. 
Francis Bignon. 
Peter Rabier. 



Supernumeraries. 



Francis Querre 
John Guillou 

John Mary Kermel 

tOL. I. 



Coasting pilot. 

Ship's surgeon, 
r Steward, died September 7, 1787, in conse- 
I quence of a gunfhot wound. 



I 

I 



!1! li 



jliiiiiiiii iiiii ii I 



if iil:': il 



10 



Peter Canevet 
Rene Richard 
Nicolas Boucher 
James le Rand 
Francis Mary Omnes 
Francis Mordelle 



VOYAGE ROUND' THE WORLD. 

. - Cooper. 
_ _ - Butcher. 
_ . - - Baker. 

- Armourer. 
Smith. 
Boy. 



Yves Riou 

Simon George Deveau. 
John Geraud. 
John Sol 

John Lewis Droux 
Francis Potorelle. 
Joseph Hereau. 



Dupac de Bellegarde 



Le Gobieri 

Peter Desluches 
Michael Stephen Philippe 
Francis Marin 
Six Chinese sailors 



Servants. 

Discharged atTeneriffe, August 30, 1785 



Died August II, 1786. 

Discharged at Macao, February i, 1787. 



Jddltional. 

-Midfhipman, made lieutenant of a man of war, 
August 4, 1786; turned over from the flute 
le Marechal de Castries ; came on board at 
. Macao, January i, 1787. 
■ MIdfhipman, made lieutenant of a man of war, 
March 5, 1788; turned over from la Sub- 
tile; came on board at Manilla, April 8, 
c 1787. 
Marine. 
Ditto. 
Ditto. 

Entered at Macao. 



i !■ 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



Ill 



PRIVATE INSTRUCTIONS 

FROM THE KING TO THE SIEUR DE LA PEROUSE, 
CAPTAIN IN THE NAVY, 

COMMANDING THE FRIGATES LA BOUSSOLE AND l' ASTROLABE. 



June 26, 1785. 



His majesty, having ordered the frigates, la Boussole, commanded by 
the sieur de la Perouse, and 1' Astrolabe, commanded by the sieur de Langle, 
captains in his navy, to be equipped in the port of Brest for a voyage of 
discovery, makes known to the sieur de la Perouse, whom he has appointed 
commander in chief of the two vessels, the service he will have to perform 
in the important expedition with which he is entrusted. 

The different objects, which his majesty had in view, in giving orders for 
this voyage, require the present instructions to be divided into several parts, 
thereby to explain the more clearly to the sieur de la Perouse his majesty's 
particular intentions, with respect to each of the objects he will have to 

pursue. 

The first part will contain his route, or the plan of his voyage, in the 
order of the discoveries, which he will have to make or improve; and to 
this will be added a collection of geographical and historical notes, which 
may serve to guide him in his different researches. 




llliliiili 



IS 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 
The second part will treat of subjects relating to politics $nd commerce. 

The third will exhibit a detail of operations relative to astronomy, geo- 
graphy, navigation, physics, and the different branches of natural history, and 
will serve to regulate the labours of the different artists and men of science, 
employed in the expedition. 

The fourth will contain directions for the conduct of the sieur de la 
Perouse towards the savages, and the natives of the different countries he 
may have an opportunity of discovering or visiting. 

The fifth will point out to him the precautions he ought to employ, to 
preserve the health of the ships* crews under his command* 



PART THE FIRST. 



PLAN OF THE VOYAGE. 



The sieur de la Perouse will set sail from Bre«t road, as soon as his 
preparations are completed. 

He will touch first at Funchal, in the island of Madeira, and afterwards 
at Port Praya, in that of St. Jago. He will provide himself with a few 
pipes of wine at the former place j and at the latter complete his stores of 
wood and water, and procure refreshments. He will be careful, however, 
to make his stay as short as possible at Port Praya, because he will arrive 
there at the season in which the climate is very unhealthy. 

He will cross the line in 9>9° or 30° of longitude west from the meridian 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



of Paris J and, if the wind permit, will endeavour to discover Pennedo de 
San Pedro {note 2), and ascertain it's situation. 

He will reconnoitre the island of Trinidad {notes 10, ll), anchor 
there, take in wood and water, and fulfil during his stay one particular 
object of his instructions. 

On quitting this island, he will get into the latitude of la Roche's Isle 
Grande {note I9), in 35° of west longitude j he will keep the parallels 
of 44°, 45°, till he arrive at the longitude of 50°, and he will then give up 
the search of this island, if he have not fallen in with it before he reaches 
this meridian. If he should think it more advisable to make the island 
from the west, he will confine his search to the meridians above-mentioned. 

He will then steer for the latitude of la Roche's Lind, called by Cook 
the Island of Georgia, in south. He will make this island at it's north- 
westernmost point, and will particularly examine it's southern coast, which 
has not yet been explored. 

Thence he will proceed to Sandwich Land {note 21), in 57° of south 
latitude. He will remember, that captain Cook was able to observe only a 
few points of the western coast of this land, and that it's extent to the east 
and south is unknown. He will particularly visit the eastern coast, run 
along the shore toward the south, and double the south point of the island, 
if the ice do not prove an insurmountable obstacle, at the time of his reach- 
ing it. 

When he has satisfied himself of the extent of this land to the east and 
south, he will make for Staten Land, double Cape Horn^ and come to an 
anchor in Christmas Sound, on the south-west coast of Terra del Fuego, 
where he may furnish himself with wood and water: but if he should find 
a westerly course too difficult, in consequence of the winds, which com- 
monly blow from the west, and the cmrents, which sometimes set strongly 
to the east, he will make for the coast of Brasil, at as high a latitude as he 



14 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

can, avail himself of the variable w^inds or land-breezes to run along the 
coast, and may touch at the Falkland Islands, which will afford him supplies 
of different kinds. He will then pass the strait of le Maire, or double the 
east coast of Staten Land, in order to fetch Christmas Sound, which, at all 
events, must be the first rendezvous of his majesty's ships, in case of a 
separation. 

On quitting Christmas Sound, he will steer his course so as to cross the 
meridian of 85° west in the latitude of 57° south, and he will run down this 
parallel as far as the longitude of 95°, to search for Drake's Land, and Drake's 
Harbour {jiote 23). • 

He will then cross the meridian of 105°, in the parallel of 38°, which 
he will keep to the longitude of 1 1 5°, endeavouring to find out a land said 
to have been discovered by the Spaniards in 1714 {note 25), in the lati- 
tude of 38°, between the meridians of 108° and 1 10°. 

After this search, he will make for the latitude of 27° 5', in the meridian 
of 108° west, to proceed on this parallel in quest of Easter Island, situate in 
the longitude of 1 1 2° 8^ Here he will anchor, to fulfil the particular or- 
ders given him in the second part of these instructions. 

From this island he will steer for the latitude of 32°, in the longitude of 
120^ west, and he will keep in this parallel to the longitude of 135°, in 
search of a land seen by the Spaniards in 1773 [iiote 27). 

At this point of 135° longitude, and 3^ latitude, fhe two frigates will 
separate. The one will get into the parallel between 16° and 17°, and will 
run it down from 135° to 150° west from the meridian of Paris, when she 
will make sail for the island of Otaheitee. The interval between the lati- 
tudes of 16° and 17°, for the space of 25° of longitude, having never been 
visited by any modern navigator, and all the neighbourhood of these paral- 
lels being interspersed with low islands, it is probable, that the vessel which 
follpws this direction will fall in with new islands, which may be inhabited, 
as are moft of the low islands of these seas. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

In.tlie mean time, the other frigate, departing from the same point of 
32° latitude, and 1 35° longitude, will steer north to the latitude of 25° l o^, 
and endeavour to keep this parallel, from the meridian of 131° or 132°. She 
will there seek for Pitcairn's Island, discovered by Carteret in 1767, and 
situate in the latitude of 25° 12'. The longitude of this island is yet un- 
certain, because Carteret had it not in his power to determine it by obser- 
vation : and it is extremely desirable, that it should be ascertained with pre- 
cision; because, if the situation of this island were accurately known, it 
would serve to rectify that of the other islands or lands subsequently disco- 
vered by Carteret, from their relative positions. 

On quitting Pitcairn's island, this frigate will steer her course first to the 
west, and then to the north-west, to search successively for the islands of 
Incarnation, St. John Baptist, St. Elmo, Los 4 Coronadas (four crowns), 
St. Michael, and the Conversion of St. Paul, discovered by Quiros in 1606 
{me 28), which, it is supposed, must lie to the south-east of Otaheitee, 
and which have neither been sought after, nor descried, by the navigators 
of the present century. Thus this frigate will reach the meridian of 150° 
v^est, and the latitude of 1 9°, by a north-western course, whence she will 
steer for Otaheitee; 



It may be presumed, that both vessels will have reached Otaheitee 
towards the end of April. This island will be the second rendezvous of his 
majesty's ships in case of separation. The two frigates will first come to 
an anchor in the bay of Oheitepeha, at the north-east point of that part of 
the island which is called Tiarraboo, or Otaheite-etee. This bay is to 
windward of that of Matavai, at the north cape, or Point Venus, into which 
they will put afterwards, that they may the more easily procure, in two dif- 
ferent harbours, the refreshments of which they may stand in need. 

After a month's stay the sieur de la Perouse will set sail from Otaheitee. 
He may call, on his way, at the islands of Huaheine, Ulietea, Otaha, Bola- 
bola, and other of the Society Islands, in order to procure additional supplies 
of provision, furnish those islands with European manufactures useful to 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 



their inhabitants, and sow seeds, plant trees, pulse, &c. which may here- 
after afford new resources to Europeans navigating these seas. 

On quitting the Society Islands, he will steer his course north-west, to 
fetch the latitude of Quiros's Island of St. Bernardo {note 28), which is 
about 11°. He will pursue his search of this island only from 158° to 160° 
of longitude j and from the latitude of 1 1° he will steer north-west to the 
parallel of 5°, and the longitude of 166'' or 167°. He will then shape his 
course to the south-west, crossing in this direction that part of the sea which 
lies to the north of the archipelago of the Friendly Islands, where it is pro- 
bable, from the reports of the natives of these islands, he will fall in with a 
great number of others, never yet visited by Europeans, and not uninhabited. 
It is to be wished, that he may make Quiros's Island of the Handsome 
Nation, which he will seek for between the parallels of 1 1° and 1 U°, from 
the longitude of 1 69° to 1 7 1°, and Bougainville's Navigators' Islands, whence 
he will steer for the Friendly Islands, to procure refreshments. 

On quitting the Friendly Islands, he will get into the latitude of the Isle 
of Pines, lying off the south-east point of New Caledonia {note 29) ; 
when he has made it, he will coast along the western shore, which has ne- 
ver y€t been visited ; and he will satisfy himself, whether it be one single 
island only, or a cluster of several. 

If, after having reconnoitred the south-west coast of New Caledonia, he 
can fetch Queen Charlotte's Islands, he will endeavour to make Mendana's 
Island of Santa Cruz {note 30), and ascertain its extent to the southward. 

But if the wind will not allow him to make good this course, he will 
bear away for the Deliverance Islands, off the eastern point of the Land of 
the Arsacides, discovered by Surville in 1769 {note 5-.) i he will run 
down their southern coast, which neither Surville nor any other navigator 
has explored; and he will satisfy himself, whether these lands do not form 
a group of islands, as is probable, which he will endeavour to particularise. 
It is to be presumed, that they are inhabited on the southern side, as they 



■ VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

are known to be on the northern ; and perhaps some refreshments may be 
procured there. 

He will likewise endeavour to find an island to the north-vv^est of the 
Land of the Arsacides, the eastern coast of which was perceived by de 
Bougainville in 1758 ; but he will not spend more time in search of it, than 
he may judge will allow him afterwards to fetch, without difficulty. Cape 
Deliverance, at the south-east point of Louisiada («<7/^' 33) ^ and he will 
endeavour, if he can, to examine the eastern coast of this land, before he 
arrives at the Cape, 

He will proceed, from Cape Deliverance, to pass the Strait of Endeavour 
[note 34) ; and in this passage he will try to ascertain, whether the land 
of Louisiada be contiguous to that of New Guinea, and will reconnoitre all 
this part of the coast, from Cape Deliverance to the Island of St. Bartholo- 
mew, east-north-east of Cape Walsh, of which at present we have a very 
imperfect knowledge. 

It is much to be wished, that he may be able to examine the Bay of Car- 
pentaria {note 35) .■ but he must remember, that the north-west mon- 
soon, to the south of the line, begins about the fifteenth of November ; and 
that the limits of this monsoon are not so precise, but tliat they may some- 
times extend beyond the latitude of 10° south. It is of importance, there- 
fore, that he should employ the utmost diligence in this part of his research- 
es, and take care so to shape his course and employ his canvas, as to have 
passed the meridian of the south-west point of the island of Timor before 
the 20th of November. 

If, contrary to all probability, he shall have found it impossible to procure 
refreshments, and supply himself with wood and water, in the pLc^s l-e 
will have visited subsequently to his departure from the Friendly leJar-i, 
from which it is supposed he will sail about the lath of July, he will tou^h 
at Prince's Island, at the entrance cf the Strait of Sunda, near the west point 
of the Isle of Java. 



VOL. I. 



IB 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



On leaving Prince's Island, or, if he have not been under the necessity of 
touching there, on quitting the channel of Nev^ Holland {note 35), he 
WiW shape his course so as to explore the western shore of this land, begin- 
ning his examination as near the equator as the winds will permit. He will 
run down the western coast, and take a closer view of the southern, the 
greater part of which has never been visited, finishing his survey at Van 
Diemen's Land, at Adventure Bay, or Prince Frederic Henry's : whence 
he will make sail for Cook's Strait, and anchor in Queen Charlotte's Sound, 
in that strait, between the two islands which constitute New Zealand. This 
harbour will form the third rendezvous of the frigates, in case of separation. 
Here he will repair his vessels, lay in wood and water, and furnish himself 
with refreshments. 

It is presumed, that he will be ready to put to sea from this port, in the 
beginning of March, 1787. 

On his departure from Cook's Strait, or from New Zealand, he will get 
into the parallel of 41° or 42°, and keep it as far as the longitude of 130° 
west. When he has reached this meridian, he will shape his course north- 
wards, in order to get into the trade-winds, and into the latitude of the Mar- 
quesas Islands of Mendoza {note 38); and to get supplies for his vessels 
he will put into Mendana's harbour of Madre de Dios, on the western 
coast of the island of Santa Christinia, called by Cook Resolution Bay. 
This will be the fourth rendezvous, if the vessels should separate. 

This passage, it may be presumed, will not occupy more thah two 
months ; so that the vessels will be ready to sail about the 15th of May. 

If, when he puts to sea from the Marquesas Islands, the wind should be 
sufficiently favourable to- allow him to make good his course to the north, 
he may reconnoitre some of the islands to the east of the Sandwich Isles 
{note 40), which he will afterwards visit, and where he may enlarge 
his stock of provision,, but will make no stay.. 



VOYAGE ROUND I'HE WORLD, 



He will make without delay for the north-west coast of America j and 
for this purpose he will proceed to the latitude of 30° north, in order to get 
out of the trade winds, and fetch the coast in the latitude of 36° 20', at 
Punta de Pinos, to the south of Port Monterey, which may be known by 
the mountains, or sierra, of Santa Lucia. 

It is probable, that he may reach this coast about the 10th or 15 th of 
July {note 41). 

He will be particularly careful to examine those parts, which were not 
seen by captain Cook, and of which no idea can be formed from the ac- 
counts of the Russian and Spanish navigators. He will make a strict search 
in the parts not yet known, to see whether there be not some river, or some 
narrow gulph, forming a communication, by means of the interior lakes, 
with some parts of Hudson's bay. 

He will pursue his search as far as Behring's Bay, and Mount Saint Elias i 
and will visit the harbours of Bucarelli and los Remedios, discovered by the 
Spaniards in 1775. 

Prince William's Sound and Cook's River having been sufficiently exa- 
mined, he will not waste his time in visiting them j but from mount Elias 
he will shape his course for the islands of Shumagin, near the peninsula of 
Alascha. 

He will afterwards visit the archipelago of the Aleutian islands {tiote 
42), and, in succession, the two clusters of islands to the west of them, the 
true situation and number of which are unknown, and which all together, 
with the coasts of Asia and America, form the grand northern basin or 
gulph. 

When he has finished this examination, he will put into the port of 
Avatscha («^?/^?43), or St. Peter and St. Paul, at the south-east extremity 
of the peninsula of Kamtschatka. He will endeavour to reach thi'; b.^boHf , 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



about the 15th or 20th of September: and this will form the fifth rendeij- 
vous in case -of separation. 

Here he will diligently supply the v/ants of his vessels, and take the ne- 
cessary measures for being secure of finding provision there, when he shall 
return in 1788. 

He will manage his affairs so as to be able to set sail from this port, in the 
course of the first ten days of October. 

He will coast along and explore all the Kuriles Islands {note 44); th« 
north-east, east, and south coasts of Japan ; and, as the season advances, ac^ 
cording as he shall find the winds more or less favourable, and the seas more 
or less dangerous, he will extend hi^ search to the islands on tlie east and 
south of Japan, to those of Lekeyo, and as.far as Formosa-. 

When he has finished this examination, he will put in at Macaa and. 
Canton, or at Manilla, according to circumstances. 

This port will be the sixth rendezvous, if a separation should take place.. 

It is to be presumed he will arrive here about the end of 1787- 

In this port he will refit and revictual his ships, and will wait for the set- 
ting in of the south-west monsoon, which is commonly in the beginning of 
March. He may delay his departure, hov/ever, till the 1st of April, if his 
erews shall be in need of longer repose, and if, from the information he may 
have obtained, he shall deem a voyage towards the north too, arduous before 
that period. 

Whatever may be the duration of his stay, when he quits this port he 
will shape his course so as to pass the strait, which separates the island of 
Formosa from the coast of China, or between that island and those to the 
east of it, ^ 



■ VOYAGE ROUND TME WORLD. 

He will visit with circumspection the vv^estern coast of Corea, and die 
gulph of Whang-Hay, without venturing too fer, and taking care to have it 
in his power to double easily the south coast of Corea v/ith the south-west 
or southerly winds. 

He will then reconnoitre the eastern coast of this peninsula; that of Tar- 
tary, v/here there is a pearl fishery ; and the opposite coast of Japan^ AH 
these coasts are conipleteiy unknown to Europeans. 

He will pass the Strait of Tessoy, and visit the- islands known by the name 
of Jeso {noi'e 4 5), with that which the Dutch have called Staten Island, 
and the Russians Nadezda^ of which we have hitherto but confused no- 
tions, from some ancient accounts which the Dutch East-India Company 
has suffered to transpire, but the fidelity of which has never been ascer- 
tained,. 

He will finish his examination of such of the Kuiiles islands (w/t^ 44) 
as he was unable to visit in the preceding November, on his passage from 
Avatscha to Macao : he will sail out from between these islands as hear as 
possible to the southern point of Kamtschatka : and he will come to an 
anchor in the port of Avatscha, the seventh rendezvous in case of sepa- 
ration. 

Having refitted here, and taken in provision, he will put to sea again in 
the beginning of August. 



He will get into the latitude of 37^° north, in the meridian of 180°. 

He will steer his course to the westward, in quest of an island or countiy 
said to have been discovered by the Spaniards in I6l0 {mte 48), and he will 
pursue his search to the longitude of 1 65" east. He will then proceed south- 
west, or south-south- west, to reconnoitre the scattered islands in that direc" 
tion, to the east of the Ladrone or Marianne, Islands. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



He may touch at the island of Tinian 5 but he will regulate his stay, and 
his subsequent course, by the norih-east monsoon, which does not begin till 
October northward of the Hne, so as, that, on leaving the island of Tinian, 
he may run down and examine the new Carolinas [note 49), lying to the 
south-west of the Island of Guaham, one of the Ladrones, and to the east 
of Mindanao, one of the Philippines. He will pursue this examination as 
far as the Islands of Saint Andrew. 

He will then touch at Mindanao, putting into the port situate on the 
southern coast, opposite the island of Sangir. 

After a fortnight's stay here, employed in procuring refreshments, he will 
steer for the Molucca Islands, and may anchor at Ternate, for a supply of 
provision. 

As the north-west monsoon, which then reigns to the southward of the 
line, will not allow a passage through the strait of Sunda, he will avail him- 
self of the variation of the winds in the neighbourhood of the equator, to 
sail between Seram and Eouro, or between Bouro and Bouton {note 50), and 
Jie will endeavour to make his way out between some of the islands to the 
£ast or west of Timor {note 51). 

It is probable, that, having now passed the parallel of 10° south, he may 
find himself beyond the limits of the north-west monsoon ; and may easily 
advance toward the west with easterly or south-easterly winds, so as to reach 
the Isle of France, which will be the eighth rendezvous of the ships. 

He will stay at the Isle of France no longer than is absolutely necessary 
for putting himself into a proper condition to return to Europe; and he will 
avail himself of the latter summer months for the passage he will have to 
make through the seas to the south of the Cape of Good Hope. 

On leaving the Isle of France, he will get into the mean parallel between 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



54* and 55" south, to search for Cape Circumcision (note 54), discovered in 
1739 by Lozier Bouvet. 

He will fetch this latitude in the longitude of 1 5" east, and keep the 
parallel of 54° or 55° as far as the meridian of Paris. 

When he reaches this point, he will pursue the search no farther. 

If, at this period, he shall be of opinion, that his vessels are not suffici- 
ently provided with water and provision for the passage to Europe, he will 
touch at the Cape of Good Hope, to enable them to continue their voyage j 
and this port shall be the ninth rendezvous, in case of separation. 

Whichever part he may have taken, he will endeavour, in his return to 
Europe, to make the islands of Gough {note 1 8), Alvarez (note 17), Tristan 
d' Acunha {note 16), Saxemburg {note 14), and dos Picos {72ote lO) ; and, if 
he fall in with them, he will ascertain their situations, which are yet doubt- 
ful. 

He will return to the port of Brest, where it is probable he may arrive in 
July,or August, 1789 » ■ 

Though the route of the sieur de la Perouse be traced in the present in- 
structions, and the periods of his putting into port, with the stay he is ta 
make, indicated, his majesty does not mean, that he should invariably ad- 
here to this plan. All the calculations, of which a sketch is here given, must, 
be governed by the circumstances of the voyage, the condition of the crews,, 
ships, and provision, the events that may occur in the expedition, and acci- 
dents which it is impossible to foresee. These causes, singly or combined,, 
may alter the plan of his operations, more or less ^ the object of the present 
instructions being solely to point out the discoveries that remain to, be made 
or completed in the different parts of the globe, and the course it appears 
proper for him to pursue, in order to make his researches in due order, and 
suiting his different runs, and the periods of his stay, to the seasons^ and to the 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



prevailing or periodical winds in different parts. His majesty, -therefore, re-, 
lying on the experience and judgment of the sieur de la Perouse, authorises 
him to make any deviation that he may deem necessary, in unforeseen cases, 
pursuing, however, as far as possible, the plan traced out, and conforming 
to the directions given in the other parts of the present instructions. 



PART THE SECOND. 
■SUBJECTS RELATING TO POLITICS AND COMMERCE. 

In the first part of these instructions, his majesty has traced out the 
path, which the sieur de la Perouse will pursue, in the observations he has to 
make throughout the greater part of the terrestrial globe : and in this he will 
point out to him those objects of politics and commerce, which are particu- 
larly to engage his attention in the different places at which he stops, in 
order that the expedition undertaken by his majesty's command, while it 
contributes to the improvement of geography, and the extension of navi- 
gation, may equally accomplish, in other respects, the objects he has in 
view for the interest of his crown, and the benefit of his subjects. 

1 . The stay which the sieur de la Perouse will make at Madeira and 
St. Jago will' be too short for him to acquire an accurate knowledge of the 
state of the Portuguese colonies ; but he will neglect no means of procuring 
information respecting the force kept there by the crown of Portugal, the 
trade carried on with the English and other nations, and all other important 
objects, of which it is for our advantage not to be ignorant. 

2. He will learn whether the EngUsh have entirely quitted the Island of 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



Trinidad ; whether the Portuguese have settled there ; and what may be 
the estabhshment they have formed since it's evacuation. 

3. If he should find la Roche's Isle Grande, he will examine whether it 
afford any safe and commodious harbour, where wood and water may be 
procured ; what conveniences it offers for establishing a settlement there, 
supposing the whale-fishery should induce French merchant-ships to visit 
the southern part of the Atlantic ; and whether there be any place, capable 
of being fortified with advantage, and maintained by a small force, a postj 
in short, suitable for a settlement so remote from the assistance and pro- 
tection of the mother-country. 

4. He will examine the Island of Georgia with the same views: but it 
is probable, that this island, situate in a higher latitude, will be found less 
convenient, than Isle Grande may be expected to be from it's situation ; and 
that the ice, with which the sea in the neighbourhood of Georgia is en- 
cumbered, during one part of the year, will prove a great obstacle to general 
navigation, and prevent the fishers from making this island a place of ren- 
dezvous or retreats 

5. The islands of the great equatorial ocean can be supposed to furnish 
but few observations respecting politics and commerce. Their distance 
will probably prevent European nations from entertaining the design of 
forming settlements on them Spain alone may be a little interested in. 
occupying islands, which, being nearly equidistant from her Asiatic and 
American possessions^ might afford harbours for the shelter and refresh- 
ment of her trading vessels crossing the great ocean. Be this as it may, the 
sieur de la Perouse will chiefly gtudy the climate and productions of the. 
different islands in that ocean, at which he shall touch, the manners and 
customs of the natives, their religion, government, mode of making war^ 
arms, and vessels, the distinguishing character of each tribe, what they may 
have m common with other savage nations and civilised people, and especi- 
ally what is peculiar to each. 

- VOL, 1, E 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



In suck of the islands as have been already visited by Europeans, he will 
endeavour to learn, whether the natives have distinguished the different 
nations of the navigators, and what opinion they may have formed of each 
in particular. He will examine into the use they have made of the different 
-commodities, metals, tools, stuffs, and other things, with which they have 
been furnished by Europeans. He will inquire, whether the cattle, fowls, 
and other animJals, which captain Cook left on some of the islands, have 
-bred; what grain and pulse of Europe has succeeded best there ; what me- 
thods the islanders have employed in cultivating them and what use they 
have made of their produce. Lastly, he will every where examine the truth 
of the reports made by navigators, who have published accounts of these 
islands, and he will particularly endeavour to learn v/hat may have escaped 
the observation of his predecessors. 

During his stay at Easter Island, he will ascertain whether the population 
be decreasing, as there is reason to presume from the observations and opi- 
nion of captain Cook. 

In passing the island of Huaheine, he will endeavour to find out Omai, 
the islander settled there by the English navigator in his third voyage: he 
will learn from him how he has been treated by his countrymen since the 
departure of the English, and what use he has made of the theoretical and 
practical knowledge he must have acquired during his stay in Europe, for 
the benefit, advantage, and improvement of his country. 

6. If, during his visit to the islands of the great equatorial ocean, and the 
coasts of the continent, he should fall in with any vessel at sea belonging to 
another power, he will behave to the commander of the vessel with all the 
politeness and civility, that custom has established between polished and 
amicable nations: or if a similar meeting should take place in any port be- 
longing to a people considered as savage, he will concert measures with the 
captain of the foreign vessel, for the certain prevention of all dispute or al- 
tercation betv/een the crews of the two nations, who may happen to be on 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



27 



shore together; and for lending each other mutual assistance, in case either 
should be attacked by the savages or islanders. 

7. In his visit to Nev^ Caledonia, Queen Charlotte's Islands, the Land of 
the Arsacides, and Louisiada, he v^ill carefully examine the productions of 
these countries, which, lying -under the torrid zone, and in the same latitudes 
as Peru, may offer a new field of commercial speculation; and, without 
trusting to the reports, unquestionably exaggerated, which the ancient Spa- 
nish navigators have made of the richness and fertility of some of the 
islands which they discovered in that part of the world, he will only ob- 
serve, that reasonings founded on geographical circumstances, and the know- 
ledge acquired by modern voyages, give room to suppose, that the countries 
discovered on the one, hand by Bougainville jn 1768, and on the other by 
Surville in 17^9, maybe the same as were discovered byMendaiia in 1567, 
and since known by the name of Solomon's Islands, which was given them 
at a later period from the opinion, true or false, entertained of their wealth. 

He will examine, with equal attention, the north and west coasts of New 
Holland; and particularly that part of the coast, which, being situate under 
the torrid zone, may enjoy some of the productions peculiar to countries in 
similar latitudes.. 

8. He will not have the same researches to make at the islands of New 
Zealand, of which a minute account is given in the narratives of the English 
navigators. But during his stay in Queen Charlotte's Sound, he will en- 
deavour to gain intelligence, whether the English have formed, or enter- 
tained the project of forming, any settlement on these islands; and if he 
should hear, that they have actually formed a settlement, he will endeavour 
to repair thither, in order to learn himself the condition, strength, and obr- 
ject of the settlement. 

9. If, while exploring the north-western coast of America, he should 
meet with any forts, or factories, belonging to his catholic majesty, he will 
carefully avoid every thing that may give umbrage to the commanders ge 




mmm 



2,8 



lIi::.iilli||i|!J qtU I 



HIi 



' III I 



"'■li'hiiiii 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 

heads of these establishments 3 but he will avail himself of the ties of blood 
and friendship, by which the two sovereigns are so strictly united, to pro- 
cure all the succour and refreshment of which he may stand in need, and 
which the country may be able to furnish. 

It appears, that Spain has entertained the design of extending her claim 
of possession as far as Port de los Remedios, nearly in the latitude of 67^°; 
but nothing indicates her having formed a settlement there, when she or- 
dered it to be visited in 1775, any more than at Port Bucarelli, situate about 
two degrees less to the north. As far as it is possible to judge from such 
accounts as have reached France, the actual possession of Spain does not 
extend beyond the harbours of San-Diego and Monterey, where she has 
erected small forts, garrisoned by detachments from California or New 
Mexico. 

The sieur de la Perouse will endeavour to learn the condition, strength, 
and object of these establishments j and to satisfy himself, whether they be 
the only ones formed by Spain on this coast. He will likewise inquire in 
what latitude furs may begin to be procured; what quantity the Americans 
can furnish; what commodities are best adapted for the trade ; what conve> 
niences may be found for making a settlement on this coast, if this new 
trade should offer the French merchant sufficient advantages, to induce him 
to engage in it, with the view of exporting the furs to China, which is said 
to be a ready market for them. 

He will likewise endeavour to learn what kinds of furs may be procured 
there, and whether those of the otter, which are most valuable in Asia, 
where they are in great request, be the most common in America. He 
will take care to bring home to France samples of all the different furs he 
can procure: and as he will have occasion, in the course of his voyage, to 
stop at China, and perhaps to touch at Japan, he will inform himself what 
kind of fur has the most ready, certain, and profitable sale, in each of the 
two empires, and what advantage France may hope fi-om this hew branch of 
trade. Lastly, he will endeavour, during his stay on the coast of America, 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

to discover whether the Hudson's Bay settlements, the forts or factories in 
the interior part of the country, or any province of the United States, have 
opened any communication, any intercourse of trade and barter, v^ith the 
people on the western coast, through the medium of wandering savages. 

10. It is probable, that, on visiting the Aleutian Islands, and the , other 
groups in the south of the great northern basin, he may meet with some 
Russian settlements or factories. He will endeavour to learn their regu- 
lations, strength, and object; how the Russians navigate these seas, what 
vessels, and what men they employ; how far they extend their commerce; 
whether there be any of these islands which acknowledge the sovereignty 
of Russia, or whether they be all independent; and lastly, whether the Rus- 
sians have not extended themselves, step by step, as far as the continent of 
America. 

He will, avail himself of his stay in the port of Avatscha, to enlarge the 
knowledge he may have gained on these heads ; and, at the same time, to 
procure, if possible, information respecting the Kurile Islands, Jeso, and 
the empire of Japan. 

11. He will examine the Kurile Islands and Jeso with prudence and 
circumspection, both as to the navigation of a sea unknown to Europeans, 
and said to be stormy ; and to the intercourse he may have with the na- 
tives, whose character and manners must have some resemblance to those 
of the Japanese, who may have subjected part of them, and have communi- 
cation with the rest. 



2,9 



He will perceive, from the geographical and historical notes added to the 
present instructions, that the dominion of Russia extends only to a few of 
the Kurile Islands nearest to Kamtschatka ; and he will examine, whether, 
among the more southern and independent, there be not some one, on which, 
in case a fur trade should be opened by France, it would be possible to form 
a settlement or factory, capable of being rendered secure from any insult on 
the part of the islanders. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. , 

12. With respect to Japan, he will endeavour to visit and examine the 
east and north-east coasts, and to land at some one of it's harbours, to satisfy 
himself, whether its government oppose insuperable obstacles to any esta- 
bUshment, to any intercourse of trade or barter with Europeans ; and whe- 
ther furs, which are objects both of luxury and use to the Japanese, would 
not tempt the ports on the east, or north-east, to admit vessels bringing 
such commodities, and to give teas, silks, and other productions of their 
soil or articles of their manufacture, in exchange. Perhaps the prohibito- 
ry laws of that empire, which all accounts agree to be extremely severe, 
may not be observed so strictly on the north-east and eastern coast, as at 
Nangasaki and on the southern coast, places too near the capital to hope m 
this respect for any indulgence. 

13 When the sieur de la Perouse shall have- reached Macao, he wiU 
take the necessary measures for obtaining permission to winter at Canton. 
For this purpose he will apply to the sieur Vieillard, his majesty's consul in 
China and will direct him to take^proper steps for succeedmg with the Chi- 
nese government in this point. He will avail himself of his stay in this 
port, to acquire accurate and particular information of the present state of 
the trade carried on by European nations to Canton, and he will examine 
this important subject in every point of view, in which it can be interesting 
to obtain a knowledge of it. 

' He will Ret all the information, that can be of service to him in his sub- 
sequent navigation of the seas to the north of China, on the coasts of Co- 
rea and eastern Tartary, and round all the countries or islands, which re- 
main to be visited by him in those parts. He will not neglect to procure, 
if possible, a Chinese and Japanese interpreter, and, for his second call at 
Avatscha, a Russian interpreter: he will make an agreement with them 
for the time he shall keep them in his service, and, on his return, he wiU 
land them either at Mindanao, or at the Molucca Islands. 



nu- 



,4. He must be aware, that the Japanese pirates are sometimes very 
merous in the sea between Corea, Japan, and Tartary. The weakness of 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

their vessels, however, requires of him no other precaution, than that of 
. being on his guard during the night, to avoid a surprise: but it would not 
be amiss, that he should endeavour to join one of them, and induce him, by- 
means of presents and the promise of a reward, to pilot his majesty's vessels, 
on their visit to Jeso, part of which is believed to be subject to the Japanese, 
in their passage through the Strait of Tessoy, with which the Japanese must 
be acquainted,, and in exploring such of the Kurile Islands as the Japanese 
are likely to frequent. This pilot may be equally useful to him for visiting 
some harbour on the western coast of Japan, provided circumstances did not 
permit him to touch at any port on the east, or north-east. But, whatever 
use the sieur de la Perouse may make of such a pilot, he will not follow his 
advice and directions but with the utmost caution. It will be proper for him, 
likewise, to engage, if he can, some fishers of the Kurile Islands, to serve 
him as guides to those islands which border on Kamtschatka. 

The sieur de la Perouse will endeavour also, as he proceeds towards the 
north, to finish his examination of such islands as he was unable to visit on 
his passage from Avatscha to Macao; and to supply, on the western coast 
of Japan, what he could not execute on the east or north-east. 

The examination of the coasts of Corea and Chinese Tartary must be 
conducted with great prudence and circumspection. The sieur de la Perouse 
is aware, that the Chinese government is extremely jealous : consequently 
he will avoid hoisting his colours, and making himself known on these 
coasts; and v/ill not venture upon any proceeding, which may excite un- 
easiness in the government, because it is to be feared, that it's effects would 
be felt by the French vessels coming to trade at Canton. 

- 15. On visiting and exploring the Carolinas, v/hich are scarcely known 
but by name to most of the nations of Europe, the sieur de la Perouse will 
endeavour to learn, whether the Spaniards have formed any settlement on 
those islands, a design which they have often had in contemplation. 



will make himself acquainted with the productions of these islands. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

and of all others that he may discover to the north-east and west-south-west 
of the Marianne or Ladrone Islands. 

16. When he puts into Tinian, one of the Ladrones, he will obtain in- 
formation respecting the settlements, forces, and trade of the Spaniards, in 
this archipelago and it's environs. 

He will make the same inquiries at Mindanao, in order to learn, as accu- 
rately as he can, the political, military, and commercial state of that nation 
in the Philippine Islands. 

17. During his stay at the Moluccas, he will not neglect to procure all 
the information he can respecting the situation and trade of the Dutch ii^ 
these islands. He will particularly endeavour to learn, what advantages^ 
the trade of the English will gain from the liberty, which they have ob- 
tained by their late treaty of peace with the Dutch, to navigate and trade 
throughout all the Asiatic seas j what use the English have made of this 
liberty; and whether they have already succeeded in opening, by means of 
it, any new branch of commerce in this part of the world. 

1 8 If the sieur de la Perouse should touch at the Cape of Good Hope, 
he will get accurate information respecting the present state of that colony , 
the forces which Holland, or the Dutch East-India Company, has kept there 
since the peace, and the state of the new and old fortifications, which de= 
fend the city, and protect the road. 

19- In all the islands, and harbours of the continent, occupied or fre- 
quented by Europeans, at which he shall touch, he will consider it as a 
general rule, to make with prudence, and as far as circumstances and the 
length of his stay will allow, every inquiry, that can enable him to ascer- 
tain, with some minuteness, the nature and extent of the trade of every 
nation, the naval and military force which they maintain there, the ties of 
friendship or interest which subsist between them and the chiefs_ or natives 
^ of the country where they have settlements, and every thing, m generai... 
that concerns politics or commerce. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



33 



PART THE THIRD. 



OPERATIONS RESPECTING ASTRONOMY, GEOGRAPHY, NA- 
VIGATION, PHYSICS, AND THE DIFFERENT BRANCHES 
OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



1 . His majesty having appointed two astronomers, to be employed un= 
der the orders of the sieur de la Perouse, in the expedition entrusted to his 
charge, and his two frigates being provided with all the instruments for the 
purposes of astronomy and navigation, of which they can make use either by 
5ea or by land ; he will take care, that neither neglects any opportunity, in 
the course of the voyage, of making every astronomical observation, which 
he may deem useful. 

The most important object for the safety of navigation is, to determine 
with accuracy the latitudes and longitudes of the places at which he may 
touch, or in sight of which he may sail. With this view he will recommend 
to the astronomer employed on board each frigate to attend with the great- 
est exactness to the time-keepers, and to neglect no favourable opportunity 
of ascertaining on shore, whether they have kept the regularity of their 
going at sea, and of determining by observations any change that may take 
place in their mean rate, in order to tak-e account of such change, for the 
purpose of fixing with more precision the longitude of the islands, capes, 
or other remarkable objects, which he may have descried and laid down in 
the interval between two verifications. 

As often as the state of the heavem will permit, he will be careful, that 
the distance of the moon from the sun or stars be taken with the propej- 

VOL. I. p 




iiiiiir 

I IMIi 



iiii 



. VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

instruments, to find out from it the longitude of the vessel, and compare it 
with that given by the time-keepers at the same instant, and for the same 
spot : and he will cause the observations, of every kind, to be repeated, in 
order that the greater precision may be obtained from the mean of different 
operations. When he passes in sight of any land or isle, at which he- does 
not intend to touch, he will take care to keep himself as closely as possible 
on the parallel of the object, while the observation of the meridian altitude 
of the sun, or of some other star, is taking, to determine the latitude of the 
vessel ; and he will keep in the meridian of the same object, during the ob- 
servations by which it's longitude is to be ascertained. Thus he will avoid 
every mistake of position and estimation of distance, which' might diminish 
the accuracy of the determination. 

Every day, when the weather will permit, he will cause the variation and 
dip of the magnetic needle to be observed. 

On his arrival at any port, he will choose some convenient situation, for 
the erection of the tents and portable observatory with which he is fur- 
nished, and will set a guard over them. - 

Independently of the observations for determining latitudes and longi- 
tudes, for which he will cause every known practicable method to be em- 
ployed, and of those for ascertaining the variation and dip of the needle, he 
will take care, that every celestial phenomenon, capable of being seen, be 
observed; and on all occasions he will procure the two astronomers every 
convenience and assistance, than can ensure the success of their operations. 

His majesty is persuaded, that the superior and petty officers employed 
on board the "two frigates will be eager of themselves, to make, in concert 
with the astronomers, every observation, that can be of advantage to navi- 
gation; and that the astronomers, on their parts, will be ready to impart to 
those officers the fruits of their study, and all the theoretical knowledge, that 
may contribute to the improvement of the, nautical art. 



iitUiiijiiiiiii li 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



35 



The sieur de la Perouse will direct a double register to be kept, on 
board each frigate, in which shall be entered daily, both at sea and on 
shore, the astronomical observations, those relating to the use of the time 
keepers, and all others. These observations will be entered simply in the 
register, that is to say, the number of degrees, minutes, &c. given by the 
instrument at the moment of observation, vvill be set down without any 
calculation, but merely noting the known error of the instrument employed, 
if such error have been ascertained by the usual proofs. 

Each of the astronomers will keep one of these registers to himself, and 
the other will remain in the hands of the captains commanding the vessels. 

The astronomer will likewise keep a second register, in which he will 
insert, daily, all the observations he may make, adding, to each operation, 
all the calculations, by means of which the result is to be deduced. 

At the end of the voyage, the sieur de la Perouse will cause the two re- 
gisters kept by the astronomers to be delivered to him, after they have cer- 
tified them to be the true ones, and signed them, 

2, When the sieur de la Perouse shall touch at any port, which it may be 
of importance to examine in a military view, he will direct the country to 
be reconnoitred by the engineer in chief, who will deliver to him a circum- 
stantial report of all the remarks he shall have made, and such plans as he 
may be able to take. 

The sieur de ia Perouse will cause accurate charts of all the coasts and 
islands he shall visit to be drawn and, if they be already known, he will 
examine the accuracy of the descriptions and charts given by other navi- 
gators. 

For this purpose, as he sails along coasts, and in sight of islands, he will 
-cause their bearings to be accurately taken, by means of the reflecting circle, 
or the azimuth compass;' and he will remember, that the bearings, w^hich 





S6. 



iihsi^Uliifllilili 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

may be employed with most security for the construction of charts, are 
those, in which the situation of one cape, or any other remarkable object, 
can be rectified by those of another. 

He will employ the officers of the two frigates, and the geographical en- 
gineer, in carefully taking plans of the coasts, bays, harbours, and anchoring 
places, which he may have an opportunity of visiting and examining: and ' 
to every plan he will add instructions containing every thing that can be of 
use for distinguishing and approaching the land, sailing in and out of the 
harbours, the manner of coming to an anchor and mooring ship, and the 
best place for watering; the soundings, bottom, dangers, rocks, and shoals > 
the prevailing winds, sea and land breezes, monsoons, time of their duration, 
and periods of their change ; in-short, every nautical information, that Can 
be of use to navigators* 

Of all the plans of countries, coasts, and harbours, two copies will be 
made ; one will be kept by each of the captains of the vessels; and at the 
termination of the voyage, the sieur de la Perouse will cause all the charts, 
plans, and instructions relative to them, to be delivered to himself. 

His majesty leaves it to the sieur de la Perouse to determine the period at 
which he will cause the decked boats, put on board each frigate, to be set 
up: a business, however, which he will no doubt reserve for his stay at Ota- 
heitee. These boats may be very usefully employed in the service of the 
frigates* either to visit the archipelagoes of the grand -equatorial ocean; to 
explore minutely parts of the coast, and sound bays, harbours, and passages ; . 
or to facilitate every research,' which requires a vessel drawing little water,, 
■and capable of carrying a few day^' provision for it's -crev/. 

3. The natural philosophers and naturalists, intended to make observa- 
tions in their respective sciences during the course of the voyage, will be 
employed each in that br-anch of natural history or physics, . to, which _ his 
.studies hav& been particularly turned,, . 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



37 



Accordingly, the sieur de la Perouse will point out to them the researches 
tJiey will have to make, and will distribute to them the proper instruments. 

In appointing their different occupations, he will take care to give to 
each a single subject, that his knowledge and zeal may thereby have their 
ilill effect in promoting the general success of the expedition. 

He will communicate to them the paper drawn up by the academy of 
sciences, in which the academy points out the particular observations, to 
which it wishes the natural philosophers and naturalists to turn their atten- 
tion during the voyage j and he will direct them to concur, each in his par- 
ticular department, and as circumstances shall offer, in fulfilling the objects 
indicated in this paper. 

In like manner -he- will communicate to the surgeon of each frigate the 
paper drawn up by the society of medicine, in order that both may employ 
themselves in such observations, as will tend to accomphsh the wish of the 
society. 

Throughout the course of the voyage, and during his stay in port, the 
sieur de la Perouse will cause a journal to be kept on board each of the 
vessels, containing observations, from day to day, of every thing that relates 
to the state of the heavens and of the sea, the winds, currents, variations of 
the atmosphere, and whatever pertains to- the science of meteorology. 

During the stay he shall make in any harbour, he will observe the genius, 
character, manners, customs, bodily constitution, language, government, 
and number of the inhabitants. 

He . will cause the nature of the soil and the productions of the different 
countries to be examined, and every thing relating to the natural history of 
the globe. 



He wilMireet natural curiosities, both of land and sea, to be collected • 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

to be arranged in order ; and a descriptive catalogue of each kind to be 
drawn up, in which shall be mentioned the places where they were found, 
the uses to which they are applied by the natives of the country, and, if 
they be plants, the virtues ascribed to them. 

In like manner he will order the garments, arms, ornaments, utensils, 
tools, musical instruments^, and every thing used by the different people he 
shall visit, to be collected and classed j and each article to be ticketed, and 
marked with a number corresponding to that assigned it in the catalogue. 

He will direct the draughtsmen embarked on board the frigates, to take 
views of all remarkable places and countries, portraits of the natives of dif- 
ferent parts, their dresses, ceremonies, games, buildings, boats and vessels, 
and all the productions of the sea and land, in each of the three kingdoms 
of nature, if he shall think that drawings of them will render the descrip- 
tions more intelligible. 

All the drawings made during the course of the voyage, all the boxes 
containing natural curiosities, together with the descriptions given of them, 
and all the collections of astronomical observations, shall be delivered to the 
sieur de la Perouse at the end of it ; and no man of science, no artist, shall 
reserve for himself or others, any specimen of natural history, or other ob- 
ject, which the sieur de la Perouse shall deem worthy to be included in the 
collection intended for his majesty. 

4. Before he enters the port of Brest, at the termination of the voyage, 
or before arriving at the Cape of Good Hope, if he should deem it proper to 
put in there, the sieur de la Perouse will demand all the journals kept on 
board the two frigates by the superior and petty officers, by the astronomers, 
meji of science, and artists, by the pilots and all other persons, to be delivered 
into his hands. He will enjoin them, to observe the strictest silence re- 
specting the object of the voyage, and the discoveries that may have been 
made, and for this he will require them to pledge their words. He will at 
the same time assure them, that their journals and papers shall be restoredo 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 



PART THE FOURTH. 



29 



OF THE CONDUCT TO BE OBSERVED TOWARDS THE NA- 
TIVES OF THE COUNTRIES WHERE THE TWO FRIGATES 
MAY LAND. 

The narratives of the several voyagers, who have preceded the sieur 
de la Perouse, in the seas which he is to traverse, will have acquainted him 
before hand with the character and manners of some of the different people 
with whom he may have to deal, both in the islands of the great ocean, and 
on the north-western coast of America. 

His majesty is persuaded, that, improved by this reading, he will strive 
to imitate the good conduct of some of these navigators, and avoid the faults 
of others. 

At his arrival in each country, he will endeavour to conciliate the friend- 
ship of the principal chiefs, both by tokens of good- will and by presents,, 
will inform himself what resources the place affords, to supply the wants of 
his vessels, and will employ all honourable means of forming connexions 
with the natives. 

He will endeavour to learn what wares and commodities of Europe they^ 
prize the most highly, and he will make such an assortment of these as 
will be acceptable to them, and induce them to commence a traffic. 

He will feel the necessity of taking every precaution, that prudence caa 
suggest, for preserving his superiority over the multitude, without employ- 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

ing force j and, however kind the reception he may meet from the savages, 
will consider it as of importance always to show himself in a state of de- 
fence ; because it is to be apprehended, that security on his part might 
tempt them to endeavour a surprise. 

He will never send a long-boat, or any boat whatever, ashore, without 
it's being equipped with it's guns, and provided with musquets, cutlasses, 
pole-axes, and ammunition, in sufficient quantity, and com.manded by an 
officer, whom he will order never to lose sight of the boat committed to 
his charge, and always to leave a party to guard it. 

He will not permit any one of the officers or crew to sleep on shore, 
unless on duty^ and to- those, who are obliged to remain on shore, he will 
give orders to retire, before night, to the tents erected for the purposes of 
an observatory and magazine. Here he will establish a corps-de-garde, at 
which an officer will always sleep, to maintain order among the sailors and 
• marines appointed to this service, and to prevent, by his active and continual 
vigilance, any enterprise or attack from the savages. 

He will take care so to moor his majesty's frigates that they may be able 
to protect the party on shore; and he will regulate with the officer on 
guard the signals to be made in case of alarm. 

' These arrangements heing observed, he will consider of tlie means of 
providing for the subsistence of his crews, and the other wants of his vessels j 
and after he has made a selection from the tools, manufactures, and com- 
modities of every kind, with which the frigates are furnished, he will form 
a store of them on shore, under the protection of the corps-de-garde : but, 
aware that the islanders of the great ocean in general have an irresistible 
propens-ty to thieving, he will take care, in order that he may not tempt 
them by the sight of too many things collected in one place, to send ashore 
such a quantity at a time only as may be employed, in, traffic ,in the course 
©f the diy. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



He will regulate the value of the articles of exchange, and he will never 
allow the price fixed to be exceeded, lest, if he should grant in the begin- 
ning too high a price for the commodities he wishes to procure, the natives 
might take advantage of it not to part with them afterwards for less. 

He will establish but one store for both frigates and with a viev/ to pre- 
serve order, and prevent abuses, he will direct one particular officer to treat 
with the savages, and he will appoint the petty officers or others, who shall 
do all the duty of the store under his orders. No officer, or other person, 
shall make any kind of exchange, under any pretence whatever, unless the 
sieur de la Perouse shall expressly give him permission, and regulate the 
price. 

If any one of the crew shall steal, for the purpose of carrying it ashore, 
any article belonging to the vessels, or any of the goods intended for barter, 
the sieur de la Perouse will cause him to be punished according to the ri- 
gour of the articles of war j and he will punish still more severely those, 
Vv^ho, being employed in the duty of the store, shall abuse his confidence^ 
and purloin articles for a fraudulent traffic. 

He will enjoin every one of the crew to live amicably with the natives, 
to endeavour to conciliate their friendship by civility and good behaviour^ 
and he will forbid them, under pain of the severest punishment, ever to 
employ force to procure from the inhabitants what they may refuse to part 
with voluntarily. 

On all occasions the sieur de la Perouse will behave with great gentle- 
ness and humanity^to the different people he may visit in the course of his 
voyage. 

He will zealously exert himself in every thing that can improve their 
condition, by bestowing on their country the pulse, fruits, and useful trees 
of Europe ; by teaching them the manner of sowing and cultivating them; 
and by enabling them to understand the use they are to make of these 

VOL. I. G ' 



42 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

presents, the object of which is to multiply on their soil productions neces* 
sary to a people who derive almost the whole of their subsistence from the. 
earth. 



If imperious circumstances, for which, in a long expedition, it is the part 
of prudence to be provided, should ever compel the sieur de la Perouse to 
employ the superiority of his arms over those of savage nations, in order to. 
procure himself, in spite of their opposition, the necessaries of life, such as 
provision, woodj and water, , he will use his strength with the greatest mo- 
deration, and punish with extreme severity any of his people who shall ex- 
ceed his orders. In all other cases, if he cannot obtain the friendship of the. 
savages by good treatment, he will endeavour to keep them in awe by, 
threats ; but he will have recourse to arms only in the last extremity, for 
his own defence alone, and on occasions when forbearance would decidedly 
endanger the safety of the vessels, and the lives of the Erench. subjects, wi^- 
whose preservation he is entrusted : and his majesty will consider it as ons 
of the happiest events of the expedition, if it should terminate without cost-- 
jng the life of a single individual. 



PART THE FIFTFL 



PRECAUTIONS TO, BE TAKEN. FOR PRESERVING THE 
HEALTH OF THE CREW.S.. 



As the sieur de la Perouse is acquainted with his majesty's intentions 
respecting the conduct he is to pursue towards savage nations, and the care his 
majesty has taken, that the visit of the French, far from being a misfortune 
to these people, should on the contrary confer on them advantages of which 



11! ' 



m 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

they are destitute ^ he will unquestionably feel, what particular attention 
he ought to pay to the preservation of the crews employed in the expe- 
dition, which his majesty has entrusted to his command. 

The ships under his orders are abundantly provided with every article, 
which can serve to prevent or cure the diseases to which seamen are liable,- 
and also with such as are intended to supply the place of the ordinary kinds 
of provision, and correct their bad effects. He will take great care, that 
these different articles are used on proper occasions, and with moderation j 
and he will neglect no opportunity, that may occur in his different stoppages^ 
of procuring for his crews such refreshments and wholesome food, as may 
counteract the effects of the long use they will be obliged to make of salt 
provision. 

■ Upon the article of stowing the provision in the hold, his majesty relies 
on the prudence of the sieur de la P^rouse for directing such an arrange^ 
ment, as he shall think most proper to be observed on board the two frigates. 

While he is in port, he will take care to have the provision examined, 
and such parts to be aired, as may exhibit symptoms of decay, the progress' 
of which may be checked by this process. 

He will neglect no opportunity of procuring fresh fish for his crew, and 
of recruiting his stock of salt provision, by the means with which he has 
been furnished, and by adopting the methods successfully employed by 
modern circumnavigators. 

The sieur de la P^rouse is not ignorant, that one of the precautions most 
■efficaciously contributing to preserve the health of seamen, is a constant 
attention to extreme cleanliness ' in the ships, and in their persons. For 
this purpose he will have recourse to every known method, such as venti- 
lators, fumigations, perfumes, to renew and purify the air in the hold and 
betvveen decks. Every day, when it can be done, he will order the ham- 
mocks and clothing of the crews to be exposed to the open air, and that 



43 



i 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 

the sailors and others, who compose them, may not be negligent of personal 
cleanliness, he will divide them into companies, the inspection and super^ 
intendance of which shall be shared among the officers of each frigate. 

Each of these shall give an account, weekly, to the captain, of the condi- 
tion of the clothing and the wants of the company of which he has the. 
charge : and the spare clothing, which his majesty has directed to be put oa 
board, shall be distributed to the crews of the two ships, by order of the 
sieur de la P^rouse, according to the arrangement made by the commander, 
and on occasions when he shall deem such a supply necessary. 

The sieur de la P^rouse will maintain the strictest discipline among the 
crews of the two frigates, and exert himself carefully to prevent the small- 
est laxity in this respect : but this rigour, proper in every service, and indis- 
- pensable in an expedition of several years, will be tempered by the constant 
operation of that paternal care, which he owes to the companions _ of his 
toils • and his majesty, knowing the sentiments with which he is animated, 
is confident, that he will be ever studious to procure for his crews every 
convenience and every indulgence, which, without injury to the service, and 
to the object of the expedition, can be bestowed upon them. 

His majesty cannot give to the sieur de la P^rouse a more distinguished, 
mark of the confidence he has in his .eal, capacity, and prudence than by 
entrusting him with one of the most extensive enterprizes ever undertaken. 
Some of the navigators, who have preceded him in the career of discovery, 
have left him important lessons, and great examples : but his majesty is per- 
suaded, that, equally ambitious of fame, equally zealous for the promotion 
of knowledge, and equally persevering with those whom he will take as his 
«.odels, he will himself deserve hereafter to be held up as a pattern to others, 
who, prompted by the same courage, shall aspire after the same celebrity. 



¥OYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



45 



note:. 

In drawing up a plan for the voyage of discovery, the conducting of which 
is entrusted to de la Perouse, it was intended, that he should pursue, in 
the different seas, tracks not before taken by any of the navigators who have 
preceded him ; this appearing to be the most certain way of augmenting the 
number of discoveries, and of best advancing, in this voyage, the grand work, 
of a complete description of the terrestrial globe.. 

It was necessary^ however, to point out as resting places such islands as 
are already known, and where we are assured M' de la Perouse can procure 
provision by means of barter; for which purpose he has been furnished with 
a quantity of goods of every kind, of which an assortment has been made up, 
adapted to the tastes of the different islanders with whom he will have to 
traffic. But, in pointing oufcto the French commander such places of rest, 
€are has been taken, that he should arrive at them by unfrequented routes, 
and that, among the commodities with which he is provided, there should 
be several as yet unknown in the islands at which he may land, that the na- 
tives may readily perceive the people who bring them to belong to a new 
nation, by whom they have never been visited. 

Different methods of calculation have been employed for estimating the 
length of his different passages. In the ordinary tracks, and open seas, it 
has been supposed, that a vessel could make, with the trade- winds, thirty 
leagues in twenty- four hours : twenty-five leagues only however have been 
allowed, for the same space of time, in those latitudes, where prudence will 
require him to lie -to during part of the night; and twenty leagues only, 
when the vessels are engaged, in discovery ; and in this case ^ certain -num- 
ber of days have always been added, as a compensation for the time lost in 
visiting and examining a coast. 



The total duration of the voyage must necessarily exceed four years^ 
-since in a less space it would be impossible to accomplish all the objects 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WOULD. 



wHich his majesty has proposed. The periodical returns of the different 
monsoons at the same time, on the north and on the south of the Hne, are 
■data by which the route must necessarily be guided, and which interfere ex- 
tremely with navigation in the seas near the archipelagoes and the continent 
of Asia, as they will allow the different latitudes to be visited only at the 
>periods when the winds are favourable. This consideration . of the mon- 
soons has required various arrangements, to adjust the route to them, with- 
-out adding greatly to the total duration of the expedition ; and in such a 
manner, that no portion of the voyage, from one place to another, should 
exceed the limits that ought to be prescribed, with regard to the quantity 
of wood and water, that each vessel can take on board in proportion to her 
crew. At the same time, his majesty's ships are provided with stores of 
every kind more than sufficient for a four years' voyage, taking into the 
.account the casual resources, which the narratives of modern navigators have 
^pointed out, and which the foresight and activity of M' de la Perouse will 
procure at his different resting places. The last voyage of captain Cook 
• occupied four_years, two months, and twenty-two days: yet his vessels 
were not so well provided as those of his majesty will be in the present 
-instance. 

If, as there is reason to expect from the zeal and ability of the commander 
of the expedition, every object pointed out in his instructions should be 
accomplished, the voyage of M"^ de la Perouse will leave nothing for future 
navigators, who shall attempt discoveries, but the merit of giving us more 
circumstantial and minute accounts of certain portions of the globe. 

The method pursued in the construction of the hydrographical charts, 
which are to be put into the hands of the commanding officers of the vessels 
when approved by his majesty, remains to be made known. 

In the first place, a chart of the Southern Ocean has been constructed, on 
which are traced, from the journals themselves of the different navigators, 
the routes which led them to discoveries ; and such as remain to be made, or 
vefiiied, are pointed out. This chart has been taken from the best French, 



\^OYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

Spanish, English, and Dutch charts ; and has been corrected by the posi- 
tions of the principal points of the continents and islands, which have been 
determined by astronomical observations. 

The extent of the Great Ocean, commonly called the Pacific Ocean, or 
South Sea^ required it to be divided into three bands or zones, the first of 
which contains the Great Southern Ocean, or the space included between 
the antarctic circle and the tropic of Capricorn; the second, the Great 
Equatorial Ocean, or the interval between the two tropics; and the third 
the Great Northern Ocean, or the sea between the tropic of Cancer and thi: 
arctic circle. 

As the course of de la Pe'rouse will not carry him beyond the latitude - 
of 60% north or south, it has been deemed useless, to trace the Great 
Northern Polar Ocean, or the Great Southern Polar Ocean, on the chart 
constructed for his voyage. - 

Eor the execution of the chart of the Great Ocean, the journals of all the 
navigators of the present century, and of preceding ages, who have explored 
those seas, have been examined. The plans they have given in detail have 
been consulted, and incorporated, on a reduced scale, into the general chart 
and all the routes that are known of ancient and modem navigators been 
traced on it, for the purpose of comparing recent discoveries with those made 
m former ages, and of proving, in some instances, their identity. . 

This general chart of the Great Ocean is the result of all that has been 
done by navigators and geographers to the present day. A circumstantial 
account of the various materials that have been employed, will not be at- 
tempted here, for a bare enumeration of them would require a volume 
We shall content ourselves with merely subjoining to his majesty's in» 
structions a few geographical and historical notes on certain parts, respecting 
which a more minute detail is requisite; while to the two general charts 
of the Southern Ocean, and of the Great Ocean, will be added a collection 
of thirty-seven other charts, or original manuscript plans, . of the least fre» 
quented parts of these seas. . 



48 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



EXTRACT 

FROM THE GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS OF M'' DE LA 

PEROUSE. 

JUNE 9,6, 1785. 



_ ^IS majesty authorises the sleur de la Perouse to bestow on^the crews 
certain months' pay by way of reward, the quotas of which he will regulate 
according to circumstances. He will only take care, that the whole of 
such rewards, bestowed by him in the course of his voyage,, do not amount 
to more than a year's pay to each crew. Beside these rewards, which he 
will announce to the inferior officers, sailors, and marines, on occasion of 
their meriting them, he will make known to both the crews, that it is his 
majesty's intention, that the pay of such as shall die on the expedition, 
reckoning from the day of their decease, shall form a fund, to be divided 
among the rest of the crew of the ship to which they belonged; and that 
all the pay due to them, at the time of their decease, as well as the value of 
their clothes, if disposed of, shall be accounted for to their families. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



49 



NOTES GEOGRAPHICAL and HISTORICAL, 

TO BE SUBJOINED TO THE KING's PRIVATE INSTRUCTIONS 

TO M-^ DE LA PEROUSE, 



Southern Ocean. 

Nofe 1 . 1 HE three Figm, or sunken rocks, lying on the south-south- 
west of the island of St. Jago, one of the Cape Verde islands, as well as the 
French Vigie and the breakers seen by le Cesar in i730, off the south-south- 
east of the same island, are laid down from the English chart of the Atlantic 
Ocean, published at London in 1777, in four sheets *. 

2. Pennedo de S. Pedro. It's latitude, 0° 55' north, is agreeable to what 
M-- Dapres says he found it by observation, on board le Rouille, in 1750. 
See the Instructions to the Neptune oriental of M"- Dapres, p. 1 89. 

He makes it's longitude 29° west of Paris ^ deducing it from the difference 
of meridian observed between the Island of Ascension and Pennedo, which 
he fixes at 12° 40'. 

But Dapres reckoned, from an observation made in 1754 by the 
abbe de la Caille, that the longitude, of Ascension was 16° 19' west : but as 

* All that part of this map, which is included between 14° and 47° of north latitude, is a copy and 
translahonof that which was constructed and published by Fleurieu, and added to his Voyage a difl- 
rmes. Partm du Monde, tsfc. " Voyage to dilferent Parts of the World," Paris, printed, at the royal 
press, 1773,2 Vols. 4to. French Editor. 

VOL. I. ij 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



it's longitude, corrected and determined by the observations of captain 
Cook, second Voyage, Vol. II. p. 276, is 16° 54', it follows, that, admitting 
the difference of meridian between Pennedo de S. Pedro and the Island of 
Ascension as given by M"" Dapres, the longitude of Pennedo must be 29° 34' 
west of Paris i and this is adopted in the chart delivered to M' de la Pe- 
rouse. 

• A description of Pennedo will be found in the Instructions to the Neptune 
oriental of Daprhs, p. I S9: 

3. The s&oals in the neighbourhood of the line are laid down according 
to the Neptune oriental, p. 9. 

4. The little island of Sable, or St. Paul's, which was seen in the same 
parallel in 1761, by the ship le Vaillant, commanded by M' Bouvet, is 
placed conformably to the Sailing Directions for the East- Indies, London^ 
1781, p. 7. This situation agrees in latitude with that given on the general 
chart joined to the account of captain Cook's third voyage, 0° 25' south; but 
it differs 35' in longitude. 

It's longitude west of Paris would be 2 1° 25' according to the Sailing Di- 
rections, where it is given from the journal of M"' Bouvet; but it is placed 
in 20° 45', to make it agree vv^ith the correction of Pennedo,. See note 2» 

5. Island of Fernanda de Noronha. This is placed conformably to the 
latitude and longitude determined by captain Cook. Latitude 3° 53' south, 
longitude 34° 53' 50" west of Paris. See his second Voyage, Vol. IL 
p. 278 and 279. 

The distance between this island and the nearest part of the coast of 
Brasil being ascertained to be between sixty and seventy leagues, according 
to the journals of the Portuguese, and the Spanish chart of South America, 
published by la Cruz Cano y Olmedilla, in eight sheets, in 1775, the longi.- 
tude of the coast of Brasil may be considered as settled ; and it has beeu 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD„ 



adjusted to that of the Island of Noronha, by making it's difference of me- 
ridian 2° 40' west. 

6. The Island of St. Matthew was seen in 1525 by Garcia de Loaes or 
Loaysa, a Portuguese captain ; but it had been discovered eighty-seven years 
before that period. [Tratado dos Descubrimentos de Galvano, &c. " Account of 
Galvano's Discoveries," Lisbon, 1731, p. 66.) It has been placed according 
to the general chart of Cook's third Voyage. It's situation is uncertain, 
and this celebrated navigator regrets, that he had no opportunity of deter- 
mining it. See his second Voyage, Vol. II. p. 276. 

7. The latitudes and longitudes of the Island of Fernando Po, Prince's 
Island, St. 1bo?nas, and Annobon, have been ascertained by observations 
made in 1 779 by Don Varella, an officer in the Spanish navy : viz. 

The Island of Fernando Po, road of St. Charles j^"^^^^^^^,^^^^ north. 

(.Longitude 6°30'westofParis, 

r» • ' T 1 J *u u u f Latitude 1° 39' north. 

Prince s Island, the harbour - - < _ 

(Longitude 5° 2 west. 

Island of St. Thomas, the harbour - (Latitude 0 20 north. 

(.Longitude 4° 34-' west. 

T 1 1 r A t, .-L 1 (Latitude 1° 25^ south. 

Island or Annobon, on the north coast <^ . , 

- ^Longitude 3° 25 west. 

From these longitudes, and those of Cape Verde, Sierra Leona, the Isles 
of Los, and the Cape of Good Hope, where observations have been Hke- 
wise made, the situations of the different points of the western coast of 
Africa have been adjusted. 

8. The Island of Ascension is laid down conformably to the observations 
of captain Cook. 

n/r-jji r .1 • 1 1 (Latitude 8° t)' south. 

Middle of the island - „ \_ . , 

(Longitude 16° 50 west of Pai'is. 

Cook's second Voyage, Vol, 11. p. S76. > ^ 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 



According to the abbe de la Caille, the latitude would be only T 57'? 
and the longitude, deduced from an emersion of the first satellite of Jupiter, 
16° 17^ see Memoir es de I' Academie des Sciences, " Memoirs of the Academy 
of Sciences," for 1754', p. 129 : but it has been deemed advisable to fol- 
low Cook, whose decisions are the result of a great number of observations. 
A minute description of this island may be found in Cook's second Voyage, 
as quoted above. 

9. The Island of St. Helena, too, is laid down from the observations of 
Cook, and those of Halley. 

C Latitude 1 6° O'' south, according to Halley. 
At Fort James |LQngitude 8° 1 V west of Paris, according to Cook. 
^ Cook's second Voyage, Vol, IL p. S70. 

According to M"^ Maskelyne, astronomer royal at Greenwich, the latitude 
of the Island of St. Helena is 15° 55' ; and it's longitude, calculated from 
an observation made by him of the first satellite of Jupiter, would be 8° 9\ 
British Mariner's Guide, 1763, 4to. 

10. Island of Trinidad. This island is laid down by it's distance from 
Cape Frio, on the toast of Brasil, as given by M"^ Dapres, in the Neptune 
oriental, p. 10, from which are deduced: 

(Latitude 20° 25' south. 
The northern coast 1^^^^.^^^^ ^^^^ p^^.^ 

The Island dos Picos is placed conformably to the Dutch charts, rectify™ 
ing it's position by that of Trinidad. 

11. Islands of Martin Fas, These are three rocks, bearing from each 
other north and south, except that the northernmost lies a little more to the 
west. They da not occupy above the space of a mile. Extract from the 
original journal of Halley, printed in a Collection of Voyages in the Atlantic 
Southern Ocean, by A, Dalrymple; London,. 1775, 4to. p. 53, 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



In the Journal of M"" Lozier-Bouvet, printed in French, ibid. p. 7. of the 
Journal, it is said, that the islets of Martin Vas lie eight leagues north by- 
east from the island of Trinidad. Their latitude is the same as that of this 
island. 

12. The Island of Ascendant on the coast of Brasil, is placed after the 
notes of M' Dapres, p. 9 of the Instructions to the Neptune oriental : 

Latitude - - 20° 25' south. • 
Longitude - 38° west of Paris. 

This situation implies, that it's distance from Cape Frio is a hundred and 

twenty leagues, as M' Dapres observes,. Hid. p. 9. 

13. Rock, discovered in I692, and Vigie^ sunken rock, in 1701. These 
dangers are laid down from Mr. Dalrymple's chart of the southern ocean^ 
placed at the end of the work quoted in note 11. 

-14. Island of SaxemBurg. This island was discovered in 1670 by John 
Lindestz Lindeman, a Hollander, in the latitude of 30° 45'' south, and about 
22° of longitude west from Paris; taking into the account the situation of 
the other islands in the same parallel, to which navigators have referred it 
by distances and bearings taken ' by estimation. See les Navigations aux 
lerres Australes, " Voyages to the South," by the president Desbrosses,, 
Vol. IL p. 48. 

15. Kattendyke is placed after Dalrymple's chart, belonging to the work 
quoted in note 1 1^ and the general chart of Cook's third Voyage. 

16. Islands ofT^ristan da Cunha. The position of these has been regu- 
lated by the Instructions of M"" Dapres, Neptune oriental, p. 10, who fixes- 
the latitude of these islands between 37° lo' and 37° 45' south, and their 
longitude at 16° 30' or 17° west of Paris, from a mean of the different tracks; 
of several vessels, indicating 34° for the difference of meridian betweem 
these islands and the Cape of Good Hope, which is 16° 3' 45'' west of Paris,. 



54 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

M' Halley says, in his Journal, that he ascertained the most southern lati- 
tude of these islands to be 37° 25'. See p. 41 of his Journal in Dalrym- 
pie's work, quoted note 11. 

A tolerably minute account of these islands is to be found in the Instruc- 
tions to the Neptune oriental of M"" Dapres, p. 10. 

Beside the anchorage on the north of the principal of the Islands of 
Tristan da Cunha, noted on the chart delivered to M'' de la Perouse, we are 
acquainted with a kind of port or haven, to the east of the southern point, 
on the authority of a credible navigator, from whom we have the following 
particulars. This port is not observable on coasting along the shore, bei- 
cause it is concealed by large reeds, which, being beaten down, and lying 
on the surface of the water, cross each other when certain winds blow, and 
completely conceal the entrance of the harbour. It may be about half a 
mile wide, and three quarters of a mile in length : it's figure is nearly that of 
a horse-shoe. In the middle of the channel there are twenty-eight fathoms 
of water, and near the sides fourteen : about the middle of the harbour the 
depth is also fourteen fathoms, and ten towards the head : the bottom is 
black sand, and good holding ground. 

It is to be observed, that the southernmost point, which is on the south- 
west of the island, is terminated by some low rocks, stretching out about a 
quarter of a mile into the offing. They are not laid down on the chart 
given to de la Perouse, because it is a faithful copy from the only plan 
we know of these islands, on which the rocks in question were not noticed. 

17. Island of Diego i Ahanez. This is set down from the general 
chart of Cook's third Voyage, and corrected by the Islands of Tristan 
da Cunha, preserving the distance and bearings from these islands given in 
that chart. - 

Latitude - - 38° 53' south. 

Longitude - ~ 1 3° o' west from Paris. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



.55 



18. Gough's Islandy so called from a captain in the service of the English 
East-India company, who discovered it in 1715. We read in the New 
Directory for the East Indies, by W. Herbert, W. Nicholson, and others, 
5th edition, 1780, p. 371 and 37S, that Gough's Island is a high land, situ- 
ate in 40° 15' of south latitude, and 1° s f west of Greenwich, or 4° 17' 
west of Paris. Captain Vincent, commanding the ship Osterley in the 
service of the same company, likewise saw Gough's Island, in 1758, in the 
latitude given by the discoverer but he calculates, from his reckoning, that, 
by placing it in the longitude of 1° 57' west of Greenwich, it is carried 
some degrees too far to the east. 

This island is unknown to French navigators : but, as vessels desirous 
of proceeding directly to India or China, in the spring season, without 
touching at the Cape of Good Hope, would keep in high latitudes, to bear 
away afterwards for the Islands of St. Paul and Amsterdam, and may thus 
fall in with it, the determination of it's true place cannot be uninterestino-, 
and it is to be wished, that de la Perouse, who has the means of doing 
this, may not want the opportunity. 

19. hie Grande of la Roche. This we can only lay down by guess,, 
from the following account, extracted and translated from a Spanish work* 
entitled DescHpcmi geographica, y derrotero de la Region Austral Magalla^ 
nica, &c. A Geographical and Nautical Description of the Southern Ma- 
gellanic Regions," &c. by Captain Don Francisco de Seixas y Lovera. Ma* 
drid, 1 690 i 4to. p., £9.. 

*^ In the month of May, 1675, Anthony de la Roche, of French ex- 
traction*, but then in the English service, returning from the island of 
Chiloe, on the. coast of Chili, having doubled Cape Horn, and desirous o£ 
re-entering the Southern Atlantic Ocean by the Strait of Le Maire (it was 
not then known, that the sea was open to the east of Staten Land), foundl 

* It Is surely by mistake, that captain Cook, in the Genera! Introduction to his- second Voyage, 
p. XV. in sgeaking of Anthony la Roche, calls him an English merchant., , 




iiiiiiii 



iiil 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



the westerly winds so strong, and the currents setting to the east so rapid, 
that it was impossible for him to approach the land forming the Strait of 
Magellan. The month of May was already far advanced ; winter was com- 
mencing in that climate ; and la Roche began to despair of making his 
passage. His uneasiness increased, when he descried an unknown land 
ahead of him *. He made every effort to approach and examine it ; and at 
len-th he gained a bay, in which he anchored near a cape or head-land 
stre'^tching south-east. Here he had twenty-eight, thirty, and forty fathoms 
of water, with a rocky and sandy bottom. He observed inland, not far 
from the shore, some hills covered with snow; was exposed to very boiste- 
rous winds ; and remained here fourteen days. The weather at last cjeared 
up • he then discovered, that he had anchored at one of the extremities of 
the land- and he perceived, to the south-east and the south, other high 
lands covered with snow. A light breeze from the south-east allowed 
him to get under weigh , and, on making sail, he had the coast of the said 
island on the west f, and the southern lands remained to^ the south and 
south-east of him. It appeared to him, that the channel between^the island 
and the main was about ten leagues over: the currents carried 1™ with 
p-reat rapidity to the north-east : and, by steering east-north-east, he found 
himself, in an hour and an half, clear of the passage, which he says is very 
5hort, because the new island, which, with the land to the south-e^st, forms 
the channel, is very small. 

« On quitting this island, he steered north-west for twenty-four hours, 
when a violent gale of wind coming on from the south obliged him to run 
due north for three days, till he came into the latitude of 46° The storm 
abatin., la Roche, thinking himself out of danger, directed his course for 
the Bay of All-Saints, when, in the latitude of 45°, he fell in with an island 
which he said was very large, pleasant to the eye, and possessed of a good 

"TtIS implies. U,o„g., •„ is not mentioned in .he narrative, th^.te had a»ch«tf off a joint of .»d 

Jiaving an island to the west, or north-west. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORL^ 

^ harbour to the eastward, in which he found wood, water, and fishj but he 
€aw not a single inhabitant during the six days he staid. 

** From this port he sailed to the Bay of All Saints." 

The place of Isle Grande has been regulated by the situation of the first 
land la Roche discovered to the east of Staten Island, which has been redis- 
covered in modern days, and is the Island of Georgia of Gook. In conse- 
quence, the southern coast of Isle Grande has been laid down in latitude 
45°, according to the -information of La Roche, and about thirty leagues 
more westward than the first land he discovered; because, as we have seen, 
on leaving this land he steered north-west four-and- twenty hours ; because 
it is probable, - that the southerly gale he experienced partook a little of the 
south-east, which had previously prevailed ; and lastly, because, from the 
lermination of the gale to the time of his discovering Isle Grande, he had 
constantly sailed north, which was his course, in quest of the Bay of AH 
SaintSi 

There is every reason- to believe, that the Isle Grande of la Roche is the 
same land as Americus Vespucius discovered in his third voyage, in 1502. 
The geographers of the last two centuries have assigned different situations 
for this land of Vespucius, because they were unacquainted with the ori- 
ginal journal of this ancient navigator ^ and, as it has not been found again 
since the period of it's discovery, modern geographers have expunged it 
from their maps. However, on consulting the original letters of Americus 
Vespucius, in which he gives an account of his voyages*, it appears not 
impossible, to ascertain pretty nearly the situation of the land he discovered 
in 1:505. He says, in the journal of Lis third voyage, p. 54 of his Letters, 
that, having taken his departure from a port on the coast of Brasil, situate 
in 32° of south latitude [perhaps this was the port called Pedro], he sailed 
south^east.as far as the latitude of 52°, where he perceived neither the stars 

* Fita e Lettere di Jmerlgo Vesfuccu &c. "The Life and Letters of Americus Vespucius," collected 
and Illustrated by Ab. Angelo Maria Bandini. Florence, 1745 ; 1 Vol. 4to 
'-See also Navus Opbh, " Tfee New V/orld » Basil, 155^5 fol. p. 220 and following, 
VOL. I, 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



of the Little Bear, nor those of the Greater. It is to be observed, that Ame^ 
ricus Vespucius, when speaking of his course, pays no regard to the vari- 
atidn of the compass, which, at the time of his voyage, must have been 19° . 
or iio° east in those latitudes ^ and accordingly, the course, which he calls 
south-east, must be considered as nearly equivalent to south-south-east. 
Now, if we take our departure from the coast of Brasil in the latitude of 
32°, to cut the parallel of 52"^ by a south-south-east course, the point of 
section will be found about 44° west of Paris; which is a little to the west 
of what may be supposed the meridian of Isle Grande, and about a hundred 
and forty leagues south, a little west of this island. In this situation, on the 
3d of April, Vespucius met with a gale of wind from the south-west, which 
obliged him to scud under bare poles till the 7th when he fell in with a 
new land, along which he coasted for twenty leagues, and which appeared 
to him to be difficult of access, without a harbour, and without inhabi- 
tants. Now a seaman will allow, that Vespucius may be fairly supposed, 
during the four days he was driving to the north by a violent gale at south- 
west, to have made five-and- thirty leagues in four-and-twenty hours, though 
under bare poles; and consequently, setting out from to have reached 
the latitude of 45°. To give the greater weight to this opinion, it may be 
observed, that Vespucius, on quitting this newly discovered land, reckoned 
himself thirteen hundred leagues from the coast of Ethiopia [Sierra Leona], 
which he reached the lOth of May following ; and to arrive at which he 
directed his course constantly between the north and north-east. Now 
Sierra Leona lies north- north-east, two or three degrees east, from Isle 
Grande, according to the position assigned it in the chart given to M' de 
la Perouse, and twelve or thirteen hundred leagues distant. Beside, we are 
acquainted with no island, at this distance from the coast of Ethiopia, and 
bearing from it south-south-west, that presents an uninterrupted line of 
coast for twenty leagues : and as the veracity of Vespucius concerning a fact 
of this kind cannot be questioned, his testimony may be considered as an 
ancient proof of the existence of Isle Grande, confirmed by the more recent 
report of Anthony de la Roche. 

.t,0. Land or Island of la Roche ^ named by Cook the hland of Georgia... 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



' The preceding note has related the time and circumstances of the disco^ 
very of this island by Anthony de la Roche ; but the account preserved by 
Seixas does not indicate the latitude. We knovi^ only, that, to arrive at Isle 
Grande, which la Roche fell in vi^ith in the latitude of- 45% he had sailed 
from this island north- vilest twenty- four hours, and that a strong gale from 
the south had made him run for three days north. But there can be no 
doubt, that the first island or land he discovered was to the east of Staten 
Land; and this same island had already been rediscovered, in 175^, bv 
Duclos Guyot, before captain Cook saw it, in 1775, and ascertained it's 
position. 

Duclos Guyot, of Malo, had the command of a Spanish vessel, 
named the Lion, and was returning from Lima. He had doubled Cape 
Horn, entered the Southern Atlantic Ocean, and was to the east of Statea 
Land. 

« On the 28th of June, 1756," says Duclos Guyot, « at nine in the 
morning, we fancied we saw land a-head of us, though at a great distance, 
appearing like a cloud, and of a great height. Our course at the time was 
north-north-east. The thickness of the weather did not allow us to satis- 
fy ourselves of the truth of it : beside, not suspecting there could be any 
land nearer than .Falkland's Islands, which at that time, by our estimation, 
were 1 35 leagues west-north-west of us ; and finding ourselves by obser- 
vation at noon in the latitude of 55° 10\ and in the longitude of 5^ 1 o' west 
•of Paris by estimation, we held on our course, without paying any regard to 
the land. 

« The Q9th, at noon, having made a little island a-head, we put about, 
and, sounding, found no bottom with a line of three hundred fathoms. At 
jQine o'clock we descried a continent, stretching about twenty-five leagues 
from north-east to south-west, full of steep mountains, of a fearful aspect, 
and of such extraordinary height, that we could scarcely discern their sum- 
mits, though at the distance of more than six leagues. The quantity of 
snow, with which they were covered, prevented us from discerning, v/he^ 



■yoy-AGE. ROUND THE WORLD: 



tEer there were any wood on them. From the observations on which^ we: 
can most depend, and which we were a ble to make, being then three leagues 
from the Httle island, which was midway between us and the main land^ 
there appeared to be a bay, running very deep into the land, about eight' 
leagues west from the little island. This seemed to us the only place: 
capable of being inhabited. We might be distant from it tm or eleven 
leagues. It's extent appeared very considerable, both in length and breadth. 
At it's mouth on the larboard side^ and west-north-west from us, there is a: 
low point, the only one we could;jobserve at the entrance: as it had the- 
appearance of being separate from the main land, we took it to be an island,, 
or at least a peninsula.,. 

The 30th, at day -break, our distance from this newly discovered land, 
might be ten leagues. In this situation, we perceived no current, and we 
eould find no bottom. We continually saw a great many birds, and sea^-- 

wolves. . , 

At: noon, .the land had the same appearance, except the summits of the, 
mountains, which were covered with clouds. Our observation, on which, 
from the calm and favourable weather, we could depend, gave us the lati- 
tude of 54" 50'' souths and our, longitude by estimation was 5 1° 32^ west» 

*♦ The 1st of July, at day-break, thinking ourselves at a sufficient di- - 
stance from the shore, we steered east, to see whether the land stretched.- 
any farther to that point. At eight in the morning, we had seen the 
easternmost point, bearing by the compass north ,5° east *, distant, about , 
twelve leagues. At noon, continuing the same course, we were, by esti- 
mation, in latitude 5 5° longitude west 51^'. 

** The 2d, wind from} west-south-west to west-north-west, light gales,,, 
weather thick, with a great deal. of snow. Course east-north- east. En-- 

* On' the evening of the 28th of June, the day before the discovery, the varlationi of the comp&sa ■ 
•was fo.und to be 131° north-eas,t, and on the 4th of July it was 13", 



TOVAGE ROUND THE WORLD: 



deavourlng to discover the extent of the land on this side, at day-break, it 
having fallen a dead calm, we found ourselves surrounded with masses of 
ice of different figures, several of which rose at least five-and-thirty fathoms ■ 
above the water, and were more than half a league long. We observed, 
mo, that there were various eurrents, and many more birds than usual, par- 
ticularly a great number of pigeons, perfectly white, like those on the coast- 
of Patagonia; and we saw likewise several whales. From all these marks 
we imagined, that we might be on a bank. Accordingly we hove the lead, 
but found no bottom. At this time we were out of sight of' land : latitude/ 
by estimation, 55° QS\ longitude, 49" A o' west.'' 

From this day forward M-" Duclos Guyot saw nothing more of this new 
land, which he named the Island of Peter. 

On making the island of St. Jago, one of the Cape Verdes^, he found, 
he had judged from the variation of the compass, which was from 13^° to 
I'3°, instead of 19°, as it ought to have been in the longitude at which he 
estimated the Island ofSt. Peter on seeing it, that the currents, after he had 
doubled. Cape Horn, . had carried him 10° 56' east beyond his reckoning; 

Consequently," says M-" Duclos Guyot, " we may ascertain the position 
of the land we discovered the 29th of June. Being tenieagues south, 
when we saw it with most certainty, on the 30th, our observed latitude was 
54° 50', and our longitude by estimation 51° 32' west." Now if we de^ 
duct from this the 10° 66\ which the vessel had been driven eastward, there 
will remain, for the longitude of the island, 40° 36' west of Paris, which 

Duclos Guyot reduces to 40° 30' for the easternmost part he saw : and 
he fixes the- latitude of the southernmost at 54° 20'. 

Captain Cook places the' Island' of Peter, or Georgia, as he calls it; 
between 53° 57' and 54° 57'' of latitude, and between 40° 33' and 37° 54^ 
of longitude west from Paris. Cook's second Voyage, Vol.- II. p. 2 is. 
Hence it appears, that the situation assigned to' the same land by M' Duclos 
Guyot is not very erroneous, though he was destitute of the means neces- 
sary for determining the longitude with precision. : He: y/as mistaken only 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



in the length of the island from east to west j and no navigator could pos- 
sibly fail of finding it from his directions, particularly if coming upon it 
from the west, to which he carried it about thirty leagues too far. 

M' Duclos Guyot adds, at the conclusion of what he says respecting, the 
Island of St. Peter : 

These are the remarks in which we can place most confidence ; and 
we have no doubt, though we cannot positively assert it, that there are other 
lands to the east of those we saw : every thing confirms this : sea- weeds, ice, 
gshes, trees, and birds." It was in 1756, that he expressed himself thus. 

21. Sandwich Land, discovered in 1775. This is placed on the chart 
from the journal and observations of captain Cook. See his second Voyage, 
Vol. II. p. and following. 

This land recalls to mind the Gulph of San-Sebastian, and the lands 
marked on the ancient maps to the south and south-east of la Roche's 
L nd. 

g2. Christmas Sound, on the south-western coast of Terra del Fuego. 
Seethe chartsandjournalof Cook's second Voyage, Vol. II. p. 177 and 

198. 

Great Southern Ocean. 

23. Drake's Islands and Harbour, placed by geographers a hundred and 
eighty or two hundred leagues west-south-west of Cape Horn. Several 
accounts of sir Francis Drake's voyage round the world have been pub- 
lished in England: these differ essentially with regard to the situation of 
the lands discovered by this celebrated navigator, after having passed the 
Strait of Magellan. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 



According to the most ancient of these accounts, that published by Hack-* 
luyt in his collection of English voyages *, after Drake's squadron had 
passed the Strait of Magellan, and entered the South Sea, September the 
6th, 1578, it steered a north-west course for three days, after which the 
wind blew so hard from the north-east, that it could only make good a 
west-south-west course. This it continued for ten or twelve days, during 
which it could carry but little sail. The wind then increased to such a 
degree, that it was forced to drive under bare poles till the 24th of Sep- 
tember. On this day one of the vessels parted company : the wind, be- 
coming more moderate, allowed the others to carry sail, and they steered 
north-east for seven days. They then discovered some islands, for which 
they made, in order to come to an anchor : but the weather proved con- 
trary, the wind getting round to the north-west, and their course being 
west-south- west. The following day, October the 1st, the weather being 
Very foul, another vessel parted company, so that the admiral was left alone. 
Drake then ran as far as the latitude of 57°, where he anchored in a haven 
of an island, within gun-shot of the land, in twenty fathoms water. Here 
he remained three or four days, when, the wind having come round to the 
south, he weighed anchor, and stood for two days to the northward. He 
then discovered a little inhabited island, for which he made, and under 
which he lay to, while he sent a boat ashore, which came back with several 
birds, seals, &c. 

Another account, published by Purchas in his Hackluytus posthmnus f , 
says : - 

** September the 7th, 1578, Drake was assailed by a storm, which drove 
him from the western mouth of the Strait of Magellan more than two hun- 
dred leagues of longitude, and carried him one degree south of the strait. 
From this point he ran as far as the latitude of 57° south, where he saw 

* The principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques, and Discoveries of the English Nation, kd 
London, 1598, 1599, 160O; fol. Vol. III. p. 744, 

t Hackluytus fosibumus, or Purchas his Pilgrims,. &c. IjOndon, 1025 ; fol. Vol. L p. 50^ of th® 
Circumnavigations of the Globe. 



/ 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

several islands, among v/hich he anchored, and from which he procured 
very good water and excellent vegetables. He .discovered another bay, 
y/herehe found inhabitants, who went naked, and passed from .one island to 
another in canoes ; and with these he trafficked. .Lastly, on leaving this 
bay, and sailing north, he fell in, on the 3d of October *, with three islands, 
one of which was. remarkable for the prodigious number of birds he found 
there, surpassing, says the .account, every,thing that can, be conceived, &c." 

The third account is that of -Francis -Fletcher f-, -who went with the ex^ 
pedition as chaplain on board Drake's own vessel. It differs greatly from 
the former two : but it is the relation of an eye-witness, of a man:who may 
be presumed to have been not altogether ignorant, while we know not on 
what authority the others are founded ; and, as an eye-witness, Fletcher 
appears to us most worthy of credit ; beside that, in his narrative, there is 
a consistency of facts, a regular series in the occurrences .of the voyage, 
which both the other accounts want. 

According to Fletcher, in the beginning of September, 1578, Drake was 
near the mouth of the Strait of Magellan next the Pacific Ocean. Having 
o-otten thus far, he saw nothing but islands, the true channel hetween which 
ii was impossible for him to distinguish. He anchored near one of the 
islands on the south ; went himself in a boat to find out the passage j and 
certified himself, that it was open to the north. After having visited the 
island, and conversed with the inhabitants, he set sail; and on the 6th of 
September he was clear of the land. He greatly regretted, that he had 
not been able to land at the last of the points which he discovered on 
entering the South Sea; as he would have deposited there a certificate of 
his having taken possession : but he saw no place at v/hich he could get 
on shore, and the wind did not allow him to stop. 

* This date is evidently false: probably it is an error of the press in the original, and we should 
read 30 instead of 3. 

t The World encompassed by fir Francis Drake, collected out of the Notes of Mr. Francis Flet» 
Cher, Preacher in this Employment, and othera, &c. London., Nic. Bourne, 16.52, in 4tQ, 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



On the 7th a violent gale came on, which drove him as far as the latitude 
of 57° ^outh, without his being able to see any land. One of the vessels 
had separated from the fleet. 

The weather then allowed him to stand to the north, and, on the 7th of 
October, he anchored in a bay a little northward of the same point, where 
he regretted his inability to deposit a certificate of taking possession on the 
7th of September ; which point must have been Cape Pillar. 

. A second gale soon drove him from this bay, where he lost his anchors. 
At this period, the vice admiral was parted from him by the storm, re- 
entered the strait, and, returning to the northern sea, reached England the 
ed of June following. This circumstance induced him to give to the an- 
chorage he quitted, the name of the Bay of Parting Friends. 

Drake drove a second time as far as 55° south ; and in this latitude, says 
the account, he found himself among those islands, situate to the south of 
America, which were spoken of at the time of his entrance into the Great 
Ocean, and which, with the continent, form the mouth of the strait He 
anchored at these islands, and rested two days. Here he procured water 
and found vegetables, which were very beneficial to the health of the crew! 

A third gale obliged him again to put to sea. It was impossible for him 
to carry any sail j and every where to leeward appeared a coast studded 
with rocks and dangers. 

Fortunately, a few leagues south of his preceding anchorage, he found 
another, still among the same islands. Here he saw the natives sailing 
from one island to another with their wives and children, and made some 
exchanges with them. 

After three days, a fourth gale surprised him at anchor, and obliged him 
to cut his cable. He committed himself again to the sea, till at length 
says Fletcher,, on the 28Lh of October, we reached the southernmost nar't of 

VOL. I. * 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

these lands, and thus discovered the extremity of America nearest the poIe» 
This extremity, he adds, is in the latitude of 56° nearly [this is the latitude 
of Cape Horn] j beyond there exists no continent, and no island the two 
seas here are confounded together. 

To all the islands he had seen,, from his leaving the strait to the island 
farthest soutii, Drake gave the name of Elizabethides,. 

Fletcher observes, that at the farthest island they had only two hours' night l 
and as the sun was then 7° from the tropic of Capricorn, we may conclude^ 
,says-he, that,, on the day when the sun is in the tropic itself, ther-e must be 
no night. This conclusion proves, that Fletcher was very ignorant of astro- 
nomy: for it is well known, that, to have no night on the day of the sol- 
stice, we must be within the polar circle, that is to say, in the latitude of 
66° 32' J and Fletcher has just said, that they were only in 56°. Yet this 
mistake has led some geographers to place Drake's islands under the ant- 
arctic circle. 

After having remained two days at the last anchoring place, Drake sailed 
directly north-west, and the following day he fell in with two islands,., 
abounding in birds. Here he staid but a short time, pursuing his course to. 
the north-west on tlie 1 st of November. 

From examining the data, which Fletcher's narrative affords, with at- 
tention, we cannot avoid thinking, that the lands, which geographers have 
called by the name of Drake,, are nothing more than the western part of 
Terra del Fuego ; that Drake arrived at the islands of Cape Horn, on the- 
28th of October i and that, sailing on the 30th to the north-west, he fell in, 
with some of the innumerable islands which cornpose the archipelago, of 
Terra del Fuego. 

Though it thus appears proved, that the pretended Lands of Drake da 
not exist, it has not been deemed expedient to erase them from the chart. 
Almost all geographers, those excepted who have carried them to the hXi- 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 



tueleof60% or the polar circle, have placed them about a hundred and 
eighty leagues west-south- west of Cape Horn ; or 10° west of the meridian 
of the mouth of the strait, and in the latitude of 57° south. 

There is no doubt, if the weather prove favourable, but M-" de la Perouse 
will spend a few days in an examination, which will be of use for the com- 
plete removal of a geographical error. Cook, in 1769, and Furneaux, in 
1775, pursued routes, which, if these islands had existed in the place as- 
signed them by geographers, would have placed these navigators in a situ- 
ation to have seen them, or at least to have perceived some sign, some indi- 
cation of land: but it is well known, that neither observed any thing of the 
kind. 

24. Land of Theodore Gerard. Theodore Gerard, one of the first Dutch 
navigators who visited the Great Ocean, was driven by a storm, in 1599, as 
far as 64° of south latitude, where he discovered a mountainous land cover- 
ed with snow, the aspect of which appeared to him to resemble that of 
Norway*. It is placed 16° west of the meridian of Cape Horn, 



25. Laj7ds which are reputed to have been seen by the Spaniards 
1714. 



m 



To prove the existence, and fix pretty nearly the situation of these lands, 
we shall take the authority of the following report, extracted from a Me- 
morial for France, subservient to the Discovery of the Lands of the South/' 
by Bernard de la Houpe, a seam.an of St. Malof . 

" In 1714, the captain of a Spanish brigantine sailed from Callao for the 
Island of Chiloe ; and'being in the latitude of 38° south, five hundred and 

* Dalrymple's Historical Collection of Voyages and Discoveries. London, 1770. 4to. Vol. I. p. .94. 
t Mcmoirepour la Fra7ice, servant a la DUouwrte da Terres Australes, printed at Rennes, by Vatar, 
15 pages, 4to. W > 

See alfo Pingre's MhnoWe sur le Cholx et TEtat des Ueux pour le Passat^e de Venus, " Memoir on the 
Choice and State of Places for obferviag the Transit of Venus;' on the 3d of June, -I76Q. Pans, Ca- 
velier, 17Q7, 4to. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

fifty Spanish leagues, of which seventeen and half make a degree, west of 
Chili, he discovered a high land, along which he coasted a whole day. 
From the fires which he perceived at night, he judged it to be inhabited. 
Contrary winds having obliged him to put into Conception, in Chili, he 
found there a French vessel, commanded by du Fresne-Marion, who 
asserted that the Spanish captain's journal had been shown to him, and that 
he read in it the fact just related." 

These islands have been placed on the chart of the Great Southern Ocean 
in 38" of south latitude, and between 108° and 109° of west longitude : a 
position which is conformable to the opinion of captain Cook. Se^ his 
second Voyage, Vol. II. p. 274. 

These lands or islands recall to mind a discovery attributed to Juan Per- 
nandes, a Spanish pilot, by the name of the Islands of Juan Fernandes, 
which are laid down in maps west of Chili. This navigator died, without 
having pointed out the latitude and longitude of his discovery ; and it is 
only known, that, about 1576, he proceeded 40° westward from the coast 
of Chili, having steered west and south-west, till, after a six weeks' voyage, 
he arrived at a land, which he says was a great continent. This distance of 
40° west from Chili is far from that given to the land, which was reported 
to have been seen by the Spaniards in 1714. For the land of Juan Fer- 
nandes, see Dalrymple's Historical Collection, Vol. I. p. 53, and the French 
translation by de Freville, p. 1 £5. 

26 Easter Island, This island, discovered in 1722 by Roggewein, a 
Dutchman, was seen and visited in 1774 by captain Cook, who has ascer- 
tained it's situation. See his second Voyage, Vol. I. p. 276. 

The Spaniards touched at Easter Island on the 1 6th of November, 1 770, 
and called it the Island of San Carlos, or Charles. To the collection of 
charts delivered to de la Ferouse is added the draught of this island, 
taken by the Spaniards, whose long-boats sailed round it. They place it 
in the latitude of 27° 6' south, and in the longitude of 268° 19^ east from 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



the meridian of TenerifFe, that is 1 10° 4l' west of Paris: so that they have 
carried it about a degree and half too far eastward. 

^ In 1770, the variation of the compass there was, according to the Spani- 
ards, 2° 30' east. 

27. Islands said to have been seen by the Spaniards, in 1773, in 32° of 
south latitude, and 130° west of Paris. 

This situation is given them from the report of M' Croizet, captain of a 
French vessel, which captain Cook has followed. See Cook's second 
Voyage, Vol. II. p. 267. 

It appears, however, that it may be questioned, for the following reasons. 

It was on their return from Otaheitee, in 1 773, that the Spanish vessels 
discovered some islands in the latitude of 32°; and it is most probable, that 
the longitude they assigned to these islands, and of which M"^ Croizet was 
informed, was affected by the same error as misled them with regard to that 
of Otaheitee. According to the extract from their voyage, communicated 
to one of Surville's officers, during his stay at Lima, it appears, that they 
placed the Island of Otaheitee, which they called the Island of Amat*, in 
the latitude of 17° 29', and the longitude of 233° 32' east from the meridian 
of Teneriffe, which answers to 1 45° 28' west of Paris. Now the longitude 
of this island has been settled by the numerous observations of captain Cook 
and the English astronomers at 1 5 1° 52' west of Paris : the position assigned 
it by the Spaniards, therefore, errs 6° 24' easterly. 

; If the longitude of the islands discovered in the latitude of 32*^ be affected 
by the same error, they ought to be placed at 136=^ 24' west of Paris, instead 
of 130°, nearly on the same meridian with the Island of Pitcairn. 



* From the name of the viceroy of Peru, by whose orders the expedition was undertaken. 




70- 



mm 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

It is to be observed, however, that captain Cook ran down this meridian 
in his second voyage without perceiving any thing ; and that he Ukewise 
saw nothing in his first voyage on crossing this parallel in the longitude of 
128° and 129": but between his two routes there remains a space of 8° 
from east to west, which has not been traversed, and in which we may hope 
to find the islands seen by the Spaniards in 1773 in the latitude of 32°/ 

In general it may be remarked, that all the ancient discoveries of the 
Spaniards, an opportunity of verifying which has been had in modern times, 
have been found much farther west than they reported them; and their 
.modern discoveries in the Great Ocean, hitherto, appear to be affected with 
a similar error. 

Captain Cook, being in the latitude of these islands, and nearly on the 
meridian in which they ought to be placed according to the correction in- 
dicated above, namely in the latitude of 32° 30^ and the longitude of 133» 
40' west of Greenwich, or 136° west of Paris, made an observation, which 
merits recital. 

This day," says he, July 22, 1773, ''was remarkable for our not 
-seeing a single bird. Not one had passed since we left the land [New 
Zeabnd], without seeing some of the following birds, viz. albatrosses, 
,sheerwaters, pentadoes, blue petorels, and Port Egmont hens. These fre- 
quent every part of the southern ocean ; but not a bird, nor any other thing, 
was seen, that could induce us to think that we had ever been in the neigh- 
rbourhood of any land." Second Voyage, Vol. I. page 135, 6. 

This observation may lead us to presume, that there is little hope of 
-finding the islands or land seen by the Spaniards in the latitude of 32% by 
searching for them in the meridian of 136° west of Paris; since captam 
Cook, being on this meridian, and nearly in the supposed parallel of these 
islands, saw not a single bird, or any sign of land. We are not justified, 
.however, in questioning their existence : but, after having assigned the 
^ reasons, which must leave us in considerable uncertainty respecting their 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



71 



real situation, it depends on M' de la Perouse, to give these reasons their 
due weight in his search after these lands. In conclusion of this article, it 
may be observed, that they are very probably farther west than the longi-- 
tude of 136°, since the Spaniards fell in with them on their return from 
Otaheitee to Peru, and since, to be able to gain near 22° easting in 14 de- 
grees and half only of latitude, with the trade winds to the south of the lines 
they must have made better than a true south-east course. 



Great Equatorial Ocean. 

28. Isla?ids of the South Sea, or of the great equatorial ocean, between 
the latitudes of 26° and 10° south, in the space included between 130° and 
170" west of the meridian of Paris. 

For all the islands included within these limits we can only refer M'' de 
la Perouse to the narratives of Byron's, Bougainville's, Carteret's, Wallis's, 
Furneaux's, and Cook's voyages; in which he will find geographical, phy- 
sical, and historical details, that may be serviceable to him in exploring some 
of these islands, and in the stay he will have occasion to make. With re- 
gard to the islands anciently discovered in the same parallels, by Mendaiia 
in 1567 and 1595, Quiros and Torrez in 1606, le Maire and Schouten in 
I6l6, Abel Tasman in l642, and Roggewein in 1722, they have been in- 
serted in the chart of the Great Equatorial Ocean, delivered to de la Pe- 
rouse for his voyage, agreeably to the informa^tion derived from the original 
accounts published of the discoveries of these navigators. The situations 
given them upon the chart, however, differ considerably from those, which 
geographers have thought they could assign them from the same relations i 
but the identity of some of these islands with those explored by modern 
navigators, which h,as beea proved, having served to rectify some of these 
ancient positions, these corrected positions have been employsd as dat-a for 
adjusting,, one after another, at least in part, the positions of some islands 
anciently founds, but which have not yet. been rediscovexed. Still, how-- 




73 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

ever, there are many, respecting which extreme uncertainty remains j be- 
cause the journals of the ancient navigators are so barren of dates and ob- 
servations, and so defective with regard to the circumstances of the voyage, 
that in general we can draw from them nothing but unsatisfactory conjec- 
tures. Their silence respecting the most interesting circumstances some- 
times prevents the geographer from instituting any comparison, any col- 
lation with other journals, whence light might be derived, to guide us 
through the obscurity. 

We shall proceed to give a summary view of the routes and discoveries 
of these ancient navigators, as far as they can be deduced from the indi- 
cations given in the accounts, which appear most to deserve confidence. 
It is to be wished, that chance and a happy combination of circumstances 
may enable his majesty's vessels to fall in with some of these islands, lost to 
navigators,, which, while they afford them resources in provision and refresh- 
ments for the pursuit of their discoveries, may contribute to extend the 
sphere of human knowledge. 

1. The voyage of Magellan, in 1519*. From the Strait to 
which this navigator gave his name, he stood north- north-west as far as the 
equator, which he passed 9858 miles from the strait, and about the longi- 
tude of 170° east of Paris. In this long course he discovered only too little 
desert islands, two hundred leagues distant from each other ; namely, Sf. 
Pedra, or St. Peter s, in the latitude of 18° or 19° south; and the Island of 
2"/^«ro«^ (Sharks), in 14° or 15° south. 

These islands, to which Magellan gave the common name of Desvenfu- 
radas (Unfortunate Islands), yet remain unknown, and have not been in- 
serted in the chart of the Great Equatorial Ocean, because their situation is 
not pointed out in a manner sufficiently precise. Among all the islands 

* See Voyage et Navigation des Iks Moluques, isfc. "A Voyage to the Molucca Islands" by the Spa- 
niards, described by Ant. Pigaphetta 5 la Collection de Jiamusio; Decadas da Asia, de Barros e Conto; 
Navigation aux Terres Australes, " Voyages to the Southern Countries," by de Brossesj Dalrymple's 
Historical Collection .3 and others. 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD.^ 



73 



discovered since Magellan, there are none except the Savage Island of Cook, 
and L' Enfant-perdu or Forlorn Hope of Bougainville, which we can take 
for the two islands in question ; and these are two hundred leagues from 
each other, like the Desventuradas, and nearly in their latitude : Savage 
Island being in the latitude of 19° l', and longitude 172° 30' west of Paris j 
and Enfant-perdu in latitude' 14° 6', and longitude 1 79° 2' east. 

3. The VOYAGE OF Mendana, in 1567*. From Callao, a harbour 
in Lima, Mendana sailed westward, and ran fourteen hundred and fifty 
Spanish leagues, of seventeen and half to a degree, without seeing- land. 
He then discovered 

The Island of Jesus ^ a little inhabited island, in latitude 6° 15^ south : 

Buxos de la Candalaria, or Candlemas Flats, a cluster of reefs with several 
little islands within them, of which the middle one is in latitude 6° 15* 
south, a hundred and seventy leagues from the Island of Jesus : 

The Island of Isabella, ninety-five leagues in length, and twenty in 
breadth; the south-east point of which is in latitude 9% the north-west, 7^" 
30'. Here Mendana anchored, in a harbour, on the north coast; and a 
brigantine, sent thence on discovery, added to the number the followino- 
islands. ^ 

Maldita, so called by the Indians, a large island, fourteen leagues east of 
an extensive bay, in the latitude of 8°. 

La Galera, a. little island, five leagues in circumference, surrounded 
with reefs.. 

Buena Vista, twelve leagues in circumference, in the latitude of 9° 30^. 

* Geograplia Indiana de Herrera; Hlstona de Jas Indlas, by Lopez Vas ; Navigations aux Terns Au^ 
5ir^7.i, by de Brasses; Dalrymple's Historical Collection; BkoumrUs dam la Mer du Sud, "Disco, 
venes in the South Sea;" Sec 

VOL.1. L 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 
J,a Florida, twenty-five leagues in circumference, in the same latitude. 

St, Dimaf. " 

Forming a chain, that stretches east and west 
St. German. > ^vith Florida. 

La Guadeliipa, j - 

Sesarga, in the latitude of 9° 30', an island of ^ circular figure, eight 
leagues in circuniference, with a volcano in the middle. 

Guadalcanar, a very extensive land, in which a good harbour was found. 

St. George, near the Island of Isabella, from which it is separated only by 
a channel. Here pearls were found, and a good harbour. 

St. Christovah or St. Christopher, a narrow and mountainous island, with g 
<rood harbour, in latitude 1 1°. 



Sta, Catalina, or St. Catherine." 
St, Anne.. 



Two little islands, east of St. Christo- 
pher's, about three leagues distant from 
each other. 



A good ^harbour was found on the eastern part of the last-mentioned 
Island. 

Beside these islands, mentioned in the narrative of Christopher Suarez de 
Figueroa, several others are named in the descriptions given by Herrera and 
■Bry, and \q be seen on ancient maps : such are St, Kichoks, Aracifes, 
_St. Mark, St. Jerome, &c. ■ 

All these islands, since known by the name of Solomon's Isles, appear to 
^be the Land of the Arsacides, discovered by Surville, j:0mmander of %hp 
ship S' John Baptist, in 1769.0 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

Mendana's second voyage, in 1595*. From Payta, on the coast 
of Peru, he ran v^^estward a thousand leagues, without seeing land. He then 
discovered : 

The Marquesas^- or Marquis of Mendoza's Islands, between 9° and 10^ 
south, four islands, which he named Magdakna, St. Pedro, Dominica, and- 
Sta. Christina, On the west of the last he found a good harbour, which 
he named ik/tf^/r^ £)/w. These were rediscovered in 1774, by captain 
Gook-f-. 

The Islands oj St. Bernardo, in the latitude of 10° 45', and fourteen hun» 
dred leagues from Lima: four little, low, sandy islands, surrounded by a 
reef. They might be, in the whole, eight leagues in circumference. 
These appear to be the same as were seen in 1765 by commodore Byron, 
who called them the Is/ands of Danger^, and it is from his course, cor- 
rected, that they are laid down in the chart, in latitude 10° 5 1^ longitude 
169° 30' west of Paris. 

Solitary Island, in the latitude of 10° 40', and 1535 leagues from Lima, 
a little circular island, a league in circumference. It has never been seen 
since, but it's situation, deduced from it's distance from the Islands of 
Bernardo and Santa Cruz, appears to be sufficiently accurate : it is in lati- 
tude 10° 40', longitude 178° SO' west. 

The Island of Santa Crz^2;, a large island, with a good harbour, in which 
Mendana anchored, in latitude 10° £0', and 1850 leagues from Lima. It 
was visited anew in 1768 by captain Carteret, who named it Egmont Island, 
making one of Queen Charlotte_'s Islands : it is from the route of this navi- 
gator, that it has been placed in the chart at the latitude of 1 1°, and the 
longitude of I6l° 35' west from Paris.. 



75 



* Navlgatmis aux Term Justrahs; Historical Collection ; Dicouveries dam la Mn du Sud ' 
t Cook added another to the number, the northernmost of the cluster,, to which he gaye the namo. 
©i-.JdGod s Island. See his. Second Voyage, Vol. 1. p. 298, T, ■ 



I 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 



4. The VOYAGE OF QuiRos AND ToRREz, In 1606. From Callao they 
sailed south-M^est and west, without seeing land, till they were a thousand 
leagues from the coast of Peru, when they discovered : 

The Isla?id of the Incarnatioriy in latitude 25° south, and a thousand 
leagues from Peru j a little island, four leagues in circumference, and so 
flat, that it appeared not perceptibly raised above the level of the sea. 

St. Juafi Baptisfa, or St. John Baptist, an island twelve leagues in cir~ 
cumfercnce, and somewhat elevated, two days and half sail to the west of 
the former. 

St. Elmo, six days' sail from St. Juan Baptista ; an island thirty leagues 
in circumference, surrounded by a reef of coral, and the centre occupied by 
the sea. 

Los 4 Coronades (Four Crowns), four inaccessible islands, one day's sail 
from Elmo. 

St. Miguel, or St. Michael, four leagues west-north-west from the Los 
k Coronades. It is ten leagues in circumference, and lies north and 
south. 

La Conversion de St. Pablo, or Conversion of St. Paul, half a day's sail 
west-north- v/est of S' Michael. 

La Dezena, four days' sail from the Conversion of S^ Paul* and about 
18° 40' of latitude. 

La Sagittaria, one day's sail from Dezena : a large island, the nortli- 
west point of which is in the latitude of IT 40'. Here they learned, that 
there were other lands to the west. 



There is every reason to believe, that the Sagittaria of Quiros is thg 



VOYAGE ROUNO THE WORLD. 

Island of Otaheitee : the latitude, the direction of the coast along which 
they sailed, and the lands spoken of to the west of la Sagittaria, agree per-, 
fectly with Otaheitee. The Dezena of Quiros must consequently be the 
Gsnaburg Island of Wallis, Boudoir of Bougainville, Maitea of Cook, east- 
south-east of Otaheitee *. 



77 



The other islands, preceding. Dezena, appear not to have been since 
rediscovered. Cook imagines, that the Island of Pitcairn, discovered by 
Carteret, is the Island of Juan Baptista of Quiros. But the difference in 
the size of the tv/o islands will not allow us to embrace this opinion : S' 
Juan Baptista is twelve leagues in circumference ; Pitcairn, only three. 
Beside, the distance of a thousand leagues from the Incarnation of Quiros to 
the coast of Peru would carry this island some degrees to the west of Pit- 
cairn, and still more the Island of Juan Baptista, which is two days' sail 
west of the Incarnation, as observed above. It may be remarked, that the 
Marquesas, v/hich are six degrees west of the meridian of Pitcairn, were 
stated by Mendana to be a thousand leagues from the coast of Peru. 

According to M"^ Dalrymple, Historical Collection, Vol. I. p. 5, the 
island of S' Juan Baptista would be in the latitude, of Q6°, and that of 
' S' Elmo in 28°. Be this as it may, it is to the south-east of Otaheitee^, 
that we may hope to rediscover these ancient islands of Qiiiros. 

Departing from Sagittaria, and continuing his course westward, Quiros 
discovered the following islands. 

La Fugitha, two days' sail, or two days' and halt; from Sagittaria. 

* It appears from these discoveries of Qairos, that to the fo«th-south-east and south-east of Ota- 
heitee there must be a pretty considerable chain of islands, extending perhaps much farther south, even 
as far as the latitude of 32°, where islands were seen by the Spaniards in 1773. If it were admissible in 
the present day to cite ancient maps, and to pay any regard to them, we should be tempted to sup- 
pose, that the continent, which these maps reprefent as discovered by Ferdinand Gallego, and ck- 
tendmg west-north-west and north west from Cape Horn to New Guinea, is nothing more than this 
Cham of islands, which extends farther to the south-east than the point from which the discoveries of 
Quiros commenced. It would lie farther west than captain Cook's first route, in a part of the oc^an 
that, in modem days, has not been visitedi 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD; 
Quiros saw it to the north-east ; but, being too far to leeward, could not 
fetch- it. . 

La del Peregrhto, or the Pilgrim, a day's sail from la Fugitiva. Here, like-, 
wise, the wind did not allow him to land. 

We know not well where to place these two islands, unless it may be; 
supposed, that they are some of the Society Islands, or others yet unknown 
to the north-east of these, 

St. Bernardo, six days' sail from the Pilgrim, in the latitude of 10° 30^^ 
south, a low island, ten- leagues in circunaference, with the sea, or a salt 
lake, in the centre. 

- This island must not be confounded with those of S-Bernardo, disco* 
v.ered by Mendana, which were, four in number. Beside, in a memorial 
presented to Philip III. king of Spain, Quiros mentions no island by the: 
name of S' Bernardo, but gives the name of Nuestra Senora del Socorro (our 
Lady of Help) to that which immediately follows the Pilgrim. It appeared 
to be uninhabitable. 

Gente Her mesa, or the Island of the Handsome Nation, seven days' sail 
from the Island of S' Bernardo, and in the same latitude as the Santa Cruz 
of Mendana, that is, in 1 1° south. It is six leagues in circumference ; the 
inhabitants were the fairest and handsomest people he had yet seen: the 
women, particularly, were extremely beautifol, and clothed with hght flow- 
in-, garments. In the memorial of Quiros. mentioned above, the name ot 
Gente Hermosa does not appear, but that of Monterey, who was v.ceroy of 
Mexicoi 

Tamago. thirty-three days' sail from the Island of the Handsome Nation., 
and nearly in the parallel of that of Santa Cruz, since Quiros was^steermg 
for this island. It is a pretty large island,, where he found wood, water- 
tefreshments, and very peaceable inhabitants. Here he learned, as he 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORCD^ 



79 



likewise from an Indian, whom he took from this island and carried to 
Mexico, that there were many other islands near, as Chicayayna, Guaytopo^ 
Mecaraila, Fonofonoy Pilen, NaupaUy ^q. which have not been discovered 
by any navigator. It is observable, that, on the passage from the Island of 
<.the Handsome Nation to that of Taumago, signs of land were almost con- 
stantly seen, as pumice stones in great quantity, and numerous flocks of 
birds. 

"Wucopia, six days^ sail from Taumago, in the latitude of 12° south. On 
running down the coast of this island, where he could not land, Quiros was 
informed by the natives, that there were extensive, countries to the south, 
and he made sail in search of them. 

Nuesfra Senora de la Lu% (our Lady of Light), a high land, in 14'' 
SO' of south latitude.- This island appears to be the Pic de I'.Etoile, on the 
..north of the Great Cyclades of M' de Bougainville. 

The southern land of Espirku Santo and the harbour of Vera Cruz^ 
This land, which was the boundary of the voyage of Quiros, has been vi- 
sited since by M'^ de Bougainville, who named it the Greater Cyclades, and 
subsequently by captain Cook, who gave it the appellation of the New 
Hebrides. Cook has retained the name of Espiritu Santo for the northern 
jjart. On quitting this land, Quiros sailed for New Spain, or Mexico, 
where he arrived without making any other interesting discovery : but 
Torrez, who was separated from the fleet, sailed west, and passed between 
New Holland and New Guinea, as Cook has since done in the Endeavour. 

5. Voyage of le Maire and Schouten, in 16I6*. From the 
Island of Juan Fernandez, at which these navigators touched, after having 
discovered the Strait of le Maire, and been the first that ever doubled Cape 

* Diarmnt'vel Descriptio Itineris faci'i a G. Schoutenio, "Journal or Description of a Voyage perform- 
ed by W" Schouten;" Mirolr Oost en JVest Indical, &c, ''Mirror of the East and West Indies;" 
Speculum OrientaUs Oeddentalisqu'e Navigatmus, &c. " The Mirror of Voyages to the East and West ;" 
Navigations aux Tines Jusirahs ; Historical Collection, Sec. ; DkouverUs dam la Merdu Sud, l^a. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE V/ORLD. 



Horn, they sailed west-north-west, without seeing any land, till they were 
.925 Dutch leagues, of which fifteen make a degree, from the coast of 
Peru, when they discovered the following islands. 

Hond Island, or the Island of Dogs, in the latitude of 15° 12' south, and 
61° 40' west of the Peruvian shore; a small island, about three leagues in 
circumference, but so flat, that it is partly overflowed at high water. 

Sondre-grond, or Bottomless Island, in latitude 1 5" 1 5", and a hundred 
leagues west of Hond Island. It was inhabited, and occupied in circuit 
twenty leagues. According to le Maire's account, however, it's latitude 
would be 14° 35', instead of 15° 15', which Schouten gives. 

Waferland, fifteen leagues from Sondre-grond, in latitpde 14° 16'. Here 
they found water, and a species of cresses, but the island appeared not to 
be inhabited. 

Vlyegen, or the Isle of Flies, twenty leagues from Waterland, in latitude 
15° 30' i a low, inhabited island, where they were pestered with prodigious 
numbers of flies. 

CocQs Island, twenty-three days' sail from the Isle of Flies, in latitude 
1 6° 1 0' ; a high land, appearing in the shape of a mountain, well-peopled, 
and covered with cocoa-trees. 

"Traitors Island, two leagues south of Cocos Island, in latitude 16° 5'* j 
a flat, inhabited land. 

The last two islands were visited in 1767 by captain WalHs, who gave 
the name of Boscawen's to Cocos Island, and that of Keppel's to Traitor's 
Island: the latitude of the former he found to be 15° 50' south; that of 

* This Is evidently a mistake, perhaps an error of the press, which the subsequent paragraph, how- 
ever, rectifies. The latitude here should be l6° lO', and that of Cocos Island l6° 5'. T. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 



81 



the latter, 15° 55^; differing only 15' from that assigned by le Maire and 
Schouten. ~ . ■ 

It is observable, that, the day before their arrival at these islands, le 
Maire and Schouten fell in with a canoe fall of Indians, under sail, standing 
to the southward, which indicates other lands in that quarter. 

Goede Hoop, or the Island of Good Hope, on the same parallel as Cocos 
Island, thirty leagues west of it. It was inhabited, and extended about two 
leagues in length from north to south. 

Hoorn Islands, or Horn Islands, in the latitude of 14° 56\ and about 
1550 leagues from the coast of Peru ; two islands, within gun-shot of each 
other, inhabited, with a good harbour on the south of the greater. Here 
they found all kinds of refreshments. 

Thirteen days after having left Hoorn Islands, and 155 leagues from 
them, in the latitude of 4° south, they had signs of land. They then dis- 
covered 

Four small inhabited islands, surrounded with shoals and sand-banks, in 
latitude 4° 30^, and five days before they made that part of New Guinea, 
which is now called New Ireland : 

Twelve or thirteen islands, occupying about half a league from south- 
east to north-west, three days before their arrival at New Guinea : 

Three low islands, covered with trees, and named on that account 
Groen-eylands or Green Islands, the day before they arrived at New Guinea: 

Saw the Island of St» Jati or St. John. 

Neiv Guinea, or the eastern coast of New Ireland, distant from the coast 
of Peru, by estimation, 1840 Dutch leagues. 
VOL. I. , M 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



N. B. Of all the islands seen during this voyage none have since been 
recognised by any other person except Cocos and Traitors' Islands, which 
were rediscovered by Wallis, from whose journal they are laid down on the 
chart, and the others placed by their distance from these two. 

6: The VOYAGE of Abel Tasman, in 164£ *.. Sailing from Batavia, 
Tasman touched at the Isle of France, then called the Island of Mauritius : 
he thence steered south, as far as the latitude of 40° or 41°j and afterwards 
east, till he arrived in the longitude of 163° east from the meridian of Te- 
neriffe, or 144° from the meridian of Paris. He then saw 

The land called Fan Diemens, in latitude 42° 25', longitude l65° east 
from Teneriffe : here he anchored in a bay, to which he gave the name of 
Frederic Henry, in latitude 43° 1 0', longitude 1 67° 55' i 

Another land, high and mountainous, which he named New Zealand, in 
latitude 42° 10^ longitude 188° 28^ and where he anchored, in a large 
bay, in latitude 40° 49", longitude 191° 41^: the conduct of the natives in- 
duced him, to give it the name of Murderers' Bay. 

TheZrW ofPyhtaarU^ (Wild-Ducks), in latitude 22° 35', longi- 
tude ao4° 15^ ahigh and steep island, two or three leagues m circum^ 
ference : 

The Island of Amsterdam, in latitude 21° 20^, longitude 225° 9^ a low 
and flat land,, the inhabitants of which were kind and hospitable : this is the 
Tongataboo of Cook, one of the Friendly Islands 

The Uand of Middkhurg, . lofty and inhabited, to the. south-east of Am- 
sterdam ; the Eooa of Cook : 

. Oud en Vienna Oost Mien, i^c. " The EastJndies, ancient and modern,'' by F Valentyn, Navi- 
gations aux Terres Ar>,trales Historical Collection ; D^co^cvertes dans la Mer dr. Sud. 

t Pj^staart; anas acuta, Lia.3 the glntail duck, Pennant^, sea-pheasant, or cracker, Willoughby. T. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



XJitardam, l^amokoki, and Rotterdam, inhabited and cultivated islands, in 
latitude 20° 15', longitude Q06° 19^- the natives give to the last the name 
of Annamooka, v\^hich Cook has retained : 

The Islands of Prince William ■> and the Shoals of Heemskirck, in latitude 
17° 19^ and longitude 201° 35'': these are eighteen or twenty small islands, 
surrounded M^ith reefs and shoals : 

The Islands of Ontong-^anja, in latitude 5° 9! , and ninety Dutch leagues 
or miles from that part of New Guinea now called New Ireland : these are 
a cluster of small islands, in number twenty-two: 

Mar ken Islands, three days' sail from the preceding : another cluster, 
consisting of fourteen or fifteen inhabited islands, which had already been 
seen by le Maire and Schouten : 

The Green Islands, four days' sail from the preceding, and one day's sail 
before he arrived at St. John : . ' 

The Island of St. John: 

Cape St. Mary, on the western side of New Guinea, now New Ireland, 
in latitude 4° so', longitude 171°. 

From this place he stood north-west, along the coast of New Ireland, 
passing the islands of Anthony Cave, Garret Dennis, &;c. 3 then south, and 
west, along the northern coast of New Guinea. 

All the lands and islands seen in this voyage have been recognised in our 
own times, and found in the places assigned them by Tasman. They are 
laid down on the chart from the routes and observations of modern navi- 
gators. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



7. The voyage of Roggewein, in 1722*. From the island of Juan 
Fernandez, Roggewein sailed west- north-west, in order to explore Davis's 
Land, which he could not find. He discovered the following islands. 

Easter Island, in 27° V of south latitude, 265° 42^ of longitude east from 
the meridian of TenerifFe, according to the author of Fies des Goumeurs 
de Batavia, which answer to 113° 18' west of Paris : an inhabited island, 
sixteen Dutch leagues in circumference, and remarkable for colossal figures 
or statues erected in great number along the shore. It has been visited 
since by Cook, who found it in latitude 27° 5\ longitude 1 12° 6' west of 
Paris, and gave it the name of Easter Island. It was also seen in 1770 by 
the Spaniards, who place it in latitude 27° 6\ longitude 268° 19^ from the 
meridian of TenerifFe, which answers to 110° 4 1' west of Paris. They 
gave it the name of San Carlos. 

Carh-lwf, or Charles's Court, in 15° 45' south, and after a run of 
800 leagues from Easter Island. According to the French account of this 
voyage,''it is a little, low island, with a kind of lake in the interior part. 
Roggewein supposed it to be the Island of Dogs of le Maire and Schouten, 
and the Dutch account marks neither it's latitude nor longitude. It is laid 
down in the chart by it's distance from the Pernicious Islands, which are 
twelve leagues to the westward of it, and the situation of which is known. 

The -Pernicious Islands, in latitude 14° 4 1' south, and twelve Dutch 
leagues west of Carls-hof. These are four low, inhabited islands, from 
four to ten leagues in circumference. Roggewein lost here one of his 
vessels, whence he gave to one of the islands the name of Pernicious ; two 
he called the Two Brothers; and the fourth the Sister. Here also five of 
his crew ran away, and were left behind. There is reason to believe, that 
these are the same with Palliser's Is^s, discovered by Cook m his second 

* ExpcMon de trols Vaisseaux, &c. " Voyage of three Ship., &c." Vies des Goii^erncnrs de B ataxia 
"Lives of the Governors of Batavia 5" Navigations mtx Terns Austraks; Historical Collection; Uc- 
comertes dans la Mer dii Sud. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



85 



voyage ; and this is the opinion of the English navigators. See Cook's 
second Voyage, Vol. I. pages 315 and, following. 

The Island of Aurora-, eight leagues from the Pernicious Islands, tov^ards 
the west. A small island, four leagues in circumference, which has not 
been recognised since. 

Vesper, or Evening Island, a low land, twelve leagues in circumference, 
discovered the same day as the Island of Aurora, and equally unknown at 
present. 

The Labyrinth, a cluster of islands, six in number, delightfully pleasant, 
and occupying together a circuit of near thirty leagues; They are twenty- 
five leagues west of the Pernicious Islands. The Dutch account does not 
mention the Labyrinth, but an inaccessible island, whieh it places in lati- 
tude 15° 17'' south. There is reason to think, that they are the same as 
were seen since by commodore Byron, and called by him the Prince of 
Wales's Islands. 

Recreation, in 15° 47' south latitude, according to the Dutch account, in 
1 6°, according to the French. An inhabited island, twelve leagues in cir- 
cumference ; the land high, and covered with large trees. Here refresh- 
ments were procured. It is laid down on the chart in longitude 155° SO'' 
west of Paris, taking a medium of the differences of longitude between this 
island, Easter Island, and New Britain, or New Ireland, as deduced from the 
chart annexed to the Dutch account of this voyage. This island has not 
yet been recognised. 

Batman s Islands, in 15° south latitude, according to the Dutch chart 
mentioned above, in 13°, according to the French account. These are 
several in number, of ten, fifteen, or twenty leagues, in circumference, with 
excellent anchoring places, and inhabited by mild and peaceable people. 
In the chart they are placed, conformably to the Dutch charts, in the lati- 
tude of 15°, and about the longitude of 173° west of Paris, from the dif- 



86 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

ference of longitude which the same Dutch chart gives between these 
islands and New Britain. 

Solitary Island, called Single hland on the English maps, in 1 3° 4 \' south 
latitude, according to the Dutch account, and a day and half's sail, or about 
thirty leagues, west of Bauman's Islands. It appeared like two islands, 
and has been supposed to be the Cocos and Traitors' Islands of le Maire and 
Schouten: but the difference of latitude will not allow us to adopt this 
opinion. 

Tienhoven and Groningen, two considerable islands, seen a few days after 
leaving Solitary Island. Roggewein ran along the coast of Tienhoven for 
a whole day, without seeing the end of the island ^ which appeared to 
stretch toward Groningen in a semicircle. Neither of these islands is no- 
ticed in the Dutch narrative or in the chart j and the French account, where 
they are mentioned, does not point out their latitude, or their distance 
from any other land, so that it is impossible to give them any place in the 
ichaxt. 

S9. New Caledonia. The ancient navigators do not appear to have had 
any knowledge of this island. M"" de la Perouse is referred for an accouiit 
of it to captain Cook, who discovered it in his second voyage. See Cook's 
second Voyage, Vol. II. p. 103 and following, and the chart relative to the 
discovery. 

" .30. The Island of Santa Cruz of Mendana, discovered in his second 
voyage, in 1595 ; or the Islands of Egmont and ^een Charlotte, visited by 
Carteret in 1767. See the president de Brosses's Navigations aux Terres 
Australes, Vol. 1. p. 249 and following : Dalrymple's Historical Collection, 
Vol. I. p.'57 and following, and p. 185 : DecouUrtes dans la Mer du Sud, 
translated from Dalrymple, by Freville, p. 131: Carteret's Voyage, m 
Hawkesworth, Vol. I. p. 568 and following. 

51. rierra del Espiritu-Santo of ^iros, 1606, or Grandes Cyclades of 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

Bougainville, 176%, or New Hebrides of Cook, 1774. See Navigations 
mix Terres Australes, Vol. I. p. 306 and following, Vol.11, p. 243, p. 348, 
and following : Dalryniple's Historical Collection, Vol. I. p. 95 and follow- 
ing, and p. 203, and page i of the Data : De convert es dans la Mer du Sud, 
p. 201 and following, and p. 427 : Voyage de Bougainville, p. 242 and fol- 
lowing : Cook's second Voyage, Vol. II. p. 23. and following, and the chart 
of the New Hebrides, ibid. p. 25.. 

All this part of the Great Equatorial Ocean has been laid down upon the 
chart from the journal and observations of captain Cook. 

32. The Land of the Armcides, discovered by Surville in 1769 .. 

Surville first got sight of this land on the 7th of October, 1769 *. It 
appeared to him very lofty, and well wooded. At the moment he made it^ 
his vessel Was in the latitude of 6^* 57' south, and longitude by estimation 
152° 28^ east of Paris: but this longitude, corrected by that of New Zea- 
land, which Cook has determined, and where Surville afterwards touched, 
ought to have been 153° 45' at the point where he made the land, which is 
but a few leagues north- wfest of his Port Praslin.. 

He ran along the coast east-south-east, and found a harbour, formed by a 
group of islands, where he anchored. To this harbour he gave the name 
of Port Praslin. From the time of his making land till his reaching this 
harbour, he had seen a number of small islands, which appeared, at the first 
view, to form part of the continent, but which he afterwards discovered to 
be islands, distant about three leagues from the main land f . On Friday, 
the thirteenth, he anchored in Port Praslin, of which he has given a plan 



87 



* Extracted- from his manuscript journal. 
_ + The difFerent views of this coast, as delineated on board the vessel, may be seen, as well as Sur- 
Tille's journal entire, in the mcowvertes dcs Fran^ais en 1768 et 1769 dans le Sud-Est dc la Nouvelle Gal. 
ncr Uc. " Discoveries of the French to the South-East of New Guinea in l/SS and 1700:" printed 
at Pans, at the Royal Printing-office, 1790. (French EdHor.J 

% Ibid. 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

The islands which form it are covered with trees, and the land is partly 
overflowed at high water. 

The natives of the country appeared to be very mistrustful : and after 
having given the French to understand by signs, that they might water at a 
place which they pointed out at the extremity of the harbour, they enticed 
them thither, to make them fall into an ambuscade. A pretty severe en- 
gagement took place, when Surville's people re-embarked in their boats : 
several were wounded; and they were obliged to kill thirty or forty of the 
savages. 

The people who inhabit this land are in general a kind of negroes : ^they 
have black, woolly hair, flat noses, and thick hps. They powder their 
heads with lime, which, no doubt, burns their hair, and makes it appear 
red. The custom of powdering the head was observed also by M'^ de 
Bougainville, among the inhabitants of Choiseul Bay, on the north-west 
coast of this same land. They ornament themselves with bracelets of 
shells, wear whole shells round their necks, and girdles of human teeth, 
those, no doubt, of enemies made prisoners in war: and most of them have 
a large hole bored through each ear and the cartilage of the nose, in which 
they stick bunches of flowers. Their weapons are lances eight or nine feet 
in length, clubs or bludgeons of the same substances, and bows and arrows, 
the latter of which are reeds forty or forty-four inches in length, armed at 
the point with a sharp-edged bone. They carry a buckler made of rushes 
and the bark of trees, two or three feet long and one foot wide. Their 
canoes are very light, and from fifteen, or twenty-five, to sixty-five feet in 
length. They cover the seams of them with a kind of pitch, or cement, 
which renders them impervious to water. 

Surville could not procure any refreshments from these people. He 
seized a boy about thirteen or fourteen years of age, however, whom he in- 
tended to employ as an interpreter in the course of his discoveries. 

He left Port Praslin the 2 1st of October, and continued sailing along the 



'^^VViafc f g K^^iyjjtA ' K^A 3^\ ' l&.^w,^ ' ^ f lf^ ? ^a^^itf r:;tf V-»^irt. T ^ ^ 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

coast, first toward the east-south-east, and afterward south-east. In several 
places he lost sight of the shore, and could see no land in the intervals : 
whence he reasonably concluded, that these openings or breaks indicated 
either very deep bays and gulfs, or channels dividing the land into sever3,l 
islands, and thus forming an archipelago. On his way several canoes Ifcft 
the shore, and came aboard him. To the savages in these canoes he gave 
a few trifling presents, but he every where perceived symptoms of extreme 
mistrust. Like all the inhabitants of the islands in the Great Equatorial 
Ocean, these people are great thieves. 

Surville observed, that the young Indian whom he brought from Port 
Praslin could not make himself understood by the inhabitants of the coast ; 
of whom indeed he was greatly afraid : which led Surville to suppose, that 
this archipelago is very extensive, and that the people of the different islands 
have no communication with each other, but for the purpose of making 
war. 

When he came to the island which he named de la Contrariete, lying 
about 4° 30' east, and 2° south, from Port Praslin, he found the people 
similar to the natives of this harbour, stout, entirely naked, from five feet to 
five feet and half high*, and with woolly hair, which they powder vv^ith 
lime. They have the same weapons also, and the same ornaments : but 
they came aboard boldly, accepted every thing that was offered them, and 
endeavoured to steal what was not. The country, in this part, appeared 
very pleasant ; and the odour of aromatic herbs, which reached the vessel, 
made Surville regret, that he could not land in a gulf, which he supposed to 
lie to the west of some islands which he called les Trois 'Occurs, the Three 
Sisters. 

Vv^hen he had reached the latitude of W f south, and the longitude of 
159° east of Paris, he discovered a large cape, with two small islands before 



* The reader will observe, that, to avoid mistake, the French measure is retained here and else- 
where. It's proportion to the English is as 1068 to 1000. T. 



VOL. I. 



N 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



it, and from this point he saw the land stretch west and south-west, till it 
was lost in the horizon. As he perceived no land beyond this cape, and was 
eager to get into the open sea, he named it Cap oriental des Arsacides, East- 
ern Cape of the Arsacides, and the islands Iks de la Delivrance, Deliverance 
Islands. 

These are the outlines of Surville's discovery, with which ia connected a 
land seen by de Bougainville, being the north-west part of the Land of 
the Arsacides. See his Voyage, p. 264 and following. 

It will be proper to consult likewise the account given by Figueroa of 
Mendana's discoveries on his first voyage, in 1567 *. There is every rea- 
son to presume, from numerous calculations and comparisons, that the 
Islands of Solomon, discovered at that time by Mendana, are. the same witk 
those rediscovered by Surville in 1769^. 

de la Perouse will find, in the collection of manuscript charts deli-^ 
vered to him, one of modern discoveries in these parts, where an attempt 
has been made, to delineate the discoveries of Mendana, as they may be 
traced from the descriptions given by Figueroa, Herrera, and other Spanish 
historians, who disagree both with respect to the extent of the several 
islands, and their relative situations : but it was sufficient to point out the 
presumed identity of the discoveries of Mendana and Surville; and we are 
persuaded, that M^ de la Perouse's researches in these parts will establisk 
the truth of what is here offered only as a probabihty.. 

33. The Lands of Loumade, discovered in 1768 by M^ de Bougainville. 

Before this period these lands were unknown. We had only a confused 
account of a discovery made in 1705, on the northern coast of these lands,, 
by the Dutch yacht Geehinck, or the Yellow- hammer. 

* See Ech,s de D. Garcia Hurtado de Mendo^a, qv^rto Marque^ de Cannete,jer.Cbrhtoval Suare. d, 
Fhueroa,- » Echoes of D. G. H. de Mendoza, fourth Marquis of Canncce, by C. S. de Figueroa, Ma- 
drfd, 1613 3 Dalrymple's Historical Collection, Vol. I. p.. 176 i Daouvcrtcs dans la Mer du Sud, p. 89. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



91 



These lands are delineated on the chart N° 9. 

See, for Louisiade, Bougainville's Voyage, p. 255 and following j and, for 
the account of the Geelvinck *, ks Namgatiom Amtrales of the president 
de Brosses, Vol. If. p. 444. 

34. Endeavour Strait ^ between New Holland, and New Guinea. 

See Cook's first voyage, in Hawkesworth's Collection, Vol. III. p. 6l0 
and following. 

Torrez, who commanded one of the vessels in the fleet of Quiros, in 
1606, appears to be the first navigator, that ever passed between New Hol- 
land and New Guinea. 

See an account of the voyages of Quiros in the authors quoted in these 
notes, 

35. Northern and western coasts of New Holland. 

We have nothing authentic, or sufficiently minute, respecting this part 
of the largest island on the globe. 

de la Perouse is referred to the voyages of Dampier for the northern 
coast, some points of which were seen by this accurate seaman ; and to the 
Navigations aux Terres Austraks of the president de Brosses, Vol. II. p. 438, 
for the northern and western coasts, and Vol. I. p, 426 and following, for 
the discoveries of the Dutch in New Holland. 

To the collection of manuscript charts, delivered to M'^ de la Perouse, 
has been added a copy of that quoted by the president de Brosses, which 

* It is now proved, that the situation assigned at the time to the lands discovered by the Geelvinck 
was not the true one. See les Dkounjertes des Fran;ah en i;68 ct 1769, dans le Sud Est de la NouueUe 
preface, p. xiv. (French Editor.) 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

contains the examination of part of the western coast made by the Dutch, 
with the addition of soundings and details taken from the journals of the 
English navigators, by whom it has been more recently visited. 

36. The southern Land of van Diemen, in the south part of New Hol- 
land. 

See, in the account of Cook's second Voyage, what has been said by 
Furneaux, who visited it in the month of February, 1773. Vol. 1. p. 107 
and following. 

See also Cook's third Voyage, Vol. I. p. 91. 

37. The Isle of New Zealand. This was discovered by Abel Tasman, 
a Hollander, in 1642 j but as the account he has given of it is very loose, 
it would answer no purpose to recite it i and Cook's voyages leave nothing 
to be wished for respecting this country. 

See Hawkesworth's Collection, Vol. II. p. 281 and following: Cook's 
second Voyage, Vol. I. p. 69 ; ib- P- 225 and following; Vol. II. p. 146 
and following: Cook's third Voyage, Vol. I. p. 118 and following. 

In these works will be found, beside descriptions, and astronomical and 
nautical observations, all the charts and plans of particular places which 
were delineated by the English navigators. 

38. The Marquesas, or Marquis of Mendoza's Islands, discovered by 
Alvaro Mendana, a Spaniard, in 1595. See note 28, 3, Mendana's second 
voyage. 

These islands were rediscovered in 1774, by captain Cook, to whose ac- 
count only we can refer for every thing relative to their geographical situ- 
ation, and the description of them. See Cook's second Voyage, Vol. I. 
p. 297 and following. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 



39' The Islands of Nubhda, Rocca-Pariiday and others, east-south-east 
of the Sandwich Islands. 

It is supposed, that Juan Gaetano, a Spaniard, was the first navigator who 
had any knowledge of these islands, which he saw in 1542. 

He sailed from Porto Santo, near the Harbour of the Nativity, on the 
coast of Mexico, in about 20° of north latitude. 

He discovered successively the islands of Nublada, Rocca-Partida, and,, 
200 leagues west of the latter, a shoal, in the latitude of 15° or 14° north, 
on which he had only seven fathoms of water. Continuing his course 
westward, he fell in with some other islands, to the west of Sandwich 
Islands. Raccolte di Navigationi e Viaggi da Ramusio, " Ramusio's Col- 
lection of Voyages and Travels/' Vol. I. p. 375. 

The islands discovered by Gaetano have been laid down in the chart of 
the Great Equatorial Ocean, delivered to M^^ de la Perouse, from that in 
Anson's Voyage, which was copied from one found on board the Manilla 
galleon, when she was taken by the Centurion. 

40, Sandwich Islands, discovered in 1778, by captain Cook, in his third 
voyage. 

Though the course of the Spanish galleons should have enabled these 
vessels to discover islands situate between the parallels of IQ^ and 20° north, 
it does not appear, that the Spaniards had ever any knowledge of them. 
They afford an excellent place of call for their vessels trading between Asia 
and America, which traverse the Great Equatorial Ocean; and it cannot be 
supposed, that they would have neglected to form a settlement on islands 
situated so advantageously for the communication between the two conti- 
nents. We are indebted for all the particulars we have of these islands to 
captain Ccok and captain King. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

- See Cook's third Voyage, VoL IL p. 190 and following, 535 and fol- 
lowing, and the beginning of Vol. III. 



Great Northern Ocean. 



41. The north-west coast of America, from Port Monterey, situate about 
36° 42' of north latitude, to the Aleutian Islands.. 

In 1 769 and 1 770 the harbour of Monterey, and that of San Diego, which 
is farther southward, were visited by direction of the Spanish government. 
Small forts were erected there, 'and a kind of settlement made, from an 
apprehension, that some foreign power might extend it's views to coasts, 
which seemed not to belong to the crown of Spain, though bordering on 
it's possessions. 

The expedition was fitted out by don Josepli de Galvez, inUndant of the 
army, and inspector-general of the kingdom of Mexico, by order of the 
marquis of Santa Cruz, viceroy of the province; and executed by Caspar 
de Portola, captain of dragoons, commanding the troops, and don Vicente 
Villa, pilot of the royal navy, and don Juan Perez, pilot for the Phihppme 
Islands, commanding the packets San Carlos and San Antonio The jour- 
nal of this voyage has been printed in Spanish, at the press of the Mexican 
government. 

We are here informed, that the constancy of the north and north-west 
winds, which prevail to the north of CaUfornia almost ^-ghout the yc- 
must prove a great impediment to vessels attempttng to run down the 
north-western coast of America. 

The country north of the peninsula of California, if we may judge from 
this account, is sufficiently fertile, and the natives are very tractable. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



95 



More than a year was spent by the Spaniards in reaching Port Monterey, 
though they ought to have known it's situation, since it was discovered, in 
1602, by general Viscaino, commanding a squadron, sent by PhiHp III. to 
discover and explore the coasts to the north of California. After infinite 
toil, and long search by sea and land, they at length succeeded in redisco- 
vering it, nearly in the parallel pointed out by Viscaino. 

According to the observations made by the Spaniards in 1 770, the har- 
bour of Monterey lies in the latitude of 36° 40'*, just to the northward of 
the chain of mountains, or sierra, of Santa Lucia. It is a spacious bay, not 
much unlike that of Cadiz. The anchoring ground has four, six, or eight 
fathoms of water, according to the distance from^ the shore, with a fine 
sandy bottom, and holds welL 

Some years elapsed before the Spaniards thought of pursuing their dis- 
coveries to the north. At length their attention was roused by the succes- 
sive voyages of several English vessels in the great ocean ; and, in 1 775, 
don Antonio Maria Bucarelli, viceroy of Mexcio, gave orders for an expe?» 
dition to carry on the examination of the north-western coast of America 
as far as 65°. 

Three small vessels were employed in this expedition, the command of 
which was entrusted to don Juan de Ayala. The honourable Daines Bar- 
rington has translated into English the journal of don Francisco Antonio 
Maurelle, pilot of the second of the vessels, commanded by don Juan Fran- 
cisco de la Bodega, and printed it in his Miscellanies, London, 1781, 4to» 
The following account is collected from M' Barrington's translation. 

F They sailed from the harbour of San Bias f on the 17th of March, 1 77i. 
The b eginning of their voyage was obstructed by contrary winds : and on, 
the 2 1 st of May, a council of the principal officers of the little squadron 

* In the voyage which the Spaniards made to the coast north of California, in 1775, an account 
of which is given below, they fixed the latitude of Monterey at 36" 44' north. 

t On th€ coast of New Gallicia, a.proyince of Mexico, at the entrance of the Gulf of California., 



96 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

being held, it was decided, that they should proceed to the latitude of 43% 
in preference to putting into Port Monterey. This decision was founded on 
the hope of finding in that latitude the Entrance of Martin de Aguilar*, 
discovered in 1603, where they might procure water, and repair their ves- 
sels. (Some charts place the mouth of this river in 45°). 

On the 7th of June, in the latitude of 4 1° 30', though yet at a consider- 
able distance from land, they distinguished a long tract of coast, extending 
from south-west to north-east : but they were not able to get near it, from 
the wind's falling calm. 

On the 8th they saw the land much more clearly, at nine leagues di- 
stance : and the next twenty-four hours the currents to the south increased 
so as to make a difference of the latitude by reckoning and observation of 



On the 9th they entered a harbour which they called Porto de la Trim^ 
dada, situate in the latitude of 41° / by observation, and 19° 4' west of San- 
Blas. 

The Spaniards speak highly in praise of the country and it's inhabitants. 
These Americans paint their bodies with black, or blue f ; and have nearly 
the same customs, and the same arms, as are described in the narrative of 
Cook's third voyage, when he visited the north-western coast of America. 

Mr Barrington did not see the plan of the harbour : but the journal says 
it was drawn by don Bruno Heceta, J. F. de la Bodega, and the writer 
namely, F. A. Maurelle. It is added, that, though the port is represented 
in the chart as open, it is to be understood, that it is well sheltered from the 

In the Conspirations s^o,ra,U,ues et .lysines. " Physical ^^f^^^^ ^ftlj, 
Buache, M- de la P6rouse will find all that is known respecting th.s Entrance of de Agmlar, 
of Fuca, which is mentioned in this journal. clo-nlfies 
\ m.. should probably bo for tt.o word in dre original ^PP«" » -"/"^J^^^" "8°'"" 
red' load, and which Barrington, not understanding, has placed at tlre foot of U,e page. T. 



/ 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

south-west, west, and north-west, as also from the north-north- east and 
east. 

On the western side there is a hill fifty fathoms high, joining to the 
continent on the north, where there is another rising of twenty j both of 
which afford protection, not only from the wir^ds, but the attack of an 
enemy. 

At the entrance of the port is a small island of considerable height, with- 
out a single plant upon it ; and on the sides of the coast are high rocks, 
which are very convenient for disembarking : goods also may be shipped 
so near the hill, that a ladder may be used from the land to the vessel and 
near the sand are many small rocks, which secure the ship at anchor from 
the south-east and south-west. 

The tides are as regular as in the seas and on the coasts of Europe. 

During their stay the Spaniards attempted to ascend a river, which came 
from the south-west, and which they had seen from the top of the hill. 
They found the mouth wider than is necessary for the discharge of the 
water, which is lost in the sands oh each side, so that they could not even 
enter it, except at full tide. However they left their boat, and proceeded a 
league into the country, while the river continued of the same width; viz. 
twenty feet, and about five deep. 

They gave this river the name of Rio de las Tortolas *, because at their 
first landing they saw large flocks of these, and other birds, some of which 
had pleasing notes. 

On the sides of the mountains, and in the neighbourhood of the harbour 
of Trinidad, they found some plants and fruits. 



97 



* Mr. Bamngton translates it Pigeon Rive 



VOL. I. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 

They sailed on the 1 9th of June, with a gentle breeze at north-west, from 
which quarter the wind had blown during the whole time they were in 
port. 

It appears, that one of the officers on board the fleet, don Juan Perez *, 
had already been employed in discoveries to the north, with which we are 
unacquainted: for whether he were in the fleet, which may be presumed 
from some parts of the narrative, or whether the Spaniards had his journal 
only, his opinion is cited as of considerable weight. He averred, that he - 
had had the wind at south and south-east, which had enabled him to run 
down the coast without difficulty in high latitudes. His opinion was, that 
they ought not to get in with the coast before they reached the latitude of 
49° ; and don Maurelle, whose account is here abridged, agreed with him. 

On the 9th of July, the Spaniards reckoned themselves to be in the lati- 
tude of 47° 40^ in which, according to the French charts, though they 
found these very defective with regard to these parts for the want of au- 
thentic materials, lay an entrance, or river, said to have been discovered in 
1592 by Juan de Fuca. They observed, that the sea was coloured as m 
soundings, and they saw numbers of fish, reeds twenty feet long, and a 
species of sea-weed with a head resembling an orange (we presume the 
bonnet fiamandf). Every circumstance induced them to suppo.se,, that they 
were not far from land. 

On the nth they saw land, distant about twelve leagues; and on the 
evening of the 12th they were not more than a league from the shore, 
when they distinguished various headlands, many small islands, and also 
mountains covered with snow. They likewise saw a barren island, about 

* This Juan Pare, was no doubt the pilot for the Philippine Islands 
undertaken in 1769, at which time the Spaniards did not pursue their researches so far to the north 

"st 775 -P^<^^^'- ^PP"" ""T" re tables 

t BoL^famand is a name we are unacquainted with, but the marine plant m question resembles, 

■ an orange in size,, in form, and in colour,, aud is called hy Linn^us, alcyonnm lyncunum, by Pallas, 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WOPvLD. 



99: 



half a league in circumference, which they called ^/d- Do/ores, Here they 
reckoned themselves by estimation in the latitude of 47° 39\ and in the 
longitude of 2 r 53' west from the meridian of San Bias. 

On the 13th they anchored two leagues and half from the land, in 30 
fathoms water, to wait for the frigate, which was to leeward. Latitude 47° 
£ 8', longitude 2 1 ° 3 4' west of San Bias . 

In the evening they got under way ; and when the vessels joined, they 
anchored again, in eight fathoms: latitude 47° Ql', longitude 21° 19' west 
of the meridian from which they took their departure. 

The natives of the country appeared in considerable numbers in canoes, 
and came on board the Spanish vessels. They bartered the fkins which 
they brought for articles made of copper, and pieces of this metal *, which 
they alked for by putting their hands on the rudder-irons. 

The Spaniards went on shore for wood and water ; but the Americans, 
having planted themselves in ambuscade, wounded several f, while on the 
part of the natives many were killed. 

On the 1 4th of July the Spaniards departed, the wind continuing to blow 
from the north and north-west. 

August the 1st, a thick fog. They bore away from the coast. 
August the 5th, the wind at south-west. 

The i3th, the colour of the water changed ; they saw many orange- 
head sea- weeds and birds. 

On the 14th and I5th the signs of land increased, when they found 

* Barrington says iron. T. 

t According to Barrington the whole of the boat's crew were killed, T. 



100 



VOYAGE ROUND THE V/OPXD. 

themselves in north latitude 56° «^ a hundred and fifty-four leagues* west 
of the continent, and sixty-nine leagues from an island laid down upon 
their chart, which likewise pointed out an archipelago in the same parallel. 
Mr Barrington supposes, that this wa§ the chart of don Juan Perez f, who 
had already been on a voyage to the north : but we know nothmg more of 
this island, for it is not even said in the journal whether it lay east or west 
of the vessel. It is very probable, however, that Maurelle intended som.e 
i4and near the peninsula of Alashka, such as the Trinity Island of Cook; 
and that he considered Alashka and the adjacent islands as constitutn^g an 
archipelago. This appears to have been the opinion of the Russians, be- 
fore Cook's discoveries threw light on this part of America. 

At noon on the l6th the Spaniards saw land to the north-west, distant 
six leagues, and it soon afterwards opened to the north-east, presentmg 
considerable headlands and mountains, one of which was of an immense 
height, being situate on a projecting cape, and of tk^ most regular and 
beautiful form that Maurelle had ever seen. It was also quite detached 
from the great ridge of mountains. It's top was covered with snow, under 
which appeared some wide gullies, which continue down to about the 
middle of the mountain, and thence to the bottom are trees of the same 
kind as those at Trinidad, before described to be pines. 

The Spaniards named this mountain San Jacinto, or S^ Hyacinth ; and the 
cape, delEnganno. or Deceit. They are both in thelatitude of 57° 2 north, , 
according to the journal, and from two repeated observations at a mile s 
distance, the longitude was found to be 34° 1 2' west of San Bias. The au-- 
thor does not say, however, what means he employed for observing the 
longitude : though he informs us, that the principal points on the coast 
weit fixed in their chart by the situation of this cape. Mr. Barrington, 

the north; for in the expedition of 1769, in which he was en.ployed, the Spaniards advanced 
ther than Port Monterey, in the latitude of 36° 40 or 44 . - 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

though he procured a copy of the narrative which he has translated, could 
not obtain a sight of the chart. • 

On the 17th the wind blew moderately from the south, by means of 
which they entered a bay, that was three leagues wide at it's mouth, and 
which was protected on the north * by Cape del Enganno. On the side 
opposite to this cape they discovered a port more than a league wide at the 
entrance, perfectly secure from all winds but the south. They nearly ap- 
proached the sides of this bay, and never found less than fifty fathoms in 
depth ; but they could not perceive any kind of flat or plain, as the moun- 
tains come quite down to the shore. Notwithstanding this, they distin- 
guished a small river; to which, however, it being night, they paid no at- 
tention, but let go their anchor in sixty- six fathoms, clayey bottom. 

This port, situate in latitude 57° 11, and longitude 34° 12' west of San 
Bias, they named Guadelupe. 

On the 1 8th they sailed again, with little wind ; when two canoes, with 
four Indians in each, two men and two women, appeared, but did not seem 
to wish to come on board, making signs, that the Spaniards should go on 
shore. They continued their course, hov/ever, the wind being north-west, 
till nine in the morning ; when they entered another port, not so large 
indeed, but the adjacent country much more desirable to navigators, as a 
river of eight or ten feet wide empties itself here, while the harbour is 
protected from almost every wind, by means of a long ridge of lofty islands, 
almost joining each other, with anchorage of eighteen fathoms, on a sandy 
bottom. Here they anchored at a pistol-shot from the land. On the bank 
of the river they saw a high house, and a parapet of timber supported by 
stakes driven into the ground, where they observed ten Indian men, beside 
women and children. 



101 



* So it stands, both in Barfington and the French : but it certainly should be south, for the bay is 
said to be 9' farther north than Cape del Enganno, and the Spaniards reached it with the wind at 
south. T. 



02 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



They named this port de los 'Remedies ; and found, that it was situate in 
north latitude 57° IS', and longitude 34^ 12' west of San Bias. 

Here they planted a cross on the land, cut another on the rock, and per- 
formed the ceremony of taking possession, according to their instructions. 
They then fixed upon a place, to wood and water. 

While this was doing, the Americans did not quit their parapet: but as 
soon as the Spaniards were gone, they came and took away the cross, fixed 
it on the front of their house in the proper direction, and at the -same time 
made signs with their open arms, that they had thus taken possession of the 
cross. 

On the 19di, the Spaniards having landed to procure wood and water, 
the Americans immediately appeared on the opposite bank of the river. 
They were without arms, and displayed a white leaf oia J from a pole. 
The Spaniards made signs, that they came only for water; on which the 
chief of the Indians, conceiving that they were very thirsty, advanced into 
the middle of the river, holding in his hands a cup of water, and some dried 
fish, which were received by one of the Spaniards, and presented by him to 
their commander, who sent the Americans in exchange some bugles and 
small pieces of cloth. The Indians, however, were not to be so satisfied, 
but insisted on other barter for the water; which the Spaniards refusing, 
the Indians threatened them with long and large lances pointed with flint, 
to which they paid no farther attention, than keeping on their guard. 
When the Indians found, that their visitors had no design to attack them, 
they withdrew : as did the Spaniards, when they had procured water, and 
the vvood they wanted. 

The mouth of the river abounds with fish : the country is covered with 
pines, as at the harbour of Trinidad : the inhabitants are clothed in the 
same majiner, wearing likewise over their hair a cap, which covers the 
whole head. These Indians appear, from different circumstances, to possess 
a certain degree of civilisation. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 

The Spaniards found the weather excessively cold, with much rain, and 
fogs, and did not see the sun during the three days they staid here. 

On the 21st they sailed, with the, wind at south-east, steering north- 
west. 



103 



On the 24th, being in latitude 57° I?', they doubled a cape, and entered 
Into a large bay, discovering to the north an arm of the sea, where the tem- 
perature was very unpleasant from cold, but the sea perfectly smooth, being 
sheltered from the wind. The anchorage in this arm of the sea is very 
good; fresh water in abundance, from rills and pools; and plenty of fish. 
Being becalmed, the schooner rowed till she reached the entrance, where 
she anchored in twenty fathoms water, soft muddy bottom. This place 
was named Porto Biicarelli, from the viceroy of Mexico. Here they ex- 
perienced a pleasant temperature, which they ascribed to some volcanoes, 
the light of which they perceived in the night, tliough at a considerable 
distance. 

The Spaniards took possession of the country in the name of his catholic 
majesty, and laid in wood and water here. From a hut, some paths, and 
other signs, they presumed the country to be inhabited, though they saw 
no person. 

From two observations, made on different days, they found the latitude 
of Port Bucarelli to be 55^ \ Y , and longitude 3«.° 9^ west of San Bias. 



Hi 



i 



Their latitude on the 22d, by observation, at noon, was 5T 18'; and 
they ran along the coast as far as 58°, without making any discovery; 
whence they concluded, that none of the supposed straits or entrances here 
existed. Sickness had prevailed for some time among the crew; and as 
it's fatal effects increased daily, they deemed it impracticable to pursue 
their search to a higher latitude. Accordingly they desisted, and steered 
their course south-east. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

The mountains near this port are covered with trees of the same kinds as 
those seen on the less northern parts of the coast. 

At the distance of six leagues to the south, they perceived an island of a 
moderate height, v^hich they named the Island of San Carlos: and on the 
29th they sailed with a gentle breeze at north, but which fell calm at noon, 
when they were opposite to a bare island, which scarcely appeared above 
the sea, and to the east and west of which were many rocks. Here 
they anchored in twenty-two fathoms, about two leagues distant from the 
Island of San Carlos. 

In this situation they observed a cape, at the distance of four or five 
leagues, which they named Cape St. Augustin ; after which the coast 
trended so much to the east, that they lost sight of it. They found also, 
that there were here such violent currents in opposite directions, that they 
could not sound: and as these currents appeared to follow the direction of 
the tide, and to depend on It, they concluded, that the opening which they 
perceived into the land might be a river, or that at least this entrance com- 
municated only with the Great Northern Ocean*. 

Cape Augustin is nearly in 55° north latitude: and as the season was 
not yet advanced, the zeal of the Spaniards revived, so that, in order to ful- 
fil the intentions of his catholic majesty, expressed in their instructions, they 
resolved to attempt once more to resume their course to the north. 

On the 28th the wind was variable, obliging them to approach the coast 
at 55° 50', when in the evening it fixed to the south-west, according to 
their wishes. 

On the 29th and 30th the wind was south, though often veering to the 

* In Barrington's translation no mention made of a river: on the contrary, his words are: ''as 
these currents ro.e and fell with the tide, it should seem that this inlet hath no commumcation but 
with the sea." Miscellanies, p. 510. T. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

south-west, with occasional squalls and tornadoes, accompanied by high seas 
till the 1st of September. In this interval they were carried to the latitude 
of66°50\ 

At the beginning of September the wind was variable, but on the 6th it 
fixed in the south-west, blowing quite a storm. 

On the 7th the wind abated, and on the morning of the 8th it came round 
to the north-west, when they endeavoured to get in with the coast, in lati- 
tude 55% finding themselves, since the storm, with only one seaman who 
could stand to the helm, while the captain, or Maurelle, attended the sails. 
They now gave up all thoughts of pursuing their discoveries to the north. 

On the 1 ith they saw land, at the distance of eight or nine leagues, in 
latitude 53°54'^ but as they wished not to approach so near as to be unable 
to leave it, they kept at a proper distance, having it in view, however, 
from day to day, but not examining it's capes, bays, and ports. It was not 
till they had reached the latitude of 47° 3', when they were not farther di~ 
stant than a mile, that they attended to all proper particulars, so as to lay 
them down on their chart. > 

On the 20th they were within half a league of the coast, precisely at the 
same point as on the 13th of July ; but they found a difference of 17 Spa- 
nish leagues between their longitudes, estimated at the two periods. 

On the 22d they steered their course for Monterey, with the wind at 
north-west. 

On the 24th they saw land in the latitude of 45-^ Qf, and sailed along the 
coast, about a cannon-shot distant from it. During the night they lay to, 
reckoning themselves to be in the supposed latitude of the entrance of Mar- 
de Aguilar, the existence and situation of which they wished to verify 
They continued their search to the parallel of 45« 60\ when they disco- 
vered a cape, exactly resembling a round table, in the longitude of 20° 4' 

VOL. I. ^ & ^ 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

west of San Bias, from which the coast trends to the south-west;' v'^his 
cape they named Cape Mezari^. They saw here ten small islands, an'd 
some others scarcely above the surface of the sea. As they could see no- 
thing of Martin de Aguilar's river in this second trial, they concluded, that 
it was not to be found. The writer of the journal admits, however, that 
de Aguilar assigned the latitude of 43° to it's entrance: but he observes, 
that the instruments used by that navigator in 1603 must have been very 
defective, and consequently no dependence could be placed on his latitude. 
It may be conjectured, he adds, that de Aguilar gave the latitude too far 
north, and that we might have found it in 42°, or less : but of this there 
can be little expectation, since we examined all that part of the coast, ex- 
cept about 50 minutes of latitude. 

On their way to Monterey, they endeavoured to make for the Port of 
San Francisco, which having discovered in 3 8° 1 s', they entered a bay, suf- 
ficiently sheltered from the north and south-west, where they distinguished 
the mouth of a considerable river, and some way up a large port, exactly 
resembling a dock. They concluded this to be the harbour of San Fran- 
cisco, of which they were in search, as the History of California places it in 
38^ 4'. The sea ran too high to allow them to enter this port : but as they 
neither saw any inhabitants, nor the small islands which are said to be op- 
posite to it, they began to doubt, whether this were in reality the harbour 
of San Francisco, ''in this state of suspense, they cast anchor near the 
northernmost of the points, or capes, which form the entrance of the port, 
and gave it the name of Funta de Arenas, or Sandy Point. 

- A vast number of Indians now appeared at both points, and passed from 
one to the other in small canoes. Two of the canoes at length came along- 
side the ship, and presented the Spaniards with plumes and garlands of 
feathers, and a canister of seeds, which tasted very much like walnuts. Bu- 
gles, looking-glasses, and pieces of cloth, were given them in exchange. 



* I do not see this name in Barrington. T. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



These Indians are large and strong, and of the same complexion as those 
of the whole coast. Their disposition is most liberal, as they seemed to 
expect no return for what they gave : a circumstance not experienced 
among those to the northward. 

The state of their sick prevented them from staying to examine and take 
the soundings of this port: but, not being able to persuade themselves that 
it was San Francisco, they named it de la Bodega. 

There can be no doubt, that this was the same harbour as Drake disco- 
vered on the 17th of June, 1579, the latitude of which he lays down in 
38° 30'. His account of the inhabitants agrees with the recent report of 
the Spaniards. These fix the latitude of de la Bodega in 38° 18^ and it's 
longitude in 1 8° 4' west of San Bias. The latitude given by sir Francis 
Drake differs from that of the Spaniards but 1 2' : and this may be consi- 
dered, for the time when he made the observation, and the instruments he 
employed, as very exact. Mr. Barrington very justly reproaches the Spa- 
niards, for their unwillingness to allow this harbour to retain the name of 
the "brave heretic," who first discovered the north-western coast of Ame- 
rica, of which he took possession for the English crown by the name of 
New Albion. 

On the 4th of October, the Spaniards quitted the Harbour of Sir Fran- 
cis Drake, at the first flow of the tide, when, it's direction being contrary 
to that of the current of the river, the sea ran so high, that it broke all over 
the schooner, and stove her boat to pieces along side. 

There is not sufficient depth of water at the mouth of this harbour, for 
a vessel at anchor to resist the violence of the surge, when the tide and cur- 
rent meet. The writer of the journal says, if they had been apprized of 
this circumstance, they would either have continued where they were first 
at anchor, or sailed fartljer from the mouth of the harbour. In all parts 
where they had an opportunity of sounding, the bottom was nearly of the 
same depth. Don Maurelle says, that it is very easy to enter the port with 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

' the prevailing wind of north-west : biit he thinks, that in leaving it, with 
the wind in this quarter, it is necessary to get farther owt to sea from the 
points ; a precaution not necessary,, when the wind blows from the south- 
west, east, or south. 

The mountains near this port are entirely naked j but those more inland 
were covered with trees. The plains had a good verdure, and seemed to 
invite cultivation. Drake's account says, that he named this country New 
Albion for two reasons:: the first, because, from the nature of the banks, ' 
and white cliffs, which skirt the coast, it offers the same appearance to the 
eye as England : the second, because it was just and reasonable, that the 
, land should bear the name of his country, who first landed upon it. 

The Spaniards, as was observed above, quitted Drake's Harbour on the 
4th of October j and having doubled the cape which they named de.l Cordon,. 
forming with Cape de las Arenas the entrance of the port,, they steered a 
south-south- west course, with a moderate wind at west, in order to reach 
a cape, which appeared to the south, at the distance of about five leagues. 

On the 5th they sailed near some small islands, lying to the west, and 
opposite the harbour they had just left. 

On the 7th they anchored in Port Monterey, in three fathoms, sandy 
bottom. They fixed the latitude of it at 36° 44" *, and the longitude at 
17° west of San Bias. 

On the 1st of November they quitted this port: of which they did not: 
lose sight, however, till the 4th at noon, when the wind became favour- 
able, blowing from the north-west ; and they continued steering south tili 
■ the 13th, when they approached the coast of California, and kept along it 
as far as Cape San Lucar, which they doubled on the l6th, at six in th.e 
' evening. 

* The pilots employed m the expedition of 1 7^9-7^ S^^^« ^he Jatitude 36° 4fe'» 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

They supposed this cape to be in latitude 49', and longitude west of 
San Bias 5°. 

On the 16th they saw the three Islands of Maria ; and on the 20th they 
re-entered the Port of San Bias, from which they had sailed two hundred 
and sixty days before. 

For tracing the north-western coast of America, on the chart of the 
Great Northern Ocean delivered to M^de la Perouse, the geographical 
positions laid down by the Spaniards have been followed, in the parts exa- 
mined^ by them, and not visited by captain Cook ; taking them in con- 
nexion with those of captain Cook, which have served to adjust their situ* 
ations. To the chart of the Great Equatorial Ocean have been added sepa-i 
rate charts of certain coasts, and plans of harbours and bays, differing in 
some points from those of the same parts given with the narrative of Cook's 
third Voyage. M*" de la Perouse may have an opportunity of ascertaining 
which of the plans has been delineated with the greater accuracy. It is not 
yet a matter of certainty, whether that portion of Aiuerica, which stretches 
out in a point to the south-west, be an island,, or a peninsula. The Rus- 
sian charts, that of Stashlin> in particular*, represent all the land comprised 
under the name of Alaschkaas one large island, separated from the continent 
by a channel forty leagues wide, with several smaller islands to the north 
and north-east of Alaschka. Captain Cook has examined this coast suffici- 
ently near, in the parts which he explored, to satisfy himself, that it was - 
not intersected by channels, and that the continent continues uninterrupted; 
at least to the vicinity of the Island of Shumagin. But he suspected, that 
there might be a strait to the north-north-west of the Island of Hatibut^ 
separating the peninsula of Alaschka from another tract, of land to the 
south- v/est, which is laid down in. the chart by the, name of the Island of ' 
Oonemak. 

de-la Perouse is referred to Cook's third Voyage, Vol. 11. p. 403 and 



* An Account of- the new Northern Archipelago, lately discovered by. the Russians, in the Seas of 
Kamtschatka and Anadir, &c.j London, 8ro. 1774. 



■VOYAGE ROUND THE WOPvLD. 



488, and to the annexed charts, as well as to those which form a part of 
the manuscript collection delivered to him. 

42. The Aleutian or Fox Islands, and others supposed to be situate to 
the west, west- south-west, and west- north-west of these. 

Captain Cook visited the Islands of Oonalashka only, which constitute a 
part of the Fox Islands, and the strait between these islands, with some of 
the harbours belonging to them. With regard to the other islands of this 
group, and those of other groups more to the west, we know nothing of 
them but from the accounts of the Russians, which are too inaccurate to 
deserve any confidence. M de la Perouse will consider them as nothing 
more than a vocabulary, and examine these islands with the same caution, 
as if they were absolutely unknown. He will find all these accounts col- 
lected in Coxe's work entitled Discoveries of the Russians, and in the 
chart annexed to it, which exhibits a view of all the discoveries made by 
this nation to the east of Kamtschatka. See p. 164—297 of the original, 
and p. 149 — 194 of the French translation. 

43. The Port of Avatscha, or of St. Peter and St. Paul, at the point of- 
the peninsula of Kamtschatka. 

The collection of manuscript charts delivered to M"^ de la Perouse con- 
tains a separate plan of this harbour, on a large scale, different from that to 
be found in Cook's third Voyage, to which he is referred for such nautical 
details, and other particulars, as may be of utility to him when he puts into 
this port. 

See Cook's third Voyage, Vol. III. p. 183 and following, p. 284 and 
following. 

■ 44. The Kuri/e Islands. 



Captain Gore, who succeeded captains Cook and Gierke in the 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. , • 

mand, towards the end of the third voyage made by the EngHsh in the 
Great Northern Ocean, explored none of the Kuriles, which he passed hy, 
running along the eastern coast. 

If we may believe Muller *, Yeso, or Jeso, appears to be the name given 
by the Japanese to all the islands, which the Russians call the KuriUki, or 
Kuriles. The first and northernmost of these islands is a very little way 
from the southern point of Kamtschatka f : a boat will row from one to 
the other in two or three hours. It is to be presumed, from these ac- 
counts, that the islands nearest to Kamtschatka are alone tributary to 
Russia, and that those farther south are independent of the empress. 
Muller describes all these islands as follows, beginning with the northern- 
most. 

1. Schumfschu. 

2. Purumuschur, two or three hours' sail from the first. 
Muschu or Ouikutan, half a day's sail from the second. 

4. Vjachkupa, to the west of th^ .preceding three, and at some distance 
from the first. 

5. Sirinki, opposite the strait which separates the second and third. 

6. Kukumma, a small uninhabited island, to the south-west of the 
fifth. 



in 



7. Araumakutan, a volcano, uninhabited. 

8. Siaskutan, very thinly peopled, but the inhabitants of the neigh- 
bouring islands meet in it to trade. ^ 

! ^" " Voyages and Discoveries of the Russians." 

t Called the Point of Lopatka. 



r 




11% 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 
5. Ikarma, a small, desert island, on the west of the eighth, 

. Maschautsch, a small, desert island, south-west from the ninth. 
. Jgaitu, a small, desert island, to the south-east of the eighth. 



10 

.11 



1^. 5(r/^o/5^/^/, a. day's sail from Ikarma. 

13. Motogo, a small island to the south. 

14. Schascho'way , , ■ • i j 

The sameu N. B. Between these three islands the 

15. Vschhchir. > currents are very strong, and the tide rises very 

high. 

16. Kitui, - 

;17. SchimuscMr,, inhabited. 

18. TscUrpui, remarkable for a lofty mountain. _ 

,9. Iturpu, a large island, well peopled, covered with extensive forests. 
We found on it bears, and different kinds of animals. 1'^^°^ 
anchoring places, and rivers capable of admitting ships. The mhab.tants 
of thk Isfand are believed to be independent of Russia, and to acknow- 

ledge no sovereignty. 

40. Urup. MuUer says he is assured, that the inhabitants of this island 
are independent. 

21. Kunaschir. This island is the largest of all that have been men- 
tioned, and it's population numerous. 

22. Matmai, or Matmmai. the last and largest of the whole. The ca- 
pital town, bearing also the name of Matmai, is seated on the sea-shore. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

in die south-west. It was built by the Japanese, by whom it is inhabited ^ 
is a fortified place, provided with artillery, and defended by a numerous 
garrison. The Island of Matmai is a place of exile for persons of distinction, 
who have fallen into disgrace at Japan : from which empire it is separated 
only by a channel of no great width, which is -considered as dangerous, be- 
cause the navigation is rendered difficult by the capes that project on either 
side. 

The English, in Cook's third voyage, examined only the first and second 
of the Kuriles : but they collected some interesting details relative to these 
islands in general, and to some of them in particular, from the pastor of 
Paratounka. It appears, that the dominion of Russia extends no farther 
than, the island of Uschischir, set down as the fifteenth, and that all the fol- 
lowing are independent. The inhabitants of these islands are reputed to 
be by no means insensible to acts of friendship, and to be hospitable, 
generous, and humane. See Cook'sthird Voyage, Vol. III. p. 37s. 

Consult also the Considerations geographiques ef physiques of Ph. Buache, 
p. 55, &c. , . 

45. The 7W of Teso orjeso. It has been observed in the preceding 
note, that the Japanese confound this country vs^ith the Kurile Islands : but 
it is generally supposed, that it ought to be distinguished from them. 
Cook's voyage has procured us no information in this respect: it even 
appears, that, for making out the general chart of his voyage in this part, 
nothing more has been done, than to copy the common maps. 

For this land, the different accounts collected by Philip Buache, andin« 
serted in- his Considerations geographiques et physiques, p. 75 and following, 
may be consulted. See too the charts belonging to that work, and a series 
of views taken by the Dutch, when ihej explored part of this land in 
■1643. 



To the collection delivered to 

VOL. I. 



de la Perouse has been added a copy 



r 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

of the chart made out by the Dutch, which exhibits all the particulars of 
their discoveries. 

46. Eastern coast of ^apan. A chart of a small portion of this coast,, 
and the nautical observations relative to it, are to be found in Cook's third. 
Voyage j see voL III. p. 397 and following. See likewise the chart in. 
the collection delivered to de la Perouse. 

47. The Islands oj Lekeyo, to the south-West of Japan. Philip Buache, 
in \ih Considerations geographiques et physiques, ^. 130, has given extracts 
of all the letters, which the missionaries have written concerning these 
islands, respecting. which we have yet little information, on which any de- 
pendence can be placed. See also the Lettres edifanteSj ** Instructive 
Letters." 

48. A large island^ populous and wealthy, said to have been discovered 
by the Spaniards about the year i600. 

Respecting this island the following note will be found in the Philoso-- 
phical Transactions, N° 109, p. 201, paragraph 11, end of volume VII, 
VIII, IX, for 1674. 

In the South Sea, at the 574 ''northern latitude, and about 400 Spa- 
nish, or 343 Dutch, miles, that is, 28° longitude east of Japan, there lies 
a very great and high island, inhabited by a white, handsome, kind and 
civilised people, exceeding opulent in gold and silver, as had been experi- 
mented many years since by a Spanish ship sailing from the Manilles to 
New Spain ; insomuch that the king of Spain, in the year 1 610 or 1611, 
for further discovery, and to take possession of the same, set out a ship 
from Acapulco to Japan, which by ill conduct proved successless: since 
which time the prosecution of that discovery has been neglected." 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 



Supplement. 

49. The Carolina Islands. A separate chart of these islands has been 
constructed from that of father Cantova, and the accounts of other mission- 
aries, an abstract of which has been collected, and printed by way of sup- 
plement, in the Histoire des Navigations aux T ?rres Australes of the presi- 
dent de Brosses, vol. II. p. 443 and following. 

50. An island to the southward, between Mindanao and 'the Moluccas, 
For all these parts see captain Forster's Voyage to New Guinea. 

de la Perouse will find, in the collection put into his hands, a separate 
chart of the straits between the Island of Waygew and New Guinea, and a 
x:hart of the western part of New Guinea, with the Aroo Islands, and part 
of the Island of Ceram. 

These charts may be useful, if contrary winds should oblige him to run 
through these straits. M'' de la Perouse may consult likewise a chart,, to 
be found in the Histoire des Navigations aux Terrcs Australes, vol. II. 
p. 310, under the title of a Chart of the Papua Islands, copied from the 
original of M'' Isaac Tirion, a Dutchman. Every thing in it respecting 
these parts agrees with what captain Forster has more recently published. 

'51. Straits' to the east and west of the Island of Timor. In the account 
of Dampier's voyages de la Perouse will find instructions, that may 
assist him in directing the course of his ships through which ever of 
these straits circumstances and the v/ind may induce him to prefer;. 

The collection delivered to him contains separate plans of several of 
these passages, as the straits of Allass, Lomboc, Solor, Sapy, and others, 
between the southern islands pf the Asiatic archipelago, little frequented 
% European navigators. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD'. 

de la Perouse will observe, that the southern and eastern parts of the- 
Island of Sumbava, or Combava,, have never yet been explored. 

5 2. For the Isle of France and the Cape of Good Hope, he is referred to. 
th€ Neptune Oriental oiW Dapres, and the Instructions annexed to ir. 

5S. Th.t Isla?2ds of Marsevee?! and Be?iia.. 

Tliese are two small islands, known to the Dutck, to which they are said 
to send for wood, yet of which the position is not determined. Captain 
CQok regrets, that he had- it not in his. power to search for these islands: 
second Voyage, vol. 11. p. 244 and 240. In the chart of the Southern 
Ocean they are laid down conformably to the situation allotted them in the 
general chart to Cook's third Voyage, that is to say, Marseveen, the more 
northern of the two, in 40« 30^ south latitude, and 2° 45' east of the meri» 
dian of the Cape of Good Hope, Denia, in the latitude of 4 \% and longitude 
3° east of the Cape: but it is to be observed, that on Halley's variation chart 
they are placed in the latitude of 4 V 30\ and about 4° east from the meri- 
dian of the Cape. 

54. Cape, or Island, of Circumcision, discovered on the 1st of January, 
1739, by M"" de Lozier-Bouvet. 

This navigator sailed from the Island of Santa Catarina, on the coast of 
Brasil The chart he used was that of Peter Gooz, which places this 
island in the longitude of 333= from the meridian of TenerifFe, correspond- 
ing to 46° west from the meridian of Paris. The calculation of his course 
from the Island of Santa Catarina to Cape Circumcision gives- 53° 45^ dif- 
ference of longitude east; whence he concluded the longitude of this cape 
to be 26° or 27° east from Teneriffe, that is T or 8° east from Pans. 

But longitude of the place, from which M-Bouvet took his depart- 
ure, was kid down in the chart he used 4° too far east : for the longitude of 
Santa Catarina, corrected by those which recent observations h^ve assigned 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



117 



to Rio Janeiro and Buenos Ayres, must be 329° from the meridian of Te- 
neriffe, instead of 333°, or 50° west of Paris, instead of 46°. Now, if 50° 
west, the longitude of Santa Catarina, be subtracted from 53° 45\ the east- 
ing made by M'' Bouvet, there will remain 3° 4 3' east for the longitude of 
Cape Circumcision, instead of 7° or 8°, which Bouvet had allotted k; and 
which indeed he could not avoid giving it from the chart of Peter Gooz, 
which carried ihe Island of Santa Catarina, or the meridian of departure, 4° 
too far east. ■ 

le Monnier, of the Academy of Sciences, has attempted to determine 
the longitude of Cape Circumcision from the theory of the variation of the 
needle ; and he places it between 1" and east of Paris. See his Disse?-- 
tation in answer to- M' Wales^ printed at the end of the first volume of the 
French translation of Cook's third Voyage. 

But as differences of meridian deduced from the variation of the needle 
can be nothing more than approximations, liable to considerable uncertainty, 
it has been thought most advisable, to adopt the difference of meridian re-^ 
suiting from the calculation of M' Bouvet's course from the Island of Santa 
Catarina^ to Cape Circumcision, without presuming, however, that this 
navigator's reckoning was altogether exempt from errors. Accordingly, in 
the chart of the Southern Ocean, this cape has been placed 3° 45.^ east of 
Paris. 

From this situation, . founded on the reasons above assigned, we shall no 
longer be surprised, that, if the Cape, or Island, of Circumcision exist, as 
there, is every reason to presume, it escaped the search both of captain Cook 
and captain Furneaux ; as the former, coming from the west, did not get 
into the latitude of this Cape, which is in 54° south, till about 8° east of 
Greenwich, or 5° M' east of Paris, and the latter got into this parallel 10° 
30' east from Greenwich, or about S° from Paris : thus both of them must 
liave passed it, before they reached it's latitude. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD 



LETTER 

FROM THE MARSHAL DE CASTRIES TO M' DE CON« 
DORCET, PERPETUAL SECRETARY TO THE ACADEMY 
OF SCIENCES. 

VERSAILLES, MARCH, 1795.' 

SIR, 

THE king having resolved to dispatch two of his frigates on a voyage, 
which may accompHsh objects of advantage to his service, and at the same 
time be the means of extensive improvement in the knowledge and de- 
scription of the terraqueous globe, it were to be wished that the Academy 
of Sciences would take the trouble of drawing up a memoir, exhibiting in 
detail the various physical, astronomical, geographical, and other obser- 
vations, which it may deem most convenient and important to be made, 
both at sea, during the course of the voyage, and on the islands, or lands, 
that may be visited. To guide the views of the academy with regard to 
the plan it may adopt, I must inform you, sir, that his majesty's ships 
will have to penetrate as far as the 6oth degree of latitude, both north and 
south, and that they will traverse in longitude the whole circumferencce of 
the globe. The academy, therefore, may comprise in its speculations nearly 
all the islands and coasts that are known, and ail the surface of the sea,^ in 
either hemisphere, included between the two grand masses of land which 
form the continents. 

V/hile thus inviting the academy to engage in a labour, which will 
afford his majesty much satisfaction, you may assure it, sir, that the greatest 
attention will be paid to the observations and experiments it may point 
out 5 and that no endeavours will be wanting completely to fulfil its de- 
siresj as far as the circumstances of the voyage will permit. His majesty 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



will reflect with pleasure, that, the united erudition of the Academy of Sci- 
ences concurring with the love of glory and the zeal that animates his naval 
officers, he may promise himself the most ample harvest, for the advance- 
ment of the sciences, from an expedition,, the principal object of which is 
to promote their progress^ 

MEMOIR 

DRAWN UP BY THE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES,, FOR THE 
ASTRONOMERS AND OTHERS EMBARKED UNDER THE 
COMMAND OF M^ DE LA PEROU3E. 

THE marshal de Castries having required of the academy, on the part of 
the king, a memoir, pointing out such observations as it may deem of most 
importance to be made, in the voyage round the world undertaken for the 
improvement of science, the academy has directed each of the first pen- 
sioners of its different classes, to collect the papers furnished by the 
members of his respective class : these papers it has appointed a committee 
of four to revise : and it now hastens to lay the general result before the 
minister, as a proof of its desire to co-operate by its -care and zeal, in the^ 
execution of an enterprise, the success of which will redound to the glory 
of the king and the nation, and the advancement of science. 

For the sake of order and perspicuity, the academy has thoughfit advi- 
sable, first to bring together in one point of view observations relative to 
different sciences, which are allied by the nature of their object,- though- 
cultivated by different classes. Such are the observations which con- 
cern those branches of knowledge, on which- the classes of geometry, astro- 
nomy, and mechanics, are occupied. These observations more naturally 
claim a place at the head of this memoir, because they are connected with 
cosmography, and thus have a more immediate- relation to the princip^ak 
object of the voyage. 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

Geometry, Astronomy, Mechanics. 

One of the most interesting inquiries, which navigators can have an op- 
portunity of making, is that vs^hich relates to the determination of the length 
of the pendulum in different latitudes. The inductions hitherto drawn 
from this instrument, for determining the difference of gravitation, have . 
been founded on experiments few in number, made by different persons, 
and with different instruments : and this want of uniformity in the opera- 
tions inust have some influence on the certainty of the consequences 
deduced from a comparison of the results. The value of a series of observa- 
tions of this kind, made with care, by the same persons, with the same 
instruments, is sufficiently obvious : and the academy cannot too urgently 
request the navigators, to pursue this object with all possible precision, in 
every place at which they may stop. - - . ■ 

The determination of longitudes will be of course one of the principal 
points, to which the navigators will attend : but, that the greater advantage 
may accrue fi'om their researches, with respect to this subject, the academy 
recommends it to them, to preserve their original calculations of the lon- 
gitude from the distances observed between the moon and stars; as thereby, if 
any astronomer should hereafter correct, byfresh observations made on shore, 
the elements they may employ for determining the longitude in question, 
this core-ction may be applied to the rectification of such longitude. 

The navigators provided with Ephemerides, will know before hand the 
time of the different eclipses, which will occur during the course of their 
voyage, as well as the places where they will be visible. The academy 
wishes, that they would not content themselves with barely noting the 
instant of the commencement and of the end of these eclipses, but that they 
would point out the situation of the horns, and that in the minutest detail. 

The phenomena of the tides are so closely connected with navigation, 
that they cannot fail to engage the attention of navigators. They will 
observe, in particular, the double tide of each day with great care. Thp 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

academy thinks it not unnecessary to remind them, that we have yet no 
exact observations of the tides on the western coast of Africa, on that of 
America, and at the Molucca and Philippine Islands. 

As to the geographical observations, they will be guided by the plan 
traced out to the navigators by his majesty. 

The academy will only add here a copy of some remarks on this subject 
commumcated to it by Buache, it's associate in the class of geography. 



Natural Philosophy. 

Among the great number of phenomena, which the study of natural 
philosophy embraces, it is of importance, that the navigators should par- 
ticularly bend their attention to those, which are subjected to the operation 
of a regular cause, but the intensity of which is subject to variations, ac- 
cording to places and circumstances, which a series of reiterated obser- 
vations alone can determine. 

Of this kind is the variation of the compass. 

As the noting of the variation of the needle constitutes an essential part 
of the means which will be employed by the navigators for their guidance 
the academy confines itself, on this head, to recommending to them when 
they shall make any stay on shore, to observe the diurnal variations of the 
needle, by means of the accurate instruments with which they will be 
iurmshed for the purpose. 

It has been ascertained, by observations made at first at Brest, Cadiz, 
i^enffe, and Goree on the coast of Africa, and afterwards at Brest and 
Guadeloupe, that the intensity of the magnetic power of the needle is sen- 
«bly the same at these different places. The academy wishes, that the 
navigators would repeat these observations in a greater extent of country. 



121 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

estimating the magnetic power by the duration of the oscillations of a 
good dipping-needle. The observations in question cannot be made with 
any great accuracy, unless on shore, or in a roadstead: yet it would be 
well to make trials also at sea, in very calm weather, when perhaps they 
may'obtain results of sufficient exactness. It would be particularly mter- 
esting to examine the intensity of the magnetic power in those points 
where the dip is the greatest, and where it is the least. 

The academy likewise recommends to the navigators, to observe, with 
great care, the dip of the needle, at every port in which they may anchor, 
and even at sea, when the weather will permit them. In the latter case, it 
will be proper to note the uncertainty of the observation, and point out 
nearly it's degree of precision. 

It also invites the navigators, to keep an accurate register of the height of 
the barometer, in the vicinity of the equator, at different hours of the day , 
with a view to the discovery, if possible, of the quantity of the variation 
of this instrument owing to the influence of the sun and of the moon ; 
this variation being there at it's maximum, while the variations owmg to the 
ordinary causes are at their minmum. It is unnecessary to remark, that 
these delicate observations should be made on shore, and with the grea est 
precaution. The navigators may ascertain likewise, whether it be true, as 
some have imagined they have observed, that the mercury in the barometer 
is an inch higher on the western coast of America, than on the eastern.- 

The state of the atmosphere, and it's continual variations, the obser- 
vation of which is an object of prime necessity in a sea voyage, offer to 
the navigators a field of meteorological inquiries, interesting on account of 
the. directions of the higher winds compared with those near the surface of 
the sea, to which they are not unfrequently opposite. 

The academy, being informed that the navigators will carry with them^ 
' a certain number of small aerostatical balloons, invites them to make use ofc 
them, for the purpose of ascertaining the height, at which the winds.blowing. 
in the inferior portion of the atmosphere change their course, and the 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 



directions of their different currents. These observations are particularly im- 
portant in the places where the trade-winds prevail, the relation of which 
to the winds in the superior region of the air it would be curious to examine. 

The fluid on which our navigators sail will also attract their attention, by 
the different currents it offers to their notice. The academy could wish, 
that, on their return, they would transmit to it a summary of the important 
labours they will have undertaken, to determine these currents in the higher 
parts of the globe, from a comparison of the course given by their reck- 
oning with that deduced from observation, both in latitude and longitude. 

Beside those phenomena which occur in the ordinary course of nature, 
the navigators may have opportunities of observing some that exhibit them- 
selves only at intervals, such as certain meteors, and among others the aurora 
borealis or australis. The academy would wish them to observe the alti- 
tudes and amplitudes of these aurora. 

The cause that produces waterspouts is a matter of dispute : some attri- 
bute them to electricity; others consider them as the effect of a whirling 
motion contracted by a body of air *. The navigators will be very attentive 
to observe all the circumstances, that can lead to an explanation of this 
singular phenomenon. 

The navigators will not want oppor unities of making a great number of 
mterestmg experiments on the different degrees of temperature of the sea, 
and It's saltness, in different parts, and at different depths, the specific gravity 
of It's water, it's different degrees of bitterness, in proportion to the distance 
or proximity of the land, &c. 

* On the latter hypothesis, the centrifugal force of the molecules of air at a distance from the axis 

iT. si' and ^ ^1--'^' the form of which will be nearly that of a revolv- 

The ptl e of tl' ''■^P^5^^''^^r^i'^«^-^^^)^^'^P--d ^7 the effect of the centrifugal force. 
2lZXtr''l 1, '^""^^'"^ '^^"^ "^""^^^ - Of theaxis of rotation, 

d of ' ''"'""^ ''''''' ''■"^^"S at each extremity of the axis ; and, from the 

w 1 last :sT'"\:'T ^^^i'^P--^--! precipitation o/ water in th; interior part, 
dlpend^ he . ^^"-^'"S movement, and the quantity of which wi] 

depend on the velocity of this movement, and the body of air affected by it. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



The academy trusts, that they will not neglect to compare the tempe- 
rature of the sea at a certain depth with that of the water at it's surface. 

It is to be wished, too, that the navigators would avail themselves of all 
the pits and excavations that may offer, to observe their temperature, as well 
as that of springs, and deep wells. 

Sailors have distinguished the flat ice, which covers certain parts of the 
sea, from those thick masses which appear distinct, and resemble float- 
ing mountains. The academy wishes, that a regular attention to the 
circumstances, that respect these two kinds of ice, may give room for some 
conjectures relative to their formation. 

The light, which sometimes shines on the surface of the sea, has been 
ascribed to the presence of a muhitude of little luminous animals : but as 
this light appears in all places, where the sea is thrown into commotion, 
it would be curious to examine this phenomenon more minutely, if it be 
possible, than has hitherto been done, in order to discover, whether the 
light in question be not owing to some other cause. 



Chemistry. 

Whether the air be more pure, or contain more vital air, at the surface of 
. considerable extent of sea, as Ingenhousz thinks he has observed on 
the .ea which washes the shores of England, is a question, the solution of 
which would throw some light on the theory of gasses: and if the opinion 
of Ingenhousz should be verified by experience, it would be proper to^ 
accertain, whether the case be the same on the open sea as on the coast, the 
surface of which is frequently covered with quantities of sea- weed. 



a 



It appears to be an unquestionable fact, that the sedative salt is found na^ 
tive in the water of some lakes, as in that of Monte Rotondo in Italy. This 
circumstance perhaps is not peculiar to that lake 5 and it may form a subject 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



of inquiry for the navigators, if they should visit the interior parts of any 
country, on which they may land. 

They may likewise happen to find mineral alkali : and, if so, an exami- 
nation of the substances with which this alkali may be mixed, it's distance 
from the sea, and other circumstances of this kind, may furnish them with 
some conjectures respecting the process employed by nature for effecting 
the alkalisation of sea-salt. 

In fine, the navigators, attentive to every inquiry capable of enlightening 
the chemist with regard to the processes he applies to the service of the 
arts, may observe, in the countries they visit, the colours employed there 
for dyeing stuffs, the substances from which these colours are extractedj^, 
and the means that have been devised for their application,. 



Anatomy.. 

The curiosity and attention of those, who have undertaken extensive 
voyages, have naturally been drawn to the different varieties of the human; 
species. Most of them have contented themselves with observing and de- 
scribing the external characters, which are taken from the colour, stature,, 
make, and other differences of a similar kind, capable of being easily caughtj,, 
even by common eyes. 

It is to be wished, that this comparison could be extended to the internal 
parts, by anatomical investigation. With this view the bones of the head, 
and OS hyoideS:, of a well-made skeleton, in those nations which appear to 
differ in a sensible degree from those of the temperate regions of Europe,, 
either in the form of the visage,, or of the whole head, should be procured,. 
We may thus acquire a knowledge of the varieties that occur in man, witk 
regard to the formation of the bones of the head. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



For thQ acquisition of still more interesting information on this subject, 
the bodily proportions of men of different nations may be compared with 
those adopted by artists for the representation of nature in it's most beautiful 
form, by dividing the height of the body into eight parts. The height, 
likewise, should be taken in a straight line, from the hmom of the. heei to 
the crown of the head. 

The dimensions, which it is proper to measure with the greatest care, 
will be, the distance between the extremities of the fingers when the arms 
are extended, the length from the armpit to the extremity of the middle fin- 
ger, the circumference of the head round the forehead, that of the thorax 
round the breast, and that of the abdomen at the navel. 

Anatomists have found, that the number of the lumbar vertebras some- 
times varies from five to six. In countries where the natives are of tall 
stature^, it should be examined, whether they have six lumbar vertebra. 

To this information should be added, as far as is practicable, a know- 
ledge of the usual terms of life, and the age of puberty in each sex. 

Zoology. 

In the present state of the science, zoology offers to the navigators a very 
interesting field of inquiry, on account of the advantages that may be de- 
rived to the progress of comparative anatomy from their discoveries. But 
this object cannot he accomplished with success, unless their descriptions 
refer to some common method: the academy recommends to them, there- 
fore, to adopt the method followed in /' Histoire naturelle generale et partt- 
culierey " Natural History, general and particular," as exhibiting the greatest 
collection of descriptions, of this kind, ever yet made on one plan. 

In the description of the new species of birds that may occur, Brisson's 
Ornithology may be taken as a model. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



The prevailing taste for rare shells has rendered most navigators more 
attentive, in their researches on this head, to what would gratify the curi- 
osity of amateurs, than to what might furnish new lights to the learned., 
The most important objects are, to examine all the shells, particularly the 
prevailing species, of a given coast, and likewise the structure of the animals 
included in them : and at the same time to compare, as far as is practicable, 
the petrified shells of different parts with the living shell-fish of the neigh- 
bouring seas; and to examine whether our fossile shells in Europe have 
their counterparts living in distant seas, as already has appeared to be the 
case with some of them. 



Mineralogy. 

A vast and fertile field of observation lies open to the navigators in the 
science of mineralogy. Observations here will be particularly valuable, 
when they are connected one with another, and serve mutually to elucidate 
each other from this connexion. Thus, the examination of the substances, 
which form the two corresponding coasts of a strait; or of those which 
compose on the one hand the soil of an island, and on the other the con- 
tment which it faces; may give room for conjecturing, whether a shore be 
of ancient or modern formation, whether an island be near the mouth of a. 
river, or whether it have made part of the continent. 

It will be of use to inquire, Hkewise, in every island of any extent, or in. 
such parts of the continent as may be examined in detail, at what heic^ht 
above the level of the sea marine depositions are found in horizontal strL. 

It has been suspected, that mountains composed of horizontal calcareous 
strata dimmish in height in proportion as they approach the equator, aiid. 
that, under the equator, mountains thus formed of horizontal strata would 
scarcely rise above the level of the sea. It would be of importance to 
ascertain this fact. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 



The aspects of mountains in general, more especially in those places 
where their sides, perpendicularly abrupt, exhibit the most perspicuous 
marks of their structure ; the composition of the granite rocks, which may 
form the nucleus of many of these mountains; volcanic productions, parti- 
cularly basaltes, &c. ; are objects of inquiry, which cannot escape the atten- 
tion of enlightened navigators. 

Crystallisations are objects so attractive in the £yes of the naturalist, that 
it must be wholly unnecessary, to recommend to the voyagers to collect as 
many as possible. The academy would only remind them, to pay parti- 
-.cular attention to certain varieties wanting in the king's collection, or the 
specimens of which in his cabinet are not sufficiently clear and well defined 
in their figure: Of these the following is a hst, drawn up conformably to 
the nomenclature adopted by M"" Danbenton, in his methodical arrangement 
of minerals. 

1. Rock crystal with two pyramids, without any sign of an intermediate 
prism. 2. Obliquely prismatic feld-spar, with four sides. 3. Octaedral 
cuneiform heavy spar, with acute summits. A. Fluor spar in regular 
octaedra. 5. Calcareous spar in acute and highly salient rhomboids. 6. 
Calcareous spar with six rhomboidal sides, and six lozenge faces. 7- Fer- 
mginous pyrites with twenty triangular faces. 8. Cobalt mineralised by 
sulphur. 

^ To facilitate their search after these varieties, the academy will procure 
for the navigators polyedra in wood, fashioned to the exact resemblance of 
their figures. 

The navigators will of course bring with them specimens of those kinds 
of wood and marble, which may appear to them most interesting. It may 
be observed, that the specimens of this kind in the king's cabinet are seven 
inches in length, by five in breadth : and such a size at least is necessary, 
to render the characters of a piece of wood or marble perspicuous. For 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD 



wood, too, a transverse section is necessary: and from a block of ten irfches 
it is easy to take a slice, cut transversely, and another of seven inches long,, 
sawn through the pith, in the direction of the fibres. 

When the voyagers penetrate into the interior of a country, they may 
find tourmalines, and other crystals, vi^hich become electric by heat alone. 
As most of these crystals are in groups, adhere to the gangue by one extre- 
mity, ahd stand in different directions, the academy v/ould wish them to 
make experiments for the purpose of ascertaining whether the positive or 
negative electricity, which these crystals regularly exhibit at one of their 
ends, have any relation to the position- of the crystals, either as it respects 
the gangue or each other. 

The different voyages undertaken of late years have enriched the sciencd 
of botany by the discovery of a number of plants, formerly unknown j and 
nature is so fertile, that we have reason to expect a new harvest, from, the 
researches of our navigators. But it is desirable, that these researches 
should be particularly turned towards objects of utility, such as the know- 
ledge of those plants, which the inhabitants of the different countries our 
navigators may visit are accustomed to employ, either as food or medicine, 
or for the purposes of the arts. They may also bring back with them 
specimens and seeds of plants, of which the useful parts only are imported 
with us, and may give complete descriptions of them. In this class may be 
comprised almost all the woods employed by the dyer, and also by the 
cabinet-maker for works of ornament or utility, with certain roots, barks, 
and leaves, which constitute articles of commerce, and the true sources of 
which cannot be indifferent to our curiosity, while the use of them is fa- 
miliar to us. The navigators cannot be too attentive, in general, to making 
a copious and diversified collection of the seeds of exotic plants and treesj 
^ taken from climates not too widely differing from that of France, which^ 

VOL,!, s 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



siaturalising them&elves in our soil, may hereafter adorn our plantations, or 
augment the number of our artificial meadows, by their productions. 

In New Zealand a plant of the liliaceous family, known by the name of 
New Zealand flax, is cultivated, and employed by the natives for making 
cloth of different kinds and cordage. Captain Cook brought to England a 
considerable quantity of the seed, but none of it grew. The importation 
of a few of the plants themselves would probably be one of the most valu- 
able presents the navigators could bestow on our soil. 

In France we have only the male of the paper mulberry- tree, morm pa- 
pyrjfera Linnai, from which paper is made in China, and stuffs in Otaheitee. 
We are acquainted with the female alone of the weeping willow, salix ba- 
hylonica Linnai. The male of a species of strawberry, called fragar.ia 
chilemis is equally unknown to us. This grows spontaneously in Chili, 
whence it was brought by M' Frezier : it's fruit, which sometimes attains 
the magnitude of a hen's egg in it's native soil, is much less on the sets 
cultivated in . France j a difference, which may arise in great measure from 
the want of the male, which is but imperfectly supplied by the common 
practice of employing sets of the hautboy, to fecundate the female sets of 
the strawberry of ChiH. If circumstances should lead the navigators to 
those countries, which produce the different plants above mentioned, they 
may devise some means of conveying to us the sex we want of each 
species. 

The academy has subjoined some, notes, communicated to it by different 
members, among which they will find explanations of the processes that 
regard some of the objects proposed in this memoir. 

Observations by Mr. Buache, 

The government having particularly occupied itself in collecting all thp 
geographical information to be obtained respecting the seas, that it is in- 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



fended to traverse in the course of this voyage, it will be sufficient here to 
point out what are the parts of these seas, in which new discoveries may 
be expected to be made. 

I. In the southern part of the Pacific Ocean there are two tracts, of 
which little is yet known, and where new lands may be expected to be 
found. 

The first is the tract to the south of Easter Island and Pitcairn's Island^ 
between the- latitudes of SG° and 35°. Cook's new charts point out there 
a group of islands, said to have been discovered by the Spaniards in 1773 j 
and most of the navigators, who have passed this tract to the northwards, 
have seen there signs of land. We see also in Dalrymple^s history of 
voyages in the South Sea, that Juan Fernandez, sailing from Lima to Chilis, 
about the year 1576, stood off from the coast of America about 40% that 
he might not have continually to beat up against contrary winds ; and that* 
after a month's sailing, he made a coast, which he believed to be a conti- 
nent from it's extent. The country was extremely fertile, and inhabited 
by white people, of the stature of Europeans, who were clothed in a very 
beautiful stuff. They gave the voyagers a friendly reception, and supplied 
them with the productions of the country. Fernandez, purposing to equip 
some vessels, and return to this country with his shipmates, kept his dis- 
covery secret, and died before he could carry his scheme into executionj 
which was soon forgotten. This land of Fernandez, which is distinct from 
the' island that bears his name, may possibly be the same with the islands 
said to have been -discovered by the Spaniards in 1773., 

The second tract, that claims a more particular examination, is that 
which is included between the New Hebrides and New Guinea.^ de 
Bougainville, and M"" de Surville, are the only navigators, who have tra- 
versed thi^ tract J and from the situation of the points of land they saw, 
there is every reason to imagine, that these belonged to the ancient islands 
discovered by Mendana, in 1 567, and since known by the name of the 
Islands cf Solomon. M'^ de. Surville was in sight^of these lands for mom 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

than a 'hundred and twenty leagues, being all the time in the latitude 
assigned to Solombn's Islands. 

As great part of the ancient discoveries of Mendana and Quiros have 
been found again in modern times, it may with probability be expected, 
that the remainder will be re-discovered ; and their memoirs deserve to be 
consulted. Quiros's Island of faumago will no doubt be recognised, with 
the islands of Chicayana, Guaytopo, Pilen, Naupau, and others adjacent i 
since it v^as on leaving this island, or within ten days, that Quiros reached 
the Tierra del Espiritu Santo, now known by the name of the New He- 
brides. 

S,. The northern part of the Pacific Ocean, still less known than the 
southern, may afford-a greater number of discoveries. In the first place,- 
to the south of the Marianne or Ladrone Islands, between the latitudes of 
5° and 10° north, there is a chain of islands, divided into several clusters, 
which extends through more than 35° degrees of longitude. These islands 
are known only by a vague description, and a chart composed entirely 
from the report of the inhabitants of some of them, who were driven by a 
storm on the coasts of the Island of Guam, and who were interrogated by 
father Cantova respecting the situations of these islands. They have es- 
caped the notice «f navigators, who direct their course toward the Island of 
Guam, v/hich is farther north. 

That part of this ocean which is to the jiorth-east of the Ladrone Islands, 
or the east of Japan, is equally unknown. We have only indications, that 
it contains islands in pretty considerable number, and not umnteresting • 
among others one has been mentioned, of some extent, lying about three 
hundred leagues to the east of Japan, whither it's inhabitants come to trade. 

The land of Yeso, to the north of Japan, appears to be different from 
what it has been represented to be by the English and the Russians. ^ The 
knowledge we have acquired of the eastern coast of Japan, from Cook s last 
voyage, leads us to believe, that the chart of the discovery of Yeso, made by 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



\th.e Dutch vessel the Kastricum, is tolerably accurate : but the Dutch saw 
only part of this land, an acquaintance with which may be interesting. 

3. On the western coast of America, to the north of California, the river 
.iof Martin d'Aguilar will unquestionably be found, in the latitude of 43°. 
Martin d'Aguilar was one of the pilots of Sebastian Viscaino, whose voyage 
in these parts is one of the most interesting ever made. 

It is desirable to procure some knov/ledge of the people in the interior 
of the country to the north of California: and on this subject may be con- 
sulted the Travels of Carver, and even the Letter of Admiral de Fuente, 
however it may have been decried. It is to be wished, that, on their re- 
turn, the navigators would look for the Islands of Denia and Marsevem, to 
the sauth of the Cape of Good Hope, whither the Dutch send for wood. 

If they endeavour to penetrate towards the south pole, for the purpose 
©f physical inquiries, it is desirable, that they should do it to the south- 
west of the Cape of Good Hope, or of Cape Horn. 

In the former case they might rediscover Cape Circumcision, by search- 
ing for it in the longitude assigned it by M"" le Monnier, or between 3° and 
4" east from the meridian of Paris; which is likely to be it's position from 
other considerations, independent of those of M'- le Monnier. In the latter^ 
they might find the islands and harbour of Drake. 

It is desirable, that the navigators should inform us of the names, which 
the inhabitants give to the islands they m.ay discover ; and that they should 
procure a vocabulary of the different appellations, by which the natives 
designate the most striking and necessary objects. 



Examination of the Nature of the Air» 
examination of the atmospherical air, and it's degree of salubrity^ 



VOYAGE ROUNI> THE WORLD. 



in different latitudes, on different coasts, and at different elevations, is 2.m 
object the more interesting, because nothing accurate of this kind has y€t 
been done, and we are altogether ignorant, whether the nature and com- 
position of the air be the same in different parts of the world, and at dif- 
ferent heights. The test of nitrous air appears to be the most simple and 
certain. In a memoir printed in the Recueil de 1782, M-^ Lavoisier has 
shown, that, if more nitrous air than is necessary for saturation be employ- 
ed, it would always be very easy to ascertain, by a simple calculation, the 
proportion of vital air contained in a given quantity of atmospherical, 

A primary object, in experiments of this nature, is to obtain nitrous.alf 
as nearly pure as possible. That which is procured from the dissolution 
of quicksilver by the nitrous acid is the purest of all : but in want of this, 
that obtained from iron- may be employed without inconvenience. The first 
thing to be done is, to introduce two hundred parts of nitrous air into the 
eudiometer : a hundred parts of the air to be examined are then to be 
added; and the number of parts remaining, after the absorption has takea 
place, are to be noted. Now if the residue be subtracted from the sum of 
the two airs, the remainder be multiplied by forty, and the product of this 
multiplication be divided by a hundred and nine, the quotient will express 
the quantity of vital air contained in a hundred parts of tb_e air examined... 

It will be advisable to mark the height of the barometer and thermo.- 



meter 



Spedjic Gravity of the Air. 

As the navigators intend to take- with them, an air-pump, it would ncft 
be amiss to procure a glass globe, fitted to it, and into which the air might- 
afterwards be admitted. The difference in weight of this globe, or ma- 
trass, when empty and when filled with air, will give the specific gravity 
of the air in different latitudes. The height of the barometer and thermo=^ 
meter must, be observed with care at the trnie of every such operation. ^ 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

Experiments of this kind presuppose, that the navigators are provided 
with a very accurate balance, with which they may weigh very conveni- 
ently any thing to the exactness of half a grain. 



"Examination of Wat-ers. 

Abbe Chappe, in his voyage to California, determined the specific gravity 
£jf the sea water in various latitudes, and useful conclusions as to the salt- 
ness of the water may be deduced from it. de Cassini has published 
the result of these experiments, from notes which he found among the 
abbe's manuscripts. It would be interesting to pursue these experiments, 
as the navigators will have an opportunity of determining in one single 
voyage, as it were, the degree of saltness of almost every sea. For this pur- 
pose nothing is wanting but a very sensible areometer, constructed on Fah- 
renheit's principles, and similar to that which Lavoisier directed to be 
made for the abbe Chappe. The same instrument may be employed for 
determining the specific gravity of the waters of lakes, rivers, and springs ^ 
and by the addition of a few experiments with reagents, an idea of the 
quality as well as the quantity of the salts contained in these waters may be 
acquired. 

When, from the specific gravity of a water, and trials with reagents, it 
shall appear to contain any thing interesting, a portion of it may be evapo- 
rated, and the residuum, carefully labelled, may be, brought home, to be 
examined with care after tjie end of the voyage. 



135 



136 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 




questions: 

PROPOSED BY THE SOCIETY OF MEDICINE TO THE NAVI- 
GATORS ACCOMPANYING M- DE LA PEROUSE, READ AT 
THE MEETING OF THE 31st OF MAY, 1785, 

EVERY thing that concerns natural philosophy and natural history, that: 
may occur in the voyage about to be undertaken round the world, cannot 
fal to be interesting to the art of physic, and may contribute to its im- 
provement : but the Society of Medicine conceives, that it ought to con- 
fine itself to those subjects, which more particularly concern the art it cul- 
tivates. As the questions it has to propose are somewhat numerous, it will, 
arrange, them under heads, forming so many divisions belonging to the. dif^ 
ferent: branches of the medical art. . 






SECTION i: 



Anatomy, Physiology. 



"Phe Structure of the Human Body, and the Functions of ifs Parts. 

MOST travellers have written on the general structure and form of body : 
of the people they have met with in different countries : but it is well 
known, that their descriptions commonly abound with mistakes and ex-= 
aP-geration. There is every reason to expect more accuracy from the men 
ofscience who accompany M-^ de la P^rouse, and they are requested parti»^ 
eularly to notice the following points. 

1 . The ordinary stmcture of men and women ^ the long and short di-- 
ameters of the head, the length of the superior ajid inferior extremities,, 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

measured from the articulation at the shoulder to the end of the middle 
finger, and from the head of the thigh to the end of the great or of the second 
toe i the circumference of the pelvis, the width of the chest, and that of 
the shoulders ; the height of the spine, measured from the top of the first 
of the cervical vertebra to the sacrum. These proportions are taken from 
the divisions of painters. 

2. The texture and colour of the skin, in general and in different parts ; 
and of the hair and nails. 

3. The particular make of the head, or of the cranium ; that of the face, 
and especially of the forehead, nose, eyes, ears, mouth, chin, teeth, tongue, 
.hair,^nd beard. 

4. These different parts islanders are accustomed to disfigure by holes^ 
incisions, and extraneous substances which they introduce into them, as 
well as by oils, and colours prepared from ochres or vegetable juices. 

It may be of use to describe with accuracy the processes em.ployed by 
the savages for making indehble marks on the skin } the substances they 
use for this purpose; how they prepare and apply them; the age or 
circumstances under which the operation is performed ; and particularly 
the local alterations or deformities, or effects upon the individual, which 
result from it. 

5. Excesses, defects, or varieties in the conformation of parts of the 
body ; as the flattening or elongation of the forehead, the contraction or 
spread of the nose, the enlargement of the mouth and ears. Are these 
varieties the regular consequences of natu*ral organization, or the effects of 
particular practices ? Dampier says, that two teeth are wanting in the natives 
of Van Diemen's Land : is it from nature, or are they extracted ? Thus the 
two mouths , observed by Cook's sailors in the inhabitants of the American 
-coast, near Prince William's Sound, are produced by a transverse incision 
made through the lower lip„ Do the female apron, the prodigious elon^ 



VOL. I. 



T 




138 





I! ' 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

gation of the scrotum, and the brown spot on the backs of infants, observed 
in several countries of America, really exist ? and are they owing to nature ? 
Scarcely any thing has been said on the use of the two hands. The question 
respecting ambidextrous persons, or the preference of one hand to the other, 
has not yet sufficiently engaged the attention of naturalists : it is of impor- 
tance therefore to inquire, whether the people, which our navigators may 
visit, employ both hands equally in their labours, or use one in preference ; 
and whether the predilection in favour of the right, among polished nations, 
be any thing more than the effect of prejudice. It is of importance also to 
inquire, whether, among those people who are accustomed to go barefoot, 
there be any who use their feet as readily as their hands, and for the same 
purposes. 

6. We have no positive information respecting the comparative strength 
of different men. It would be well to make trial of the burdens, which 
the inhabitants of countries, where nature has not been debiUtated by 
effeminacy and the customs adopted in polished nations, are able to carry, 
and of the ground they can pass over in a given time, both walking and 
running. 

7. The nature of the senses of sight, hearing, and smell, is capable of 
furnishing important facts respecting the strength or weakness of their 
organs. Much has been said of the acuteness of smell among savages : it 
would be interesting to verify this, and to examine whether this acuteness 
of smell do not exist to the detriment of some other sense in the individuals 
who possess it. ' . 

8. The voice, and the greater or less distinctness of articulation, are of 
importance to be examined, as well as the expression of pleasure, pain, 
and joy. 

9. The age of puberty in males and females. Are the latter subject to 
the periodical evacuation in all cHmates ? Has the climate any influence 
in it's copiousness, and what is the period of it's cessation ? How do the 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



139 



women conduct themselves during pregnancy ? Are their labours easy, or 
difficult ? Do they require assistance in parturition ? Do they tie the navel 
string ? Is this operation performed before or after the delivery of the pla- 
centa ? Do they sv^addle their infants, or v^hat methods do they employ 
instead of swaddling ? Are any practices adopted with regard to children as 
soon as born, as moulding their heads, or washing them ? Do the mothers 
suckle them ? and to what age ? Are more boys born than girls ? 

10. How many children die from the time of birth to the age of puberty ? 
and what is the general term of life in different climates ? 

1 1 . The quickness or slowness of the pulse, compared with that of Eu- 
ropeans, which is about sixty-five or seventy pulsations in a minute. 

12. The relation of the colour of the skin to that of the fluids. In men 
of more or less swarthy complexions, has the colour of the spermatic fluid, 
the medullary substance of the brain, and the blood, any analogy to that of 
the skin ? Among those who are black is there any variation of colour found 
in individuals, such as pale or white negroes, &c. ? Is this variation the 
consequence of disease, or of a constitution altered by the influence of cli- 
mate, as is supposed of negroes transported into cold countries ? 

13. It has been said, that men are frequently found in America, whose 
breasts afford milk in sufficient quantity to suckle children : is this true ? 
What are we to think of the hermaphrodites of Louisiana ? Does a savage 
life render the impulse of love periodical in different nations? Is it true, 
that some natives of America procure insects to sting the penis, so as to 
excite considerable tumefaction ? 

14. We take no notice of giants, or pigmies, or men with tails, and tlic 
like, because these pretended freaks of nature have never been seen, except 
by ignorant or prejudiced travellers, or existed only in their heated imagi- 
nations. 



140 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



SECTION II. 



Hygeine. 



Of the Air, Watery Foody Clothing, Habitations y Exercises y and Passions, as 
far as they affect the Health of Men. 

THIS branch of medicine offers the greatest number of observations to 
travellers, but it is one of those on which we have the fewest questions to 
propose, because it is one to which all more or less minutely attend. Ac- 
cordingly we shall only point out the following articles t- 

1. The nature of the air of different places, examined by the eudiometerj- 
it's highest and lowest temperature in the sup, and in the shade; it's dry- 
ness, humidity, gravity, and elasticity ; it's state of electricity, measured by 
different electrometers, particularly by that of M^' de Saussure; the division- 
of the seasons; the prevailing VN^inds, or their variations; the nature of 
meteors, as snow, hail, rain, thunder, hurricanes, water^spouts, and whirl- 
winds ; the alteration of the air by vapours, or by the emanations from, 
vegetables, comparing, according to the experiments of Ingenhousz, the. 
fluids which exhale from their different parts in the sun or in the shade^ 
particularly with regard to those, the vicinity of which is supposed to be 



dangerous. 



2. The examination of the sea- water at different depths, and more or 
less distant from the coasts; that of fresh and brackish waters, and the 
nature of the salts they contain, for which purpose it is recommended to 
the navigators, to employ the principal re-agents recommended, by Berg- 
man, and more especially evaporation ; those which the islanders drink,, 
and the different uses they make of them; mineral waters, warm or cold; 
artificial drinks, fresh or fermented; the manner of preparing them ; the 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



vegetable or animal substances of which they are composed; their effects : 
among these we particularly urge attention to the kava, a liquor prepared 
from a root in the islands of the South Sea, to which Anderson ascribes a 
stupefactive quality, and the quahty of drying up the skin of those who 
drink it to excess,, and causing it to fall off in scales. 

3. Aliments. Do the inhabitants of the different countries that may be 
visited live on vegetable or animal food, or is their diet compounded of 
both ? Do they season their food ? How do they prepare it ? Do they 
eat at regular hours, and sparingly, or in large quantity ? Do they use 
salt with their viands ? What analogy have the roots, fruits, &c. which 
they eat, with our vegetables ? What farinaceous vegetables do they 
use? What species of fern is it, that contains a gelatinous substance, , 
which serves the Nev/-Zealanders as food ? Have they not nutritious sub- 
stances, which they take to sea with them in the form of powder ? From 
what plants are they obtained, and by what processes are they prepared ? 
Might not, vegetable substances be found, in the countries visited, unknown 
to the natives, which may serve for food ? Are there not vegetables, from 
which a saccharine substance may be obtained, analogous to that of the 
sugar-cane, with more facility, and less expense, than our sugar ? 

4. Habitations, their form, size, apertures, and aspect; the. soil on 
which they are founded ; the materials with which they are constructed j 
the kind of shelter they afford ; their dryness or dampness; whether the 
inhabitants retire to them during the night, and throughout the year, or in 
certain seasons; what time they spend in them in the day; in what num- 
ber they assemble in them, in proportion to their extent ; whether they 
sleep in them on beds, on mats, or on the ground ; whether there be men 
who have no habitation, and live constantly in the open air. Clothing, 
it's form, substances, and varieties. 

5. The occupations of both sexes, their labours, and -amusements s 
liow far they tend to preserve or destroy health. 



142 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

6 The passions, manners, and predominant character of every nation: 
particular custbms calculated to promote the excretion of difFerent humours, 
as those of chewing tobacco, betel, or some analogous substance of smok- 
ing, of using frictions, inunctions, warm or cold, dry or vapour baths ; the 
method of carousing; the influence of these difFerent customs, and particu- 
larly of oleaginous inunctions and tatooing, on perspirauon. 



SECTION III. 



Of Diseases. 

DISEASES peculiar to the climates that will be visited may furnish im- 
portant observations. Cook and Anderson have spoken, though ur very 
general terms, of those which they observed at the Society and Fnendly 
Islands. Among the inhabitants of the latter they observed a spec.es o 
blindness occasioned by a disease of the cornea , tetters, wh.ch left bio ches 
on the skin, and affected half the natives; large ulcers, of a malignant na- 
ture, as they destroyed the noses of many who were attacked by them; an 
indolent firm swelling, which affects the legs and arms; and a tumour of 
the same sort in the testicles. Anderson, to whom we are -aeb ed for 
these observations, has mentioned five or six diseases which he saw at O a- 
S ee • but he particularises only the dropsy, the/^^/ or mdolent swell- 
inr^d the venereal disease, which the crew of captain Cook mtroduced 
on his first two visits. 

Cutaneous diseases appear to be those, to which the islanders are most 
liable. 

Though Anderson saw no sick person confined to his bed and the 
islanders of the South Sea in general do not treat the diseased methodically. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



143 



we would request the navigators, carefully to notice the following objects^ 
some of which relate to diseases considered as new in our climates. 

1 . Are the islanders subject to acute diseases, or fevers ? Anderson has 
mentioned only chronical diseases. Among the former do eruptive dis- 
eases occur? Does the small-pox exist? What is it's usual course, and 
what ravages does it occasion ? Are the people, who may be visited, ac- 
quainted with inoculation ? Is there any climate in which this disease is 
endemial ? Are they liable to contagious, or epidemic diseases ? Have 
they ever been visited by the plague? Are their children subject, to teta^ 
nus and the croup ? An accurate description of all diseases of this kind is 
required, with particular regard to their crises, and a comparison of their 
nature and progress with those of the same diseases in Europe. 

£. The most frequent among the chronical diseases in the South-Sea 
islands appear to be those which attack the skin. To what can be ascribed : 
the number of tetterous eruptions and ulcers observed by Anderson in those, 
islands ? Are they owing to the use of oleaginous inunctions, or to the 
stings of insects ? Are insects frequently engendered in them, as is the 
case in ulcers in hot climates ? Are not those ulcers, which erode the face, 
and destroy the nose, of the cancerous kind? Are the natives subject to 
the leprosy ? Is the indolent swelling of the legs and arms, observed by 
Cook, ascribable to this disease? Are they liable to phthiriasis, and the 
Guinea worm?, 

- 3. Does the venereal disease exist in the country that may. be visited, 
whether continent or island ? Does it appear to be native, or to have been 
imported? What are the remedies employed for it's cure? What is the 
state of this disease in the Friendly and Society Islands, to which it was 
first conveyed by Gook ? What are the symptoms it exhibits? Is it true, , 
that the islanders are unacquainted with the gonorrhoea ? 

4, Is the scurvy endemic in any latitude? What are it's symptoms; 



144 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

.and effects, in hot countries, and in cold ? What are the remedies em« 
ployed in it? 

5. Are the rickets, and the deformities they occasion, known in the 
countries that may be visited ? Do nervous, convulsive, or spasmodic dis- 
eases, and in particular the epilepsy, exist -in them? Are infants subject to 
any ailments, and particularly convulsions, during dentition? 

6. Are there any men, or women, to whom the cure of diseases is parti- 
cularly entrusted ? What medicines, or what modes of treatment, do they 
employ ? Are there any hospitals, or are any kind of sick persons sepa~ 
rated from society ? 

SECTION IV. 

Of the Materia Medica. 

IT appears from the report of Anderson, that the priests are the only 
-persons in the South Sea islands, who take upon them the cure of the sick, 
and that they administer in some cases the juices of herbs. But he say^ 
nothing respecting these herbs, or the different means employed against the 
cutaneous diseases, ulcers, tumours, and dropsy, to which they are subject. 
According to this naturalist, the, remedy to which the women have recourse 
against the consequences of parturition consists in sitting on hot stones, 
wrapped up in two pieces of cloth, between which they put a quantity of 
a small plant of the mustard kind. This process induces a profuse per- 
spiration ; but it has not succeeded in the venereal disease. These people, 
consequently, have very little knowledge of the virtues of such drugs as 
they are furnished with by the hand of nature : they have not even a single 
emetic. It will depend upon the navigators themselves, therefore, to de- 
-tect the virtues of those plants, the taste and other sensible properties of 
which may afford them some light, both in the islands of the South Sea, 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



2n-d wherever they may land. With this view the following hints are 
offered them. 

1. To examine the taste and smell of the roots, wood, bark, leaves, 
flowers, fruit, and seeds of the vegetables of countries httle known, and 
compare them with the different vegetable substances used medicinally in 
Europe: and to do the same with regard to the juices that exude from 
trees, and animal substances. 

2. To notice the different remedies employed, in the hot countries 
where they may land, against the diseases to which the natives are liable j 
and to describe even the superstitious practices, which are frequently the 
$ole medicaments of barbarous nations, 

3. To try decoctions of some emollient, aromatic, and acrid plants, in 
the diseases Of the skin, to which the islanders are subject. 

4. To employ mercurial frictions against the venereal disease, with 
which the inhabitants of the South Sea islands are attacked, and furnish 
them with the means of freeing themselves from this dreadful scourge. 
Particularly to observe the effect of mercurials on these people. 

5. To inquire, whether some sudorific plants of these islands, such as in 
particular the IMia syphilitica y (rapuntium Americanum fore dilute cceruleo,) 
and the celastrus inermis, Linnai, do not possess antivenereal virtues. 

6. To examine whether some- of the hot countries do not furnish drugs 
analogous to the cinchona, simarouba, ipecacuanha, camphor, opium, &c. ; 
and whether the islands do not contain emetic or purgative vegetables, 
from which advantage might be derived. 

7. To collect information, and make observations on the properties of 
the anacardium, which is considered in Louisiana as a remedy for insanity: 

VOL.1. y 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

on the virtues of the telephiutn, and the gramen marinum, -which, the Green- 
landers prefer to the cochlearia for the cure of the scurvy; on the Winter's 
bark, the roots of Belaage *, Columbo f , and Lopez %- 

8. To point out what people poison their arrows ; what substances they 
employ for this purpose j and the nature, and description of the plants from 
which they extract the venomous juices they use, and particularly the re- 
medies to which they have recourse for the prevention of their deleterious 
effects ; above all to ascertain, whether salt and sugar can be considered as 
an antidote against the wounds inflicted by these arrows, as there is some 
reason to suppose from the experiments of la Condamine. 

9. To examine venomous animals, particularly serpents and fishes, and 
endeavour to discover the cause to which this dangerous quality may be ow- 
ing in the latter, with the means of preventing it's effects. 

10. Carefully to collect the remedies, both internal and external, whicfe 
are reputed specifics in the diseases of different people: to describe the 
nature of these specifics, the mode of preparing them, the manner of using, 
them, their doses, their effects, and the period of the disease in which they 
are employed. It is thus we have learned from the Peruvians the virtues, 
of the cinchona. 

11. Lastly, to collect in a particular herbal, distinct from that of botany, , 
the plants, or parts of plants, which are used as medicine, food, or poison,, 
in every country at which the ships may touch. 

* At Madagascar, f I" the Island, of Ceylon. %. From the coast of Mos3iixbi.<iu&- 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



147 



SECTION V. 

Surgery. 

Surgical Diseases and Operations, 

ANDERSON observes, that surgery has made greater progress than 
physic, as must naturally be the case, among people subject to few diseases, 
but exposed like all other men to accidental injuries. Cook speaks of a 
woman of Lefooga, in New Zealand, who exercised the profession of an 
oculist. The instru.ments she used were two slender wooden probes, with 
which she had brushed the eyes so as to make them bleed. It appears, that 
the natives of the Friendly Islands entertain no dread of wounds, as they 
voluntarily inflict them on their own heads, to express their grief : they 
cut off their little finger with a stone hatchet when they are ill, and one of 
the joints of that finger when their chiefs labour under disease. Many of 
the islanders are seen to want the little finger on one or both hands. Su- 
perstition, no doubt, is at the bottom of this practice. They make inci- 
sions in different parts of the body, and particularly in the legs. Anderson 
remarks, it is true, that they are very indifferent surgeons, for he had seen 
the stump of an arm, which was taken off, that bore no marks of skilful 
operation; and a man going about with a dislocated shoulder, some months 
after the accident, from their being ignorant of a method to reduce it. Yet, 
by his own confession, these islanders were not ignorant what wounds are 
mortal. They place splints on fractured limbs j and even, if part of the 
substance of the bone be lost, insert a piece of wood between the fractured 
ends, made hollow like the deficient part ; and they pointed out to him 
wounds inflicted from spears, which we should have pronounced mortal, but 
from which these people recovered. Finally, at Otaheitee there are men, 
called Tahoiia, who take upon them the ofiice of cutting or inciding the 
forefkin of infants, which they perform with a shark's tooth at a single 



148 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 



stroke ; and they cure the s.welling that supervenes by the application of 
hot stones. The facts, which it appears to us important to collect on this, 
branch of surgery, may be reduced to the following : 

1. Are dislocations, fractures, herniae, and surgical diseases in general^ 
very common among men living in a state of nature ? 

2. What means da they employ for the cure of these different eomr« 
plaints? 

3. Have they any peculiar instruments? What is their shape, of what 
are they made, and how are they used? Purchase and form a collection 
of them. 

4. Are circumcision and infibulatioji practised? How are they per^ 
formed? 

5. Are there any men, or women, whose particular office it to cure 
this or that surgical disease, as of the eyes, ears, teeth,, skin,, or parturitian^ 

6. What are the form and nature of the weapons they use in- battle, and 
the wounds these weapons inflict, and the manner in which they treat and 
cure these wounds ? 

J^ouvre, May 31,, Signed Mauduyt, Vicq-d'Azyr, de Fouj-. 

1785^ croy, and Thouret.. 

I certify that this copy agrees with the original, deposited at the officQ 
of the secretary of the society of medicine, by which society I am directed 
to transmit it as soon as possible to the marine minister.. 



Signed _ Vicq^-d'Azyr, perpetual secretary^ 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 
EXPERIMENTS 



14 



TO BE MADE, FOR PRESERVING THE WATER PUT ON BOARD FROIVT 
CORRUPTION, COMMUNICATED TO M. DE LA PEROUSE, CAPTAIIST 
IN THE NAVY, ABOUT TO MAKE A VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD,- 
BY ABBE TESSIER, MEMBER OF THE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, AND 
OF THE SOCIETY OF MEDICINE, 

ONE of the most disagreeable circumstances aftentfing a seafaring life is 
the necessity of drinking putrid water in distant voyages. Different me- 
thods have been proposed for remedying this : the object of some has been, 
to render the sea- water potable, which would be unquestionably advanta- 
geous on many occasions, but the processes have been found to be trouble- 
some and expensive : it has been the aim of others, to prevent the water 
taken on board from corrupting by means of certain preparations ; and 
these are undoubtedly the more simple, as they require no trouble during 
the voyage, and no carriage of fueL 

I shall not inquire, whether many experiments already proposed on thk 
useful subject have been tried with that scrupulous attention, which dis- 
interestedness and a sincere desire of discovering a truth of im^portaiice to 
mankind would alone ensure. de la Perouse's voyage round the world 
affords the most favourable opportunity for attempts of this kind : he will- 
visit all latitudes ; he is animated by the spirit of benevolence and the love 
of truth ; his own enlightened mind will be assisted by those of the phi- 
losophers who accompany him ; and therefore dependance may be placed: 
on the information which he may bring back on his return. 

It is with this view I have draAyn up a scheme for experiments ; exhi^ 
biting both simple and compound means, among which are some, whic& 
I believe have never yet beea employed. 



' VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 

From what I have read in the works of navigators, and from conver« 
sations with various naval officers, it appears to me, that the cause of the 
corruption of water is the formation of insects, which, in certain latitudes 
where the climate k very hot, are hatched, die, and putrefy. These m- 
sects originate from eggs, deposited either in the water before it is put on 
^)oard, or in the casks which contain it, before or during the voyage. Water 
taken on board in winter, or drawn from springs, is less liable to corrup- 
tion, than what is shipped in the summer, or filled from a river : these 
differences are owing to the insects, which always deposit their eggs m 
summer, and more readily in some waters than in others. It is known, 
too, that wood frequently serves as a nidus for the eggs of msects ; these 
therefore may exist in the staves of which the casks are made. I consider 
it as an object of no small importance, to ascertain how far this is the case. 

Accordingly, I am of opinion, that the water alone should be made to 
-undergo some preparation, the casks alone, and both at the same time. 
Hence it will appear, whether the eggs of the insects be wholly m the 
water, or wholly in the casks. Possibly they do not penetrate mto the 
cask, but during the vovage : this also will appear from the following ex- 
periments, which will point out at the same time the best preventive. 
The first object is to ascertain the state of the water shipped, by examm- 
ing its specific gravity with the areometer, its temperature with the ther- 
mometer, its purity or divisibility by the readiness with which it wdl 
.dress dried pulse and dissolve soap. A memorandum will be made of the 
spring or river from which it is taken, the hour of the day, and the season 
.of the year. The areometer and thermometer employed for the trial will 
be the same as those taken out on the voyage : a parcel of the same dried 
pulse, and of the same soap, will be carried out for subsequent trials. Un 
the passage twenty casks wilii)e chosen, of equal capacities, and similar to 
those which contain the rest of the ship's water. This number of casks 
for experim.ent need excite no alarm, when it is considered, that the water 
preserved in them will be drunk on the voyage ; that at the worst it will 
not be inferior in quality to the rest of the stock , and that it may be de- 
ducted from the quantity, which would otherwise be taken on board. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



The experimental casks will be made of the same wood, and hooped in 
the same manner, as the other water-casks ; and placed in the same part 
of the t^essel, without any particular precautions.. 

Exp E RIME NT I. 

The water with which two of the casks will be filled is previously to h^' 
set over the fire, and exposed to a boiling heat for half an hour. No in- 
sect's eggs can support this heat, without being destroyed. This process, 
simple as it is, has never I believe been tried: sailors have made a step to- 
wards it, for they sometimes throw red hot balls into water taken from cer- 
tain places. On one of these casks will be marked B W, that is to say^,, 
Soiled water,. No. Ij on. the other, B W, No. 2. 



Experiment IE 

THe insides of two casks will be impregnated two or three times with 
a solution of quicklime in boiling water. For this purpose a painterV 
brush is to be used, which is to be rubbed hard against the staves, that 
the lime-water may penetrate the farther. It is obvious, that for this pur- 
pose the heads of the casks must be taken out, and that the inside of the 
head must be prepared in the same way before it is replaced. These casks 
will be filled with unboiled water. On one will be marked S L simple 
limed water. No,. 1 ; on the other, S L W, No, 2. 

Experiment IIL, 

In this experiment the two preceding are. to be combined. Two casks^, 
prepared as in the second experiment, will be filled with water previously 
boiled: one will be marked B W L, boiled water limed, No. the 
other,, BWL,, No. 2. 



VOYAGE ROUxNfD THE WORLD. 



Experiment IV. 



Two other casks, Impregnated with lime In the same manner, are to be 
filled with boiling water, to which vitriolic acid is to be added in the pro- 
portion of four ounces to two hundred and fifty Paris pints * of water. One 
will be marked V B W L, vitriolated boiled water limed. No. 1 j the other 
VBWL, No. 2. 



Experiment V. 



Into two casks will simply be put unboiled water, mixed with vitriolic 
acid in the same proportion as above. The casks are to undergo no prepa- 
ration. Of these one will be marked S V W, simple vitriolated water, 
N° 1 ; the other, S V W, N° 2, 



Experiment VI. 



Two other casks, unprepared, are to be filled with water previously 
boiled, to which vitriolic acid will be added in the proportion abovemen- 
tioned. On one will be marked V B W, vitriolated boiled water, N° i ; 
on the other, V B W, N'' 2. 



Experiment VII. 



Two casks are to be coated externally with tar, and filled with boiled 
water, without subjecting them to any preparation internally. One will be 
marked B W T E, boiled water tarred externally, N° 1 i the other, 
B W T E, N° 2. 



* Sixty-thsee gallons, wine measure, T.. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



Experiment VIII. ' 

Two other casks are to be impregnated with lime as in the secondi 
third, and fourth experiments, filled with boiled water, and tarred exter- 
nally, as the preceding. On one will' be marked B W L T, boiled water 
limed and tarred, N° 1 ; on the; other, B W L T, N"* 



Experiment IX. 

Two casks coated externally with tar, are to be filled' simply with water 
unboiled, and marked SWT, simple water tarred, N° 1 and N° 2.. 



Experiment X".: 

Two^ casks are to be filled with water, subjecting neither the water nor 
the casks to any preparation. This experiment- is as a standard of compa- 
rison for all the rest. 

For the idea of impregnating the ihsides of the casks with lime-water, 
I am indebted to M"" de la Peyre, surgeon in the navy, the fundamental part 
of whose process I have adopted, altering and correcting it as I thought - 
necessary. The addition of vitriolic, acid to water is by no means new. 

It must, be -observed, that the water, is not to be boiled, till the casks ar« 
ready to receive it.; and that they must be filled with it immediately. Other 
insects might deposit their eggs in. it, if it. were, suffered to remain long , 
exposed after the boiling. . 

To say, that allahe experimental', casks must, be close stopped, cannot, be : 
necessary. 

VOL. 3, -jjs/ 




i54 



1.1 1 1 

I'l i 



'1111! 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

When arrived at a latitude and temperature, in which the rest of the 
ship's water becomes putrid, that of one of each of the experimental casks 
must be examined by the taste and smell; its degree of transparency n^^ust 
be observed ; it's weight must be tried by the areometer ; a thermometer 
must be introduced into it, to ascertain it's temperature ; in a given quantity 
.of the water of each cask must be boiled a given quantity of dried pulse, 
the same as was used for the purpose before the water was taken on board, 
.and reserved for the trial ; and, lastly, a given quantity of the soap before 
•employed must be dissolved in a given quantity of the water. 

If any insects be formed, their species must be examined, their metamor- 
.|)hoses observed, and the degrees of the corruption and putrefaction of the 
water must be noticed. It would not be amiss to preserve some of these 
insects in spirits, in order to bring them to France. 

If the navigators be not in want of the water of the remaining ten casks, 
they should not be touched, till the ships arrive in a different climate, but 
still in a latitude where common water putrifies. In this case they will be 
examined as in the former. 

An exact account of every thing done and observed in these experiments 
will be taken, in the form of a legal deposition : and this deposition is to 
be signed by M"^ de la Perouse, his officers, and the natural philosophers 
on board. 

If this scheme of experiments be deemed important, it is obviously very 
desirable, that each of the vessels under the command of M"^ de la Perouse 
should repeat them at the same time : they may separate, and visit different 
parts : two sets of observations will reciprocally confirm each other, and 
amount to demonstration. There is the less reason for objection, as the 
water employed for the experiments will be as good as any other, and will 
not uselessly occupy room in the vessels, as it may be drunk. 

I request M'^ de la Perouse to sign two copies of this scheme, which I 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



155 



will sign also : he shall keep one and I the other. They will be proofs of 
his pledging himself to the public, for the performance of experiments, 
which may be to the advantage of navigation : at least they are proposed 
with this design. 

Rambouillet, May 19, 1785. 

Signed Tessier, and la Perouse. 



.156 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



MEMOIR 

IFOR THE DIRECTION OF THE GARDENER IN THE bUTIES HE HAS 
TO PERFORM ON HIS VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD ; BY M'' THOUIN, 
FIRST GARDENER OF THE BOTANIC GARDEN. 

THE objects of the mission of the gardener, who will accompany M' de 
la Perouse on his expedition, being to convey to the natives of the coun- 
tries that will be visited such vegetable productions of Europe, a"s may be 
of utility to them, and to bring back from those countries such as may en- 
rich this quarter of the globe, it appears proper, to divide this memoir into 
two parts, each treating separately of one 'of these objects. 



PART THE FIRST. 

■OF THE CHOICE, NATURE, AND CULTIVATION OF THE VEGETABLES 
TO BE EXPORTED FROM FRANCE. 

OF all the presents, which the royal munificence intends to bestow on 
the inhabitants of the newly discovered countries, vegetables conducive to 
the support of man are unquestionably those, which will afford them the 
most permanent benefit, and tend most to promote their happiness. 

A selection of these vegetables ought to" be made from our leguminous 
plants, and most pleasing fruit-trees. Such fruits and vegetables as require 
no preparation, to render them fit for food, claim the first rank: those 
which need only to be roasted, to become eatable, hold the second. Pre- 
-sents to be made to people, who, having no vessels proper for boiling food. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

could not make use of vegetable productions requiring this mode of pre- 
paration, should be confined to those two kinds. These considerations have 
been our guides in forming the catalogues, which terminate this memoir. 

It is farther to be observed, by way of diminishing the expense of pur- 
chase, that the seeds of such varieties of vegetables as require nice and 
assiduous cultivation should not be taken. These seeds, left to themselves 
in climates so different from their own, or at most experiencing but a rude 
kind of cultivation, would soon return to their primitive species, and thus 
uselessly occasion double labour. 

The selection being made, it is proper to determine how the vegetables 
will most advantageously be conveyed. 

There is no doubt but seed, while it is the least expensive in the pur- 
chase, and the most easy of conveyance, is in general the most certain, for 
multiplying the productions of one climate in another : but it requires 
attention in choosing it, caution for preserving it during the voyage, and 
qare for sowing it with success in the different places for which it is in- 
tended. 

The most scrupulous attention will be paid to purchase only seeds of 
the last gathering, thoroughly ripened, and perfectly sound. Such as are 
wrinkled, or penetrated by insects, should be carefully rejected, not only 
as useless, but even as detrimental to the preservation of the rest. 

The seeds thus chosen should be divided into two classes : the first will 
comprise all such as require only the exclusion of air and moisture, to pre- 
serve them till they arrive at the place of their destination ^ the second, 
those which it will be necessary to bring in earth or sand, to prevent their 
losing the property of germination, such as the stones of our fruit trees, the 
seeds of many umbelliferous plants, &c. 

The first should be put into brown-paper bags, and then into tin boxes 








VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

soldered as closely as possible : the second should be placed in layers with 
earth or sand, also in tin boxes, very nicely closed. 

These different boxes, after being properly soldered, must be packed in 
strong cases, which are to be covered with oil-cloth; and placed in a part 
of the vessel least exposed to damp, and best secured both from extreme 
heat and extreme cold ; where they are to remain, without being opened, 
till the time when it will be proper to sow them. 

As it is probable, that the sowings will not be confined to one single 
place, and that New Zealand, the Sandwich Islands, the Friendly Islands, 
and the Society Islands, will have their respective shares of these presents; 
we think it will be proper, in order to avoid the admission of air to seeds to 
be sown at very different periods, to divide the whole collection into four 
parts, each of which may be contained in one case, not to be opened till 
the time of sowing the seeds. This will prevent an inconvenience, which 
might prove highly detrimental. 

Order being indispensable in a collection of this kind, the gardener will 
be careful to write on each packet the name of the seed it contains, to enter 
them in a catalogue as he packs them up in the tin boxes, to number these 
boxes conformably to his catalogue, and then to place them numerically in 
each of the cases which is to contain an assortment. This will enable him 
to find what he wants at any time readily, and without trouble. 

It is scarcely possible to lay down a precise plan for the sowing of these 
seeds, and their cultivation, in places which will be visited with such rapi- 
dity. All that can be said must be confined to a general outline, which the 
judgment of the gardener will fill up. 

On his arrival at a place, where it is intended to make a sowing, the first 
care of the gardener should be, to learn the temperature of the climate, and 
to examine whether the productions of the soil, particularly the annual 
plants, be in a state of growth, rest, or decay. These observations will 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



direct him in the choice of seeds adapted to the climate, and the exposures 
most favourable for sowing them. 

In very cold countries, if he arrive in autumn or winter, he must not 
think of sowing the seeds of annual plants, which would either not germi- 
nate, or be killed by the first frosts. The most he could risk would be 
§ome seeds of trees, such as the kernels of apples and grapes, the stones of 
different fruits, &c. ; because, as these seeds will not come up before the 
spring, they may live notwithstanding the cold. If he arrive in the spring 
or summer, there is no reason why he should not sow seeds of every species 
of plant, which it may be presumed will naturalize itself to the climate, 
observing to choose, as far as possible, such a soil and exposure as are 
suitable to each. 

V 

In very hot countries, drought, in general, is one of the inconveniences 
most prejudicial to the propagation of vegetables. To guard against this, it 
is advisable to choose, for the place of sowing, a humid soil, banks of rivu- 
lets, or low lands, in the neighbourhood of the sea ; and shady places should 
be preferred for cultivation. 

The spots intended for sowing being marked out, it is necessary, that the 
gardener should direct them to be dug up, and prepare them for the re- 
ception of the seed. He will then sow his crops, and attend to their culti- 
vation as long as the stay of the ships will permit. , If he could inspire some 
of the natives with an inclination for agriculture, and make them sensible 
of the value of the productions arising from it, he would doubly accomplish 
-the beneficent end, which it is hoped will be obtained from his mission. 

In addition to these careful cultivations, the gardener may try another 
mode, which, if it produce no great advantage, will cost him little trouble. 
Whenever he is disposed for a walk into the country, he has only to fill 
his pockets with a mixture of various seeds, and scatter them, as he goes, in 
places where they will be most likely to succeed: a few strokes with a 
dibble will be sufficient to bury the seed, and stir the soil. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD 



That nothing may be neglected, which can render his voyage both use- 
ful and pleasant, the gardener should keep an accurate journal of all his 
proceedings : the periods of his sowings, their success, the progress of vege- 
tation, and it's results, when he has it in his power to observe them, will- 
furnish us with standards of comparison, which may tend to the improve- 
ment of the art in our own country. 

As there are several vegetables, which might be very useful to the inha- 
bitants of the places that will be visited, but the seeds of which do not pos- 
sess the quality of propagating our choice varieties, the result of long culti- 
vation, such as the greater part of our fruit-trees, it will be proper to en- 
deavour to carry abroad some of each of these sorts of trees in a growing 
state 5 which will be the subject of the following chapter. But, beside 
this, k will be proper not to omit taking out a quantity of the seeds of 
these trees ; for the seeds will produce wild fruits, which, similar to those 
that fed our forefathers, may serve as food to men still less civilised than 
they, and be to them a fund of wealth, from which their industry, as it 
improves, may hereafter derive more considerable advantage. 



OF THE CONVEYANCE OF VEGETABLES IN A STATE OF GROWTH. 

The present season of the year does not admit the taking up of trees 
growing in the open ground, the vegetation of which is now in full vigour; 
but whatever is cultivated only in the open ground elsewhere, maybe found 
in pots at Paris. It is necessary, therefore, to procure these from our nur- 
serymen-; as the trifling expense incurred by conveying them to the place 
of embarkation will be amply compensated by the certainty of success.. 

Trees cannot be carried abroad, with the least hope of being preserved 
ahve, except in boxes, in which they may vegetate during the voyage. For 
this purpose a box must be provided, forty inches long, twenty broad, and 
as many deep, with ten or a dozen holes in the bottom for draining off the 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

superfluous water. The upper part is to consist of a triangular frame, fit- 
ted with wire lattices, glass-frames, and outside shutters, in order to keep 
up a free circulation of air, augment the heat when necessary, and defend 
the plants from the cold. 

The sorts being chosen conformably to the catalogue drawn up and 
placed at the end of this memoir, it will be proper to procure only young 
plants, and such as are full of branches throughout the whole length of the 
stem. Care must be taken, that they are healthy, and vigorous, and their 
shoots as near as may be to the root. When as many as one box will hold 
are collected, they must be disposed in the following manner. 

The holes at the bottom of the box being so covered as to prevent the 
earth from being washed away by the water that drains out of them, a 
layer of strong earth, three inches thick, must be put in, and lightly 
pressed down. On this layer is to be placed the first range of trees, taken 
from the largest, and those which, like figs, vines, cherry-trees, &c. will 
not be injured by burying the stem tolerably deep. The clods of earth 
taken out of the pots with these trees are to be placed as close together as 
possible, and the vacuities between them are to be filled up with heath- 
mould, which is to be well settled, so as to form one solid mass. This 
first stage is to be covered with a bed of heath-mould, two inches thick. 
The second is then to be arranged, like the first, clod against clod, the 
tallest stems in the middle, and the shortest, in gradation, round the sides. 
All the vacuities are then to be filled up with heath-sand, without any re- 
gard to burying the stems of the trees of the lower stage, provided three or 
four eyes of each be above the ground, which will be sufficient for their 
preservation. Lastly the whole mass will be consolidated, either by strik- 
ing the box against the ground. Or by pressing down the earth with the 
fist, so that no vacuum be left, and the shaking of the carriage and rolling 
of the ship occasion no derangement. To .render this more secure, a layer 
of moss may be spread over the surface of the upper stratum, and covered 
with another of new wheat-straw, both together an inch and half thick i 

VOL, I. Y 



1 



r 




ml 



162 







Ij j|r!''''"''!"»!iii|j 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

and these may be confined by slips of wood crossing the box between the 
stems of the trees without touching them, and nailed to ledges fastened to 
the longer sides of the box. 

The plantation being finished, the trees are to be pruned, so that the 
branches nearest the wire lattice will not touch it by an inch or two: the 
whole mass must then be well watered, and a few days after it may be sent 
off for Brest by the waggon. - 

That there may be less waste of moisture from the box during a journey, 
which may continue twelve or fourteen days without a possibility of re- 
placing it, it will be proper to dose the side shutters j but the two small 
ones at the end should remain open, that the air may be renewed, and the - 
plants prevented from decay. , 

When the boxes arrive at Brest, the gardener's first care must be to open 
them, and remove the wire lattice, in order to cut off such branches of the 
trees as may be injured. He will then examine the earth, so as to be 
able to form a judgment of it's dryness or moisture, and repair any little 
disturbance produced in it by the journey. After these trees have been 
thus deprived of the free access of air, it wiU not be prudent to expose 
them suddenly to the sun j but they must be defended from it by placmg 
the boxes in the shade, or covering them with canvass for a few days. 

The management during the voyage will require only occasional water- 
ing, and protecting the trees from the extremes of heat and cold, cither by 
covering them with canvass during the day, and giving them as much air 
as possible at night, or by placing them between decks in cold latitudes. 
Now and then a little use of the pruning knife will be necessary, to prevent 
the too luxuriant plants from injuring their neighbours. 

When these trees arrive at the place of their destination, they should be 
taken out, with the earth adhering to the roots, as carefully as possibles 
planted in such exposures, and such soils, as are most suitable to their 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

turci and the gardener will take care of them as long as he stays. If the 
whole of the package be not intended for one place, he will take out of the 
box only such as he intends to plant, and fill up their places with such pro- 
ductions of the country, as he may think would prove useful in Europe. 
The gardener will exert himself to make the natives understand, that these 
trees are presents, and that they ought to attend to them carefully, on ac- 
count of the advantages they will derive from them. This is nearly all that 
can be said on the first part of the gardener's mission : we now proceed to 
the second. 



' 163 



PART THE SECOND. 



OF THE COLLECTION OF SUCH VEGETABLES AS MAY BE USEFUL 
IN EUROPE, AND OF THEIR PRESERVATION DURING THE 

VOYAGE, 



THIS collection ought to include 1, seeds; 2, the bulbs and fleshy roots 
of perennial plants; and 3, young sets of interesting trees, the seeds of 
which could not be procured. 

Seeds ought to be gathered in the state of most perfect maturity, if it be 
practicable : but, as it may frequently happen, that the shortness of his 
stay will not permit the gardener to wait for the complete ripening of 
seeds, he should not on this account neglect to gather them ; for still they 
may succeed : but in this case certain precautions are indispensable. 

Herbaceous plants, the seeds of which may not be above three fourths 
or two thirds ripe, ought to be pulled up with their roots, tied in bundles, 
carried on board the ship, and hung up in a dry place, not exposed to the 
sun. Part of these seeds will undoubtedly ripen within six or eight days, 
when they may be gathered. 



1 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

If it should happen, that the gardener meet with a very interesting plant 
which he may be desirous of obtaining, but of which the seed ^ but just 
Tet till he should not despair. In th. case it will be proper to take up 
the plants with the earth adhering to their roots, and place them .n baskets. 
These baskets should be covered for a few days, the plants should be wa- 
1 nese j,™,... thev should be uncovered, 

tered morning and evenmg; and by degrees tney sno 
The seeds will ripen in the course of the voyage, and thus we shall not 
hj^e to regret the neglect of perhaps the only opportunity of procurtng 
Europe a valuable plant. . 

If the oardener be so fortunate as to meet with seeds perfectly ripe the 
Jde of harvesting them is by no means a matter of ^f^^^^f^ 
.ard to their preservation. He must not only take care to F^^""^ 
Tn their husks! but even gather them with their -'"-nal covenngs and p - 
duncles Those which grow in pods, husks, and capsules, should remam 
; hdrcasis, which it w'iU be even proper to tie, that they may not open 
11. the voyage: cones, and all dry fruit-cases in general, should be 
treated in a simUar manner. The small seeds which grow m sprkes, pa- 

to ilrcep tl^ oftheairtothegerme of the seed. 

The preservation of seeds, during a voyage of such -^i" -J 

different cHmates, requires indispensable P--u«ons_ - ' "^ 
,eeds included in their envelopes keep better than others . but it is neces 
seeds mciuaea m r accompany them s 

,K.m under a bell-glass with a little burning sulphur. When the gar 
enTr s .1^ himself, that the seeds contain neither insects nor super 
Juous moisture, he will wrap them up, each species separately, strong 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



unsized paper. On each parcel he will put a number, referring to a spe- 
cimen of the tree or plant, from which the seed was taken : and he will 
pack the different parcels in a tin box, as tightly as he can, both to save 
room, and to prevent the motion of the ship from causing them to rab 
each other to pieces. When the box is filled, the cover is to be put on 
and soldered as closely as possible, and immediately he will write upon it 
what it contains, as for instance : seeds collected at such a place, from 
such a time to such a time» 

When several such boxes are filled, they should be packed up in a 
strong wooden case, covered with oil-cloth, and ticketed as above. 

Naked seeds, of the size of a nut and upwards, require a different pre- 
paration. Immediately after they are gathered, they should be exposed to 
the air, in a close place, for a proper time, to evaporate their superfluous 
moisture, and bring them to a state of perfect maturity. They should then 
be examined, that such as are abortive, badly formed, or penetrated by in- 
sects, may be thrown away. When this is done, a tin box is to be taken^ 
big enough to contain double the quantity of the seeds : on the bottom 
must be laid a stratum of earth, a finger thick, and on this a layer of seeds 
must be placed, a few lines distant from each other : these seeds are to be 
covered with earth to the depth of six lines, on which another layer of 
seeds is to be put^ and so on, alternately, till within a finger's breadth of 
the tap, where the last stratum of earth must be placed, which is to be 
strongly pressed down with the cover. This must be soldered close, as in 
the former case. 

The earth used on this occasion should be neither too dry, nor too 
moist, but such as is found at the surface of the ground, when it has not 
rained for eight or ten days. If too dry, it would absorb the moisture ne- 
cessary for the preservation of the seeds; if too moist, it might rot them^ 
The success of this kind of package depends on a just medium between the 
two extremes, suited to the nature of the seed. 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

It is unnecessary to add, that it is of importance, after the box is soldered, 
to affix to it a direction expressing what it contains, and referring to the 
herbal, and the gardener's journal. The necessity of this precaution is 
obvious, I 

Naked seeds, below the size of a pea, maybe put in mixed with the 
earth, without taking the trouble to arrange them in regular layers ; though 
in other respects they are to be treated as the preceding. 

Seeds inclosed in fleshy coverings, berries, or pulpy fruits, as figs, goose- 
berries, apples, peaches, and the like, should be taken out as soon as the 
fruit begins to decay, which is a sign of the perfect maturity of the seed. 
They are then to be spread abroad in the open air ; after which they may 
be inclosed in tin boxes, with earth, in the manner directed above. 

To increase the chances of success, and leave nothing to hazard, per- 
haps it would not be amiss, to pack up with earth, in the same manner as 
the naked seeds, a portion of each species of those that are included in 
capsules, pods, and the like. This precaution will be particularly useful 
at the beginning of the voyage ; as the processes for the preservation of seed 
during so long a period cannot be too various. 

All the boxes, which we have hitherto recommended to be soldered up 
as they are filled, ought on no account to be opened, previous to their ar- 
rival in France, and the period when they are to be sown. They will 
require no care on the passage, but to be placed in a part of the vessel least 
exposed to the variations of the atmosphere in the different climates. They 
ought also to be kept from too great damp, and more particularly from 
,extreme dryness. 

It is by no means clear, that there do not exist seeds, the germination of 
which it is impossible to retard : such as those of palms, myrtles, the class 
of the stellate, and all those in general, the seeds of which are filled by a 
horny substance, and which have but a very small embryo, lodged in a small 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 

cavity. These families abound in pine trees,- most of them useful. The 
little success of the seeds of these trees, which have been brought to us with 
many precautions, seems to prove the impossibility : other means, there- 
fore, should be employed, to procure these desirable articles. We are of 
opinion, it would be proper to sow the seeds as they are gathered. For 
tliis purpose the gardener should procure a box of such dimensions as he 
may judge necessary for the quantity of seed he intends to put into it, but 
not less than twenty inches deep. This box should be filled with sub- 
stantial mould, taken at the moment when wanted from a place abounding 
m. plants and he will sow the seeds in it, very close to one another, at 
different depths i the largest, as the cocoas of the Maldive islands, eight 
inches deep ; and the smallest, four lines. Between the earth and the up- 
per edge of the box a space of two inches must be left for a layer of moss, 
to be confined by four or five battens nailed across the box, to secure the 
earth against the rolling of the ship. When the seed is sown, a row of 
hoops must be nailed over the top, and covered with wire-work, to pre- 
. serve the contents from the ravages of rats, and the domestic animals of the 
ship, during the passage. The cultivation will consist in watering the 
earth, so as to keep- it in a state of humidity favourable to the germination 
of the seeds j in preserving the plants from the too great fervour of the • 
sun, by covering them in the day time with coarse canvass ^ more particu- 
larly in defending them fiom the cold, in latitudes where frost is to be 
apprehended, by removing them to the most sheltered part of the vessels 
and in cautiously pruning the too vigorous plants, which might injure thJ 
more delicate. Two little doors, made in the two ends of the lattice, wilL 
render this operation easy, as often as it may be required. 

Hitherto it has been supposed, that the gardener, to whom it will belong 
to make this collection of vegetables, would find the seeds, at th^ places 
where he lands, ripe, or nearly so : but it may happen, that the case shall 
prove otherwise, and, being in circumstances which render it impracticable 
for him to bring away the plants growing, he may feel himself obliged to 
quit a place, without exhibiting to Europe a. single one of it's productions. 




168 






VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 
Even in this situation there is a resource, which might also be employed 
on less unfavourable occasions. 

Every one knows, that the seeds of vegetables, as they ripen, fall to the 
ground ; and that a great number of them are washed by the rains into the 
hollows, or carried by the winds to the borders of the woods. By sweep- 
ing up with a besom, therefore, from these different places, a few cubic 
feet of earth, taken from an extensive surface, we are sure of getting many 
seeds of indigenous plants ^ and this earth, being put into boxes after it is 
properly dried, will preserve those seeds till their arrival in Europe. Of 
this we have a proof in a quantity sent from Cayenne by M"^ Aublet. This 
gentleman had embarked some sixty boxes filled with valuable plants and 
trees of that colony : the trees died on the passage but the earth in which 
they grew, being spread over a considerable surface of hotbeds covered with 
frames, produced a great number of plants, many of which are now pre- 
served in our gardens. This method, therefore, may be employed with 
success ; and in some cases it is the only one, by which certain species of 
plants can be obtained. 

The parts of fructification of the families of ferns, mushrooms, &c. are 
scarcely known, of course we are still less acquainted with their seeds. 
Attempts have been made to furnish Europe with them by transporting the 
roots, but hitherto without success. It is probable that by collecting some 
of the soil in which they grow, and mingling with it their leaves in diffe- 
rent states, germes may be obtained, which, if they be properly managed at 
their first sprouting, may furnish us with desirable plants. For this pur- 
pose it is necessary, that the gardener be very attentive to enter in his 
journal the nature of the soil from which he makes his collection, it's 
exposure, dryness, or moisture, and whether it were in an open or woody 
country. 

To save room as much as possible, and to derive every advantage from 
the conveyance of naked seeds which it can afford, it will be advisable to 
choose the earth in which they are packed, as has been said above, rather 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



than take it indiscriminately. This will require a little additional atten- 
tion, but it will be attended with advantages that will abundantly compen- 



sate. 



In conclusion of what is to be said on the conveyance of seeds, we will 
attempt to assign the proportions, in which they ought to be collected. 

Those trees and plants which may be useful in Europe for the nutrition 
of it's inhabitants,- such as that species of fern, the root of which serves 
for food to the New-Zealanders, unquestionably claim the first rank. Plants 
used in the arts will occupy the second ; those which may serve to orna- 
ment our gardens, the third ; and those which are proper for botanic gar« 
dens alone, the last. The proportionate quantity of each species of seed 
collected should be governed likewise by the climate from which it is taken. 
In countries the temperature of which is analogous to that of Europe, no 
risk is incurred by collecting a large quantity, because, as the seed is to be 
sown in the open ground, there will be no difficulty in making use of it, 
and the quantity will furnish the means of cultivating them generally in 
the different provinces of France. Those of hot climates should be col- 
lected in less quantity, because, as they require hot beds, frames, and 
green-houses, to raise them, only a small quantity can be used ; unless it 
were deemed proper to transmit a part of them to our colonies in the East 
and West Indies, in which case they should be such as it might be advan-^ 
tageous to cultivate. 

^ Another observation of not less importance is, to collect a larger quan- 
tity of every species of seed in the latter years of the voyage, than in the 
former: because it is very probable, that, in spite of all possible care, part 
of the seed gathered in the beginning of the voyage will perish before the 
return of the vessels to Europe, and that there will be much of every spe- 
cies no longer in a state to grow, while the collections of the latter years 
will be in an infinitely better condition. 

If the gardener were previously informed, that he should touch at any 



VOL. I. 



170 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

European settlements, it would be judicious in him to make such previous 
arrangements, as would enable him to leave there a small package of httle 
parcels of seeds of every kind that he had previously collected, with a 
duplicate of his herbal, the numbers in which should correspond with those 
on the parcels of seeds which he will bring to Europe. These seeds might 
be inclosed in tin boxes, packed in cases covered with oil-cloth, and 
directed to the marshal de Castries, for the royal gardens. 



OF THE CONVEYANCE OF THE BULBS AND FLESHY ROOTS OF PER- 
ENNIAL PLANTS, AND OF THEIR CULTIVATION DURING THE 
VOYAGE. 

If these plants be met with in their state of repose, that is, when their fruc- 
tification is completed, and their stalks are dried, it will be unquestionably 
the most favourable season for taking them out of the ground. In this 
state they will require no farther care, than to free them from their cover- 
ings, which might imbibe the moisture of the air, and cause the bulbs 
to rot. An exposition to the sun for a few days will draw off their su- 
perfluous humidity, and they may then be put into boxes, in layers, with 
very dry fine sand. 

When these plants are found in a state of full vegetation, they should be 
taken up with the earth about their roots, set in baskets, and taken care, 
of, till their stalks die ; when they may be taken up without hazard, and 
preserved by attending to the precautions given in the preceding article. 

As the vegetation of these bulbs cannot be retarded, they will germi- 
nate at the customary period, whatever care may be taken ,: it is necessary, 
therefore, that the gardener examine the boxes containing them from time 
to time. When he perceives, that th^y are beginning to vegetate, he must 
take them out, and prepare for their reception one or more boxes of eight 
inches, or a foot deep at most. These should be filled with a hght, sandy. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

succulent earth, taken from a soil that appears very fertile in plants, with 
a view to acquire indigenous productions, which would add to the chance, 
without increasing the trouble of conveyance. The bulbs may be planted 
half an inch distant from each other, and from an inch to four inches deef>, 
according to their size. When the plantation is finished, the earth should 
be about two inches below the edge of the box, for the reception of a bed 
of long moss, or, in want of this, of dry grass. A few battens are to be 
nailed across, to secure the earth against the rolling of the vessel, and over 
the whole must be put a covering of hoops, with a wire lattice. 

During the vegetation of these bulbous-rooted plants, the management of 
them will consist in lightly watering, pruning, and defending them from 
the fervour of the sun, too abundant rain, and more especially cold. 

When the plants have done growing, it will be proper to refrain altoge- 
ther from watering them, and leave them exposed to the utmost heat of the 
sun, that their stalks may dry the more speedily : after which the roots 
may be taken up, and replaced in their boxes, with the necessary precau- 
tions for their preservation. This will be repeated annually during the 
voyage. 

That the history of the ' vegetation of these species of bulbs may not be 
lost by such repeated change of place, it will be proper to fasten with a wire 
to each, a number marked on lead, referring to the gardener's journal. 



ON THE CHOICE OF TREES IN A STATE OF GROWTH, WHICH IT 
MAY BE DEEMED DESIRABLE TO BRING BACK TO EUROPE, AND 
OF THEIR CULTIVATION DURING THE VOYAGE. 

This method of acquiring the productions of countries which may be 
visited, ought to be employed very sparingly, particularly in the beginning 
of the voyage. There are few vegetables, which can bear to be cultivated 
for three or four years in boxes, exposed to almost sudden changes from one 



ill 

111 






VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

climate to another, though managed with all possible care and assiduity, 
according to the plan we are going to lay down. It is absolutely necessary, 
therefore, to confine this method to essential objects, the seed of which it 
is impossible to procure. 

For this purpose young plants must be selected. Such as have arisen 
from seed are preferable to those which shoot from the trunk. They 
ought to be healthy and vigorous, their stems of the size of the thumb at 
bottom, and they should be branchy, if possible, from the very root. They 
should be transplanted with care, without breaking or injuring the roots. 

They should be planted in boxes as near as may be to one another. 

For the success of the operation the following measures ought to be 
taken. The box, formed of some strong timber, must be placed in a level 
position, on logs, which will keep the bottom a few inches from the deck, 
in a place sheltered from the sun. Holes are to be bored in the bottom of 
the box ; and over these are to be placed shells, or little pebbles, to prevent 
the earth from falling out, while they leave a passage for the water. A 
bed of rich mould, two or three inches deep, is then to be laid all over the 
bottom of the box. If the trees or shrubs, for which the box is designed, 
have naked roots, they are to be arranged side by side, placing those which 
have the most bulky roots first, and those which are less abundantly fur- 
nished between them, all as close as possible, to save room. The roots are 
then to be buried completely up to the place where the stem begins, with 
fine mould, perfectly dry, that it may insinuate itself into all the vacuities 
between the roots ; taking care, as the mould is scattered in, to settle it 
well, by striking the box against the ground from time to time, or pressing 
it down with a dibble. When this is done, the box must be watered re- 
peatedly, till the water drains through the holes at the bottom; and the 
young trees are to be cut down to the length of seven or eight inches from 
the surface. It will be advisable to cover the earth with a layer of moss^ 
a few inches thick, both to retain the moisture, and to secure the whole 
bed by means of battenSo 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



If the roots of the shrubs, instead of being bare, be taken up with the 
earth about them, there will be less doubt of their succeeding. In this 
case the clods are to be placed as close as possible in the box ; and to com- 
pensate for the loss of room their bulk will occasion, cuttings of trees ca- 
pable of being propagated in that way may be planted between them, such 
as the paletuviers, figs, and other spongy trees. Seeds^ too, may be sown 
in them, as in the others and they may be managed in the same way in 
other respects. 

When the boxes are thus filled with shrubs, they may be conveyed oa 
board. Their cultivation should be conducted in the manner practised ia 
our hot-houses. It will consist first in daily waterings, porportionate to 
the wants of the plants, and the heat of the climates from which they are 
taken : but it will be advisable to err rather from defect than excess, the 
consequences of which would be more likely to prove injurious. These 
waterings must be made with fresh water ; that of the sea being injurious 
to almost all vegetables : and night and morning, in hot latitudes,, with the 
rose on the spout of the watering pot, after the manner of small rain, so as 
to wash the leaves and stems before the mould is drenched with it. In cold 
latitudes, on the contrary, water should never be given, unless when abso- 
lutely necessary ; and then the water should be poured out of the neck of 
the watering pot, at the hottest time of the day, and only at the feet of 
such plants as require it. 

Beside these attentions, it is of importance, that the gardener examine his 
shrubs every day ; free them from dead leaves and insects by which thty 
might be injured j guard them against the cold, extreme heat, drought, and: 
over abundant humidity ; and, above all, in climates where they cannot be 
exposed to the open air, to renew the air of the boxes from time to time, by 
opening the little window at each extremity for a few hours ; without which 
the plants would become languid, mouldy, and at length dead.. 

Succulent plants, of a mucilaginous nature, such as different species of 
cactus, aloes, euphorbiums, woody purslain, ficoides, and the iike>. may h& 



174 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



"brought in a growing state, in the same manner as shrubs ; but they must 
not be mingled together, because they require different treatment. For 
these, separate boxes must be made. The earth, in which they are to be 
planted very near to each other, ought to be of a compact nature. A bed 
of six or eight inches deep will be sufficient for their reception. On this 
earth, instead of moss, a layer of long straw, or very dry hay, must be 
placed, and kept tight down by battens : and when the plants are set in the 
boxes, they are to be watered so copiously as to consolidate the earth about 
the roots during the voyage. These plants should not be watered, unless 
there is the most pressing necessity for it ; they should have air as often as 
possible ; and they should be particularly sheltered from the wet and the 
cold. 

These are nearly all the precautions, that are essential to the success of 
growing plants. The skill of the gardener will supply a number of mi- 
nute particulars, which it is impossible to foresee : but we think, that this 
mode of enriching Europe with foreign productions should not be adopted, 
till the year when the ships will be on their return home. 

We shall conclude this memoir with a list of the tools and utensils, with 
which it is fit the gardener should be provided for his labours during the 
course of the voyage. 

LIST OF THINGS NECESSARY FOR THE GARDENER DURING THE 

VOYAGE. 

1. Twenty- four tin boxes, of different sizes, from ten inches long, eight 
wide, and six deep, to twenty inches in length, sixteen in width, and twelve 
in depth. 

These boxes are intended to contain part of the seeds sent from Europe, 
and they will serve for bringing back seeds collected on the voyage. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



175 



2. Two watering-pots, one with a simple neck, the other with a fine 
rose on it, for the plants on board, and for the first waterings of the seeds 
sown in different countries. 

3. Four pruning knives of different sizes, to serve him both in the culti* 
vation and collecting of plants, 

4. Two grafting knives, for similar purposes^. 

5. Two mercurial thermometers, graduated according to Reaumur, to h& 
placed in the boxes of growing plants, as a direction for the gardener in the 
management of them. 

6. The ten punches necessary for impressing the numbers on the tickets 
for marking the trees and plants carried out from Europe, and those which 
may be brought back. 

7. Sixty pounds of sheet lead, a line thick, for making the tickets^. 

8. A staff, two yards long, divided into feet,, with a ferrule at the bot^ 
tom, on which a little spade may be screwed, for taking up plants with, 
their roots ^ and at the top another ferrule, to which a crook may be fastened,, 
for getting branches of trees that are out of reach of the hand. 

9' Two mattocks, with two points, one flat, the other sharp, for making 
the holes necessary for planting trees, or taking up such as are to be 
brought to Europe. 

10. Two spades for the same purpose. 

1 1 . Two clasp-saws, for sawing off branches of trees, when the seeJ 
cannot be otherwise obtained. 




■■1 





{i; ir|hiiij-i.lr 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

12. Three tin boxes, sixteen inches long, ten wide, and six deep, divided 
into several compartments, opening with a hinge, and furnished with rings, 
that they may be suspended to a belt, when the gardener goes to collect 
seeds, and plants for the herbal. 

13. Six other tin boxes, sixteen inches long, eleven wide, and afoot 
deep, for holding dried plants, with numbers answering to those put on the 
seeds collected. 

14. Six reams of large and strong brown paper, unsized, for preparing 
the specimens of plants intended for the herbal. 

15. Four reams of large writing paper, for containing the dried plants. 

16. Four little quarto books of writing paper, for the gardener's journal, 
and lists of the vegetable productions he carries out, and those he may 
bring home. 

17. A large writing case,, furnished with two pen-knives, a dozen pen- 
cils, and a stylet or needle for dissecting seeds. 

18. A magnifying glass with two lenses. 

19. Duhamel's Elemens d' Agriculture, 2 vols. 12mo. 

20. Duhamel's /Physique des Arbres, 2 vols. 4to. 

These two works are intended both for the instruction and amusement 
of the gardener during so long a voyage. 




>3I 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



177 



LIST OF SEEDS NECESSARY TO BE PROCURED, TO SOW IN THE DIFFE- 
RENT PLACES THAT MAY BE VISITED. 

FIRST DIVrSION. 
Vegetables which may be eaten without Preparation, 







FRUITS OF TREES. 




Kernels of 




r Apples 


6 bushels. 






[ Pears 


6 ditto. 


Seeds of 




Gooseberries and currants 


4 a bushel 






r Grapes 


8 bushels. 






1 Peaches 


2 ditto. 


Stones of 




' Apricots 


1 bushel. 






Plums 


1 Hittn 






I Cherries 


's ditto. 


AlmnnnQ 






2 bushels. 


i\ UiS 




— 


21 ditto. 






FRUITS OF PLANTS. 








Melons of different kinds 


3 gallons. 


Seeds of 


< 


Water-melons, red and white 


2 ditto. 




i 


Artichokes, white and violet 


2 ditto. , 




[_ Guinea pepper 


4- a gallon. 






HERBS. 






! 


' Celery of different varieties 


1 bushel. 






Chervil 


4 ditto. 






Common cresses 


1 ditto. 






Parsley of different varieties 


1 peck. 


Seeds of 




Golden purslain 


4 a gallon. 




Sorrel 


4 ditto. 






Cabbage lettuce 


4 a bushel. 






Roman lettuce 


4 ditto. 






Small sallading lettuce 


1 ditto. 






Wild endive or succory 


1 ditto. 


VOL. I, 




2 A 






178 





VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



ROOTS. 

» 

Onions, white and red - - ' l bushel. 

Turnips of different varieties - 2 bushels 

Radishes of different species - 3 gallons. 

Turnip-rooted radishes, black and white 1 gallon. 

Garlic - - - - 4- a gallon. 

Eschalots - - - ''- 4: ditto,. 



SECOND DIVISION. 



Substances which require no other F reparation for being eaten than roasting. 



ROOTS.. 



Potatoes 

Carrots of different varieties 
Skirret 

Parsnips - 
Spanish salsafy" 
White salsafy 

BeetSj redj white, and yellow 



4- a gallon » 

2 bushels. 
6 quarts. 
1 bushel. 
1 ditto. 

\: ditto. 

3 bushels » 



FARINACEOUS SEEDS.- 

r Wheat of different species 8 bushels. 

I Maize of different varieties- 4 ditto. 

Buck-wheat - - 4 ditto. 

To be procured \ pi^^^^^^ rice - - 4 ditto. 

Barley of different species 4 ditto. 

Oats of different varieties 2 ditto. 

L Rye « -s 4 ditto a 



at Brest. 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 



179 



THIRD DIVISION. 

Vegetable ProduBims not eatable till boiled, and for this reason mked only 
to People who have proper Vessels for dressing them. 



Pease of different sneriPQ 


0 bushels. 


Kidney beans of different species ~ - 


6 ditto 


Garden beans of different varieties 


3 ditto. _ 


Lentils of the large species - 


2 ditto. 


Chick-pease, white and red 


1 bushel. 


Lupins - 


1 gallon. 


Vetches, white and black - 


1 ditto. 


Fenugreek 


\ ditto. 


White mustard 


i ditto. 


The egg-plant - . 


1 quart. 


White cabbage - - 


1 bushel. 


Red cabbage - « 


1 ditto. 


Citrul and pompion 


1 ditto. 


Cucumber - - 


4 a gallon. 


Gourd - . » « 


i ditto. 


Calebash gourd 


\ ditto. 


Orach - _ _ 


1 bushel. 


Chard-beet « „ 


4 ditto. 


Tobacco - . . 


1 pint. 



Note. It will be proper to divide this assortment of seeds into four 
«qual parts, putting each part into a separate box, not to be opened till 
the moment when the seeds are to be sown. This will prevent the in- 
convenience of admitting air to seeds, which are not to be employed till 
several months, or even a year, after they are gathered. 



^^^^ 




180 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 







tlST OF VEGETABLES WHICH SHOULD BE CARRIED OUT IN A 

STATE OF GROWTH. 

FRUIT TREES AND SHRUBS, 



1 
1 

2 

1 

2 

2 
4 
4 
2 
2 



Red calville apple-tree. 
White. 
True rennets. 
D'api apple-trees. 
English beury pear-tree. 
Bon-chretien pear-trees. . 
Crassan pear-trees. 
Saint-Germain pear-trees. 
Golden Chasselas vines. 
Muscadine vines. 
Raisin de Corinthe vines. 
Large mignonne peach-trees, 
Nectarine tree. 
Reine- Claude plum-trees. 
Mirabelle plum-tree. 
Large Tours damsons. 
Common apricot- trees. 
Peach apricots. 
White fig-trees. 
Angelique fig-trees. 
Violet fig-trees. 
Montmorency cherry-trees. 
Black-heart cherry-trees. 
White-heart cherry-trees. 
True olive-trees. 
Portuguese quince-trees^ 
Black mulberry-tree. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 

2 Manured or Spanish sweet chesnut-trees. 

1 Thin-shelled walnut-tree. 

1 Thin shelled almond- tree. 

2 Maltese raspberry-trees.. 



Culinary Vegetables. 



Potatoes of different varieties 
Jerusalem artichokes 
Garlic 
Eschalots 



»To be procured at Brest, 



181 



Sweet potatoes j To be procured at the Cape Verde Islands, at the 



Yams 



Cape of Good Hope, or in North America, 



FLOWERING SHRUBS. 



Hundred-leaved rose-tree, 
Lilach. 

Tuberose. 




183 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



CATALOGUE 

OF GOODS AND MERCHANDIZE PUT ON BOARD THE VES- 
SELS UNDER THE ORDER OF M-^ DE LA PEROUSE, FOR 
THE PURPOSE OF BARTER AND MAKING PRESENTS. 

Iron bars 

Wrought iron plates 
Iron nails of different sizes 
Bundles of fine iron wire ^ 

Copper in sheets J> Furnished by the port of Brest. 

Bundles of copper wire 

Lead in sheets 

Clothing of different kinds 

Fishing nets, &<:. ^ 

Hatchets of different sizes, and adzes, 2000. 

Joiners' chisels and gouges, 2500. 

Carpenters' adzes, 50. 

Large and small iron hammers, 700. 

Iron wedges for cleaving wood, 550. 

Frame saws, mounted, 50. 

Saw 'blades, 500. 

Hand saws, 600. _ 

Pliers, round and flat, and pincers for drawing nails, 1000. - 

Knives of different sorts and sizes, 7000. 

Pruning knives, 150. 

Scissors and shears, 1000. 

Steel files, 2400. 

Rasps, 1200. 

Bundles of brass wire, in sorts, 500lb, 
Gimlets, 1000. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 

Wimbles, complete, loo. 
Fish-hooks, 9000. 

Sewing needles of different sizes, 50,000. 
Pins, sorted, 1,000,000. 

Looking-glasses framed, of different sizes, 600. 
Glasses with feet, or goblets, 1800. 
Glass decanters, 200. 

China cups and saucers, in gold and colours, £00. 
China bowls, ditto, 50. 

Coloured glass beads, or bugles, in sorts, 1400 packets. 
Coloured glass rings, 2000. 
Pewter goblets, 600. 

Pewter wash-hand basons, 100. " 

Pewter plates, 60O: 

Pewter dishes, lOO. 

Steels for striking fire, 1000. 

Flints for the same purpose, 30,000v 

Tinder, 200lb. 

Glue, SOOib. 

Copper glue-pots, 50. 

Bells of different kinds, round and with clappers, 24 packets. 
Box, bone, and horn combs, 2600. 
Bellows, 24 pairs. 
Large barrel organs, 4. 
Bird organs, 12. 

Dragoon helmets, of copper, with plumes of feathers, and horses tails, 50 
oorgets of polished copper, ]02. 
Heads of polished copper for clubs, 12. 

Silver and bronze medals, with the effigy of the king, and an inscription, 

hi 'rff "^^'^ °' 'with 

chains of the same metal, others without, 100 

Other medals, of silver and of copper, with the kingVeffigy, 600 
.a's" Si;r ^" - - ^cut, othe. 



183 





184 





YOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

Buttons, gilt, plated, and of polished copper, 720 dozens. 
Vermilion, 2000 packets. 

Red, yellow, and white feathers, single, and in plumes of different kinds, 
to the value of 11 00 livres*. 

Artificial flowers, to the value of 300 livresf . 

Fine jewellery, consisting of rows of white, coloured, striped, change- 
able, and reflecting beads ; of drop ear-rings, and of girandoles of different 
colours and fashions; of necklaces, bracelets, and medallions to be sus- 
pended from the neck, of various forms and colours ; of rings of different 
fashions ; of perspective glasses, mounted in wood, copper, and fish-skin ; 

to the value of 5000 hvres %• 

Ordinary jewellery and trinkets, consisting of - magic lanterns ^ glass 
smelling-bottles, plain, cut, gilt, and coloured; gilt nails, lenses, multi- 
plying glasses, whistles of bone and of wood; bone cases, engraved, in 
open work, in filigree, and plain; hearts and rings set with stones, crosses, 
ear-rings, counters, &c. to the value of 900 livres§. 

Tinsel, consisting of galloons, net-work, lace-work, points d'Espagne; 
Brandenbourgs, &c. in gold, silver, and coloured spangles; to the value of 
2800 livres 11- 

Gold and silver tinsel gauzes, with coloured foil, to the value ot 700 
livres ^. 

Silk ribbons of different colours, 1200 ells. 
Remnants of silk, brocade, damask, figured, &c. 312 ells. 
Callimanco, of various colours and stripes, 100 ells. 
Coloured silk handkerchiefs, 200. 
Coloured linen handkerchiefs, 500. 
- Coarse-cloths, serges, stocking-web, and swanskins, of various colours, 

1200 ells. 

Scarlet cloth, 100 ells. 
Dutch scarlet, 25 ells. 
Red fringes, 200 ells. 
Scarlet coats, 12. 




* £A5 l6s. 8d. t lOs. 

II £.llQ 13s. Ad, 



X £.20Q Qs. 8J. 

^ £.29 3s. ifd. 



k £.37 105- 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

Red, white, and blue serge, 50 ells. 

Woollen blankets, 50. 

31ue and white striped linen, 150 ells. 

Remnants of printed callicoes, with large flowers, of different patterns, 
850 ells. 

Remnants of muslin, 100 ells. 

Remnants of linen, 500 ells. 

Red tape, 72 pieces. 

Thread of various colours, 1200 skeins. 

Flock paper, of different colours, large patterns, 80 rolls of nine ells each. 
Flowered paper, 80 quires. 

An assortment of garden seeds, of different kinds, beside those sent by 
direction of the sieur Thouin, chief gardener of the royal botanic garden, 
to the value of 400 Hvres*, or thereabout. 

'The whole of the goods emharked for making presents, and for barter, 
amounts to 58,365 livresf . 



185 



ll 



And the seeds, trees, shrubs, and plants, sent by the sieur Thouin 
5,330 livresj. ' 



to 



The whole of the instruments of astronomy, navigation, natural philoso. 
pliy, &c.§, and of books bought in France, amounts to 17,034 livresj|. 

There have been procured from England to the value of about 6000; 
livres **. 

There has been put on board, beside, a considerable stock of essence of 
spruce, malt, and other preservatives against the scurvy. The stores of 
this kind, and other things intended to preserve the health of the crews 
may be valued at 30,000 livresf f . ' 



1^ 



VOL. I. 



21 B 




VOYAGE ROUND THE V/ORLD. 

The whole of the extraordinaries for this voyage, comprising the extra 
cost of the provision, in consequence of its superior quality, and the pre- 
pared vegetables given in addition to the ship's allowance, will not exceed 
150,000 iivres*. 

In this the table for the men of science and artists accompanying the 
expedition is not included. 



SUMMARY 

OF THE INSTRUMENTS OF ASTRONOMY, NAVIGATION, NATURAL 
PHILOSOPHY, CHEMISTRY, &C. &C. FOR THE USE OF THE MEN OF 
SCIENCE AND ARTISTS EMPLOYED IN THE VOYAGE OF DIS- 
COVERY. 

ASTRONOMY AND NAVIGATION. 

THREE astronomical quadrants. 
One transit instrument. 

Three astronomical clocks, and two stop-watches. 

Several astronomical telescopes, night telescopes, and prismatic telescopes. 
Five nautical clocks, or time-keepers. 

One English pocket watch, or chronometer, for the longitude. 

Four reflecting circles, by de Borda, for observing the altitudes and 
distances of the stars. 

Tliree English reflecting sextants for the same purposes. 

Four theodolites, or graphometers, with and without telescopes, for 
measuring angles on &hore, and taking plans. 

Two sets of chains and staves for the same use. 

The steel fathom, with its standard, which were employed for measur- 
ing a degree of the meridian at Peru. 

^.6,250. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD'. 

Various instruments for measuring the length of the pendulum. 
Two English variation compasses. 

Two dipping needles, lent by the English board of longitude. The 
same as were used in Cook's last voyage. 
One dipping needle, made by M' le Dru. 

Several other compasses for different uses, such, as miners' compasses, 
and others. 

Various sets of artificial magnets, in their cases, for touching the com- 
passes in case of need. 

Several half-hour and half-minute glasses. 

A box of watchmaker's and other tools, sorted, for the watchmaker ac- 
companying the expedition to repair the instruments. 

Several cases of mathematical instruments,, for the use of the astrono- 
mers and engineers, and other instruments, assorted,, for drawing plans and 
designs. 

NATURAL PHILOSOPHY AND CHEMISTRY. 

A double-barrelled air-pump, with its apparatus complete. 
A plate electrical machine, fifteen inches in diameter, with all its acces- 
sories.. 

A great number of barometers, thermometers, and hygrometers, of dif- 
ferent kinds, for various experiments. 

A concave burning mirror, one foot in diameter. 

Two - universal microscopes, invented by the sieur Dellebarre, with, 
their micrometers. 

A great number of single lenses, and of compound lenses with two and 
three glasses.. 

Two instruments for measuring the depth of the sea. 

An instrument for ascertaining the temperature and saltness of the sea.. 
at different depths. 

Several hydrometers. 

Several aerometers. 

A large Imen balloon, ''"ned with gauze-paper [/-^st/^Vr-^W/i/zJ, twenty--- 
six feet high, and twenty-two and a naif in diameter. 



187 



t!" 




188 ■ ' VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 

Three paper balloons, and three of goldbeater's-skin. 
Two scaphanders. 

A hydrostatical balance, with all it's apparatus. 
Phosphoric matches. 
Volta's eudiometer. 
Fontana's eudiometer. 

A chemical apparatus. ^ 
Rowland's pneumatic apparatus. 
A reverberatory furnace. 

An assortment of retorts, matrasses, crucibles^ and other chemical utensils. 
A silver bowl for chemical operations. 

A complete assortment of acids, alkalies, vinegars, calces, and other 
things, proper to furnish a chemical chest. 

BOTANY AND NATURAL HISTORY. 



:i 111' 




An assortment of boxes for collecting plants. 
Brown paper for drying plants, 50 reams. 

Nine boxes containing scalpels, pincers, scissors. See. for dissections. 
Eight nets in polished steel and wirework, for catching insects. 
An assortment of shrubs, plants, seeds, &c. enumerated in the memoir 
of the sieur Thouin. 

A portable mineralogical chest. 

DRAWING. 
Several boxes of colours, pencils, &c. sorted. 

Assortments of paper of different kinds, for drawing botanical subjects, 
plans, &c. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 



I8p 



CATALOGUE 

OF BOOKS OF VOYAGES, ASTRONOMY, NAVIGATION, PHYSICS, NA- 
TURAL HISTORY, AND OTHERS, DELIVERED TO M'" DE LA PEROUSE, 
FOR THE USE OF THE OFFICERS AND MEN OF SCIENCE EMBARKED 
UNDER HIS COMMAND. 



VOYAGES. 

Histoire generale des Voyages, by abbe Prevost. 
Histoire des Navigations aux Terres Australes, by the President 
Brosses. 

Historical Collection of Voyages, &c. by Dalrymple. 
Hawkesworth's Voyages, and Cook's three Voyages, in French and 
English. 

Account of Russian Discoveries, by Coxe, 
Voyage des Russes, by Muller. 

de M. de Chabert. 

~ de M. de Fleurieu. 

— de M. M. de Verdun, Borda et Pingre. 

— - of Phipps, towards the North Pole, 

— — ' — of Anson. 

— de Bougainville. 

' — de Kerguelen. 
■ ' ' de Pages. 

' ■ — of Dampier. 
— — ' — de la Condamine. 
d'Ulloa. 

de la Martinique, par Chanvalon. 

— ■ en Californie, by abbe Chappe. 

■— — de M. Sonnerat, 



150 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



Observations du P. Feuillee. 

Decouvertes dans les Voyages de la Mer du Nord. 
Question sur les Voyages d'Arabie, by Michaelis. 
Consid^-ations g^ographiques et physiques sur les nouvelles Decou' 
Decouvertes des Europeens dans les differentes Parties du Monde. 

ASTRONOMY AND NAVIGATION. 

Histoire de I'Astronomie ancienne et moderne, by M. Bailly. 

Astronomic deM.de Lalande. 

Astronomic de la Caille. 

Exposition du Calcul astronomique. 

Tables de Mayer. 

Tables de Logarithmes. 

Flamstead's Atlas. 

Ccelum Australe, de la Caille, 

Meridienne de Paris. 

Figure de la Terre, by Bouguer. 

Traite d'Optique, by the same. 

^ _ de Navigation, by the same. ^ 

„ — du Navire, by the same. 

Nautical Almanac for 1786, 87, 88, 85, and 50. 

Calendrier perpetucl. 

Metrologie de Paucton. 

Dissertation sur les Longitudes en Mer. 

Vocabulaire de Marine, by M. Lescallier. 

Discours du Neptune Oriental, de M. Dapres. 

AH the usual books of navigation. 

NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 

Journal de Physique, complete, 28 vols. 4to. 
Recueil de Physique, by Deslandes. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

Cours de Physique, by Desaguliers. 
Physique de Musschenbroek. 
Opuscules physiques of abbe Rochon. 
Lettres physiques sur la Terre, by M'' de Luc, 
Electricite de M. Sigaud de la Fond. 
Rouland, sur les Gaz. 



NATURAL HISTORY. 

Histoire naturelle, by M. de BufFon. 
Dictionnaire d'Histoire naturelle. 
CEuvres d'Histoire naturelle, of Charles Bonnet. 
Sur la Formation des Montagnes, by Pallas. 
Memoire pour rassembler les Curiosites d'Histoire naturelle. 
Tableau physico-me'teorologique, for minuting the observations to be 
made on the voyage. 

Construction de Thermometres, 

Bacon's History of the Winds. 

Recherches sur les Modifications de I'Atmosphere, 

Flux et Reflux de la Mer, by Deslandes. 

Vossius, sur les Courans. 

Peyssonnel, sur les Courans et les Coraux. 

Hygrometrie, by M' de Saussure. 

Essai sur 1' Hygrometrie. 

Resistance des Fluides, by Bossut. 

Hales on distilling sea-water. 

Hales on the Ventilator. 

Moyen de conserver la Sante aux Equipages. 

Sante des Marins, by M. Pingeron. 

Maladies des Gens de Mer, by M. Poissonnier Desperrieres. 
Avis pour le Transport par Mer, des Arbres, Plantes, &c. 
Traite de la Vegetation, by Mustel. 
Lettres philosophiques sur les Sels, by Bourguet. 
Systema Naturae, autore Linn^o. 



191 





19G 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 




Linnasi Genera et Sy sterna Plantarum. 

— ^ Philosophia botanica. 

» ■ — Supplementum. 

Forster, Genera Plantarum. - 

Plumier, Plantarum Genera. 

Adanson, Families des Plantes. 

Thesaurus Zeylanicus. 

Herbarium Amboinense. 

Thunberg, Flora Japonica, 

Burmanni Piantas Africanae. 

Bergii Plantae Capenses. 

Piso et Marcgravius, Historia Indias. 

Dillenii Historia Muscorum. 

Klein, Regne animal. 

Forskaol, Descriptio Animalium. 

Lettre sur les Animaux, by Leroj. 

PallaSj Spicilegia zoologica. 

. — ■ — Miscellanea zoologica. 

Ornithologie de Brisson. 

Derham's Synopsis of Birds. 

Gouan, Histoire des Poissons. 

L'Art de la Peche. 

Conchy liologie de Dargenville. 

Conchyliologie fluviatile. 

Klein, sur les Oursins. 

Pallas, Elenchus Zoophytorum. 

Fabricii Elementa Entomologiae. 

— . — Genera Insectorum. 
, — — Species Insectorum. 
MuUer, De Vermibus terrestribus. 
Dictionnaire de Chimie. 
Cliimie deM.de Fourcroy. 
Cristallographie de M. Rome de Lisle, 
Essai dune Theorie sur les Cristaux. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 



CEuvres de Henckel. 

— de Dubose d'Antic. 

■ ' — de Marcotte. 

Carte mineralogique de Guettard. 

Origine des Langues, by Court de Gebelin. 

Encyclopedic. 

Memoires de FAcademie des Sciences, 



VOL. I,. 




194 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 





NARRATIVE'^ 



OF AN INTERESTING VOYAGE OF THE FRIGATE LA PRINCESA, 
FROM MANILLA TO SAN BLASf, IN 1780 AND 1781. 

] 780 IMMEDIATELY on my arrival at Manilla, the commander of the fri-- 
August*. which I came, disembarked the marines he had brought, stationed 

them at the port of CaviteJ for it's defence, and appointed me their majon 
At the same time he ordered me to take the plan of the harbour and it's 
environs The object of this proceeding was to determme the most ±a^ 
vourable situation for placing the vessels intended to oppose the descent of 
the enemy. 

The governor directed the frigate Princesa to be equipped for an expe- 
dition, which he deemed proper to keep secret. When the frigate was 
ready for sea, I very unexpectedly received orders to take the — nd of 
her The surprise of this sudden appointment, of which I had not re- 
ceived the least previous intimation, my ignorance of the object oi the 
expedition, and the fear of seeing my mission interrupted by the necessity ' 
of Lme engagement, filled my mind with anxiety. But the governor re- 
presented to me, that this commission would crown me widr the more 
honour, in proportion to the importance of it's object ; that if the enemy 
should go in quest of me, which no doubt would be the case the pru- 
dence and activity of my manceuvres would be proofs of my ability ; and 

K„„.e. T„eFrenc., ^^ff^^ ^'^l^^'^T^: ^t.^^Zl^ these narratives a., .he old 

inserted in the "«,^»^„tt mej^^^ the National Institute. (Freneh Editor.) 

journals, the public is indebted to iJuacne, mcmuct u 

t Manilla, in the Ifland of Lnconia, ,is we,, known to he the capita, of the Phiiippines. San B,^ 

is a port on the western coast of Mexico. 



I Cavlte is a seapojt town, three leagues from Manilla. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE. WORLD. igs 

that the accomplishment of my commission would render a great service i780. 
to the king, our common master. Animated by these expressions, I ■^"g"^'^- 
deemed it no small honour, that the governor had fixed on me for such 
an expedition, under such critical circumstances. I accepted the com- 
mand; and on the 24th of August I set sail, after having received from 
the government a sealed packet, containing my orders and instructions, 
and the port to which I was first to repair. This packet I was not to 
open, till I was. twelve leagues from Cavite, 

On the 25th, finding myself at the distance prescribed,. I opened mj 25. 
instructions ; by which I was directed to repair to the port of Sisiran * and 
wait there for my final orders from government, keeping myself constantly 
on the watch, and ready to repel the enemy, who would no doubt endea- 
vour to intercept me, if they came to blockade Manilla. 

The wind slackening, and becoming contrary, prevented my getting 
out between the islands. In consequence I stood off and on, trying a:ll I 
could to beat to windward ; but I could not stem the current setting from 
Point Escarseo-f-, which I found it impracticable to double. Accordingly 
I was obliged to come to an anchor on the 29th, at two in the morning, 
near this point, and opposite Port de las Galeras, in twenty -five fathoms, 
sandy bottom. 

At half past three in the morning, on the 30th, the wind came round 30« 
to the west : but it blew so hard, that I dragged my anchors. I attempted 
to get under way; but the current would not allovv rrie, and even drove 
me towards the harbour. I was now in ten fathoms ; and I let go an 
anchor, which became the sport of the tide, and of the wind, which frelh- 
ened more and more, so that I soon had but five fathoms of water. I let 

* Sisiran is a harbour on the eastern coast 'of Luconia, nearly opposite tO Manilla, being only 16' 
more to the southward. 



t This point, Port de las Galeras, and the islands of Tiaco and San Bernardo, are all in the channel 
or strait, which separates Luconia from the rest of the Philippines. 



196 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1780. go another anchor; and by the help of my sheet anchor, which I quickly 
August. gQj. Q^j.^ J hauled off from the shore, from which I was not much above 
a ship's length distant : and though I still lay within Point Alagican, which 
forms Port de las Galeras, I was able to get under way, but it was at the 
expense of my sheet anchor and another, as well as a sheet cable and two 
other cables, which I left among the rocks*. At nine in the morning I 
doubled the point ; and though the wind abated as it came round to the 
third quarter f-, by a press of sail I fetched the island of Tiaco, under 
Si. which I came to an anchor at eight in the evening of the 31st, to be ready 
to get out of the channel the next morning. 

September On the first of September I again set sail, and at four in the evening 
J • was a quarter of a league to the northward of San Bernardo. Hence I 
shaped my course to pass between the islands of Catanduanes + and Luco- 
nia. As this course would carry me through the narrowest passage be- 
2. tween the rocks and that island, at ten o'clock I lay to, and on the 9.^ 
at day-break, I found myself two leagues distant from Catanduanes. Crowd- 
ing sail, at half after eleven I had reached the north-westernmost point of 
the island, and passed at a very little distance the last islets near it. Thence 
I steered west-south-west and west, keeping as close to the wind as possi- 
ble, to fetch Sisiran. At six in the evening I had nearly reached the port ; 
and stood off and on the whole night. On the following day, the 3=*, 
I came to an anchor at two in the afternoon; and moored my vessel as 
securely as possible, waiting for the last orders I was to receive. 

Immediately on my arrival, I began to exercise my people in every 

* Here I abridge considerably, partly because the particulars would be tiresome and useless, and 
■partly because there are some passages which I do not understand, either from my own ignorance, 
which, however, I believe not to be tlie case, or from the flmlt of the transcriber in mutilating the 
original. 

t The Spaniards divide the horizon into four quarters: the first, from the north to the eastj the 
second, from the east to the south j the third, from the south to the west j the fourth, from the west 
to the north. 

+ This island is opposite the most south-eastern part of Luconla. It's north point is nearly in the 
same parallel as Sisiran. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



197 



thing that could contribute to our defence in case of attack ; that we might 1780. 
all be expert in the management of our arms, if it should be necessary September, 
for us to use them. I wrote also to the governor, to inform him of my 
arrival, and demand his final orders. 

Sisiran is situate in the neighbourhood of very lofty mountains, which 
render the air extremely humid. They also occasion continual whirl- 
winds, as l experienced while- 1 lay in the harbour. The constant damp- 
ness of the air rendered my crew sickly, and I even lost one of my men. 

We were thirty or five and thirty leagues from the nearest villages, to 
communicate with which it was necessary to climb steep mountains, inha- 
bited by savages, who rendered this intercourse extremely difficult. It 
was not without much trouble, therefore, that I was able to procure a few 
of the refreshments, which I conceived would be necessary for us during 
so a long a voyage. 

To replace the three cables I had lost, I requested the akade, or gover- 
nor, of the province, to order new ones to be made : which he did, and 
sent them to me, as soon as they were finished. I likewise requested of 
him some anchors : but there was not one to be found, throughout the 
whole extent of his jurisdiction. 

On the 1 0th of November an officer came on board, and delivered into November 
my hands a large box, containing dispatches relating to his majesty's ser- 
vice. The governor general ordered me, to deliver this box as speedily as 
possible to his excellency the viceroy of Mexico ; and for this purpose to 
proceed to the port of San Bias, or that of Acapulco, whichever I should 
judge most expedient. I prepared immediately for my departure : but 
two successive gales of wind would not allow me to get to sea before the 
S 1 st of November. ^ 

To sail from the Philippine Islands to New Spain, the proper time of 
departure is the month of June, when the westerly winds will carry a ship 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD.. 

1780. to,the east of the Marianne Islands. At any other season it would be vain 
November, ^-q j^ope for a prosperous voyage. I was obliged to consider myself, there- 
fore, as about to attempt a navigation altogether new, in latitudes almost 
unknown. In fact, even if some navigator had before made a voyage ana- 
logous to mine, would he have had the same winds ? would he have 
steered the same courses ? would he have run down the same parallels, the 
same meridians, as I ? I may presume, therefore, that my route was never 
before taken by any navigator. 

I had nothing more at heart, than faithfully to execute the orders given 
me, and render my expedition conducive to his majesty's service, and the 
advantage of his subjects. These sentiments enabled me to surmount the 
apprehensions I felt from my absolute ignorance of the new route I had to 
pursue. My knowledge extended no farther than to New Britain; and 
even in the passage thither I fell in with aa infinite number of islands, of 
which no trace was to be found in any chart. 

M^ de Bougainville, who sailed from the east of New Guinea as far as 
the Cape of Good Hope in the same island, gives us the situation of only 
two small islands, which he called the Anachorhes, and . of a group of other 
little low islands, to which he gave the name of MlUe-Ues. To- these he 
unquestionably assigned their true latitude : but beside these islands, not a 
day passed without my discovering others, with which I was surrounded, 
at5 may be seen by the inspection of my chart. All that I could do, and 
which in fact I did from the moment I set out on my expedition, was to 
exercise the most scrupulous vigilance and attention, during the whole 
course of my voyage, that I might successfully acquit myself of my com- 
mission, in spite of the continual risks to which I was exposed. 

Had I sailed from a port, where I could, have been furnished with every 
thing necessary for so long a voyage, I should have escaped much distress. 
My crew were afflicted with diseases more or less severe : our provision,. 

* Bougainville gave tliis group the name oiTEcblquler, not. MtJk-nes. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1.99 



cdcuiated precisely for six months, was for the most part attacked by 1780. 
insects or in a state of decay : our water a?nounted only to seventy pipes, ^'^o^^^^^^''- 
and forty barrels, a stock, particularly considering waste, by no means suf- 
ficient for so long a voyage : and our rigging was in such a condition, that 
we could hardly pull a rope without it's giving way. I asked the alcade 
for some tar, of which we were altogether destitute: but there was none 
throughout the province, and I was obliged to supply it's place with pitch. 
Though these circumstances allowed -me but little hope of success, my 
zeal for the king's service suffered no diminution j and I prepared to en- 
counter all the calamities, with which I was threatened by the nature of 
Gur provision, and the stat« of our rigging. 



Departure yr(?;^ the port of Sisiran, on the eastern coast of the Island of 
Luconia, in i/f £0' of mrth latitude, and 126° S4f west of San Lucar in 
California, or 121° east of Paris, and 20' west of San Bernardo in the 
. mouth of the Strait, 



m 



On the 21st of November I set sail with fresh breezes from the east- 21. 
north-east and east, which soon increased; and, as they were directly con- 
trary to me, I made several stretches to gain northing, and get to some 
distance from the island of Catanduanes. These winds carried me into the; 
latitude of 16° 14'', as I found by observation on the 30th. I then steered 
south-south-east, and had sight of the island again on the 3d of December, December, 
bearing south-east by south, distant five leagues. Hence I concluded, that ^' 
the currents* had carried me 2° 16" west, notwithstanding the correction I 
had made of my course to the north-north-west. 



i 



In this situation, to which I was confined by the winds, which did not 
allow me to steer to the south-east, I was assailed by a large and heavy 
swell, and violent gales of wind, which often obliged me to lie to under 

* Beside the currents, the lee-way had no doubt considerable influence on the course steered; but 
k was apparently from the estimation of this lee-way, that the course had been corrected. 



200 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1780. the foresail, suffering every possible difficulty, to get to windward, in order 
December. continue my voyage. 

9. On the 9th of December, after having made many stretches, I found 
myself again in sight of the Island of Catanduanes, and I took from it my 
last departure, the southernmost point of the island bearing west-north- 
west 3° west, distant ten or twelve leagues; which gave me 13° 24' for 
my latitude, and 122° 26' longitude east of Paris, 46' east of San Bernardo. 

We had then pretty fresh breezes from the third quarter, of which I 
14, availed myself to run to the eastward till the 14th of December, when the 
winds came back to the east-north-east, east, and east-south-east. This 
change obliged me to steer my course between the south and south-east. 

18. On the 18th, according to ane of the charts by which I directed my 
course, J. ought to have been seven leagues to the eastward of the island 
called the Martyr and between the 20th and 31st I should have sailedover 
that named the Triangle : according to another chart, on the 19th I was near 
the Island of Yap, the largest of the Carolines, and on the 20th, among the . 
Pelew Islands : but we saw none of these, though the short and heavy sea 
we met with must have been owing to the proximity of the Carolines, or 
New Philippines ; as they are laid down on the French chart. 

29. On the 29th I crossed the line, and entered the southern hemisphere. 
The winds then blew from the third and fourth quarters ; at times tole- 
rably strong, but frequently interrupted by calms, which incommoded us 
much by the excessive heat with which they were accompanied. I di- 
rected my course to those points of the first and second quarters of the 
compass v/hich were nearest to the east; still keeping in view gradually to 
gain southing, in order to fall in with the westerly winds prevailing in 
higher latitudes. While steering this course, we observed several large 
trunks of trees, birds of different kinds, boobies, and others called dominicos. 

In this course I intended to reconnoitre the Mille-lles, the north-east-. 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



SOI 



ernmost . of which Bougainville places on his chart in 1° lo' of south lati- 1781„ 
tude, and * east of Paris ; and in fact I got sight of them on January 

the 7th of January. They stretched from the 38th degree of the second ^° 
quarter to the 9th degree of the third f . The latitude of that which lies 
farthest to the north-east was precisely the same as laid down upon the 
chart; but the longitude, according to my reckoning, was 141° 12^ east of 
Paris. 

I determined to run along these islands as close as possible.. I took a' 
number of bearings, which, combined with the ship's reckoning, enabled 
me to determine with the greatest nicety the situations of twenty-nine of - 
these islands, which we discovered. No doubt there were many others to 
the southward, which we were unable to discern. It is impossible to mark 
the extent of each of these islands on the chart, hardly any of them being a 
league in length. They are all low, and covered with trees. Some are sur- 
rounded with reefs, by which they are connected to the islands adjacent. 
The sea. breaks on these reefs ; but the breakers ate not perceptible at any 
great distance. I continued to draw nearer these islands, so that I passed 
within two miles of the northernmost At seven in the evening I per- 
ceived several fires on those that lay farthest to the east ; not without asto- 
nishment, to think that such little spots of land should be inhabited. 

Leaving these islands, I steered east by north, and on the 8th we disco- 8,. 
vered two islands, bearing south 3° east, distant five or six leagues. These 
I named /os Ermitanos, or the Hermits : and on the evening of the same 
day we saw the Anachoretes to the north and the west, distant, five miles, 
exactly in the latitude assigned them by Bougainville. At the same instant, 
we saw four Httle islets to the east. At midnight I passed these to the 
south, within a league of them. .1 named them los Monges, -or the Monks^ 

From this place I bore away for North Cape in New Britain: but the 

_ * The longitude is left blank in the manuscript : it is 139° 30' according to the chart of Bougaixi.- , 
ville ; the Mille-iles being manifestly the same with his Echiquier. 
t They stretched, therefore, from east 38° south to south 9° west. 
VOL. I. £ D 




I 



i 



202 ' ^ VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1781. dav/n scarce appeared on the 10th, when I discovered other islands to the 
January south-south-east *. This day and the following I ran along the western- 
most at some little distance. I did my utm.ost, by taking bearings, to ascer- 
tain it's true situation ; and I can assert, that it's northern shore extends 
eleven leagues. The island is no doubt proportionably large, for beyond the 
plains, which reach to the sea-side, several tolerably high hills are to be 
seen, which appear in perspective in the chart. Beyond this island are 
four other low ones in succession. They are covered with trees : their 
shores are bold, and free from reefs ; and I doubt not but good anchoring 
grounds might be found in the channels between these islands, where ves- 
sels might lie sufficiently sheltered from sea and wind. 

II. On the 1 1 th, the inhabitants of these islands, seeing me within two miles 
of the easternmost point, came off in their canoes, to the number of twelve. 
I saw several others which did not leave the shore. Having some curiosity 
to learn their disposition, I brought to. They came alongside, but would 
by no means venture on board ; and pressingly requested of us food, at the 
same time entreating us to anchor among their islands. We threw them 
from the ship a few cocoas and pieces of biscuit, on which they fell greedily, 
almost fighting over them : but when they saw a net with some vegetables 
hanging over the stern, they tried every effort to cut it away with long 
wooden axes. These were convincing proofs of their miserable condition; 
and far from hoping for any refreshment from these islanders, I perceived 
their necessity was greater than my own. I filled my sails, therefore, 
obliged to abandon them to their wretched state. There was no percep- 
tible difference, to my eye, between these people and the negroes of Guinea: 
their colour, hair, lips, eyes, and every thing appeared the same. Their 
only weapons were arrows, rudely pointed with flints, but without bows. 
Thev had also some fishing nets, with which no doubt they procured the 
principal part of their subsistence. 

' * In the manuscript it is sudoeste, south-west, which unquestionably should be sud^ste, or sud-sueste, 

south-east, or south-south-east, for it is evident from what follows, that the island could not lie at this 
jtime to the westward of the vessel. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



Pursuing my course when I quitted this island, to which I gave the ^1 
name of don Josef Basco, I discovered on the same evening six others. 
Of the two southernmost, I named the one to the west San Miguel, and that 
to the east Jesus Maria. Their size is no doubt greater than appeared to 
me from the bearings I took ; for their hills are very lofty : so that pro- 
bably the distance I was from them did not allow me to discern the extent 
of the coast. 

At the same time I ran along the shore of two other islands, at the di- 
stance of two miles : the westernmost I named San Gabriel, the eastern- 
most San Raphael Between these and the former two were two very 
small ones : that to the north I called Isla Baxa, or Flat Island j that to the 
south, Isla de Homo, or Oven Island. At midiraight, steering still east, I 
found myself to the north of three islands, to which I gave the name of 
los Ires Reyes, or the Three Kings. 

On the 12th I passed a very small islet, six leagues off, in the 38th de- 
gree of the third quarter, bearing south. 38° west,. 

At half after one the same day we discovered another island to the 
north-east 3° east, distant eight or nine leagues. It offered to our view a 
very lofty mountain ; and suspecting, that it was the Island of Matthias^ 
which the French chart places to the north of New Britain> I directed my 
course east-north-east, to get near it, and satisfy myself of it's situation. 
At six in the evening the mountain bore north 22° east,, at the distance of 
six or seven leagues ; and it's situation, ascertained from the bearings v/e 
took, left me no doubt, that it was t-he island of Matthias.. 

I continued to steer the same course, in order to get sight of Ik Ora- 
geuse, or Stormy Island, which is laid down on the French chart farther to 
the east. This island has certainly received a very proper appellationj for 
we were exposed the whole night to squalls of wind and a high sea. On' 
the 13th, however, notwithstanding the mists and frequent showers, which 
came on from the dawn of day, we discovered another island, bearing- 



S04. VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1781. north-west by north, at the distance of seven leagues, which appeared to 
January. smaller than He Orageuse is represented on the chart j but it's distance, 
and the obscurity of the horizon, may have induced us to suppose it less 
than it really was. At length I concluded, that it must either be He Ora- 
geuse, or some small island very near it. 

As the bearings I took gave me 1° 23' for the latitude of the southern 
point of the Island of Matthias, which the French chart places in 2° lo', 1 
judged it most proper to reject the authority of the French geographer, 
and lay down the island on my chart according to the latitude which I 
calculated from the observation I had made at noon, and which I believe to 
be very accurate *. I applied the same correction to He Orageuse ; as the 
situation of these two islands, being so near each other, must have been 
affected by the same error. 

On comparing my longitude by account of the Island of Matthias, 144* 
so' east from Paris, with that of 145° 35' assigned it on the chartf , I 
found my reckoning, according to the chart, must be 1° 15' too far west. 
Supposing, that the navigators who discovered this island had accurately 
determined it's distance from the Cape of Good Hope in New Guinea X* 
I corrected my longitude, v/hich I had calculated at noon 143° 39' east of 
Paris, to 144° 54', which it must be according to that of the Island of Mat- 
thias. This correction I applied proportionally to the situations of the 
islands I had before discovered ; and I took my departure anew from the 
longitude of 144"'. 54'. 

The same day, January the 1 3th, we descried an extensive coast. The 
horizon in the second and third quarters (all the southern half) was loaded 

* The latitude ef the southern point of the Island of Matthias Is 1° 38' on Bougainville's chart. 

t On the same chart the longitude of this point is 145° lO': and He Orageuse is represented as 
two, the centre of the easternmost being placed in latitude 1° 45', and longitude 145' 37', Bougain- 
ville saw these two islands, but did not examine them. 

+ Modern navigators would rather have been guided by the distance of this island from Cape 
gt. George, the geographical situation of which is better ascertained than that of the Cape of Good 
Hope in New Guinea. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 20 

with heavy clouds, mists, and whirlwinds. If the weather brightened, it 1781. 
was but for a moment, so that it was impossible for me to ascertain what J^^"""'y- 
land I saw. I believe, however, that it was the coast of New Britain, both 
because we continued for some days to discern points of land, which could 
belong only to a large island, or continent; and because, as we ran along 
the coast, we perceived very lofty mountains, which are extremely rare in 
small islands. 

In the afternoon of the 14th we saw a lofty mountain to the south-west, 14, 
and a shore stretching pretty far both to the west and to the east. There 
could be no doubt, but this was part of the coast of New Britain. I could 
not determine exactly how it trended, being twelve leagues distant. At the 
same time I passed near three islands, bearing from me south by west. 
The northernmost, which I named San Francisco, was two leagues and 
half distant: that in the middle, I called San Josef: and to the third, which 
was at the distance of seven leagues and half, I gave the name of San 
Antonio. After we had passed these, I saw at midnight a small island, in 
the 10th degree of the second quarter (east 10° south), which I called 
San Pedro. 

On the 15th we saw two islands, bearing at noon south-west 8° south, 15., 
distant ten leagues. The westernmost I named San Lorenzo j the eastern- 
most, San Bias, 

From the 15th to the 17th the winds were light and variable from the 17, 
first quarter to the fourth. On the 1 7th we saw a small island, to which 
I gave the name of San Jacinto. It bore from us 58 degrees of the third 
quarter (west 3£° south), distant ten leagues. 

On the 18th we discovered three other islands, eight miles off, one of ig. 
which lay north and south. The one to the west I named Santa Rosa-, 
the largest, Isia del Refugio ; and the least, which was very near it, /a Ma- 
delena. The same day we saw to the south-west of Isla del Refugio a coast 
covered with very lofty mountains. I conjectured myself to be twelve 



206 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1781. leagues distant from the shore, in the direction of 65° of the first and third 
January, q^^rters (that is, it bore from the ship south 65" west) : and this was the 
only mean I had of determining the situation of the island. 

At first I doubted whether this land did not make part of New Britain : 
but I was afterwards convinced, that it was the island of Sf. Jean, which 
the French chart represents as a large island, and which it places in the 
same parallel in which I saw this * ; particularly as we had seen an infinite- 
number of little islands since the Island of Matthias, but not one which it's; 
latitude and distance from this island would allow us to take for S' Jean. 

ig. At sunrise, on the igth, we saw two very low islands, each of which 
bore north-west and south-east, distant six leagues. They were parted by 
a narrow channel, which opened to the south-west. I named them los 
CaimaneSi or the Alligators. 

The same day, at nightfall, we perceived two islands to the south. The 
nearest to us, which was very small, I named Santa Anna; the other, Santa 
Barbara. The coast of this^ according to the bearings I took, extended 
seven miles.. 

£0. On the 20th, at daybreak, the centre of a large island, to which I gave- 
the name of Don Manuel Flores, hovh from us south 5° west, distant 13' 
leao-ues. We observed on it a pretty high mountain. That part of the-, 
coast which we saw ran east- south- east and west-north- west for the space 
of six leagues. 

At eight in the morning we got sight of nine islets, which I had no 

* I should like to know what French chart it was, by which our navigator directed his course. 
The Island of Jean is placed, according to a chart of Fkurieu, in latitude 3° 45', longitude 150*^ 
32' east of Paris : but according to Carteret's Voyage, the French 4to. edition, the chart of which is 
on a large scale, it's latitude is 4° 19 , longitude 153° 3' east of Greenwich, or 150° 43' east of Paris. 
Carteret had reconnoitred this island. The author of Decowvertes des Fran^ais, p. 286, decides in favour 
of latitude 4°, longitude 1 5 1° 30' east of Paris. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



207 



doubt were the Ontong-Java of the French chart. The latitude of these 178I. 
islands was precisely the same as the chart assigns to the centre of Ontong- J'^^^^'T- 
Java. I stood towards these islands, in order to get as near to them as 
possible ; and I observed they were surrounded by a sand-bank, which was 
not discernible at more than two miles from the shore. Near the edges 
of this bank, at a very little distance from it, a few small rocks appear here 
and there above the water. 

On the south the bank leaves a narrow opening, opposite which we had 
an observation, and found our latitude to be 4° 53'. We were not more 
than two cables' lengths from the entrance of it : and the other extremity 
is a bay, where the water is perfectly smooth, and which would afford a 
secure harbour for any ship wishing to take in wood or water. This bay 
is sheltered on the north by the islets. I named it Puerta de la Princesa. 
On the chart is a minute plan of this harbour : for we passed by it near 
enough to answer for the accuracy with which it is drawn* . 

Upwards of sixty canoes came out from these islands, which are not a 
mile distant from one another, and approached us within a short musket- 
shot : but as the wind was fair, I thought it incumbent on me not to waste 
time in waiting for them. Accordingly I filled my sails, and stood on my 
course ; while they returned to their islets, on which it appeared to me 
impossible for human beings to find subsistence. We observed a pretty 
considerable number of palm-trees, which no doubt produce fruit, and thus, 
with the help of fishing, enable these islanders to drag on a wretched life, 

* Ontong-Java (or Jaba, which is the same thing to the Spaniards) was discovered, as it is said, in 
\6l6, by Ic Maire .and Schouten. They reckoned twelve or thirteen islands ; but they were far from 
having so near a view of them as our navigator. At their distance, tliey could not discern very low 
necks of land, joining two parts of one island, of whicli consequently they would make two. In 17Q7 
Carteret discovered in the same latitude nine islands, which he supposed to be the Ontong-Java of 
Schouten. These islands extended from north-west by west to south-east by east, about fifteen 
leagues; and one of them was of considerable size: but Ontong-Java does not extend three leagues 
and all the islands that compose it are very small. Nowithstanding this, I shall endeavour to prove,' 
io another place, that the nine islets of our navigator, tliose of Carteret, and those of le Maire and 
Schouten, are one and the same groupe, bat different from the Ontong-Java of Tasman. 




i 




£2. 



g08 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1781. After having quitted Ontong-Java, I continued my course, with gentle 
January. favourable winds during the day, but violent in the night which ob- 
liged me to look out with the strictest attention, and to inculcate equal 
vigilance upon my crew. They were sufficiently aware of the extreme 
risk we ran : and in consequence, no sooner did an island appear above the 
horizon, but notice was given of it, the island was reconnoitred, and the 
danger was past, ' , 

We sailed on without having sight of any land till the 2 2d, when, the 
night being dark, at ten o'clock, we heard the sea roaring dreadfully to the 
north-east, and saw it broad on the ship's quarter, and at no great distance, 
white with foam. We were obliged to stand to the south-west, till we 
were out of hearing of this shoal, which I named Roiicardor or the Snorer * 
when I laid the ship's head to the east again, as before. 

If the various incidents which thwarted my voyage be considered, it will 
be easy to form an idea of the constancy, with which I invariably endea- 
voured to fulfil two objects, directly opposite, yet equally indispensable. 
My commission demanded the greatest dispatch, and consequently impelled 
me to crowd sail, without losing a single moment. On the other hand, the 
tornadoes in the vicinity of the line occurred only in the night ; when the 
winds freshened extremely, the sky became dark and gloomy, the thunders 
rolled, and the lightnings flashed. During the day the wind was nearly 
calm, so that I could make little progress except by night. I met with 
islands in the day: I met with islands in the night also. Prudence, no< 
doubt, would have advised me, not to expose myself to dangers, which in 
an instant might have completely frustrated the end of my voyage: but this 
would have occasioned a delay, probably prejudicial to the object of my 
commission. I resolved, therefore, to supply the want of inactive pru- 
dence by the most vigilant attention to every obstacle that might occur j 
and to avail myself of the wiods, as long as they proved favourable. 

*^ Fleurleu thinks, that this Roncardor is the fame with the Candlemas Flats of MendaHa, which k- 
not improbable. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 20 

All the remaining part of January the winds were light, and blew from 1781, 
the north-north-west to the north-east, so that I could steer no course but J^""^^/- 
east, or those points of the second quarter nearest the east. Thus my la- 
titude to the south was increased, without any possibility of my getting to 
the north, the wind constantly blowing from the first quarter, except a 
few squalls from the fourth and the second quarters, of which I availed 
myself to get nearer the line : but calms were so frequent, that the 
longest run I ever made in four and twenty hours was na more than se- 
venty miles. 

When February commenced the calms became more constant. From February, 
the 6th to the 17th our longest day's run was forty miles : in general it 
was but twelve or fifteen. These calms retarded us much. In vain I 
endeavoured to get to the north of the line, hoping to double the shoals 
of Saint Bartholomew on the west * : the light breezes from the north, 
north-north- west, and north-north-east, obliged me to steer a course in the 
fourth quarter so near the west, that I lost the easting I had gained with 
such numerous risks. This induced me to resume a course in the first 
quarter, hoping that the easterly winds would soon faciUtate my passage 
across the line. 

As my voyage was thus daily retarded, I had taken the precaution, ever 
since the 20th of January, to deduct two ounces of bread from each man's 
ordinary allowance, beside the diminution of one ounce in the pound, 
which I had made from the moment we set sail : but on the 1 6th of 1 6. 
February, finding no alteration in the weather in our favour ; and consi- 
dering, that we had been victualled only for six months ; that seventy 
pipes and forty barrels of water, v^hich liad been put on board, were far 
from sufficient for that period of time ; that, being according to my reck- 
oning in latitude 3° 3'3' south, and longitude 171° 8' east of Paris, I had 
hardly provision for three riionths, and a very inadequate stock of water ; 

* Here I am forced to guefs, as the mamiscript affords no rational meaning ; but I believe 1 am 
right in my guess. 

VOL. I. ■ 2 E 



10 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1781, 1 concluded, that it was necessary to diminish the allowance still farther, 
February, -y^j^ich I did that very day, by reducing it to two thirds. 

But this was not all : our distress was infinitely heightened by the innu- 
merable quantity of cockroaches *, with which our ship was infested. 
The biscuit weighed much less than when it was put on board : yet the 
state oif our water disheartened me still more ; we frequently found the. 
casks empty, and the water not only leaked out, but the casks themselves 
rendered unserviceable, for the cockroaches had eaten holes through the 
staves, into which you might put two or three fingers. 

Reflecting seriously on all these circumstances, I conceived it impossi- 
ble to continue my course towards the north of the line, without stopping 
at some island, where I could replace the water I had lost. To reach the 
Ladrones in time for this, was what I could not expect. Accordingly I 
resolved to make for the islands of Solomon, which I reckoned lay a hun» 
dred and seven leagues to the eastward. I hoped the northerly winds 
would allow me taput in at these islands, from which I could reach the 
presidency of Monterey with more speed and security. 

I stood, therefore, towards the Solomon^s Islands : but the winds of the- 
first quarter near the north, blowing without interruption, drove ' me im- 
jg;0. perceptibly to the southward. On the SOth of February I found myself 
seventeen leagues to the west of Cape Santa Cruz or Guadalcanar. We; 
then began to feel the breezes from the east and east-northreast, which made 
me lose all hope of putting into the Solomon's Islands, or even getting, 
sight of them. Thus, finding myself in the latitude of ia° south, I felt my-^- 
self constrained to proceed to the southward, persuaded that I should fall 
in with some islands, where we might obtain relief from the extreme want 
to which we were reduced. At the same time I hoped, that, after we had 

* The cockroacli, or blatia ammcana, is a coleopterous insect, not very unlike the may-bug, but- 
larger and flatter. It devours or defiles every thing. In the Caribbee Islands, it is said, they call it, 
W.- but the cockroach of the Isle of France [perhaps the blatta g\gantea\ appeared to me muclu 
larger than- the ravel of St. Domingo 3 in other respects they are similar pests- 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



reached the latitude of 20^ or 22°, we should find the wind favourable for 
running to the eastward ; which I could not promise myself, if I stood 
to the north, unless I got as high as 44° or 46°, constantly keeping close 
to the wind, which would have made me lose an infinite deal of time : 
and even if I did this, I should be obliged to put into the Ladrones. 

In consequence of these reflections, and others which incessantly tor- 
mented me, I resolved to steer a course in the second quarter (between 
the east and south), keeping as much to the eastward as the wind would 
allow me. On the 26th of February I saw a small island, and stood to- 
wards it, in the hope of being able to come to an anchor th6re, and pro- 
cure water. The crew leaped for joy, as if this island were to put an end 
to all their restrictions. Their hilarity equalled the distress to which they 
had been reduced but it ^yas of short duration : for when we arrived 
within two miles of it, we saw clearly, not only that there was no anchor- 
age, but even that a boat could not land on it. It was beside perfectly 
barren: on it's mountain, which was by no means small, not a single tree 
was to be seen. This island, from the anguish of our disappointment, we 
called Amargura^ Bitterness. 

On the 27th we discovered an island right a-head, on which was a lofty 
mountain, appearing scorched at the summit, but exhibiting a pleasing 
verdure on its sides covered with trees. We distinguished on it many co- 
coa-trees, which increased our desire to land, but the faintness of the wind 
did not allow me to approach nearer than within a league of it, on the 
western side. From this side several canoes put off with cocoa-nuts and 
bananas ^ and a barter presently commenced. The Indians, full of confi- 
dence in us, came on board. Their chief expressed the warmest friend- 
ship for us. He danced on the deck, and sung songs. Among other pre- 
sents he gave me a kind' of large counterpane, resembling blotting-paper, 
composed of two or three leaves placed upon one another, to give the tex- 
ture more firmness. I vi^as not behind hand with him in civility, and he 
retired well satisfied. He told me, that the island was called Latte ; that 
he was it's chief; that it abounded in fruits of dixTerent kinds, and fresh 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

water and that I should find a good bottom. In fact, however, I saw no 
place where I could be sheltered. 

In the stretches we made to find a convenient anchorage, we discovered 
to the east-north-east, at the distance of twelve leagues, other islands, less 
lofty, but of greater , extent, with several channels between them. The 
wind was faint, but favourable for them. The prospect of these islands 
promising me a more abundant supply, I stood towards them.. 

Calms, and occasional light contrary winds, continued a few days from 
the 1st of March; but at length, on the fourth, after a few tacks, I en- 
tered a passage between these islands to the north-west, and anchored in 
forty-five fathoms, at a very little distance from the shore. From our an- 
chorage we could see, within a bay, houses, numerous plantations of ba- 
nana and cocoa trees, and, what we had most at heart, very satisfactory ap- 
pearances of water. We perceived, too, within the group of islands, , 
several harbours, in which ships might lie secure from the wind and 
sea ; so that we persuaded ourselves our melancholy situation was at an. 
end. 

The same day, in the evening, we dragged our anchor; and as the 
bottom immediately deepened considerably, I got an offing while heaving 
the anchor in sight, so as to be ready to let it go again. As soon as it was 
gotten up, I tacked for the port, and on the 5th, at day-break, anchored 
in 38 vares * (about nineteen fathoms), on a bottom of sand and stones, 
within two cables length of the shore, in the bay where I saw the houses 
the day before.. 

During the time I lost in approaching these islands, fifty or a hundred- 
canoes came alongside every day, bringing hogs, fowls, bananas, cocoas,, 
and sweet potatoes, which tasted like milk-pap f. Some of these potatoes. 

* I think we fhould read thirty eight fathoms, 

t The Spanifti word fopa, or papa, signifies a kind of panada, made with milk, and given to 
children. I presume, however, it will be deemed very excusable, if I suspect a little exaggeratiott 
in the length ascribed to these sweet potatoes. 



y 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



were five vares (fifteen feet) long and as big as a lusty man's thigh. The 
least weighed three pounds; They offered us likewise stuffs woven from, 
the bark of the palm-tree, others of a finer sort, and some of those man- 
tles or counterpanes resembling blotting-paper, which I mentioned above.. 
They set a great value on these counterpanes in particular. All our traffic. 
was carried on over the ship's quarter. The islanders were desirous of 
hatchets, adzes, and other edge-tools, in exchange for their fruits and 
manufactures : but 1 prohibited the giving them any, under pain of the. 
severest punishment j and I believe my orders were obeyed. My people 
cut their shirts^ trowsers, and- waistcoats into strips j and for these they, 
procured hogs and other refreshments. In consideration of this provision, 
I stopped the allowance of meat, and reduced that of bread to half. 

TJie Indians, who came on board, were urgent with me to enter the 
interiorrof their archipelago. Each pointed out his own island; and as- 
sured me, that I should there find water, and every thing L wanted. The 
equisy or captains., testifi.ed the greatest friendship for me. as they, arrived ^ 
and I endeavoured not to remain their debtor. Several sat down at my 
table ; but they, would eat nothing except their own fruits. I imagined, 
that these people were divided into a great many castes, or tribes, from the 
number of equis, who exercised command over them : but I observedj,^ 
that they seemed to live in great harmony. . 

We were also visited by the women-, whose countenances appeared by, 
no means disagreeable. Their clothing consisted in a kind of petticoat 
reaching from the waist to the feet; and the men were dressed in the same 
manner. I- admired the handsome portliness of these : some, whom I 
measured, were- six feet four inches high, and stout in proportion ; and 
they were by no , means the tallest among them. Thus much is certain^, 
that the least of them equalled the tallest and stoutest, of ray crew. These 
islanders in general are tall and robust. 

As soon as we had cast anchor, I received a present of fruits, sent from , 
ihe and delivered to me, as I was given to understand, by. his . sons 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1781. What could this name of tubou, which the equis repeated with particular 
. March, affection, signify ? I thought, at the time, that it probably meant the 
cqui of the island near which we were, who must have some pre-eminence 
over the rest, from the respect with which they spoke of him. However 
it might be, I received his son in the best manner possible, with the view 
of securing his friendship, that I might experience no difficulty in get- 
ting water, but that our arrangements might be promoted by all his 
.^authority. 

By eight o'clock in the morning we had more than a hundred canoes 
i-ound the frigate. The cries of the people who were in them, and car- 
rying on their traffic, were so shrill and loud, that it was impossible to 
hear one another speak on board. They informed us, however, about this 
hour, that the tubou was coming to pay us a visit. When he drew near, 
all the canoes on the starboard side retired. I received him with all possi- 
ble civility. His age and enormous bulk had deprived him of sufficient 
agility to get up the ship's side ; so that the equis, whom I had hitherto 
considered as so many petty kings, assisted him with their shoulders, while 
he ascended the ladder. He was followed by his wife, who exceeded in 
beauty every other v/oman of the island we had seen j and I could almost 
have sworn, that she was the daughter of some European, she was so 
strikingly graceful. As she was at most not above twenty-live, youth still 
added to her charms. They both sat down on the banco de paciencidy or 
watch bench ; and all the rest, making a profound prostration, kissed the 
tubou's feet. He brought me as a present a canoeful of sweet potatoes. 
In return, I put on each of them a scarf of flame-coloured silk, reaching 
from the shoulder to the waist, with a dollar, bearing the effigies of our 
august sovereign, suspended to it by a carnation ribband. At the same 
time I distributed several reals *, with the same impression, as irrefragable 
proofs to future times of our having touched at these islands. The sub- 
ordination of the equis to the tubou was so great, that not one of them 



* The dollar is equal to twenty reals: the real is worth rather more than two pence halfpenny of 
0ur money. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 

dared to sit down in his presence. Even his son, who had assumed an air 
of majestic gravity before his arrival, was now as respectful as the rest. I 
may say with truth, that the tubou scarcely deigned to honour them with 
one or two words. I led^ them to the great cabin; when they were 
struck with admiration at sight of the equipment of the frigate, and the 
Other things I shewed them. At length, highly gratified with their re- 
ception, they departed, after giving us the most cordial assurances of the 
strictest friendship, and after a thojusand. kisses and embraces bestowed on 
me by the old man. 



1781o 
March, 



To prevent the, disorderly behaviour, in which sailors often indulge 
when they get ashore, I gave out orders, threatening the severest punish- 
ment to every one, who should in any way offend the islanders. 

At the same time I cautioned my people to be. on their guard on all 
occasions ; and to give the Indians an idea of the power of our arms, I. 
fired a few cannons against the rocks. The splinters which flew about 
jS'om the force of the balls, filled them with consternation, and they begged 
me not to repeat the firing. This discharge, made in the presence of 
twelve or fifteen hundred persons, produced the desired effects it im- 
spired them with dread of our weapons, and I hoped they would not re» 
duce m^ to the necessity of employing them in earnest. 



On the 6th I took fifteen of my men, well armed with muskets, pis- 
tols, and cutlasses, and went on shore with them in the long-boat, pro- 
mded with four, swivels. We landed on the beach, which I found co- 
vered with men and women* Making them retire a little, I drew up my 
mea under arms within ten yards of the boat. The swivels were pointed 
against the crowd of Indians, ready to be employed if we perceived- any 
hostile movement. 

The son of the tubou offered^ to conduct one of my people; to a spring; o£ 
f^esh water ; but on his telling him, after they had walked^half an hour, 
and ascended a little hill, that he had as. much. farther to .go^ my messengei:: 



6. 



i 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

3 781, returned to the sea-side, where I waited for him. In the mean time I had 
directed the men to dig a well on the shore, and when they got to the 
level of the sea, water came, but it was not drinkable. I then ordered an- 
other to be dug twenty yards from the beach ; as I wished to avoid the ne- 
cessity of weighing anchor, and running with the vessel farther into the 
midst of the archipelago, where I was assured I should find water ; for this 
would have taken me some days, and I wished not to lose any time. 

,7. 'On the 7th I went in the long-boat, with a detachment well armed, to 
one of the places where I was told I should find water ; but this water was 
too far from the vessel. I filled a few casks, and returned to the harbour, 
with intention to resume the digging of the well. For this purpose I 
landed the same day, with the former precautions, and such progress was 
TOade in the well, that it was left in a state to yield water the next day. 

The tubou, or king, came to visit me with a grand retinue. The 
€quis were drawn up in two files j the most aged and venerable of them 
walking next to the king. As a testimony of his friendship, the tubou 
caressed me greatly, and embraced me a hundred times. His retinue sat 
down, forming a large circle, in the order in which it came. Two carpets 
of palms were brought. The king sat down upon one ; and made me sit 
on the other, on his right hand. All kept a profound silence, except that 
those, who were near the tubou, and whose great age rendered them no 
-doubt the most respectable, faithfully repeated every word he uttered. 
-Presently some roots were brought, with which was made, in a sort of 
■wooden troughs, a drink, that was no doubt very bitter, if we may judge 
from the gestures of those who drank of it. This refreshment was served 
in vessels made of leaves of the banana tree. Three or four young Indians 
offered it first to me and the tubou. I did not taste it^ the appearance 
' of it was too disgusting. The person who sat nearest to the tubou pointed 
out those who were to drink of it, and none was offered to the rest. Sweet 
potatoes roasted, and bananas perfectly ripe, were then set before me ; and 
of these I ate. A little after two canoes appeared, loaded with the same 
kinds of provision, to be distributed among my men. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



217 



After this refreshment, the tubou returned to his house. I paid him a 1781. 
visit, leaving the first pilot at the head of my troop, with orders to let no 
person approach, under any pretext whatever. 

The tubou gave me the best possible reception. The queen immedi- 
ately made her appearance, preceded by eight or ten girls of sixteen or 
eighteen years of age. They all waited upon her: on some she leaned, 
while others drove away the flies, by which she might have been incom- 
moded. She was wrapped in several mantles, which added greatly to her 
size; and received us with a smile, graciously repeating the word ke/ay, 
leelay, leelay, which signifies -welcome, or I am glad to see you. After this 
first visit, I made the tubou very few others, for fear he should strip him- 
self of all his clothes, to put them on me, which is deemed a singular fa- 
vour. The king gave me two large giltheads*, and one of his weapons, 
which was nothing but a staff of acana'\, painted of various colours: and 
I returned on board, hoping to be able to procure water the next day. 

On the eighth in the evening our well was finished, and we drew water 8. 
from it, to the great astonishment of the Indians ; but it was so bad, that 
we could not think of taking it on board. 

The same day I paid a second visit to the king and queen, who failed 
not to send me every evening a large quantity of sweet potatoes roasted, 
considering, without doubt, the great number of persons I had to supply 
with food. ^ 

Convinced of the badness of the water near the shore, and having no 
-hope of finding any at a greater distance on account of the proximity of the 
mountain, I weighed anchor, and sailed for another bay, a league and half 
or two leagues distant. As soon as one of the anchors was out of the 

\L^ZfZt°'' "^^^ ^""'^ "'"^ ^'^j^'^^^^^^ ^^g"ifies S^d^^'- as a substantive, I 

Itnow no other meaning it has than that of gUtlead, a well-known fifh. 



1 1 do not know what wood this is, 
VOL. I. 



gl8 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1 78,1 . ground, the cable, which had never been used before, parted, all the strands 
March, having given way. On examining the cable, it was found to be rotten 
and unserviceable throughout. I swept for the anchor, but in vain : the 
water was too deep to allow me any hope of finding it very quickly, and 
I could not remain long in search of it. 

The new bay to which I repaired was perfectly secure against both 
wind and sea, as I experienced a few days after, when it was very foul 
weather in the offing, with the wind from the north and north-west, of 
which we felt nothing but a few puffs. I anchored in thirty-two fathoms, 
' on a bottom of sand and stones, under shelter of some hills, which formed 
the north side of the harbour. All around us the bottom was rock. 



5. 



10. 



On the 9th we began to get in water. It was within five yards of the 
shore ; and the business proceeded faster than I had any reason to hope, the 
equis having ordered the Indians to roll our casks. When the tubou ar» 
rived, no person dared issue any order. 

In this manner we were employed on the 10th, 11th, and 12th, when 
we had taken on board all the water we wished. A great number of c... 
noes, however, came off to the ship to barter; and the confidence of the 
natives in us was such, that many of them slept on board. 

During this period the king had invited me to a feast, which he in» 
tended to give, and when Handed on the 12th,Isaw, in the thick wood 
near the harbour, an extensive circular space, so completely cleared, that 
there was not a stump of a tree left. Soon after, the Indians repaired to 
the tubou's house, two and two, carrying on their shoulders long poles, 
from which were suspended abundance of sweet potatoes, bananas cocoa- 
nuts and fish. The tubou ordered all thi. provision to be carried to^the 
spot'of ground recently cleared, where it was piled up in a square heap 
two yards high. 

The equis aad venerable elders eame to conduct the tubou, who took 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



219 



me by the hand, and we repaired together to the vast circle, where two 
thousand Indians waited for us. We sat down on palm-carpets prepared 
for the purpose ; and all the people did the same, observing however the 
distinction of casts or families, one not intermingling with another. 

The king then offered me all this provision, and sent it to the long- 
boat, which it completely jfilled. When the bearers of it had returned 
to their stations, profound silence was observed, when the king spoke. 
Those to whom age or rank gave a right of sitting near the king repeated 
all his words. ' 

I knew not what would be the end of all this ; 'however I ordered my 
people, with the first pilot at their head, to be ready with their muskets 
and pistols, to fire if they perceived any hostile movement. 

Immediately a strong robust young man stepped from the ranks, his 
left hand placed on his breast, and striking his elbow with the right. Go- 
ing round the circle, he played several gambols before the groups that 
were not of his tribe ; till another advanced from one of these groups, 
making similar gestures ; when they began to wrestle, closing with each 
other, and striving with such eagerness, that their veins and tendons ap- 
peared ready to burst. At length one of the combatants fell with such 
violence, that I thought he would never have risen again. He did rise, 
however, covered with dust, and retired without daring to lift up his 
eyes. The conqueror came to do homage to the king, and those of his 
tribe sung ; but whether in honour of the victor, or opprobrium of the 
vanquished, I am unable to say. 

These wrestling contests continued two hours. One of the persons en- 
gaged in them had an arm broken ; and I saw others receive dreadful blows. 
Before the wresthng was over, other champions presented themselves, 
their hands and wrists bound round with thick ropes, which served them 
as cestuses. This combat was far more terrible than the wrestling. At 
the first onset the combatants struck one another on the forehead, eyes. 



1781. 
March. 



S20 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

cheeks, and all parts of the face ; and the bruises they received served 
only to irritate their rage. Some wctq knocked down at the very first 
blow. The spectators beheld this engagement with a degree of respect, 
but all were not admitted to it indiscriminately. 

Some of the women, particularly those who attended the,»queen, were 
present at this festivity. I found them very different from what they had 
hitherto appeared. I had thought them not disagreeable: but this day 
they were adorned in their best attire ^ their mantles neatly folded back, and 
fastened with a knot on the left side ; rows of large glass beads round their 
necks ; their hair arranged in a graceful manner ; themselves washed and 
perfumed with an oil of a pleasant smell ; and their skins so clean, as to 
be free from the least grain of dust. They engaged all my attention, and 
appeared to me much handsomer than before. 

The king gave orders for the women to fight with their fists as well as 
the men. This they did with such animosity, that they would not have 
left a tooth in each other's head, if they had not been parted from time 
to time. This spectacle gave me pain. I requested the king to put an 
end to the combat : he acceded to my wish : and all the company applaud- 
ed my compassion for the young girls. 

The tubou then ordered an old wom^an, who had a cruet of tin about 
her neck, to sing ; which she did incessantly for half an hour, accompany- 
ing her song with action and gesticulation, so that she might have been 
taken for an actress declaiming on a theatre. 

At length the entertainment ended, and we returned to the king's house. 
There I found the queen, who received me with the usual marks of kind- 
ness. On my asking why she was not present at the sports, she informed 
me, that she received no pleasure from such combats. 

The ties of friendship being now drawn so close between us, that the 
tubou even called me his hoxa, that is to say his son, I took leave of him 



1781. 
March. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

and the queen, and returned to the boat. The shore was covered with 
Indians, who were eagerly caressing my people, for having condescended 
to be present at their festivity. The victors even took me on their shoul- 
ders and seated me in the boat. The tubou, who saw the multitude from 
his house, and knew how much uneasiness I felt, when the Indians mingled 
with my men, ordered his captains to drive away the islanders, and so great 
was his anger, that he came out himself armed with a club, and belaboured 
indiscriminately all who fell in his way. The crowd fled^ into the wood : 
but two, who had been most severely handled, were left for dead on the: 
spot: whether they recovered or not ! never heard. 

There was nothing now to prevent me from putting to sea, which I re- 
solved to do on the 1 3th : but a gale from the north and north-west, which 
came on that day, and blew almost right up the channel through which I 
was to get out, would not permit me. The wind blew harder and harder j 
yet at our anchorage the sea was barely a little rougher than ordinary. Not- 
withstanding this, and though I had three anchors down, one of my cables 
gave way, and I was left with the sheet anchor and small bower. 

The wind moderated on the 15th: but while I was preparing to get 
under v/ay, the sheet cable broke, and left me with no other resource than 
the small bower. These accidents, added to the crosses I had already ex- 
perienced in the course of my voyage, disconcerted me. All my cables 
were rotten, as well as the halliards, sheets, tacks, lifts, and braces, and in 
short every rope in my ship *. This wretched state of my cordage left me 
the melancholy prospect of losing the only anchor I had left ; and if this 
should happen, I could expect nothing but to be cast away on some distant 
shore. 



2£l 



1781, 

March.. 



1 Sfr- 



iP! 



r ^'5 



To answer the most pressing necessity, I ordered a hawser to be carried 
to a neighbouring rock ; and this served to hold me with my remaining 



* Here I pass over a long circumstantial account of the damages of the rigging, and a whole litany 
of the author's complaints, in which the reader would find little amusement. Beside, there are many- 
faults in the manuscript, and I am not sufficiently versed in nautical terms to correct tliem all. 



O <9 C 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1781. anchor. I also set my people to sweep for the two lost anchors, and they 
March. employed in this work for four-and-twenty hours, but in vain, the 

water being too deep. , 

My troubles would not allow me to accept an invitation from the tubou, 
to be present at an entertainment of the same kind as that he had given me 
before : but this prince, who called me his son, and no doubt loved me as 
if I had been really so, did not forget to send me every evening two baskets 
' of sweet potatoes, a few fowls, and some fish. He also sent me all the 
store of provision he had been able to collect for the new entertainment : 
came several times on board the ship; often dined with me; 'and then took 
his afternoon's nap on board. , 

16. On the iCth I endeavoured to get out. The wind being contrary, I 
plied to windward ; and though the current set against me, and the channel 
was so narrow, that I had scarcely room to tack, I found myself at the last 
stretch to windward of all the points : but a violent gust of wind, taking 
me a-head, drove me toward the rocks between which I was sailing. At 
this my embarrassment was greater than ever : I had no resource, but to 
return to my old harbour, let go my anchor, and carry a cable ashore, to 
hold me in the best manner in my power. ■ . 

18. The 18th fsent my first pilot in the long-boat to sound another chan- 
nel, enclosed indeed by several islands, but promising us an easy outlet 
with the wind that then blew. The pilot assured me on his return, that 
the bottom was good all the way, free from shoals, and wide enough to 
admit of tacking if necessary. I prepared, therefore, for my departure on 

29. the 19th: and that day, at two in the afternoon, I had cleared all the 
islands, which at that time was the most fortunate event I could desire. 

The tubou and the Indians did not expect this separation, with which 
they were very sensibly affected. The king and queen took leave of me 
with the strongest demonstrations of sorrow, and the Indians accompanied 
' lis in their canoes, till we were out of their archipelago. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

This port, which I named Puerta del Refugio^ is formed by three tole- 
rably large islands, and many smaller ones. To the whole group I gave 
the name of don Martin de Mayorga. The harbour lies in 18° 36^ south 
latitude, and 179° 52^ longitude east of Paris. There cannot be a more 
secure place of shelter in all weathers : let the winds blow ever so hard, 
the sea would remain unruffled, and even a hurricane would spend it's fury 
in vain. On entering between these islands, either by the north-west or. 
south-west channel, you will have fifty or fifty-five fathoms of water, with 
a pebbly or gravelly bottom, which continues all the way to the centre of 
the gulph, till within two cables' lengths of the shore, where you will find 
but thirty-five or forty fathoms, and in some of the creeks the water dimi- 
nishes to twelve or fifteen fathoms. There are neither shoals nor reefs j 
but it is necessary to choose your birth with the lead going, because in 
some coves the bottom is partly earth *, partly sand. 

The soil is so fertile, that it must afix3rd abundant crops to the culti- 
vator. Everywhere are to be seen multitudes of cocoa- trees, superb bana*- 
na- trees ranged in the nicest order, and many plantations of sweet potatoes, 
as may be concluded from the great quantity sent on board our vessel, other 
sweet roots nearly of the same kind, lime-trees, sugar-canes,- a fruit much 
resembling an apple, oranges, and shaddocks. Two or three equis having 
once conducted me to a fertile plain, I admired the order in which every 
thing was arranged : not a single weed is to be found in their plantations j 
and their roads are kept in a degree of order, worthy to be imitated by the 
most polished nations. Observing their zeal for agriculture, I gave them 
some beans, maize, pimento, and rice j explaining their uses and assuring 
them, that they would not fail to thrive in their richer lands. 

They likewise cultivate shrubs, ranged in the same order as their bana- 
na-trees. The bark of these shrubs they use for weaving their mantles or 
counterpanes -f', and likewise a kind of petticoat. 



1781. 
March. 



* Should it not be rock, instead of earth ? 

t Their counterpanes were said before, to be made of the leaves of the palm-tree. T, 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



Their conduct, during the whole of our stay, evinced their confidence in 
us ; but I confess, I could not feel the same sentiment towards them. I 
never landed without an armed party, which inspired them with awe. 
Accordingly they never gave us any ground for complaint, unless by their 
propensity to thieving, which it is impossible for an Indian to suppress. 
As often as they came on board, every article of clothing or iron- work, that 
came in their way, was considered by them as lawful plunder. They 
dragged out through the port-holes or windows whatever they could reach. 
They stole even the very chains of the rudder. In consequence I com- 
plained to the king ; who gave me leave to kill any one, whom I should 
take in the fact ; and I was told, that he had discovered the perpetrators of 
the theft of v/hich I had complained, and punished them with death. Their 
conduct having roused us to greater vigilance, we caught some islanders 
attempting to force off the new rudder-chains, upon which we fired a 
pistol, and shot one of them dead. This was a lesson for those who were 
on board, or alongside of the frigate, and they said to one another, chito, 
tohhcr, fama, dead. 

I did every thing in my power to discover, whether they had any sort 
<of religion, whether they worshiped any creature or idol : but we observed 
nothing, that could lead us even to suspect any such thing. 

We found no difficulty in pronouncing their words j and they pro- 
nounced ours with equal. ease. A stay of a few months would have en- 
abled us to use either language indifferently. If our disasters had not to- 
tally absorbed my mind, I would have formed a collection of all the words 
of their language, that would have enabled a person to hold discourse with 
these Indians. In my few conversations with them, I obtained the names 
of all the parts of the body, and those of the numbers as far as ten. 

They informed me, that two frigates had put in and refreshed at their 
islands ; that the captains, and five or six officers of each, had slept on 
shore J and that they had given them strings of beads, hatchets*, and 

* Hence we may conclude, that these frigates were Spaniards 5 as probably were likewise the two 
vessels mentioned in the next sentence, ■ 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. , 

adzes. On the l6th of March, when I was preparing to sail, they told me, 
that two vessels, resembling mine, were then passing by to the north-west; 
and they entered so minutely into the particulars, that I could not doubt the 
truth of the assertion. 

The equis constantly wear a mother-of-pearl shell suspended from the 
neck, and have both their little fingers cut off close to the hand. 

The tubou exerted every effort to induce me to repair with the ship to 
the place of his usual residence, where I should find a much greater abun- 
dance of provision : and I certainly should have complied with his request 
at the first invitation j particularly as he and all the Indians assured me, 
that I should there find better shelter, and more convenience for repairing 
my rigging ; but the nature of my commission would not allow it. 

During the short time of my stay, I could not learn what were the 
functions of the equis, how they were distributed, what was the nature of 
the tubou's authority, or what the extent of his power. On the latter days 
of my stay in particular, my vexation was so great, that I could think of 
nothing but getting to sea. In truth I may say, that, but for the disastrous 
event of my cable's breaking, which exposed me to a thousand risks, I could 
not have put in to a more fortunate port : since, beside getting a sufficient 
stock of water, and repairing five-and-twenty empty and unserviceable 
pipes, we found more refreshments for the crew, than we should have done 
in our own harbours ; so that they did not regret the stoppage of their half 
allowance, which I discontinued to serve out, as they had provision for 
several days; and the sick of the scurvy, who, according to the surgeon's 
report, were in a hopeless state, recovered their health. In short, we met 
with a prince so disposed to befriend us, that he was incessantly taking me 
in his arms, and offering me all his provision. 



VOL. I. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



Departure from Puerta del Rrfugio, in the hknh of dm Martin de 
Mayorga, in latitude 18» 38' ^outh, longitude 179" 5 a' ^^'Z"" P""'- 

On the 20th of March, having cleared all the islands, the wind being 
east-north-east, I hauled as close to it as possible, keeping as near as I could 
a south-east course. In this run we discovered to the east-south-east 7 
south a very lofty island at fifteen or sixteen leagues distance ; and at sun- 
set we saw three others, stretching from the south to the west-south-west 
5« west, the easternmost being distant five leagues. This obliged me to 
tack at nine in the evening. At one I put about again to the southward, 
to approach the islands. In some of the nearest we perceived at least fifty 
fires. 

On the 2 1st, at sunrise, we counted ten islands on the starboard, and six 
on the larboard. We ran between them to the southward through the wide 
channels they formed, seeing none a-head, till we got into a vast bay, 
when we discovered an infinite number of islands, at the distance of five 
or six leagues, forming an extensive basin, of which we were m the centre. 
Passing through one of the straits formed by these islands, we saw the bot- 
tom: by the lead we had five fathoms, but for a moment only, the water 
deepening immediately. 

Seeing myself surrounded by so many low islands or little islets, which 
left between them numerous channels, I attempted to get into the mam sea 
by some of these openings; but on coming near, we found the passages ob- 
structed by heavy breakers, which would not allow us to get out to the 
southward. Accordingly I determined to stand to the west, towards that 
lofty island, which we had seen at a great distance the day before; not 
doubting, that near it I should find a passage out of the archipelago. 

No sooner had the sun risen, than several canoes arrived In succession, 
laden with the same provision and fruits as those of the former islands. 
The market commenced, and shreds of cloth were the price of the goods. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLP. 

The tubou of these islands sent me two hogs, and a few cocoas, with an 
invitation to repair to the island where he resided. At length he came on 
board himself ; and he assured me, that a wrestling match should be exhi - 
bited for my entertainment, and that he would give my crew a pile of sweet 
potatoes as high as the main-mast. He appeared to be jealous of the kind 
reception we had met from the tubou of Mayorga. 



227 



1781. 

March, 



• I gave him hopes that I would gratify him as soon as I got to the south- 
ward of the islands a-head of us : but they all agreed in asserting, that the 
passages were closed up by reefs and shoals, and that I should find a good 
bottom if I steered my course by the island of the tubou, and the lofty 
island, towards which I was already standing. 

Though they all asserted, that this great equi was the sovereign of forty- 
eight islands, all of which they named very circumstantially, I did not per- 
ceive, that they paid him the same respect and attention as were shewn to 
the tubou of Refugio. As soon as he came on board, he took off his 
mother-of-pearl shell, and hung it round my neck, as a testimony of strict 
friendship i and after having spent five or six hours with me, he returned 
to one of the islands, hoping that I should join him the next day. 

I passed by many of these shoals, and at sunset I found myself six leagues 
to the eastward of San Christoval or Saint Christopher's *, and clear of ali 
the little low islands ; but as the wind freshened from the east, I kept 
under an easy sail all night, that I might not run ashore on some little 
island, which I had not yet seen. 

To this group of islands I gave the name of don Joseph de Gahez. The 
southern cape of the tubou's island is in latitude 1 9° 39", longitude 1 79° 
38' west of Paris. 

On the 22d at day-break I crowded sail, keeping as close to the wind as ^2. 

* What island of St. Christopher is this? Is it the lofty island just mentioned, to which he had 
given that name ? If so, he should have informed us. . - 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 

1781. I could lie, and making nearly a southerly course, when we perceived two 
islands a-head, which I named las Culebras, or the Snakes. Beyond them 
we discovered an extensive shoal, the breakers on which were visible a 
long way off. It was distant from us about five leagues. 

The winds being easterly, or a little to the northward of the east, we 
continued our voyage with minds a little more at ease, finding ourselves 
clear of the dangers to which we had been exposed from shoals and islands. 
24. We saw nothing more till the 24th, when we discovered a small island, 
which I named la Soby or Single Island, at seven leagues distance, in the 

27. third' quarter (between the south and the west). On the 27th we descried 
another, west-south- west 3° west, distant ten leagues, to which I gave the 
name of Vasques. 

28. In the night between the 27th and 28th, the wind blew violently, and 
the sea ran very high. At midnight I was obliged to bring to till day- 
break; when the gale abated, and I directed my course to the west, with a 
light wind from the north-east. 

29. On the 29th, finding myself in latitude 25° 52' south, and reckoning my 
longitude to be 179° 17' east of Paris, the wind came round to the west. 
Of this I availed myself to steer south-east by east, wishing to get into a 
higher latitude to the south, and to make easting in my longitude at the 
same time. This course I held till the 3d of April, when, being in latitude 
30% longitude 174° 22' west of Paris, the wind fell to nearly a dead calm. 

In this situation, the crew continually complaining, that their bread 
was not eatable, I resolved to examine it myself. When I saw the state 
in which it was, I could not avoid considering myself as in the most dread- 
ful of all situations, to which those who navigate unknown seas are ex- 
posed, and without hope of assistance. Never shall I recollect that sad 
moment, but the spectacle which then struck my eyes will at the same 
time present itself and rend my heart. With truth I can assert, that if 
God had not supported me in that trying situation, I should have sunk 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 



229 



into despondency, seeing no possibility of our being able to continue our 1781. 
voyage. March. 

I sent for the first pilot, don Joseph Vasquez, and the second, don John 
d'Echeverria ; I assembled all the warrant officers ; and I appointed don 
Peter Carvajal, the surgeon, to draw up the report of the council we 
should hold, and the resolutions we should adopt. I led them one by one 
to the bread-rooms. We found there millions of cockroaches. It is im- 
possible for a man, without having seen them with his own eyes, to form 
any idea of their number. These vermin had so infested the frigate, that 
the chaplain had several times been obliged to exorcise them. For my 
part, I had taken the precaution, to place in the cabins, store-rooms, and 
all parts of the vessel, pots *, besmeared in the inside with honey and 
sugar. Every day brought me a bucketful of these insects, and I used al- 
most all my honey, yet their number appeared to be not in the least di- 
minished. 

On opening the bread-room, the bread seemed to be untouched but 
near the partitions, the biscuit had entirely disappeared, and left nothing 
but a heap of dust and bran. From a calculation of the diminution of al- 
lowance which I had ordered on the 1 6th of February, and the deduction 
of an ounce in the pound, which I had made ever since our departure 
from Sisiran, vv^e should have had three hundred and twenty nine arrobes -f 
of bread remaining, without reckoning other provision, of which there 
was no want : but I saw we were reduced to two large casks filled 
with dust rather than bread I ordered the three reserve casks to be 
opened, which were well secured with good hoops, and well pitched j; 
there, was no appearance in them of their having ever contained a single- 
biscuit, they were full of nothing but cockroaches. 




* The expression in the original is spHting-pots,. 

t The arrobe weighs 25 lbs. the pound is iQ ounces [a Ettle heavier than our avoirdupois], 
X Here again I abridge the originaL 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

The first thing I did was to get as much bread picked out as possible, 
and lock it up in the arm and colour chests. On being weighed, it was 
found to amount to forty arrobes *. In the next place I collected all the 
sweet potatoes that were to be found among the crew : but as a fortnight 
had elapsed since they had furnished themselves with this species of pro- 
vision, their stock was almost all consumed, so that I could scarcely ob- 
tain a couple of hampers full. In the third place I killed all my pigs and 
live stock, except a few fowls which were reserved for the sick. I saved 
for the same use the little honey remaining of the stock which I laid m at 
Sisiran. The fourth precaution I deemed it incumbent on me to take was 
instantly to stop the allowance of bread, and distribute to the crew a small 
portion of sweet potatoes, from the store with which I had supplied my- 
self in the islands, with three ounces of pork and one of rice per man. 
In this I had no other object, but to preserve their Hves, till I should be 
in a situation to afford them more ample, succour. Lastly, I determmed 
to share with them my own provision, reserving the two chests of bread, 
which I deemed sacred, for our last resource. 

After having taken all these resolutions, I held a council with the offi- 
cers mentioned above. I stated to them what I had done since the 20th 
of January, what bread ought to have been in store, and what actually 
remained. I told them, that I was the more desirous of giving them 
an account of the steps I proposed to take, because they had themselves 
suffered retrenchments, which I had deemed it necessary to make, and which 
had occasioned me to be considered, perhaps, as a tyrannical and hard-hearted 
wretch, destitute of every sentiment of humanity : that we were at pre- 
sent seventeen hundred and sixty leagues from Peru, and twelve hundred 
and forty from Guam in the Ladrone Islands : that the winds would be 
favourable for either of these courses, bating a few calms or contrary 
winds, which must always be expected in such voyages : that they saw 
the state of our provision before their eyes: and lastly, I requested 
them to tell me how they themselves would act, had they the command 



* About ten hundred weight. X. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



of a ship in similar circumstances. They all answered unanimously, that ] 781 
death alone could be worse than the condition to which we were re-« March 
duced : that, of the two courses proposed, though either afforded us very 
little hope of saving our lives, it v/as indispensably necessary to take that of 
the Ladrones, and try if we could not procure some assistance at the Islands 
of Martin de Mayorga, as we had not sufficient provision on board for a 
month. The first and second pilot joined in the same opinion. Con- 
vinced in my own mind, that their advice was the most judicious ; and 
unwilling beside to contribute to the loss of so many unfortunate beings, 
or oppose what appeared to me most conducive to the interest of the king ^ 
I ordered the ships to be put about to the north, intending to get forty 
leagues to the eastward of the islands, where I had already found, and 
hoped again to find, refreshments. I did not, however, take this resolu™ 
tion, without experiencing a pang still greater than what I had felt from 
the inspection of our provision. Death would have been far less unwelcome 
to me, than the necessity of returning to the northward j and if I had not 
suffered myself to be sv/ayed by reason, I should have taken the mad reso- 
lution of pursuing my voyage to the east. The serenity of rpy mind was 
destroyed : I was far from experiencing the tranquillity, with which I had 
endured an infinite number of crosses, in the very laborious voyages I 
had undertaken to make new discoveries *. The reflexion, that we could 
take no other step, was insufficient to calm my mind; particularly when 
I considered, that this state of distress displayed itself precisely when we 
had surmounted the difficulties of our navigation, and reached a latitude,, 
in which we might expect nothing but favourable winds, and in which I 
believed we might terminate our voyage. It is certain^ however, that, if 
the thought of inspecting the state of our provision myself had been delayed 
a fortnight longer, the greatest happiness we could experience must have 
been^ to have found some desert island, and there to have subsisted as we 
could. Even in the situation in which we were, if the refreshments fur- 
nished us by the Indians had been less abundant, there would have been 
no other course left for us to pursue. Assuredly therefore it was the hand 



* What great services -would this navigator do geography, if he would condescend to make BiS) 
discoveries public ! ' ■ 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

of Providence, that directed us to the islands of Mayorga, where we ob- 
tained such ample assistance. 

With the variable winds which blew from all the points of the com- 
pass, I steered my course, from the 4th. of April, to the north, or as near 
as I could in the first quarter (between the north and east). On the 9th 
the breezes from the south-east to the north-east began to prevail ; and I 
availed myself of them to get into the latitude of the Islands of Mayorga 
forty leagues to the eastv/ard of them, that I might find them again the 
more easily by running down their parallel. 

1(3. 18. On the l6th the wind became calm. On the 18th it blew hard, with 
heavy rain, and a black sky ; so that we were obliged to lie to all night. 
At day-break we ran for the islands ; but the current had set us a few mi- 
nutes to the northward ; the foul weather had not afforded us any observa- 
tion ; the islands, beside, are very low, and we did not perceive them. 
We discerned to the north-west the island that lies south-west 7° south of 
Latte, and on approaching it we saw Latte at the distance of six leagues. 
Hence it appeared, that my reckoning was thirty miles astern of the ship j 
and that consequently we had passed between the two archipelagoes of 
Galvez and Mayorga, at a very little distance from each ; but that the 
continual mists, and thickness of the horizon, had prevented us from see- 
ing them. 

As the hope of being able to fetch the islands of Mayorga was all that 
kept up the spirits of my sailors, I hauled my wind as close as possible, 
and reefed my topsails : but the sea ran high, the wind was strong, and 
the night dark. I was obliged, therefore, to relinquish my design of 
touching at these islands, persuaded I could not reach them without losing 
several days, even if at all, which was a matter extremely doubtful. My 
people, however, were disheartened at the sight of the wretched state to 
which they were reduced. Their weakness was so great, that it was fre- 
quently necessary for the hands of both quarter-deck and forecastl-e to assist 
In hoisting a single topsail. The most abstemious regimen of an hospital 



030 



1731. 

March. 



April. 
4. 

9' 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



could not have enfeebled them more. To inspirit them, I represented, 
that, in the course we held, we should certainly meet with other islands, 
where they might recruit their strength ; that the wind was fair ; and 
that every day carried us at a speedy rate towards the term of our 
sufferings. These arguments calmed their minds, and they took pa- 
tience. 

On the 21st we discovered two islands to the north-north-east and east- 
north-east, to which I gave the name of Consolacioriy because my crew 
found succour there ; providing themselves with sweet potatoes, hogs, 
cocoa-nuts, bananas, and fowls, which the islanders brought us during 
the thirty hours that I remained off the coast. Had the weather been less 
rough, we should have obtained refreshments in greater abundance : as it 
was, the crew procured a sufficiency of provision for more than a week 
by trafficking with their clothes, which they did not spare, at the risk of 
being almost reduced to go naked. By these means they recovered their 
strength, and were better enabled to support the last misfortune that 
av^^aited them. 

As we saw a great number of canoes laden with provision coming to 
meet us on our approaching the island, I stopped the small allowance of 
provision that I served out from my own store, for a reason sufficiently 
obvious. 

The Indians of these islands spoke the same language as those of Re- 
fugio, and resemble them in disposition. Their confidence in us was so 
great, that nineteen of them slept on boafd, without our being able to 
prevent them j and the following day we were obliged to employ force to 
get rid of them. 

They wanted to prevail on me to land on their island, where they 
would sell us, they said, several large hogs, the smallness- of their boats 
not allowing them to bring off any but small ones : but as my time was 
precious, I contented myself with seeing, that no one on board neglected 

VOL. I. S H 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



himself, and that all the provision was procured which circumstances 
would permit. 

On the 2 2d in the evening I steered north-north- west, with a light 
wind at north* 3 and in this course I discovered on the 24th another 
island, to which I gave the name of Maurelle. The wind fell calm, ex- 
cept a fev/ squalls, and a few short puffs from the north-east, which pre- 
vented m.e from standing for the island before sun-set ; when the wind 
coming round to the south-east, I got within three leagues of it ; but the 
night, and the distance, too great for the little boats of the Indians, m- 
duced two canoes to put back, vv'hich were coming off under sail, laden 
no doubt with refreshments. 

The wind continued to blow from the first and second quarter (from 
the north to the east, and from the east to the south), sometimes fresh, at 
other times lightly, till at length it subsided into a calm. I availed my- 
self of every favourable moment, and on the 5 th of May, I found myself 
in the latitude of 6°. We here found a very low island, surrounded by a 
sandy shore, terminating in an impenetrable ledge of rocks, near which I 
found no bottom with a line of upwards of fifty fathoms. The island was 
covered with a thick plantation of cocoa- trees f . The sight of these was 
the more pleasing to my crew, as that very day the last of the provision 
procured at the Island del Consolacion was expended, 

I sent the long-boat armed, to bring us if possible several ladings of 
cocoa-nuts i but the breakers of the reef v/ould not allov/ her to land. 
The ship, in the mean time, advanced so near the coast, that the island- 
ers spoke to us from the shore, but we saw no possibility of getting 

* Here there is some mistake. With the wind at north the Spaniards could not have made a . 
course to the north-north-west: no doubt we should read a north-east wind, or a west-north-west 
course. 

t It will appear presently, that this island was named hla del Cecal, Coed signifies a plantation 
of cocoa-trees. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



2 



nearer. The Indians, however, launched their canoes, though not with- 178I 
out great difficulty, on account of the ledge of rocks. They came on ^^Y- 
board in great numbers ; but the difficulty of getting off allowed them to 
bring only a small number of cocoas. They endeavoured to tow the ves- 
sel, by fastening several ropes to the bows, and rowing all together to- 
wards the island, from which also they threw ropes, to haul us to the 
shore. Finding, that in six hours they could not succeed, and having no 
hope that the object would be accomplished, I made sail to the north- 
west. 

The inhabitants of this island began very much to vary in the pronun- 
ciation of several words common to the other islanders. They came on 
board so bedaubed with paint, that we were almost tempted to take them 
for representatives of demons. The beards of most of them hung down 
to the breast. Near the plantation of cocoa-trees, there was such a num- 
ber of huts, regularly arranged, that the island may be concluded to be 
extremely populous. 

On the 6th I found myself obliged to reduce the allowances to five 6^ 
ounces of bread, three of pork, and two of beans, which I took from my 
own private stores, the king's being all exhausted : and though I deemed 
it impossible for the crew to live upon ten ounces of indifferent food each, 
the lamentable state of our provision would not permit me to give them 
more. 

The same day, in the evening, we saw another island, still lower, but 
krger, than the preceding. I named it San Augustin. We left it to the 
south-west, distant six leagues. 

The 13th, on passing the line, we had squalls from every point of the 13. 
compass. All the remarks on the state of the horizon which I had made 
since our leaving the Island del Cocal persuaded me, that, after passing it, 
we had left to the east many islands, which, with the islands of Solomon, 



236 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1781. no doubt form a chain, more or less open, to the south of the equi- 
M^y- noxial. - 

During the time that the allowance of bread was restricted to five 
ounces, there was not one of my people, who did not experience a weak- 
ness of the stomach. They were all so feeble, that the hands of the quar- 
ter-deck and forecastle together were hardly able to hoist the sails; so 
that we were often obliged to refrain from manoeuvres, that might have 
proved of considerable utility. 

22, On the £2d, according to my reckoning, I was on the shoals of St. Bar- 
tholomew. Prudence, no doubt, would have required me to lie to some- 
times in the night, particularly as the wind was not merely fresh, but even, 
blew hard. Yet I was too sensible of the melancholy state of my crew, 
most of whom were attacked by the scurvy, owing to the badness of our 
bread, to lose a moment so that I carried all the sail the ship would bearj. 
and endeavoured, by recommending the utmost vigilance to the crew, to 
make up for the precautions I would have taken under any other circum- 
stances. 

24. On the 24th we were in latitude 13° 16' north, and all our dangers 
past. Accordingly I steered west by north for Guam, the capital of the 

51. Ladrones, and came to an anchor in the road of Umata on the 31st; where 
I immediately received the necessary assistance of provisions for reinstatmg 
the health of my crew. 

As I had but a single anchor, which was by no means sufficient to hold 
me in the road, I sent an express to don Philip Zerain, governor of the 
island, informing him of the state of my ship, and the object of my voy- 
age, and I requested him, to put me into a condition to get to sea again as 
soon as possible : I assured him, that, rotten as my rigging was, I was re- 
solved to repair to New Spain, in order to deliver into the hands of his 
excellency the viceroy of Mexico the important dispatches, with which I 
was entrusted : and I added, that I hoped he would supply me with the 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



provision indispensable for so long a voyage. I did not require such ar- 
ticles of provision, as v^^ere usually furnished to the king's ships, which 
were perhaps not to have been found in the presidency ; but such as 
might be procured in the island, provided their quantity was such, that 
they might be considered as equivalent to the ordinary allowance. 

The governor was desirous of judging for himself what was necessary to- 
the success of my expedition ; and considering how important it was, that 
the wind should not blow us out. to sea, in my present destitute state, he 
sent on board rice, maize, and hogs, sufficient for a fortnight, without dis- 
continuing the daily supply furnished for the recovery of the scorbutiej, 
and for rendering my people capable of a new voyage. He likewise or- 
dered a very old anchor to be conveyed from the capital, which was ten 
leagues from Umata. A fourth part indeed of the stock was wanting, but 
I repaired it so as to make it fit for service ; and by the help of a wooden 
anchor, which I constructed with the carpenter's assistance, we were in 
the space of a week riding with three anchors, thougL not to the perfect 
- satisfaction of the crew. - 

Nothing now remained to render us secure of a subsistence, both at sea 
and in harbour, but to take in a stock of water. Since my arrival I had 
sent on shore, one after another, all our empty casks. It was not lon^. 
since we had filled them at the islands of Mayorga. What then must 
have been our astonishment, to find, that we had but two pipes of water 
left, and even one of these wanted a barrel of being fall ? I requested the 
governor, his major, and all my crew, to witness this enormous waste with , 
their own eyes ; and they all gave thanks to God, for having preserved 
us from the imminent danger by which we had been threatened. 

As all the staves of our casks were damaged, we were obliged to repair; 
them anew: but when this was done, the pipes, which before held six 
barrels, would contain but four ; and we could make but forty- eight pipes 
out of the whole. The governor, sensible of the insufficiency of this stocky. 



238 VOYAGE PvOUND THE WORLD. 

1781. sent on board thirty cannes, each containing eight quartillos*. This no 
doubt was insufficient to compensate for the waste we had reason to expect 
from our detestable vermin. I took courage, however; hoping, that, at- 
tracted from our casks by the abundance of our provision, the evil would 
in part be remedied, ' . 

Without any expense to the royal treasury, I procured a hundred and forty 
anegue^f of maize, sixty of fice, thirty hogs, twenty young bulls (or oxen 
probably) forty-five a— % of hung meat, butter, salt, oil such as the country 
afforded for the lamps, cocoa-nut brandy for the crew, sixty cocoa-nuts for 
the hogs, and all the other little articles necessary on board a ship. In more 
favourable circumstances, we should not have been satisfied with such 
provision. At length, on the 20th of June 1781, I prepared to depart for 
New Spain, to execute a commission which might prove highly condu- 
cive to the good of the state. 



Departure from the Road ofUmata, in the Island of Guam, the chief of 
the Ladrones, in latitude 13° lo' J2orth, longitude 21° 28' east of Manilla. 

Accordingly I got under way the 20th of June, and once more experienced 
the great weakness of my cables, particularly of that which was bent to 
the anchor given me by the governor. The anchor was scarcely out of 



Sune. 



• * Probably there Is some mistake here. According to Paucton, Traite des Mesures, Poids, i^c, 
« Treatise on Weights, Measures," &c. thirty cannes, of eight quariillos each, would have contained 
only a hundred and twenty five Paris pints [English quarts], and not half that quantity, or sixty Paris 
pints only, according to the Dictionary of Sejournart. This would have been of very little assistance. 
Probably we should read eight hundred or eight thousand quartillos. 

t The anegue, or rather fanegue contains nearly four bushels and half of Paris [about a bushel and 
half English] measure. 

+ This abridgement, a—, probably signifies anegues : the author has used It elsewhere, however, 
for arrobes. Now the arrobe dry measure weighs twenty-five pounds ; so that forty-five arrobcB 
»^'ould be but eleven hundred and twenty-five pounds, which make no great stock. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

the water, when the cable gave away, and the ship in casting had gotten 1781 
into deep water, which the cable was unable to reach. 

The time of the year allowed us to take a northerly course. The east 
and east-north-east winds carried me as high as theJatitude of 20° lo". 
We had afterwards a dead calm for seven days, during which we had not 
the least movement, except what was imparted by the currents, which 
drifted us to the north-west. 

On the 3d of July, in the latitude of 24° 26', the winds of the fourth 
quarter (between the west and north) began to blow, sometimes pretty 
briskly, at other times faintly. They carried me by the 7th into the la- 
titude of 9.5° 9' ; and I then reckoned myself to be off the island of the 
Great Volcano. We continued our course till the 11th, when, finding 
myself in the latitude of 27° 59f, I judged I was £5 leagues to the eastward 
of the island of Mal-abrigo or Shelterless Island, and that I had weathered 
the whole chain of the Ladrones. The wind then came round to the 
third quarter (between the southland west), and I steered north-east, sti 
aiming to increase my latitude, that I might fall in with the brisk westerly 
winds. When I had reached the latitude of 40°, I steered east by north 
as far as the wind would permit : but on my arriving in the latitude of 
43°, longitude 179° 28' east of Paris, the wind veered to the second 
quarter (between the east and south), and blew so strong, that I was 
obliged to lie to for eight and forty hours. 

On the 5th of August the wind came .to the north-west, and I steered 
east by south till the 13th. The winds then blew from every point of the 
compass, but at length settled in the second and first quarters. I availed 
myself all I could of these variable winds to gain easting. 

On the 30th I found myself in latitude 37° 5' north, and longitude by 
estimation 144° 17' west of Paris, distant two hundred and sixty leagues 
from Cape Mendocino. The wind then settled in the fourth quarter ; and 




240 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1781. I steered east till the 3d of September, when we saw trunks of fir-trees 
September gea-weed floating on the water, the first signs of our approaching 
the northern coast of California, to get in with which I steered east-south-- 



east. 



4. The colour of the sea changed on the 4th, and the appearance of some 
small birds convinced us, that we were not far from land, and should soon 
be in sight of it. 

5. On the eighth I found myself off Punta de los Pedernales, or Gun-flint 
Point, distant five leagues. This bearing made my longitude 123° 3' west 
of Paris, which I had estimated at 130'' 34', so that there was an error in 
my reckoning of a hundred and twenty-two leagues to the west. 

After getting sight of this point, I stood for Cape San Lucar, and passed 
by the island of Guadelupa to the eastward, at the distance of eight leagues. 
For some days it was calm ; after which, on the 20th, I got sight of the 
^2- promontory of San Lazaro, and on the 22d I was near Cape San Lucar. 

.^.5. On the 25th, after some calms, during which I was almost always in 
sight of this cape, a dreadful hurricane arose, which, in the space of six 
hours, ran from the east, by the north and west, round to the south, with 
such fury, that, notwithstanding the violence of the swell, which set right 
a-head, we made seven knots and a half an hour under a mere foresail. 
Had the hurricane continued a little longer, it would unquestionably 
have carried away our masts. 

The same day, when the hurricane had subsided, I loosened every sail, 
and stood for the Three Marias, the north point of which I doubled on the 
07 26th , and on the 27th, at night, I anchored in the road of San Bias, m 
^ latitude 24° 30^ longitude 134° 54^ east of Manilla, 107° 6' west of Paris. 
I had the happiness to bring my creW thither, safe and sound, notwith- 
standing the horrible ravages which the cockroaches had made in our pro- 
vision, and the distress which had been the consequence, with the loss ot 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



241 



only two men, one of whom died in the port of Sisiran, before our depar- 1781. 
ture, and the other was in a consumption when he came on board. September,- , 

San Bias, September 27, 1781, 
on board the frigate la Princesa. F. A. Maurelle*. 

* I have not thought proper to add any remark to the account of this voyage, ftyled interesfhig by 
Maiirelle : but, as the hydrographer may profit by the least accurate journals, I thought it might be 
useful to some navigators, or serve to elucidate some geographical discussions, notwithstanding the 
judgment, too severe perhaps, passed upon it by la Perouse, .ia the extracts from his correspondence 
inserted in the second volume. (Frensh.Editor.)_ 



342 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



EXTRACT 

FROM THE ACCOUNT OF A VOYAGE MADE IN 1779, BY DON FRANCIS- 
CO ANTONIO MAURELLE, ENSIGN OF A FRIGATE IN THE SERVICE 
GF THE KING OF SPAIN, TO EXPLORE THE WESTERN COAST OF 
NORTH AMERICA. 

Within these few years the Spaniards have undertaken three voyages, 
to explore the western coast of North America. In the first, Don Juan 
Perez, first pilot, proceeded as high as the latitude of 55% and twice recon- 
noitred the coast between this point and Port Monterey. 

The second voyage was in 1775. For this expedition a frigate and a 
schooner were equipped. The schooner was commanded by Don Juan 
Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra, lieutenant of a man of war. Don Mau- 
relle, who accompanied Don de la Bodega, and was then only a second 
pilot, drew up an account of the expedition. A copy of this account came 
into the hands of the English ; and the Hon. Daines Barrington pubhshed 
it in England, translated no doubt into the English language*. Captain 
Cook quotes it in his account of his third voyage. But Captain Dixon, m 
the account that is published of his voyage to the same parts, accuses Don 
Maurelle of palpable falsehood. According to him, it is evident, that this 
Spanish navigator never was in the tracks, in which he boasts of having 
made fruitless researches. The charge is strong: if it be well-founded, 

* It ^vas published by Mr. Barrington in a volume of Miscellanies, and an abstract was given in the 
former part of this volume from the French, in which there were several maccuracies wh,ch have 
been coLcted in this English edition, by a careful collation of it with ^r- Barrmg^n s trans^^^^^^^^^ 
in one place in particular, the French translator, mistaking the Enghsh word r ed io red ha made 
thenav^ol^erveat sea, insteadof » fifh, and reeds twenty feet long." " red fjb Hveniyjui hn,. 
:Seepage93, T. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



Don Maurelle deserves no confidence. We endeavoured," says this na- 
vigator, " to find the entrance of Admiral de Fuentes, though we had not 
yet discovered the Archipelago of St. Lazarus, through w^hich he is said 

to have sailed After all the pains wq took to no purpose, v^e can 

assert, that the entrance does not exist." ..." Now," says Captain Dixon, 
** the situation of Queen Charlotte's Islands, viz. from 54° to 51° 66" of 
north latitude, and from 130° to 133° 30' west longitude, evidently shews, 
that they are the archipelago-of S' Lazarus But is it so very clear, that 
what captain Dixon calls Queen Charlotte's Islands is really a ,group of 
several islands ? " There is every reason to suppose so," he says, " from 
the great number of inlets we met with in coasting along the shore -f." 
These inlets, however, may have been nothing more than creeks ; for cap- 
tain Dixon did not penetrate into any of them : indeed he had something 
else to doj his business was not to make discoveries, but to procure fine 
furs at as cheap a rate as he could, to sell them dear in China. Beside, he 
is not the author of the account : it is said, in the introduction, to be the 
performance of a person totally unused to literary pursuits, and equally so 
to a sea-faring life :|:." But captain Dixon informs us, in the same intro- 
duction, that he has carefully corrected every thing relative to the nautical 
part. The whole, no doubt, is properly corrected; but to support the 
erroneous opinion, which he appears to have embraced, of the reality of the 
discoveries of admiral de Fuentes, it was not necessary to tax a navigator, 
whose sole object was to make new discoveries, with imposture. 

The discoveries made by Maurelle in this second expedition extend to 
the latitude of 5 8°. Don Maurelle had laid them down upon a chart, which 
probably never came into the hands of the English §: perhaps the Spaniards 
will publish it, and then the discoveries made by Maurelle may be examined 
and compared with those of Cook and of Dixon. Don de la Bodega and 
don Maurelle discovered, among other places, the entrance of a harbour, in 

* Captain Dixon's Voyage, Introduction, page xiv. f Voyage, page 224. X Int. page xxii. 

§ The editor need only to have attended to the abstract of the voyage in the former part of this vo- 
Jume, to have seen that It did not. Mr. Barrington expressly says^ that " the charts unfortunately did 
not accompany the Journal." T. 



' VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

latitude 55° 18', which they imagined must be a very good one; and to 
-which they gave the name of Bucarelli, in honour of friar don Antonio Ma- 
ria Bucarelli y Ursua, viceroy of Mexico, who spared nothing that depended 
on himself, to promote the success of these expeditions. They also disco- 
vered two very good havens, that of Guadelupa, in latitude 57° 1 1', and that 
"^of los Remedies, in 57° 18^. Cook, in his third voyage, in 1778, saw 
these harbours, but did not stop at them. 

A third expedition was ordered by the king of Spain in 1777; the object 
of which was to finish the examination of the north-western coast of Ame- 
rica, from the latitude of 5 8° to 70°. Don BucarelU fitted out two frigates : 
the Frincem, commanded by don Ignacio Arteaga, lieutenant of a man-of- 
war; and the Favorita, commanded by don de la Bodega, who took for 
- his second captain don Maurelle, then ensign of a frigate. They agreed 
first to reoair to the Entrance of Bucarelli, there to take in wood and water, 
&c. 

They sailed from San Bias, which they place in the latitude of 21° 30' 
north, and longitude 107° 6' west of Paris, on the 1 1th of February, 1779. 
J&n the 3d of May they arrived at the Entrance of BucareUi, the geographi- 
cal situation of which, according to them, is 55° 18' north, and 139° 15' 
-ivest of Paris. There is no reason to question the accuracy of the latitudes 
, assigned by don Maurelle : but the same cannot be said of his longitudes, 
which were probably determined only by estimation. According to the 
survey made by Cook of the coast near Bucarelli the year before, this port 
must be near 227° east of Greenwich, or 1 35° 20' west of Paris. 

The Entrance of BucareUi led the Spaniards into a vast bay. Here they 
anchored on the 3d of May, in a haven, than which they say there is not a 
l^etter in Europe. They gave it the name of Puerta de la Crux. 

On the ISth of May don Maurelle. was dispatched with the two long- 
l3oats, to make the tour of the bay. In this expedition, which employed 
him till the 12th of June, he took the bearings of all the capes, all the 



s 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

islands, and all the principal parts of the grand bay and delineated all the 
creeks, all the smaller bays, and all the harbours. These bays, and har- 
bours, he says, are all good and secure anchoring places. He gave names to 
fill of them, and lastly he sketched a very accurate plan, on a large scale, of 
the grand bay. It is much to be wished, that this plan was made public, 
as well as the chart which don Maurelle drew of the coasts and islands ex- 
plored by the Spaniards in the course of their expedition. The chart, how- 
ever, would be of less importance than the plan, the same coast having been 
visited the year before by Cook though some particulars might be found 
in it, which may have escaped the English argonaut*. 

Don Maurelle observed but few habitations in the course of his expe- 
dition. He saw only one village, on the top of a steep hill ; at which there 
was no way of arriving but by a wooden stair, or rather ladder, so that if a 
.person's foot slipped, he must infallibly tumble down the precipice. 

The Spaniards were not long in the Port of la Cruz, before they were 
visited by the neighbouring Indians. A traffic commenced : the Indians 
gave their furs, and various trifles, for glass beads, bits of old iron, &c. From 
this trade the Spaniards were able to acquire a pretty accurate knowledge of 
their genius, their weapons offensive and defensive, their manufactures, &c. 

Their complexion is light olive ; though many individuals are perfectly 
fair : and all their features are well proportioned. They are robust, cou- 
rageous, haughty, and warlike. 

Their clothing consists of one or more raw skins (with the hair probably) 
of otters, seals, benades (a species of deer), bears, or other animals, which 
they take in the chace. With these they are covered from the neck to the . 
midlegj and many of them wear boots of skin without the hair, much re- 
sembling English boots, except .that they are laced up before. On their heads 
they wear hats made of narrow slips of bark woven together in the shape 

*• This plan, on a reduced fcale, will be found in the volume of Charts and Plates to Pciouse's 
Voyage, N° 26. (French Editor.) 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. - 

of a funnel, or of a cone. On the wrists they have bracelets of copper or 
iron, or, for want of these, of whalebone ; and round the neck rows of 
small pieces of bone offish or other animals, or sometimes copper collars 
two fingers thick. They wear ear-rings of mother-of-pearl, or plates of 
copper, on which are embossed pieces of resin of the colour of topaz, with 
grains of jet. Their hair is long and thick. They use a comb much like 
ours to gather it into a little tail from the middle to the end, tying it with 
a narrow ribband of coarse linen woven for the purpose. 

They also wear over their shoulders a kind of mantle *, a yard and half 
long, and a yard wide, of the same texture as the peillonsf of Peru, round 
which is a fringe four or five inches deep, made of threads regularly twisted. 

The women evince in their dress the modesty and decency of their man- 
ners. Their countenances are pleasing, their complexion tolerably clear, 
their cheeks rosy, and their hair, which they wear braided, long. Their 
principal garment is a long robe of smooth skin, girded about the loins, and 
not unlike that of our monks, covering them from the neck to the feet, and 
with sleeves reaching down to the wrists; and over this robe they wear 
several skins of otters, or other animals, to protect them from the cold. 
Were they better drest, many might dispute the prize of beauty with the 
handsomest of our women in Spain; but, not content with their native 
charms, they have recourse to art, which, far from embellishing, serves 
only to disfigure them. All the married women have a large opening in 
the lower lip, filled up with a piece of wood, of an oval shape, and near an 
inch wide in it's smallest diameter. The older a woman is, the greater the 
extent of this elegant ornament ; which renders them frightful, the aged 
particularly, whose lip, robbed of it's natural elasticity, and dragged down 
by the weight of this precious jewel, necessarily hangs in a very disagree- 

* In the Spanish it is aJgupas fresadas. I do not know, that presadas signifies any thing but green : 
perhaps presadas ^vas written for frazadas, coverlets : p for/, and s for frequently occur in the ma- 
nuscript. 

t The Spanish pelllcn is a kind of, ancient robe, still used in Peru 3 but of what it is made I have 
liot been able to learn. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



able manner. The girls wear only a copper needle, which crosses the lip, 
where the ornament is hereafter to be placed. 

In war these Indians wear cuirasses and shoulder-pieces, made not unlike 
the whalebone stays of European ladies. Very narrow slips of wood fonn 
the warp of these, and threads the v/oof, so that the whole is very flexible, 
and gives the arms sufficient liberty for handling their weapons. Round the 
neck they wear a gorget covering them up to the eyesj and their head is 
defended by a morion, usually made of the head of some ferocious animal. 
From the girdle to the feet, they wear a kind of apron, of the same manu- 
facture as their cuirasses : and lastly they have a fine skin * hanging from 
the shoulder almost to the knee. This armour is impenetrable to the arrows 
of the enemy ; but with such an encumbrance they cannot change their 
position so readily as if they were less loaded. 

Their offensive weapons consist 'of arrows; bows, the string of which is 
twisted like the base-strings of our best musical instruments ; hnces, four 
yards long, headed with iron; knives of the same metal, longer than an 
European bayonet, but not common among them ; and little hatchets of 
flint, or of a green stone, so hard, that it cleaves the most compact wood 
without injury to the edge. 

Their language is extremely difficult to pronounce : they speak from the 
throat, moving the tongue against the palate. The little use the women 
can make of the lower lip considerably diminishes the distinctness of their 
pronunciation. The Spaniards could neither speak nor write the words 
they heard. 

From their quickness of mind, and attention in furnishing an abundant 
supply to the market established in tlie harbour, it may be inferred, that 
these Indians are far from being deficient in industry. 1 hey were continu- 
ally bringing stuffs well woven, and clouded with diilerent colours ; and 

* The manuscript has guera, which I clo not believe is a Spanish word ; and I suppose we should 
read cuera, the name of a kind of ganncnt of leather. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

skins of wolves, seals, otters, bears, and other animals of inferior size. Of 
these skins some were raw, others dressed. There were likewise brought 
to the market coverlets * of coarse linen, white clouded with brown, very 
well woven, but in small quantity : broad ribbands of the same, which 
might be compared with the covering of the matrasses of the Spanich offi- 
cers } skeins of the thread of which this linen was woven ; wooden plates, 
neatly wrought ; little canoes, painted of different colours, the figures on 
which represented heads with all their parts; very exact representations of 
frogs in wood, opening like snuff-boxes, and serving to hold their little 
ornaments ; square wooden boxes, three quarters of a yard each way, with 
figures of different animals well delineated on them, and their covers made 
like those of Flanders, rabbeted on the edge, so as to shut into the body of 
the box; wooden figures of birds, of quadrupeds, and of men with helmets 
representing the heads of wild beasts; nets of different kinds for fishing; 
collars of copper, and bracelets of iron, for which they asked extravagant 
prices ; and beak-like instruments, from which they drew sounds resem- 
bling those of a german-flute. The principal officers selected such of these 
articles as they liked best, and left the others to be disposed of to the crew. 

As the Indians perceived, that the Spaniards were fond of fish, they did 
not let them want for it. The most plentiful kinds were salmon, and a kind 
of sole, or turbot, three yards and a quarter long, and broad and thick in 
proportion. There were also brought to the market cod, sprats, and a fish 
resembling the trout. Of course this bay must abound in fish:, the shore 
too is covered with shells. 

The quantity of mother-of-pearl shells^ which the Indians fish up to 
make ear-rings, excited the curiosity of the Spaniards. They endeavoured ta 
learn, whether these people had in their possession, or whether their country 
' produced, pearls, or any precious stones : but their inquiries were fruitless 

■ ihey only found a few stones, which th?y judged to be metallic, and, which 

% mx&pnaa^^^ occurs again, which I have supposea must.be xe^Afrazadas, coverlets.. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



they carried on board, not having with them the requisites for extracting the 
metal they might contain. 

These Indians Hve on fresh or dried fish, boiled or broiled; such herbs 
and roots as their mountains afford, particularly what the Spaniards call sea- 
parsley ; and the flesh of such animals as they take in hunting, which must 
certainly be abundant, from the number of dogs they keep for the purpose. 

The Spaniards could perceive no trace of religion among them, except 
that they sometimes made an inclination towards the sun : but whether 
this were an act of worship, they could not ascertain. 

In his expedition round the bay, donMaurelle found, in two islands, three 
corpses, deposited in boxes similar to those described above, and dressed in 
their furs. These coffins were placed in a small hut, on a pile of branches 
of trees. 

The country is very hilly, the hills lofty, and their slopes descend al- 
most every where to the sea. The soil, of limestone rock, is notwith- 
standing covered with an impenetrable forest of high, large, and straight 
pmes. As these trees cannot strike deep into the ground, the wind often 
tears them up by the roots; when they rot, and are converted into a light 
mould. On this mould grows a thicket of bushes, among which are net- 
tles, camomile, wild celery, anise, a sort of cabbage, swallow-wort, alder, 
wormwood, sorrel, and no doubt many other plants along the sides of the 
rivers. 

The Spaniards saw ducks, gulls, divers, kites, ravens, geese, cranes, gold- 
finches, and other small birds, with which they were unacquainted. 

The traffic between the Spaniards and Indians was carried on very 
peaceably: the former kept constantly on their guard, ready to defend 
themselves if attacked ; while the latter contented themselves with steal- 
ing all they could, secretly if they were not observed, openly if they 

VOL. I. a rr 



VOYAGE ROUND THE Vv^ORLD. 

thought themselves the stronger. To preserve tranquillity, the Spaniards 
shut their eyes on petty thefts : but if any were committed, which they 
would have seriously felt, they detained either some canoe, or some person 
of distinction, till what they had lost was restored: but all this was done, 
without spillin-g a dmp of blood. 

In some of the Indians the desire of procuring iron, cloth, or other 
stuffs, was stronger than parental affection: they sold their children for a 
few yards of cloth, or pieces of iron hoops. The Spaniards purchased m 
this manner three boys, one of four years old, one of five or six, and the 
other of nine or ten, not to make slaves of them, but Christians. They 
hoped likewise to gather from them some useful information respecting 
the country and its inhabitants. These children were so well pleased 
to be witK the Spaniards, that they hid themselves when their fa- 
thers came on board, lest they should be returned to them. Two little 
girls also were bought with the same views, one very ordinary, about 
seven or eight years old, the other younger, and. handsome, but ill> and. 
almost dying. 

The oldest of the boys appeared to possess uncommon sagacity and 
quickness of intellect, and was soon a favourite with all the crew. He 
made them sensible, by very expressive signs, of the intentions of his coun- 
trymen, what they meditated, how they would act, and the objects they 
proposed to attain.. He took the marines by the hand, led them to the 
stand of arms, put muskets into their hands, and made signs to them to 
load and fire upon this or that canoe, but to spare such and such a one, 
which belonged to friends. The environs of this harbour therefore are in- 
habited by different tribes, enemies to one another,. 

At new and full moon th^ tide rises in Port de la Cruz seventeen feet 
three inches, English measure ; and it is high water a quarter after twelve 
at noon : the lowest tides are fourteen feet three inches : and the nigb^ 
tides exceed those of the day one foot nine inches. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



The south, south-east, and south-west winds being constantly accom- 
panied with drizzling rain and continual showers, the Spaniards removed' 
from the Port of la Cruz, on the 15th of June, to that of San Antonio, 
with the view of getting out of the bay more easily with the first 
• north-westerly wind : but this they could not accomplish till the 1 st of 

July- 

On the 1 6th. of July they discovered a shoal half a league to leeward, 
which they reckoned to be in the ' latitude of 59° Q', and longitude 
147° 46'*. At a distance they saw mount St. Elias; the summit of 
which they compare for height with that of Orisaba. 

The 17th, at noon. Cape St. Elias bearing west 40° north, distant 
three leagues, they calculated its latitude to be 59° 53', and its longitude 
149° so'. The charts place an island in the vicinity of this cape : and the 
point of this island nearest the cape bore north .18° west, distant five 
leagues. The two points form between them the entrance of a channel 
three leagues wide. From the cape, the coast runs north a little inclining 
to the west. In this part they observed large bays, in which they ima- 
gine there must be harbours very well sheltered, 

Maurelle says this island is larger than it is represented on the charts^ 
When the Spaniards were half a league from it, they discovered a shoal to 
the south-west. 

On the 1 8th they reconnoitred a vast bay to the westward of Cape St. 
Elias. This bay ran ten leagues into the land. On the 20th they were 
accosted by two canoes of singular structure. The timber-work consists 
of very slender planks, bound together by tolerably strong cords, leaving 
spaces between them, giving them the appearance of the skeleton of a 
canoe. This skeleton is completely covered with skins, leaving only a 

* All the latitudes Sre north ; the longitudes, west of Paris. It has already been obseri'ed, that 
■on the longitudes no dependance is to be placed^ 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

round aperture in the upper part, the edges of which serve as a girdle ta 
him who rows it; and to prevent the water from getting into this open- 
ing, the boatman puts on a skirt of bladders, neatly sewed together, and 
carefully tied over the edges of the opening. It may be supposed that 
these canoes are extremely light. Their shape is exactly that of a harp : 
their bow having the same curve as is made in the harp for fastening the 
strings. 

The Indians in these canoes were cloathed in a coat of skin, which de- 
fended them sufficiently from the cold. Their hats resembled those of 
the inhabitants of port BucarelH. For ear-rings they wore large glass 
beads. Their fishing tackle consists of arrows made as neatly as if turned in 
a lathe, a long pole, a blown bladder, a harpoon pointed with bone,, and a 
long cord made of gut, and properly twisted. They dart their harpoon 
at the seal or otter : the wounded animal endeavours to dive, but is pre- 
vented by the bladder : and the Indian soon draws his prey to him. The 
young Indians who were taken on board at Bucarelli endeavoured to con- 
verse with these, but they .did not understand each other. 

These two canoes induced the Spaniards to stop off the adjacent coast, 
where they anchored the £Oth of July at midnight ; but the next day they 
sailed for a cove, which lay a league from them to the north. Here they 
were exposed only to the winds from the south to the north-west ; and a 
little farther within the land they would have been sheltered entirely. 
This harbour, to which they gave the name of San J ago, lies in latitude 
60^ 13', longitude 157° 5 2^. To satisfy themselves whether they lay off 
an island or the continent, they sent out the long-boat, which, after having 
sailed six or seven leagues^ north-north- west, reported, that the coast then 

trended to the east, whence they concluded, that the land near which 

they were at anchor was an island *. 

* On a serious Investigation I am of opinion, that this harbour is near Cape Hinchinbroke. Neither 
Cook «or Dixon maae any observation in the neighbourhood of this cape. The long-boat must have 
«utered a little way into the bay called Rose Bay on DiKon's chart, and seeing it entirely shut 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



Six Indian canoes, about forty feet long, and six broad, lined with 
white skins, and made not very unlike to European boats, paid a visit to 
the Spaniards. As they approached, they hoisted three flags, the first 
carnation, the second w^hite, the third blue : but they struck them before 
they came alongside. The Indians were accompanied by their wives, 
who were distinguished by glass beads, or some other bauble, hanging 
from each side of the mouth. In other respects they were dressed much 
like the women of Bucarelli. 

The captain going with the long-boat a fishing, it was in a very little 
time filled with a fish agreeable enough to the palate, which they called 
par go mulato : but the most plentiful kind here is salmon ^ the par go mulato 
abounding only at the heads of the little creeks along the shore. 

The Indians inhabiting this country are robust, tall, proportionably 
large, industrious, and thieves. The copper, with which all their arrows 
are headed, led the Spaniards to suppose, that they had mines of this 
metal. 

On the 28th of July our navigators got under way to double a point 
which they saw to the south-west 5° south, distant eleven leagues (pro- 
bably the southern point of Montagu island). They wished to keep 
in sight of the land, but the rain and mist sometimes prevented it. 

On the 30th they lay to till the next day, when they found themselves in 
the neighbourhood of ,a group of islands extending from the south-south- 
west to the south-south-east. They anchored on the 1st of August to 
the south of one of these islands, to which they gave the name of Isla del 
Regla, They place it in the longitude of 155° 59f by estimation, latitude 

toward the east, continued her course towards the opposite shore on the north-north-west. I ima- 
gine, too, that the transcriber may have written 157° 52' instead of 153" 52' ^ as the nianusqript 
abounds with errors, 



254 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

59° 8' by observation *. Don Maurelle supposes, that these islands form 
what is called Cap de St. Ermogene on the chart of Bellin, engraved in 
1766. The latitude of both is the same. The Russians, seeing this 
group at a distance, may not have observed the intermediate chan- 
nels, dividing it into several islands, and thus took it for a point of 
the ^continent. There were many other islands to the south of Isla del 
Regla. 

On the 3d of August, the sky being clear, they saw to the north-west 
T north a mountain quite covered with snow, and certainly higher than 
the pike of Teneriffe, more than twenty leagues distant from them. In the 
evening, by the twilight, it was perceived to throw out torrents of thick 
smoke. The aperture from which this smoke issued was a little to the east 
of the summit of the mountain, which they judged to be a volcano. Near 
this mountain another very lofty one was observed, on which no appearance 
of snow was to be discerned. This lay west-north-west 8° west, distant 
fifteen leagues. Lastly two others were perceived, the larger of which 
bore west-south-west 4° south, distant 13 leagues. Both these, though 
lofty, were less so than the former ; yet both were entirely covered with 



snow. 



On Isla del Regla were found some small huts, seals recently flayed, a 
great number of birds' heads, but not one inhabitant. After two or 
three days' stay, a canoe appeared off one of the neighbouring points : 
the Indians uttered a few words, but they would not come alongside the 
frigates.. 

This island was the limit of the expedition of the Spaniards. They 

* On the chart of Prhice William's Entrance, in th* 3d volume of Cook's third Voyage, there Is a 
place where this group of islands may be supposed to lie. It is to the south-west of Montagu Island 
toward tie latitude of 59° 8', longitude from 210^ 30' to 210° 40' east of Greenwich, or 151 4C 
to 50' west of Paris. Coc^ would have passed these islands about fifteen leagues to the westward 
and Dixon as much to the eastward : a distance at which they may be too low to be visible. Pel • 
haps, too, they may lie farther west than was supposed. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 



left it on the 7th of August, and came to an anchor at San Bias on the 
27th of November. From Cape St. Elias to Isla del Regla they laid 
down with the most scrupulous accuracy all the islands, capes, and bays 
they descried ; but the winds and currents, very frequent and very violent 
in these latitudes, drove them from the coast oftener than they wished, 
and were disadvantageous to the accuracy of their reckoning. Yet, if they 
publish the chart which they constructed from the bearings they took, 
their observations, added to those of Cook, la Perouse, and Dixon, will 
contribute not a little to improve the geography of this part of the coast of 
North-America. 




^'*^5JR,,,i,)i|;,|l**|l|ii|l[ 



|,.,,l|,,:-i™"Hi,l||; 





« 



VOYAGE 



ROUND THE WORLD. 



la the Years 1785, 1786, 1787, and 1788, 



CHAPTER I. 



Ohject of the Expedition'— Vitting out of the two FrigatesStay in the "Bar" 
hour of Brest — Passage from Brest to Madeira and Teneriffe-^^Stay at these 
two Islands — Excursion to the Peak — Arrinal at Trinidad-^Touch at th& 
Isiand of St. Catherine on the Coast of Brazils 



TThE ancient spirit of discovery appeared to be extinct. TKe 17^85, 
Toyage undertaken by Ellis, to Hudson's Bay, in 1747, bad not answered ^"S^^^ 
the expectations of those who advanced money for the enterprise. On the 
1st of January 1739, captain Bouvet imagined that he saw land in latitude 
54° south, but it is now probable that it was a field of ice only j and by 
this mistake the progress of geography was considerably retarded. The 
framers of systems, who sit down tranquilly in their closets, and there trace 
the form of continents and islands, had concluded^ that the supposed Cape 
Circumcision was the northern point of a southern continent, the existence 

¥.0L. S L 



r 




,g58 YOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1785. of which they conceived capable of demonstration, because necessary, in 
August, their opinion, to the equilibrium of the globe 

The failure of these two voyages was naturally calculated to- damp the 
ardour of individuals who, actuated by a spirit of curiosity alone, had been 
led to sacrifice large sums in enterprises, which had long ceased to engage 
the attention of the different maritime powers of Europe. 

In 1764 the British government gave orders for a new expedition, the 
command of which was given to commodore Byron. The accounts of 
this voyage, as well as those of Wallis, Carteret and Goolc, are already suf- 
ficiently known. 

* The partisans of the existence of a southern continent will consider la P6rouse's assertion to be 
hazarded. Without pretending, however, that Cape Circumcision, discovered by Lozier ^Bouvet, be- 
longs to a field of ice rather than to an island *, and without attempting to reso ve the idle problem of 
the existence of a southern continent, sii.ce it must be situated only in a latitude which will for ever 
keep it insulated from the rest of the globe, I will venture to affirm that Cook's first voyage toward 
the south pole has sufficiently decided the question, and that le Monnier's dissertation, to prove that 
Cook did not search for Cape Circumcision in it's true longitude, has now lost it s importancef. 
While I tlius make my confession of faith, in this respect, and. acknowledge that I believe in the ex- 
istence of a southern continent, I do not think that it is- necessary to the equ.libriura of the globe 
Whateffect/indeed, could the weight of so .small a ^r./.^.r^«.., produce on so enormous a rnass a 
the globe, where the smallest difference in the homogeneity of it's internal parts would be a sufficient 
compensation for superficial solidity ? 

Thou<rh captain Cook hopes, that Is sbaUlearno more of a sotiibern continentX, it will, perhaps, be 
attended" with utility, some centuries hence, to ascertain what progress the ice mny have made towards 
the equator, tlius to bring BufFoii's ingenious system of the gradual refrigeration of the globe to a 
proof. But several ages would be necessary to obtain a probable result) for in different years and at 
the same seasons, navigators have seen ice in higher or lower latitudes. The whale fishers, it is said 
who go annually to Spitzbergen, once proceeded so fcir north as within a single degree of the pole, 
appears also that Lorencio Ferrer de Maldonado, whom I shall have occasion to mention hereafter, 
sailed through a north passage, which our most enterprising navigators have never been able to dis- 
cover, as they were .always stopped by the ice. (French Editor.) 

* Captain-Cook having gone very far to the south of the land discovered by Bouvet, it is evident 
that Cape Circumcision cannot belong to a southern continent. 

t See MemoWes de FJcademle des Sciences de Paris for 1776, p. 665 ; for 1779, P- 12 5 and Cook;s 
.second and third Voyages. 

X Ccok's third Voyage. ~ • , 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

In November 176(5, M' de Bougainville sailed from Nantz with the 
Boudeuse frigate and the Etoile flute. Pursuing nearly the same course as 
the English navigators, he discovered several islands, and the account of his 
voyage being written in an interesting manner, the same taste for discovery 
was thereby excited in the French, which had lately been revived with so 
much energy in England. 



253 



1785. 
August. 




In 1771, M' de Kerguelen was dispatched on a voyage towards the 
southern continent, the existence of which, at that period, no geographer 
had ventured to dispute ; and, in the month of December of the same year, 
he descried an island, but was prevented by the badness of the weather from 
completing his discovery. Prepossessed with the ideas that pervaded the 
minds of all the learned of Europe, he had no doubt that what he had seen 
was one of the capes of the southern continent ; and in his eagerness to an- 
nounce this intelligence, he determined to return instantly home. He was 
received in France as a second Columbus, and a man of war and a frigate 
were immediately equipped to continue so important a discovery. This 
extraordinary choice of vessels, were there no other proofs, would be suf- 
ficient of itself to show, how far enthusiasm is capable of superseding in 
human beings the use of reason and reflection. M"^ de Kerguelen had or- 
ders to steer the same course as before, and to make a survey of the sup- 
posed continent he had discovered. The result of this second voyage is 
known to every one ; but even Cook, the most fkilful of navigators, in 
such an enterprise, with a ship of 64 guns and a frigate of 3S, the crews of 
which amounted to 700 men, would have found it impossible to succeed : 
it is probable indeed he would not have accepted the command, or, if he 
had accepted it, would have caused a different plan to be adopted. M' de 
Kerguelen, however, returned to France no better informed than before j 
and the king dying in the course of the expedition, all farther thoughts of 
discoveries were abandoned. The war of 1778 also turned the attention of 
the public to pursuits of a very different nature ; but amidst these pursuits, 
it was not forgotten, that our enemies had two ships at sea, the Discovery 
and the Resolution, and that captain Cook^ while engaged in extending the 




m 



;269 



TOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 





1785. sphere of human knowledge, was intitled to the protection and friendship 
-August. ^£ gygj-y country on the globe*. 

The principal object of the war, begun in 1778, was to secure the tran- 
quillity of the seas, and by the peace of 1783 this object was fully accom- 
plished. The same spirit of justice which had led France to take up arms, 
that the flags of the weakest maritime nations might be equally respected 
with the most powerful, naturally directed itself, during the negotiations 
for peace, to whatever might tend to the general benefit of mankind. 
The sciences, by softening the manners of men, have, perhaps, contributed 
more than wise and beneficial laws, to the happiness of society. 

The voyages of different English navigators, by enlarging the bounds of 
knowledge, had merited the just admiration of the world, and the charac- 
ter and talents of captain Cook, in particular, held a very distinguished 
rank in the estimation of Europe : but, in so vast a field, there will remam 
for ages new knowledge to be acquired ; coasts to be explored ; plants, 
trees, fishes, and birds to be described ; minerals and volcanoes to be exa- 
mined ; nations to be studied, and perhaps to be rendered happier, since 
the introduction of a single farinaceous plant, of one new species of fruit 
only, might prove to the inhabitants of the islands in the southern ocean 
a source of inestimable benefit "f- . 

* I cannot omit this opportunity of recalling to the recollection of the reader a circvimstance as 
glorious to the French nation as to the individual who, amidst the horrors of a war politically neces- 
saiy, became the object of it. 

When hostilities were commenced, in 1778, against England, orders were issued to all French ships 
^hich might fall in with the Discovery and Resolution, commanded by captain Cook, to suffer them 
to proceed on their voyage unmolested, and instead of treating them as enemies, to give them every 
assistance of which they might stand in need. 

It is thus that a great nation shows a sacred respect for the progress of science and of useful disco- 
veries. (French Editor.) 

+ Can the benefits arising from the introduction of a new farinaceous plant, a new species of fruit, 
or even of domestic animals, be compared with the many evils that must result to these people, by 
ihe introduction, at the same time, of European manners and customs? 

If we consider this problem in a philosophical, political, and even religious point of view, examine 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



These reflections gave rise to the project of a new voyage round the 
world, and men versed in every branch of knowledge were engaged for 
the expedition. M' Dagelet, of the Academy of Sciences, and M"" Monge*, 
both professors of mathematics at the Military School, embarked in the ca- 
pacity of astronomers, the former in the Boussole and the latter in the As- 
trolabe. M"" de Lamanon, of the academy of Turin, and correspondent of 
the Academy of Sciences, was charged with that department of the natural 
history of the earth and it's atmosphere, which bears the name of geology. 
The abbe Monges, regular canon of St Genevieve, and editor of the Jour- 
nal de Physique, undertook to examine and analyse mineral substances, and 
to assist in the different branches of natural philosophy. de la Marti- 

what those islanders actually possess, and reflect that their desire for new objects can only be produced 
by a knowledge which does not exist among them, we shall, in my opinion, conclude with wishing, that 
they may long enjoy their present happiness, and that unalterable tranquillity, which is founded upon 
content of mind, the exercise of the benevolent affections, and the observance of laws derived from 
the pure source of nature. 

The following passages from Cook's third voyage will tend to confirm my opinion : 

« When the Adventure arrived first at Queen Charlotte's sound, in 1773, M' Bayly fixed upon this 
place for making his observations ; and he, and the people with him, at their leisure hours, planted 
several spots with English garden seeds. Not the least vestige of these 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 less any other of the articles v^-hich 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.'' Vol. I, page 125. 

" These two chiefs became suitors to me for some goats and hogs. Accordingly I gave to Mata- 
houah two goats, a male and a female with kid ; and to Tomatongeauooranuc^ two pigs, a boar and 
a sow. They made me a promise not to kill tliem ; though 1 must own I put no great faith in this. 
The animals which captain Furneaux sent on shore here, and which soon after fell into the hands of 
thenatives, I was now told were all dead." Ibid. -p. 131. 

« He (Taweiharooa) said, that the captain of her, during his stay here, cohabited with a woman of 
the country, and that Ihe had a son by him, still living, and about the age of Kokoa, who, though 
not born then, seemed to be equally well acquainted with the story. We were also informed by 
Taweiharooa, that this ship first introduced the venereal disease amongst the New Zealanders. I 
wish that subsequent visitors from Europe may not have their share of guilt in leaving so dreadful a 
remembrance of them among this unhappy race." Ibid. p. 141. (French Editor.) 

* During the passage from Brest to Teneriffe, the health of M' Monge became so deranged, that 
he was obliged to be put on shore at that island, and return to France. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

niere, physician of the college of Montpellier, and recommended by M' de 
Jussieu, filled the botanical department, having a gardener from the king's 
garden for his assistant, a Collignon, (chosen by M' Thouin), v^hose 
office was to take care of such plants as it might be possible for us to hnng 
back to Europe. The task of executing drawings of whatever related to 
natural history devolved upon the two Prevosts, uncle and nephew. 
M' Dufresne, an eminent naturalist, and particularly skilled in the art of 
classing the different productions of nature, was sent to us by the comp- 
troller general. And, lastly, M' Duche de Vancy received orders to em- 
bark for the purpose of painting dresses and landscapes of the different 
countries we might visit, and such things, in general, as it is often found- 
impossible to describe. 

All the learned bodies in the kingdom vied with each other, on this 
occasion, in manifesting their zeal for the progress of the arts and scien- 
ces The Academy of Sciences, and the Society of Medicine, addressed each 
a memoir to the marshal de Castries, pointing out what observations it 
would be of most importance to make in the course of the expedition. 
The abb^ Tessier, of the Academy of Sciences, suggested a method of pre- 
serving fresh water from corruption. From de Fourni, civil engineer, 
we received a paper containing his observations on the nature of trees, 
and on the level of the sea, and from le Dru, a memoir, in which he 
recommended to us to make every possible observation on the magnetic 
needle in different latitudes and longitudes, and he added a dippmg needle 
of his own construction, the result of which he begged we would com- 
pare with that of the two dipping needles lent us by the commissioners of 
the British board of longitude. Upon this subject I beg leave to express 
my particular obligations to Sir Joseph Banks, who, apon hearing tl^ 
de Monneron had failed in his attempts to procure a dipping needle in 
London, readily and voluntarily lent us the two which had been employed 
by the celebrated captain Cook, which I received with feelings bordermg 
almost upon religious veneration for the memory of that great and mcom- 
parable navigator. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

M' de Monneron, a captain in the corps of engineers, wlio had accompa- 1785. 
iiied me in my expedition to Hudson's Bay, embarked in the quality of ^"S"-*^- 
chief engineer. He had been induced, by his friendship for me as well as 
his tas^te for travelling, to request this office, and he was charged with the^ 
business of drawing plans and examining the positions of the different 
places which might be visited, with M"" Bernizet, geographical engineer, 
for his assistant. 

The last thing I have to mention ai'e the charts destined for our use, 
which were executed by M' Fleurieu himself, director of the port and ar- 
senals, and formerly a captain in the navy : and to these charts, M' de 
Fleurieu added a whole vohime of the most learned notes and observations 
on the different voyages undertaken from the time of Columbus to the pre- 
sent period. The knowledge I derived from his valuable labours, and 
the repeated marks of friendship which he conferred upon me, will not 
suffer me to with-hold this public testimony of my gratitude*. 

The marshal de Castries, minister of the marine, who had obligingly re- 
commended me to the king for this command, sent the most positive 
orders to all the ports, to furnish us with whatever might be deemed 
requisite to the success of the expedition j and lieutenant-general D 'Hec- 
tor, commandant of the naval department at Brest, entering into his views, 
superintended every thing, even the most minute parts of the equipment, 
with the same care and attention as if the command had been his own. 
Having been empowered to appoint my own officers, I chose, for the com- 
mand of the Astrolabe, M' de Langle, a post captain, who had commanded 
the Astree during my expedition to Hudson's Bay, and who, on that occa- 
sion, had given me the most convincing proofs, not of his talents only, but 

* The loss of our navigators, an ev-ent regretted by all Europe, has been particularly unfortunate -to 
the arts and sciences, as the immense collection made by the different men of science, .and a part of 
the memoirs, perished with them. The reader must not expect to find in the volume of plates and 
charts, all the details which the journal seems to announce. This voyage, interesting even in its pre- 
sent state, would have afforded, had not this disaster taken place, a complete body of information of 
the most valuable kind. If any hope can yet be indulged, it is a hope extremely weak, and which 
becomes every day still weaker. (French Editor.) 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

of the firmness and energy of his character, A hundred officers having 
voluntarily offered themselves to de Langle and myself to serve in the- 
expedition, we had an opportunity of selecting as many men of know in- ' 
trepidity and professional skill, as we wanted. 

At length, on the 26th of June, my instructions were delivered ta 
me, and on the first of July I set out for Brest. I arrived there on the 4th^. 
and found the equipment of the two frigates already in great forwardness. 
The shipping of a variety of things had been deferred, because it. was ne- 
cessary that I should make a choice between articles in request among the- 
savages, and provisions, of which it was thought I might wish to have a 
supply for several years. I preferred, however, the former, reflecting 
that they would be the means of continually procuring us live stock, 
and that in the course of so long a voyage, the provisions of the £>hip 
would necessarily deteriorate, and become, at last, perhaps, totally unfit 
for use. 

Beside a boat with a deck*, which was in pieces, ready to be put to« 
gether as occasion might require, and of about twenty tons burthen, we 
had on board two pinnaces {chaloupe^ biscayennes a spare mam-mast, 
a tiller and a capstan.. The quantity of tilings, indeed, which I found 
in my own ship, and which had been stowed by de Clonard, my first 
captain, with a zeal and intelligence of which he had so often given me 
proofs, was incredible j and the Astrolabe had been furnished with pre» 
cisely the same articles. On the 1 1th, we were in the road, our vessels 
so encumbered that it was impossible to heave on the capstan; but we 
had a favourable season for our departure, and were in hopes of reaching 
Madeira without encountering bad weather. M'^ d'Hector had ordered 
us to anchor in the road with port-moorings, that we might, have no- 

* Or hoycr, a kind of very strong, fiat- bottomed, vessel, used In Flanders and Holland, and ex- 
' tremsly proper for inland- navigation. (French Editor.) 

t Barca hnga, boats unusually long and very narrow at the extremities, adapted for sailing whea 
there is a hollow sea. (French Editor). 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 26 

thing to do but to slip our cables whenever the wind should permit us to 1785. 
sail. August. 

On the 12th we mustered our crews ; and the same day were sent on. 
board both vessels the astronomical clocks, for ascertaining, in the places 
where we might stop, the daily rate of going of our time-keepers, which 
had been on board, and under a course of observation, for nearly a fort- 
night. M"^--^ Dagelet and Monge, as well as the other men of letters 
and artists, had preceded me to Brest, and had attended to the going of 
the time-keepers even previous to the arrival of the two astronomers M"'" 
de Langle and d'Escures i but the astronomical clock with which they 
had been compared was unfortunately found to be so very defective, that 
it was necessary to do all the work over again. 

In the evening of the 13th M' Dagelet delivered to me the following 
note. 

" On our arrival at Brest, we found an astronomical station established 
in the Intendant's garden, where M""= de Langle and d'Escures em- 
ployed themselves in making observations, to determine the rate of going 
of the time-keepers. But, as the instruments of the academy of Brest, 
and in particular the astronomical clocks, were in a very deplorable con- 
dition, they perceived, after several days' observation, that it was neces- 
sary to make the relative comparison of the time-keepers, by referring 
them all to N° 25 *, which was in the observatory. When our instruments 
were erected on shore, I determined the going of my pendulum clock by 
altitudes of the sun and stars, comparing every day the time-keepers, 
N° 18 and 19, by means of signals made on board, and I thence formed 
the following table of their daily rate of going." 

* All the time-keepers put on boai'd the two frigates were Invented and constructed by Ferdinand 
Berthoud, who distinguished them by numbers. (French Editor), 



VOL. I 



C M 



)6 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

17,85. , 



S OF THE MONTH. 


N\ 18. 

J,OSS UPON THE MEAN 
TIME OF PARIS. 


LOSS UPON THE MEAN 
TIME OF PARIS. 


une 28 




36' 


48'^ 


8 


27' 


51'' 


0 




30 




37 


07 


1 


27 


47 


7 


uly 


1 




37 


19 


0 


27 


45 ' 


0 


2 




37 


31 


0 


27 


44 


2 




3 




37 


39 


5 


27 


45 


4 




.4 




37 


51 


8 


27 


44 


0 




5 




38 


05 


0 


27 


42 


0 




6 




0 


0 


0 


27 


42 


1 




7 




38 


36 


7 


27 


42 


1 




8 




38 


49 


3 


0 


0 


0 




9 




39 


03 


0 


27 


48 


8 




10 




39 


13 


6 


27 


42 


5 




11 




39 


27 


0 


stopped 




12 




0 


0 


0 


0 


36 


6 




13 




0 


0 


0 


0 


36 


4 



We were detained in the road by westerly winds till the 1st of August, 
As the weather in the mean time had been foggy, with showers of rain, 
I was uneasy, fearing that the health of the crew might be injured by the 
humidity. In the course of nineteen days, however, we sent on shore one 
man only, who was ill of a fever, but we discovered six sailors and one 
soldier attacked by the venereal disease, who had escaped the examination 
of our surgeons. 

't« I sailed from Brest road on the 1st of August. In my passage to Ma- 
deira, where we came to anchor on the 13th, nothing occurred that is 
worthy of detail. The wind had been constantly favourable, a circum- 
stance highly necessary for our vessels, which, being too much by the 
head, were extremely unmanageable. During the fine nights of this pas- 
sage, M' de Lamanon observed those luminous points visible in the water 
of the sea, and which arise, in my opinion, from a solution of marine bo- 
dies. If this light were produced by insects, as some philosophers asserts 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 2^ 

they would not be dispersed in so great profusion from the pole to the 1785. 
equator, but would affect only particular climates *. August, 

We were scarcely at anchor, when Mr. Johnston, an English mer- 
chant, sent a canoe on board laden with fruit. Several letters of recom- 
mendation to that gentleman from London, had preceded us, which occa- 
sioned me the greater astonishment, as I was utterly unacquainted with 
the persons by whom they were written. The reception we experienced 
from Mr. Johnston was in every respect so kind and hospitable, that we 
could not have expected a better from our best friends or nearest relations. 
Having paid a visit to the governor, we afterwards dined at his hou^e. 
Next day we breakfasted at the charming country-seat of Mr. Murray, 
the English consul, and returned to town, to dine with M. Montero, 
charge des affaires of the French consulate. During the whole of this day, 
we enjoyed all the pleasure which select company and the most polite 
attention can afford; and at the same time were delighted with the 
situation of Mr. Murray's country-seat, from the beauties of which our 
attention could only have been diverted by the arrival of the consul's three 
charming nieces, who came to prove, that nothing was wanting in this 
enchanting abode. Had the circumstances in which we were placed 
been less urgent, nothing could have been more agreeable to us than to 
have passed a few days in this island, where we were entertained in so 

* After the result of the experiments presented by Rigaud in 1^68 to the academy of sciences at 
"Paris, no doubt can be entertained of the existence offolyfi or luminous animals in the water of the 
sea. I do not know upon what la Perouse can found an assertion, combated by Godeheu, who ob- 
served, at the Maldives, and on the coast of Malabar, places where the sea is more luminous than in 
the latitudes of which our navigator is speaking, that the water was covered with small living lu- 
minous animals, which emitted a kind of oily liquor, that floated on the surface, and diffused, when 
agitated, a phosphoric light : but for myself, I believe in the existence of these animals, which is 
confirmed by the observations of Nollet, Ray, Vianelli, Griselini and otliers. I am of opinion, also, 
that the phosphoric oil of certain fishes, being carried to the surface of the water, produces in part 
that light which is every where observable in the sea. , 

I can adduce in support of my opinion the effect of the oil of the bonetta, which becomes lu- 
minous when shaken. See also Forster's observations on the phosphoric light of sea-water at the 
end of Cook's second voyage, and those of Lalande, in the Journal des Savans, 1777. (Frencli 
Editor J. 



68 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1785. friendly a manner ; but the object of our touching there could not be at- 
August, ^^-j^ej^ The English had raised the price of wine to so exorbitant a 
height, that we found it impossible to procure any for less than thirteen or 
fourteen hundred livres * a cask, containing four barrels, while the same 
quantity at TenerifFe would cost only six hundred f - I gave orders, there- 
fore, for every thing to be prepared for sailing on the following day, which 
was the l6th of August. : 

The sea-breeze did not cease blowing till six in the evening, when we- 
weighed anchor and instantly sailed. Before I departed, I received from 
Mr. Johnston another present, consisting of a hundred bottles of sweet, 
and half a barrel of dry wine, rum, preserved oranges, and a prodigious 
quantity of all kinds of fruits. From the time of my arrival at Madeira, 
every moment of my stay had been marked, on his part, by the most de- 
licate and polite attentions. 

Our run to Teneriffe occupied only three days, and we came to anchor 
on the 19th at three in the afternoon. On the morning of the 18th I 
had sight of Salvage isle, and sailed along its eastern side, at the distance 
of about half a league. The coast is perfectly safe, and, though I had no 
opportunity of sounding, I am convinced that there is a hundred fa- 
thoms of water, within a cable's length only of the shore. This island, 
which is totally parched and does not produce a single tree, appears to be 
formed of different strata of lava and other volcanic substances. We took 
bearings from several points in order to determine its position. 

The different observations of M-^^ Fleurieu, Verdun and Borda, as to 
the islands of Madeira, the Salvages, and Teneriffe, are so perfectly sa- 
- tisfactory, that the object of ours was merely to prove our instruments, 
and ascertain the rate of going of our time-keepers, which had been so far 
determined at Brest by the observations of M^ Dagelet, that we could 
depend on the longitude which they might give for several days together. 

» About ^.54 or ^.58. t^-^^.. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

Our anchoring at Madeira afforded us an excellent opportunity of judging 
of the degree of correctness we had reason to expect from them. The 
longitude which we observed within sight of the land, compared with that 
of the town of Funchal, differed only three minutes of a degree from that 
determined by M' Borda. 

The short stay we made at that island did not permit us to fit up an ob- 
servatory. M'""^' Dagelet, d'Escures, and Boutin, took a few bearings only 
from the anchoring place, of which I caused no plan to be laid down, as it 
maybe found in a variety of printed voyages. On the 18th we were em- 
ployed in taking bearings of the Salvages, the latitude of which I may ven- 
ture to fix at 30° 8' 15'" north, and the longitude at 18° 13' east. 

The moment I arrived at TenerifFe I employed myself in erecting an ob- 
servatory on shore. On the 2Sd of August, our instruments were placed 
in it, and we determined the rate of going of our astronomical clocks, by 
corresponding altitudes of the sun or stars, in order to ascertain as speedily 
as possible the rate of going of the time-keepers on board the two frigates. 
A particular account of these operations will be found at the end of this 
work. The result of our observations showed, that the error of the time^ 
piece N° 19 had only been IS"' slow from the 13th of July, the last day of 
our observations at Brest ^ and that our smaller time-keepers, N° 29 and 
N° 25, had lost also, the first l' 0.7'', and the second only 28". Thus^, 
in the course of forty-three days, the greatest error was only a quarter of a^ 
degree of longitude. From observations made for several days together, and 
a regular series of comparisons, we settled the new daily movement of these 
time-keepers. M"" Dagelet found that 19 gained 2.55^, in twenty-four 
hours; N° 29, 3.6"; and N° 25, 0.8"; and from these elements he con^- 
structed a table of their apparent movements, regard being had to the ne- 
cessary corrections from the variations produced by the effects of the tem- 
perature of the air, according to the different degrees of the thermometer 
and of the arcs of the baknce-wheel. Dagelet had some doubts as to the 
manner of constructing the table of the variation of N° 19, from the few data 
supplied by the experiments made at Paris. He was therefore of opinion^ 




1785. 

August, 





g7@ VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1785.. that it would be extremely convenient for those who use time-keepers at set, 
.Augusto greater number of experiments were made, and fewer terms left to be 
calculated in the interpolations, especially when the arcs of the balance- 
wheel enter into this kind of correction. In that case a table with 
a double entry will be required, and doubts will arise respecting the 
manner in which the ordinates of the curve ought to vary. On the 
37th and two following days, he made experiments with a simple pen- 
dulum, and observed the number of oscillations in a given time, in 
order to determine the force of gravitation in different latitudes. Se- 
veral observations relative to the latitude and longitude were also made 
at Santa Cruz in Teneriffe, which I think may be fixed, the longitude at 
18° 36' 30'' west, and the latitude at 28° 27' 3 o'' north. We terminated 
our labour by experiments on the dipping needle ; but found very little 
agreement in the results, which are inserted only to prove, how far that 
instrument still is from the degree of perfection necessary for it to be, 
depended on by observers. We are inclined to think, however, that the 
quantity of iron with which the soil of the island of Teneriffe is impreg- 
nated, may have contributed, and that considerably, to the enormous dif- 
ferences we remarked. These various results, as I have already said, are 
inserted at the end of the work. 



SO. 



On the morning of the 30th of August, we set sail with a pretty fresh 
breeze from the north-north-east. We had taken on board each vessel 
sixty pipes of wine, which obliged us to unstow half of our hold in order to 
get at the empty casks which were to contain it. This business occasioned 
us a loss of ten days: but the principal cause was the tardiness of the mer- 
chants who furnished the wine, which came from Orotava, a small town on 
the other side of the island, 

I have already given an account of the manner in which our astronomers 
had employed their time. Our naturalists, wishing in like manner to take 
. advantage of our stay in the road of Santa Cruz, set off on an excursion to 
the Peak, accompanied by several officers of the two ships. M"" de la Mar- 



- VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

.tiniere botanised by the way, and discovered several curious plants. M'" de 
Lamanon measured the height of the Peak by his barometer, which, on the 
summit of the mountain, fell to 18 inches 4 A lines. By an observation 
made at Santa Cruz the same instant, it stood at 28 inches 3, lines. The 
thermometer which, at Santa Cruz, rose to 24° i, kept constantly at 9° on 
the summit of the Peak. I shall leave it to the curious to calculate the 
height for themselves. This method is so incorrect that I choose rather^ to 
give the data than the results*. M-" de Monneron, captain in the corps- 
of engineers, undertook also a journey to the Peak, in order to determine 
it's height by taking levels down to the sea shore. This was the only 
method of measuring it which had never before been attempted, and no 
local difficulties, unless altogether insurmountable, could have prevented his 
succeeding, from his very great expertness in operations of this nature. 
When arrived on the spot he found the business by no means so arduous as* 
he had imagined, and in a single day had actually completed the most dif- 
ficult part. He had arrived at a kind of plain, which, though still at a 
great elevation,, was of easy access, and already flattered himself with the 
hopes of soon seeing the end of his labour, when his guides started difficult 
ties which it was impossible for him to overcome. Their mules had not 
drunk for three days, and the muleteers could, be prevailed on neither by 
entreaties nor rewards to make a longer stay. M' de Monneron M^as there- 
fore obliged to abandon, a work, which he considered as finished^ and which , 
had been attended with immense labour and no inconsiderable expense ; 
for he had been under the necessity of hiring seven mules, and eight men 
to carry his baggage, and assist in the operation. That he might not, how^ 
ever, lose entirely the fruits of his labour, he determined the, principal 
points y and a day would now be sufficient to complete the levels, which 



27. 

1785. 

August,, 





^ Those who may be desirous of making the calculations will find the .which are herewanti^f. 
m almost every work on Natural Philosophy; if they would attain, .however, to any accuracy in this 
mode of measuring heights, ,which is extremely liable to error, they must not forget to make the cor- 
rections which will be required by the temperature of the air. The difference of the logarithms of the 
heights of the barometer in lines, gives the height in. toises at l6°| of the mercurial thermometer, 
wh>ch marks 80° for the heat of boiling water : must be deducted for each degree of cold^ 
JJei^uc, Kecbercbes sur ks modifications de 1' atmosphere. (French,Editor.)- 



I* 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1785, would afford, a more satisfactory result than any that has yet been given by 
August, travellers*. 

During our stay in the road of Santa Cruz, the Marquis de Branciforte, 
governor-general and commander in chief of all the Canary islands, showed 
4is every possible attention* 

We were unable to get under way till three in the afternoon of August 
-0 Our decks were still more encumbered with stores than when we 
departed from Brest , but they would now diminish daily, and we had no- 
thing in future to care for but wood and water, till our arrival at the 
Inlands of the South Sea. I trusted that I should be able to provide myself 
with both these articles at the island of Trinidad ^ for I was determined 
not to touch at the Cape de Verde islands, which, at this season, are ex- 
tremely insalubrious, and the health of our crews was naturally my first 
consideration. To preserve it, I gave orders that the between-decks should 
be fumigated, and the hammocks be taken down every day and aired from 
eight o'clock in the morning till sun-set; and that every one might have 

* The result of de Monneron's labours which are here alluded to, never reached Europe; but 
there is'reason to believe that he had nmrked the end of his operations in such a manner as to enable 
a w fu u- traveller to continue them. I conceive him to have made use of a water-level, though tha 
U-^ent s far from being. onvei.ient in rapid descents. Had he finished his task, he would have 
det^d between the various travellers who, having measured the Peak each in Ins own way. have 
assigned to it very different degrees of elevation. 

However defective, tedious, and difficult this method of measuring heights may be ^tj- inconve- 
nleuces disappear when it is employed by a man who has had considerable P-^^'- -j"^; f 
certain that I operation would not require more than a thousand stations Now if w--- ° 
pose an error of three lines to take place at each station, wh.ch is scarcely possible, and that th^^e 
Le lines, Instead of mutually correcting each other, were to continue always on one 
tn e stil less possible, tha whole difference, at the end of the operation, would be --]y ,'^^^^^^2 
' s^Td lines, or t4e tolses two f.et ten Inches. And, even allowing that to be f^^'^^^'^^ 
founded on a supposition so improbable, is nothing in P-^^ f ^^^f^^^^^^^ 
have found in measuring itj for Heberden makes the height of the Peak - 2,409 to.ses 
Feuillee (see Mhmires dc I'Jcad. des Sciences, An. 17^6, P- 140.) - ^-i^^ 



Boaguef '']''' i qo4 

And Verdun, Borda^ aad Pingre - - " 



(French Editor.) 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 273 

sufficient time for sleep, the crew was put to three watches, so that eight 1785. 
hours' rest succeeded to four hours' duty. As I had on board no more men Augusc. 
than were absolutely necessary, this arrangement could take place only in 
calm seas, and I was obliged in stormy latitudes to return to the old cus- 
tom. In our run to the line nothing remarkable occurred. The trade- 
wind quitted us in 1 4° north, and blowing constantly from west-south- 
west till we reached th'e equator, I was obliged to follow the African coast, 
which I ran down at the distance of about sixty leagues. 

We crossed the line on the spth of September in 18° of west longitude. September. 
In compliance with my instructions, I could have wished to have been able 
to cross it more to the west ; but the winds fortunately still carried us 
towards the east. I say fortunately, because, but for this circumstance, I 
should have found it impossible to make Trinidad; for at the line we fell 
in with a south-east wind which followed me till I got into 20° 25' south 
so that I always steered close to the wind, and was unable to fetch 
the latitude of Trinidad till I was only about twenty-five leagues to the 
eastward of it. Had I made Pennedo de San Pedro *, I should have found ^ 
it an arduous task to double the eastern point of Brazil. 

I passed, according to my reckoning, over the shoal on which the Prince 
was supposed to have struck in the year 1747. We saw no other sign of 
land than some man-of-war birds, which had followed us in considerable 
numbers from the latitude of 8° north to that of 3° south. Our ships at the 
same time were surrounded by tunny fish ; but we caught very few of them, 
for they were so large as to break our lines. Those we hauled on board 
weighed at least sixty pounds each. 

Navigators, who are apprehensive at this season of the year of meeting 
with calms under the line, are greatly mistaken. Not a day passed without 
a breeze, nor had we rain more than once ; but it was then, indeed, so 
abundant as to enable us to fill twenty-five bari-els. 

* My instractions contained no order for making tiiis Island; but merely recommended to me, te 
discover and ascertain it's situation, if the wind should femiit. 

VOL. I. 2 N ■ 



274- VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1785. The fear of being carried too far to the east, into the gulph of Guinea, 
September, equally chimerical. The south-east winds begin to blow early, and 
drive you too rapidly to the westward. If I had been better acquainted 
with the navigation of these seas, I should have borne away more with the 
south-west winds, which constantly prevailed to the north of the line: 
and I might then have crossed it in the longitude of 10% .and might have 
run down the parallel of Trinidad with the wind large. 

We had left TenerifFe but a few days when we lost sight of that beauti- 
ful sky which is to be found only in the temperate zone. A dull white- 
ness, partaking both of clouds and fog, continually obscured the atmo- 
sphere, so that the horizon appeared to be less even than three leagues in 
extent : but this was only in the day j after sun-set the vapour disappeared, 
and the night never failed to be fine. 

October., Oa the 1 1th of October we made a great number of observations of the 
11- mooas distance from the sun, in order to determine the longitude, and to 
ascertain the rate of going of our time-keepers. By a mean distance, de- 
duced from ten lunar observations made with circles and sextants, we found 
our longitude to be 25° 15' west. At three in the afternoon, that given 
by the time-keeper, N° 19, was 25° 47^ Observations of this kind 
were frequently repeated. 

12. About four in the afternoon of the l^th, the mean result gave for the 
longitude of the ship 26° 2l', and the time-keeper, N° 19, at the same 
instant, 2c° 33'. ' By comparing these two results, it appears, that the: 
longitude given by N° 19 was 12^ farther west than that obtained by ob.. 
servation. It Avas by means of these operations we detenliined the po- 
sition, as to longitude, of the islands of Martin- Vas, and that of Trinidad.. 
We determined the latitudes also very exactly, not only by observmg with 
great correctness the meridian altitude of the sun, but by taking a great 
number of altitudes near the meridian, and reducing them to the true- time- 
of noon found by corresponding altitudes. The^greatest errors we can 
have committed by this method do not exceed SO , 



f 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



The 1 6th of October, at ten in the morning, we saw the islands of Mar- 
tin- Yas, £ve leagues distant, beariilg north-v/est. According to our 
reckoning they ought to have born west; but the currents, during the 
night, had drifted us 13^ towards the south. Unfortunately, the wind, 
which till then had been constantly at south-east, obliged me to tack seve- 
ral times to approach these islands, which I passed at the distance of about 
a league and a half. After having determined their position with great ac- 
c.^racy, and taken bearings in order to be able to trace out on a chart their 
respective positions to each other, I kept close to the wind on the starboard 
tack towards the island of Trinidad, which is situate nine leagues from 
Martin- Vas in the direction of west by south. These islands of Martin- 
Vas are properly speaking mere rocks, of which the largest is about a 
quarter of a league in circumference. They consist of three islets sepa- 
rated from each other by narrow channels, and when seen at a distance 
appear like five head-lands. 

At sun-set I had sight of the island of Trinidad, bearing west 8'' north. 
The wind being still at north-north- west, I spent the night in making con- 
tinual tacks, keeping on the side east-south-east of the island. At break 
of day I stood on towards the shore, hoping to find a smoother sea under 
shelter of the land, and at ten in the morning, when I was distant only two 
leagues and a half from the south-eastern point, which bore north-north- 
west, I perceived, at the bottom of a creek formed by this point, the Por- 
tuguese flag flying on a small fort, round which were five or six wooden 
houses. This flag excited my curiosity, and I resolved to send a boat on 
shore in order to procure information respecting it's evacuation or cession 
by the English ; for I began already to suspect that I should be able to 
procure at Trinidad neither the wood nor water of which I had need. We 
could discern no trees, a few here and there excepted, scattered over the 
summits of the mountains j and the sea everywhere broke with such fury 
against the beach, that we could not suppose it possible for our long-boats 
with any degree of safety to land. I resolved, therefore, to continue to 
tack during the M^hole day, that I might find myself next morning far 
enough to the windward to fetch the anchorage, or at least to send a boat 



276 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1785. ashore. In the evening I hailed the Astrolabe, communicated my intention, 
October. added, that there was no necessity for observing any order in our tacking, 
as the creek of the Portuguese settlement might be considered as our place 
of rendezvous at sun-rise. I told M'' de Langle, that it would then be pro- 
per for the vessel nearest the shore, whichever it might be, to send a 
boat to enquire what supplies we were likely to procure at the island. 
18. Next morning, October the 18th, the Astrolabe, being only half a 
league from the shore, dispatched the pinnace commanded by lieutenant 
De^'vaujuas j and IVL De la Martiniere and father Receveur, an indefati- 
gable naturalist, accompanied this officer. They landed at the head of 
the creek between two rocks ; but the surf was so high, that both the boat 
and its crew must certainly have been lost, but for the" speedy assistance 
of the Portuguese, who drew it upon the beach, and, except the grapnel, 
saved every thing. de Vaujuas counted at this post about two hundred 
men, of whom fifteen only were in uniforms, and the rest in their shn-ts. 
The commandant of this settlement, which, as nothing is cultivated in it 
does not deserve the name of a colony, told him, that the governor of 
Rio Janeiro had ordered possession to be taken of the island of Trinidad 
about a year ago. That it had been previously occupied by the English 
was a circumstance of which he was ignorant, or else pretended not to 
know; but little dependance can be placed upon any thing said to 
de Vaujuas in this conversation, as the commandant seemed to thmk 
himself under the disagreeable necessity of concealing in every respect tae 
truth He pretended that his garrison consisted of four hundred men, and 
that the fort was defended by twenty pieces of cannon whereas we 
had ocular demonstration that, in the neighbourhood of the settlement at 
least, there was not so much as a single one mounted. This officer was so ex- 
tremely apprehensive of our discovering the miserable state of his govern- 
ment, that he would not permit de la Martiniere and father Receveur 
to proceed to any "distance from the shore, even in search of plants. After 
showing every external mark of civility and attention to de Vaujuas, he 
induced him at last to return on board by telling him, that the island 
could supply us with nothing; that provisions were sent to him every six 
- months from Rio Janeiro , that there were scarcely wood and water sufficient 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



277 



for his own garrison ; and that it was necessary beside to transport these 17S5. 
articles from a great distance among the mountains,. His detachment as- October, 
sisted in putting off our pinnace.. 

At day-break I had myself also sent off a boat, commanded by lieute- 
nant Boutin, who was accompanied by M*"'"' de Lamanon and Monneron, 
but with orders not to land, if the Astrolabe's boat should reach tlie 
shore before him. In that case, he was to take soundings in the road, 
and to trace a plan of it as well as the shortness of the time would allow. 
M"" Boutin, therefore, did not approach nearer than within a musket-shot, 
the lead always indicating a rocky bottom, mixed with a little sand. 
M' de Monneron made as complete a drawing of the fort as if he had been 
on shore ; and M' de Lamanon was able to ascertain with sufficient accu- 
racy, that the rocks were composed entirely of basaltes *, or melted sub- 
stances, the remains of some extinguished volcano. This opinion was 
confirmed by father Receveur, who brought on board a great number of 
stones,, all of a volcanic kind, as well as the sand, which appeared only to 
be mixed with fragments of shells and coral. As it was evident, from 
the report of M'' deVaujuas and and M' de Boutin, that we had nothing to 
expect as to wood and water from Trinidad, I determined to proceed im- 
mediately to the island of St. Catherine on the coast of Brazil, the ancient 
refreshing place of French ships, in their voyages to the South Sea. Fre- 
zier and admiral Anson had found there a sufficiency to supply all their 
wants. The desire of not losing a single day induced me to prefer the 
island of St. Catherine to Rio Janeiro, where different formalities would 
have required more time than would have been necessary to procure wood 
and water. But in directing my course towards this island, I wished to 
ascertain the existence of the island of Ascen'caon, which M' Dapres lays 
down a hundred leagues to the west of Trinidad, and only 15^ farther 
south. From the Journal of M'- Poncel de la Haye, who commanded the 
Renommee frigate, I was convinced that various navigators, and among 

* A stone of a close texture, shining on the fractureS; striking fire with steel, and proper for being 
used as a touch- stone. (French Editor). 




. - VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1785. othersFrezier himself, a man of considerable talents,had supposed themselves 
October. j^^^g touched at Ascen9aon while, in reality, they had been only at Trini- 
dad. Notwithstanding however the authority of M-" Poncet de la Haye, I was 
of opinion that this point of geography stood in need of farther illustration. 
The two days of continual tacking off the southern side of Trinidad, had 
enabled us to take bearings, from which M-^ Bernizet traced a plan of that 
part of the island. It differs very little from that of D^ Halley, which was 
among the charts furnished by de Fleurieu : but the view drawn by 
M' Duche de Vancy is so striking a representation, that it will hereafter be 
sufficient of itself to prevent navigators, who may get sight of the southern 
part of Trinidad, from being in any case mistaken. This island presents 
nothing to the eye but a rock almost entirely barren. A little verdure and 
a few shrubs are to be seen here and there in the narrow passes among the 
mountains J and it is in one of these valleys, situated in the south-eastern 
part of the island, and scarcely a quarter of a mile in breadth, that the 
Portuguese have formed their settlement. 

It was certainly never the intention of nature that this rock should be 
, inhabited, for neither men nor animals could possibly find subsistence up- 
on it ^ but the Portuguese were no doubt afraid, that some of the Euro- 
pean nations might avail themselves of its vicinity to the Brazils, to carry 
on a contraband trade with that country. For what other motive can be 
assigned for their eagerness to get possession of an island, which, in every 
other respect, is a burthen to them ? 



30 



' 35" 



The south latitude of the large islet of Martin- Vas is - - 20° 
The west longitude by lunar observations - - - - 30 30 

The south latitude of the south-eastern point of the 

island of Trinidad - -- -- - - --20 31 

The west longitude by, lunar observations - - - - 30 57 

On the 18th of October, at noon,'l steered a westerly course for the 
island of Ascencaon, till the evening of the 24th, when I resolved to 
abandon my pursuit. I had then run no less than a hundred and fifteen 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

leagues to the west, and the weather was so clear that I could see ten 
leagues a-head. Thus, having run down the parallel of £0° 32", with a 
view north and south of at least Q0\ and having brought to every night, 
as soon as I had traversed the space which was the boundary of my hori- 
zon at sun-set, I can assert, that the island of Ascen9aon does not exist be- 
tween the latitudes of 20° lo'and 20° 50' south, and as far as the 7° of 
west longitude from the meridian of Trinidad 3 for our view extended over 
the whole of this space * . 




1785. 

October. 



* La Perouse may be right in asserting, that navigators have imagined themselves at the island 
Ascengaon when in reality it was that of Trinidad. Without attending to the resemblance between 
the descriptions which they have given of these two islands, the possibility of such mistake is apparent 
from the false positions assigned to the=e places in the French charts, which might easily lead to an 
indiscriminate belief of being at one or the'other of them, their latitude being nearly the i ame, and 
their longitude at that period not having been determitied with sufficient accuracy. These proofs, 
however, are not sufficient for the enlightened geographer, when the authentic testimony adduced 
by Dapres in his Introduction to the Neptune Oriental, p. 10, and the particular and very ditferent 
plans of these two islands, and of their appearance, given by Dalrymple, clearly evince tliat there is 
no identity between them. 

Had la Perouse placed more confidence in the notes delivered to him (N' 10 and 12), he might 
have m-ade the following very simple calculation : ' 

The west longitude of the island of Trinidad, on the northern side, is there determined at 
32.° 15' ; and. he found, by his own observations, that the south eastern point was only 30^ 57'. 

The coast of America, in the parallel alluded to, may, according to the meridian of Rio Janeiro, 
which is determined at. 45° 5', be estimated at 43^^ 30'. Dapres fixes the longitude of the Island of 
Ascengaon at 38°, as may be seen in the 12th note, already quoted, supposing it to be 120 leagues 
from the coast. I have reason to beheve that it is much nearer. Hence it is evident, that la Perouse 
did not prosecute his search far enough, and that having run down ahoiit seven degrees of latitude after 
taking his departure from Trinidad, he abandoned his object just when he was on the point of attain- 
ing it. ' 

In addition to the authority of the two aiithors above quoted, whose accuracy entitles them to 
credit, I have to observe that, since this note was written, I accidentally met with a navigator * who 
touched at both these islands, but who, not being provided with instruments to determine their Ion-, 
gitude with precision, observed only their latitudes, which he found to be as follows: 



Trinidad - - . 
Ascen^aon, . ... 

Ihc-last island he supposed to be 120 leagues from the coast of Brazil, 

* Lepine, enselgne de vaisseau- 



20° 
20 



22' 
38 



(French Editor,^ 



ami 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1785. On the C5th of October we were assailed by a most tremendous 
storm. At eight in the evening we found ourselves in the very centre 
of a circle of fire. The lightning flashed from every point of the 
horizon, and the fire called Saint-Elmo settled on the point of the 
conductor. This phenomenon, however, was not peculiar to my ship j for 
the Astrolabe, though without a conductor, had an appearance of the same 
kind at her mast-head*. From this day we had a continuance of bad 

* I am not astonished that the fire called Saint-Elmo fettled on the mast-head of the Astrolabe, as I 
know, by la Perouse's account, that the two ships were always within hail of each other. 

This phenomenon is merely the electric fire or the matter of thunder. Every body knows that 
when tlie electric fluid enters by a point, it shows itself there in the form of a small lummous fpot, 
but that when it comes out it has the appearance of a luminous pencil or cone of fire. The earth is 
the -rand reservoir of the electric matter, and water one of it's best conductors. I am of opmion, 
therefore, that when a low cloud, negatively electrified, passes over a ship, the masts and yards must 
serve it as conductors, and tliat pencils of fire must be directed towards the cloud from ail tlieir extre- 
mi ties. 

It is evident that a ship, with a metallic conductor, which communicates immediately with the sea, 
must have at it's mast-head a much finer pencil of light than another not furnished with such an ap- 
paratus, which can convey the electi-ic fluid only by means of wood covered with tar, which is a very 
bad conductor. 

From tlie same principle, the fire of Saint-Elmo must sometimes be seen on the surface of the sea. 
Those who wish for a proof of this assertion have only to make the following experiments; for the 
success of which I can vouch, having frequently repeated them in my study. 

Electrify a quantity of water contained in a vessel of glass, or of metal, if you prefer it, but in that 
case tlie vessel must be insulated ; then bring your finger near enough to the surface of the water, not 
to produce sparks, but that the water may rise, and if you are in a darkened apartment you will see a 
luminous cone issue from the water and direct itself towards your finger. 

In this experiment the finger produces the eflfect of a cloud. But it may perhaps be said, that the 
sea does not contain; like the water, a superabundance of the electric- fluid. Should this argument 
give rise to any doubt on the subject, let the following experiment be made : 

Take a metal bason filled with water, and let a communication be formed between the bason and 
the earth by a chain or any other conductor. Electrify strongly the outside of a coated jar, by means 
. of which- the inside will be negatively electrified. Insulate the jar, that you may be able to take hold 
of the outside without discharging it; then hold the metallic ball on the top of the jar at a certain 
distance from the surface of the water as you before held your finger, and the same effect will be pro- 
duced as in the former experiment. 

It may be easily perceived, however, that the latter experiment is the most demonstrative. The 
water here, like tlie sea, is not electrified, but communicates in the same manner with the earth, whiJQ 
the ball of the jar, which represents the cloud, is,- like the cloud, electrified negatively. 



» 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD.- 



281 



weather till our arrival at the island of S' Catherine, and were all the time 1785. 
enveloped by a thicker fog than we should have met with on the coast of November. 
Brittany, in the middle of winter. On the 6th of November we anchored 6. 
between Catherine's and the Main, in seven fathoms of water, with a 
bottom of muddy sand {Volume of Charts and Plates, N° 2.) ; the middle 
of the island of Alvaredo bearing from me north-east; the island of Fla- 
mands, south by east, and the isle of Gal, due north* 

During a course of ninety-six days not a single person on board had been 
sick. The health, of the crews was to be impaired neither by change o£ 
climate, nor rain, nor fogs ; but. it must be observed, that all our provi« 
sions were of the best quality, that I had neglected, no precaution v/hick-. 
prudence or experience could suggest, and had beside, to keep up the^ spi- 
rits of the crews, engaged them every evening when the weather, would 
permit, from eight till ten, in the pleasant exercise of dancing. 

Ita the first experiment, if,, instead of the finger,, you employ the ball of the jar negatively electrified, 
you will obtain a more striking result, as the electric fluid will make a greater effort to get from the 
water, which is positively electrified, to the jar, which is in a contrary state. 

This principle being once laid down and demonstrated may serve to explain the theory of ascends 
!ng thunder, a phenomenon much more common than is generally supposed 5 but this digressioii,,,, 
which is foreign to my subject^ would.lead me too far, (French Editor.) 



TOL. I, 




282 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



CHAPTER IL 

Description of the Inland of St. Catherine. ^Observations and Occurrences 
during our stay. ^Departure from St. Catherine s.-^ Arrival at Concep^ 



tion. 



1785. THE island of Catherine extends from 27° 19' lO'' south latitude, to 
3>Jovembcr. 4^'. It's breadth, from east to west, is two leagues, and it is separated 
from the continent by a channel measuring in the narrowest part only 
two hundred toises. On the point forming this narrow passage is the 
town of Nostra-Senora del Destero,, the capital of the government, and the 
residence of the governor. It contains at most about three thousand in- 
habitants, and four hundred houses. Its appearance to the eye is extremely 
pleasant. 

From Frezier's account of this island, it served, in 1 7 1 2, as a retreat to 
vagabonds, who had fled from different parts of Brazil, were nominal sub- 
jects only of Portugal, and acknowledged no government whatever. The 
country is so fruitful, that they were able to subsist without succour from 
the neighbouring colonies ; and they were so destitute of money as to hold 
^ut to the avarice of the governor-general of Brazil no temptation, or ex- 
cite in him the least desire of reducing them to obedience. The ships 
which touched there gave them, in exchange for their provisions, clothes 
and shirts only, of which they were in the most dreadful want 5 and it was 
not till the year 1740, that the court of Lisbon established on the island, 
and the adjacent parts of the continent, a regular government. -This go- 
yernment comprehends a space of sixty leagues, north and south, from the 
river San Francisco to Rio Grande. Its population amounts to about twenty 
thousand souls ^ but, from the number of children in the different families, 
I am inclined to think that it will soon be much more considerable . The soil 
is exceedingly fertile, and produces every kind of fruit, vegetables, and 
corn, almost spontaneously. It is covered with trees which are always m 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



283' 



verdure ; but the briars and creeping plants are so closely interwoven be- 1785. 
tween them, that it is impossible, without opening a path with a hatchet, 
to pass through the woods. The traveller is exposed also to the danger of 
serpents, the bite of which is mortal. The habitations both of the island 
and the continent are close to the sea. The woods which surround 
them, from the number of orange and other aromatic trees and shrubs 
with which they abound, exhale a most delicious fragrance. The country, 
however, with all these advantages, is poor in the extreme, and so totally 
destitute of manufactured commodities,, that the peasants are almost all 
naked, or covered with rags.. The soil, which is well adapted for the cul- 
tivation of sugar, remains unoccupied for want of slaves, which they are 
not rich enough to purchase. The whale-fishery is very productive ; but 
it is the exclusive property of the crown, and is farmed by a company at 
Lisbon, who have three considerable establishments on the coast. They 
kill annually about four hundred whales, the oil and spermaceti of which 
are sent to Lisbon by the way of Rio Janeiro. The inhabitants are idle, 
spectators of this fishery, from which they do not derive the smallest be- 
nefit. If the government do not interpose with it's succour, and grant to 
the inhabitants such privileges and immunities as may invite commerce to 
their shores, one of the finest countries in the world will be doomed to sl.. 
state of lingering wretchedness, and become to the mother country utterly 
useless. 

Vessels may approach- Catherine's, without difficulty. A- muddy bot- 
tom is found at the distance of eighteen leagues in the. offing, the depth 
gradually diminishing, till within four cables' length.of the land, where it is. 
still four fathoms.. 

The usual passage is between the isknd of Alvaredo and. the northern 
point of Catherine's. There is another, however, between the isle of 
Gal and the island of Alvaredo j but with this second passage it is ne^ 
jcessary to be wall acquainted., Our boats were so much employed^ 
during our stay, that I had no opportunity of sounding it. The best an- 
chorage is at the distance, of about half a league front fortEesa Island* 



284 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1785. in six fatlionis, on a muddy bottom, the citadel bearing south 3'» west, 
November. tj^g fo^t on the great point south 60° east. A ship lying here will 
be in the midst of watering-places, which abound both on the island and 
the continent, and may choose that creek which, according to the wind, 
TOay be the easiest of access. This consideration is of great importance, 
as the navigation of long-boats is difficult in the channel, which, to the 
narrow passage opposite the town, is two leagues wide. The sea has a 
strong swell, and always breaks on the lee shore. The tides are extremely 
irregular. The flood enters by the two channels north and south, and 
proceeds as far as the narrow passage, but never rises more than three feet. 

It appeared as if our arrival had spread consternation through the whole 
country ; for alarm-guns were frequently fired from the different forts j 
. which induced me to anchor immediately, and send a boat on shore with 
an officer to announce our pacific intentions, and express our want of 
wood, water, and fresh provisions. M"" de Pierrevert, whom I entrusted 
with this mission, found the small garrison of the citadel under arms, con- 
sisting of forty soldiers, commanded by a captain, who immediately sent 
an express to the town .to Don Francisco de Baros the governor, a briga- 
dier of infantry. This officer had been informed of our expedition by the 
Lisbon gazette ; and a bronze medal I sent him left him no doubt as to the 
object of my visit. The most speedy and positive orders were accordingly 
given that we should be supplied with every necessary at the lowest price, 
and two officers were appointed, one to each frigate, who were entirely 
at our command, and whom we sent with the purser's steward to pur- 
9. chase provisions from the inhabitants. On the 9th of November I warped 
the ship towards the fortress, from which I was lying at some distance, 
and the same day went on shore with de Langle and several officers to 
pay a visit to the commandant of the post, who saluted me with eleven 
guns, which were returned by my ship. Next day, I sent a boat, under 
the command of lieutenant Boutin, to the town of Nostra-Senora del Des- 
tero, to thank the governor for the great abundance which his obliging 
attentions had been the means of procuring us. de Monneron, de La- 
manon and the abbe Monges accompanied that officer, as did de la Borde 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



Marchainville and father Receveur, whom M'' de Langle had dispatched 
on the same errand. They were all received in the most friendly and polite 
manner. The governor spoke French with fluency and correctness, and 
his general knowledge and information inspired our party with the utmost 
confidence. He invited them to dinner, during which he informed them, 
that the island of Ascen9aon did not exist ; that the governor-general of 
Brazil, however, on the credit of M'Dapres, had the year before sent out a 
vessel to explore all the positions which had been assigned to that island, 
and that the captain having discovered no land, it had been efl^aced from 
the charts, that an old error might not be perpetuated He added, that 
the island of Trinidad had always formed a part of the Portuguese pos- 
sessions J and that it had been evacuated by the English on the first request 
made by the queen of Portugal, the English minister' replying, at the 
same time, that the nation had never given its sanction to the settlement, 
which had been undertaken merely by private individuals. 

The boats of the Astrolabe and Boussole returned about eleven the next 
morning, and announced a speedy visit from the major-general of the co- 
lony, Don Antonio di Gama. He did not come, however, till the 1 3th, 
when he brought me a very polite letter from his commanding officer. 
The season was now so far advanced that I had not a moment to lose, and 
our crews were in excellent health. I had flattered myself, on our arrival^ 
that I should be able to supply our wants, and be ready to sail again in five 
or six days 3 but the southerly winds and the currents were so strong that 

* It- would be dangerous to the progress of navigation, and fatal to navigators themseh'es, to adopt 
the method of effacing from charts islands formerly discovered^ under the pretence of their having been 
sought for in vain, and of their position being at least uncertain, from the want of means to lay thetn 
down correctly on the charts at the time of their discovery. 

I express my disapprobation of this practice the more freely, because, a few pages back, I have 
proved that Ascengaon island actually exists, and because those who expunge an island from the 
globe, become in some measure responsible for the dangers to which navigators, who may fall in with 
it, must be exposed, from the security into which -they are betrayed by the charts, while its beihg laid 
down, even in an uncertain manner, m'ay render the finding it again, by exciting attention, a matter 
of less difficulty. (French Editor.) 



VOYAGE HOUND THE WORLD. 



our communication with the land v/as often interrupted, and my departure 
unavoidably retarded. 

I had preferred the island of of Catherine to Rio Janeiro, merely to 
avoid the formalities requisite in great cities, which always occasion a con- 
siderable loss of time but I found by experience that my touching here 
was attended with many other advantages. Provisions of all kinds were in 
the greatest abundance. A large ox could be purchased for about eight 
dollars ; a hog of a hundred and fifty pounds' weight for four,, and two 
turkies for a single dollar. It was only necessary to ca^t the net, to haul 
it up full of fish J oranges were brought on board and sold to us at the rata 
of five hundred for less than half a dollar; and vegetables also could be 
procured at a veiy moderate price. The following circumstance will give 
an idea of the hospitality of these good people. One of my boats having 
been overset by the surf, in a: creek where I had ordered wood to be cut, 
the inhabitants, who assisted in saving it, obliged our half- drowned sailors 
to accept of their beds, while they passed the night themselves upon mats 
spread upon the ground of the same room in which they exercised this 
generous hospitality. A few days after they brought on board my ship the 
mast, grapnel and colours of the boat; articles of great value to them, and 
which would have been of the utmost service in their canoes. Their man- 
ners are gentle, and their dispositions affable, polite and obliging ; but they 
are superstitious, and jealous of their wives, who never make their appear- 
ance in public. 

While on shore our officers killed several birds, the plumage of which 
was variegated with the most brilliant colours, and among these a roller of 
a fine blue, not described by Buffon, though in this country it is very 
common. 

Not being aware of the obstacles by which we were detained in this road 
for twelve days, we did not carry on shore our astronomical clocks, thmk- 
ing we should remain here at anchor only for five or six days ; but we had 
the less cause for regret as the sky was continually cloudy. We had. m> 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



means, therefore, of determining the longitude of the island, but by di- 
stances of the moon from the sun. According to our observations the 
point of the island of Catherine which lies most to the north-east, may 
be fixed at 49° 49' of west longitude, and 27° 19' of south latitude. 

On the evening of the l6th, every thing being on board, I sent my dis- 
patches to the governor, who had kindly undertaken to transmit them to 
Lisbon, where I addressed them to M' de Saint-Marc our consul-general. 
Every one had permission to write by the same conveyance to his family 
and friends. We flattered ourselves that we should be able to sail the next 
day } but the northerly winds, which would have been favourable to us in 
the open sea, kept us at the bottom of the bay till the 19 th, when I got 
under way at day-break. A calm, however, coming on, obliged me to 
anchor again for a few hours, and I did not clear all the islands till towards 
night. 

We had purchased at S' Catherine's a sufficient number of oxen, hogs, 
and poultry, to serve the ships' companies at sea for more than a month j 
and we had added orange and lemon trees to our collection of plants, which, 
since our departure from Brest, had been preserved in a most thriving con- 
dition in boxes, made at Paris under the inspection of M"" Thouin. Our 
gardener also had provided himself with the seeds of oranges and lemons, 
cotton, maizj rice, and of all those vegetables in general which, according 
to the account of navigators, were wanting to the inhabitants of the South- 
sea islands, and which were better suited to their climate and manner of 
living than the productions of the French kitchen-garden. Of the seeds of 
these, however, we carried out an immense quantity also. 

The day of our departure I delivered to the Astrolabe a nev/ set of sig- 
nals, and which were much more extensive than those we had hitherto 
used. W e were' now to navigate in seas covered with fog and exposed to 
storms ; and these circumstances required new precautions. I agreed also 
with M"" de Langle that our first rendezvous, in cr^se of separation, should 
"be the harbour of Good Success, in the strait of le Maire, supposing us 



2 83 VOYAGE ROUND T^E WORLD. 

1785. not to have passed it's latitude on the 1st of January ; and the second. Point 
November. Ycims, in the island of Otaheite. I farther informed him that, as I should 
not have time to seek for a passage to the southward of Sandv^ich lar^d, I 
intended to confine my researches in the Atlantic Ocean to la Roche's Isle 
Grande. I now regretted the not having been able to begin my expedition 
by the east ; but I dared not alter so materially the plan that had been 
adopted in France, because I should have had no opportunity of receiving 
the official letters which had been announced to me, and which might - 
contain orders of the utmost importance. 

28. The weather was fine till the 28th, when a violent gale sprung fj:om the- 
east. It was the first we had experienced since our departure from France,, 
and I was pleased to find, that, if our vessels were bad sailers, they could 
weather a storm, and were capable of resisting the heavy seas we should 
have to encounter. We were then in 35° 24' of south latitude and 43° 4 O' 
of west longitude, and I was steering an east-south-easterly course, because 
I proposed, in my search for Isle Grande, to get into it's latitude at about 
10° to the east of the position assigned it in the different charts. I was not 
ignorant of the extreme difficulty I should have to return i but, at all events^ 
I was under the necessity of keeping to the east,, to make the strait of 
k Maire, and all the way I should 'advance in that point of the compass, 
while running down the parallel of Isle Grande, would bring me nearer the. 
coast of Patagonia, where it was necessary I should get soundings before I 
could double Cape Horn. I thought also that the latitude of Isle Grande 
not being fully determined, it was more probable that I should fall in with- 
it by working to windward, between the latitudes of 44° and 45% than if I; 
followed a straight line in 40'^ 30^, as I might have done by running from., 
west to east, the westerly winds being as constant in these latitudes as. the. 
easterly winds are betvv'een the tropics.. 

The reader will soon see that I derived no benefit from my calculations j., 
and that, after a fruitless search of forty days, during which I encountered, 
five gales of wind, I was obliged to proceed on my voyage, in order to ac- 
complish the remaining objects of my mission «, 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



,On the 7th of December I was in the supposed parallel of Isle Grande, in 1 785. 
44° 38' south latitude, and 34^ west longitude according to lunar obser- I-^ecember. 
vations made the preceding day. Sea-weed passed the ship, and for several ' " 
days we had been surrounded by birds ; but they were of the albatross and 
petrel species, which never approach the land except in the breeding 
season. 

These slight indications of land, however, kept our hopes alive and 
afforded us some consolation for the dreadfully tempestuous seas in which 
we were navigating j but when I reflected, that I had still a westerly run of 
35"" before I could reach the strait of le Maire, where it was of impor- 
tance I should arrive before the end of January, my mind was by no means 
free from uneasiness. 



I continued plying on different tacks,, between the latitudes of 44° and 
45% till the 24th of DecemKer, and having traversed 15° of longitude in 
that parallel, at length, on the 27th, gave up the pursuit under a full 
conviction that the Isle Grande of la Roche did not exist *, and that sea- 
weeds and petrels do not prove the vicinity of land, since birds and marine 
plants were observed by us all the way till we reached the coast of Pata- 
gonia. The chart will show better than these details the course we 
steered, the ship's place on each day being regularly laid down in it ; and 
I am convinced that future navigators, who may sail in quest of this 
island, will have no better success than myself.. If they make the at- 
tempt, however, it ought only to be v/hen sailing east towards the Indian 
seas, as in that case, it will be no more tedious or difficult to run down 
thirty degrees in that parallel than in any other ; and if no land be found, 
they will at least have approached so much nearer to the term of tlieir 



24, 



-Silk 



I'M 



* If Isle Grande of h Roche had' been laid down on charts in a Fess conjectural manner, la Pe- 
roTOKe, after running down tlie parallel assigned to it, might have asserted "tlia,t it did not exist ; but 
as its position has been determined only rn a very uncertain manner from the journals of Anthony de 
la Roche and Americus Vesp ucius, the search itlqcIc for it by la PerQiise proves only that it does not 
exist in the position assigned to it: which is all I shall add to the discussion on this subject contained 
in the nineteenth geographical note, inserted in? an early part of the present volume. (French Editor.) 



VOL. I. 



2 P 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 

voyage. For my own part I am fully persuaded that Isle Grande, like 
Pepys Isle, is a mere chimera*. The account, indeed, of la Roche 
himself, who pretends to have seen lofty trees upon it, is altogether im- 
probable. It is certain that in 45« nothing but shrubs will be found in an 
island situate in the middle of the Southern ocean, for even the islands of 
Tristan d'Acunha, lying in a latitude far more favourable to vegetation, do 
not produce a single tree. 

On the 25th of December the wind settled in the south-west, and 
continued for several days together in the same quarter. I was obUged to 
steer west-north-west, and to leave the parallel I had been constantly fol- 
lowing for twenty days. As I had then passed the position assigned to 
Isle Grande in all charts, and the season was considerably advanced, I 
resolved to pursue the course that would give me most westing, from the 
fear of being reduced to the necessity of doubUng Cape Horn in the bad 
season. The weather, however, proved more favourable than I could 
have expected. The gales ceased with the month of December, and the 
month of January was almost as fine as in general that of July is on the 
coasts of Europe. The only winds we had were from the north-west and 
south-west, varying alternately from one to the other ; but we could 
crowd all our sails, and the variations were so fully indicated by the ap- 
pearance of the sky that we were certain of the moment of change ; which 
enabled us to be always prepared to stand upon the most advantageous 
tack. When the horizon grew misty, and clouds began to obscure the 
heavens, the wind veered from south-west to west j two hours after, it 
ivas sure to be in the north-wests and when the weather cleared and the 
fogs dispersed, it was as certain that it would soon return to its old points 
again, to the south-west and west. During sixty-six days' navigation, I do 

* 1 am aware that New Georgia, marked in la Roche's journal, has been found a second time ; 
but I doubt notwithstanding whether the honour of the discovery ought to be ascribed to this naviga- 
tor According to his journal, there is a channel between Bird's Island and Georgia ten leagues wide ; 
now the channel in reality is only one league wide. This is a mistake of too gross a nature for a 
seaman of the least experience, if speaking of one and the same place, to make. It is, however, 
from the former land that we must reckon in order to lay down hk Grande between the longitude of 
430 and 44°. All the meridians lirom 35 to 50" were crossed bj our vessels without discovering it. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



291 



not believe that it blew from the eastward for more than about eighteen 17S6. 

. January, 

hours. 

Having for several days calrii weather and a smooth sea, the officers- of 
both ships went on shooting parties in the boat^ and killed a considerable 
number of birds, with which we were almost always surrounded. As 
these water excursions were in general successful, they procured us a 
considerable supply of fresh, provisions,, and oftener than once a sufficiency 
to enable us to make a general distribution to the whole ships' com- 
pany. The sailors preferred this allowance to salt provisions < and I 
have no doubt that it contributed to preserve them in a good state of 
healthy 

We killed indeed albatrosses only of the large and small species,, with 
four varieties of the petrel; but, when skinned, and dressed with a rich 
sauce, these birds were nearly as good as the wild ducks eaten in Europe. 
They have been described so accurately by the naturalists who accom- 
panied captain Cook, that I think it only necessary to give a drawing of 
them, to convince ornithologists that we met with ; the same species as 
those of which Banks J Solander and Forster have given so complete ae- 
GQunts.. 

At length, on the 14th of January, we had soundings on the coast of 14. 
Patagonia, according to our last lunar observations in 47° 50^ south lati- 
titude^, and 64° 37'' west longitude.. We had never neglected an oppor- 
tunity, when the weather, wa-s favourable, of making such observations ; 
and the officers of the ship were so expert in them, and assisted M"" Da- 
gelet so admirably, that, in my opinion, our. greatest error, in longitude, 
cannot be estimated at. more than half a degree.. 

On the-2ist we had' sight of Cape Fair- Weather j- or. of the, northern- SIX. 
point of Gallegos river on . the coast, of Patagonia. We were about three 
leagues from the land in forty-one fathoms of water, over/ a bottom of fine, 
gravel, or small argillaceous stones of the size of peas. Our longitude by 



Qc, VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

17 86. observation at noon, being compared with the chart in Cook's second 
January, ^oy^ge, differed only by 15", which we were farther east. 

22. We ran along the coast at the distance of five leagues, and on the 22d 
at noon set the Cape of the Virgins, bearing west, four leagues distant. 
This land is low and is almost destitute of verdure. The view given of 
it by the editor of Anson's Voyage appeared to be very correct, and it's 
position on the chart in Cook's second voyage accurately determined. 

As far as the Cape of the Virgins, the lead brought up regularly either 
mud, or those small pebbles mixed with mud, which are generally found 
in the directions of the mouths of rivers ; but at Tierra del Fuego we had 
almost always a rocky bottom, with only twenty-four or thirty fathoms 
of water, though we were at the distance of three leagues from the land, 
which induces me to beheve that this coast is not so safe as that of Pa- 
tagonia« 

The latitudes and longitudes of the different capes of this island are de- 
termined with the utmost precision in Cook's chart. 

The direction of the coast between these capes has been laid down 
from bearings taken with precision, but it has not been possible to attend 
with sufficient care to those minute details on which the safety of navigation 
so much depends. Cook and other navigators can answer only for the routes 
they have themselves pursued or the soundings they have taken; and it 
is possible when the sea was calm they may have passed close to rocks 
or shoals upon which there were no breakers. This navigation, there- 
fore, requires more caution than that of the coasts of Europe. 

My view in entering into these details is to show the degree of confi- 
dence that may be placed in charts of this kind, the most perfect no doubt 
that were ever constructed, while traversing rapidly an immense space. 
In former times, before lunar observations were employed by navigators, 
it was impossible to attain to the same correctness. It is indeed so great. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE V/ORLD. 



that I rely as firmly on the points we have examined being laid down 1 
within twenty miles of the truth, as I do on the exact position, as to Ion- J 
gitude, of the observatories of Greenwich and Paris; 

At two in the afternoon of the 25th, I took bearings a league to the 
south of Cape San Diego, which forms the western point of the strait of 
le Maire. Since the morning> I had stretched along the coast at that di- 
stance, and had followed, upon Cook's chart, the bay where Mr. Banks 
went on shore in search of plants, while the Resolution waited for him 
under sails 

The weather was so extremely favourable for the continuance of our 
voyage, that it was impossible for me to grant the same indulgence to our 
naturalists. At three o'clock I entered the strait, having doubled, at the 
distance of three quarters of a league. Point San Diego, where there are 
breakers, which do not extend, I believe, more than a mile ; but having 
x)bserved others much farther in the offing, I steered a south-east course to 
avoid them. I now perceived, however, that they were occasioned by 
the currents, and that the reefs of San Diego were at a considerable 
distance. ' 

As it blew a fresh breeze from the north, I was able to approach Tierra 
del Fuego with perfect ease, and I stretched along the shore within the 
distance of less than half a league. The wind was so fair, and the 
season so advanced, that I instantly determined to abandon my project of 
touching at the Bay of Good Success, and to continue my course, without 
losing a moment, in order to double Cape Horn. I considered, that it . 
would be impossible to supply all my wants there without losing, as I had 
been obliged to do at St. Catherine's, ten or twelve days, because in those 
open bays, where the sea breaks with fury on the beach, half the day is 
lost, from the boats not being able to approach the shore. If to this 
inconvenience a southerly wind had been added, which must have de- 
tained me in the harbour as long as it continued, the favourable season 
would have elapsed, and I should have exposed my ship to damage. 



f94 
1786. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 
and my crew to hardships highly prejudicial to the success of the ck- 

January, pedition. - - 

These considerations induced me to steer for the Island of Juan Fer^ 
nandez, which lay in my route, and where I was sure of finding both 
wood and water, with refreshments fir superior to the pengums of the 
strait. At this time I had not a single person sick I had stdl eighty 
casks of water, and Tierra del Fuego had been so often visited and de- 
scribed, that I could not hope to add any thing of importance to the ample 
accounts already given of it^ 

Durin. our passage through the strait of le Maire the savages, accord-^ 
ing to custom, kindled large fires to induce us to anchor. There was one. 
on the northern point of the Bay of Good Success, and another on the 
northern point of Valentine^s Bay. I am persuaded, with- captain Cook, 
that ships, may anchor in either of these bays, where, wood and water 
may both be procured,, though game no doubt is le.s abundant there than: 
at Christmas harbour, because during a great part of the year it is the: 
residence of the savages.. 

In the strait, at the distance of half a league from Tierra del Fuego, we 
were surrounded by whales. It was obvious that they had never been 
molested, for they took no alarm at our ships, but swam majestically along 
within pistol-shot r and will no doubt remain sovereigns of these seas till 
the fishermen shall go to make war upon them as at Spitsbergen or Green^ 
land I doubt whether the whole aqueous part of the globe furnishes, a 
better place for the whale-fishery . The ships might be moored In exceU 
lent bays, and might procure with ease water, wood,, antiscorbutic herbs 
and sea-fowl, while their boats, within the short distance of a league, might 
kill as many whales- as would constitute a complete cargo. The only in- 
convenience would be the length of the voyage, which would require nearly 
five months for each run; and diese latitudes, I amafraid,> can only be fre- 
quented in the months of December, January, and February. 

We had no opportunity of making any observation on the currents of the 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

strait, which we entered at three in the afternoon, the moon being twenty- 1786. 
four days old. We were drifted to the southward with great rapidity J^^^^^'J" 
till five, when the tide turned; but as we had a fresh breeze from the 
north we stemmed it without difficulty. 

The horizon was so hazy in the eastern quarter, that we could not descry 
Staaten Land, from which, however, we must have been less than five 
leagues distant, five leagues being the whole width of the strait. We kept 
so close to Tierra del Fuego, that, by the help of our glasses, we could per- 
ceive the savages kindling large fires, which is their only method of ex- 
pressing to ships within sight a desire of their coming to anchor, 

I had another motive, still more powerful, for relinquishing my intention 
of touching at the Bay of Good Success ; for I had long been devising a 
new plan for the continuation of my voyage, which could not be decided 
till I had doubled Cape Horn. 



This plan was to repair to the north-west coast of America during the 
present year. I was fully convinced, that, if I had not received orders to 
do so, it was merely from the fear that I should not be able to accomplish 
so long a run before winter; for the plan in reality was attended with nu- 
merous advantages. One of these advantages was the taking a new track, 
and crossing parallels in which it was possible to meet with undiscovered 
islands ; and another the exploring more expeditiously all the places men- 
tioned in my instructions, by employing two years in the northern hemi- 
sphere and two in the southern. As I was left at full liberty to execute 
the king's orders in whatever way might appear to me most likely to in- 
sure the success of my voyage, I only deferred the adoption of my project 
till I should know with certainty the period of my arrival in the South- 



sea. 



I doubled Cape Horn with much greater ease than I had expected; and 
am convinced tliat this navigation is in no respect different from that of all 
higli latitudes. The supposed difficulties are the effect of an ancient pre- 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1786. judice, which will in time be laid aside, and which the account of Anson's 
February. Voyage has hitherto tended to keep alive in the minds of seamen. 

5. On the 9th. of February I was abreast of the strait of Magellan in the 
South-sea, pursuing my course towards the island of Juan Fernandez. Ac- 
cording to my reckoning, I had passed the pretended land of Drake ; but I 
lost very little time in searching for it, from the persuasion that it did not 
exist. Since my departure from Europe, my attention had been wholly 
directed to the tracks of ancient navigators j but their narratives are so 
badly written, that it is continually necessary to guess at their meaning ? 
and geographers who are not seamen are, in general, so ignorant of hydro- 
graphy, that they have been able to throw no light upoa journals which 
stand in need of every illustration. They have accordingly laid down 
islands which do not exist, or which, like so many phantoms, on the ap- 
proach of modern navigators, instantly vanish. 

In 1 578, admiral Drake, five days after he had cleared the strait of Ma- 
gellan, was assailed in the Great Western Ocean by strong gales of wind, 
which continued to blow for nearly a month. It would be difficult to 
follow him in all his different courses ; but at length he descried an island 
in the latitude of 57" south. Putting in here, he saw abundance of birds ; 
and running afterwards to the north, for the space of twenty leagues, he 
fell in with other islands inhabited by savages, furnished with canoes. 
These islands produced wood and antiscorbutic plants. How is it possible, 
in reading this account, not to recognise in one of these places Tierra del 
Fue^ro, at which Drake must certainly have touched? And in all proba- 
bility the other was the island of Diego-Ramirez, situate almost in the 
latitude of the pretended Island of Drake. At that period Tierra del 
Fuego was not known. Le Maire and Schouten did not discover the 
straits, bearing their name, till the year I 6l6 ; and, prepossessed with the 
idea that in the southern, as well as the northern hemisphere, there was 
land extending almost to the pole, they imagined that the southern part of 
America was intersected by channels, and that they had found another 
Strait, like that of Magellan. These mistaken notions were calculated to 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



iead Drake into error, especially as he was driven by currents 12 or 15 i 
degrees to the eastward of his reckoning; a circumstance which has since 
happened to many other navigators in the same seas. This probability 
becomes a certainty, when we reflect, that one of the ships of this squa- 
dron, which steered a northern while the admiral was pursuing a southern 
course, returned into the same strait of Magellan from which she had just 
before sailed: a convincing proof that she had made very httle westing, 
and that admiral Drake had not gone farther than the longitude of Ame- 
rica. It may be said also, that it is contrary to all probability that an island, 
remote from the continent, and in the latitude of 57°, should be covered 
with trees, while a single shrub is not to be found upon Falkland's Islands 
which are only in 53°; that there are no inhabitants upon these islands, 
not even on Staten Land, which is only separated from the continent by 
a channel five leagues wide ; and lastly the description which Drake gives 
of the savages, canoes, trees and plants, agrees so well with the Pecherees, 
and in general with the accounts we have of Tierra del Fuego, that I afn 
astonished Drake's island is still suffered to exist on our charts. 

The west-south- west winds being favourable to niy intention of proceed- 
ing northward, I was determined not to lose my time^ which was extremely 
valuable, in this fruitless research, and accordingly I continued my course 
towards the Island of Juan Fernandez. But having examined the quantity 
of provisions on board, I found that we had very little flour and bread re- 
maining, because I had been obliged, as also had de Langle, to leave a 
hundred casks at Brest for want of room to stow them away. The worms, 
beside, had got into the biscuit, and, though they had not rendered it 
unfit for use, had diminished our stock by about one fifth. These consi- 
derations induced me to prefer Conception to Juan Fernandez. I knew 
that this part of ChiU abounded in corn, which might be procured there at 
a cheaper rate than in many parts of Europe, and that I should find all other 
provisions in great plenty and at a moderate price. Accordingly 1 altered 
my course a little to the east. 

On the evening of the 22d I had sight of the island of Mocha, which 2 

VOL. I. Q 



VOYAGE PvOUND THE WORLD. 



3 786. lies about fifty miles south of Conception. From the fear of being driven 
cbruary. ^j^^ north by the currents, I kept close in with the land ; but I now think 
it a useless precaution, and that it is sufficient to get into the latitude of the 
island of Santa Maria, which it will be necessary to explore, taking care not 
to approach nearer than about three leagues, as there are sunken rocks 
which extend from it's north-west point to a considerable distance. 

Having doubled that point, a vessel may range freely along the land, all 
the dangers being then above water and at a small distance from the shore. 
At the same tim.e the paps of Biobio appear in view. They are two 
mountains of small elevation, the form of which is indicated by their name. 
It is necessary to steer a little to the north of the paps, towards Talcaguana 
point, which forms the western entrance of the Bay of Conception. This 
bay is about three leagues wide from east to west, and about the same ex- 
tent in depth from north to south j but the entrance is confined by the 
island of Quiquirina, situate in the middle, and forming two channels,, of 
which the eastern is the safest, and the only one in use. It is about a league 
wide ; whereas the western channel, between the island of Quiquirina and 
Talcaguana point, is hardly more than a quarter of a league, is full of rocks, 
and ought not to be entered but with a good piloto. 

From the island of Santa Maria to the entrance of the Bay of Con- 
ception bottom is found upon the coast. At the distance of three leagues 
we had seventy fathoms of water, over a bottom of black mud, and when we 
were shut in with the bay east and west, thirty fathoms. From the north 
point of the island of Quiquirina the water continues shoaling to seven 
fathoms, till within two musket-shots from the land. There is excellent 
anchorage in every part of the bay ; but ships are sheltered from the north 
winds only when lying abreast of the village of Talcaguana. 

At two in the afternoon we had doubled the point of the island of 
Quiquirina; but the south winds, which had hitherto proved so favourable 
to us, being now contrary, we were obliged to make continual tacks, taking 
care to keep the lead going. We endeavoured with our glasses to discover 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

the city of Conception, whicli, from Frezier's plan, we ought to have found 1 
in the south-eastern quarter at the bottom of the bay; but we saw no signs 
of it. At five in the evening pilots came on board, who informed us, that the 
city had been destroyed by an earthquake in 1751 andno longer existed; and 
that a new one had been built, at the distance of three leagues from the 
sea, on the banks of the river Biobio. We learned also from these pilots, 
that we were expected at Conception; and that letters from the Spanish 
ministry had arrived thither before us. We continued to ply to windward 
in order to reach the bottom of the bay, and at nine in the evening we 
anchored in nine fathoms water, about a league to the north-east of the an- 
chorage of Talcaguana, which we intended to occupy the next day. About 
ten; M-- Postigo, captain of a frigate in the Spanish service, paid me a visit 
by order of the governor of Conception. He slept on board, and returned 
at day-break to give an account of his mission. Before he left us, he pointed 
out to our pilot the most convenient place for us to anchor in, and, previously 
to his mounting his horse, sent on board a quantity of fresh provision, fruits 
and vegetables, more than sufficient for the whole crew, whose excellent 
state of health seemed to surprize him. No vessel had ever before dou- 
bled Cape Horn and arrived at Chili without having some sick on 
board; whereas in neither of our ships was there a single individual the 
least indisposed. 

At seven in the morning we got under way with all our boats towing 24 
us a-head, and at eleven, of the 24th of February, anchored in the creek 
of Talcaguana in seven fathoms water, over a bottom of black clay ; the 
middle of the village of Talcaguana bearing from us south 21° west. 
Fort S^ Augustin, south, and Fort Galvez, near qur watering place, north- 
west 3' west. 

From the time of our arrival on the coast of Chili, we had taken lunar 
observations every day, and our longitudes differed but little from those 
assigned to it by Don George Juan ; but as we have reason to believe the 
present method much superior to that employed in 1744, I shall place the 
north point of the island of Santa-Maria in 37° V south latitude, and 75° 55" 



100 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. * 

1786. 45'' west longitude ; and the middle of the village of Talcaguana in lati«. 
February, ^^^q ^6° 4 2' and longitude 75° 20.^ according to the observations made 
by M'' Dagelet in our astronomical tents, erected close to the sea-side. The 
plan traced out by Don George Juan is so correct, that our observations 
have served only to confirm it's accuracy ; but M' Bernizet, our geographer,, 
added to it a part of the course of the river Biobio, in order to point out the 
spot v^here the nev^ city is built, and the road that conducts to it. (Charts 
and Plates^, 4 J 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 



Febi 



CHAPTER HI. 



Description of Conception— -Mamiers and Customs of the Inhabitants— De- 
parture froin Takaguana — Arrival at Easter Island. 

THE bay of Conception is one of the most commodious harbours in the 1 7 
^,-world. The water is smooth, and there are scarcely any currents, though 
' the tide rises six feet three inches. It is high water here at the full and 
change of the moon, at 45 minutes after one. The bay is secure from all 
winds but the north, which in these climates prevail only during the 
winter, that is to say from the end of May to October. This is the period 
also of the rainy season, and the weather is continually wet, while the mon- 
soon lasts, a name that may be given with propriety to those steady gales, 
which are succeeded by southerly winds that blow all the rest of the year^ 
and are accompanied with the most delightful weather. The only ancho- 
rage sheltered from the north-east wind during the winter is off the vil- 
kge of Talcaguana on the south-east side, where the Spaniards now have 
their only settlement in the bay; the old city of Conception, as I have 
already observed, having been destroyed by an earthquake in 1751. It 
was built at the mouth of the river S' Peter to the eastward of Talca- 
guana, and its ruins are still to he seen. They will not, however, exist as 
long as those of Palmyra, as the buildings of this country are constructed 
either ^of mud, or of bricks dried in the sun. The roofs are covered with . 
tiles similar to those used in many of the southern provinces of France. 

After the destruction of this city, whick was rather swallowed up by 
thb sea than overturned by an earthquake, the inhabitants dispersed 
and encamped on the neighbouring heights. It was not till' 1 765, that 
they made choice of a new situation, a quarter of a league from the river 
Biobio^ ^and three leagues from the former town and the village of Talca-. 



ruana. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

The bishop's palace, the cathedral, and all the religious houses, 
were transferred to the new city ^ which is of great extent, because the 
houses are built only one story high, in order that they may be more 
secure from the violence of earthquakes which happen there almost every 
year. 

The new city contains about ten thousand inhabitants. It is the resi- 
_dence of the bishop and of the major-general, who is commander in chief. 
This bishopric borders, on the north, upon that of San Jago, the capital of 
Chili, where the governor-general resides. It is bounded on the east by 
the Cordilleras, and extends as far southward as to the strait of Magellan;, 
but it's true limit is the river Biobio, which is a quarter of a league from 
the city. The whole country on the south of that river belongs to the 
Indians, the island of Chiloe and a small district round Baldivia excepted. 
These people cannot with propriety be called the subjects of the king of 
Spain, with whom they are almost always in a state of war ; and the func- 
tions of the Spanish governor are, therefore, of the utmost importance. He 
has at his disposal both the regular troops and the militia, which gives him 
great authority over all the citizens, who in civil matters are governed by 
a corregidor. He is entrusted beside with the sole defence of the coun- 
try, and obliged to fight and to negociate incessantly. A new admmistra- 
tion is about to succeed the old one. It will be very little different from that 
of our colonies, as the authority will be divided between the governor and 
the intendant. But it must be observed, that there is no supreme council 
in the Spanish colonies, those who are invested with the king's au- 
thority acting as judges in civil causes, with a few civilians to assist 
them. It m-ay be readily perceived that, as justice is not administered 
by judges of equal dignity, their opinions must be almost always influ- 
enced by that of the president. Hence it happens that justice, in reality, 
is administered here by one person; which must give rise to enormous 
abuses, unless we suppose that person divested both of prejudice and pas, 
sion, and possessed of a most enlightened mind. 

Jn no country of the world is the soil more fertile tliau in this part of 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 303 

Chili. Corn yields sixty fold, and the vines are equally productive. The 1786. 
plains are covered with innumerable flocks and herds which multiply be- February, 
yond conception, though left entirely to themselves. All the proprietors 
have to do is to raise fences round their possessions, and to leave the oxen, 
horses, mules, and sheep within these inclosures. The usual price of a 
fat ox is about eight dollars ; that of a sheep three quarters of a dollar ; 
but there are no purchasers, and, on this account, the inhabitants are accus- ^ 
tomed every year to kill a great number of oxen, the hides and tallow of 
which are alone preserved and sent to Lima. Some beef also is salted and 
dried in the Indian manner for the use of the small coasting vessels in the 
South sea.. 

There is no particular disease which is endemial in this country ; but 
there is one, which I dare not name, that is very common. Those who are 
so fortunate as to escape it's ravages, attain to a great age. At Conception 
there are several persons who have completed a century. 

This colony, notwithstanding these numerous advantages, is far from 
making the progress which, from a situation so favourable to an increase of 
population, might be expected ; but the influence of the climate is conti- 
nually counteracted by that of the government; and prohibitory regula- 
tions exist in Chili from one end of the country to the other. Though 
the productions of this kingdom, if increased to their full extent, would be 
sufficient to maintain half Europe ; though its wool would supply all the 
manufactories of France and England ; and its cattle, were the flesh to be 
salted, produce an immense revenue— it is entirely destitute of commerce. 
Four or five small vessels only arrive annually from Lima, with sugar, to- 
bacco, and a few of the manufactured articles of Europe, which the unfor- 
tunate inhabitants can procure only from the second of third hand, and 
after immense duties have been paid for them, first at Cadiz, next at Lima, 
and lastly on their entering Chili. A^il they have to give in exchange is 
wheat, which is so cheap that the planter finds no encouragement to culti- 
vate his waste lands ; or tallow, hides, and a few planks, so that the ba- 
lance of trade is always against Chili, which, with it's small modicum o£" 



304 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1786. gold* and trifling articles of barter, is unable to pay for the sugar, tea, 
February, tobacco. Stuffs, linen, cambric, and the different articles of hardware, 
which are brought thither, and which are necessary for the common 
wants of life. 

It is evident from this short statement, that if Spain do not change it's 
system ; if freedom of trade be not authorised j if the various duties on 
foreign commodities be not lessened ; if the government do not remember, 
that a very small duty with an immense consumption is more productive 
than excessive imposts which destroy that consumption, the kingdom of 
Chili will never attain to the prosperity that might be expected from it's 
happy situation. 

This country has the misfortune to produce a small quantity of gold. 
As the rivers are almost all auriferous, a native, by washing the earth, can 
earn, it is said, half a dollar a day j but, as provisions are in great plenty, he 
is excited to labour by no real want. Deprived of communication with 
foreigners, and unacquainted with our luxury and our arts, his desire 
can be fixed upon no object with sufficient energy to overcome his in- 
dolence. The ground therefore remains uncultivated ; and the only acti- 
vity to be found among the natives is displayed by those who devote a 
few hours to the washing of the gand of the rivers, which frees them from 
the necessity of learning a trade. Hence it happens, that the houses even of 
the most opulent are wretchedly furnished, and that all the workmen at 
Conception are foreigners. 

The dress of the women consists of a plaited petticoat, made of the 
old fashioned gold and silver stuffs formerly manufactured at Lyons. 
These petticoats, which are reserved for important occasions, may be 
entailed in families hke diamonds, and descend from the great-grandmo- 
ther to the daughters of the third or fourth generation. Such, dresses^ 

* In some notes which have been remitted me, the gold collected annually in the bishoprick of 
€onception, is estimated at 200,000 dollars. There are single plantations in St. Domingo which 
produce as large a revenue. . - 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 30. 

however, can only be procured by a small number of females, while the 178(5. 
rest have scarcely sufficient clothing to cover their nakedness. February, 

Indolence has contributed still more than credulity or superstition to 
people this country with nuns and monks, the last of whom enjoy a greater 
degree of liberty than those of any other country ; and from the misfortune 
of having nothing to do, the want of family attachments, their state of celi- 
bacy without being separated from the world, and their living in the conve- 
nient retirement of their cells, they are the worst subjects in America. Their 
effrontery is inexpressible. I have seen them stay at a ball till midnight, 
remote indeed from the better company, and mixed with the servants. No 
one gave more accurate information to the younger part of my fellow- 
travellers than these monks, respecting places of which priests ought to 
have had no knowledge, but for the purpose of putting others upon their 
guard. 

The natives of Conception are considerably addicted to theft, and the 
women extremely civil and complying. They are a degenerate race, with 
the mixture of the Indian : but the inhabitants of the higher rank, the true 
Spaniards, arc uncommonly polite and attentive. The many proofs I re- 
ceived of their hospitality would render me deficient in gratitude, if I did 
not paint them in this respect in the amiable colours which their charac- 
ter so justly merits, and which I shall endeavour to do while recording 
our own transactions and adventures. 

I was scarcely at anchor before the village of Talcaguana, when a dra- 
goon brought me a letter from M-^- Quexada, the temporary governor, in 
which he informed me that we should be received in the same manner as 
if we were the countrymen of the Spaniards ; and he added, with the utmost 
politeness, that the orders which had been transmitted to him upon the 
subject were agreeable to the sentiments of his own heart, and to the hearts 
indeed of all the inhabitants of the town. With the letter, refreshments 
of every kind were sent on board from different persons, and in such abun« 

VOL, I, . 2 R ^ 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 
1786. dance, that we v/ere neither able to consume, nor could well tell where to 

February. g^Q^ ^Jigj-^^ 

Being obliged to attend in the first place to the refitting of my ves- 
sel, and to the conveying on shore our astronomical clocks and qua- 
^ drants, I could not repair immediately to thank the governor for his ex- 
treme civility, though I was impatient to discharge this duty, and in- 
tended to embrace the earliest opportunity : but he was beforehand with 
^ me, and came on board, attended by the principal ofHcers of the colony. 
Next day I returned this visit, accompanied by M'- de Langle and several of 
the officers and scientific men from both vessels. We were preceded by 
a detachment of dragoons, the commanding officer having stationed half a 
troop at Talcaguana. From the time of our arrival both the men and 
their horses had been constantly at our service. Quexada, M''. Sa- 
batero commandant of the artillery, and the major of the place, came to 
meet us at the distance of about a league from Conception. We alighted 
■ at the house of Sabatero, where an excellent dinner was provided ; and 
in the evening a splendid ball was given, to which the principal ladies of 
the place were invited. 

The dress of these ladies, extremely different from what we had been 
accustomed to see, has been drawn by Duche de Vancy [Charts and 
Plates N° 5). It consists of a plaited petticoat, which leaves half the leg 
visible, and which is tied considerably below the waist; stockings striped 
red, blue, and white ; and shoes so short that the toes are bent under the 
ball of the foot, so as to make it appear nearly round. Their hair is 
without powder, and is divided into small braids behind, hanging over 
the shoulders. Their boddice is generally of gold or silver stuff, over 
which there are two short cloaks, that underneath of muslin, and the 
other of wool of different colours, blue, yellow, and pink. The upper 
" one is drawn over the head, when they are in the streets and the weather 
is cold; but within doors it is usual to place it on their knees ; and there 
is a game played with the muslin cloak, by continually shifting it about, 
in which the ladies of Conception display considerable grace. They are for 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



the most part handsome, and of so polite and pleasing manners, that there 173^ 
is certainly no maritime town in Europe where strangers are received with f'^t)^'"^!' 
so much attention and kindness. 

The ball ended about midnight, and as the houses of the temporary 
governor and M' Sabatero were not sufficiently large to accommodate all 
the French officers and gentlemen belonging to the expedition who were 
present, the inhabitants had pressed us to accept beds, and we were thus 
quartered in different parts of the town. 

We had paid our respects to the principal families before dinner, as 
well as to the bishop, an intelligent man, agreeable in conversation, and 
of a charity of which the Spanish episcopacy exhibits frequent examples. 
He was a native of Peru, had never been in Europe, and was indebted for 
his elevation solely to his merit. He mentioned the regret -which major- 
general Higgins would feel at being detained on the frontiers by the In- 
dians during our short stay in his government. The favourable accounts 
which we heard of this officer from every quarter, and the general esteem 
in which he was held, made me lament the circumstances that deprived 
us of the pleasure of his company. A courier had been dispatched to 
him, and his answer, which arrived before we left Conception, an- 
nounced his speedy return. He had just concluded an advantageous 
peace, which was highly necessary to the people of his government, as 
their distant habitations were exposed to the fury of the savage tribes, 
who massacre the men and children indiscriminately, and carry away the 
women as prisoners. 

The Indians of Chili are no longer those ancient Americans who were 
formerly struck with terror by our instruments of war. The increase of 
horses, which are now dispersed through all the interior parts of the im- 
mense deserts of America, and of oxen and sheep, which has been also 
very considerable, have rendered these people real Arabs, similar, in 
eveiy respect, to those who inhabit the deserts of that name. Continually 
on horseback, journeys of two hundred leagues are to them only short ex-» 



508 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1786. curslons.' They travel, accompanied by their flocks and their herds j 
l^-ebruary. f^^j ^j^gjj. flggh, their milk, and even their blood * ; and clothe them- 
selves with their skins, of which they make helmets, cuirasses, and buck- 
lers. Thus the introduction of two domestic animals into America has 
had the most striking influence upon the manners of all the tribes that 
inhabit from St. Jago to the strait of Magellan. They no longer follow 
any of their ancient customs ; they no longer live upon the same fruits, 
or wear the same garments ; and they have a much more considerable 
resemblance to the Tartars, or the borderers upon the Red Sea, than ta 
their ancestors of two centuries past. 

It will readily be perceived how formidable such a people must be ta 
the Spaniards. For how is it possible to follow them in such long ex- 
cursions ? or how prevent assemblages, which bring together in one point 
tribes scattered over an extent of four hundred leagues, and who thus in* 
crease into armies of thirty thousand men ? 

M'' Higgins has been fortunate enough to gain the good will of these 
savages, and has thereby rendered the most essential service to the nation 
which has adopted him j for he was born in Ireland, and is descended 
from one of those families, who were persecuted on account of their re- 
' ligion, and their ancient attachment to the house of Stuart. I cannot deny 
myself the pleasure of making known to my countrymen this worthy offi- 
cer, whose manners are so perfectly adapted to every nation. Like the 
Indians, I conceived an attachment to him in the course of an hour's con- 
, versation. He had returned to Conception almost immediately upon the 
dispatch of his letter; and I was scarcely informed of it when he arrived 
at Talcaguana. My visit was thus anticipated again. But a major-gene- 
ral of cavalry is sooner on horseback than a French naval officer, and 
M' Higgins beside, on whom the country depended for it's safety, was 
a man of such extraordinary activity, that it was difficult to equal him* 



* I have been assured, that they sometimes bleed their oxen and horses, and drink 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 30 

His attention to us exceeded, if possible, that of M"^ Quexada j and there 1785. 
was so much sincerity in his behaviour, in his offers of service, and deck- F^'^^^^y- 
rations of regard for the French, that no v^ords are sufficiently strong to 
express the grateful sense we entertained of his kindness-. As we were 
under obligations to all the inhabitants, we resolved to give a general en- 
tertainment before our departure, to which all the ladies of Conception 
should be invited. For this purpose a large tent was erected on the sea- 
shore, where we dined a hundred and fifty persons of both sexes, who 
were so obliging as to come no less than three miles to see us. This re- 
past was followed by a ball, a small display of fire-works, and the ascent 
of a paper-balloon, sufficiently large to -exhibit an agreeable spectacle. 

Next day, we made use of the same tent to give a general treat to the 
crews of the two frigates upon this occasion. We all ate at the same 
table, M"" de Langle and myself being placed at the head, and each office? 
to the lowest sailor seated according to the rank which he held on board. 
Our dishes were wooden bowls; but cheerfulness was displayed on every 
countenance, and the crews appeared in better health, and a thousand 
times happier than when they left Brest, 

The major-general being desirous, in his turn, of giving an entertain^ 
ment, we all repaired to Conception, the officers on duty excepted. Mr, 
Higgins came to meet us, and conducted our cavalcade to his house, 
where a table of a hundred covers was laid, to which all the inhabitants 
of distinction, the officers, and several ladies were invited. Between the 
courses a Franciscan improvisatore recited some Spanish verses to celebrate 
the union that prevailed between the two nations. At night there was a 
ball, which was graced by the presence of all the ladies dressed in their 
gayest attire ; and an interesting ballet was performed by officers in masks. 
A more agreeable entertainment could not be furnished in any part of 
the world. It was given by a man adored in the country, and to fo- 
reigners of a nation which had the reputation of being the most accom- 
plished in Europe. 



310 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1786. Bat these diversions and this hospitable reception had not the effect of 
M^^'^^' banishing from my thoughts my principal object. I had given notice on 
- the day of our arrival, that I should sail on the 15 th of March, and that 
if our vessels should be refitted, and our provisions, wood and water put 
on board earlier than that period, every one should be at liberty to go and 
amuse himself on shore. Nothing could be better calculated to produce 
dispatch than this promise, of which however I dreaded the consequence 
,as much as "the sailors desired it; because wine is very common at Chili, 
because every house at Talcaguana is a tavern, and because the women 
.of the lower classes are almost as complaisant as those of Otaheite. No 
irregularities, however, took place ; nor did the surgeon inform me of 
.any bad effects having arisen from this indulgence. 

During our stay at Talcaguana M' Dagelet made a regular series of com^ 
parisons to ascertain the rate of going of our time-keepers, with which we 
were perfectly satisfied. Since the period of our departure from France, 
the one marked N"^ 19 was found to have lost only '2>"\ per day on the mean 
motion of the sun, which differs only half a second from it's daily rate at 
Brest, and one second when compared with that at which it went at Tene- 
riffe. The small time-keepers, N° 25 and N° 29, had varied so consider, 
ably as no longer to deserve our confidence. 

At day-break, on the I5th, I made the signal to prepare for sailing but 
the wind had unfortunately settled in the north. Since we first entered 
the road it had been constantly between south-south-west and south-west. 
The breeze generally sprang up at ten in the morning, and ceased blowing 
at the same hour in the evening : if it had begun at an earlier hour, it gra- 
dually died away earlier ; and if later, it died away later : if it had begun at 
noon, for instance, it lasted till midnight: so that there was about twelve 
hours of wind and a calm of the same duration. This rule invariably took 
place till the 15tb, when the wind, after a perfect calm and excessive heat, 
settled in the north. From this quarter it blew a fresh gale attended with a 
great deal of rain, during the night between the 15th and l6th ; but on the 
1 7th, about noon, we had a light breeze from the south-west with which I 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



got under way. It was so faint, that it carried us only two leagues out of 
the bay, where we remained completely becalmed in a very heavy swell of 
the sea, occasioned by the late northerly gales. During the whole night we 
were surrounded by whales, which approached go close to the ships that 
they, spouted Water on board from their breathing holes. It is a fact, worthy 
of remark for it's singularity, that no inhabitant of Chili has ever har- 
pooned any of these animals. Nature has conferred on the country so 
many valuable gifts, that several centuries in all probability will elapse be- 
fore that branch of industry will be at all cultivated. 

On the 19th, a southerly wind having enabled me to clear the land, I 
directed my course to the eastward of the island of Juan Fernandez, which 
However I did not make, it's position having been so accurately determined 
by the observations of father Feuillee while at Conception, that it is im- 
possible there should be an error of so much as lo'in longitude. 

On the S3d, I was in 3° 29' of south latitude and 85° 5V of west longi- 
tude, according to our time-keeper N° 19, the going of which, since our 
departure from Conception only, was so perfectly equal to that of N° 1 8, 
on board M"" de Langle's ship, that there was not a difference of two mi- 
nutes of a degree in their results, till we arrived at Easter island. In the 
cold climate of Cape Horn it was otherwise. It appears that the table of 
temperature delivered to M' Dagelet at Paris, by M? Berthoud, was not cor« 
rect, and the difference was so great as to occasion in N° 1 8, between the 
strait of le Maire and the coast of Chili, an error in longitude of more than 
a degree. 

On the ^4th, the wind settled at east, and did not vary 5° till we had 
arrived within about a hundred and twenty leagues of Easter Island, 

On the 3d of April, being in latitude £7° 5' south and longitude 101° 
west, it veered continually from north-east to north-west. Several birds 
were now seen, the £rst we had met with since v/e passed the island 
©f Juan Fernandez, a sea swallow or two seen for a few minutes, in a run 



12 ' VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1786. of six hundred leagues, not being worthy of notice. There is no sign of 
^i'"^- land so infallible as this variety of winds ; yet natural philosophers will find 
it difficult perhaps to explain, in what manner the influence <)f a small island, 
' in the midst of an immense ocean, can thus extend itself over a hundred 
leagues. At the same time it is not sufficient for a navigator to presume 
that he is at that distance from an island, if nothing indicates the point of 
the compass in which he may expect to fall in with it. The direction of 
the flight of birds after sun-set never gave me the slightest information, and 
I am fully convinced that all their movements through the air are deter- 
mined by the allurement of their prey. At the fall of night I have seen 
sea-fowl direct their flight towards ten different points of the horizon, and 
I should suppose the most enthusiastic augurs would hardly have ventured 
from their flight to have drawn any conclusion. 

■ 4. On the 4th of April, when at the distance of no more than sixty leagues 
from Easter island, I saw no birds, and the wind was at the north-north- 
west. It is probable, if I had not known, with certainty, the position of 
the island, I should have imagined that I had passed it, and should have 
o-one a different course. These reflexions were made on the spot; and I 
cannot help confessing that the discovery of islands is the result of chance 
only, and that often inferences and deductions the most sagacious m appear- 
ance have no tendency but to mislead the navigator. 

8. On the 8th of April, at two in the afternoon, I had sight of Easter island, 
at the distance of twelve leagues, bearing w:est 5" south. The sea was high 
with the wind at north, which had not been steady for four days, but had 
' shifted continually by the west from north to south. The proximity of a 
small island was not in my opinion the only cause of this inconstancy ; and 
■ I conceive it probable that in the latitude of 27° the trade wind is not regu- 

' lar at this period of the year. The part which I saw of the island was the 
eastern point. I was precisely in the place where Davis, in I686, fell m 
with an island of sand, and observed, twelve leagues farther, land to the 
west, which captain Cook and M' Dalrymple have supposed to be Easter 
Island, found again in 1722 by Roggewein. But these two navigators. 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

though men of enlightened minds, have not sufficiently confidered what 
Wafer relates upon the subject ; who says (in page 300 of the Rouen 
edition) " That captain Davis having taken his departure from the Galla- 
'pages, with the intention of returning to Europe by Cape Horn, and of 
touching only at Juan Fernandez, felt, in the latitude of 12° south, a ter- 
rible shock, which led him to suppose that he had struck upon a rock. 
He had kept constantly on a southern course, and according to his reckon- 
ing was at the distance of a hundred and fifty leagues from the American 
continent. He afterwards learned, that, precisely at the same time, there 
had been an earthquake at Lima. Having recovered from his alarm, he 
continued to run south, south by east and south-east, till he reached 
the latitude of 27° 20', and he relates, that at two in the morning the 
people stationed on the forecastle heard the sea breaking on a beach. He 
lay to till day-light, when he perceived a small island of sand„ but no rock 
near it, which he approached within a quarter of a mile, and then saw, 
about twelve leagues farther west, a considerable tract of land, which, from 
the intervals between the capes, he conceived to be a cluster of islands. 
Davis continued his course towards Juan Fernandez without examining iti 
but Wafer says, that this small island of sand is situated at the distance of 
five hundred leagues from Copiapo, and of six hundred from the Galla- 
pagos." The impossibility of this result has never been sufficiently at- 
tended to. If Davis, being in 12° south latitude, and a hundred and fif- 
ty leagues from the coast of America, made good a south-south-east 
course, as Wafer affirms, since it is evident that this captain of freebooters 
must have steered with an easterly wind, which blows very frequently in 
those latitudes, in order to accomplish his design of proceeding to Juan 
Fernandez, we may conclude with Pingre that there is a mistake of a 
figure in Dampier's quotation, and that Davis's land is only two hundred 
leagues instead of five hundred from Copiapo. It would then be probable, 
that Davis's two islands are those of Ambrosio and Felix, a little to 
the north of Copiapo ; but the pilots of the buccaneers were not so nice in 
their observations, and never obtained a latitude short of 30' or 40'. I 
would have spared my readers this short geographical discussion, if I had 
not the opinion to combat of two so justly celebrated navigators. I must 

-VOL.1. 2s 



313 



1786. 
April. 



ill 



1^^ 



SI 4 
1736. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 
, 786 however remark, that Cook himself was in doubt, and thathe^says he wo«ld_ 
a""- 5 ve decided the question If he had had t.me to proceed to the eastward f 
Easter island. As I have run down three hundred leagues m that parallel, 
and d no discover the island of sand, la my opinion no doubt ought a.^ 
longer to be entertained upon the subject, and I concerve the problem to 
be fairly resolved*. 

derived from the journals of the different navigators. 

, ■ „ Kn.re Coolt and la J&ouse remark, that there Is a raistate of a figure m 
,,at;feCdi;:rie »PP-d « of Pa,is can he o„l, Uvo hundred leagues from the Amerrcaa 

coast. 

I .,.e wUh our navigate, that the o.s..t.ns of ^^^^^^ wlt^i^ 
neous that the latitudes only can be depended ^l^^' ^llZ '^^^^^^ traced. Davis, after leaving 
Davis's route, subsequent to his '^^P-J-^f ^^^^^^f^^^ P/f ;r;here he felt a terrible shock, &c. 
theGallapago islands, ^'f^^^'l^^^^^^^^ fift, leagues fro. the conti^ 

He had constantly steered a south course, and was then a nu 

nent of America. 

. <ii . +T,af V>p was in 87* west longitude, or nearl;f 
By marking this first point on the chart it will appear, that he was 87 

SO ■» 

Heeontmnea his course south, south h, east and south-east asfar as theland .hieh hediscovere* 
in latitude 27° 20'. 

„ appears then from Davis, rente, thus traoed .^at He must real,, ^-^^;£^::Z^Z 
dred lea «=. from Copiapo and si. hundred fn,m i^^^^'^^"-^ t| „f 5, ..a S- Anv 

rorra^til.::^;-^^^^^^^ 

roust have been these islands. 

They are placed by the English charts in 15« of south latitude. 
By the French in 25 \ 

By those of Green, between 26° 20' and 27». ^, . 

law certain signs°of land in the vicin^y of 25" south latitude. 

Cook,Whenin2...and2.3.,co.dneUh.s.^^ 
islands of Felix and Ambrose, which must be situate 

some indications. nf' 
• . t>.. east "Ud runnino- down three hundred leagues m the parallel o£ 
La Perouse, in coming from the east, .nd runnm^ u 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



315 



During the night between the 8th and 9th of April, I stretched along 1786. 
the coast of Easter island at the distance of three leagues. The weather ^P"'- 
was clear, and in less than three hours the wind had veered to every point 
from the north to the south-east. At day-break I steered for Cook's Bay, 
which of all those in the island is the most sheltered from the easterly 
winds. It is open to the west only, and the weather was so fine that I was 
in hopes the wind would not blow from that quarter for several days. At ' 
eleven o'clock I was not more than a league distant from the anchorage. The 
Astrolabe had already let go her anchor ; and I dropped mine very near 
her ; but the bottom shelved so suddenly that neither of them held, and we 
were obliged to heave them up and to tack twice in order to regain the 
anchorage. 

This circumstance did not damp the ardour of the Indians, who swam 
after us to the distance of a league in the offing, and came on board with a 
smiling countenance and an air of security, which gave me the most favour- 
able impression of their character. Men more suspicious, when they saw 
us again under sail, would have feared the being carried away from their 
native country. But the idea of so perfidious an act appeared not to have 
entered their minds. They were in the midst of us naked, and without 

Easter Island, could see neither Davis's land, nor the islands of Felix and S' Ambrose, the longi- 
tude of which is from 26° to 27° to the eastward of that island. 

Itis_ evident then, as Captain Cook and Dalrymple thought, that Easter island, found again by 
Roggewein in 1722, cannot be Davis's land. 

It is evident, that the islands of S' Felix and Ambrose cannot exist in the position assigned tliem 
in the English charts ; for, as Cook remarks, Davis must have fallen in with them in his way. 

It is evident, that the islands of S' Felix and Ambrose cannot exist in the position assigned them 
in the French charts, a position coiTesponding with that laid down by Robertson, since they must 
then have been found by Cook. 

And thus it appears demonstrated, that Davis's land does not exist ; but that Islands exist In the 27" 
of south latitude, at about two hundred leagues from Coplapo ; that these islands are no other than 
those of S< Fehx and Ambrose erroneously laid down in all the charts, and are the supposed land 
of Davis. Such at least is the opinion I have formed after comparing the journals of the different na- 
vigators. It is that also of a much esteemed navigator of modern times ; -I mean Bougainville,— 
(French Editor.) 



^ VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1786 arms, having a small cord only tied round their loins to keep in it's place a 
AfH' bundle of grass intended to cover what it is usual v^ith all nations to con- 
ceal. 

Mr Hodges, the painter, who accompanied Cook in his second voyage., 
has not given of the physiognomy of these Indians a just delineation. It is 
generally agreeable, but exhibits considerable variety, and has none of the - 
characteristic traits observable in the Malays, the Chinese, and the natives 
of Chili. 

I made them several presents, and found that they preferred small rem- 
nants of printed cotton, about half a yard long, to nails, knives and beads ; 
but they were still fonder of hats. I had too small a quantity, however, ta 
<.ratify the taste of more than a few. At eight in the evening I dismissed 
my new guests, giving them to understand, by signs, that I should come on 
shore at break of day. They entered their boat dancing for joy, ^f j^'^T 
at the distance of about two musket-shots from the shore, on which the surt 
broke with great violence, threw themselves into the sea; but they had 
taken the precaution of tying up my presents in small bundles, which eacli 
placed on his head to preserve them dry. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD« 



CHAPTER IV. 



Description of Easter Island — Occurrences there-^Manners and Customs (f 

ths Inhabitants^ 



COOK'S Bay in Easter Island [Charts and Plates, N° lO), lies in 37° 1 
south latitude, and 111° 55^ 30''^ west longitude. It is the only anchoring- 
place which is sheltered from the east and south-east winds, which usually 
blow in these latitudes. With a westerly gale it would be a situation of 
great danger^ but the winds never blow from this quarter till after having 
passed from the east to the north-east, the north, and successively to the 
west. There is therefore time to get under way and.make sail, and it is 
sufficient to stand off shore about a quarter of a league to be out of all 
danger. This bay is easily distinguished. After having doubled the two 
rocks off the southern point of the island, the shore must be kept at the, 
distance of a mile. A small sandy bay soon appears in sight, and is the 
most distinguishing and certain mark.. When this bears east by south', and 
the two rocks are shut in by the point, you may come to anchor in twenty 
fathoms sandy bottom, at a quarter of a league from the shore. At: 
a greater distance soundings are not to be found in less than thirty-five: 
or forty fathoms, and the depth increases so rapidly that the anchor will not:, 
hold. At the foot of one of the statues of which L shall shortly speak, the. 
landing is perfectly good.„ 



178(5.. 
ApriL, 



At day-break I made preparation for; our going on shore. I had reasom 
to expect friends, because I had loaded all who came on board with presents i; 
but I was too well acquainted with the narratives of different voyagers not: 
to be aware, that these Indians are only children of a larger g;rowth, in whom, 
the sight of our different moveables excites such strong desires that they/ 
■^Quld use every effort to get possession of them. I therefore thought it^ 



f0 



318 



TOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1786. necessary to restrain them by fear, and gave orders that a small military 
raccompaniment should form part of our landing. It consisted of four boats 
with twelve armed soldiers. M"^ de Langle and myself vi^ere followed by 
all the passengers and officers, except those required for the necessary service 
.on board ttie two frigates j so that, including our boat's crew, we amounted 
;to about seventy persons. 

Four or five hundred Indians waited for us on shore. They were with- 
-out arms; some of them covered with white or yellow cloths; but the 
greater number naked. Several were tatooed, and had their faces painted 
;red : their cries and physiognomy were expressive of joy, and they ad- 
vanced to olfer us their hands and assist us in landing. 

^ The island, in this part. Is elevated about twenty feet above the sea j the 
mountains inland are about seven or eight hundred toi^es distant, and from 
their feet the land slopes by a gradual descent to the sea. This space 
abounds with a kind of herbage which I should suppose proper for feeding 
cattle. It covers large stones lying on the surface, which appeared to me 
to be exactly the same as those of the Isle of France, called in that country 
giraiimons (pumpkins), because most of them are of the size of that fruit. 
These stones, which we found very troublesome in walking, are a real 
benefit to the soil, because they preserve the coolness and humidity of the 
.earth, and in part supply the salutary shade of the trees, which the inhabi- 
tants have had the imprudence to cut down, no doubt at some very distant 
period. This has exposed their soil to the burning ardor of the sun, and has 
deprived them of ravins, brooks, and springs. They were ignorant that in 
these small islands, in the midst of an immense ocean, the coolness of the 
■earth covered with trees can alone detain and condense the clouds, and by 
that means keep up an almost continual rain upon the mountains, which 
.descends in springs and brooks to the different quarters. The islands which 
are deprived of this advantage, are reduced to the most dreadful aridity, 
which, gradually destroying the plants and shrubs, renders them almost 
uninhabitable. M' de Langle as well as myself had no doubt that this peo- 
were indebted to the imprudence of their ancestors for their present 




' VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 

unfortunate situation; and it is probable that the other islands of the South 
sea are suppHed with streams merely because they happily possess inacces- 
sible mountains, on which it has been impossible to cut down the wood ; 
so that nature in these last islands has been more liberal under the appear- 
ance of greater restraints of her gifts, by reserving certain portions of the 
surface to which the islanders have been unable to reach. A long resi- 
dence on the Isle of France, which so strikingly resembles Easter Island, 
has convinced me that trees never spring up again unless defended from 
the sea breezes by other trees,, or by a walled inclosure and it is this 
knowledge which has pointed out to me the cause of the devastation of 
Easter Island. The inhabitants have less reason to complain of the erup- 
tions of their volcanoes, which have long since been extinguished, than of 
their own imprudent exertions.. But as man, of all living creatures, the 
most readily habituates himself to his local situation, this people- appeared 
to me less unfortunate than they did to captain Cook and Forster. 
These navigators arrived at Easter Island after a long and painful voyage, 
in want of every necessary, and afflicted with the sea scurvy. They found 
neither water, nor wood, nor swine., A few fowls, bananas, and potatoes, 
afford very inadequate supplies to men under such circumstances. Their 
narratives were influenced by their situation,. Ours was infinitely better. 
Our people were in perfect health..' We had supplied ourselves at Chili 
with every necessary for several months, and we had no other wish, as to- 
this people, than to confer benefits upon them. We brought them goats, 
sheep, and hogs, together with the seeds of the orange and lemon trees, 
the cotton plant, maize, and generally all the vegetable species capable of. 
thriving upon their island. 



319 



1786. 
April, 



Our first care after landing was to form an inclosure by ranging our 
armed men in a circle ; and, having directed the natives to leave this space 
empty, we pitched a tent in it. I had landed the presents I intended to 
make, as well as the different animals; but as I, had expressly forbidden 
my men to fire, or even to keep at a distance by blows of their muskets 
such of the Indians as might, be troublesome, the soldiers themselves very 
speedily became objects of the rapacity of these islanders^ who soon became 



TOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 



1786. very numerous. We were surrounded by at least eight hundred, among 
ApnL ^hojn there were certainly a hundred and fifty women. The faces of 
many of these females were agreeable, and they offered their favours to 
every one who would make them a present. The Indians solicited us to 
accept their offers, and some among them gave us an exhibition of the 
pleasures they were capable of affording. The agents in these transac- 
tions were no otherwise concealed than by a simple covering of cloth, the 
manufacture of the country. While our attention was attracted to these 
tricks of the women, our hats were taken from our heads, and our hand- 
"kerchiefs stolen out of our pockets. The whole multitude appeared to be 
accomplices in these thefts ; for upon the commission of each individual 
act, they all fled like a flock of birds when suddenly alarmed. Perceiving, 
however, that we had no disposition to make use of our muskets, they re- 
turned in a few minutes, renewed their caresses, with a sharp look out for 
.the opportunity of committing a new theft. This succession of ma- 
ncEUvres continued the whole morning. As we were to leave the island 
in the evening, and our short stay would consequently not allow us to 
attend to their education, we determined to divert ourselves with the stra- 
tagems and tricks they were continually putting in practice to rob us ; and 
to remove every disposition to resentment on the part of my people, which 
might have been followed by unpleasant consequences, I declared that I 
would make good the losses they might sustain on this occasion. The 
Indians were without arms, except that three or four out of this great num- 
ber had each a wooden club of no formidable magnitude. Some among 
them appeared to exercise a small degree of authority over the others. I 
supposed these to be chiefs, and I distributed among them medals, which I 
~ hung to their necks with a chain ; but 1 soon perceived that their pre-emi- 
nence consisted in nothing but their superiority of talents, and greater dex- 
terity in promoting the pillage ; and though they pretended to defend us, 
and actually ran after those Vv'ho stole our handkerchiefs, it was very easy 
to perceive that they had not the least intention of overtaking the delin- 
quents. 

As we had only eight or ten hours to remain on the island, and were not 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



willing to lose any time, I committed the care of the ^ent and our effects 
to M-- d'Escures, my first lieutenant, to whom I also gave the command of 
all the soldiers- and sailors who were on shore. We afterwards divided 
ourselves into two bodies, ^ the first, under the orders of de Langle, was 
directed to penetrate as far as possible into the island, to sow grain in all 
such places as appeared proper for that purpose, to,examine the soil, plants, 
.culture, population, and monuments of this island, and generally every 
other thing which might appear interesting among this very extraordinary 
people. Those who thought themselves capable of walking over a great 
extent of ground were of his party. He was accompanied by M"^" Dage- 
let, Lamanon, Duche, Dufresne, de la Martiniere, father Receveur, the 
abb^ Monges, and the gardener. The second party, of which I was one, con- 
tented itself with visiting the monuments, platforms, houses, and plantations, 
at the distance of a league round our tent. The drawings of these mo- 
numents by Hodges giv« but a very imperfect notion of what we 
saw. Mr Forster thinks them the work of a people much more consider- 
able than at present exists on the island, but his opinion does not appear 
to me to be well founded. The largest of the rude busts which are upon 
these platforms, was not found by actual measurement to be more than 
fourteen feet six inches in height, seven feet six inches broad at the shoul- 
ders, three feet thick at the belly, six feet broad and five thick at the base ; 
and these busts might well be the work of the present generation, which I 
think I may estimate without exaggeration at two thousand persons. The 
number of women appeared nearly equal to that of the menj the chil- 
dren in the same proportion as in other countries ; and though, out of 
about twelve hundred inhabitants collected in the neighbourhood of the 
bay, on account of our arrival, there were certainly not more than three 
hundred females, I could deduce no other inference than that the islanders 
from remoter situations had come to see our vessels, while their women, 
either more delicate or busied with their household concerns and families, 
had remained in their houses, so that we saw only those who lived near 
the bay. The account of M^ de Langle confirms this opinion, who saw 
m the interior part of the island a great many women and children. We ' 
all entered .into those caverns in which Mr Forster and some officers of 

VOL. I. a ^ 



322 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1786. captain Cook had first supposed the women might have been concealed. 

^P"^' They are subterraneous dwelling-places, of the same form as others which 
I shall describe hereafter, and in which we found small faggots, the largest 
not exceeding five feet in length, and six inches in diameter. That the 
inhabitants however concealed their women, when captain Cook visited 
them in 1772, there can be no doubt ; but it is impossible for me to ascer- 
tain the cause. It is probable, that to his generous conduct with regard to 
this people vv'e were indebted for the confidence they showed us, which 
enabled us to judge more accurately of the state of their population. 

All the monuments which at present exist, and of which M' Duche has 
given a very exact drawing, [Charts and Plates, N° 11.) appeared to be very 
ancient. They are placed in morals, or burying-places, as may be judged 
from the great quantity of bones which we found near them. The form- 
of their present government has no doubt rendered their condition so 
equal, that no chief at present exists of sufficient consideration for a num- 
ber of men to employ themselves in erecting a statue to preserve his me- 
mory. Instead of these colossal monuments, they have substituted small 
pyramidal heaps of stones, the top stone of which is white-washed with 
lime. These monuments, which may be constructed in the course of an 
hour by a single man, are abundant on the sea-shore; and an Indian, by 
lying along upon the ground, made us clearly understand that they covered 
a grave ; and afterwards, by raising his hands towards the sky, he appeared 
evidently desirous of expressing to us that he believed in another life. I 
Was cautious at first of admitting this opinion, and I must confess that I 
thought them very far from entertaining such a sentiment ; but, having 
seen them repeat this sign to many other persons, and de Langle, who 
travelled into the interior parts of the island, having reported the same fact, 
I had no further doubt respecting it, and I believe that all our ofiicers 
and passengers were of the same opinion. We did not however observe 
any traces of religion ; for I cannot imagine that any person could take 
these statues for idols, though the Indians showed a kind of veneration for 
them. These colossal busts, of which I have before given the dimensions, 
and which prove the small progress this people have made in the art of 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

sciilpture, are formed of the volcanic production known by naturalists un- 
der the name of lapilh. It is so easily crumbled and so extremely light 
that some of captain Cook's officers supposed it to be artificial, and com- 
posed of a kind of mortar which hardened in the air. It only remains to 
explain how so considerable a weight should have been raised without any 
point of support. But as we are certain that it is a very light volcanic 
stone, it would be easy, with levers five or six toises long, and a stone 
placed underneath as the fulcrum, to raise a still more considerable weight. 
A hundred men would be sufficient for this operation, and the space does 
not allow room for more. Thus the wonder disappears ; we restore to 
nature it's stone of lapilh, which is not factitious, and there is reason to 
believe, that', if there are no other more modern monuments, in the island, 
it is because all conditions are equal ; because a man finds little tempta- 
tion to become king of a people almost naked, and who live upon pota- 
toes and yams ; and because, as these Indians cannot make war from the 
want of neighbours, they have no need of a chief. 

I can offer nothing but conjectures respecting the manners of this 
people, of whose language I knew nothing, and whom I only saw for a 
smgle day. But, possessed of the experience of former navigators, I was 
perfectly acquainted with their situation, to which I could apply my own 
jreflections. 

Scarcely a tenth part of the island is cultivated, and I am persuaded that 
three days' labour of each Indian is sufficient to procure subsistence for a 
year. This facility of supplying the wants of life induced me to think, 
that the productions of the earth were in common ; and the more so, as 
I am almost certain that the houses are common, at least to a whole 
village or district. I measured one of these houses near our tent*. 
It was three hundred and ten feet long, ten feet wide, and ten feet high 
m the middle. It's form was that of a canoe reversed. It's only en- 
trance was by two doors, two feet high, through which it was necessary 



* As it was not yet finished, captain Cook could not have seen it. 



j4 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1786. to crawl on all fours. This house is large enough to contain upwards of 
Apnl. hundred persons. It is not the dwelling of a chief, for it is without 

furniture, and so great a space would be useless to him. It forms a vil- 
lage by itself, with the addition of two or three other small houses at a 
little distance. . 

There is probably a chief in each district, who looks more particularlj 
after the plantations. Captain Cook imagined that this chief was the pro- • 
prietor; but, if this celebrated navigator found any difficulty in procuring a 
considerable quantity of potatoes and yams, it must be attributed less to the- 
want of these vegetables, than to the necessity of obtaining almost a gene- 
, ral consent for selling them,. • , 

With regard to the women, I dare not venture to affirm, that they; 
are common to a whole district, and the children to the republic : but it 
is certain, that no Indian appeared to possess the authority of a husband 
over any of the women ^ and if it be true, that they are the property of the 
men, it must be confessed that it is a property of which they are very 
prodigal. 

Some of the habitations are subterraneous, as I have already remarked>-, 
but others are formed of rushes, which proves that there are marshy places, 
in the island. These rushes are very skilfully arranged, and are a perfect 
defence against the rain. The edifice rests on a low wall of cut stone* 
eighteen inches thick, in which holes are made at equal distances to re- 
ceive the poles, which form the framing and are bended over into an arch. 
Mats of rush fill up the space between these polesa . 

It cannot be doubted, as captain Cook observes, that these people have 
had the same origin with those of the other islands of the South sea.. 
Their colour, features, and language are the same, and their clothes are like- 
" v^ise fabricated out of the bark of the mulberry ; but they are very scarce^, 
because the want of humidity has destroyed these trees. The few which- 



* These are not free-stone, Ibiit solid lava. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

remain, .re only three feet high, and it is ev'en neeessary to surround them 
wtth a wall to defend them from the wind. It is observable that these 
trees never grow higher than the walls by which they are sheltered. I 
have no doubt that in former times these islanders must have possessed the 
same productK>ns as those of the Society Isles. Their fruit-trees must have 
penshed by the drought, as well as the dogs and swine, to whom water is 
absolutely necessary. But man, who in Hudson's strait drinks the oil of 
he whale, becomes accustomed to every thing; and T have seen the na- 
tives of Easter Island drink sea-water, l.ke the albatros of Cape Horn It 
was the ra,ny season, and a small quantity of brackish water was found i. 
cavmes near the shore. They offered it to us in calabashes, but it dis- 
gusted t e most thirsty. , do not Batter myself, that the hogs I gave- 

but little, and are fond of salt, will thrive in the island. 

At one in the afternoon I returned to the tent, with the intention of 
gotng on board, m order that Clonard, my second, might come on 
shore m h,s turn Arrived there, I found almost every one wlhou d her 
hat or ha,,dkereh,ef. Our forbearance had encouraged the pilferers Ijl 
had shared myself no better than the rest. An IndL who ass ed me to 

STd . aw /my h 

^d fled w..h the utmost speed, followed as usual by all the others. 'Im 
not ^er h>m to be pursued,, not being desirous of the exclusive privilege 
of defence from the sun, as we were almost all without hats. I conti ufd 

"«u ^aLnTt °be .'T/t ''"^ ' P""?"- "'^ -hi- 

cccmre cannot be applied iiere with anv nrnnnVt,. 

Jve had the least knowledge of any ^eZZtt tV^crrdtsIio': 
Je stones m perfection, and have placed them according to he- r 1^ 
fulesforjoming masses of this material. tne regular 



.32-6 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1786. That which is nearer the sea is constructed of a lava infinitely more com- 
Apnl." pact J and I do not know of any instrument or substance in the possession 
of these islanders sufficiently hard to cut these last stones : a longer resi- 
dence in the island might perhaps have afforded some explanation of this 
subject. . 

At two in the evening I returned on board, and M' de Clonard went on 
shore. Soon afterwards two officers of the Astrolabe came to inform me, 
that the Indians had committed a new theft, which had occasioned a quar- 
rel rather of a serious nature. Certain divers had cut the hawser of the 
Astrolabe's boat under water, and carried off her grapnel. This was not 
perceived till the thieves had advanced to some distance inland. As the 
grapnel was an article we could not dispense with, two officers and se- 
veral soldiers pursued them ; but they were assailed by a: shower of 
stones. A musket loaded with powder and fired in the air had no efiect, 
so that they were obliged at length to discharge a single piece with small 
shot, some grains of which no doubt struck x)ne of the Indians ; for they re- 
frained from throwing stones, and our officers returned unmolested to the 
tent : but it was impossible to overtake the thieves, who must have been 
astonished at not having been able before to weary our patience. 

They soon however returned and surrounded our residence, where they 
repeated the offer of their women, and we were as good friends as at first. 
At six in the evening every thing was re-embarked, the boats returned on 
board, and I ma^e the signal for weighing. Before we set sail de 
Langle gave me an account of his journey into the interior of the island, 
which I shall relate in the next chapter. He had sown various seeds 
during his excursion, and had shown marks of the most extreme kindness 
to the^.atives. I must observe, however, as the finishing stroke to their 
portrait, that a kind of chief, to whom de Langle made a present of a 
^ he and a she goat, received them with one hand, and robbed him of his 
handkerchief with the other.' 

It is certain that these, people have not the same notions^ of theft as we 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



have. It is probable that they attach no ideas of shame to this action; 
though they very well know that it is an act of injustice, since they take 
flight on the instant of committing it, to avoid the punishment which 
they no doubt fear, and which we should not have failed to have inflicted 
in proportion to the ofl^ence, if we had intended to have made any stay 
upon the island : for our extreme lenity must otherwise have produced 
the most serious mischief. 

No person who reads the narratives of modern navigators can imagine 
the Indians of the South sea to be in a savage state. On the contrary, 
they must have made very great progress in civiHsation, and I believe 
them to be as corrupt as the circumstances in which they are placed will 
allow them to be. My opinion in this respect is not founded on- the va- 
rious thefts they committed, but on the manner in which they effected 
them. The most daring rascals of Europe are less hypocritical than the 
natives of these islands. All their caresses were false. Their physiognomy 
does not express a single sentiment of truth. The object most to be su- 
spected is he who has just received a present, or who appears to be the 
most earnest in rendering a thousand little services. 

They committed an act of violence on two young girls of about thirteen 
or fourteen years of age, by bringing them near us, in hopes of receiving 
a reward. The repugnance of these young Indians was a proof that the 
law of the country was violated in their persons. None of our people 
availed themselves of the barbarous right thus attempted to be conveyed to 
them; and if certain moments were devoted to nature, the desire and 
consent were mutual, and the women made the first offers, 

I found in this country all the arts of the Society Islands, but with much 
less power of exercising th^m, for want of the raw materials. Their ca~- 
noes are also of the same form, but they are composed of very narrow 
planks, four or five feet Jong, and at most will carrv only four men. I 
saw but three of these boats in this part of the island, and should be little 
surprised if, for want of wood, they Were soon to be reduced to none,: 



321 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1786. But they have learned to do without them. For they swim so well, that 
■April- they will leave the shore to the distance of two leagues in the roughest 

sea; and by preference, for the sake of pleasure, land on their return at 

the place where the surf heats the strongest. 

The coast seemed to me to afford few ffsh, and I believe that most of 
their articles of food are of the vegetable kind. They live on potatoes, 
yams, bananas, sugar-cane, and a small fruit which grows on the mcks on 
the sea-coast, resembling the grapes which are found near the tropic m 
the Atlantic ocean. A few fowls, which are very scarce upon this island, 
cannot be considered as any resource. Our party in their excursion saw 
' no land bird, and evtn those of the sea are not very common. 

The ground is cultivated with great skill. The natives collect the 
grass and other vegetables, which they heap together and burn for the 
sake of the ashea, as a manure. The banana trees are planted in hnes. 
They likewise cultivate the solanum or night-shade, but I am ignorant to 
what use they apply it. If I knew them to possess vessels capable of re- 
sisting fire, I should conclude that, as is done in Madagascar and the Isle 
of France, they dress and eat it in the same way as spinach; but they 
have no other means of cooking their victuals than the one practised at the 
Society Islands, by digging a hole in the earth and covering their po^ 
tatoes or yams with ignited stones or coals mixed with earth ; so that all 
their food may be said to be baked, as in an oven.. 

Thp care they took to measure our vessel convinced me, that they had 
not contemplated om arts with stupidity. They examined our cables, 
our anchors, our compass, and our steering wheel; and in tne evemng 
they returned with a string to take their measure ov^r again ; winch 

^ showed that they had had some discussions upon the subject on shore, 
and that douhts ha.1 remained in their mind, l esteemed thena the less 
-from their appearing to be capable of reflection; and I left them one 
subject to reflect upon, which will probably escape their notice ; namely, 

' that we made no use our powex against them, which they did not mis- 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

understand, for the mere motion of a musket levelled in sport put them 
to flight. On the contrary we have landed in their island merely to do them 
service. We have loaded them v^ith presents. The feeble and the weak, 
particularly children at the breast, were the marked objects of our caresses. 
We have sown in their fields every kind of useful grain. We have left 
hogs, goats and sheep in their habitations, which will probably multiply i 
in exchange for all which we demanded nothing. Nevertheless they 
threw stones at us, and robbed us of every thing which it was possible 
for them to carry off. I must again remark, that it would have been im- 
prudent in other circumstances to have behaved with so much mildness ; 
but I was determined to depart in the night, and flattered myself that 
at day-break, when they no longer saw our vessels, they would attribute 
our speedy departure to the just discontent we must entertain at their 
proceedings, and that this reflection would render them better. How- 
ever chimerical this notion may be, it is of very little consequence to na- 
vigators, as the island itself offers scarcely any supply to vessels, and is be- 
side at a small distance only from the Society Islands *. 



32.9 



1786, 
ApriL 




* Easter Island, discovered In 1722, by Roggewein, appears, as la Perouse observes, to have un- 
dergone a revolution in it's population and the productions of it's soil : at least it is probable from the 
difference in the narratives of these two navigators. The readfer who may wish io make the com- 
panson may consult the Voyage of Roggewein, printed at the Hague in 1739, or the Abridgement, 
by the President de Brosses, in his work entitled Histoire des Navigates aux Terres Austmhi 
Vol. II. p. 226, and following. (French Editor.) 



VOL. I, 



^ U 




330 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



C H A P T E R V. 

Excursion of de Langle into the interior Farts of Easter Island.-^New 
Observations on the Manners and Arts of the Natives, the ^ality and 
Culture of their Soil^ &c. 

1786. I SET off at eight in the morning, accompanied by M'"« Dagelet, 

de Lamanon, Dufresne, Duche, the abbe Monges, father Receveur, 
and the gardener. We first proceeded inland to the eastward, over^ hills 
covered with volcanic stones, which rendered our walk very laborious; 
but I soon perceived that there were paths of easy communication between 
house and house, of which we took the advantage, and visited several 
plantations of yams and potatoes'. The soil of these plantations was a very 
fat vegetable earth, which the gardener judged proper for the culture of 
our seeds. He sowed cabbage, carrots, beet, maize, and pompions; and 
we endeavoured to make the natives comprehend, that these grains would 
produce fruits and roots proper for food. They understood us perfectly, 
and in consequence showed us the best grounds, and the places where they 
were desirous of seeing our new productions. To the leguminous plants 
we added the orange, the lemon, and the cotton trees, explaining to them 
that these were trees, and that what we had sown before were plants. 

" We found no other shrub but the paper-mulberry * and the mimosa, 
but there were fields of considerable extent of night-shade,, which these 
people appeared to me to cultivate in grounds exhausted by yams and po- 

* Mcrusfapyrifera, abundant >n Japan, where the bark is made into paper This very ligneous 
,ark serves thf women of Louisiana for different works made of the s.lk wh.ch ^^^^ 
TJie leaf affords excellent nourishment for the silk-worm. This tree is at present cultxvated m 
France. (French Editor.) 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. ' 

tatoes. We continued our journey towards the mountains, which, though 
considerably elevated, all terminate in an easy slope, and are covered with 
grass. We perceived no trace of any ravine or stream. After having 
proceeded about two leagues to the east, we returned by the fouth-east 
coast, along which we had sailed the day before in our ships, and upon 
which, by the help of our telescopes, we had perceived a great number 
of monuments. Of these some were fallen down, the natives taking no 
care to repair them, and others fhanding, with their platforms half gone to 
decay. The largeft of those which I measured was fixteen feet high, in- 
cluding the capital, which v/as three feet and an inch, and consisted of a 
very light porous lava. It's breadth at the shoulders was six feet seven 
inches, and it's thickness at the base two feet seven inches. 

" Having afterwards observed some habitations collected together, I di- 
rected my course towards this kind of village, of which one of the houses 
was three hundred and thirty feet long, and of the form of a canoe reversed. 
Close by this dwelling we observed the foundations of several others, no 
longer in existence ; they are composed of the stones of lava, cut inta 
form, in which there are holes about two inches in diameter. This part 
of the island appeared to be better cultivated and more populous than the 
vicinity of Cook's Bay. The monuments and platforms were also more 
numerous. Upon different stones which composed these platforms, we 
observed the rude outlines of skeletons, and certain openings closed with 
stones, which we imagined might communicate with caves containing the 
bodies of the dead. An Indian explained to us, by very expressive signs, 
that this was a place in which they were deposited, and that they after- 
wards ascended to heaven. We found on the sea-shore some pyramids of 
stones, piled nearly in the same manner as cannon-balls in a park of 
artillery, and some human bones in the neighbourhood of the pyra- 
mids and statues, of which the backs of the latter were all turned towards 
the sea. In the course of the morning we visited seven different platforms, 
on which were statues, erect or reversed, and differing from each other 
only in their size, and the greater or less decay they had undergone from 
the duration of their exposure. Near one of the latter we found a kind 



33* 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1786. of mannequin of rushes, which exhibited a human statue six feet in height, 
^P"^" covered with a white cloth of the fabric of the country ; the head of the 
natural size, the body thin, and the legs in a tolerably exact proportion. 
To the neck hung a net or basket, covered with white cloth, and which 
appeared to be filled with grass. By the side of this bag was the figure of 
a child two feet in length, with the arms crossed, and the legs pendent. 
This mannequin could not have existed for a great number of years, and it 
\yas, perhaps, a model of the statues erected at present to the chiefs of the 
country. Close by this platform two parapets were seen, which formed 
an inclosure of three hundred and eighty- eight feet in length, and three 
hundred. and twenty-four in breadth. We could not determine whether it 
was a reservoir for water, or the commencement of a fortress i but the 
work appeared never to have been finished. 

" Continuing our excursion to the weft, we met about twenty children, 
who were walking under the care of some women, and appeared to direct 
their course towards the houses I have already mentioned. 

*' At the extremity of the southern point of the island we saw the cra- 
ter of an ancient volcano, of which the magnitude, the depth, and the re- 
gularity, excited our admiration. It has the shape of a truncated cone ; 
it's superior or largest base appeared to be more than two-thirds of a league 
in circumference ; and the extent of the inferior base may be estimated, by 
supposing that the side of the cone forms an angle of about 30° with the 
perpendicular. This inferior base is a perfect circle ; the bottom is marshy, 
and contains several large pools of fresh water, the surface of which ap- 
peared to be above the level of the sea. The depth of this crater is at 
leaft eight hundred feet. 

Father Receveur, who descended to the bottom, informed us, that the 
' marsh is surrounded with the finest plantations of bananas and mulberry 
trees. It appears, as we observed while sailing along the coast, that a 
considerable subsidence towards the sea has taken place, which has occa- 
sioned a great breach in the crater. The height of this breach is one- 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 

third of the entire cone, and it's width one-tenth of the upper circumfe- 
rence. The vegetation which has taken place on the sides of the cone, the 
marsh at the bottom, and the fecundity of the neighbouring grounds 
prove, that the subterraneous fires have long been extinguished*. At the 
bottom of the crater we observed the only birds we had seen on the island, 
which were tern. The approach of night obliged me to return to the 
ships. Near one of the houses we saw a great number of children, who 
fled at our approach. It seemed probable to us, that this was the residence 
of all the children of the district. Their age differed too little for them to 
have belonged to two women, who appeared to have the charge of them. 
Near this house was a hole made in the earth for cooking yams and 
potatoes, according to the method practised in the Society Islands. 

"On my return to the tent I gave to three different natives the three 
kinds of animals which we had appropriated for them ; and I made choice 
of such as appeared to me moft likely to breed. 

« These islanders are hospitable. They several times presented us with 
potatoes and sugar-canes ; but they never suffered an opportunity to escape 
in which they could rob us with impunity. Scarcely the tenth part of the 
island is cultivated. The cleared grounds have the form of a regular long 
square, but without any kind of enclosure. Th^ rest of the island, to the 
very summit of the mountains, is covered with a very coarse grass. It was 
the wet season, and we found the earth moistened to the depth of a foot. 
Some cavities in the hills contained a small quantity of fresh water, but 
we no where observed any running stream. The earth appeared to 
be of a good quality, and would exhibit stronger vegetation if it were wa- 
tered. We did not see any instrument in the hands of the people with 
which, they could cultivate the ground. It is probable that, after clearing 
the land, they make holes with pickets of wood, and in this manner plant 
their potatoes and yams. Some bushes of mimosa are seen, though rarely, 
the strongest stems of which are not more than three inches in diameter. 

* On the edge of the crater next the sea there is a ftatue ahtioft entirely deftroyed by time, which is 
a proot that the volcano has been extinguished for several centuries. 



333 



17S6. 
April. 



III A 




[4 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1786. The conjectures which may be formed respecting the government of these 
■^P"^- islanders are, that they compose a single nation, divided into as many di- 
stricts as there are morais ; because it is to be remarked, that the villages 
are built near these burying places. It appears that the productions of the 
earth are common to all the inhabitants of the same district ; and as the 
men offer their women to strangers without any delicacy, it may be sup- 
posed that they do not belong to any individual in particular, and that 
when the children are weaned, they are delivered to other women, who, in 
each district, take charge of their physical education. 

*' The number of men we met was twice that of the women ; and if in 
reality the number of the latter be not the smallest, this circumstance 
must have arisen from their remaining more within doors. The whole 
population may be estimated at two thousand persons. Several houses 
which were building, and the number of children, afford reason to think 
that it is not diminishing, though it is probable that it may have been more 
considerable when the island was furnifhed with woods. If the natives 
possessed sufficient industry to construct reservoirs for water, they would 
by that means remedy one of the greatest misfortunes of their situation, and 
perhaps prolong their lives. We did' not see a single man on the island 
who appeared older than' sixty-five, if we may be allowed to form a judg- 
ment of the age of a people so little known, and whose manner of living 
differs so essentially from our own." 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



CHAPTER VI. 



Departure from Easter Island^Astronomkal Ohservatiom-^Arrival at the 
Sandwich Islands-- Anchor in the Bay of Keriporepo in the Island of Mowee 
—Departure, 

AFTER leaving Cook's Bay in Easter Island at ten in the evening, I 
stood to the northward, and coasted along the shore of that island at the 
distance of a league by moon-light. We did not lose sight of the land till 
the next day at two in the afternoon, at the distance of twenty leagues. 
The winds were constantly at south-east and east-south-east. The wea- 
ther was extremely clear, and did not change till the wind came round to 
the east-north-east, where it continued from the 17th to the 20th, when 
we began to catch bonetas, which constantly followed our frigates as far as 
the Sandwich islands, and afforded us almost daily, for six weeks together, 
a complete supply for our people. This excellent food preserved them in 
the best state of health, and after ten months' navigation, during which we 
were no more than twenty-five days in port, we had not a single sick per- 
son on board either of the vessels. Our course lay through unknown seas, 
and was nearly parallel to that of captain Cook, in 1777, when he sailed 
from the Society Islands for the north-west coast of America, but we were 
about eight hundred leagues more to the east,^ I flattered myself, that in a 
traverse of near two hundred leagues we should make some discovery 
Men were constantly at the mast head, and I had promised a reward to the 
first who should discover land. To overlook a greater space, our two 
frigates sailed abreast of each other during the day, with an interval of 
three or four leagues between them. 

In this, as in all the rest of our traverses, Dagelet lost no opportunity- 
of making observations of lunar distance. Their , ereement with the time-. 



S36 





178^6. 
April. 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

keepers of IVF Berthoud was so exact, that the difference never exceeded ten 
or fifteen minutes of a degree ; and they served to prove the accuracy of 
each other. M' de Langle's calculations were equally satisfactory, and we 
knew every day the course of the currents, by the difference between the 
longitude by reckoning and that by observation. They carried us to the 
west as far as one degree of south latitude with a velocity of about three 
leagues in twenty -four hours, after which they carried us to the east with 
the same velocity as far as seven degrees north, where they resumed their 
course to the west ; and, on our arrival at the Sandwich Islands, our longi- 
tude by account differed nearly 5° from that by observation ; so that if, like, 
the ancient navigators, we had possessed no method of ascertaining the lon- 
gitude by observation, we should have placed the Sandwich Islands 5° more 
to the eastward. It is undoubtedly from this direction of the currents, 
formerly but little observed, that the errors in the Spanish charts have arisen* 
For it is remarkable, that most of the islands discovered by Quiros, Men- 
da~ a, and other navigators of that nation, have been re-discovered in the 
modern times, and have always been too near in their charts to the coast of 
America. I must also add, that if the vanity of our pilots had not been a 
little mortified at the difference which was daily found between the longi- 
tude by account and that by observation, it is very probable that we should 
have had error of eight or ten degrees in making the land, and consequently 
that in a less enlightened age we should have placed the Sandwich Islands 
ten degrees more to the eastward. 

These reflections left me considerably in doubt respecting the existence 
of a cluster of islands called by the Spaniards La Mesa, Los Majos, and La 
Disgraciada. In the chart which admiral Anson took on board the Spa- 
nish galleon, and of which the editor of his voyage has given an engraving, 
this cluster is placed exactly in the latitude of the Sandwich Islands, but 16 
or 1 7 degrees more to the eastward. My daily differences or errors of lon- 
gitude induced me to think that these islands were absolutely the same* ; 

* In the course of the years 1786 and 1787, captain Dixon anchored three times at the Sandwich 
Islands, and having the same doubt as la P6rouse respecting the identity of these islands, and thos, 
called Los Majos, La Mesa, &c. he made researches in consequence. His conclusion was absolutely 
the same, as may be seen from the following extracts from his voyage. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

but what completed my conviction was the name of Mesa, which signifies 
Tal'ky given by the Spaniards to the island of 0%vhyhee. I had read in the 
description of this same island by captain King, that, after having doubled 
the eastern point, a mountain appears in sight called Mowna~roa, which is 
visible at a great distance. *' It is flat," he says, *' at the top, making what 
is called by mariners table-land*." The expression in the English, there- 
fore, corresponds with that in the Spanish. 

Thpugh the season was far advanced, and I had not a moment to lose, 
in order to reach the American coast, I determined to shape a course that 
should bring my opinion to the proof. The result, if 1 were in an error. 



33r 



1786, 
April, 



«' The islands Los Majos, La Mesa, and S' Maria la Gorta, laid down by Mr. Roberts, from IS* 
30' to 28° north latitude, and from 135° to 140° west longitudef, and copied by him from a Spanish 
manuscript chart, were In vain looked for by us, and, to use Maurelle's words, " it may he pronounced^ 
that no such islands are to he found; so that their intention has uniformly been to mislead rather than.b6 
of service to future navigators." Introduction, page xiv. 

^ " Our observations at noon, on the 8th of May, gave \T 4' north latitude, and 129° 57' west Ion- 
gitude. In this situation we looked for an island called by the Spaniards Roco Partida, but in vajnj 
however, we stood to the northward under an easy sail, and kept a good look out, expecting soon to 
fall in with the group of islands already mentioned. 

" From the nth to the I4th we lay to every night, and when we made sail in the morrjing, spreadE 
at the distance of eight or ten miles, standing westerly : it being probable, that though the Spaniards 
might have been pretty correct in the latitude of these Islands, yet they might easily be mistaken se- 
veral degrees In their longitude : but our latitude on the 15th, at noon, being 20" q' north, and 140° 1' 
west longitude, which is considerably to the westward of any island laid down by the Spaniards, we 
concluded, and with reason, that there must be a gross mistake in the chart." Voyage, page 4g. 

" On the 1st of November we looked out for S' Maria la Gorta, which is laid down in Cook's chart 
-in 27= 50' north latitude, and in 140° west longitude ; and, the same afternoon, sailed directly o\'er it. 
Indeed, we scarcely expected to meet with any such place, as it is copied by Mr. Roberts'into the above 
-chart from the same authority which we had already found to be erroneous, respecting Los Majos-.ainJ 
Hoco Partida." Ibid, page 85. (French Editor.) 



* Cook's Third Voyage, Vol. III. p. 103. 

t It is to be observed, that DIxon reckoned his longitude from the wesrt, and Cook, in his third 
voyage, from the opposite quarter. Dixon's reason no doubt is, that, having shaped his course to the 
westward in doubling Cape Horn, this way of reckoning was more natiiral and more convenient to 
him. 



VOL. I, 



358 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

178f). must necessarily have been, that I should discover a second cluster of 
^P"^- islands, forgotten by the Spaniards for perhaps more than a century, and" 
should determine their position and their exact distance from the Sandv^^ich 
Islands. Those who know my character will not suspect, that in this 
research I could be guided by any wish to rob captain Cook of the honour 
of this discovery. Full of respect and admiration for the memory of this 
great man, he will ever be considered by me as the first of navigators, as 
the individual who has determined the exact situation of these islands, ex- 
plored their coasts, ascertained the manners, usages, and religion of the 
inhabitants, and who has paid with his life for all the information we at 
present possess respecting them. This man, I say, is the true Christopher 
Columbus of these countries, of the coast of Alashka, and of almost all the 
islands of the South-sea. Chance has given the discovery of islands to the 
most ignorant ; but the honour belongs only to great characters like him, to 
leave nothing to be regretted or desired respecting the countries they hav© 
explored. Seamen, philosophers, naturalists, find alike in his Voyages that 
information which their respective pursuits may lead them to demand. 
AH men, perhaps, and most assuredly all navigators, owe the tribute of 
praise to his memory ; and shall I be thought to with-hold my portion at the 
moment of my arrival at the group of islands, where his career was so un-r 
fortunately terminated ? 

May. On the 7th of May, in 8° north latitude, we saw many birds of the pe^ 
^' trel kind, with some man of war and tropic birds. These two last species 
are said to fly but a small distance from the land. We likewise saw a. 
great many turtle pass by our ships . The Astrolabe caught two, which we 
shared, and which proved excellent. The birds and the turtle were in 
sight as far as 14°, and I have no doubt but that we passed near some 
island, probably uninhabited; for a rock in the middle of the sea would ' 
serve as the retreat of these animals rather than a cultivated country. We 
were then very near Rocca Partida and La Nublada.. I directed my course so 
as to have passed almost in sight of the former, if it's longitude had been ac- 
curately determined; but l would not run into it's latitude, because I had not, 
from my other projects, a single day to spare for this research. It was pro- 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



339 



■bable I might not meet with it, and I was little surprised at finding no signc 1786. 
of it's appearance. When I had passed it's latitude the birds disappeared, 
and, till my arrival at the Sandwich Islands, through a space of five hun- 
dred leagues, we never saw more than two or three in a day^ 

On the 15th I was in 1-9° 17' north latitude and 130" west longitude^ 15. 
that is to say, in the same latitude as the cluster of islands in the Spanish 
charts, as well as in that of the Sandwich Islands, though a hundred leagues 
more to the eastward than the former, and four hundred and sixty to the 
eastward of the latter. As I thought it would render an important service to 
geography if I could succeed in erasing from the charts those idle nam.es, de- 
noting islands which have no existence, and perpetuating errors extremely 
injurious to navigation, I wished, in order to remove every doubt, to con- " 
linue my course as far as the Sandwich Islands. I even formed the project 
of passing between the islands of Owhyhee and Mowee, which the English 
were not so situated as to be able to explore ; and I purposed to land at 
Mowee, to obtain some provisions, and then depart without losing an instant. 
I knew, that by following my plan only in part, and exploring no more than 
two hundred leagues on this parallel, there might still be unbelievers ; and 
-I was desirous that there should not remain against my conclusions the 
slightest objection. 

On the 1 8th of May I was in latitude 20° north and 1 39° longitude west, 1 8« 
precisely upon the island Disgraciada of the Spaniards, but^had no signs of 
land. ' 

On the 20th I had passed through the middle of the supposed cluster of £0«' 
los Majos, and had yet met with no indication of the vicinity of any island, 
i continued to run to the west, on the parallel between £0° and 21", and 
at length, on -the 28th in the morning, I was in sight of the mountains of £8. 
Owhyhee, which were covered with snow, and soon afterwards saw those 
of Mowee, somewhat less elevated than the former. I made a press of 
caii to approach th^ land, but was still, when night closed in,, at -the 



JO VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1785. distance of seven or eight leagues. I therefore stood off and on in 'expec- 
^"^y- tation of day-break, to enter the channel between these two islands, and to 
seek an anchoring place to the leeward of Mowee near the island of Moro- 
kinne. Our longitude by observation agreed so perfectly with that of 
captain Cook, that, having traced our bearings upon the English charts, we. 
found only lO' difference, which we were more to the eastward. 

29. At nine in the morning the point of Mowee bore west 1 5° north, and a smalt 
island also appeared, bearing west 22'' north, which the English could not 
see from any of their positions, and consequently it does not appear on their 
chart, which in this part is very defective ; whereas every thing which thej? 
have laid down from their own observations deserves the highest encomium . 
The aspect of the island of Mowee was delightful. I coasted along it's- 
shore at the distance of a league. It projects into the channel in the di- 
rection of south-west by west. We beheld water falling in cascades from 
the mountains, and running in streams to the sea, after having watered the 
habitations of the natives> vv^hich are so numerous that a space of three or 
four leagues may be taken for a" single village: but all the huts are on the 
sea-coast, and the mountains are so near, that the habitable part of the: 
island appeared to be less than half a league in depth. To form a concep-- 
tion of what we felt,, it is necessary to be a seaman, and to be reduced, as 
we were, in a burning climate to a single bottle of water a-day. The trees 
which crowned the mountains, and the verdure of the banana plants that 
surrounded the habitations, produced inexpressible charms to our senses^ 
but the sea beat upon the coast with the utmost violence, and kept us in, 
the situation of Tantalus, to desire and devour with our eyes what it was 
impossible for us to attain,.. 

The breeze had freshened, and we were running at the rate of two- 
leagues an hour, which encouraged me in an endeavour before night to . 
explore this part of the island as far- as Morokinne, near which I hoped to 
find an anchoring place sheltered from the trade winds. This plan, dic- 
tated by the imperious necessity of circumstances, did not permit me ta 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



shorten sailj in order to wait for about a hundred and fifty canoes which 
■put off from the shore with hogs and vegetables, which the Indians pro- 
posed to exchange with us for pieces of iron. 

Almost all these canoes boarded one or the other of the frigates but 
our velocity was so great that they filled with water alongside, and the 
islanders were under the necessity of quitting the rope which we had 
thrown out to them, and swim away. . They first hastened after their 
hogs, which they brought back in their arms, lifted them on their shoul- 
ders into their boats, out of which they emptied the water, and cheerfully- 
entering them again, endeavoured by every exertion to recover the posi- 
tion they had lost near our frigates, and which had been instantly occupied, 
by Others that also met with the same accident. Of these canoes, forty 
at least were overset, and, though the commerce between us and these 
honest Indians was infinitely agreeable to both parties, it was impossible 
for us to procure more than fifteen hogs and some fruits, and we lost the 
Opportunity of bargaining for more than three hundred others. 

These canoes had outriggers j each contained from three to five merl 
and those of middling size might be twenty-four feet long, a single foot only 
in breadth, and nearly the same in depth. We v/eighed one of this di- 
mensioi), which did not exceed fifty pounds. With these frail vessels it 
is that the inhabitants of these islands make excursions to the distance of 
sixty leagues, traverse through straits twenty leagues in width,, such as that- 
feetween Atooi and Wohaoo, where the sea is extremely high. But they 
are such excellent swimmers that they will, almost bear a comparison with 
ihe natives of the watery element. 

In proportion as we advanced, the mountains seemed to withdraw to ai' 
distance within the interior of the island, which exhibited the form of am 
amphitheatre of considerable magnitude, and of a yellow green. No cas- 
cades were to be seen ; the trees were less crowded together in the plain^, 
and the villages composed of ten or twelve huts only, very remote from, 
each other. At every instant we. had just cause to regret the country w© 



142 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1786. had left behind us ; and, to add to our mortification, we did not find an an- 
..^^y- cboring place well sheltered till we came to a dismal coast, where torrents 

of lava had formerly flowed, like the cascades which pour forth their wa- 

, ters in the other part of the island. 

After having steered south-west by west, as far as the south-west point 
-pf the island of Mowee, I hauled to the west, and afterwards to the north- 
west, in order to gain the anchorage where the Astrolabe had already 
brought up in twenty-three fathoms, hard grey sand, about a mile from 
the shore. We were no otherwise sheltered than by a large promontory 
topped with cloMds, which from time to time occasioned us som.e severe 
squalls ; and the winds changing every instant we were continually dragging 
our anchors. This road was rendered still more unsafe from our exposure 
to currents, which prevented our riding head to wind, except during the 
squalls J but these rendered the sea so rough, that our boats could not 
sail but with the utmost difficulty. I nevertheless immediately dispatched 
one to sound in different directions. The officer reported that the bot- 
tom was the same all the way to the shore ; that the depth diminished 
gradually, and that .it was still seven fathoms at two cables' length from 
the landing place; but when we weighed our anchor, I found that the 
cable was rendered absolutely unserviceable by friction, and that under a 
slight stratum of sand there must have been a rocky bottom. 

: The Indians of the villages of this part of the island hastened alongside 

in their canoes, bringing, as articles of commerce, hogs, potatoes, bananas, 
roots of arum, which the Indians call tarro, with cloth and some other 
curiosities making part of their dress. I would not permit them however, 
tocome- on board till the frigate was moored and the sails handed. I 
' told them that I .was taboo a word wjiich J had learned from the Enghsh 

* A word which, accorduig to their religion, signifies a thing which may not be touched.or a con- 
secrated place into which they are not permitted to enter. 

For the signification of words in, thelangnage of the Sandwich Islands reference must be made t 
the vocabulary of captain Cook, who made a long stay at these islands, and who P^--^'^-^^^^^^^^^ 
' ^.hkh no other navigator has been able to procure-to render his commumct.ons wah.tl,e.e people 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

accounts, and which was attended with all the success I expected. M"' de 
Langle, who had not taken the same precaution, had his decks in an instant 
crowded.with a multitude of Indians. But they were so docile and so ap- 
prehensive of giving offence, that it was extremely easy to prevail on them 
to return to their boats. I had no idea of a people so mild and so atten- 
tive. When I permitted them to come on board my ship, they did not 
advance a step without our concurrence; they always evinced a fear of 
displeasing us; and the greatest good faith prevailed in their deaUngs. 
Our pieces of old' iron hoop strongly excited their desires, and they showed' 
no want of address in making a good bargain to procure them. They 
steadily. refused to sell any quantity of cloth or number of hogs in the 
wholesale way, aware that they might derive more profit by the separate, 
sale of each: individual article. 



343 



1786,. 

May. 



the more Instructive. To tHese motives of confidence we may add the well-kno^vn talents of Ander- 
son, from which he derived the greatest assistance. 

Dixon has given a vocabulary of the language of the Sandwich Islands, in which the word iaUo 
signifies embargo, though in his journal he explains the ceremony of the tahoo in the same manner as 
captain Cook. 

. The following is a comparative view of words of the same meaning, taken from the two vocabula- 
ries which proves the errors that may be made, when, to a perfect ignorance of any language, is add- 
cd the uncertamty of themode of expressing the pronunciation of words, which varies accordinc. to the 
individuals who utter them. ° 



English Words-.- 


Correspondent Words from the Vocabularies of 
Cook. i Dixoi^. 


Coeoa Nut 


Eeneeoo 


Neehu. 

Malama. 

Ttbo. 

1 Cohaheene^ 

Titu-nanie^ ■' 
Touro. 


Gourd or Calabash .... 
Woman 

Brother ......... 

Cord 


Aiceloo .......... 


( Mabeine 





The vocabulary of Cook, though the most perfect, comes also in support of my assertion. We find 
the word which denotes woman in two different places, no doubt by repetition. It is probable that- 
he learned it from two different individuals whose pronunciation was different! for in one place 
^ writes wabeine, and in the other mabeine. (French Editor.) 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1 786. This habit of traffic, and knowledge of iron, which, from their own con- 
^""y- fession, they did not acquire from the English, are new proofs of the com- 
munication which these islands formerly had with the Spaniards*. A 
.century ago that nation had very strong reasons for not making known 
' these islands, because the western seas of America were infested with pi- 
rates, who might have found supplies of provisions there; but who, 
on the contrary, from the difficulty of procuring them, were obliged 
to run to the v/est towards the Indian ocean, or to return to the Atlantic 
sea by Cape Horn. When the navigation of the Spaniards became re- 
duced to a single galleon from Manilla, I suppose that this vessel, which 
was extremely rich, was ordered by the proprietors to keep a fixed course, 

* It appears certain that these islands were discovered for the first time by Gaetan, in 1542. This 
,navlgator sailed from the port of Nativity on the western coast of Mexico, in 20" north latitude. He 
stood to the westward, and, after having run nine hundred leagues in that direction (and consequently 
without changing his latitude) he fell in with a group of islands, inhabited by savages almost naked. 
These Islands were surrounded with coral rocks; they afforded cocoa nuts and otlier fruits, but nei- 
ther gold nor silver. He named them Kings' Islands, probably from the day of makmg the disco- 
very and another Island, which he discovered twenty leagues farther to the westward, he called 
' - Garden Island. It would have been Impossible for geographers to have avoided placmg the discover 

ries of Gaetan precisely where Cook has since found the Sandwich Islands, If the :Jpanish Editor had 
not said, that these Islands are situate between the gth and the 11th degrees of latitude, instead of 
the 19th and the 21st, as every navigator would have concluded from the course of Gaetan. 

This omission of ten degrees may be either a mistake in the figures, or apolitical stroke of the Spa- 
«lsh court, which had a great interest a century ago to conceal the position of aU the islands of this 



ocean. 



I am inclined to think it an error of the press, because it would have been absurd to have related 
*hat Gaetan, taking his departure from the 20th degree of latitude, sailed due west. Beside, if any 
deception had been intended respecting the latitude, it would have been easy to have mentioned an, 
other course. 

Be this however as It may, it is certain, that, by adding about ten degrees to the latitude of Gaetan 
thin, is found to an^er : the same distance from the coast of Mexico the same people the 
am productions and fruits, the same coasts bordered with coral rock,- and ^fy'l^-^^^^^^ 
from north to south : the Sandwich Islands lying nearly between the igth and the 21t degree as 
those of Gaetan between the gth and 11th. Thi« additional p,-oof jomed to ^ -^^^^^ 

tioned appear to me to afford the highest degree of evidence to this discussion. I may also add, that 
'I'f is no group of islands between the 9th and 1 1th degree 3 which is in the common track of the 
galleons from Acapalco to MfiV>i\h' 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



whicli might diminish their risques. Whence it happened by degrees, 
that this nation lost even the remembrance of ^these islands, which are 
preserved in the general chart to Cook's third voyage, by lieutenant Ro- 
berts, with their ancient position 15° to the eastward of the Sandwich 
Islands : but their identity with these last being in my opinion demon- 
strated, I have thought proper, by erasing them, to clear the surface of 
the sea. 

It was so late before our sails were handed, that I was obliged to post- 
pone going on shore at this place till the next day, where nothing could 
detain me but a convenient watering-place : but we had already observed, 
that this part of the coast was altogether destitute of running water, the 
slope of the mountains having directed the fall of all the rains towards the 
weather side. It is probable that the labour of a few days might be suf- 
ficient to supply the whole island with so valuable a necessary of life ; but 
these Indians are not yet arrived at the requisite degree of industry, though 
in many other respects so greatly advanced. From the narratives of the 
English we are well acquainted with the form of their government ; and 
the extreme subordination which prevails among them is a proof that there 
is an acknowledged power, which extends gradually from the king to the 
lowest chief, and of which the whole weight bears upon the people. My 
imagination was delighted in comparing these with the inhabitants of 
Easter Island, whose industry is at least equally advanced. The monu- 
ments of the latter show even more intelligence, and their cloths are bet- 
ter manufactured and their houses better built ; but their government is so 
vicious, that no person has a right to check irregularities. They acknow- 
ledge no authority ; and though I do not think them absolutely depraved, 
it is but too common for their licentiousness to produce mischievous, and 
even fatal consequences. When I contrasted these two societies, all the 
advantages were in favour of the natives of the Sandwich Islands, though 
my prejudices were strong against them on account of tlie death of captain 
Cook. It is more natural for navigators to regret the loss of so great a 
man, than coolly to examine whether some imprudence on his part might 

VOL. I. 2 Y 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

lyae. not in a manner have compelled the inhabitants of Owyhee to have re- 
^^^y- course to a just and necessary defence *. 

» It is but too certain that the English commenced hostilities. This is a ti-uth which it would be 
in vain to conceal. I need only seek for the proofs in the narrative of the friend of captain Cook, of 
the man who regarded him as his father, and whom the natives supposed to be his son ; I mean cap- 
tain King, who, after a faithful narrative of the events which kd to his death, says, " this conft- 
dence I was always fearful might, at some unlucky moment, put him off bis guard." Vol. Ill* 
page 55. 

The reader may also judge for himself by comparing the following circumstances. 

Cook imprudently gave orders to fire with ball, if the workmen were disturbed, though he had the 
incident before him often men belonging to captain Furneaux's crew, who were cut off by the New 
Zealanders, in consequence ofthelr having fired two shot at certain individuals who had committed 
the trifling theft of some bread and fish. 

Pareea, one of the chiefs, reclaiming his canoe, which had been seized by Cook's people, was 
struck down by a violent blow on the head with an. oar. When he recovered he bad the generosity 
to overlook this treatment, and returned a short time afterwards, bringing a hat which had been 
stolen, and appeared apprehensive lest captain Cook should put huuto death, or at least punisli 
him. 

Before any other crime, except that of stealing the boat, had been committed, some great guns 
had been fired at two large canoes which were endeavouring to make tlieir escape. 

Nevertheless, after these events, Cook proceeded to the village wKere the king then was, and 
.vas received with the usual marks of respect, the people prostrating themselves before him. 

There was no sign of any hostile intention on the part of the islanders, when the boats placed 
across the bay fired again at some canoes that were attempting to get out, and unfortunately killed a 
chief of the first rank. 

This disaster enraged the natives. One of them offered defiance to captain Cook, and threatened 
to throw a stone at him which he held in his hand, which provoked captain Cook to fire a load of 
small shot, but the man having his war mat on it produced no effect. This discharge of the musket 
wsthesig^al ofengagement. Phillips was instantly in danger of being gabbed. Cook then fired a 
' " second time with ball, and killed one of the foremost of the natives. The attack .mmed.ately be- 
came serious. The soldiers' and seamen made a genernl discharge of musketry. Four marines were 
killed, and three others, with thelieutenant, dangerousty wounded, when captain Cook, aware of his 
situation, repaired to the sea-side- He called to the boats.to sto^^ firing, and to pull in to receive hua 
Z his ;eoiJe.. At this instant he was stabbed in the back, and fell on his face into the water. 

It may likewise be added, that captain Cook, intending to. convey the king and his family oa 
board his ship, either by persuasion, or force, and having for that purpose penetrated into the country, 
made too weak a preparation for such an attempt, by taking with him a d.ta.hmeat of only ten men. 
(French Editor.) 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



The night was perfectly calm, with the exception of a few occasional 
squalls, which did not last above ten minutes. At day-break the Astro- 
labe's long-boat was dispatched, with M'^^"^ de Vaujuas, Boutin and Ber- 
nizet, who had orders to examine a very deep bay to the north-west, 
where I supposed the anchorage to be better than at the place where v^e 
were : but, though practicable, it proved not preferable to that which we 
occupied. According to the report of these officers, this part of the island 
of Mowee affording neither water nor wood, and having very bad roads, 
must be little frequented by navigators. 

At eight in the morning four boats belonging to the two frigates v/ere 
ready to set off. The two lirst carried twenty armed soldiers, commanded 
by M-^ de Pierrevert, one of the lieutenants. de Langle and myself, 
with all the passengers and officers who were not detained by their duty on 
board, were in the two others. This preparation did not alarm the na- 
tives, who since day-break had been alongside in their canoes. These In- 
dians continued their traffic without being in the least disposed to follow 
us, and preserved the same air of confidence in us, which their counte- 
nances had never ceased to express. About a hundred and twenty per- 
sons, men and women, waited for us on the shore. The soldiers, with 
their officers, landed first. We marked the space we wished to reserve 
to ourselves ; and the military, having fixed their bayonets, performed the 
same evolutions as if in the presence of an enemy. These formalities 
made no impression on the natives. The women showed by the most 
expressive gestures, that there was no mark of kindness which they were 
not disposed to confer uptjn us ; and the men, in the most respectful atti- 
tude, endeavoured to discover the motive of our visit, in order to anti- 
cipate our desires. Two Indians, who appeared to have some authority 
over the others, advanced, and with great gravity made a speech of consi- 
derable length, of which I did not understand a single word; and each 
offered me a present of a hog, which I accepted. In return I gave them 
medals, hatchets and other pieces of iron, which were of inestimable 
value to them. My liberality produced a striking effect. The women re- 
doubled their caresses ; but they were little seductive. Their features had 



348 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1786. no delicacy, and their dress permitted us to observe, in most of them, 
M>y-* traces of the ravages occasioned by the venereal disease. As no women 
had come on board in the canoes, I was disposed to think, that they attri- 
buted to the Europeans those evils of which they bore the marks; but I 
soon perceived that this remembrance, supposing it real, had not left in 
their minds the smallest resentment. 

I shall here take the liberty to examine, whether the modern naviga, 
tors are the true authors of these evils, and whether this crime, with 
which they reproach themselves in their narratives, be not more apparent 
than real. To give to my conjectures the greater weight, I shall support 
them by the observations of M' Rollin, a very enlightened man, and 
surgeon of my ship. He visited in the island several inhabitants attacked 
by this disease, and observed appearances, the gradual developement of 
which would have required in Europe twelve or fifteen years. He like- 
wise saw children of seven or eight years of age, in whom it prevailed, and 
. who could only have contracted it during the period of gestation. I mus 
farther observe, that captain Cook, on his first arrival at the Sandwich 
atls, landed only at Atooi and Oneeheow; and that nine mont^ after. 
«„ his return from the north, he found that the inlrabitants of Mowee 
Cho came on boai-d, were almost all afl^ected with it. As Mowee s 
sixty leagues to the windward of Atooi. this progress seems to m^ to 
be too rapid not to afford some doubts upon the subject*. If to these 
different observations be added such as may result fron. the ancient com- 
munication of these islanders with the Spaniards, it will doubtless appear 
probable, that they have long since shared with other nations in the mis- 
fortunes attached to this scourge of humanity. 

t have thought this discussion due to modern navigators. All Europe, 
'd by S own narratives, have continually reproached them for a 

„ Atooi and Oneeheo-v. It would not therefor, "°Se. 'he^^ 

^Trsi::^-^^^-— - - °- - — " 

s^nccs. See his Voyage, p. 234. (French Editor.) 



/ 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



^ crime, which the chiefs of this expedition supposed it out of their power 
to have prevented. There is a reproach, however, which they cannot 
escape; namely, the not having taken sufficient precautions to avoid the 
evil ; and if it be nearly demonstrated, that this disease is not the effect 
of their imprudence, it has not equally been shown, that their communis 
cation with this people did not give it greater activity, and render it's con- 
sequences much more dreadful *. 

After having visited the village, I ordered six soldiers and a Serjeant to 
attend us, and I left the others at the landing-place, under the command of 
de Pierrevert, to guard our boats, from which none of the sailors 
had come on shore. 

Though the French were the first who, in modem times, had landed oil 
the island of Mowee, I did not think it my duty to take posession in the 
name of the king. The customs of Europeans on such occasions are com- 
pletely ridiculous. Philosophers must doubtless lament to see that men, 
for no better reason than because they are in possession of fire-arms and 
bayonets, fhould make no estimation of sixty thousand of their fellow 
creatures, and should consider as an object of conquest a land fertilised 
by the painful exertions of it's inhabitants, and for many ages the tomb of 
their ancestors. These islands have fortunately been discovered at a period 
when religion no longer serves as a pretext -for violence and rapine. 
Modern navigators have no other object in describing the manners of remote 
nations, than that of completing the history of man, and the knowledge 
they endeavour to diffuse has for it's sole aim to render the people they 
visit more happy, and to augment their means of subsistence. 

It is in pursuance of these principles that they have already conveyed to 
remote islands black cattle, goats and iheep , have planted trees, sown 

* It is not to be doubted tliat modern navigators deserve the reproach of having knowincrly com- 
Hjunicated the venereal disease to the islanders of the South Sea. Captain Cook does not dLuise 

I '^'^ P- ^"'l 382, and vol. ii. p."i48. 

(French Editor.) ^ 



350 YDYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1786. tiseful grain in all these countries, and supplied the inhabitants with tooli 
^^y- proper to accelerate the progress of their industry. For our part we 
fhould be amply repaid for the extreme fatigues of this expedition, if we 
could succeed in destroying the custom of human sacrifices, which is said 
to be generally prevalent among the islands of the South sea. But, not- 
withftanding the opinions of Mr. Anderson and captain Cook, I think 
with captain King, that a people so good, so mild and so hospitable can- 
not be cannibals. An atrocious religion does not easily accord with gentle 
manners; and, since captain King says, that the priests were their best 
friends, I think I may conclude, that if mildness and humanity have al- 
ready made progress in this class, which has the charge of human sacri- 
fices, the rest of the inhabitants must be still less ferocious. It seems evi- 
dent therefore that anthropophagy no longer exists among these islanders, 
though it's cessation is probably of recent date *. 

The soil of this island is entirely formed of decomposed lava, and other 
volcanic substances. The inhabitants have no other drink but a brackish 
water, obtained from shallow w^ells, which afford scarcely more than half 
a barrel a day. During our excursion we observed four small villages of 
about ten or twelve houses each, built and covered with straw in the same 
manner as those of our poorest peasants. The roof has a double slope; 
the door, which is in the gable end, is about three feet and a half high, 
and consequently cannot be entered without ftooping, and is shut by a 
simple latch, which any one can open and obtain admittance. Their 
moveables consist of mats, which, like our carpets, afford a clean and 
neat floor, upon which they sleep ; and they have no other culinary uten- 
sils than large calabash shells, to which they give whatever form they please 
while they are green ; and they varnish and trace upon them every kind 
^of design in black, I have likewise seen some which were glued toge- 

* The horror exhibited by the natives of these islands when suspected of being cannibals, and that 
which they testiiied when asked, whetlier they had eaten the body of captain Cook, con^xms in part 
flie opinion of la Perouse. Nevertheless Cook had himself acquired the most x^ertain information of 
this practice among the New Zealanders, and it cannot be denied thjit tire use of human sacrifices, 
and the jwactice of eating their enemies ta^en in war, are prevale;it in all tlie islands ,of the South 
&ea. (French Editor.) 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 3^ 

ther, and by that means formed very large veffels. It appears that this ce- 1786. 
ment is capable of resisting moisture, and I should have been glad to have 
known it's composition. Their stuffs, of which they have a very great 
quantity, are made of the paper mulberry, like those of the other islands j 
but, though painted with greater variety, their fabrication appeared to be 
inferior. Upon my return I was again harangued by some women, who 
waited for us under some trees. They offered me several pieces of stuff* 
for which I paid with hatchets and nails. 

The reader must not expect to find any detail in this place concerning a 
people with whom the world has been made so well acquainted by the 
English navigators, who remained four months in these islands, whereas 
our stay was only a few hours i and who had the further advantage of un- 
derstanding the language of the country. We fhall therefore confine our* 
selves to the relation of our own history.. 

We left the island at eleven in the morning in good order, without con» 
fusion, and without having the leafl cause of complaint against any one.. 
We arrived on board at noon, where M^^ de Clonard had been visited by a 
chief, and had purchased of him a cloak and a fine helmet, ornamented 
with red feathers. He had likewise bought upwards of an hundred hogs, 
with bananas, sweet potatoes, tarro, a large quantity of cloth, mats, a 
canoe with an out-rigger, and various other small articles of feathers and 
shells. On our arrival the two frigates dragged their anchors. The wind 
was strong from the east-south- east, and we drove towards Morokinne, 
which was, however, sufficiently distant to permit us to hoist in our boats. 
I made the signal for weighing, but before the anchor was up I was ob- 
liged to set sail, and drag till we had passed the Morokinne Isle, that 
the current might not drive us beyond the channel. If the anchor 
had unfortunately struck in any cavity of a rock during this manoeuvre, or 
if the ground had not been sufficiently uniform for it to slide along the bot.« 
torn, I should have been obliged to cut the cable-. 

We did not completely get our anchor ia till five in the evening, when 



353 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1 786 it was too late to direct our course between the isle of Ranai and the western 
^^y- point of Mowee a new channel I was desirous of examining, but prudence 
did not admit of the attempt during the night. Till eight in the evening 
we had such light breezes that we could not advance more than half a 
league At length the wind fixed at the north-eaft, and I stood to the 
westward, passing at an equal distance from the north-west point of the 
, island of Tahoorowa, and the south-west point of the island of Ranai. At 
day-break I made for the south-west point of the island of Morotoi, which 
I coasted at three quarters of a league distance, and came mto the open 
sea like the English, through the channel which separates the island of 
Wohaoo from that of Morotoi. This laft island had no appearance of be- 
ing inhabited in this part, although, according to the English accounts, it 
is very populous on the other side. It is remarkable that, in these islands, 
the most fertile and healthy districts, and consequently the most populous, 
^ are always to the windward. Our islands of Guadaloupe, Martmico, &c. 
have so perfect a resemblance to this new cluster, that, as far as navigation 
is concerned, the circumstances appeared to me to be exactly the same. 

M-Dagelet and Bernizet have taken with the greatest care all the 
bearings of this part of Mowee along which we coasted, as well as those of 
Morokinne. It was impossible for the English, who never came nearer 
than ten leagues, to have given any exact information -jP-^^-§ ^^^^ 
coasts. M^ Bernizet has drawn a very good plan {Charts and Plates, N 1 3 
and 14), and M^ Dagelet has joined astronomical observations which ae- 
serve the same confidence as those of Cook, and which for the conveni 
ency of the reader, are all inserted in tables at the end of this work. They 
show our course'and precise situation from day to day, m latitude and Ion- 
gitude, by observation and by reckoning. 

w On the first of June, at six !n the evening, we were clear of all the 
• • ■ islands. We had en^ployed less than forty-eight hours m examm.ng them 
iatmostonlyfifteeL;ystoclearupapointofgeography,wh.chappeared 

to me of the utmost importance, since it removes from the charts five or s.x 
slands which have no existence. The fishes which had followed us from 



^iv^ ^yg^^vi^^^ sDk*^ 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLB. 

the vicinity of Easter Island to our anchoring place there disappeared. It 
is a fact worthy of attention, that the same shoal of fishes had swam fifteen 
hundred leagues after our frigates. Several bonetas, wounded by our harp- 
ing irons, carried on their backs a mark which it was impossible for us to 
mistake, and thus we knew again each day the same fishes we had seen the 
evening before. I have no doubt, if we had not stopped at the Sandwich 
Islands, they would have followed us two or three hundred leagues farther, 
till they came to a temperature too cold for them to bear. 



353 



1786. 
June. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD.. 



CHAPTER VIL 



departure from the Sandwich Islands-Sigm of approaching the Coast of 
America.— We make Mount St. Eli as—Discovery of Baie de Monti— Boats 
sent to reconnoitre the Entrance of a large River > to which we preserve ^the 
Name of Behring s River— Discover a deep_ Bay— Favourable Report of 
several Officers, which induces us to put in there— Risks in entering— De- 
scription of the Bay, to which we give the Name of Baie or Port des Fran- 
gais— Manners and Customs of the Inhabitants-^Trafic with them— Pro- 
ceedif2gs during our Stay, 

THE easterly winds held us till the latitude of 30« north : the weather 
was fine; and I steered a northerly course. The fresh provision we had 
procured during our short stay at the Sandwich Islands ensured the crews 
of both frigates a sufficiency of wholesome and acceptable food for three 
weeks; but it was impracticable for us to keep our hogs alive, for want of 
water and provender, so that I was obliged to salt them according to cap- 
tain Cook's method. But the hogs were so small, the greater number 
weighing under twenty pounds a-piece, that they could not be exposed long 
to the action of the salt, without the meat being corroded, and partly de- 
stroyed, which obliged us to consume them the first. 

On the 6th of June, being in the latitude of 30° north, the wind came 
round to the south-east, the sky appeared whitish and dull, and every thing 
indicated that we had passed the boundary of the trade-winds. I greatly 
feared I should soon have to regret the fair weather, which had preserved 
our health,, and enabled us almost every day to take observations of lunar 
distances, or at least compare the true time of the meridian at which we 
arrived with that of our time-keepers. 



• VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

My apprehensions of mists were speedily realised: they began on the 
5th of June, in the latitude of 34" north, and from that time the weather 
did not once clear up till the Uth, when we reached the latitude of 
I first thought these seas more foggy than those which separate Europe and 
America : but I should have been greatly mistaken, if I had irrfevocablv 
embraced this opinion. The fogs of Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and 
Hudson s Bay, have an incontestable claim to pre-eminence from their 
constant density, but the dampness to which we were exposed was ex- 
treme, the mist or rain drenched all our clothes, we had not a sinc^le ray 
of sun to dry them, and my expedition to Hudson's Bay had taught me by 
sad experience, that wetness, combined with cold, is probably the most 
efFective cause of scurvy *, No one yet exhibited any symptoms of it : 
but after so long a time spent at sea, the predisposition to it must be 
TT.c /'""^^^"S^y I ^^d^^^d buckets full of embers to be placed under 
the half-deck, and between decks where the crew slept, I furnished every 
sailor and marine with a pair of boots , and the cloth breeches and waist- 
coats, which had been laid up in store ever since we had left the seas of 
Cape Horn, were returned to them. 

My surgeon, who shared with M^ Clonard the superintendence of all 
these particulars, proposed to me to mix with their morning's gro^f a 
weak infusion of bark, which, without making arty sensible alteration in 
the taste might have very salutary effects. This mixture I was obliged to 
order to be made privately, otherwise the crews would certainly have re^ 
fused to drink it : but as no one discovered it, no complaint was made of 
this innovation, which would probably have met with considerable oppo. 
^ition, if it had become a subject of general discussion. 

These different precautions were attended with the utmost success; but 

<^^£l^S's^t:^^ ^ ^'^'y ingenious publication, 

iicdjui oi seamen, that la Ferouse was not mistaken. T. , x *» 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. - • 

1786. they were not the whole that employed our leisure during such a Ic/ng 
J""^' passage: my carpenter made a corn-mill, after a plan of de Langle's,, 
which was of great service to us. 

The superintendents of the victualling department, persuaded, that kiln- 

- dried corn would keep better than flower or biscuit, had proposed to us to. 
take on boarda large quantity, to which we had made an addition at Chih.. 
To -rind it we were furnished with millstones twenty^four inches m dia- 
meter by four and a half thick, which were to be worked by four men. 
We were assured, that de Suffi-en had no other mill for the use of his. 

- squadron, of course we could not question their being sufficient for a crew 
so small as ours. But when we came to make use of them, the baker 
found the com broken to pieces only, not ground, and of tks bad meal 
the labour of four men, relieved every half hour, during a whole day had 

' produced only twenty-five pounds. As our corn formed nearly half our 

- means of subsistence, we should have been under no small embarrassment,, 
but for the inventive mind of de Langle, who, with the assistance of a 
sailor formerly a journeyman miller, contrived to adapt the movement of a 
windmill to our little stones. He first tried sails turned by the wmd with 

■ some success , but to these he soon substituted a winch, and thus we were 
enabled to grind two hundred weight of corn a-day, and obtain from it aa 
good meal as in the ordinary way. 

14 On the 14th the wind came round to the west-south-west. The foU 

lowing observations are the result of our long experience. When the 
wind is but a few degrees to the north of the west, the sky is generally 
pretty clear, and the sun visible above the horizon , from the west to the. 
south-west, commonly cloudy, with a little rain : from the south-west to 
the south-east, and even as far as, the east, a foggy horizon, and the.air 
loaded with moisture, penetrating even into the cabins, and every part of 
the chip. Thus a simple inspection of the table of winds will always in- 
form the reader of the state of the weather, and be of utility to those who 
may follow us in this navigation : they, too, who may peruse with ^^^^^^^^ 
sure the events of our voyage, and at the same time feel mterested for those. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



who have undergone the fatigue of them, will not think with indifference 
on navigators, who, at the verge of the earth, and having incessantly 
struggled against mists and storms, and scurvy, have explored an unknown 
coast, the theatre of all the geographical fictions *, too readily embraced by 
modern geographers -f-. 

* The fictions I mean are the voyage of admu-al Fuentes, and the pretended voyages of the Chinese 
and Japanese on these coasts. 

t The particulars of the voyage of admiral Fuentes, or de Fonte, are unquestionably very extraor- 
dinary : but I dare not entirely reject them, when I compare the chart of his discoveries whh those- 
of Cook, la Perouse, Dixon, and Meares. It appears from the oration delivered by Buache at the- 
Academy of Sciences, that Lorencio Ferrer de Maldonado discovered a northwest passage, by enter- 
ing a strait iii Hudson's Bay^ the same by which admiral Fnentes passed out from the South Sea, and^ 
which is named on maps Repulse Bay. The voyage of Maldonado appears to be authentic : it is dated 
1588 + : that of admiral Fuentes was in. 1040. Now unless it were proved, that the latter was ac- 
quamted with the voyage of Maldonado, and made it the basis of his romance, the agreement between 
the particulars of the two voyages will leave room for doubt, and in geography every doubt ought to 
be preserved, till it is removed by irrefragable proofs. 

Neither the oration of Buache, nor the Spanish voyage on which it was founded, is yet printed. 
The reader who wishes to know the disquisitions^ to which the voyag-e of admiral Fuentes has given 
' rise, will find tliem in the following works : 

Explication de la Carte dcs nou'velles Dccoiwertes au Nord de la Mer dii Sud. " Explanation of the 
Chart of new Discoveries to the North of the Pacific Ocean," by de Lisle, &c. Paris, 17.'52. 

Comidtrations geo-graphiques et physiques, &c. " Geographical and physical Reflections on the new 
Discoveries to the North of the Great Ocean, commonly called this South Sea." by Philip Buache, 
&CC. Paris, 1753. 

Nouvelles Cartes des Decouvcrtes de PAmiral de Fonte, isfo: " New Charts of tire Discoveries of Ad-, 
miral Fuentes, &c." by de Lisle, &c. Paris, 1753. 

Lettre d'un Officier de la Marine Russrenne a un Seigneur de la Cour, t^c. " Letter from an Officer 
in the Russian Navy- to a Nobleman at Court, &c." Berlin. 

Ohservaiions critiques sxir les nouvelles -Decouvertes del Amir al Funites, i^c. " Critical Reniarks on the. 
sew Discoveries of Admiral Fuentes, &c." by Robert de Vaugondy, jun. &c. Paris, 1753. 

And the periodical publications entitled Journal historique, Memoire pour I'Histoire des Sciences et des 
Beaux Arts, Journal des Savans, Snd Journal economique, for the year 1753. (French Editor,) 

• i Is it probable, that a Spanish vessel should be sent in search of a north-west passage, at the time 
-A'hen Philip was no. doubt straining eveiy nerve for the equipment of his famous armada, > T^,- 



358 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1786. Of this part of America, as far as Mount Ellas, in the latitude of 60°, 
J'""''- captain Cook had only a transient view, Nootka Sound excepted, where 
he made some stay : but from Mount St Elias to the point of Alashka, and 
thence to Icy Cape, that celebrated navigator explored the coast with that 
courage and perseverance, of which all Europe knows him to have been 
capable. To explore that part of America, therefore, which lies between 
Mount S^ Ehas and Monterey Bay, must be a work of high importance to 
commerce and navigation : but it would require some years, and we will not 
deny, that, having only two or three months to bestow on it, on account of 
the season, and still more of the vast plan of our voyage, we must leave 
much of the minutis to the navigators that may follow us. Many ages in 
.^11 probability will elapse, before all the bays and harbours of this part of 
America are perfectly known ; but the true direction of the coast, and the 
determination of the latitude and longitude of it's most remarkable points, 
will secure to our labours a degree of utility, of which no mariner will be 
insensible. - 

From the time we left the Sandwich Islands till we made the land of 
"Mount S' Elias, the wind had never ceased a moment to be favourable. As 
we advanced to the north, and approached America, we observed sea- weeds 
of a species entirely new to us. A ball of the size of an orange termi- 
nated a stalk forty or fifty feet long, resembling an onion run to seed, 
but much superior in size. Large whales, ducks, and divers, likewise 
indicated our approximation to the land, which at length appeared on the 
S3. 23d, at four in the morning. As the mist cleared away, a long chain of 
mountains covered with snow burst at once upon our sight, which we 
might have discerned thirty leagues farther off, had the weather been clear. 
We distinguished in these the Mount S Elias of Behring, with it's summit 
rising above the clouds. (See Charts and Plates, 15, l6, 17, IS.) , 

The sight of land, after a long voyage, usually excites feelings of de- 
light ; but on us it had not this effect. The eye wandered with pain over 
m'Lsses of snow, covering a barren soil, unembellished by a single tree. 
The mountains appeared to )be at a very litUe distance from the sea, which 



I > ' I li IliU V. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORL0. 

bi-oke against the cliffs of a table-land three or four hundred yards high. 17S6 
This plain, black as if burned by fire, and totally destitute of verdure J--' 
formed a striking contrast with the whiteness of the snow, which was per- 
ceived piercing the clouds, and served as a base to a chain of mountains, 
which appeared to extend fifteen leagues east and west. At first we 
. thought ourselves very near; the summits of the mountains seemed to 
hang over our heads, and the snow diffused a brightness calculated to de=. 
ceive eyes unaccustomed to it : but as we advanced, we perceived between 
us and the elevated plain low lands covered with trees, which we took for 
islands. Among these it was probable we should find shelter for our 
ships, as well as wood and water. Accordingly I prepared to reconnoitre 
these supposed islands, by the help of the easterly wind, which blew 
along shore; but it suddenly shifted to the south, the sky became very 
gloomy in that part of the horizon, and I thought it adviseable to haul 
the wind, which set right on the shore, and wait for a more favourable 
opportunity. At noon we had an observation, which gave us the latitude 
oi 59° north, and our longitude by the time-keepers was 143° 23^ 
west. A thick fog enveloped the land during the whole of the 05th' 
but on the 26th the weather was very fine, and the coast appeared 
very distinct in all it's parts by two in the morning. I ran along ifat the 
distance of two leagues, in seventy-five fathoms of water, muddv bottom 
very desirous of finding a harbour, in which I had some reason to hope 
1 was successful. ' ^ 

I haye already mentioned a table-land three or four hundred yards hish 
serving as a base to vast mountains, a few leagues within it, and soon we 
perceived to the eastward a low point covered with trees, which appeared 
■to join the table-land, and terminate at a short distance from a second 
Cham of mountains, which appeared farther to the east. We were all 
unanimously of opinion, that the table-land terminated at this low point 
covered with trees, and was an island separated from the mountains by an 
arm of the sea, the direction of which must be east and west like that 
of the coast, and in this supposed channel we expected to find a conve- 
ment shelter for our vessels. 



25. 
26. 



3-SO 



•VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



Towards this point I steered my course, keeping the lead constant y 
/»«.- „o;„g and never found less than forty-five fathoms of water, wrth a muddy 
bottom. During the whole day the wind had been very weak, varymg 
from west to nordi ; and at two in the afternoon I was obliged to come to 
, anchor on account of a calm. At -on our latitude by observauon was 

■ .59" 41', and our longitude by the time-keepers 143° 3 west. .^"^ 
.tee leagues to the south-west of the woody point, whrch I stdl beUeved 
.o be an island. I had sent my barge, as early as ten in the mornmg. 
under the command -of M' Boutin, to reconnoitre this channel or bay . 
M»'" de Monti and de Vaujuas had been sent from- the^Astrolabe for the 
same purpose : and we remained at anchor waiting for the.r return. The 
Twas extremely smooth ; and the current set south-south-west, at the 
of a knot a'nd a half an hour, which confirmed me m my optnron 
that the woody point formed at least the mouth of a large nver, if not 
a channel. 

The barometer had -fallen half an inch In the last twenty-four hours , 
the sky appeared very lowering , evety thing indicated, that the dead 
■ *L Ihich obliged us to come to an anchor, would be succeeded by 
fo^;eather. At'length, at nine in the evening, our boats returned, and 
^ the three officers unanimously reported, that there was neither channel 
for river ; and that the coast merely formed a pretty large semicircu ar 
b y to the north-east, having thirty fathoms of water, with a muddy bot- 
A .ntirelv open to the winds from the south-south-west to the 

landed witn great uiui»-uiL_y ' ' r ^ • / Mnnti 

this little division of boat., I gave the place the f j^''^^^^'"^^ 
Thev add;d tbt the woody point joined other land still flatter, and 
wtlout any trees, which gave it the appearance of being terminated by 
Z se" and thus occasioned our mistake. M^-^ de Monti, de Vaujuas 
d B^^tin, had taken the bearings of the different points by the compass 
" vfr unammous report left us no doubt respecting the conduc we^ h^ 
,to pursue. I made the signal to get under way ; and ,as the weather 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

threatened to prove very foul, I availed myself of a breeze which sprung 
up from the north- vilest, to run to the south-east and gain an offing*. 

The night was calm, but foggy : the wind varied every moment, but 
at length it settled in the east, and blew very hard for four and twenty 
hours. 

On the 28th the weather grew a little more clear. We had an obser- 
vation in latitude 5^ 19' north, and longitude 142° west by our time- 
keepers. The coast was greatly obscured by mists, so that we could not 
distinguish the points we had seen the preceding days. The wind was 
still easterly; but the barometer rose, and every thing indicated a favour- 
able change. At five in the evening we were only three leagues from the 
land, in forty fathoms of water, muddy bottom ; and the mists being a lit- 
tle dispersed, we took bearings of the principal points of land, which 

* It will no doubt appear strange, that I should dispute the report of three officers, and maintain, 
that la Perouse formed a more accurate judgment of the coast from on board his own ship. It is for 
the reader to decide on the proofs of my assertion ; and, if he have any doubt, he may consult the 
_ voyage of Dixon and the charts accompanying it. 

I assert then that de Monti Bay is the Port Mulgrave of Dixon, where he anchored on the 
23d of May of tiae year following, sheltered from all winds by an island, which forms a kind of 
mole. 

Dixon says, p. 40 : " The situation Mr. Turner had pitched on for us to anchor in, was round A 
low pomt to the northward, about three miles up the bay. 

« These islands, in common with the rest of the coast, are entirely covered with pines of two oe^ 
dree different species, intermixed here and there with hazle, and various kinds of brush-wood." 

Dixon fixes the latitude of Port Mulgrave at - - .59033'' 

And it's longitude, from the meridian of London, at 140, which makes, 
from the meridian of Paris, - . . . - 143 20 

La Perouse makes the latitude ofBaiede Monti - . - 59 43 

And its longitude . - . . . ^ 40 

If the three officers sent by la Perouse did not proceed quite to the head of the bay, It is not at all 

iZraf'th f f ^,l'°>^Sht they saw a continuation of the coast, and that the numerous small 

t^LLT. t u^7""^^^^^^^^ passage, which separates these islands from 

tne contment, (French Editor.) 



VOL. I, 



3 A 



. VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

J 786. formed a continued series with those of the preceding days, and served, 
June.' ^vith those made afterwards with the utmost care, for the construction of 
the charts accompanying this work. Navigators, and they who are par- 
- ticularly attached to the study of geography, will perhaps feel some satis- 
faction in being informed, that to give greater accuracy to the views and 
delineations of the coasts and rem.arkable points, Dagelet verified and 
corrected the bearings taken by the azimuth compass, by measuring with 
the sextant the angles the different head-lands made with each other, to 
ascertain the mutual distances, and at the same time determining the ele- 
vation of the mountains above the level of the sea. This method, though 
not rigorously exact, is accurate enough to enable seamen to judge of 
the distance of a coast by it's elevation ; and thus this academician ascer- 
tained the height of Mount Elias to be one thousand nine hundred and 
eighty toises, and it's distance witliin land eight leagues *. 

Our observation on the 29th of June gave us the latitude of 59° 20' 
north, and our longitude, by our time -keepers, -was 142° 2'west, so that we 
■had advanced eight leagues to the eastward in the last twenty-four hours. 
The southerly winds and fogs continued all the 29th, and the weather did 
not clear up till near noon on the 30th ; but we had occasional glimpses 
of the low lands, from which we were never farther than four leagues 
distant. Bv our reckoning we were five or six leagues east of the bay to 
which captain Cook gave the name of Behring. Our soundings were 
never less than sixty or seventy fathoms, muddy bottom. At noon our 
latitude by observation was 58° 55\ and our longitude 141° 48' by the 
time-keepers. There being a light wind from the west-south-west, I 
stood towards the land with all sails set, and got sight of a bay to the 
eastward, which appeared to be very deep, and which at first I thought to 
be Behring's Bay. Approaching within a league and a half of it, I di- 
stinctly perceived that the low lands, as in Bale de Monti, joined higher 
land, and that there was no bay : but the sea was whitish and very little 

* Cook says, that Mount Elias lies twelve leagues within land, in latitude 60» 2.7', longitude 219^, 
pst from Greenwich. Third Voyage, Vol. III. (French Editor.) 



19' 



1 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

salt, so that we were evidently at the mouth of a river, which was un- 
doubtedly very large, as it changed the colour and taste of the sea two 
leagues in the offing. Accordingly I made the signal to come to an an- 
chor in thirty fathoms, muddy bottom, and I dispatched my barge, under 
the command of M' de Clonard, my first lieutenant, accompanied by M"'""' 
Monneron and Bernizet. M' de Langle had sent his barge also, and his pin- 
nace, with M"""' Marchainville and Daigremont. These officers returned at 
noon. They had run along the shore as near as the breakers would allow, and 
had discovered a sand-bank, just level with the water, at the mouth of a 
great river, which discharged it's waters into the sea by two pretty large 
channels 3 but each of these had a bar, similar to that of the river of 
Bayonne, on which the sea broke with such violence, that it was impos- 
sible for our boats to get near. M' de Clonard spent five or six hours to 
no purpose in search of an entrance ; but he saw smoke, a proof that the 
country is inhabited. From the ship we perceived the water very smooth 
beyond the bank, and a basin several leagues wide, and two leagues deep ; 
so that when the sea is smooth it may be presumed ships, or at least boats, 
may enter the gulph : but as the current is very strong, and the roughness 
of the sea on the bars scarcely suffers a moment's intermission, a simple 
view of the place is sufficient to deter a seaman from entering it- 
On seeing this bay, .1 thought it might possibly be that where Behring 
landed ; and if so the loss of his boat's crew might with more probability 
be ascribed to the turbulence of the waves than to the savageness of the In- 
dians *, To this stream I preserved the name of Behring's river j and it 
appears to me, that the bay of this name does not exist, captain Cook ra- 
ther supposing than perceiving it, as he paffed it at ten or twelve leagues 
distance -f. 

* Here there is a double mistake : first, It was captain Tfcherikow, not captain Behring, v,'ho 
lost his boats ; fecondly, tills misfortune happened in the latitude of 56°, as Mailer relates in his 
Account of the Voyages and Difcoveries of the Ruffians. See p. 243 of the French translation of his 
work. (French Editor.) 



1786. 
June. 




^ t^The place which la P6roufe here calls Behring's river is unquestionably the same with the Beh- 
ring's bay of Cook. It remains to be decided, whether the change of colour and freshness of the sea 
be fufficient to ascertain, that the inlet is a river 5 whether the freshness may not proceed from the 



64 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

178(3. On the first of July, at noon, I weighed with a slight breeze from the 
J"'^ south-west, running along the coast at the distance of two or three leagues. 
Our observation at our anchorage gave us 59° Y of north latitude ; and 
our timekeeper, 141° \ Y of west longitude. The entrance of the river 
then bore north 17° east, and Cape Fair- Weather, east 5° south. Alight 
breeze from the west carried us along the shore near enough to have dis- 
cerned men with our glasses, if any had been on it ^ but we saw only 
breakers, which appeared to render landing impracticable. 



^. On the 2d, at noon, I set Mount Fair- Weather, bearing north 6° east 
by the compass j our latitude by observation being 58° 36' ; our longitude 
by the timekeepers, 140° 3 1'; and our distance from land two leagues. At 
two in the afternoon we perceived an inlet, a little to the eastward of Cape 
Fair- Weather, which appeared to be a very fine bay, and I steered my 
course towards it. At the distance of a league I sent the jolly-boat, un- 

quanfity of enormous masses of ice continually falling from the summit of the mountains, and the 
colour, from the earth of the shore on which the sea breaks with so much fury. 

Whether river or bay, perhaps indeed both (for bays being formed by mountains advancing into 
the sea, the probability is, that there is a river or torrent at the head), the following are proofs of 
the identity of the places. 

Cook determines the latitude of the mouth of the bay to be 50f 18'; la Perousc, being to the 
west of it, makes it 59° 20', 

Cook's longitude, on board his ship, was 220° ip' east of Greenwich, or 139^ 4l' west; to which 
a° 20', the difference between the meridians of Greenwich and Paris, being added, we lhall have 
Cook's longitude 142° l' west of Paris ; and la Perouse fixes his longitude at 142° 2', which makes a 
difference of only one minute, with the addition of the two leagues, which Cook was farther from 
the coast. 

Cook set the opening of the bay north 47° east : la Peroufe, who was two leagues nearer the shore, 
north 33° east. 

Cook, at eight leagues from the land, had feventy fathoms of water, muddy bottom : la Perouse, 
-■ ' five or six leagues from the shore, had the same bottom, and confequently sixty or seventy fathoms 
' of water. 

If I had not carried my proofs to the point of conviction, I would entreat the reader himfelf to 
mark on the chart Cook's situation on the 6th of May, 17f 8 ; and that of la Perousc on the 29th of 
June, 1736, and to follow their course pointed out in their journals, paying attention to the varia- 
tion of the compass, as ascertained by the two navigators. (French Editor.) 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



36» 



der the command of de Pierrevert, with M' Bernizet, to reconnoitre 
it. Two boats, commanded by M"^''" de Flassan and Boutervilliers, were 
sent from the Astrolabe for the same purpose. From the vessel we per- 
ceived a large mole of rocks, behind which the sea was very smooth. This 
mole appeared to be six or eight hundred yards long from east to west, and. 
ended about two cables lengths from the point of the main land, leaving 
a pretty wide opening ; so that nature seemed to have constructed in the 
remotest part of America a harbour resembling that of Toulon, but on a 
gigantic '3ca!e, adapted to her ampler powers. This new harbour extended 
three or four leagues into the land. M'"" de Flassan and Boutervilliers 
made a highly favourable report of it : they had gone in and out of it 
several times ; constantly found seven or eight fathoms of water in the 
middle of the passage, and five fathoms within forty yards, or thereabout^ 
of either extremity and added, that within the bay there were ten or twelve 
fathoms, with a good bottom. Their report determined me to steer for 
the passage. Our boats were sent a-head to sound, with orders, when 
we came near the points, to lie on their oars, one at each extremity, so? 
that the ships would have nothing to do but pass between them. 

We soon perceived some savages, who made signs of friendship, by 
displaying and waving white mantles, and different skins. Several of the 
canoes of these Indians were fishing in the bay, where the water was as 
smooth as in a basin, while the mole was covered with foam by the, 
breakers ; but the sea was very calm beyond the passage, a fresh proof to- 
us that there was a considerable depth of water.. 

At seven in the evening we were off the entrance; but the wind was 
faint, and the ebb so strong, that it was impossible to stem it. The 
Astrolabe was drifted out pretty fast, and I was obliged to anchor, that I 
might not be carried away by the current, with the direction of which 1 
was unacquainted. As soon, however, as I was certain that^it ran directly 
to the offing, I weighed and rejoined the Astrolabe, far from determined: 
what steps I should take the next day. The very rapid current, of which. 
Qur officers had made no mention, abated my eagerness to put into thim 



1786'. 
July, 



imt 



I 



Htf«l 



^66 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1786, liartour ; for I was by no means ignorant of the great difficulties that al- 
ways attend the entering or sailing out of narrow passages, - where the 
tides are very strong ; and as I was under the necessity of exploring the 
coasts of America during the summer season, I was sensible that a forced 
stay in a harbour, the departure from which required a combination of fa- 
vourable circumstances, would be considerably detrimental to the success 
of my expedition. I stood off and on, however, the whole night and 
in the morning I hailed de Langle, and imparted to him my sentiments. 
Still the report of both his officers was very favourable; they had sounded 
the passage, and the interior of the bay ; they declared, that they had 
several times stemmed the current, which appeared to us so strong, with 
their boat ; so that M-^ de Langle thought this harbour would be extremely 
convenient for us ; and his reasons appeared to me so good, that I hesi- 
tated not to yield to them. 

This port was never seen by any navigator. It is thirty-three leagues 
north-west of that of Los Remedios, the extreme boundary of the Spanish 
voyages ; about two hundred and twenty-four leagues from Nootka; and a 
hundred leagues from Prince William's Sound : so that it appears to me, if 
the French government entertained any project of establishing a factory on 
this part of the coast of America, no nation could have the least pretext for 
opposing it*. The calmness of the interior of the bay was very seducing 

* Since la P^rouse explored the north-western coast of America from Mount S' Elias to Monterey, two 
English navigators have nearly followed tire same track, but both with commercial views alone. 

Dixon, who sailed from England in the Queen Charlotte, accompanied with captain Portlock in 
the King George, in September, 1785, anchored at Owhyhee, one of the Sandwich islands, on the 
26th of May, 1786 La Perouse passed by Owhyhee on the 28th of the same month, anchored at 
Mowee the next day, and sailed again the 30th. He made Mount S= Elias on the 23d of June, 1786-5 
while Dixon, who left Owhyhee the 13th of June, having directed his course toward Cook's River, 
did not reach the north western coast of America till the 8th of September. He ran along k from 
Cross Sound to Nootka Sound , without being able to come to an anchor any where. He k.t it on the 
28th of the same month to return to the Sandwich Islands ; and it was not till the 23d of May in the 
year following, that he made Mount S Elias, and anchored in Port Mulgrave. The priority of la Pe- 
rouse, therefore, is incontestable. 

Before Dixon sailed from London, he was acquainted with the expedition fitted out from France, 
|*ut. ke did .not meet with the French vessels, and could have no knowledge of their discoveries. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



to us, who were under an absolute necessity of rummaging our hold, and 
almost entirely changing the stowage of it, in order to get out six of our 
guns, which were stowed in the bottom, and without which it would have 
been imprudent to navigate the Chinese seas*, so frequently infested by 
pirates. I gave this place the name of Fori da Fram^ais. 

At six in the morning we stood for the passage, to enter it with the end 
of the flood. The Astrolabe led, and v/e stationed a boat at each point as 
the preceding evening. The winds blew from the v/e^.t and west- south- 
west; the direction of the entrance is north and south; so that every thing 
appeared in our favour : but at seven o'clock, when we were in the pas- 
sage, the wind chopped about to the west-north-west and north-west by 
west, so that it was necessary to throw the ship up in the wind and lay all 
aback. Fortunately the flood carried the ships into the bay, though it 
drove us within half a pistol-shot of the rocks on the eastern point. I came 
to an anchor within, in three fathoms and half, rocky ground, at half a 
cable's length from the shore. The Astrolabe anchored in the like depth 
of water, on a similar bottom. i 

During the thirty years that I have followed the sea I never saw two 
vessels so near being lost; and to have experienced such an event at the 
verge of the world would have enhanced our misfortune : but we had now 
escaped this danger. Our long-boats were quickly hoisted out, and with 
our kedge anchors we warped off; so that we were in six fathoms of water, 
before the tide had fallen perceptibly. Our keel touched the bottom a few 
times, it is true, but so slightly as to do the vessel no injury. Our situ- 
ation would have been no longer embarrassing, had we not been anchored 
on a rocky ground, which extended several cables length around us, very 
different from the report of M«^"= de Flassan and Boutervilliers. This was 

Captain Mear.es, of the Snow Nootka, left Bengal in March, 1786 ; touched at Oonalashka in Au- 
and at the end of September reached Prince William's Sound, where he wintered. It was not 
tm 1788 and 1789 that he ran along the coast of America. His voyage is not yet translated into 
French. _ (French Editor.) . j o j 

* We were to reach China by the beginning of February. 



355 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1786. not a time, however, for reflections ; it was necessary to extricate ourselves 
J"^^' from this bad anchorage, and the rapidity of the tide was a great obstacle to 
this, the violence of it obliging me to let go a bower anchor. I momen-. 
tarily apprehended, that the cable would be cut, and we should drive on 
shore. To add to our anxiety, the wind from the west-north-west fresh- 
ened greatly ; the stern swung very near the rocks ; and it was impossible 
to think of warping off. Accordingly I struck the top-gallant-masts, and ' 
■awaited the end of the gale, from which we should have had nothing to fear, 
had we been anchored on a better ground. 

Without delay I sent a boaf.to sound the bay. Boutin reported, that 
he had found an excellent bed of sand, within four cables length of our 
anchorage to the west, where we should have ten fathoms of water ; but 
higher up the bay, towards the north, there was no bottom at sixty fathoms, 
except within half a cable's length of the shore, where there were thirty 
fathoms, muddy bottom. He told me, likewise, that the north-west wind 
did not reach the interior of the harbour, where there was a perfect calm. 

d'Escures had been dispatched at the same time to examine the head 
of the bay, of which he brought me a very favourable account. " He had 
made the circuit of an island, near which we might anchor in five-and- 
twenty fathoms, muddy bottom. No place could be more convenient for 
our observatory : wood ready cut lay scattered over the shore ; and cascades 
of the clearest water fell from the summits of the mountains down to the 
sea. He had proceeded two leagues beyond the island to the head of the 
bay, which was covered with flakes of ice. He saw the entrance of two 
vast channels, but, being eager to return with an account of what he had 
done, had not explored them." From this report our imaginations pic- 
tured to us the possibility of penetrating into the interior of America by one 
of those channels. The wind having subsided at four in the afternoon, we 
warped to the bed of sand found by Boutin; and the Astrolabe was able 
to get under way, and gain the anchorage of the island. The next day I 
joined her, by the help of a light breeze at east-south-east, and the assistance 
of our boats. ' 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 369 

■During our forced stay at the entrance of the bay, we had been continu- 1786. 
ally surrounded with the canoes of the savages, who offered us fish, skins of J^'^' 
otters and other animals, and different littk articles of their dress, in ex- 
change for our iron. To our great surprise they appeared well accustomed 
to traffic, and bargained with as much skill as any tradesman of Europe. Of 
all our articles of trade, they appeared to have no great desire for any thing 
but iron: they -accepted indeed a few beads; but these served rather to 
conclude a bargain, than to form the basis of it. We at length prevailed on 
them to take pev/ter pots and plates : yet these had only a transient success, 
iron prevailing over every thing. They were not unacquainted with this 
, metal. Every one had a dagger of it suspended from the neck, not unlike 
the criss of the Malays, except that the handle was different, being nothin^*^ 
more than an elongation of the blade, rounded, and without any edge. 
This weapon had a sheath of tanned leather, and appeared to be their most 
valued moveable. As we examined these daggers very attentively, they 
informed us by signs, that they made use .of them only against the bears and 
other wild beasts. Some were .of copper, but they did not appear to give 
a preference to these. This metal is pretty common among them: they 
use it chiefly for collars, bracelets, and various other ornaments; and they 
also poiat their arrows with it 

It was a matter of great question with us whence they procured these 
two metals. There was no improbability in supposing this part of Ame- 
rica to contain native copper, which the Indians might reduce into sheets 
or ingots: but native iron perhaps does not exist, or at-least is so rare, that 
it has never been seen by the majority of mineralogists* . It cannot be ad- - 

* Though native or virgin iron is rare, it is found in Sweden, Germany, Senegal, Siberia, and the 
Island of Elba. I have found it at Erbalonga, a village fom- or five miles north of Bastia, the capita^ 
of Corsica, profusely dispersed through the substance of a rock on the border of the sea, and constantly 
m an octaedral form. The existence of native iron is confirmed by the specimens extant in most ca-- 
bmets of natural history, and by the opinion of Stahl, Linnseus, Margraff, and others. 

Therefore, as iron mines exist in America, native iron also inay be found there : not that I would 
hence infer, that the iron seen by la Perouse in possession of these Indians came from this source • for 
I thmk with Cook, that they must have had it from the Russians, who, departing from Kamtscha'tka. 
have extended their commerce thus far; or by means of their intercourse witli the inland tribes; who 
j)rocure it from our settlements on the north-east coast of America. (French Editor.) 

yoL. J. 3 g 



< 



370 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1786. mitted, that these people are acquainted with the method of reducing iron 
• ore to the state of metal. Beside, the day of our arrival we saw necklaces 

of beads, and some Httle articles of brass, v/hich, as is well known, is a com- 
position of copper and zinc*. Every thing, therefore, leads us to presume, 
that the metals we saw came either from the Russians, from the servants of 
the Hudson's Bay company, from American merchants travelling into the 
interior parts of the country, or from the Spaniards : but I shall hereafter 
show that it most probably came from the Russians. We brought away 
many specimens of this iron, which is as soft and easy to cut as leadf ; per- - 
haps mineralogists may be able to point out the country and mine that pro- 
duce it. 

Gold is not an object of more eager desire in Europe, than iron in this 
part of America, which is another proof of it's scarcity. Every man, it is 
true, has a little in his possession; but they are so covetous of it, that they 
leave no means untried to obtain it. On the day of our arrival, v/e were 
' visited by the chief of the principal village. Before he came on board, he 
appeared to address a prayer to the sun. He then made a long harangue, 
vv^hich was concluded by a kind of song, by no means disagreeable, and 
greatly resembling the plain chaunt of our churches. The Indians in his 
canoe accompanied him, repeating the same air in chords. After this cere- 
monv, they almost all came on board, and danced for an hour to the music 
of their own voices, in which they are very exact. I gave the chief seve- 
ral presents, which made him so very troublesome, that he daily spent five 
or six hours on board; and I was obliged to repeat them very frequently, or 
he would go away discontented, and with an air of threat, which however 
was not very formidable. 

* Copper fused with pure zinc makes pinchbeck or sirnilor ; it must be fused with calamine to ob- 
tain brr.ss. 

Calamine unquestionably contains zinc:, but it also contains earth, sand, martial ochre, and often 
galena. That which has little or no zinc is unfit for making brass. 

The semimetal zinc, when impure, may likewise be united with pyrites, lead, blende, and a very 
hard earthy substance. 

Thus it appears, that very different metals will be obtained by fusing copper with pure zinc, and 
with calamine. (French Editor.) 

-f- This property indicates it to be native or virgin iron. (French Editor.) 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 371 

As soon as we had taken our station behind the island, almost all the .178^. 
savages of the bay repaired thither. The report of our arrival soon spread J^^^' 
through the environs ; and several canoes arrived laden with a considerable 
quantity of otter skins, which the Indians bartered for hatchets, adzes, and 
bar iron. At first they gave us salmon in exchange for pieces of old hoops j 
but they soon became more difficult, and would not part with this fish un- 
less for nails, or small implements of iron. I believe the sea-otter is no 
where more common than in this part of America ; and I should not be 
surprised, if a factory, extending it's trade only forty or fifty leagues along 
the coast, were to collect annually ten thousand skins. Rollin, the 
surgeon of my ship, skinned, dissected, and stuffed the only otter we were 
able to procure : but unfortunately it was not above four or five months 
' old, and weighed only eight pounds and half. The Astrolabe caught one, 
which had no doubt escaped from the savages, as it was severely wounded. 
It appeared to be at the full growth, and weighed at least seventy pounds. 
M'- de Langle had it flayed to be stuffed ; but as it was at the time of our 
critical situation on entering the bay, it was not executed with care, and 
we could preserve neither the head nor the jaw. 

The sea-otter is an amphibious animal, better known for the beauty of 
it's skin, than by any accurate description. The Indians of Port des Fran- 
fais call it skecter ; the Russians give it the name of colry-morsky^ , and 
distinguish the female by the name of maska. Some naturalists speak of it 
under the name saricovienne ; but the description given of the saHco- 
vie?me by de Buffon is no way suitable to the sea-otter, which resembles 
neither the otter of Canada, nor that of Europe, 

As soon as we an ived at our second anchorage, we erected our observa- 
.tory on the island, which was not above a musket^-shot from our ships, and 
formed an establishment there for the time of our stay in port. We 
pitched tents for our sail-makers and smiths, and made a store for our wa- 

-,.o!h^''''1'"^^!° ^r^' ^'^'-^ "^""^^^ '"^-^^^^'"-J the female, viaila ; the young ones under five 
months, medviedki; &c, .(French Editor.) . 



572 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1786. ter-casks, which we completely refitted. As all the Indian villages were 
on the main-land, we flattered ourselves,, that we should be in security on. 
the island, but we were soon convinced of our mistake. Experience had 
already taught us, that tlie Indians were great thieves ; but we did not su- 
spect them of sufficient activity and perseverance, to carry into execution 
difficult and tedious schemes. In a short time we learned to know them 
better. They spent, the night in watching for favourable opportunities to 
rob us : but we kept a strict watch on board our vessels, and they were sel- 
dom able to get the better of our vigilance. I had established also the 
Spartan law the person robbed was punished ; and if the thief received no 
applause, at least we reclaimed nothing, to, avoid all occasion., of quarrel, 
which might have led. to fatal consequences. That this extreme mildness 
rendered them insolent I will not disavow : but I endeavoured to convince 
them of the superiority of our arms ; for which purpose I fired a can- 
non, to show them, that I could reack them at a. distance,, and pierced 
with a musket-ball, in presence, of a great number of Indians, several 
doubles of a cuirass they had sold us, after they had informed us by signs 
that it was impenetrable to arrows or poignards. Our fowlers, too, who 
were good marksmen, killed birds over their heads. I am well assured, 
that they never thought of inspiring us with fear ; but their conduct 
convinced me, that tliey believed our forbearance inexhaustible. In a 
very little time they obliged me to remove the establishment on the island. 
They landed upon it in the night, on the side next the offing ; crossed a 
very thick wood,, which it was impossible for us to penetrate in the day ; 
and creeping on their bellies like snakes, almost without stirring a leaf, 
they contrived to steal some of our effects, in spite of our seatries. They 
had even the address to enter by night into the tent where de Lau- 
riston and Darbaud, who were on guard at the observatory, slept ; and took 
away a silver-mounted musket,, and the clothes of the two officers, which 
they had taken the precaution to place under their pillow, without being 
perceived by a guard of twelve men, or even awaking the officers. This 
theft would have given us little uneasiness, but for the loss of the original 
paper, containing all our astronomical observations since our arrival at Port 
des Fran^ais. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



These circumstances were no impediment to our taking in wood and 
water. All our officers were continually on duty with the boats, at the 
head of the different working parties, which we were obliged to send 
ashore. Their presence, and the order they maintained, were checks upon 
the savages. 

While we were mak.ing speedy, preparations for our departure, M*"""' 
de Monneron and Bernizet went in a boat, well armed, to take the plan of 
the bay. I could not send with them- any naval officers, because they 
were all employed ; but I liad re-solved, that the latter should verify the 
bearings of all the points, and Jay down the soundings, before our depar- 
ture. We intended afterwcurds to bestow one whole day in hunting bears,^ 
of which we had seen traces in the mountains, and then to depart as soon 
as. possible, the advance of the season not allowing us longer delay. 

We had already visited the head of the bay, which is perhaps the most 
extraordinary place in the world. To form an idea of it, it is necessary to 
conceive a basin of water, unfathomable in the middle, bordered by peaked 
mountains, of great height, covered with snow, and without one blade of 
grass to decorate this vast heap of rocks, condemned by nature to eternal 
sterility. I never beheld the surface of the water ruffled by a single breath 
of v/ind. Nothing disturbs it but the fall of enormous masses of ice,, 
which frequently separate from five different glaciers, while the sound is 
re-echoed by the distant mountains. The air is so calm, and the silenpe 
so profound, that the single voice of a man may be heard half a league, as 
may the cries of a few sea-fowl, which deposit their eggs in the hollows 
of the rocks. It was at the head of this bay, that we hoped to find chan- 
nels, by which we might penetrate into the interior of America. We 
conjectured it might lead to some large river, taking it's course between 
two of the mountains, and originating from one of the great lakes north 
of Canada. Such was our chimerical notion, and this was it's result. We 
set off in the two barges of the Boussole and Astrolabe. M"'*" de Monti, 
de Marchainville, de Boutervilliers, and father Receveur, accompanied M' 
de Langlei and M"='= Dageiet, Boutin, Saint Xeran, Duche, and Prevost, 



374 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

178^. were with me. V/e entered the channel on the west. Prudence required 
J"^^' us to keep at a distance from the shore, on account of the falHng ice and 
stones. At length, after having rowed a league and half only, we found 
the channel terminated at two vast glaciers. We were obliged to push 
away the flakes of ice with which the sea was covered, to penetrate thus 
far i and the water was so deep, that I could find no bottom at half a 
cable's length from the shore with a line of a hundred and twenty fathoms, 
jyjessrs Langle, de Monti, and Dagelet, with several other officers, at- 
tempted to ascend the glacier. With unspeakable fatigue they advanced 
two leagues, being obliged at extreme risk to leap over clefts of great 
depth j but they could only perceive one continued mass of ice and snow, 
of which the summit of Mount Fairweather must have been the termi- 
nation. 

While they were on this expedition, my boat remained on the shore. A 
fragment of ice, which fell into the water near "half a mile off, occasioned 
such a swell along the shore, that my boat was upset, and thrown to some 
distance on the border of the glacier. This accident was soon repaired, 
and we returned on board, having finished our voyage into the interior of 
America in a few, hours. I had sent M' de Monneron and M' Bernizet to 
explore the eastern channel j which terminated, like this, at two glaciers. 
Both these channels were surveyed, and laid down in the plan of the bay. 
{Charts and Platen, A"° 19.) 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 



C H A P T E R VIII. 



Continuation of our Stay at Tort des Fran^ais — At the Moment of our De^ 
parture we experience a dreadful Misfortune—Concise Account of the Far- 
tKulars of this Event — We return to our first Anchorage — Departure. 

THE day after this excursion, the chief came on board better attended, 1786» 
and more ornamented, than usual. After many songs and dances, he offered J"^^'" 
to sell me the island, on which our observatory was erected ; tacitly reserv- 
ing, no doubt, to himself and the other Indians, the right of robbing us 
upon it. It was more than questionable, whether this chief were pro- 
prietor of a single foot of land : the government of these people is of such 
a nature, that 'the country must belong to the whole society ; yet,-as many 
of the savages were witnesses to the bargain, I had a right to suppose that ' 
it was sanctioned by their assent ; and accordingly I accepted the offer of ^ 
the chief, sufficiently aware, however, that many tribunals would find a 
flaw in the contract, if ever the nation should think proper to litigate our 
title, for we could bring no proof, that the witnesses were it's representa- 
tives, or the chief the actual proprietor of the soil. Be this as it might, 
I gave him several yards of red cloth, hatchets, adzes, bar iron, and nails' 
and made presents to all his attendants. The bargain being thus concluded,' 
and the purchase money paid, I sent to take possession of the island with 
the usual formalities, and buried at the foot of a rock several bronze me- 
dals, which had been struck before our departure from France, with a 
bottle containing an inscription recording our claim. 

The grand work, however, for which we had put into port was accom»= 
plished. Our guns were mounted, our hold was restowed, and we had 
taken on board as ample a stock of wood and water as at our departure 
from Chili. Not a port in the universe could afibrd more conveniencies 



376 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1785. for accelerating a business often tedious in other countries. Cascades, as I 
J"^^" have already said, falling from the summits of the mountains, poured the 
most hmpid water into the casks as they stood in the long-boat: wood, 
ready felled, lay scattered over a shqre, skirted by a sea perfectly smooth. 
The plan of M"''^ Monneron and Bernizet was finished, as well as the 
measure of a base taken by M'^ Blondelas, which had served de Langle 
M'-Dagelet, and most of the officers, to measure the height of the moun- 
tains trigonometrically. We had only to regret the loss of Dagelet's 
paper of observations, and this misfortune was rendered trifling by the diffe- 
rent memorandums which had been found. In short we considered our- 
selves as the most fortunate of navigators, in having arrived at such a 
distance from Europe without having had a single person sick, and with- 
out an individual of either crew being attacked with the scurvy. 

But here the greatest of misfortunes, and most impossible to be fore- 
seen, awaited us. It is with the most pungent sorrow I proceed to give 
the history of a disaster a thousmd times more cruel than disease, and all 
the other events incident to long voyages. But I submit to the severe 
duty I have imposed upon myself of writing this account j and I am not 
ashamed to avow, that my sorrow for the event has a hundred times since 
moistened my cheeks with tears ; that time has not effaced my grief and 
that every object, every moment, recalls to my remembrance our loss, at a 
time when we had so little reason to apprehend such a disaster. 

I have already observed, that the soundings were to be placed on M^"" 
de Monneron and Bernizet's plan by some of the naval officers. In con- 
sequence the Astrolabe's pinnace, under the command of M"" de Marx:hain^ 
ville, was ordered for the next day, and I directed mine to be ready, as well 
as the jolly-boat, the command of which I gave to Boutin. d'Es- 
cures, my first lieutenant, a knight of Lewis, went in the Boussole's 
pinnace, and had the command of the expedition. As his zeal had appeared 
sometimes a little too ardent, I thought proper to give him instructions in 
writing. The particulars into which I entered respecting the prudence Ire- 
quired appeared to him so minute, that he asked me whether I took him for a 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



child, adding, that he had had the command of vessels before now. I ex- 
plained to him the motives of my orders in a friendly manner : I told him, 
that M'^ de Langle and I had sounded the passage of the bay two days be- 
fore, and that I found the officer commanding the other boat with us had 
passed too near the point, and even touched upon it : I added, that young 
officers thought it a feather in their cap, to mount the parapets of the 
trenches during a siege, and the same spirit led them in boats to brave 
rocks and breakers ; but such inconsiderate boldness might be attended 
with the most fatal consequences in an expedition like ours, where such 
dangers were continually recurring. After this conversation I delivered to 
him the following instructions, which I read to Boutin, and which 
will best explain the mission of M-" d'Escures, as well as the precautions I 
took. 

Written Instructions given to ilf d'Escures by M>- de la Pe'rouse. 

" Before I enter on the purpose of the expedition on which M^d'Es- 
cures is sent, I must inform him, that he is expressly ordered, not to ex- 
pose the boats to any danger, and not to -approach the passage if there be 
any breakers. He will set off at six in the morning, with two other boats 
commanded by M^=^" de Marchainville and Boutin, and he will sound the 
bay from the passage to the Httle cove to the eastward of the two paps. 
He will lay down the soundings on the plan I have delivered to him, or 
he will sketch one from which they may be laid down. If there be no 
breakers in the passage, but merely a swell, as the business is not urgent, 
he will defer sounding it till some other day, recollecting, that nothing of 
this kind can be done well, unless it be done with ease. It is probable, 
that the best time for approaching the passage will be at still water, about 
half after eight. If circumstances should then be favourable, he will en- 
deavour to measure it's width with a logline, and will place the three boats 
parallel to each other, sounding in the direction of the width, or from 
east to west. He will then sound from north to south : but it is scarcely 

. VOL. I, 3 c 



378 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1786. probable that he can take this second sounding the same tide, as the current 
July. will have grown too strong. 

« While waiting for the time of still water, or if the sea should prove- 
rough, d'Escures will sound the interior of the bay, particularly the 
cove behind the paps, where I am inclined to think there must be very good; 
anchorage. He will also endeavour to fix on the plan the limits of the 
rocky ground, and of the sand, that the good ground may be known. I 
conceive that when the channel on the south of the island is open witb 
the point of the paps, there is a good sandy bottom: d'Escures wdl, 
examine whether my opinion be well founded ; but I again repeat, that I 
must beg him not to deviate from the strictest prudence..'^ 

After instructions Kke these, could I entertain any apprehension ? The^ 
were given to a man of thirty-three, who had commanded ships of war: horn 
many reasons therefore had I for security ! 

Our boats set off according to my directions at six in the morning. It 
was as much a party of pleasure,.as of utility and information. The gen- 
tlemen were to shoot, and breakfast under the trees-. With d'Escures, 
I sent de Pierrevert, and M' de Montarnal, the only relation I had in 
the navy, and for whom I bore as much- affection, as if he had. been my 
son. Never had a young officer given me greater hopes, and de Pierre- 
vert had already acquired what I speedily expected from de MontarnaL 

The seven best marines on board composed the boat's crew, and my 
chief pilot accompanied them to heave the lead. Boutin had under 
him in the jolly-boat Mouton, lieutenant, of a frigate. I knew that the 
Astrolabe's boat was commanded by de Marchainville, but I was not 
informed whether there were any other officers in it. 

At ten in the morning I saw our jolly-boat returning. A little sur- 
pfised, as I did not expect it so soon, I asked Boutin, before he got oa 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



board, if any thing had happened ; apprehending at the moment some at- 
tack from the savages. The appearance of M"' Boutin was by no means 
calculated to allay my fears. His countenance displayed the most lively 
sorrow. He quickly informed me of the dreadful loss he had witnessed i 
and in which he must himself have been involved, had not his firmness of 
-mind enabled him to perceive the resources that were left in such extreme 
peril. Drawn, by following his commanding officer, into the midst of the 
breakers, which set into the passage, while the sea ran out at the rate of 
ten or twelve knots an hour, it occurred to him, to present the stern of the 
boat to the surge, so that yielding to the wave it might not fill, while it 
would be drifted out stern foremost by the tide. He soon perceived that 
he had left the breakers a-head, and found himself in the open sea. More 
intent on fhe safety of others than of himself, he rowed along the edge of 
the breakers, in hopes of saving some of his unfortunate comrades, and he 
even returned into them again, but was driven back by the tide. At 
length he got upon the shoulders of M' de Mouton, that he might com- 
mand a more extensive view : but in vain, all was swallowed up — —-and 
Boutin re-entered the bay at still water. The sea having become 
smooth, he had entertained some hope of the Astrolabe's pinnace, as he 
had only seen ours go down. M"" de Marchainville was at that time 
a full quarter of a league from the place of danger, being in as smooth 
water as in the closest harbour : but this young officer, prompted by a 
generosity, imprudent no doubt, as, under such circumstances any as- 
sistance was impossible, and possessing too much courage and magnanimity 
to make this reflection when his friends were in such extreme danger, 
flew to their assistance, rushed into the same breakers, and perished 
with his commander, the victim of his generosity, and of the peremp- 
tory disobedience of that officer's orders. 

M' de Langle soon came on board my ship, not less overwhelmed with 
grief than myself, and informed me with tears, that the misfortune v/as far 
greater than I had supposed. Since our departure from France, he had 
made it an inviolable law to himself, never to send the two brothers, M"'" 
la Borde Marchainville and la Borde Boutervilliers, on the same party ; 



380 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1786. and on this occasion he had yielded for the first time to their wish to take 
a walk and shoot together, as indeed we both considered this expedition 
as little more than a party of pleasure, in which the boats would be no 
more exposed to danger than in Brest Road in fine weather. 

Some canoes of the savages came now to inform us of the fatal accident. 
These rude unpolished men expressed by signs, that they had seen 
both our boats sink, and that to render them assistance was utterly im- 
* possible. We loaded them with presents; and endeavoured to make 
them understand, that all our wealth would not have been too ample a. 
compensation for him who had saved a single man. 

Nothing could be mOre powerful in awakening their humanity. They 
hastened to the sea-shore, and spread themselves over both sides of the 
bay. I had already sent M"- de Clonard with the long-boat to the east^ 
ward, where, if any individual had been so fortunate as, contrary to all 
probability, to save him.self, it was likely he would land. de Langle 
went to the west, that no place might remain unvisited; and I re- 
mained on board to take care of the two vessels, with- a sufficient number 
of men to have nothing to fear from the savages, against whom prudence 
required us to be constantly on our guard. Almost all the officers, and 
several other persons, accompanied M="" de Langle and Clonard. They 
proceeded three leagues along the sea-shore, but they saw not the least 
fragment of the wreck. Still I had retained a gleam of hope. The mind 
does not easily pass at once from a state of satisfaction to profound grie£ 
But the return of our boats dissipated the illusion, and reduced me to a 
state of sorrow, which words can but feebly express. I will here give 
the narrative of Boutin, who was the friend of M' d'Escures, and for^ 
gotj like me, this officer's imprudence^ 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, ' 381 



Narrative of M*" Boutin. 



" On the 1 3th of July, ten minutes before six in the morning, I set 
off from the Boussole in the jolly-boat, with orders to attend M' d'Es- 
cures, who had the command of our pinnace ; and M' de Marchainville 
was to join us with the pinnace of the Astrolabe. The instructions given 
to d'Escures in writing, by M' de la Perouse, which had been read to 
me, directed him to employ the three boats in sounding the bay; to place 
the soundings, according to the bearings, on the plan given him ; and to 
sound the passage,, if the water were smooth, and measure it's width : but 
he was expressly charged, not to expose the boats under his command to 
the least danger, and not to approach the passage, if there were the least 
appearance of breakers, or even swell. When we had doubled the western 
point of the island, near which we were anchored, I perceived the passage 
covered with breakers from one side to the other, and that it was impos- 
sible for us to approach it. d'Escures was then a-head, lying on his 
oars, apparently waiting for me j but when I was within musket-shot of 
him, he rowed on ; this he several times repeated ; but his boat rowing 
faster than mine, I found myself unable to join him. At a quarter after 
seven, having, constantly steered for the passage, we were within two 
cables length of it, when the pinnace put about, and I followed in her 
wake. We were then standing towards the bay, leaving the passage 
astern of us. Our pinnace was a-head of my boat within hail, and that 
of the Astrolabe a quarter of a league off within the bay. d'Es^ 
cures then hailed me gaily: ' I believe we can do nothing better than go 
to breakfast, for the sea breaks terribly in the passage.' I answered : ' I 
think, so too; and I fancy we must content ourselves with fixing the limits 
of the sandy bay on the larboard of the entrance.' M"' de Pierrevert, 
who was with d'Escures, was going to reply to me, but his eyes being 
tm-ned towards the east, he saw that, we were drifting by the ebb. I . too 



1786. 

July, 



38^ 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1786. perceived it, and we instantly pulled away with all our might to the north,^ 
J»^y- to get at a distance from the passage, from which we were still at least 
two hundred yards. I was not apprehensive of the least danger, since, if 
we could get only forty, yards either to the starboard or larboard side, we 
should at any time have it in our power to run the boats ashore. After 
having exerted ourselves at our oars for more than a minute, without being 
able to stem the tide, I endeavoured in vain to gain the east side ; and 
our pinnace, which was a-head, as vainly attempted to gain the west. We 
were obliged therefore to lay our heads to the north, that we might not 
fall broadside to the breakers. The beginning of the surge now appeared 
at a very little distance from my boat. I thought it advisable, therefore, 
. to let go the grapnel, but it would not hold : fortunately it was not made 
fast to the thwart, and so ran clear out, thus freeing us from a weight 
which might have been fatal to us. In an instant I was in the midst of 
the heaviest waves, which almost filled the boat ; yet she did not go down, 
and still answered the helm, so that I was able to keep her stem to the 
surge, which gave me great hope of escaping the danger. 

- While I was letting go the grapnel, the pinnace increased her di- 
stance from me, and did not get into the breakers till some minutes after 
me. I had lost sight of her when the sea first broke into my boat : but 
at one of those moments when I was at the top of a wave, I saw her on 
her broadside sixty or eighty yards a-head, but could perceive neither men 
nor oars. My sole hope had rested on her stemming the current ; for 1 
was too certain that she would be lost if she were carried away by itj 
since, to escape, required a boat that would swim when full of water, 
and answer her helm in that situation, to prevent her from overset- 
ting, qualities of which neither, unfortunately, was possessed by our 
pinnace. 

« I was still in the -midst of the breakers, looking round me on all 
sides , and I perceived, that astern of the boat the waves formed a cham 
extending to the south as far as I could see. They extended also a con- 
siderable way to the west. But I discovered, that, if I could get a liun- 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

dred yards to tfie eastward, I should be in a much less dangerous sea. Ac- 
cordingly I exerted every effort to accomplish this, by pulling to the star- 
board in the intervals between the seas; and by five and twenty minutes 
after seven I was out of danger, having to contend with nothing but a 
heavy swell, and some short waves occasioned by the west-north-west 
breeze. 

- After having baled the boat, I thought of assisting my unfortunate 
comrades ; but my hopes were at an end. 

« F^rom the moment I saw our pinnace going down among the break- 
ers, I had pulled by intervals towards the east, but was some minutes be- 
fore I could extricate myself from them. It was impossible, that persons 
wrecked m the midst of such a rapid current should get out of it's course 
at the mercy of which they must drive the remainder of the tide, which 
continued to set out of the bay till a quarter before nine : beside, could 
the most experienced swimmer resist the violence of such waves even for 
a few moments ? Still, as I could make search no where, with any show of 
reason, except in the direction of the current, I laid the boat's head to the 
southward, and rowed along the edge of the breakers, which were on my 
starboard hand, changing my course every moment after objects I per- 
ceived floating, which from time to time gave me hopes, but which, or. 
my approach, proved to be nothing but seals or sea- weeds. 

- As there was a heavy swell, when I was on the top of a wave my 
horizon^ was pretty extensive, so that I could have perceived an oar, or I 
piece of wreck, four or five hundred yards distant. 

My eyes were soon turned towards the eastern point of the entrance 
on which ! perceived some men making signals by waving, their cloaks^ 
These, I afterwards found, were savages: but at the time I supposed 
hem to be the crew of the Astrolabe's pinnace, waiting for the slack wa-- 

nate friends had fallen victims to their generous boldness^ 



383 



1786. 
July- 




J64 



1786. 
July. 





VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

" At three quarters after eight o'clock *, the tide being turned, there 
were no breakers, only a heavy swell. I thought it incumbent on me to 
continue my search in this swell, following the direction of the ebb, which 
had ceased; but I was as unsuccessful in this search as in the former. At 
nine o'clock, perceiving the flood-tide set in from the south-west ; havmg 
neither provision, sail, nor grapnel; my boat's crew wet and chdled ; ap- 
prehensive that I should not be able to te-enter the bay when the flood 
had acquired all it's force; finding, too, that it already flowed strongly to 
the north-east, which prevented my getting to the south, where my 
search should have been continued ; I returned to the bay, ateenng to the 
north. 

/ 

I 

" Already the passage was nearly shut in by the eastern point. The 
sea still broke on each of the points; but it was smooth in the middle. 
At length I gained the entrance, keeping near the larboard point, on 
which were the Americans who made the signals, and whom I had taken 
for Frenchmen. They made signs, that they had seen two boats overset; 
and, as I could not perceive the Astrolabe's pinnace. I was but too certain 
of the fate of M' de MarchainviUe, whom I knew too well to suppose he 
would reflect on the inutility of the danger to which he must be exposed 
Still, however, as we ate prone to flatter ourselves, I retained some slight 
hop!, that I should find him on board our ships, whither it was pos iW 
he might have gone for assistance : accordingly my first words, wh n 
got^longside, were : ' Do you know any thing of M' de Marchainville J 
and the answer, ' No,' convinced me of his loss. 

" After these particulars, I conceive I ought to explain the motives of 
the conduct of M' d'Escures. It is hnpossible he could ever have though 
of entering the passage. His design was merdy to ^PP"f 
imagined he kept himself at a distance more than sufiicient to be out 

seven the boats were lost ! 



' VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

all danger. But in this distance he was deceived, as well as myself, and 
all the eighteen persons in both the boats. It is not for me to say how 
far this mistake was pardonable, or why it was impossible to judge of 
the strength of the current, as. I should be thought to be offering my own 
excuse ; for I repeat it, I conceived the distance more than sufficient, and 
even the sight of the coast, which appeared flying to the north with ex- 
treme velocity, only excited my astonishment. Without attempting to 
particularise all the reasons which contributed to inspire us with so fatal a 
confidence, i cannot avoid remarking, that, on the day of our entrance 
into the bay, our boats were above two hours sounding the passage, in 
every direction, without finding any current. It is true, that, when our 
ships attempted to enter it, they were driven back by the ebb : but the 
wind was so faint, that our boats, at the very same time, stemmed the 
tide with the utmost ease. Lastly, on the 1 ith of June, when the moon 
was at the full, our two captains themselves, accompanied by several offi- 
cers, had sounded the passage, went out with the ebb, returned with the 
flood, and perceived nothing that could lead them to suspect the least 
danger*, particularly with boats well manned. Hence it must be in- 
ferred, that the violence of the current must have been owing to some 
particular cause, as an extraordinary melting of snow -f-, or strong gales of 
wind, which had not reached into the bay, but unquestionably blew with 
violence in the offing. 

M'' de Marchainville was a quarter of a league from the passage 
within the bay, when I was drawn into it. From that time I saw nothing 
of him ; but all who were acquainted with him must know how his noble 
and generous character would prompt him to act. It is probable, that, 
when he perceived our two boats in the midst of the breakers, unable to 
comprehend how we could have been drawn into it, he must have sup- 

* Is this consistent with the strictness of the instructions given by de h Perouse to M' d'Es- 
cures ? T. 

t This could not have increased the strength of the flood, which is said above to have set in very 
strong. T. ^ 

VOL. I. 3D 



188 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



,786 posed a grapnel rope had snapped, or we had lost our oars, and imme- 
J"'y-' diately rowed to the breakers to assist us. Seeing us strugglmg in the 
midst of the waves, he would have listened only to the dictates of his na- 
tural courage, and come to our succour, at the hazard of perishing with 
us Assuredly a glorious death: but how painful to him, who, having 
escaped the danger, can never hope to behold again his companions, or 
the heroes who came to save him ! 

« I cannot designedly have omitted any essential fact, or misrepresented 
those I have related: M' Mouton, who was with me, is here to correct 
me if my memory have made any mistake. His firmness, with that of 
the cockswain and four rowers, contributed not a little to save us. My 
orders were executed in the midst of the breakers with as much preci- 
sion, as in the most ordinary circumstances. Signed, Boutin." \Cbarts 
and Plates, N° 25.) 

Nothing remained for us but to quit with speed a country that had 
nroved so fatal. But we still owed a few days to the families of our 
unhappy friends : too hasty a departure would have left doubt and 
anxiety in the minds of people in Europe, who would not have con- 
sidered, that the current extends only a league without the passage; 
that neither the boats, nor the people cast away in them, could have 
been driven farther ; and that the fury of the waves in that place left no 
hope of their return. If, contrary to all probability, any one had been 
le to return, as it must be in the vicinity of the bay, I resolved to wait 
some days : but I quitted the anchorage of the island, and took that of the 
bed of sand, on the west side of the entrance. The moving from one 
place to the other, though only a league distant, occupied me five days 
lin. which we had a heavy gale of wind from the east, that would 
Le :ndangered us greatly, had we not been anchored a good b-om 
of mud. It was fortunate our anchors did not drive, for we were less 
than a cable's length from the shore. The contrary winds detained us 

; er than I intended, so that we could not sail till the a 0th o Ju ly, 
e gLen days after the event ^hlch it has given me so much pain to re- 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 387 

late, and the remembreiice of which will ever render me unhappy. Be- 1786. 
fore our departure, we erected on the island in the middle of the bay, J^^J"' 
to which I gave the name of Isle du Cenotaphey or Cenotaph Island, a 
monument to the memory of our unfortunate companions ; and M'' de 
Lamanon wrote the following inscription and account, which he buried in 
a bottle at the foot of the monument. 



** AT THE ENTRANCE OF THIS HARBOUR PERISHED 
BRAVE SEAMEN. READER, WHOEVER THOU ART, 
TEARS WITH OURS. ' 

On the 4th of July, 1786, the frigates la Eoussole and I'Astrolabe, which sailed from Brest the 
1st of August, 1785, arrived in this port. Owing to the care of M'' de la Perouse, commander in 
chief of the expedition ; of the viscount de Langle, commander of the Astrolabe; ofM""'deClo- 
nard and de Monti, first lieutenants of the two ships ; and of the other officers and the surgeons, 
the crew had experienced none of those diseases which usually attend long voyages. M' de la Pe- 
mise congratulated himself, as we all did, for having sailed from one end of the world to the other, 
through dangers of every kind, having visited people reputed barbarians, without losing a single 
man, or spilling a drop of blood. On the 13th of July, three boats departed at five in the morning, 
to place the soundings on the plan that had been drawn of the bay. They were commanded by 
M' d'Escures, lieutenant of a man of war and knight of Lewis. de la Perouse had given him 
written instructions, expressly prohibiting him from approaching the current ; but at the moment 
when he thought himself at a distance from it, he was drawn into it. M''"" de la Borde, two bro- 
thers, and M' de Flaffan, who were in tlie boat of the second frigate, hesitated not to expose their 
own lives, to assist their comrades. Bqt, alas ! they only shared their fate. The third boat was under 
the command of Boutin, lieutenant of a man of war. This officer, bravely struggling against 
the breakers, made vain but useless attempts to assist his friends for some hours, and would have 
perished likewise, but for the superior construction of his boat, his enlightened prudence, that of 
Laprise Mouton, lieutenant of a frigate, his second, and the activity and prompt obedience of 
his crew, consisting of John Marie, cockswain, Lhostis, le Bas, Corentin Jers, and Monens, all 
four seamen. The Indians appeared to participate in our grief, which is extreme. Affected, but 
not discouraged, by our misfortune, we departed the SOtli of July, to continue our voyage." 



TWENTY-ONE 
MINGLE THY 



388 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1786e Names of the officers, seamen, and marines, who were drowned on the i^tk 
July- of July, a quarter after seven in the morning. 



The BOUSSOLE. 

Officers. 

d'Escures, 
de Pierrevert, 
de Montarnal, 



Crew. 

Lemaitre, first pilot. 
Lieutot, corporal and 

cockswain, 
Prieur, 
Fraichot, 
Berrin, 
Bolet, 
Fleury, 
Chaub, 



3 



c3 



The ASTROLABE. 
Officers. 

de la Borde Marchamvllle, ? 
de la Borde Boutervilliers, » 
Flassan. 



Crew. 

Soulas, corporal and cockswain, 
Philiby, 

Juliens le Penn, 
Peter Rabier, 



Thomas Andrieiix, 
Goulvin Tarreau, 
William Duquesne, 



captains of the 
top, and in the 
flower of their 
age. 



Our stay at the entrance of the bay procured us much inforrnation re- 
specting the manners and customs of the savages, which it would have 
been impossible for us to have acquired at the other anchorage. Our ves- 
sels were moored near their villages, wc visited them several times a day. 
and every day we had reason to complain of them, though our conduct 
towards them continued uniformly the same, and we never ceased to giv« 
them proofs of gentleness and good-will. 

On the 32d of July they brought us part of the wreck of our boats, 
which had been driven on the eastern shore, very near the bay, and m- 
formed us by signs, that they had interred the body of one ox our unfor- 

TtlompLifns on the strand, where it had been '^°™;P ''^^f; 
waves In consequence of this information M»" de Clonard, de Mon- 
Iron and de Monti, immediately set off. and directed their course 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 55 

towards the east, accompanied by the savages who had brought us the 1786. 
pieces of wreck, and whom we had loaded with presents. J^'^' 

Our officers walked seven or eight miles over the stones, in a miserable 
road, while every half hour the guides demanded a fresh payment, or re- 
fused to proceed ; and at length they stole into the wood, and made their 
escape. The officers discovered too late, that their report was a mere 
trick, framed to obtain presents. In this walk they saw vast forests of 
firs, of such noble dimensions, that some which they measured were five 
feet in diameter, and appeared to be upwards of a hundred and forty. feet high. 

We were not surprised at the account they gave us of the stratagem of 
the savages, who in knavery and theft were unparalleled. M"'"' de Lan- 
gle and de Lamanon, with several other officers and naturalists, had made 
an excursion two days before to the westward, for a similar melancholy 
purpose, and with no better success ; but they discovered an Indian village 
on the banks of a small river, which was staked quite across for the salmon 
fishery. We had long suspefted that this fish came from that part of the 
coast, but we were not certain of it, till this adventure satisfied our cu- 
riosity. M"" Duche de Vancy made a drawing, which will explain the 
particulars of this fishery *. In this it will be seen, that the salmon, 
coming up the river, are stopped by the stakes : unable to leap over them, 
they turn back towards the sea in the angles of the dike are placed very 
narrow wicker baskets, closed at one end, into which they enter, and be- 
ing unable to turn in them, they are thus caught. This fishery is so 
abundant, that the crews of both vessels had plenty of salmon during our 
stay, and each ship salted two casks. 

Our travellers saw likewise a morai -f , from which they learned, that 
these Indians were accustomed to burn the bodies of the deceased, and 
preserve the head. They found one wrapped in several skins. This mo- 

' * This drawing is aot come to hand. (French Editor.) 

. f I have retained the name morai,. because it is more suitable tlian tomb to convey the iden of au 
exposure to the open air. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

$90 

1786. nument consists of four tolerably strong posts, supporting a little chamber 
J^ly- of planks, in which are reposited the ashes of the dead, enclosed in chests. 
They opened the chest, unfolded the skins in which the head was wrapped, 
and, having satisfied their curiosity, replaced every thing with scrupulous 
exactness, adding presents of iron instruments and beads. The savages, 
who witnessed this visit, showed a little uneasiness ; but they did not fail 
to take away the presents left by our travellers without delay. Some others 
of us, going to the place the next day out of curiosity, found only the 
ashes and the head. They placed there some fresh presents, which expe- 
rienced the same fate as those of the preceding day. I am convinced the 
■ Indians would have been pleased, had we repeated our visits several times 
a day. But if they allowed us, though with a little repugnance, to visit 
their tombs, it was not the same with their huts, which they would not 
permit us to approach, till they had sent away their wives, who are the 
most disgusting beings in the universe. 

Every day we saw fresh canoes enter the bay j and every day whole vil- 
lages departed, and gave place to others. These Indians seemed to have 
considerable dread of the passage, and never ventured to approach it, un- 
less at the slack water of flood or ebb. By the help of our glasses we 
distinctly perceived, that, when they were between the two points, the 
chief or at least the principal Indian, arose, stretched out his arms to- 
wards the sun, to which he appeared to address a prayer, while the rest 
paddled away with all their strength. In the course of our inquiries re- 
specting this custom, we learned, that seven very large canoes had lately 
been lost in this passage, while an eighth escaped. This the Indians who 
were saved consecrated to their god, or to the memory of their comrades. 
We saw it by the side of a moral, which no doubt contained the ashes of 
some who were shipwrecked. 

This canoe did not resemble those of the country, which are formed 
only of the trunk of a tree, hollowed out, and heightened on each side by 
a plank, sewed to the bottom of the canoe. This had timbers and wales 
like our boats i and the frame, which was well made, had a covering of 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



391 



seal -skins, which served instead of planks, sewed together with such 
nicety, that the best workmen in Europe would find it difficult to imitate. 
This covering, which we measured with great care, was reposited in the 
moral, by the side of the coffers of ashes ; and the frame of the canoe 
remained naked near it, raised upon stocks. 



1786. 

July. 



I could have wished to have brought this covering to Europe, which 
might easily have been done, as no Indian could have opposed it, this part 
of the bay being uninhabited. Beside, I am well persuaded, that the per- 
sons shipwrecked were strangers : my conjectures on which head 1 shall 
give in the following chapter. But a religious respect for the asylums of 
the dead is universal, and I was willing that this should remain inviolate. 



At length, on the 30th of July, at four in the afternoon, we got under 
way with a very faint breeze from the west, which held us till we were three 
leagues from the land. The horizon was so clear, that we perceived and 
set Mount S' Elias, bearing true north-west, distant at least forty leagues. 
At eight in the evening the entrance of the bay bore north, three leagues 
distant, and by the lead we were in ninety fathoms water, muddy bottom. 



30, 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



CHAPTER IX. 



Description of Port des Frangais—It's latitude and longitude-^ Advantages 
and Disadvantages of this Harbour— If s Vegetable and Mineral Produc-^ 
tions— Birds, Fishes, Shells, and ^adrupedes— Manners and Customs of 
the Indians— Their Arts, Weapons, Dress, and Inclination to Thefts 
Strong Reasons to presume, that the Russians alone have an indirect Com- 
munication with these People— Their Music, Dancing, and Passion for 
Qaming — Dissertation on their Language. 

1786. THE bay, or rather harbour, to which I have given the name of Port 
J^^J'- des Fran9ais, is situate, according to our observations and those of M"" Da~ 
gelet, in 5 8° 3?' north latitude, and 139^ 50' west longitude. The varia- 
tion of the compass is 28° east, and the dip 74°. The plan of the harbour 
will exhibit it's extent and figure, better than any description. At new 
and full moon the tide rises seven feet and half, and it is high-water at 
one o'clock. The winds in the offing, or perhaps other causes, act so pow- 
erfully on the current of the passage, that I have seen the flood tide set in 
like the most rapid river, while, under different circumstances, though at 
the very same age of the moon, it might be stemmed by a boat, in my 
different excursions I have found, that the tide sometimes rises fifteen feet 
above the level of the sea. This is probably in the winter. When the 
wind blows strong any way from the south, the entrance of the harbour 
must be impassable; and at all times it must be difficult from the cur- 
rents. To get out of it, likewise, requires a combination of circumstances, 
the want of which may detain a vessel some weeks. A ship can sail only 
at the moment of high water: the breeze from the west or north-west 
frequently does not begin to blow till near eleven o'clock, so that you 
cannot avail yourself of the morning tide : the easterly winds, which are 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

contrary, appear to me more frequent than the westerly : and the height 
of the adjacent mountains never allows the north or land wind to be felt 
in the road. As this harbour affords great advantages, I have thought it 
incumbent on me to expose it's inconveniences also. It appears to me 
ill-calculated for vessels fitted out on a trading voyage for furs. These 
should anchor in many bays, and make but a short stay; because the In- 
dians will have disposed of their whole stock in a week, and every loss of 
time is very detrimental to the interests of the owners. But a nation in- 
tending to establish a factory on this coast, like that of the English at 
Hudson's Bay, could not choose a m.ore suitable place. A single battery 
of four heavy guns, erected on the point of the continent, would be suffi- 
cient to defend such a narrow entrance, rendered so difficult by the cur- 
rents : and this battery could neither be turned nor taken by land, because 
the sea breaks violently on the coast, sa that a landing on it is impractica- 
ble. The fort, magazines, and all the buildings for commercial purposes, 
should be erected on Cenotaph Island, which is nearly a league in circum- 
ference, capable of being cultivated, and affords both wood and water. 
The vessels not having to seek for a cargo, which they would be certain 
of finding collected on a single spot, would be exposed to no danger. A 
few buoys, to point out the interior navigation of the bay, would render it 
extremely safe and easy. Pilots would be formed, who, knowing better 
thaa we the direction and velocity of the current, at certain times of the 
tide, would facilitate the going in and out of vessels. And lastly, our trade 
in otter-skins was so considerable, that I do not think a greater quantity 
can be collected in any part of xA.merica. 



395 



1786^ 

July. 





The climate on this coast appears to me infinitely more mild than that 
of Hudson's Bay in the same latitude. We measured pines that Vv^ere six 
feet in diameter, and a hundred and forty feet high ; while those of the 
same species at Prince of ¥/aIes's Fort and Fort York are scarcely big enough 



for studding-sail booms. 



Vegetation here, during three or four months of the year, is very vigo- 

VOL. I. 3 E 



394 ■ VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1786. rous. I should be little surprised to see Rusdan wheat, and a great nurn^ 
J"^y- ber of common plants succeed. We found abundance of celery, round- 
leaved sorrel, lupines, wild pease,, yaiTow, succory, and bastard fox-glove 
{mimulus). Every day, and every meal, the ship's copper was filled with, 
these herbs. We ate of them in soups, ragouts, and sallads : and they 
contributed not a little to the preservation of our health. Among these 
pot-herbs vv'e saw almost all that are common in the meadows and moun- 
tains of France : angelica, marigolds {bouton d'or), violets, and several spe- 
cies of grass proper for fodder. All these herbs might have been boiled 
and eaten without danger, had they not been mingled with a very rank 
cicuta, on which we had made no experiments. 

The woods are full of raspberries, strawberries, and gooseberries. There 
are found in them also the elder tree, dwarf willow, different species of 
h.eath that grow in the shade, the Carolina poplar-tree, the tacamahaca 
{peuplier-liard), the willow (saule-mar saut),_ the horn-beam, and those 
lofty pines, which would be fit for masts for our largest ships. No vege- 
table production of this country is unknown in Europe. M*" de la Marti- 
niere met with only three plants which he thought new ; and a botanist 
might do as much as this in the vicinity of Paris. 

The rivers abounded with trout and salmon ; but in the bay we caught 
nothing but halibut {fletans *), some of them weighing upward of a hun- 
dred pounds, small hng [yieilles-f], one single thornback {caplansX), and 
a few plaice. As we preferred to any of these salmon and trout, of which 
the Indians sold us more than we could consume, we employed ourselves 
very little in fishing, and that only with the hook and line. Indeed our 

* Orfaitam, a flat fish, longer and less square than the turbot, the skin of which is covered with 
small scales on the upper part. Those that are caught in Europe are much smaller. (French Editor.) 

t A fish resembling the cod in taste and appearance, but usually larger, and as easy to be taken on 
account of it's greediness. (French Editor.) 

X This fish resembles the whiting, tliough a little larger. It is tender, well-flavoured, and easy of 
dicrestion. It abounds on the, coasts of Provence, where it is known by the name of cardan, or pooi 
priest. (French Editor.) 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



occupations never allowed us to shoot the seine net, which would have 
required five and twenty or thirty men to haul it ashore. Muscles lie in 
heaps on the part of the shore which is dry at low water, and the rocks are 
studded with small and tolerably curious limpets. Different sorts of whelks 
and other sea-snails also are found in the hollows of the rocks. I saw on 
the sand of the shore pretty large kima cockles, and M"^ de Lamanon 
brought from a place more than two hundred toises above the level of the 
sea petrifactions of the shell known to conchologists by the name of royal 
cloak, and more commonly &t James s shell, of the largest size, and in very 
good preservation. This fact is nothing new to the naturalist, who may 
have found them at far greater heights ; but I am persuaded it will long 
be difficult to account for it in a satisfactory manner. We did not find a 
single shell of this kind thrown upon the shore, which is indisputably na- 
ture's cabinet. 

Our sportsmen saw bears, martens, and squirrels, in the woods ; and the 
Indians sold us skins of black and brown bears, the Canadian lynx, ermine, 
marten, squirrel, gray squirrel, beaver, Canadian marmot, or monax, and 
red fox. M"" de Lamanon also caught a water-rat alive. We saw elk skins 
tanned, and a horn of a wild goat : but the most valuable and common furs 
are those of the sea otter, sea bear, and wolf. We found birds in sufficient 
number, but no great variety. The coppices were full of sparrows, night- 
ingales, blackbirds, and yellowhammers. It was their season of love, and 
to me their song was very delightful. We saw the white-headed eagle 
and the raven sailing through the air ; we surprised and killed a kingfisher; 
and we observed a very beautiful blue jay, with some humming-birds. 
The swallow and black oyster-catcher make their nests in the hollov/s of 
the rocks on the sea-shore. The gull, the redfooted guillemot, and the 
cormorant, with some ducks and divers of the large and small species, were 
$he only water-fowl we perceived. 

But if this country resemble many others in it's animal and vegetable 
productions, it's aspect is very different, and I doubt whether the profound 
valleys of the Alps and Pyrenees exhibit a picture equally terrific, and at 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

17S6. the same time so pictiirescjue, as to be v/ell worth visiting by the curious, 
J"'y- were^t not at one of the extremities of the world. 

The primitive mountains of granite or schistus, covered with eternal 
snow, on which neither tree, nor plant, is to be seen, have their base in 
the water, and form a kind of quay on the shore. Their acclivity is so 
steep, that even the wild goats cannot ascend higher than five or six hun- 
dred yards ; and all the gullies that separate them are vast glaciers, the 
summits of which cannot be seen, while their bases are washed by the sea. 
^ At a cable's length from the shore we could find no bottom with a line of 
a hundred and sixty fathoms. 

The sides of the harbour are formed by secondary mountains, not more 
than eight or nine hundred toises in height. These are covered with 
~ pines, carpeted with verdure, and merely capped with snow. To me they 
appeared to be composed entirely of schistus, in a state of incipient decom- 
position. They are not inaccessible, though very difficult to ascend. M"'" 
de Lamanon, de la Martiniere, Collignon, abbe Monges, and father 
Receveur, those ardent and indefatigable naturalists, could not reach their 
summits, though they ascended a considerable height with unspeakable 
fatigue. Not a stone, nor a pebble, escaped their search. Too skilful 
naturalists not to be aware, that specimens of every fossil that constitutes 
the bulk of a mountain are to be found in the adjacent valleys, they col- 
lected ochre, cupreous pyrites, friable but very large and perfectly crystal- 
lized garnets, crystals of schcerl, granite, schisti, hornstone, very pure quartz, 
mica, plumbago, and fossil coral. Some of these indicate, that the moun- 
tains enclose ores of iron and copper, but we perceived no trace of any 
other metal. _ , . ■ 

For a country so frightful, nature provides inhabitants differing as widely 
from civilized nations, as the land I have described from our cultivated 
plains. Rude and barbarous, as their soil is wild and rugged, they inhabit 
the country only to extirpate every thing that lives and moves upon it. At 
war with every animal, they despise the vegetables that spring up around 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 3c 

them. I have seen women and children eat a few raspberries and straw- 1786. 
berries : but these are no doubt insipid to the palates of men, who are 
precisely on the earth what the vulture is in the air, or the wolf and the 
tiger in the forest*. 

Their arts are considerably advanced, and their civilisation in this respect 
Bas made great progress ; but in every thing that polishes and softens the 
ferocity of manners, they are yet in their infancy. The manner in which 
they live, excluding every kind of subordination, renders them continually 
agitated by vengeance or fear. Choleric and prompt to take offence, I have 
seen them continually with the poignard unsheathed against each other. 
Exposed to perish with hunger in the winter, when the chace cannot be 
very productive, they live in the summer in the greatest abundance, as 
they can catch more fish in an hour than is sufficient for their family. 
The rest of the day they remain idle, spending it in gaming, of which they 
are as passionately fond as some of the inhabitants of our large cities. This 
is the grand source of their quarrels : and I do not hesitate to pronounce, 
that this tribe would be completely exterminated, if the use of any intoxi- 
cating liquor were added to these destructive vices. 

Philosophers may exclaim against this picture if they please. They may 
write books by their fire-sides, while I have been voyaging for thirty years. 
I have been witness to the knavery and injustice of these people, vs^hom 
they depict as good, because they are so little removed from a state of 
nature ; but this nature is sublime only in the great, in the minutis of 
things it is negligent. It is impossible to penetrate woods not thinned by 
the hand of civilized man ; to traverse plains filled with stones and rocks^ 

* An old proverb puts credulity on it's guard against the narratives of travellers. This prejudice 
might weaken the confidence of certain readers, who do not reflect on the regard a navigator would 
pay to his fame, and that his least deviation from truth might draw formal impeachments of his vera- 
city from the numerous witnesses by whom he was accompanied. If, however, the reader cannot' 
suppress that sentiment which excludes reflection, I only request him, in order to satisfy himself, to 
consult what Dixon has said on the north-western coast of America ; bearing in mind, that the Eng- 
lish navigator made -this voyage the year after la Perouse, and could know nothing of his journal. 
(French. Editor.) 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1786. and deluged with impassable morasses ; and to associate with the man of 
nature, because he is savage, deceitful, and malicious: Confirmed in this 
opinion by melancholy experience, I have not thought it my duty, how- 
ever, to employ the force with which I was entrusted, to repel the injus- 
tice of these savages, and teach them, that there is a law of nations, which 
is never to be violated with impunity. 

Some of the Indians were continually about our ships in their canoes, 
and spent three or four hours before they began to barter a little fish, or 
two or three otter-skins, taking every opportunity to rob us, catching at 
every bit of iron that could easily be carried ofl!*, and examining particularly 
in what way they could deceive our vigilance during the night. I made 
-the principal persons come on board my vessel, and loaded them with pre- 
sents J yet these very men, whom I so particularly distinguished, never dis- 
dained to steal a nail or an old pair of breeches. Whenever they assumed a 
smiling and cheerful air, I was sure they had stolen something, though I 
very often pretended not to see it. 

I had particularly recommended caressing the children, and gratifying 
them with little presents. The parents were insensible to this mark of 
kindness, which I thought must be felt in every country : the only re- 
flection it excited in their minds was, that, by asking to accompany their 
children, they would have an opportunity of robbing us ; and for my own 
information I several times procured m.yself the pleasure of seeing the 
father avail himself of the moment when our attention appeared most en- 
gaged by his child, to hide under his garment of skin whatever was within 
his reach. 

I sometimes assumed an appearance of wishing for trifles of little value 
belonging to Indians whom I had just loaded with presents ; but I always 
made this trial of their generosity in vain. 

I will admit, if you please, that it is impossible for a society to exist vAth- 
out some virtues ^ but I am forced to confess, that here I could not per- 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



299 



ceive any. Always quarrelling among themselves, indifferent to their child^ 1 78^ 
ren, absolute tyrants to their wives, who are incessantly condemned to the J"'>^- 
most laborious occupations, I observed nothing among these people to 
mellow the tmts of the picture. - . 

We never landed except in force, and armed. They greatly dreaded 
our muskets, and eight or ten Europeans together were sufficient to awe a 
whole village. Our two surgeons being so imprudent as to go a shooting 
done were attacked. The Indians endeavoured to snatch their fowlin/ 
piecs from them, but could not succeed : two men being sufficiently for 
miclable to them, to make them retire. The same thing happened to 
M de Lesseps, the young Russian interpreter; but fortunately the crew of 
one of our boats came to his assistance. These acts of hostility appeared 
to them so natural, that they did not desist from coming on board and 
never suspected the possibility of our making reprisals*. 

I have given the appellation of village to three or four sheds of wood 
twenty-five feet long, by fifteen or twenty wide, and closed with planks or 
bark of trees only on the side exposed to the wind. In the middle was a 
fire, over which hung salmon and halibut drying in the smoke. Eighteen 
or twenty persons lodged under each of these sheds, the women and child- 
ren on one side, and the men on the other. It appeared to me, that each 
hut contained a small tribe unconnected with it's neighbours j for each had ^ 
it's canoe, and a sort of chief ^ each departed, left the bay, and took away 
It s fish and It's planks, without the rest of the village appearing to take the 
least concern in the business. 

I think I may venture to affirm, that this place is inhabited only in the 
summer, and that the Indians never pass the winter here. I did not see a 
single hut, that afforded shelter from the rain, and though there were never 

* In the Hnes of this picture the reader will tmce the painful impression of the recent loss which 
was relate .n the preceding chapter. As all accounts agree, however, respecting th pri al t 
from wh>ch even anthropophagy must not be expunged, I tl.ought it right not to^ofteu any tlr 
the whole bears the stamp of a sensibility honourable to it's author. (French Edito- ) 



400 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



17S6. three hundred Indians collected in the bay at one time, we were visited by 
J"'^' seven or eight hundred others. 

Canoes were coming in and going out continually, and each brought or 
-carried away it's house, and it's furniture, which consisted in several little 
coffers containing their most valuable effects. These coffers are placed at 
the entrance of their huts, which are so filthy and stinking, that the den of 
no known animal can be compared to them. They never go two steps 
distant to obey the calls of nature, of which they make no mystery, and for 
which they seek no shade ; continuing the conversation in which they 
were engaged, as if they had not a moment to lose; and if it happen at 
meal-time, they quickly resume their place, from which they do not 
retire even a couple of yards The wooden vessels, in which they cook 
their fish, are never washed. They serve for kettles, dishes, and plates : 
and as they cannot be set over the fire, they make the water boil in them 
with red-hot pebbles, which they renew till their food is sufficiently 
dressed. They are also acquainted with the art of roasting, which they 
perform in the same manner as our soldiers in camp. It is probable, that 
• W€ saw but a very small part of these people, who in all likelihood occupy 
a considerable space along the sea-shore ; visiting in summer the different 
bays in search of food like the seals, and in winter retiring farther within 
the land, to hunt beavers and other animals of which they brought us the 
spoils. Though they go barefoot, the soles of their feet are not callous, 
and they cannot v/alk over stones ; which proves, that they travel only ia 
.canoes, or on the snow with snow-shoes. 



* « The inside of these dwellings exhibits a complete picture of dirt and filth, indolence and lazi- 
ness- in one corner are thrown the bones, and remaining fragments of victuals left at their meals, m 
another are he.ps of fish, pieces of stinking flesh, grease, oil, &c." Dixon's Voyage, p. 173. 

Cook describes the filthiness of the insides of the houses of the inhabitants of Nootka Sound In the 
followino- words. " The nastiness and stench of their houses are, however, at least equal to the con- 
fusion °For as they dry their fish within doors, they also gut them there, which, with their bones and 
fngments thrown down at meals, and the addition of other sorts of filth, lie eveiy where in heaps, and 
are I believe, never carried away, till it becomes troublesome, from their size, to walk over them: m 
a word, their houses are as filthy as hog-sties ; every thing in and about them stinking of fish, train= 
oil, and smoke." Rook's third Voyage, Vol. II. Page 3l6. (French Editor.) 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



401 



Dogs are the only animals with which they have formed any alliance. 1736 
Of these each hut has commonly three or four. They are small^ resem- l^h' 
ble the shepherd's dog of BufFon ; scarcely ever bark, but make a whistling 
Moise much like that of the jackal of the Carnatic * ; and are so savage, 
that they seem to be to, other dogs what their masters are to civilised 
people. 

The men of this country bore holes through the cartilages of the nose 
and ears, and append to them different little ornaments. They make scars 
on , the, arms and breast with a very keen iron instrument, which they 
sharpen by rubbing it on their teeth as on a whetstone. Their teeth are 
filed down to the gums, by means of a rounded piece of sandstone in the 
shape of a tongue. Ochre, lamp-black, and plumbago, mixed with seal 
oil, are employed by them to paint the face and the rest of the body, w^hich 
has a frightful appearance. On occasions of high ceremony, they wear 
their hair long, braided, and powdered with the down of sea-fowl. This 
is the height of their luxury, and perhaps engrossed by the heads of families. 
A simple skin is thrown over their shoulders, and the rest of the body is 
left naked, except the head, which they commonly cover with a little straw 
hat, curiously woven; though sometimes they wear on their heads caps 
with two horns,, eagle's feathers, and entire heads of bears fitted on a skulU ' 
cap of wood. These kinds of head-dresses are greatly diversified, but their 
principal object, like that of most of their customs, is to render them, 
frightful, perhaps to awe their enemies , 

Some of the Indians had complete shirts of otter-skins ; and the common 
dress of the grand chief was a shirt of tanned elk-skin, bordered with a 
fringe of deer's hoofs and beaks of birds, the jingling of which when he 
danced, was not unlike that of sheep's beUs. This dress is well known to 

* A wild, carnivorous, and dangerous animal, common in Asia, related to the wolf and^the do-x 
(F^nch E^ditoS' '''' " ^ - 



VOL. 



3-F 



403 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1786. the savages of Canada, and to other nations which inhabit the eastern parts 
J"^^ of America*. : , 

I saw no appearance of tatooing, except on the arms of some of the 
women. These, however, have a custom, which renders them hideous, 
and which I could hardly have believed, had I not seen it. All without 
exception have the lower lip slit close to the gum the whole width of the 
mouth, and wear in it a kind of wooden bowl without handles, which 
rests against the gum, and which the slit lip serves as a collar to confine, 
so that the lower part of the mouth projects two or three inches f . The 

* « The chief (who always conducts the vocal concert) puts on a large coat, made of the elk skin, 
tanned round the lower part of which is one, or sometimes two rows of dried berries or the beaks of 
birds, which make a rattling noise whenever he moves." Dixon's Voyage, p. 242. (French Editor.) 

+ This custom appears to be general among the tribes that inhabit the north-western coast of 
America from the latitude of 50'' to Gl". It even extends to the savages of tlie Fox and Aleutian 
Islands. ' See what Coxe says in his Account of Russian Discoveries. 

At Port Mulgrave, in latitude 59" 33' north, and longitude 142" 20' west of Paris, 

' " An aperture is made in the thick part of the under lip, and Increased by degrees In a line parallel 
with the mouth, and equally long : in this aperture, a piece of wood is constantly wore, of an elhpti- 
Tal form, about half an inch thick ; the superficies not flat, but hollowed out on each side like a spoon, 
thouoh not quite so deep ; the edges are likewise hollowed in the form of a pully, ,n order to fi. this 
p edous ornament more firmly in the lip, which by this means is frequently extended at least three 
h hes horizontally, and consequently distorts every feature in the lower part of the face This curi- 
ous piece of wood is wore only by the women, and seems to be considered as a mark of distinction it 
- • ' not being wore by all indiscriminately, but only those who appeared In a superior station to the rest. 
Dixon's Voyage, p. 172- 

At Norfolk Sound, In.latitude 57" 3' north, longitude 137° 5' west of Paris, 

- The women, too, ornament, or rather distort their lips in the same manner as I have already de- 
scribed • and it should seem, that the female who is ornamented with the largest piece of wood, is 
generally most respected by her friends, and by the community in general." 3. p. 185. 

Speaking of the Island of Hippah, one of the Queen Chariotte's islands, In latitude 53' 48' north, 
longitude 135° 20' west of Paris, the same gentleman says : 

^There were likewise a few women amongst them, who all seemed pretty well advanced in years 5 

..i:^;; were distorted in the same manner as those of 

Q nn.1 c^r^d the Dieccs of WGod Were particularly large. One of these lip pieces appc ^ 
folk Sound, and tne pieces ui vv« ^ , „ :e ^nrl offered the old woman to whom it 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



drawing made by M"" Duche de Vancy, which is extremely accurate, will ren- 
der more plain than any description this custom, the most disgusting perhaps 
that exists upon the face of the earth. [See Charts and Plates^ N° 9,3 and 
24.) The young girls wear only a needle in the lower lip: the married 
women, alone have a right to the bowl*. We sometimes prevailed on 
them to lay aside this ornament ; but it was with difficulty ; and they 
made the same gestures, and testified the same embarrassment, as an Eu- 
ropean woman on discovering her bosom. The lower lip dropped on the 
chin, when the piece of wood was removed, and this second exhibition 
was scarcely more agreeable than the first. 

These women, the most disgusting in the world, covered with stinking 
hides, often not even tanned, were still capable of exciting desire in the 

aftei-wards shown to her, and as constantly rejeded. Our captain began now to despair of making 
his wished-for purchase, and had nearly given it up, when one of our people happening to show the 
old lady a few buttons, which looked remarkably bright, she eagerly embraced the offer, and was now 
altogether as ready to part with her wooden ornament as before she 'was desirous of keeping it. Tliis 
curious lip-piece measured three and seven-eighth inches long, and two and five-eighth inches in the 
widest part: it was inlaid with a small pearly shell, round which was a rim of copper." lb. p. 208. 

We may also compare what Cook says of the customs of the savages of Oonalashka ; of Norton's 
Soundj in latitude 64° 3l' north, and longitude l65° 7' west of Paris j and of Prince William's Sound, 
in latitude 6l" 1 1' 30" north, longitude 148° 52' west of Paris ; in his third Voyage, Vol. III. (French 
Editor.) 

* As marriage among savages can be subject to no formalities but those prescribed by nature, I 
think, with Dixon, that the bowl is rather a sign of puberty, or motlierhood, than a mark of dignity, 
or of the woman being the exclusive property of one man. This may be the principle, on which the 
respect paidr to those who are decorated with it is founded ; for I do not suppose, tliat the being de- 
prived of this honour can be any punishment in a country so little civilised, particularly as it would 
be very easy to know those again who had enjoyed it. 

" This curious operation of cutting the under lip of the females never takes place during their in- 
fancy, but, from every observation I was able to make, seems confined to a peculiar period of life. 
When the girls arrive to the age of fourteen or fifteen, the centre of the under lip, in the thick part 
near the mouth, is simply perforated, and a piece of copper wire introduced to prevent the aperture 
from closing; tlie aperture afterwards is lengthened, from time to time, in a line parallel with the 
mouth, and the wooden ornaments are enlarged in proportion, till tliey are frequently increased to 
three, or even four inches in length, and nearly as wide, but this generally happens, when the matron 
is advanced in years, arid consequently the muscles are relaxed j so that possibly old-age may obtain 
greater respect than this very singular ornament." Dixon's Voyage, p. I87. (French Editor.) 



404 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. ^ 



1786. breasts of some persons, not of the most delicate taste. At first they 
July- raised difficulties, and declared, by signs, that they should hazard the loss 
of their lives : but when they were overcome by presents, they wished the 
sun to be witness of their actions, and refused to retire into the woods*. 
No doubt the sun is the god of these people ; they frequently address 
prayers to him ; but I saw neither temple, nor priest, nor trace of regular 
worship. 

The stature of these Indians is much the same as ours. Their features 
vary considerably, and exhibit no peculiar characteristic marks except in 
the expression of their eyes, to which gentleness is an utter stranger. The 
colour of their skin is very brown, because it is incessantly exposed to the 
air : but their children are born as fair as ours. They have, it is true, 
less beard than Europeans, but sufficient to render it impossible to be 
.questioned ; and to suppose all the Americans beardless is an error, that 
has been too lightly adopted. I have seen the natives of New England, 
Canada, Nova Scotia, and Hudson's Bay, and I have found among them all 
several individuals with beards, which induced me to believe, that the rest 

* In general the particulars of Dixon's narrative agree so well with the account of la Perouse, that 
■i can scarcely conceive the reason of their difference in appreciating the charms of the female sex. 
-Bid chance present to Dixon an object single in her kind? Or was the difference owing merely to 

the known warmth of imagination of a seaman, particularly after a long voyage ? Be this as it 

mzy, the following are his words : 

" They are particularly fond of painting their faces with a variety of colours, so that it is no easy 
matter to discover their real complexion ; however, we prevailed on one woman, by persuasion, and 
a trifling present, to wash her face and hands, and the alteration it made in her appearance absolutely 
surprised us ; her countenance had all the cheerful glow of an English milk-maid; and the healthy 
red which flushed her cheek, was even heaiitifully contrasted with the whiteness of her neck} her eyes 
were black and sparkling ; her eye-brows the same colour, and most beautifully arched ; her fore- 
head so remarkably clear, that the translucent veins were seen meandering even in th«ir minutest 
branches : in short, she was what would be reckoned handsome even in England : but this sym- 
metry of features is entirely destroyed by a custom extremely singular, &c." Dixon's Voyage, 
p. 171. 

In support of what Dixon says^ however, I ought to quote the Spanish account of a voyage in 
1777, written by Don Maurelle, second captain of the frigate la Favorita. This navigator, having 
' spoken of the custom of wearing the ridiculous ornament in a hole in the middle of the under lip, 
adds: " were.they:be.tter dressed, many might dispute the prize of beauty with the handsomest of 
our women iu Spain." (Frencii Editor.) 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

are acfcustomed to eradicate the hair *. The frame of their body is slight. 
The weakest of our seamen would have thrown the strongest of the 
Indians in wrestling. I saw some whose swelled legs seemed to indicate 
the scurvy, though their gums were sound. I suspect they never arrive at 
any very -old age ; I saw but one woman that appeared to be sixty ; and 
she enjoyed no privileges, but was obliged, like the rest, to submit to the 
various labours imposed on her sex. 

My voyages having enabled me to compare the different nations, I can 
affirm, that the Indians of Port des Fran9ais are not Esquimaux, but have 
evidently one common origin with all the inhabitants of the interior part of 
Canada and North America. 

Customs altogether different, and a very peculiar physiognomy, distin- 
guish the Esquimaux from the other Americans. They inhabit the coast 
of Labrador, Hudson's Strait, and a strip of land reaching quite across 
America as far as the peninsula of Alashka ; and appear to me to resemble 
the Greenlanders. It is very doubtful, however, whether either Asia or 
Greenland were the original country of these people : an idle question, and 

* " The young men ha\-e no beards, and I was at first inclined to tliink that this arose from a 
natural want of hair on that part, but I was soon undeceived In this particular ; for all the men we 
saw, who were advanced in years, had beards all over the chin, and some of them whiskers on each 
side the upper lip. 

" As this supposed defect amongst the natives of America has occasioned much speculative enquiry 
amongst the learned and ingenious, I took every opportunity of learning how it was occasioned, and 
■was given to understand, that the youn_g men got rid of their beards by plucking them out, but as 
they advance in years, the hair is suffered to grow." Dixon's Voyage, p. 238. 

An enemy to all system, and truth being uniformly the object of my inquiries, I will never sup- 
press assertions contradictory to those of la Perouse. Thus I am persuaded the reader will be gratified 
"by the following extract from count Carli's American Letters. 

" Certainly it is no way surprising to see the Americans without liair on the body, or the chin, 
since the Chinese and Tartars are equally destitute of it, if we may credit the unanimous report of 
historians. Hippocrates informs us, that the Scythians, in his time, had likewise no beard, and no 
.hair on the body. The Huns probably descended from thefe Scythians, since Jornandes tells us, that 
they grev/ old without a beard, after having attained the age of puberty without the ornament of 
manhood. The history of Hyton the Armenian, who escaped from Tartary in 1305, and turned 
monk in Cyprus, relates, that the Tartars, particulariy thofe of Cathay, had no beard. How many 
people.are there in Asia and in Africa similarly circumstanced ! " Lett. xjdv. (French Editor.) 



405 



1786. 
July. 



i 



406 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

3 786. incapable of ever being solved in a manner to admit of no dispute. Suffice 
J"^y- it, that the Esquimaux are a nation of fishermen rather than of hunters, 
preferring oil to blood, and perhaps to every thing else, and very commonly 
eating their fish vzw. Their canoes are uniformly covered with seal-skins 
stretched very tight. They are so dexterous in the water, that they may 
be considered almost as amphibious animals, and even the seal himself can 
scarcely claim it more as his proper element. Their faces are square; 
their eyes, and their feet, "small; their chest, broad; their stature, short. 
No one of these characteristics is applicable to the indigenous inhabitants 
of Port des Franfais ; who are much taller, thin, and not at all robust; and 
who are very unskilful in the construction of their canoes, which are formed 
of a trunk of a tree hollowed out, and heightened on each side by a plank. 

They fish, as we do, by staking rivers across, or with the hook and line. 
Their mode of angling is very ingenious. Each line is fastened to a large 
seal's bladder, and set adrift. One canoe has twelve or fifteen of them. 
When a fish is caught, he drags along the bladder, and the canoe rows after 
it. Thus a couple of men can attend twelve or fifteen lines, without the 
trouble of holding them in the hand*. 

These Indians have made much greater progress in arts than in morals, and 
their industry is farther advanced than that of the inhabitants of the South- 
sea islands. I except agriculture, however, which, giving man a fixed 
habitation, securing him subsistence, and exciting in his mind the fear of 
seeing the earth he has planted laid waste, is perhaps of all means the most 
efficacious to soften his manners, and render him a social being. 

The Americans of Port des Frangais know how to forge iron, fashion 
copper, spin the hair of divers animals, and form with the needle, of the 

* u the success of their fishery, which is conducted in a very singular manner. They bait 

their hook with a kind offish, called by the sailors squids, and having sunk it to the bottom, they fix 
' a bladder to the end of the line as a buoy, and should that not watch sufficiently, they add another. 
Their lines are very strong, being made of tlie sinews or intestines of animals. One man is sufficient 
to look after five or six of these buoys, &c." Dixon's Voyage, p. 174. (French Editor.) 

It appears from Sir G. Staunton's account, that the same method of fishing is practised in China. T» 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

thread thus procured, a stuff not unlike to French tapestry. They inter- 
mingle with this slips of otter-skin, which gives their cloaks a resemblance 
of the finest silk plush. Hats and baskets of rushes are no where woven 
with more skill ; and they ornament them with pleasing figures. They 
likewise carve all sorts of figures of men and animals, in wood or stone, in 
a very tolerable manner ; make boxes of a tolerably elegant form, and 
inlay them with the opercula of shells j and cut serpentine into ornaments, 
giving it the polish of marble. 

Their weapons are the poignard I have already described, a lance of wood 
hardened by the fire, or pointed with iron, according, to the wealth of the 
owner; and a bow and arrows. The arrows are commonly headed with 
copper ; but the bow has nothing particular, and is much weaker than 
those of many other nations. 

Among their trinkets I found pieces of yellow amber : but whether it be 
a production of their country, or procured, like their iron, from the ancient 
continent, by an indirect intercourse with the Russians, I am ignorant. 

I have already mentioned, that seven large canoes were wrecked at the 
entrance of the harbour. These canoes, a draught of which was taken 
from the only one saved, were thirty-four feet long, four broad, and six 
deep. Dimensions so considerable rendered them fit for long voyages. 
They were covered with seal-skins, after the manner of those of the Es- 
quimaux ; which led us to suppose, that Port des Fran9ais is a station for 
trade, inhabited only in the fishing season. It appeared to us very possible, 
that the Esquimaux in the neighbourhood of the islands of Schumagin, and 
of the peninsula explored by Cook, extend their commerce to this part of 
America, whither they bring iron and other articles, carrying back, with 
profit to themselves, otter-skins, of which the latter* are so desirous. The 
form of the canoes lost, and the great quantity of skins we procured, 

* C« derniers in the original. But should we not read ks Russians, " the Russians" ? The printer 
might easily have made the mistake if the hand-writing of the manuscript were not very plain : and 
it might as easily have been overlooked by the editor, who was not the writer himself. The correc 
tion appears necessary also to the chain of argument. T. 



407 



1786. 
July. 






V 



408 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLl>. 



J -.35. which may have been collected here to be sold to these strangers, seem to 
July-' confirm this conjecture. I should not have hazarded it, however, but that 
it appears to account better than any other for the iron and other Euro- 
pean w^ares in their possession. 

Of the passion of these Indians for gaming I have spoken above. The 
kind to w^hich they are addicted is altogether a game of chance. They 
have thirty little sticks, each marked with a different number *. Seven of 
these they hide. Each plays in turn, and he who guesses nearest to the 
number on the seven sticks, gains the stake, which is commonly a piece of 
iron, or a hatchet. This game renders them grave and melancholy : yet I 
have often heard them sing, and when the chief came to visit me, he com- 
monly paraded round the ship singing, with his arms stretched out in form 
of a cross as a token of friendship. He then came on board, and acted a 
pantomime expressing either a battle, a surprise, or death. The air that 
preceded this dance was pleasing, and tolerably melodious. The following 
are the notes of it, as accurately as we could take them down f. 




* « Differently marked like our dice," in the original. But this cannot be, because our dice are all 
marked in the same manner. " Like the different sides of our dice," is probably the meaning of the 
author. T. 

t They who have the strongest voices take the air a third lower, and the women a third higheri 
than the natural pitch. Some sing an octave to- it, and often make a rest of two bars, at the placs 
where the air is highest. • 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



409 



M' de Lamanon is the author of the following dissertation on the Ian- 1786. 
guage of this people. I shall only insert here the numerical terms, as a J^^^' 
satisfaction to those readers who may wish to compare those of different 
nations *. 



One - > 


keirrk. 


Two 


theirh "f-. 


Three 


neisk. 


Four 


taakboun. 


Five 


keitschine. 


Six 


kkitouchou. 


Seven 


takatouchou. 


Eight 


netskatouchou. 


Nine 


kouehok. 


Ten 


tch'mecate. 


Eleven 


keirkrha-keirrk. 


Twelve 


keirkrha-theirh. 


Thirteen 


keirkrha-neisk. 


Fourteen 


keirkrha-taakhoun. 


Fifteen 


keirkrha-keitschine. 


Sixteen 


keirkrha-klettouchou. 


Seventeen 


keirkrha-takatouchou. 


Eighteen 


keirkrha-netskatouchou. 


Nineteen 


keirkrha-kouehok* 


Twenty 


theirha* 


Thirty 


neiskrha. 


Forty 


taakhounrha. 


Fifty 


keitschinerka. 



* A more extensive vocabulary, comprising the languages of different nations visited by our navi- 
gators, has been mentioned as the work of M"^" Monneron, Lesseps, Lavaux, Lamanon, abbe Mon- 
ges, and father Receveur j but it never came to hand. (French Editor.) 

t To represent the guttural r, which these people pronounce still harder than the Germans their 
chr, I have employed rb, to be sounded as in pronouncing rbamry speaking very thickj as more eon» 
formable to the French language. 



VOL. I. 



VOYAGE ROMl^ THE WORLD. 

-j^g^ Sixty - - - kleitouehourha. 

July. Seventy _ « - takatouchourha. 

Eighty „ - - netskatouchourha. 

Ninety _ . - koiiehokrha. 

One hundred - - tchinecaterha. 

Our characters are not capable of denoting the language of these 
people. It is true they have some articulations resembling ours, but to 
many we are absolutely strangers. They make no use of the consonants 
B F X, J, D, P, V 3 and notwithstanding their talent for imitation, 
they could never pronounce the first four. It was the same with the 
liquid L, and the liquid GN. They articulate the letter R as if it were 
double, and by speaking very thick. The chr of the Germans they pro- 
nounce as hard as the Swiss of certain cantons. They have likewise aa 
articulate sound very difficult to catch, which we could not attempt to 
imitate without exciting their laughter: it may be partly represented by 
the letters khlrl, making but one syllable, and pronounced by the help of 
the tongue and throat at the same time. This syllable may be found in the 
word khlrleies, signifying the hair of the head. Their initial consonants are 
K T N, S, M ; of which the first are most frequently used. None of 
their words begin' with R j and almost all end with ou, ouls, oulch, or some 
vowel. Their thick speaking, the frequent recurrence of the letter K, 
and their double consonants, render the language very harsh. It is less, 
guttural when spoken by the men, than by the women, who cannot pro- 
nounce the labials, on account of the piece of wood, named kentaga,, 
which they fix in the lower lip. ^ 

The harshness of their language is less perceptible when they sing. 
It was not in my power to make many observations on the parts of speech, 
from the difficulty of communicating abstract ideas by signs : I observed, 
however, that they have interjections to express the sentiments of admira- 
tion, anger, and pleasure. I do not think they have any articles,, for I 
found no words frequently recurring, and serving to connect their dis- 
course. They are acquainted with numerical relations, and have names 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 



of numbers; yet they do not distinguish the plural from the singular, 
either by difference of termination, or by articles. I showed them a seal's 
tooth, which they called kaourre ; and they gave the same name, without 
any variation, to several teeth together. They have not sufficiently ge- 
neralised their ideas, to have words in any considerable degree abstract : 
they have not sufficiently particularised them, not to give the same name 
to things very distinct. Thus, with them, kaaga signifies equally the head 
and the face ; and alcaouy a chief and a friend. I did not find any resem- 
blance between the words of this language, and those of the language of 
Alaschka, Norton's Sound, and Nootka Sound, or of the Greenlanders, 
Esquimaux, Mexicans, Nadouessies, or Chipawaws, with the vocabularies 
of which I have compared it. , I have spoken to them words of all these 
tongues ; but they did not understand one of them, though I varied my 
pronunciation as much as possible : yet, although perhaps there is not a 
single idea, or a single thing, to express which the same word is used by 
the people at Port des Fran9ais and those whom I have mentioned, still 
there must be a great affinity of sound between this language and that of 
Nootka. K is the predominant letter in each, occurring in almost all their 
words. The initial consonants, and the terminations, are often the same in 
both. And it is not impossible, perhaps, but the language of Port des 
Francais may have a common origin with that of Mexico: though this 
origin, if it be a fact, must be referred to a very remote age, since the 
two idioms have an affinity only in the primary elements of words, not in 
their signification." ■ 

I shall finish the article respecting these people by observing, that we 
found among them no trace of anthropophagy : yet it is so general a cus- 
tom among the American Indians, that perhaps I should have been able 
to have added this stroke to the picture, had they been at war, and taken 
a prisoner *. 

* Captain Meares has proved, by his account of his voyages, that the people inhabiting the north- 
^i^estern coast of America are cannibals. (French Editor.) 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 



CHAPTER X. 



Departure from Tort des Frangais—We proceed to explore the Coast of 
America—Captain Cook's Bay of Islands— The Pilot Maurelles Ports of 
los Remedies and Bucarelli--ltes de la Croyere-^Islands of San Carlos— 
Description of the Coast from Cross Sound to Cape Hector— We reconnoitre 
a large Gulph, or Channel, and accurately determine it's width— lies Sar^ 
tine— Captain Cook's Woody Point— Verification of our Time-Keepers— 
Pointe des Brisans—Iles Necker— Arrival at Monterey, 



THE forced stay I had just made at Port des Frangais compelled me 
to change the plan of my navigation on the coast of America. I had still 
time to run it down, and ascertain it's direction ; but it was impossible 
for me to think of putting into any other harbour, still less of reconnoitring 
every bay. All my schemes must be subordinate to the absolute necessity 
of arriving at Manilla by the end of January, and at China in the course 
of the month of February, in order to employ the following summer in 
exploring the coasts of Tartary, Japan, Kamtschatka, and the Aleutian 
Islands. I saw with regret, that a plan so extensive allowed me time only 
to glance at objects, and never to clear up any doubt : but as I was 
obliged to navigate seas in which monsoons prevail, I must either lose a 
whole year, or arrive at Monterey between the 10th and 15th of Septem- 
ber spend only six or seven days there in recruiting our stock of wood 
and water, and then traverse, with all possible speed, a space of more than 
120° of longitude, or near £400 leagues, on the Pacific ocean. I had well 
founded apprehensions, that I should not have time to visit the Caroline 
Islands, and those to the north of the Ladrones, as I had been directed. 
Whether we should explore the Carolines was to be determmed by our 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



413 



being more or less fortunate in our passage ; and this we might reason- 1786. 
ably presume would be long, in consequence of the bad sailing of our ves- -^"gust. 
sels : beside, the geographical situation of these islands, which lie far to 
the west, or to leeward, would not allow me to include them with- 
out difficulty, in my farther schemes of navigation to the south of the 
line. 

These different considerations determined me to give M' de Langle fresh 
places of rendezvous, in case of separation. I had appointed him Port de 
los Remedios and Nootka Sound ; but it was agreed between us, that we 
should stop only at Monterey. This port was preferred, because, being 
the most distant, on our arrival there, we should have the greater quantity 
of wood and water to replace. 

Our misfortune at Port des Fran9ais required some change in our staff : 
on M' Darbaud, a very well-informed midshipman, I conferred an ensign's 
commission ; and a lieutenant's on M'' Broudou, a young volunteer, who 
had given me, since we left France, various proofs of his intelligence and 
zeal* 

I proposed to the officers and passengers, to sell our furs at China for 
the profit of the crew alone ; and my proposal being unanimously received 
with transport, I gave M'' Dufresne an order to act as supercargo. This 
commission he executed with a zeal and judgment, which I cannot too 
highly commend. He had the management of the purchasing, packing, 
sorting, and selling, the different furs ; and as I am certain there was not 
a single skin privately bought, this arrangement enabled us to learn, with 
the utmost precision, their price in China, which might have been altered 
by a competition in the sale. It was likewise of greater advantage to the 
sailors j and they were convinced, that their interest and health had never 
ceased to be the principal objects of our attention.. 

The renewal of our voyage was not very fortunate at the commencement,, 
and by no means answerable to my impatience. We advanced only six. 



14 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

17S6. leagues in tlie first eight and forty hours. The Ught winds during these 
August. ^^^Q j^yg varied through the eastern half of the compass from north to 
south. The weather was dull and foggy. We were constantly within 
three or four leagues of the shore, and in sight of the low land; bu,t the 
high mountains we could see only at intervals. This was sufficient to 
connect our bearings, and ascertain with precision the direction of the 
coast, the most remarkable points of which we took care to fix by accu- 
rate determinations of the latitude and longitude. I could have wished, 
that the winds had permitted me to examine this coast rapidly as far as 
Cape Edgecumbe, or Enganno, because it had already been visited by 
-Cook, though indeed he ran along it at a considerable distance : but his 
.observations were so exact, that if he made any mistakes they must have 
been infinitely small : and I felt, that, equally hurried with that celebrated 
navigator, it was no more in my power than in his to attend to minutis, 
which would require to be the object of a particular expedition, and 
occupy several seasons. I was extremely eager to arrive at the latitude of 
55°, and have a little time to bestow in reconnoitring thence to Nootka 
Sound, a gale of wind having driven Cook fifty or sixty leagues off that 
part of the coast. It was in this part of America, that the Chinese must 
liave landed, according to M"^ de Guignes ; and it was also in this lati- 
tude, that admiral Fuentes found the entrance of the Archipelago of 
Saint Lazarus. 

I was far from giving credit to the conjectures of M"" de Guignes, or the 
narrative of the Spanish admiral, whose very existence I believe may be dis- 
- puted : but, struck with the observation I have already made, that all the 
islands and countries, mentioned in the ancient accounts of the Spaniards, 
have been re-discovered in modern times, though their longitude and latitude 
were very inaccurately given, I was induced to imagine, that some ancient 
navigator of that laborious nation had found a gulph, the entrance of 
which might be in this part of the coast ; and that this single fact might 
' have served as a foundation to the ridiculous romance of Fuentes and Ber- 
narda. If I should find such a channel, it was not my intention , to pene- 
trate into it, as the season was too far advanced; and I could not think of 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 



sacrificmg the whole plan of my voyage to such a search, unless In the 
hope of being able to reach the sea on the east of America by traversing 
it's continent. But as I was certain, from Hearne's journey, that this 
passage was a mere chimera*, I was resolved merety to ascertain the 
breadth of this channel, and it s length for twenty-five or thirty leagues, 
according to the time I should have ; leaving to such nations as the Eng- 
lish, Spaniards, and Americans, who have possessions - on the American 
continent, to explore it more accurately, which could be of little advan- 
tage to general navigation, the sole object of our voyage. 

The fog, rain, and calms, did not cease till the 4th at noon^ when.we 
had an observation in latitude 57" 45' north, three leagues from the land, 
which we could not perceive very distinctly on account of the haze. For- 
tunately it cleared up at four o'clock, when we perfectly distinguished the 
entrance of Cross Sound, which appeared to me to form two bays, stretch- 
ing very far into the land, and in which it is probable vessels would find 
good anchorage. 

The high mountains covered with snow, the peaks of which are thir- 
teen or fourteen hundred toises above the level of the sea, terminate here. 
The hills on the sea side, to the south-east of Cross Sound, though they 
liave still eight or nine hundred toises elevation, are covered with trees to 
their summits ; and the chain of primary mountains appears to me to run far 
into the interior of America. At sun-set the west point of Cross Sound 
bore north 25° west, distant about five leagues j Mount Fairweather^ 
north, 5° west J and Mount Crillon, north 45° west. This mountain! 
almost as lofty as Mount Fairweather, is to the north of Cross Sound, as 
Mount- Fairweathcr is to the north of Fort des Franfais. They servJ as 
marks for the harbour to which they are adjacent. It would be easy to 
mistake one for the other in coming from the southv/ard ; but they differ 
15' in latitude, - and Mount Fairweather appears from every point of view^ 

* La Perouse, too honest to suspect a political falsity in the account of Hearne's journey, delivers 
m thxs place, an opinion altogether opposite to mine. I shall hereafter resume this important sul>' 
ject. See the notcs^ page '^SQ and 357. (French Editor,) 



, VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1786.. accompanied with two less lofty mountains, while Mount CriUon is more 
August! isolated, and it's point inclines toward the south. I continued to run along 
the coast at the distance of three leagues j and the mountains being still 
very hazy, and the low land visible only at intervals, we exerted ourselves 
to distinguish the heights, that we might not lose the chain of our bear- 
ings. 

Our progress was very slow, as we made only ten leagues in twenty- 
four hours. At daybreak I set a cape bearing north 29' west, on the south 
of the entrance of Cross Sound, which I called Cape Cross *. We had on 
x)ur beam an infinite number of little low islands, covered with wood: the 
high hills appeared in the back ground j and the mountains covered with 
snow were no longer visible. I approached the little islands, so as to bring 
the breakers within sight from the deck, and I perceived between them , 
several passages, which must form good roads. It was to this part of 
America Cook gave the name of Bay of Islands. At sunset the entrance 
of the Port de los Remedios bore from us east 2° south, that of Guadaloupe 
Bay east 2 1° south, and Cape Enganno east 33° south j but all these points, 
all these capes, were badly defined, on account of the fog that covered their 
summits. 

From Cross Sound to Cape Enganno, an extent of twenty-five leagues I 
am convinced twenty different harbours might be found, and three months 
would hardly suffice to explore the labyrinth. For my part I confined 
myself, in pursuance of the plan I had formed on my departure from Port 
des Fran^ais, to determine with accuracy the beginning and end of these 
islands, their direction along the coast, and the entrances of the principal 
bays,. 

^. On the 6th the weather cleared up a little, we were able to observe the 

* Cook called Itbytl. same name, but he fixes It's latitude at 57^ 57'. ^^is difference m^^^^^ 
from the configuration of the coast, which in this part presents several capes and Cook ce tmnly de- 
termined the position of that vvhich appears on the chart farthest to the south. (French Editor.) 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



sun's altitude, and compare the true time with that given by our time- 
keepers. Our latitude was 57' IS' 40" ; and our longitude, deduced from 
the new rate of going of our timekeepers, determined on Cenotaph Island, 
138° 49' 30'\ I have already mentioned the excellence of the timekeepers 
made by M-^ Berthoud : their loss on the mean daily motion of the sun is 
so trifling, and so uniform, that this artist may be considered as havino- 
brought them to the highest degree of perfection of which they are sus! 
ceptible. 

The 6th. was a tolerably clear day, and our bearings w&re every thing 
we could wish. .At seven in the evening we still discerned Mount Crillon 
north 66° west. Mount San Jacinto north 78° east, and Cape Enganno 
east 10° south*. This cape is a low land, advancing a considerable way 
into the sea; and Mount San Jacinto rests on it, the figure of which is a 
truncated cone rounded on the summit. It's height must be at least two 
hundred toises. 

In the morning of the 7th we perceived the coast on the side of Cape 
Enganno opposite to that along which we had -sailed the preceding day. 
Mount San Jacinto appeared well defined, and we discovered to the east 
of it a wide bay, the head of which was concealed from us by a fog; but 
it lies so open to the south and south-east winds, which are the most 'dan- 
gerous, that a navigator must be cautious of anchoring in itf . The land 
is covered with trees, and of the same elevation as that to the south of Cross 
Sound. The summits of the mountains are slightly capped with snow, and 
they are so numerous and peaked, that a trifling change of situation is suffi- 

rl^VA ^"f 'Tr •^f^'^^;/"^^^?^ E^S^-o °f the Spaniards are the Mount Edgecumbe and 
Cape Edgecumbe of Cook. (French Editor.) o ^^^^ 

t Dixon anchored here to collect furs. He gave it the name of Norfolk Sound. Its latitude i. 
£7° 3 north ; It's longitude, reduced to the meridian of Paris, i38o 16' west. ' 

He anchored in eight fathoms, sandy ground, three quarters of a mile from the shore. Cook saw 
t^he entrance of th. sound on the 2d of May, 1778, but he did not come to .n anchor here, (plnd 



yoL. I. g jj 



41-^ VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

irs6. dent to alter their appearance. These heights are some leagues within 
August, i-i^g land, and appear in the distance : in front of them are hills ; and these 
subside into a low land with gentle risings, which terminates in the sea. 
Before this undulating coast are islands resembling those I have already 
mentioned. We determined the situation only of the most remarkable, 
the others are set down at hazard, merely to show, that they are very nu- 
merous. Then, both to the north and to the south of Cape Enganno, for a 
space often leagues, the coast is bordered with islands. By ten in the morn- 
ing we had doubled them all, the hills appeared open, and we could deline- 
ate their outlines. At six in the evening we set a cape to the north-east, 
which advanced a great way to the west, and formed, with Cape Enganno, 
the south-east point of the great bay, one third of which, as I have already 
observed, is filled with small islands. Between the last of these islands and 
the new cape, we saw two large bays*, which appeared to run far into the 
land. To the last mentioned cape I gave the name of Tschirikow, in ho- 
nour of the celebrated Russian navigator, who landed in this part of Ame- 
rica in 1741. Behind this cape, to the east is a spacious bay, which I 
likewise named Tschirikow Bay. At seven in the evening I made a group 
of five islets f, separated from the continent by a channel of four or five 

* These two bays, which la P6rouse named Port Necker and Port Guibert, are so near, that it Is 
doubtful in which Dixon anchored : but this navigator, having coasted along the shore on each side 
of his anchorage, which he called Port Banks, found no bays but what were much smaller than that lo 
which he was, and entirely uninhabited. 

The latitude of Port Banks is 56° SS^^ 

It's lonffitude west, reduced to the meridian of Paris, - - - IS/" 20' 

' ' ^ (French Editor.) 

I Dixon has marked these five islets on his chart by the name of Hazy Isles. 

According to the determination of la Ferouse they are in 

Latitudenorth = - = . ~ - - = 55" 50 0 



Longitude west 



137 11 0 



According to Dixon, 

Latitudenorth ------------- 55 50 a 

Longitude west, reduced to the meridian of Paris, - -137 O 45 - 

1 believe I need not adduce any arguments to prove, that the determinations of la P6rouse deserve 
Ip ever}' respect the preference. (French Editor.) 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



419 



leagues, and mentioned neither by Cook nor Maurelle. This group I 1786. 
named the Islands of la Croyere, in memory of the French geographer de ^"S"'^'^' 
Lisle de la Croyere, who sailed with captain Tschirikow, and died on the 
voyage. As night approached I stood towards the offing. The breeze 
from the west continued favourable to us the whole day of the 8th j and 8. 
we made our observation in latitude 55° 39' SI"" north, longitude by our 
timekeepers 137° 5' 23"' west. We perceived several wide openings be- 
tween considerable islands, which appeared at different distances j while 
the continent was so remote, that we could not discern it. This new ar- 
chipelago, very distinct from the former, begins four leagues to the south- 
east of Cape Tschirikow, and reaches probably to Cape Hector. The cur- 
rents near these islands are very strong, and were felt by us at the di- 
stance of three leagues. The Port Bucarelli of Maurelle is in this part. 
{Charts and Plates, N° Q6.) Both his chart, and the explanation of it, 
were unintelligible to me. But his volcanoes, and his Port Bucarelli, are 
situate in islands perhaps forty leagues from the main-land, i own I 
should not be surprised to learn, that we had coasted along nothing but 
islands since we left Cross Sound*; for the aspect of the land was very 
different from what it was farther north, and I observed the lofty chain of 
Mount Crillon lose itself in the east. 



The 9th, at seven in the morning, as we continued to run along the land 
at the distance of three leagues, we saw the islands of San Carlos. The 
largest lies south-east and north-west, and may be two leagues in circum- 
ference. A long chain unites it to some other islets, very small and low, 
which extend a considerable way into the channel. I am persuaded, how- 
ever, that a passage is left sufficiently wide f : though I was not sufficiently 

* Dixon is of a similar opinion, and I think every probability is in it's favour. 

" So that we were near the middle of the island toward the northward and eastward. In 

this situation we saw high land to the north-west, near 30 leagues distant, and which evidently was 
the same we had seen on the 1st of July. This circumstance clearly proved the land we had been 
coasting along for near a month, to be a group of islands." Dixon's Voyage, p. 216. (French Editor.) 

fThis passage appears actually to exist. Dixon likewise saw it, and had recourse to it to trace, 
jpartly at a venture, the strait to which he gave his name. (French Editor.) 



9^ 




420 VOYAGE ROUND THE V/ORLD. 

1786. certain of this to venture to explore it, as the wind set right in j so that if 
August, conjectures had not been well founded, I should have found it very dif- 
ficult to double the islands of San Carlos in the offing, and have lost time 
that was precious to me. I ranged along the outermost of the islands 
within half a league ^ and at noon, being at this distance west of the south- 
east point, we determined it's position with the utmost accuracy, to be in 
54° 48' of latitude north, and 136° 19^ of longitude west. 

It blew a fresh breeze from the west- north-west ; the weather thickened, 
and I crowded sail towards the land, over which the fog increased as we 
approached. At half after seven in the evening, we were scarcely above a 
league from the shore, yet I could scarcely discern it, though the breakers 
were in sight from the deck. I set a large cape, which bore by the com- 
pass east-north-east, but nothing was perceptible beyond it, so that it was 
impossible to form any judgment of the direction of the coast : accordingly 
I thought it advisable to wear ship, and wait for clearer weather. The 
fog dispersed only for a moment. 

1(y On the 10th of August at noon we observed in latitude 54° 20^ north*, 
longitude 135° 20' 45"' west by our timekeepers. I had stood again to- 
wards the land from four o'clock in the morning, and I perceived it a league 
and half distant in the south-west, on the breaking of the fog. It had the 
appearance of an island : but the clear space was of so little extent, and so 
short duration, that it was impossible to make any thing out distinctlyv 
As we had not expected to find land in this point of the compass, our uncer- 
tainty of the direction of the coast was increased. During the night we 
had crossed currents more rapid than any I ever met with in the open sea j 
but as our reckoning agreed with our observations, it is probable, that the 
currents were occasioned by the tide, and set with equal force in opposite 
directions, so as to balance each other. 

The weather grew very foul in the night of the 1 0th. The fog thick- 
ened, and it blew a strong gale. In consequence I stood out to sea. At 
day-break we put about againj, and approached so near the lands that at 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



one in the afternoon I made the same point as we saw the evening be- 
fore. It extended from the north -north-east to south-east by south, and 
connected almost all our bearings, leaving however an opening of eight 
or nine leagues, where we perceived no land. I know not whether this 
were owing to the fog, or to some deep bay or other openings in that 
part J but I presume the latter, on account of the strength of the currents 
of which I have spolcen. Had the weather been more clear, we should 
have left no doubt on this head, since we approached within a league of 
the land, and saw the breakers distinctly. It runs much farther to the 
south-east than I supposed from the chart of the Spanish pilot, which me- 
rits no confidence. We had an observation at noon, which gave us 54^ 
9' 26"' of latitude north j and I continued to run along the coast at the 
distance of a league till four o'clock in the afternoon, when the fog 
thickened so much, that we could no longer see the Astrolabe, though 
we were within hail of her, and I stood off to sea. During the whole of the 
12th the weather never cleared up; and as I was so uncertain of the di- 
rection of the land, I increased my distance from it to ten leagues. On 
the 13th and 14th the weather was foggy, and ahnost a calm. I availed 1 
myself of the light breezes to re-approach the land, from which, at six in 
evening, we were still five leagues distant. 

Since we passed the islands of San Carlos, we had never been able to 
find bottom with a line of a hundred and twenty fathoms, even within a 
league of the land. 

On the 15th the weather cleared up, and we got within two leagues of 
the land. In some places it was skirted with breakers, which extended a 
considerable way into the ofiing. The wind blew from the east, in which. 
point we set a large bay. The horizon was very extensive,, though the 
sky was cloudy. We could see the coast for eighteen or twenty leagues, 
on either hand; it stretched from the north-north-east to the south-south^ 
east, and appeared to run south-south-east and north-north-west muck 
farther to the south than I imagined. 



4S3 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



178^.« At eight o'clock in the morning I was obHged to stand off shore, on 
4ugust. ^(.^ount of a thick fog with which we were surrounded, and which conti- 

16. nued till ten o'clock on the l6th. We then saw the land very indi- . 
«tinctly to the north-east ; but the fog soon obliged me to lay the ship's 

17, head towards the offing again. The whole of the 17th was calm; the 
mist at length dispersed, and I perceived the land at the distance of eight 
leagues. The want of wind did not allow me to get near it but we took 
excellent observations of the moon's distance from the sun for the first 
time since we left Port des Fran9ais. Our latitude was 53° 12' 40""; our 
longitude, according to our timekeepers, 136° 52' 57'' j but the mean re- 
sult of our lunar observations gave 137° 27' 5 8", or 35' l" more to the 
west, and that of the Astrolabe 15' less. The breeze from the west- 
north-west having freshened, and the weather continuing clear, I ap- 

13, proached the land, and was within a league and half of it on the 18th 
at noon. Running along the coast at this distance, I discovered a bay of 
such depth, that I could not discern the land at the head of it. I gave it 
the name of Bak de la Touche. It lies in latitude 52° 39' north, longitude 
134° 49' west, and, I have no doubt, affords very good anchorage. 

A league and half farther to the east we saw another inlet, in which 
possibly good shelter for ships may likewise be found, but it appeared to 
me far inferior to Bale de la Touche. From the parallel of 55° to 53° 
the sea was covered with that species of diver, named by Buffon macareux 
du Kamtfchaka*. This bird is black; it's beak and claws are red j and 
on the head are two stripes of white feathers, which rise in form of a 
crest, like those of the cockatoo. We perceived some to the southward, 
but they were rare, and appeared to be in some sort travellers. These 
birds never venture more than five or six leagues from the land, and sea- 
men who meet with them during a fog may be nearly certain they are 
within that distance. We Ihot two, which were stuffed. This bird is 
known only by Behring's Voyage -f . 

* The tufted auk. La Perouse is mistaken in calling it a species of diver, flongcon. T. 
f Captain Cook also met with it on the coast of Alascha. (French Editor.) 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

On the 19th, in the evening, we had sight of a cape, which appeared 
to terminate the coast of America. The horizon was very clear, and we 
perceived nothing beyond it but four or five small islets, to which I gave 
the name of I/ots Kerouart, and the point I called Cape Hector *. We 
lay becalmed the whole night within three or four leagues of the land, 
which a light breeze from the north-west allowed to me to get nearer at 
break of day^ when I was convinced, that the coast I had been sailing 
along for two hundred leagues ended here,, and probably formed the open- 
ing of a gulph or very wide channel, as I could see no land to the east 
though the weather was very clear. Accordingly I steered my course to 
the north, to discover the back of the land which I had coasted along on 
the western side. I stood within a league of Kerouart Islets and Cape 
Hedlor, and traversed very strong currents, which even obliged me to 
bear up, and stand off shore. It appeared to me of considerable impor- 
tance to determine the situation of Cape Hector, which forms the entrance 
of this new channel. It's latitude is 51° 5/ 20^^ north, and it's longitude 
by our timekeepers, 133° 3/ west. Night did not allow me to advance 
farther to the north, so I stood off and on till day-break, when I resumed 
my course. The weather being very clear, I saw the back of la Touche 
Bay, to which I gave the name of Cape Buac&e, ^nd more than twenty 
leagues of the eastern coast of the land I had run along the preceding 
days. Recollecting then the form of the land from Cross Sound, I was 
greatly inclined to suppose, that this inlet resembled the Gulf of Califor 
nia, and extended as far as the parallel of 57° north. Neither the season' 
nor my farther schemes, would allow me to satisfy myself on this head • 
but I resolved at least to ascertain the breadth of this channel or gulf^ 

*• It is the Cape S« James of Dixon., 

La P6rouse's Cape Hector. 



Latitude north 
Longitude west 



51° 57' 20/' 
133° 37' 



' Dixon's Cape S' James. 
Latitude north - . . . . ^. 
Longitude west, reduced to the meridian, of Paris 132° m 



424 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1786. whichever it may be called, east and west, and in consequence directed 
my course north-east. On the 21st, at noon, we were in latitude, by 
observation, 52° 1^ north, and longitude 133° 7^ 31^' west: Cape Hector 
bore south-west distant ten or twelve leagues, and we had no soundings. 
- The wind soon shifted to the south-east. A thick fog succeeded to that 
clear sky, which had allowed us in the morning to see the land at the di- . 
stance of eighteen or twenty leagues j and it blew very fresh. Prudence for- 
bad me any longer to continue my course to the north-north-east ; accord- 
ingly I hauled my wind, and stood off and on under close-reefed top-sails 
the whole night. At day-break, the wind abating, though the horizon 
was still foggy, I stood in for the land, and perceived it at noon through 
the fog. My latitude, by estimation, was then 52° 22'; the coast ex- 
tended from north by east to east by north ; and our soundings were a 
hundred fathoms water, rocky ground. After a short interval of a clear 
sky, the fog thickened again, and the weather had a threatening appear- 
ance. Again I stood off the shore ; but fortunately I had taken very good 
bearings, and had ascertained the width of the channel or gulf from east 
to west,'which was about thirty leagues between Cape Hector and Cape 
Fleurieu*, the name I had given to the south-easternmost island of the 
new cluster I had just discovered, on the eastern coast of this channel. 

It was behind this cluster of islands that I discovered the continent, the 
primary mountains of which, destitute of trees, and covered with snow, 
appeared in ranges, one behind another, terminating in peaks seemmgly 
upwards of thirty leagues within the land. Since leaving Cross Sound, 



* Dixon calls it Cape Cox. 

Latitude north 
Longitude west 



Cape Fleurieu of la Perousp. 



- 51° 45' 
131° 15 t 



51° 30' 
130° 32'. 



Cape Cox of Dixon. 

Latitude north , . - - - - - 
Longitude west, reduced to the meridian of Paris - 130° 32'. 

° (French Ed; tor.) 

t A few pages farther on it is 131° O' 15''. T. 



> 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



same sea. 



The fog was very thick during the night, and I stood to the south- 
south-west. At day break there was a very fine clear, though only for a 
short time ; but at eleven o'clock the fog entirely dispersed. We set cape 
Fleurieu north-east by north, and had excellent observations. Our latitude; 
was 51° 47' 54'': our longitude, by our time-keepers, 132° O' 5o''. We 
lay becalmed the whole day; but after sunset the wind shifted to the 
north-west, with a very hazy horizon. I had previously set cape Fleii^. 

VOL. I. 3 1- 



42 



we had seen comparatively nothing but hiils, and my conjectures respect- 1786. 
ing an inlet of six or seven degrees to the north were strengthened by this. ^"^^st. 
The season did not permit me to investigate this opinion farther. Already 
we were near the end of August : the weather was almost continually 
foggy : and the days began to shorten. But above all, the fear of missing 
the Chinese monsoon induced me to give up this search, which would 
have required at least six weeks, on account of the precautions necessary 
in an enterprise of this kind, which should be undertaken only in long days 
and fine weather. A whole season would be scarcely sufficient for such a 
labour, which ought to be the object of a particular expedition : ours, 
infinitely more extensive, was accomplished by the acqurate determination 
of the width of this channel, into which we penetrated about thirty leagues. 
We also fixed the latitudes and longitudes of the capes, which form the 
two extremities of it's mouth, with such precision, that as much depen- 
dance may be placed upon them, as upon the most remarkable of the coasts 
of Europe. It was with regret I saw, that we had advanced but a very little 
way since we left Port des Fran9ais, and I had not a moment to lose in 
my passage to Monterey. The reader will be sensible, that, during the 
whole course of this voyage, my imagination was always obliged to pre-- 
cede my vessel two or three thousand leagues, because my routes were to 
-be accommodated to the monsoons and to the seasons, in every part of the 
two hemispheres I was to explore, as I had to visit very high latitudes, and 
traverse straits between New Holland and New Guinea, subject probably 
to the same monsoons as those of the Moluccas, or other islands in the 



' . VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 

1786. rieu north by east. It's latitude and longitude, determined by Da- 
August. ggigt^ are 51° 45^ north, 131° west *. 

I have already said, that this cape forms the point of a lofty island, be- 
hind which I could no longer perceive the continent, as it was concealed 
by the fog. It grew still thicker in the night, and I often lost sight ot 
the Astrolabe, though I could hear her bell. 

-4 At day-break the weather became fine. Cape Fleurieu bore north-west 
1 8° west, distant eighteen leagues. The continent stretched as far as due 
east The horizon, though dull, allowed it to be seen at the distance of 
twenty leagues. I steered east to get nearer the land, but the coast soon 
became again covered with fog, and a break in the south-south-east en- 
■ abled me to discern a cape in that point of the compass. 

That I might not be embayed in a gulph from which I should find it 
difficult to ex'tricate myself, by running to the easf before the wind I 
altered my course, and soon discovered, that the land to the south-south- 
east toward which I was now steering, was formed by several clusters of 
islands, which extended from the continent to the islands m the offing 
and on which I could not see a single bush. I passed withm a mile of 
them • and we could perceive grass and drift-wood upon the shore. The 
latitude of the westernmost island is 50^ 56^ and the longitude 130° 38 . 
I gave these clusters the general name of lies Sartine f. It is probable a 
passage mi'^ht be found between them : but it would not be prudent to 
venture in^'without caution. After having doubled them, I stood toward 
the continent, steering east-south-east. It bore from the north-north-east 
to south-east by east. The horizon was a little foggy, though pretty 
extensive. We could no longer distinguish the summits of the mountains, 
though we saw the low land very plainly. 

* In the last note of the editor, p. 424, it is 131° 15'. T. 

+ The Beresford's Islands of Dixon, who assigns thetn 50° 52' of north latitude, and 132° 3' of 
west longitude, reduced to the meridian of Paris. (French Editor.) 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



427 



I continued standing on and off the v/hole night, that I might not pass 1786. 
Cook's Woody Point, the situation of which he determined as thus the ^"S"^^- 
line of coast would be complete from Mount Elias to Nootka Sound, and 
I should have the advantage of comparing our longitudes with his, which 
would remove every doubt of their accuracy. At day-break I stood in 
for the land, and passed within a league and a half of Woody Point, which 
bore at noon north by west, distant about three leagues. It's latitude is 
precisely 50^4^ north; and it's longitude 130° 25' west. Captain Cook, 
who was not so near to it as we, and determined it only from his bear- 
ings, placed It in his chart in the latitude of 50°, and longitude 130° 20^, 
reduced to the meridian of Paris, that is to say, V farther south, and 5' 
farther east : but our determination merits most confidence, because we 
were much nearer the land, and our estimation of the distance was less liable 
to be erroneous. I cannot help remarking here the astonishing precision 
of the new methods, which in less than a century would assign to every 
point of the earth it's true situation, and contribute more to the advance- 
ment of geography than all the ages that have hitherto elapsed. 

On the 25th I continued to stand to the eastward, being ,desirous of £5. 
making Nootka Sound before night, though this was of little importance 
after having accurately determined Woody Point. A very thick fog^ how- 
ever, which came on about five in the afternoon, completely hid the land 
from me, and I shaped my course for Breaker Point, fifteen leagues south 
of Nootka, in order to reconnoitre the coast between Cape Flattery and 
Breaker Point, a space of about thirty leagues, which Cook was not able 
tp explore. 

On the 26th the weather continued very foggy. The wind was squally 
and variable from north-east to south-east. The barometer fell : yet no 
gale of wind came on ; but we remained in a dead calm, Vs'ithout steerage- 
way, till the 28th. I had availed myself of some slight breezes to gain 
an offing from the land, the direction of which I imagined to be south- 
east. We were surrounded with small land-birds, which settled on our 
rigging, and several of which we caught ; but they v/ere of kinds so com- 



£6, 

27. 

28. 



18 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1786. mon in Europe, that they are not worth describing. At length, on the 
August. 9 8th, at five in the evening, the weather cleared up, and enabled us to 
distinguish Cook's Breaker Point, which bore north of us, with the land 
stretching from it as far as the north-east. It continued clear only a short 
time, but sufficient for us to take good bearings. - . 

^9. The weather was equally thick on the 29th of August ; but the baro. 
meter rose, and I stood towards the land, hoping it would clear up before 
night. We hove the lead every half hour. Our soundings changed from 
seventy fathoms, sandy bottom, to forty fathoms, pebbly ground j and 
after sailing a league, we had seventy-five fathoms, with a bottom of 
mud It was clear we had passed over a bank : and perhaps it is not 
easy to explain how a hill of pebbles, a hundred and fifty feet high, and 
^ league in extent, should be found on a bed of sand, eight leagues from 
the shore. It is well known, that these pebbles are smoothed only by 
friction J and to account for this heap, we must suppose a current like 
that of a river at the bottom of the sea. 

At length, as I had flattered myself, it cleared away at sun-set. We 
set the land from the east -north-east to the north-west by north, and these 
bearings formed an accurate connection with those of the preceding day. 
At noon we had an observation in latitude 48° 37'. Our longitude, by 
our time-keepers, was 128° 21' 42^ The farthest point We saw to the 
south-east could not be more than six or seven leagues from Cape Flat- 
tery, which I was very desirous of making, but the fog was very thick. ^ 

50. On the SOth the sea grew very boisterous j the wind was variable from 
south to south-west; and I regained the offing. The horizon extending 
less than half a league from the ship, I sailed on a parallel with the coast, 
to get as soon as possible into the latitude of 47°, that I might explore the 
land thence to 45% that part forming a gap in Cook's chart. 

September. At noon, on the 1st of September, I made a point, or cape, bearing 
1- north-north-east, about ten leagues distant, and by our bearings precisely 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 

in the latitude of 47°. The land stretched as far as the east, and I ap^ 
proached within three or four leagues of it. It was badly defined, being S. 
enveloped in fog. My latitude observed at noon was 46° my 
longitude, by our time-keepers, 127° 2^ 5'' west, by lunar observations 
126° 33'. The currents on this coast are extremely violent : we fell in 
with eddies, which would not suffer the ship to obey her helm with a 
three-knot gale, five leagues from the land. 

During the night, I stood along the coast, with the ship's head to the 
southward, under an easy sail. At day-break, I laid the ship's head to 
the east to re-approach the land; but four leagues from the shore we 
were m a dead calm, so that we lay at the mercy of the currents, which 
turned us about every moment, and in continual apprehension of falling 
aboard the Astrolabe, which was in as bad a situation. Happily we had a 
. good muddy bottom to anchor in, if the currents had drifted us towards 
the shore, but there was a very heavy sea, and our cables would with 
difficulty have resisted the pitching. The Cape Rondo of the Spaniards 
bore from us 5° south : the land extended thence as far as south-east- our 
latitude^ at^^noon was 45° 55' , our longitude by our time-keepers 
126° 47 35'' west, and by lunar observations 126° 22', The day before 
the weather had at length allowed us to observe the distances of the moon 
for the second time since we left Port des Fran9ais , and [to-day] they 
gave us only 25' 35"* difference from the longitude of our time-keepers. 
This day of calm was one of the most uneasy I had spent since our depar- 
ture from France. There was not a breath of wind the whole night We 
hove the lead every half hour, that we might come to an anchor notwith- 
standing the heavy sea, if we had been drifted towards the land; bufwe 
constantly found eighty fathoms of water, with a muddy bottom. 

At daybreak we were the same distance from the land as on the pre- 
ceding evening. Our observation gave us, as the day before, 45° 55'. 
Our bearings were very nearly the same; and drifted by opposite currents, 
which had balanced each other, it seemed as if we had only been turning 
on a pivot for four and twenty hours. 

* The day before, the difference was 29' 5 "= T, 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

17SG. At length, at three o'clock, a light breeze sprung up from the north- 
September, north- west, by the help of which we were enabled to gain the offing, and 
get out of those currents, in which we had been two days involved. 
This breeze drove before it a fog-bank, in which we became enveloped, 
and which made us lose sight of the land. We had now scarcely more 
than five or six leagues of coast to explore to the latitude of 45% the point 
reconnoitred by Cook. The weather was too favourable, and my time 
was too precious, not to avail myself of this fair wind. We set all the 
• sail we could carry, and steered south by west, nearly parallel to the coast, 

4. which runs north and south. ' The night was fine ; and at day-break we 
saw the land north by east, the horizon being clear in that point of the 
compass, but very foggy farther to the east.. We had occasional glimpses 
of the coast, however, to the east -north-east, and even as far as east-south- 
east. At noon we had an observation, and found our latitude to be 44°4l' : 
our time-keepers gave our longitude 126° 56' 1?" west, and we were 
about eight leagues from the land, whkh we approached by making 
easting in our course. At six in the evening we were within four leagues 
of the shore, which extended from north-east to east-south-east, and was 
very foggy. The night was very fine. I ran along the land, which we 
could see by the moonlight: at su^n-rise, however-, it was hidden by the 
fog J but it re-appeared at noon, the fog clearing away from north-east to^ 

5. south by east. Our soundings were seventy-five fathoms. 

Our latitude was 42°58'5o'S and our longitude by our timekeepers 
127" 5' 20^'. At two o'clock we were abreast of nine small islands or 
rocks, about a league distant from Cape Blanco, which bore north-east by 
- east. ' I named them lies Necker. I continued to run along the land, 
standing to the south-south-east. , At the distance of three or four leagues, 
we perceived only the summits of the mountains above the clouds. They 
were covered with trees, and we could see no snow. At night the land 
extended to the south-east ; but the men at the mast-head said they saw 
it as far as south by east. Uncertain of the direction of the coast, which 
had never been explored, I kept under an easy sail to the south-scuth- 
e west At day-break we still saw the land, which -stretched from the 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 

north to north by east. I steered south-east by east to get near it ; but at 1 
seven in the morning a thick mist occasioned us to lose sight of it. ^ep 

"We found the weather in this part of America less clear than in higher 
latitudes, where the navigators enjoyed, at least by intervals, the sight of 
every thing that was above their horizon j for to us the land never once 
appeared distinct in all it's parts. On the 7th the mist was still thicker 
than the day before. It cleared up, however, towards noon, and we saw 
the tops of mountains to the east, at a considerable distance. As we had 
made a southern course, it is evident, that from the latitude of 42° the 
coast begins to run to the east. Our latitude observed at noon was 
40° 48' 30'' north : our longitude by our timekeepers 126° 59' 45'^ west, 
I continued to steer so as to get nearer the land, from which I was only 
four leagues distant at the approach of night. We then perceived a vol- 
cano on the summit of the mountain which bore east from us. The flame 
was very vivid ; but a thick fog soon concealed it from our sight. Deem- 
ing it prudent again to increase our distance from the land, as I was 
apprehensive, that, by following a course parallel to the coast, I might 
fall in with some rock or island at a little distance from the continent, I 
stood towards the offing again. 

The fog was very thick. On the 8th, about ten in the morning, it cleared 8 
up a little ; and we perceived the summits of the mountains : but a veil, 
which our eyes could not pierce, constantly hid from us the low land. 
The weather was grown very bad: it blew extremely fresh; and the 
barometer fell considerably. I continued till the beginning of .the night to 
steer south-east, so as to get nearer the land, while I ran along the coast j 
but I had lo^t^ight of it ever since noon and at night-fall the horizon 
was so thick, that I might have been very near without seeing it. As 
there was an appearance of a gale of wind ; and as, if it came from the 
west, I should have been on a leeshore, I thought proper to stand out to 
sea under the foresail and maintopsail only. It blew hard, but much less 
so than I had expected. 



432 



VOYAGE ROUND THB WORLD. 



10, 11. 



At break of day the weather was cloudy, but the wind moderate, and I 
Septemba-. steered east towards the land. The fog soon made me change my course, 
^' and run along nearly parallel with the coast, the direction of which I 
imagined to be south by east. On the 10th and 11th the weather was 
equally thick. The course^ made good these two days was south by east. 
Our horizon never extended two leagues, and very often less than a musket- 
shot. We had an observation, however, which gave us 36° 58' 43^' of 
north latitude. Our longitude by our time-keepers was 136° 32^ 5" west. 
Either we had made an error in our reckoning, or the currents had carried 
us 30' to the south: but we were still 16' north of Monterey. Though 
the atmosphere was foggy, we had an horizon of two leagues, and I steered 
east directly towards the land. I remained standing on and oft the whole 
10 night The next day the weather was still thick; yet I continued my 
course towards the land. At noon our longitude was 124° 52'. I could 
see no land, but at four o'clock we were enveloped in fog, and I resolved 
to continue standing off and on, till the weather grew more clear. We 
could not be far from the shore, several land birds flew round us, and we 
caught a gerfalcon. — 

The fog continued all night ; and the next day, at ten in the morning, 
we perceived the land very foggy, and very near us. It was impossible to 
make out what land it was. I approached within a league of it, and saw 
the breakers very distinctly. Our soundings were twenty-five fathoms. 
But though I was certain of being in Monterey Bay. it was impossible to 
distinguish the Spanish settlement in such thick weather. At the approach 
of ni^^ht I stood out to sea again, and at day-break stretched in for the land,, 
with\ thick fog, which did not disperse till noon. I then stood along the 
shore at a very little distance, and at three o'clock in the afternoon we got 
sight of the fort of Monterey, and of two three-masted vessels m the road. 
The contrary winds obliged us to come to an anchor two leagues in the 
offing in forty-five fathoms, muddy bottom , and the next day we anchored 
in twelve fathoms, within two cables length of the land. The command- 
er of the two vessels, Don Stephen Martinez, sent us pilots during the 
night- both he, and the govefnor of the presidency {presidto), having; 
been apprised by the viceroy of Mexico of our expected arnvah 



14. 



1-5. 



« 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORI.D. 

It is worthy remark, that during this long course, in the midst of the 
thickest fogs, the Astrolabe constantly sailed within hail of us, never be- 
ing at a farther distance, till I ordered captain de Lahgle to reconnoitre the 
entrance of Monterey Bay. 

Before I conclude this chapter, which will appear interesting only to the 
navigator and geographer, I think it incumbent upon me to deliver my 
opimon respecting the pretended channel of Saint Lazarus of admiral de 
Fuentes. I am convinced this admiraf never existed*, and that a voyage 
into the interior of America, through lakes and rivers, and performed in 
so short a time, is so absurd, that but for the spirit of system,, which, is 
injurious to all the sciences, geographers of a certain degree of reputation 
would have rejected a story destitute of all probability, and fabricated in 
England, at a time when the partisans and opponents of a north-v/est pas- 
sage supported their opinions with no less enthusiasm, than was wasted at 
the same period in France on questions of theology a hundred times more 
ridiculous. The narrative of admiral de Fuentes, therefore, is to be ranked 
with those pious frauds, which sound reason has since rejected with the 
utmost contempt,, and which cannot bear the light of discussion. But it 
may be considered as almost certain, that from Cross Sound, or at least 
from Port de los Remedios to Cape Hector, no navigator has coasted along 
any thing but islands to the latitude of 52°; and that between the islands 
and the continent there is a channel, the breadth of which east and west 
may be more or less considerable j but I believe not exceeding fifty leagues, 
since it is reduced to thirty at it's mouth between Cape Hector and Cape 
Fleurieu. This channel must be interspersed with islands, rendering the 
navigatigh, of it difficult; and I am persuaded, there are several passages 
between these islands communicating with the open sea. The Ports de 
los Remedios and Bucarelli of the Spaniards are at a great distance from 
the continent ; and if a mere form of taking possession, followed by no 
settlement, were not a ridiculous title, those of the Spaniards in this part 
of America migh^t be disputed : for I am convinced, that Maurelle nev.eit 



VOL, I:. 



* See the note, p. 357. (French Editor.) 
3 K 



434 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



178^. saw any part of the continent from 50" to 57° 30'. I am absolutely cer- 
jptember. j^-^^^ however, that in Port des Fran9ais, to the north of Cross Sound, we 
were in America ; because Behring's river, in 59° 9\ is so large, that none 
«qual to it can be found unless in a land of great extent. I wished to 
have it explored by our boats, but they could not stem the currents of 
it's entrance. Our frigates anchored at it's mouth. The water was whit- 
ish and fresh three or four leagues in the offing. It is probable, there- 
fore, that the channel between the islands and the continent does not 
extend farther north than 57° 30^ I know geographers may draw lines to 
the north-east, leave Port des Fran9ais and Behring's river in America, and 
prolong their channel to the north and east as far as their imagination will 
carry them : but such a labour, unsupported by facts, would be absurd ; 
and it is sufficiently probable, that the mouth of some river, and perhaps a 
navigable one, may be found on the coast of America, which forms the east- 
ern shore of this channel for it can hardly be thought, that the declivity 
.of the land directs all the rivers towards the east ; a rule to which Beh- 
ring's river would form an exception. It is even probable, that there 
would be no bar at the mouths of such supposed rivers ; because the 
channel, which is of no great width, is sheltered by the islands on the 
west j and it is well known, that bars are formed by the re- action of the 
sea in opposition to the currents of rivers*. 

* This chapter^ so Interesting to general navigation, will no doubt leave something to be wished 
by seamen and geographers, and particularly by the advocates for a north-west passage. Though I am 
myself of the number of the latter, I cannot help observing, that if la Perouse had attempted to explore 
all the bays, all the great openings, to be found on this immense extent of coast strewed with islands, 
he must have been obliged to give up all the other objects of his expedition, and formally disobeyed 
his instructions. 

The honour of having achieved a perfect description of the habitable parts of the globe will be re- 
served for the nineteenth century. Then the important question respecting a communication of the 
two seas by the north of America will be decided. Let us reserve a place for the immortal name of 
that enterprising navigator, who/availing himself of the progress of astronomical knowledge, shall, 
show us this communication. 

To accelerate the arrival of this era, let all discouraging doubts be rejected;, and let me add a word 
«r two to what I have already said in the notes to pages 258, and 357- 

The ship Padre Eternal, commanded by captain David Melguer, a Portuguese, sailed from Japan 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



435 



about the year 1660, and ran as far north as about the latitude of 84°, whence she steered her course 1 78g 
between Spitzbergen and Greenland, and, passing to the westward of Scotland and Ireland, returned September, 
to Oporto in Portugal. 

Captain Vannout, a Dutchman, asserts, that he sailed into the South Sea through Hudson's 
Strait. 

r 

. I would intreat those, who turn their thoughts to this question, to read the collection of observations, 
on the probabilitj of a north-west passage, inserted in the voyages of captain Meares. (Frenck 
Editor.) / o r V . 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



CHAPTER XL 



Description of Monterey Bay — Historical Details respecting the two Call- 
fornias aud their Missions — Manners and Customs of the converted and 
the independent Natives — Grain^ Fruits, and V egetables of every kind — 
Quadrupeds, Birds, Fishes, Shells, &c. — Military Constitution of these 
two Provinces — Account of their Trade, &c. 

1786. MOUNTEREY BAY [Charts and Plates, N° 34), formed by New- 
September. Year's Point to the north, and Point Cyprus to the south, presents an 
opening of eight leagues in this direction, and nearly six in depth to the 
eastward, where the land is low and sandy. The sea rolls to the foot of 
the sandy downs which border the coast, and produces a noise, which we 
heard when more than a league distant. The lands to the north and south 
of this bay are elevated, and covered with trees. Vessels intending to stop 
here must follow the southern shore, and when they have doubled the 
Point of Pines, which projects to the north, the presidency appears in view, 
and they may come to an anchor in ten fathoms of water, within and rather 
near to the point, which shelters them from the winds of the sea. The 
Spanish vessels which make a long stay at Monterey usually approach sp 
near the shore as the distance only of one or two cables lengths, and moor in 
six fathoms of water, by making fast to an anchor, which they bury in the 
sand on the beach. They have then nothing to fear from the south winds, 
which are sometimes strong, but not at all dangerous, as they blow from 
the coast. We had soundings in every part of the bay, and anchored at 
the distance of four leagues from the shore, in sixty fathoms, soft mud ; 
but as the sea is heavy, it is not possible to remain in this situation longer 
than a few hours, while waiting for day or the clearing up of the fog. 
The time of high water at full and change of the moon is at half past one. 
The tide rises seven feet, but as the bay is very open, the current is almost 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 437 

imperceptible. I never saw it run so rapidly even as half a knot. It is 1786. 
impossible to describe either the number of whales with which we' were September, 
surrounded, or their familiarity. They blowed every half minute within 
half a pistol-shot from our frigates, and occasioned a niost annoying stench. 
We were unacquainted with this property in the whale ; but the inhabi- 
tants informed us, that the water thrown out by them is impregnated with 
this offensive smell, which is perceived to a considerable distance; and to 
the fishermen of Greenland or of Nantucket, this would probably have been 
no new phenomenon. 

Almost incessant fogs envelope the coasts of Monterey Bay, which 
renders the approach somewhat difficult. But for this circumstance ' 
there would scarcely be a safer shore. No concealed rock extends farther 
than a cable's length ; and if the fog be too thick, it is easy to anchor and 
wait for it's clearing up, when the Spanish settlement is seen in the angle 
formed by the southern and eastern shores. 

The sea was covered with pelicans. It appears that these birds never 
fly to a greater distance than five or six leagues from the land, and navigators 
who meet with them during a fog may be certain of being no further 
distant from it. We saw them for the first time in Monterey Bay, and I 
have since been informed that they are common over the whole coast of 
California. The Spaniards call them alkatrce, 

A lieutenant colonel, who resides at Monterey, is governor of both 
Californias. His government is more than eight hundred leagues in cir- 
cumference ; but his real subjects consist only of two hundred and eighty- ' 
two cavalry, who form the garrison of five small forts, and furnish detach- 
ments of four or five men to each of the twenty-five missions or parishes 
.into which Old and New California are divided. These slender means 
are sufficient to secure the obedience of about fifty thousand wandering* 
Indians in this extensive part of America, of whom nearly ten thousand 

^ They continually change their residence, according as it is the senson of fishing or of huntino-. 



^38 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1786. have embraced Christianity. These Indians are in general diminutive and 
September, ^^^j^^ exhibit none of that love of independaiice and liberty which cha- 
racterise the nations of the north, of whom they possess neither the arts 
nor the industry. Their colour nearly approaches that of the negroes 
whose hair is not woolly. The hair of the Californians is veiy strong, 
and would grow to a considerable length ; but they cut it off at about four 
or five inches from the root. Many of them have beards; while others, 
according to the missionaries, have never had any ; and it is a question which 
is not even decided in the country itself *. The governor, who had been 
a great traveller into the interior of the land, and for fifteen years had 
resided among these savages, assured us, that those who appeared without 
' beards had plucked them out with the bivalve shells, which they use as 
. - tweezers. The president of the missions, who has resided nearly the same 
time in California, maintained the contrary opinion, and it must be difficult 
for a stranger to decide between them. Obliged however to relate pre- 
cisely what we have seen, we are" under the necessity of admitting, that we 
observed beards only on about half the adults ; and of these some were of 
so respectable an appearance, that they might have claimed distinction m 
Turkey, or in the vicinity of Moscow f. 

These Indians are extremely skilful with the bow, and killed before us 
the smallest birds. It is true that their patience in approaching them is 
inexpressible. They conceal themselves, and slide in a manner after their 
game, seldom shooting till within fifteen paces. 

Their industry in hunting larger animals is still more admirable. We 
saw an Indian with a stag s head fastened on his own, walking on all-fours, 
and pretending to graze; and he played this pantomime with such truth, 
that our hunters, when within thirty paces, would have fired at him, if they 

* We have given our opinion respecting the beards of the Americans In the preceding chapter; 
tut wT writl these chapters during'the voyage, and as we have no system to mamtam, we do not 
hesitate to relate new facts as they com.e to our knowledge. 

t As the governor had travelled over a much greater extent of country than the missionary, his 
.pinion wouM have predominated with me, if 1 had been obliged to dec.de the question. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 439 

had not been forewarned. In this manner they approach a herd of deer 1786. 
withm a short distance, and kill them with their arrows. September, 

Loretto is the only presidio of Old California, on the eastern coast of 
this peninsula. The garrison consists of fifty-four horsemen, who afford 
small detachments to the fifteen following miffions, the duties of which 
are performed by Dominicans, who have succeeded the Jesuits and Fran- 
ciscans. Of the ten missions of New California these last have remained 
sole possessors. The fifteen missions of the department of Loretto are 
San Vicente, San Domingo, el Rosario, San Fernandez, San Francisco de 
Borgia, Gertrude, San Ignacio, la Guadalupe, Rosalia, la Concep- 
tion, San Josef, San Francisco Xavier, Loretto, San Josef de Cabo Lu-^ 
car, and ^odos Santos. About four thousand Indians, converted and 
assembled in these fifteen parishes, are the whole fruit of the long: 
apostleship of the difi^erent religious orders, who have succeeded each 
other in this painful ministry. The epoch of the establishment of Fort 
Loretto, and the difi^erent missions which it protects, may be read in the 
History of California, by father Venegas. By comparing their former si 
tuation with that of the present year, it will be seen, that the progress of 
these missions, both temporal and spiritual, is extremely slow. As yet 
there is but one place inhabited by Spaniards. The country, it is true is 
unwholesome, and the territory of the province of Sonora, which bor 
ders upon the Vermillion Sea to the east, and California to the west, much 
more attractive, since they find there a fertile soil and productive mines • 
objeds m their eyes of much greater value than the pearl-fishery of the' 
peninsula, which requires a certain number of divers, which it is often 
difficult to procure. But northern California, notwithstanding it's great 
distance from Mexico, appears to me to unite infinitely more advantages 
Its first^establisment, which is San Diego, bears no earlier date than the 
26th of July, 1769. It is the presidio furthest to the south, as San Fran- 
CISCO IS farthest to the north. This last was built the 9th of October 
1 776 , that of the channel of S- Barbara in September, 1 786 , and, lastly; 
Monterey, at present the capital and chief place of the two Californias 
on the 3d of June, 1770. The road of this presidio was discovered in 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WOULD. 

1786. 1602 by Sebastian Viscayno, commander of a small armed squadron at 
September. Acapulco, by order of viscount de Monterey, viceroy of Mexico. Since 
that time the galleons, on their return from Manilla, have sometimes put 
into this bay, to procure refreshment after their long passage ; but it was 
not till 1770 that the Franciscans established their first mission here. 
- They have ten at present, in which they reckon five thousand one hun- 
dred and forty-three Indians converted. The four following columns will 
shew the name of the parish, the date of the establishment, the presidio 
on which each parish depends, and the number of converts. The Spa- 

r niards give the name of presidio generally to all their forts, as well in 
Africa as in America, situate in infidel countries j and the term implies 
that there are no inhabitants, but simply a garrison residing in the citadel. 



Names of parishes. 


Names of presidios on 
which they depend. 


Date of their estab- 
lishment. 


Number of indivi- ' 
duals converted. 


San Carlos 


Monterey 


June 3, 1770 


711 


San Antonio 


Idem 


July 14, 1771 


8-50 


San Louis 


Idem, 


Sept. 1, 1772 


492 


S'^ Clara 


San Francisco 


Jan. 18, 1777 


475 


San Francisco 


Idem 


Od. 9, 1776 


250 


San Bueneventura 


S'^ Barbara 


May 3, 1782 


120 


Barbara 


Idem 


Sept. 3, 1786 




San Gabriel - 


Idem 


Sept. 8, 1771 


843 


San Juan Capistran 


San Diego 


Nov. 1, 1776 


544 




1 Idem 


July 26, 1769 


858 


n - 






5143 



The piety of the Spaniards has hitherto maintained these missions and 
presidios at a great expence, with the sole view of converting and civilis- 
ing the Indians ; a system much more worthy of praise than that of 
those avaricious individuals, who appeared to be invested with the na- 
tional authority for no other purpose than to commit with impunity the 
most atrocious barbarities. The reader will soon perceive that a new 
branch of commerce may procure to the Spanish nation greater advantages 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



441 



than the richest mine of Mexico ; and that the salubrity of the air, the 178(3. 
fertility of the soil, and the abundance of every kind of peltry, for which September. 
China is a certain market, afford to this part of America incalculable ad- 
vantages over old California, of w^hich the unhealthiness and sterility can 
never be compensated by a few pearls, which must be industriously sought 
for at the bottom of the sea. ' 

Before the arrival of the Spaniards, the Indians of California cultivated 
nothing but a small quantity of maize, and subsisted almost entirely by 
fishing and hunting. No country is more abundant in fish and game of 
every description. Hares, rabbits, and deer, are extremely common ; 
seals and otters as abundant as in the more northern parts, and in the 
winter they kill a great quantity of bears, foxes, wolves, and wild cats. 
The coppices and plains are covered with small grey crested partridges, 
which live in society like those of Europe, but in covies of three or four 
hundred. They are fat and excellent {Charts and Plates, No. 36). The 
trees are inhabited by the most charming birds. Our ornithologists stuff- 
ed several varieties of sparrows, blue jays, titmice, speckled wood peckers, 
and troupiales Among the birds of prey we observed the white-headed - 
eagle, the large and small falcon, the goss hawk, the sparrow hawk, the 
black vulture, the large owl, and the raven. In the ponds and on the 
sea-coast are found the duck, the grey and white pelican with yellow 
tufts, different species of gulls, cormorants, curlews, ring plovers, small 
water hens and herons ; and, lastly, we killed and stufl^d a bee-eater 
{Charts and Plates, No. 37), which, ornitliologists have supposed to be 
pecuHar to the old continent. 

The soiLlike wise is inexpressibly fertile. Every kind of garden plants 
thrives astonishingly. We enriched the gardens of the governor and the 
missions with different grains vdiich we had brought from Paris, whidi 

* The oriohs iderm Lin. called by Latham the Uerk oriole ,zn^h-)' Ci^tt^hjtbeyeUoiv avJ Ihcl^ye. T, 

VOX. i. 3 



443 ■ VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1786. were in perfect preservation, and will add to the sum of their domestic 

Eenteniber. • , 

* enjoyments. 

The crops of maize, barley, wheat and pease, can only be compared to 
those of Chili. Our European cultivators can form no conception of so 
abundant a fertility. * The medium produce of wheat is seventy or eighty 
for one, and the extremes sixty and a hundred. Fruit-trees are still very 
scarce, but the climate is extremely proper for their cultivation, and dif- 
fers little from the southern provinces of France ; at least the cold is never 
more intense, while the heats of summer are much more moderate, on 
account of the continual fogs which prevail in these countries, and com^ 
municate a degree of humidity very favourable to vegetation. 

The forest trees are the stone-pine, the cypress, the evergreen oak, and the/ 
occidental plane-tree. They stand apart from each other without un- 
derwood, and a verdant carpet, over which it is pleasant to walk, covers 
the ground. There are vacant places, several leagues in extent, forming 
vast plains, covered with all sorts of game. The land, though very pro- 
- ductive, is sandy and light, and owes its fertility I conceive to the 
humidity of the air, for it is badly watered. The nearest running, 
stream to the presidio is two leagues distant: it is a brook that flows near 
the mission of San Carlos, and is called by the ancient navigators Pvio de 
Carmel. This distance was too great to allow us to fetch our water from 
thence, and we procured it from ponds behind the fort, where it was of a 
very indifferent quality, scarcely dissolving soap. The river Carmel, 
which affords a wholesome and agreeable drink to the missionaries and 
their Indians, might also with a little trouble water their gardens. 

It is with the most pleasing satisfaction that I speak of the pious and' 
prudent conduct of • these religious men, which so perfectly accords with 
the object of their institution. I shall not conceal what I conceived to be 
blameable in their internal administration j but I must affirm, that, indivi- 
dually good and humane, they temper by their mildness and charity the 
austerity of the rules which have been prescribed by their superiors.. K 



VOYAGE ROUND THE. WORLD. 4,4, 

-'friend to the rights of men rather than to theology, I could have wished, 1786. 
I confess, that there had been joined to the principles of Christianity a le- September, 
gislation, which might gradually have made citizens of men, whose state 
-at present scarcely differs from that of the negro inhabitants of our colo- 
:nies, at least in those plantations which are governed v/ith most mildness 
and humanity. 

I am perfectly aware of the extreme difficulty of this new ,plan. I 
know that these men have very few .ideas, and still less constancy, and 
that if they were to cease to be treated as children, they would escape 
from those who have taken the pains to instruct them. I know likewise, 
that reasoning can produce very little effect upon them, that it is abso- 
lutely necessary to appeal to their senses, and that corporeal punishment, 
with rewards in a double proportion, have hitherto been the only means 
adopted by their legislators. But would it not be possible for ardent zeal 
and extreme patience to demonstrate to a few families the advantages of 
society, founded on the rights of the people j to establish among them the 
possession of property, so bewitching to all men; and by this new order 
of things to engage every one to cultivate his field with emulation, or to 
direct his exertions to some other employment ? 

I admit that the progress of this new civilisation would be very slow, 
and the attentions necessary to be paid tedious and disgusting; that the 
theatre of action is very remote, and that the applauses of the enlight- 
ened part of mankind would never reach the ear of him who should thus 
have consecrated his life to deserve them. Neither do I hesitate to affirm, 
that human motives are insufficient for such a ministry, and that the en» 
thusiasm of religion, with the rewards it promises, can alone compensate 
for the sacrifices, the disgust, the fatigues, and the dangers of this kind 
of life. Still I could wish that the minds of the austere, charitable, and' 
religious individuals I have met with in these missions, were a little 
more tinctured with the spirit of philosophy, 

I have already expressed my opinion with freedom respecting the 



4 



444 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



. I'-' '• 




=acP» 




1785. mcnks of Chili, whose irregularity appeared to me in general to be scan- 
S-ptember. (]alous With the same freedom I shall pourtray these truly apostolical 
tribes, who have abandoned the indolent life of a cloister to deliver them- 
selves up to fatigues, cares, and solicitudes of every kind. According to 
my custom I shall proceed with our own history while I relate theirs, and 
place before the eyes of the reader what we saw and learned, during our 
short stay at Monterey. 

We anchored on the 14th of September in the evening, two leagues 
from the shore, in sight of the presidio, and of two vessels which were in 
the road. They had fired guns every quarter of an hour to direct us to 
the anchorage, which they conceived might be concealed from us by the 
fog. At ten in the evening, the captain of the corvette La Favorita came 
on board in his long-boat, and offered to pilot our vessels into the port. 
The corvette La Princesa had likewise sent a pilot on board the Astrolabe. 
We learned, that these two vessels were Spaniards, commanded by Don 
Estevan Martinez, lieutenant of a frigate in the department of S^ Bias, in the 
province of Guadalaxara. The government maintains a small marine 
force in this port, subject to the orders of the viceroy of Mexico. It con- 
sists of four corvettes of twelve guns, and a schooner, the particular desti- 
nation of which is the supply of the presidios of northern California with 
provisions. These are the same vessels which made the two last expe- 
ditions of the Spaniards on the north-west coast of America j and they are 
sometimes sent as packet-boats to Manilla, for the more speedy trans- 
mission of the orders of the court» , 




At ten in the morning we weighed and anchored in the road at noon. 
We were saluted with seven guns, which we returned, and I sent an 
officer to the governor with the letter of the Spanish minister, which had 
been forwarded to me in France before my departure. It was not sealed, 
and was addressed to the viceroy of Mexico, whose authority extends to 

* There are monks, however, of merit in Chili ; but in general they enjoy a degree o£ libertj 
contrary to the state they have embraced. 





VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



445 



Monterey, though at the distance of eleven hundred leagues by land from 178^. 

the capital. . September. 

M' Pages, commandant of the fort of the two Californias, had already 
received orders to afford us the same reception as to the vessels of his ov^n 
nation; and he executed these orders v^itH a degree of earnestness and 
benevolence v^^hich deserve our warmest acknov/ledgments. He did not 
confine himself to mere verbal politeness- Cattle, garden-stuff, and milk, 
were sent on board in abundance. The desire of serving us seemed even 
to disturb the harmony between the commander of the two vessels and the 
chief of the fort. Each was desirous exclusively of providing for our 
wants; and when the account was to be discharged we were obliged to - 
insist on their receiving our money. The garden-stuff, milk, poultry, 
and the assistance of the garrison in wooding and watering, were afforded 
gratis j and the cattle, sheep, and corn were charged at so low a price, 
that it was evident an account .had been presented to us merely because 
we had insisted upon it. 

To these generous proceedings of M'' Pages the utmost politeness was 
added. His house was our home, and all his people were at our disposal. 

The fathers of the mission of San Carlos, at the distance of two leagues 
from Monterey, soon arrived at the presidio. No less obliging than the 
ofBcers of the two vessels and the fort, they invited us to dine with them, 
and promised to inform us minutely concerning the government of their 
missions, the manner of living of the Indians, their arts, their newly- 
acquired habits, and in general every thing that could interest the curiosity 
of travellers. We eagerly accepted this invitation, which we should not have 
failed to solicit if we had not thus been anticipated. It was agreed thatj 
we should set out the day after the morrow. M"^ Pages was desirous of 
accompanying us, and undertook to procure us horses. After crossing a 
small plain, covered with herds of cattle, and in which there were a few 
trees only, which were necessary to shelter these animals against the rain 
and the sun, we ascended . the hills, ftDrn whence we heard the sound of; 



^46 - , VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1 78 (3. bells announcing our arrival, of which the missionaries had been previously 
September, informed by a horseman from the governor. We were received like the 
lords of manors when they first take possession of their estates. The pre- 
sident of the missions, in his ceremonial habiliments and with his holy- 
water sprinkle in his hand, awaited us at the gate of the churcli, which 
was illuminated in the same jnanner as on the greatest festivals. He con- 
ducted us to the foot of the high altar, where he chaunted the Te Deum 
in thanksgivings for the happy success of our voyage. 

Before we entered the church, we had passed through a square in which 
the Indians of both sexes were ranged in a line. They exhibited no marks 
of surprise in their countenance, and left us in doubt whether v/e should 
' be the subject of their conversation for the rest of the day. The church 
.is neat though thatched with straw. It is dedicated to Charles, and 
..adorned with some tolerable pictures, copied from originals in Italy. 
Among the number is a picture of hell, in which the painter appears to 
have borrowed from the imagination of Callot ; but as it is absolutely ne- 
cessary to strike the senses of these new converts with the most lively im- 
pressions, I am persuaded that such a representation was never more useful 
in any country ^ and that it would be impossible for the protestant wor- 
ship, which proscribes images, and almost all the ceremonies of our 
church, to make any progress with this people. I doubt whether the pic- 
ture of paradise, which is opposite to that of hell, produces so good an 
.effect upon them. The state of tranquillity which it represents, and that 
mild satisfaction of the elect who surround the throne of the supreme be- 
ing, are ideas too sublime for the minds of uncultivated savages : but it was 
necessary to place rewards by the side of punishment, and it was a point of 
duty that no change should be permitted in the kind of enjoyments which 
the Catholic religion promises to man. 

On coming out of the church we passed through the same row of 
Indians, whom the Te Deum had not induced to abandon their post. The 
children only had removed to a , small distance, and formed groups near the 
house of the missionaries, which, as wel} as the different store-houses, is 



VOYAGE ROUND' TFIE WORLD, 



447 



opposite the church. The Indian village stands on the right, consisting 178^. 
of about fifty huts, which serve for seven hundred and forty persons of September, 
both sexes, including their children, who compose the mission of Saii 
Carlos, or of Monterey. 

These huts are the most wretched that are any where to be met with.. 
They are round, and about six feet in diameter and four in height. Some 
stakes of the thickness of a man's arm, stuck in the ground and meeting at 
the top, compose the framing. Eight or ten bundles of straw, ill-arranged 
over these stakes, are the only defence agaiust the rain^ and when the - 
weather is fine, more than half the hut remains uncovered, with the pre- 
caution,, however, of two or three trusses of straw to each habitation, to be 
used as circumstances may require. 

This general architecture of the two Californias has never undergone the 
smallest change, notwithstanding the exhortations of the missionaries. The 
Indians say, that they love the open air, that it is convenient to set fire to 
their house when the fleas become troublesome, and that they can build 
another in less than two hours. The independent tribes, who, as hunters, 
so frequently change their residence, have of course an additional motive. * 

The colour of these Indians, which is that of negroes ; the house of the 
missionaries ; their store-houses, which are built of brick, and plastered j 
the appearance of the ground on which the grain is trodden out ; the cat- 
tie ; the horses; every thing, in short, brought to our recollection a plan- 
tation at St. Domingo or any other West-India island. The proselytes are 
collected by the sound of a bell ; a missionary leads them to work, to the 
church, and to all their exercises. We observed, with concern, that the 
resemblance is so perfect that we have seen both men and women in irons, ■ 
and others in the stocks * ; and, lastly, the noise of the whip might have 
struck our ears, this punishment also being admitted,, though exercised 
with little severity. 

* Ju hhc. The author has given a description of this implement in a note, wJiicb we do not copyi . 
Ijecause it is precisely designated by the English word in the text, X, - . 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1786. The monks, by their answers to our different questions, left us ignorant 
September. ^^^^ ^^e government of this religious community^ for no other 

name can be given to the legislation they have established. They are the 
temporal as well as the spiritual governors, the products of the earth bemg 
entrusted to their care. The day consists in general of seven hours labour, 
and two hours prayer ; but there are four or five hours prayer on Sun- 
days and festivals, which are entirely consecrated to rest and divme worship. 

Corporal punishment is inflicted on the Indians of both sexes who 
neglect the exercises of piety, and many sins, which are left m Eu- 
rope to the divine justice, are here punished by irons and the stocks. 
And lastly, -to complete the similitude between this and other religious 
communi'ties, it must be observed, that the moment an Indian is baptised, 
the effect is the same as if he had pronounced a vow for life. If he es- 
cape, to reside with his relations in the independent villages, he is sum- 
moned three times to return, and if he refuse, the missionaries apply to the 
governor, who sends soldiers to seize him in the .midst of his family* 
and conduct him to the mission, where he is condemned to receive a cer- 
tain number of lashes, with the whip. These people have so little courage, 
that they never make any resistance to the three or four soldiers who so 
evidently violate the rights of men in their persons; and this custom, 
..gainst which reason so strongly exclaims, is kept up, because theologians 
have decided, that they could not in conscience administer baptism to men 
• so inconstant, unless the government would in some measure serve as tlieir^ 

-sponsor, and answer.for their perseverance. 

The predecessor of M'" Pages, Philip Deneve, commander of the 
interior provinces of Mexico, who died about four years ago, a man re- 
plete with humanity, and a Christian philosopher, remonstrated against the 
practice. He thought, that the progress of the faith would be more rapid, 
and the prayers of the Indians more agreeable to the supreme being, if they 
were not constrained. ^ He was desirous of a constitution less monastic,. 

t AsJhe.e people are at wa. with their neigl.bours, they can never escape to a greater distance 
than twenty or thirty leagues. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 449 

afFording more civil liberty to the Indians, and less despotism in the exe- 1736. • 
cutive pov^^er of the presidios, the government of which might be entrusted September, 
to cruel and avaricious men. He thought likev/ise, that it might per- 
haps be necessary to moderate their authority by the appointment of a 
magistrate, who might be the tribune, as it were, of the Indians, and pos- 
sess sufficient authority to defend them from vexations. This upright 
man had borne arms in favour of his country from his infancy; but he v/as 
exempt from the prejudices of his profession, and well knew, that military 
government is subject to great inconveniences, when moderated by no 
intermediate power. He might, however, have experienced the difficulty ^ 
of maintaining the conflict of three authorities, in a country so remote 
from the governor-general of Mexico, since the missionaries, though so 
pious and respectable, are already at open variance with the governor, who, 
on his part, appears to me to be a worthy military character. 

We were desirous of being present at the distributions made at each 
meal ; and as all the days, with this kind of religious community, were ex- 
actly alike, by the recital of the proceedings of one, the reader will be 
acquainted with the history of a whole year. 

The Indians, as well as the missionaries, rise with the sun, and imme- 
diately go to prayers and mass, which. last for an hour. During this time 
three large boilers are set on the fire for cooking a kind of soup, made of 
barley meal, the grain of which has been roasted previous to it's being 
ground. This sort of food, of which the Indians are extremely fond, is 
called atok. They eat it without either butter or salt, and it would cer- 
tainly to us be a most insipid mess. 

Each hut sends for the allowance of all it's inhabitants in a vessel made 
of the bark of a tree. There is neither confusion nor disorder in the distri- 
bution; and when the boilers are nearly emptied/the thicker portion at 
the bottom is distributed to those children who have said their catechism 
the best. - . 

The time of repast is three quarters of an hour 1 after which they all go " 



VOL. I. 



S M 



VOYAGE ROUND THE Y/ORL0; 

1 7S6. to VvTork, some to till the ground with oxen, some to dig in the garden^ 

September, ^j^jje others are employed in domestic occupations, and all under the eye- 
of one or two missionaries. ' - 

The women have no other employment than their household affairs, the: 
care of their children, and the roasting and grinding of the corn. This. 
last operation is both tedious and laborious, because they have no other 
method of breaking the grain than with a roller upon a stone. ,M"^ de~ 
Langle, who saw this operation, made a present of his mill to the mis- 
sionaries ; and it was difficult to have rendered them a greater service,,. 
since four women will now do the work of a hundred and they will havQ 
time to spin the wool of their sheep, and manufacture some coarse cloths. 
. • But the missionaries have hitherto been more attentive to their heavenly 
than their earthly concerns, and have, greatly neglected the introduction of 
the most common arts. They are so austere as to their own comforts, 
that they have no fire-place in their chambers, though the winter is some- 
times.; severe : the greatest anchorites have never lived a more edifying 
life 

At noon the bells give notice of the time of dinner. The Indians thea^ 
quit their v/ork, and send for their allowance in the same vessel as at 
breakfast. But this second soup is thicker than the former^ and contains 
a mixture of wheat and maize, and peas and beans : the Indians call it 
poussok. They return to work from two to four or five o'clock, when they 
i-epair to evening prayer, which continues nearly an hour, and is followed 
by a distribution of atole, the same as at breakfast. These three distri- 
butions are sufficient for the subsistence of the greater number of these 
Indians,, and we might perhaps adopt, this economical food in years of 
scarcity, with the addition of some seasoning. The whole art of this, 
cookery consists -in roasting the grain before it is reduced to meal. As. 
the Indians have no earthen or metallic vessels for this operation, they 

* F^ther Firmm de .la Suen, president of the missions of New Califorma, is one of the most wor. 
thy and respectable men I have ever met with. His mildness, charity, and affection for the lu-. 
imis, are beyond e}^pressionv 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



451 



perform it in baskets of bark, over a gentle charcoal fire. They turn 1786\ 
these vessels vs^ith such address and rapidity, that they succeed in causing September, 
the grain to sv^^ell and burst without burning the basket, though made of 
so combustible a material ; and we can affirm, that our best coffee is far 
from being roasted with equal skill. It is distributed to them every 
morning, and the slightest embezzlement is punished by the whip j 
though it seldom happens that they expose themselves to the danger. 
These punishments are adjudged by Indian magistrates, called caciques. 
There are three in each mission, chosen by the people from among those 
-whom the missionaries have not excluded : to give, however, a proper 
notion of this magistracy, we must observe, that these caciques are like 
the overseers of a plantation, passive beings, blind performers of the will 
0f their superiors; and that their principal functions consist in serving as 
beadles in the church, to maintain order and the appearance of attention. 
Women are never whipped in public, but in an inclosed and somewhat 
distant place, that their cries may not excite a too lively compassion, 
Tv^hich might cause the men to revolt. The latter, on the contrary, are 
exposed to the view of all their fellow citizens, that their punishment may 
serve as an example. They usually ask pardon for their fault, in which 
case the executioner diminishes the force of his lashes, but the num- 
ber is always irrevocable. 

The rewards are small distributions of grain, of which they make little 
-thin cakes, and bake them on the hot wood ashes. Qn high festivals ah 
allowance of beef is distributed, which many eat raw, particularly the fat, 
which is considered by them as equally delicious with the finest butter or 
rthe most excellent cheese. They skin all animals with the greatest dex- 
terity ; and when they are fjfl they make, like the ravens, a croaking of 
pleasure, devouring with their eyes those parts for which they have the 
-greatest avidity. 

They are often permitted to hunt and fish for their own benefit ^ and 
upon their return they generally make a present to the missionaries of a 
part of their sport ; but they proportion the quantity to what is strictly 
^necessary for their consumption, taking care however to increase it, when 



ii 



if iJ 





VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. - 

452 

1786 they know that their superiors have any visitors or guests. The women 
SepLblr. raise some poultry about their huts, the eggs of which they give to theix 
children These fowls are the property of the Indians, as well as thej-f 
clothes and other small articles of furniture ^nd implements of hunting. 
There is no example of theft among them, though the door of their hut 
consists merely of a bundle of straw, which they place across the entrance 
when the inhabitants are absent. 

These manners may appear patriarchal to some of our readers, wha 
may not reflect, that in these huts there is no article which can excite the 
avarice of a neighbouring hut. The food of the Indians .s secured to 
them, and they have therefore no other want than that of g.vmg life to 
beings, who are sure to be as stupid as themselves. 

The men in these missions have made greater sacrifices to Christianity 
than the women, because, before ifs introduction, they were accus- 
tomed to polygamy, and were even in the habit of espousmg all 'the 
sisters of the same family. The women, on the contrary, have acquired 
the right of receiving exclusively the caresses of a single m^. 1 must, 
confess, however, notwithstanding the unanimous report of the mis- 
sionaries concerning this pretended polygamy, that I am at a loss to con- 
ceive how it could have been established in a nation of savages ; for the 
number of men being nearly equal to that of the won.en the consequence 
must have been a forced continence in many individuals, unless conjugal 
fidelity were less rigorously observed than in the missions, where the holy 
fathers have constituted themselves guardians of the virtue of the sex. An 
hour after supper, they take care to secure all the women whose husbands 
are absent, as well as the young girls above the age of nine years, by 
locking them up , and during the day they entrust them to the care of 
elderly women. AU these precautions are still inadequate and we have 
seen men in the stocks, and women in irons, for having eluded the vigi- 
lance of these female Arguses, whose eyes are not sufficient for the com- 
plete performance of their office. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 4_53 

The converted Indians have preserved all the ancient customs which 1786 
their new religion does not prohibit: they have the same huts, the same September, 
diversions, and the same clothes. The cloathing of the richest consists in 
a garment of otter's skin, which descends from the waist somewhat lower 
than the groin. Tiie most indolent have simply a piece of cloth, which 
the mission supplies, to cover the nudities, and a small cloak of rabbit 
skin, tied under the chin, which covers their shoulders, and descends 
to their waist. The rest of their body is absolutely naked, as well as 
their head. Some of them, however, have straw hats, which are neatly 
made. : ^ 

The cloathing of the women is a mantle of deer skin badly tanned 
Those of the missions have generally a small corset with sleeves, which' 
with a small apron of rushes, and a petticoat of deer-skin descending to 
the middle of the leg, is the whole of their dress. Young girls more 
than nine years of age have simply a cloth round their waist, and the. 
children of both sexes are entirely naked. 

The hair both of men and women is cut to the length of about four or 
five mches. The Indians of the r^^^^mV. having no instruments of 
iron, perform this operation with lighted fire-brands. They are Hkewise 
in the habit of painting their bodies red,, in general, and when they are in 
mourning, in black. The missionaries have forbidden the first of these 
paintings; but they are obliged to tolerate the other, because these people 
are so strongly attached to their friends. When they are called to their ' 
remembrance they shed tears, though they may have lost them for a con- 
siderable period , and if their name be mentioned by anyone, even through 
inadvertence, they consider it. as an offence. The bonds of relationship 
have less force with them than those of friendship. Children take scarcely 
any notice of their father. They abandon his hut as soon as they are cal - 
pable of providing for their subsistence , but they preserve a longer attach-. - 
ment for their mother, who has brought them up with extreme mildness,. 

* Name of the independent Indian villages. . 



454 * VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1 786. and has never beaten them, unless when they have shown cowardice in their 
September, combats with children of the same age. 

The old men of the rancheries, who are no longer able to hunt, are 
supported at the expence of their whole village, and are in general well 
respected. The independent savages are frequently at war ; but the fear 
of the Spaniards causes them to respect the missions, and this perhaps is 
not the smallest of the inducements which increase the Christian villages* 
Their arms are the bow and arrow, which is armed with a flint very skil- 
fully wrought. The bows, which are wood and strung with the tendon 
of an ox, are very superior to those of the inhabitants of Port des 
Fran^ais. 

We were assured, that they neither eat their prisoners, nor their ene- 
mies slain in war; that nevertheless, when they have vanquished and 
killed the chiefs, or bravest men, on the field of battle, they devour some 
small portions, less in token of hatred or vengeance, than as an homage 
due to their valour, and from the persuasion that this food is calculated to 
increase their courage. Like the Canadians, they scalp the vanquished., 
and take out their eyes, which they have the art of preserving from cor- 
ruption, and which they carefully keep as tokens of victory. They burn 
:their dead, and deposit their ashes in morals. ' 

They have two kinds of game, in which they employ their whole lei- 
sure : ^the first, to which they give the name of takersia, consists in throw- 
ing a small hoop, of three inches in diameter, and causing it to roll in a 
space of twenty feet square, cleared of grass and surrounded with stakes. 
The two players hold each a stick, of the thickness of a common cane, 
and five feet long. This stick they €ndeavou,r to strike through the small 
hoop, while it is in motion. If they succeed, they gain two points ; and 
\ M the hoop should stop, so as to lie upon the stick, they reckon hut one,. 
The game is three. This diversion affords a violent degree of exercise, be>- 
xayse the hoop or the stick is always in action. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

The other game, named toussiy is more tranquil. It is played by. four 
persons, two on each side. Each, in his turn, conceals in one of his hands 
a piece of wood, while his partner makes a thousand gestures to occupy 
the attention of the adversaries. It is curious enough to a bystander to 
see them squatted down opposite each other, keeping the most profound 
silence, observing the traits of the countenance and the most minute cir- 
cumstances, which may assist their conjecture as to the hand which con- 
ceals the piece of wood. They gain or lose a point accordingly as their 
guess is right or wrong i and those who gain it have a right to hide in 
their turn. The game is five points, and the usual stake glass beads, and 
with the independent Indians the favours of their women. These Indians 
have no knowledge of a God, or of a future state, with the exception of 
some nations to the south, who had a confused notion of this kind before 
the arrival of the missionaries. They placed their paradise in the middle 
of the sea, where the elect were to enjoy cool breezes, which never prevail 
on their burning sands; and they supposed hell to be in the cavities 
of their mountains. 

The missionaries, persuaded from their prejudices and perhaps from 
their experience, that the reason of these men is scarcely ever developed, 
which they consider as a just motive for treating them like children, admit 
only a very small number to the communion. These are the geniuses of 
the country, who, like Descartes and Newton, would have enlightened 
their age and countrymen, by teaching them that four and four make 
eight, which is a calculation beyond the reach of the greatest number of 
them. The plan pursued by these missionaries is little: calculated to re- 
move this state of ignorance, in which every thing is directed to the re- 
eompenses of another life ; while the most usual arts, not excepting even 
the surgery of our villages, are not exercised. Many children perish in 
consequence of ruptures, which the slightest skill would cure ; and our 
surgeons had the pleasure of relieving a small number, and of showing 
them how to apply the necessary bandages. 



musthe confessed, that if the Jesuits were neither more pious nor more 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1786. charitable than these missionaries, they were at least more intelligent and 
Segii^ember. gkilful. The immense edifice which they have raised at Paraguay cannot fail 
to excite admiration j but their ambition and prejudices have afforded matter 
for the strongest disapprobation, in their system of community of property, 
so contrary to the progress of civilisation, and which is imitated with too 
much servility in the missions of California. This government is a true theo- 
cracy for the Indians, who believe, that their superiors have immediate and 
continual communication with God, and that they cause him to descend 
every day on the altar. By virtue of this opinion, the holy fathers live m 
the midst of the villages with the greatest security. Their doors are not 
shut even in the night, though the history of their mission affords the ex- 
ample of a missionary slain. It is known, that this assassination was the 
consequence of a commotion occasioned by an act of imprudence; for 
homicide is a very rare crime, even among the independent Indians. It is, 
however, no otherwise revenged than by general contempt; but if a man 
fall beneath the blows of a considerable number, it is concluded, that 
he deserved his fate, since his conduct produced such a number of 
enemies. 

Northern California, of which the most northerly settlement is that of 
San Francisco, in latitude 37" 5 8^ has no other boundary, according to the 
opinion of the governor of Monterey, than that of America , and our ves- 
sels by penetrating as far as Mount St. Elias, did not reach it's limits. To 
the 'motives of piety, which have determined Spain to sacrifice consider- 
able sums for the support of it's presidios and missions, there are at present 
considerable reasons of state to be added, which may direct the attention of 
government to this valuable part of America, where the sea otter skms are 
as common as in the Aleutian Islands, and those of the other seas fre- 
quented by the Russians. 

We found at Monterey a Spanish commissary. M' Vincent Vassadre y 
Veg. who had brought orders to the governor, enjoming h>m to col- 
lecf ail the sea otter skins of his four presidios and the ten misstons, of 
whi-h tiie government reserves to itself the exclusive commerce. M' Pages 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

assured me, that fifty thousand might be collected annually; and as he was 1786. 
well acquainted with the country, he added, that if the China trade could September 
furnish a demand for thirty thousand skins, two or three settlements to the 
north of San Francesco would soon procure them for the commerce of his 
nation. 

It is perfectly unaccountable that the Spaniards, having so near and so 
frequent intercourse with China from Manilla, should have been hitherto 
ignorant of the value of this precious trade of furs. 

It is to captain Cook, and the publication of his work, that they are 
indebted for this dawn of information, which will procure them the greatest 
advantages. This great man has thus travelled for the benefit of all 
nations, and his own country derives no greater advantage above others, 
but the glory of the enterprize and of reckoning him among her sons. 

The sea otter is an amphibious animal as common along the whole occi- 
dental coast of America, from the 2Sth to the 6oth degree of north lati- 
tude, as the seal on the coast of Labrador and in Hudson's bay. The 
Indians who are by no means so expert seamen as the Esquimaux, and 
whose boats at Monterey are only made of reeds*, catch them either on 
shore with snares, or kill them with large sticks, when they find them at a 
distance from the sea. For this purpose they conceal themselves behind 
the rocks, this animal being frightened at the least noise, and plunging 
immediately into the water. Before the present year, the skin of an otter 
bore no higher value than two hare skins. The Spaniards, never suspect- " 
ing there could be any demand for them, had not sent any to Europe, and 
Mexico was too hot a country for them to suppose, that this article could 
be acceptable there. 

I am of opinion, that in few years a great revolution will take place in 
the commerce of the Russians at Kiatcha, from the difficulty of supporting 

* The inhabitants of the missions of S'^ Barbara and San Diego have wooden canoes^ constructed 
nearly in the same manner as those of the inhabitants of Mowee, but without out-riggers. 
VOL. I. 3 N 




458 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1786. this competition. From the comparison I have made of the sea otter skins 
September. ^£ Monterey with those of Port des Fran9ais, I am inclined to believe, that 
the skins of the south are rather inferior ; but the difference is so small, 
that I am not absolutely certain of this inferiority, and I doubt v^^hether it 
may make in the sale a difference of ten per cent. It is almost certain, 
that the new company of Manilla will endeavour to seize this branch 
of trade ^ and this would be the most fortunate event which could hap- 
pen to the Russians, because it is the nature of exclusive privileges to anni- 
hilate or at lea&t to paralyse all the branches of commerce and industry, 
while perfect freedom alone can communicate to both all the activity of 
which they are susceptible. 

New California, notwithstanding it's fertility, does not yet possess a 
single European inhabitant. A few soldiers, who have married Indian 
women, and either live in the forts, or are scattered in small parties on 
public service and the different missions, constitute at present the whole of 
the Spanish nation in this part of America. If it were at a less distance 
from Europe, it would be in no respect inferior to Virginia, which lies in 
the same latitude ; but it's proximity to Asia may well compensate for this, 
and I am convinced that good laws, and particularly freedom of trade, would 
soon procure it a certain number at least of inhabitants : for the possessions 
of Spain are so extensive, that it is impossible to suppose, the population 
can be considerable for a long time to come in any of her colonies. The 
great number of individuals of both sexes who, from religious principle, 
, have ■ devoted themselves to celibacy, and the invariable policy of the 
government to admit but one religion, and to employ the most violent 
means for supporting it, must constantly oppose a new obstacle tq every 
augmentation. 

The government of the villages converted to Christianity would be more 
favourable to population, if property and a certain degree of liberty con- 
stituted it's basis. Nevertheless, since the establishment of the ten different 
missions of Northern California, the fathers have baptised 7701 Indians of 
both sexes, and buried only 2388. But it must be remarked, that this 



VOYAGE ROUND THE V/ORLD. 459 

computation does not, like those of our European towns, inform us whether 1 78(5 
the population increases or diminishes, because they are continually baptis- September, 
ing independent Indians : it merely shows, that Christianity extends itself; 
and I have already observed, that the affairs of the next world cannot be 
placed in better hands. 

The Franciscan missionaries are almost all Europeans. They have a 
college, for so they call a convent at Mexico, of which the general of his 
order in America is the guardian. This house does not depend upon the 
provincial of the Franciscans of Mexico, but has it's superiors in Europe. 

The viceroy is at present the sole judge of every dispute between the 
different missions, which do not acknowledge the authority of the com- 
mandant at Monterey. This ofScer is merely obliged to supply them with 
military force when they demand it j but as he has a power over all the 
Indians, and particularly over those of the rancheries, and has moreover 
the command of all the detachments of cavalry which reside in the mis- 
sions, these different relations very frequently disturb the harmony 
between the military and the religious government ; but the last possesses 
sufficient influence in the mother country in all cases to obtain the ascen- 
dency. These affairs were formerly brought before the goverfior of the 
inland provinces j but the new viceroy, Don Bernardo Galves, has united 
all the powers in his own person. 

Spain allows annually four hundred dollars to each missionary, whose 
number is fixed at two for a parish, and if there be a supernumerary he 
receives no salary. Money is of very little use in a country where nothing- 
can be purchased. Beads are the only money of the Indians. The college 
of Mexico therefore never sends a single dollar in cash, but the value in 
effects, such as tapers for the church, chocolate, sugar, oil, vv^ine, and some 
pieces of cloth, which the missionaries divide into small girdles to cover 
what decency does not permit the converted Indians to expose. The 
governor's pay is four thousand dollars ; that of his deputy four hundred 
and fifty ; and that of the captain inspector of two hundred and eighty- 



460 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1786. three horsemen, distributed through the two Californias, two thousand. 
September, g^^j^ horseman receives two hundred and seventeen ; but out of this he is 
obliged to provide his subsistence, and to furnish himself with a horse, 
cloathing, arms, and all sorts of necessaries in general. The government, 
which has horses and cattle, sells to the soldiery both the one and the 
other. The price of a good horse is eight dollars, and that of an ox, five. 
The governor has the management of the sales, and at the end of the year 
he gives an account to each horseman of the balance which may be due to 
him in money, which he pays with the utmost punctuality. 

As the military, of whom there were only eighteen at the presidio, had 
rendered us many little services, I requested permission to present them 
with a piece of blue cloth; and I sent th^ missions coverlets, stuffs, beads, 
. iron tools and implements, and generally all the small effects which might 
be necessary to them, and which we had not had occasion to distribute to 
the Indians at Port des Fran9ais. The president informed the whole vil- 
lage, that it was a present from their faithful and ancient allies, who pro- 
fessed the same religion as the Spaniards ; which so particularly excited 
their benevolence, that the day after each of them brought us a truss of hay 
or straw, for the cattle and sheep we were about to send on board. Our 
gardener gave the missionaries some potatoes of Chili in perfect preserva- 
tion, which in my opinion was not the least valuable of our presents, and 
which will certainly thrive in the light but fertile soil of the environs of 
Monterey. 

From the day of our arrival we were busily employed in supplying 
- ourselves with wood and water ; and we were allowed to cut the former 
as near as possible to the place of our landing. Our botanists on their part 
did not lose a moment in adding to their collection of plants ; but the 
season was very unfavourable, the heat of the summer having entirely 
dried them up, and their seed being scattered on the ground. Those which 
M' Collignon could distinguish were the common wormwood, sea worm- 
wood, the male southernwood, mugwort, Mexican tea, Canadian golden- 
rod, the Italian starwort, millefoil, deadly nightshade, spurry, and water 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



mint. The gardens of the governor and of the missions were filled with 
an infinity of plants for culinary use, which were furnished us in such ^ 
abundance, that our people had in no country been better supplied with 
vegetables. 

Our lithologists were equally zealous with our botanists, but they were 
still less fortunate. They met with nothing on the mountains, in the 
ravines, and on the shore, but a light argillaceous stone very easily decom- 
posed, and which is a species of marl. They found likewise blocks of 
granite, the veins of which contained crystallised feld spar ; some rounded 
fragments of porphyry and jasper ; but they observed no trace of metaL. 
Shells are not more abundant, with the exception of some superb heliotes, 
of which the pearl is of the mojt beautiful orient. They are even nine 
inches long and four in breadth. The other shells are not worth enume- 
rating*. The eastern and southern coast of old California are much 
richer in this part of natural history. They afford oysters containing pearls 
equal in beauty and magnitude to those of Ceylon, or the Persian Gulph. 
These would also be an article of great value and certain sale at China ; 
but it is impossible for the Spaniards to give activity to all the means of 
industry which their country furnishes. 

On the 22d in the evening every thing was embarked, and we took 
leave of the governor and missionaries. We carried away with us as large a 
store of provisions as when we departed from Conception. The whole stock 
of poultry of M-- Pages and the missionaries had been transferred into our 
hencoops, and we were supplied with corn, beans, and pease in such plenty, 
that they had left themselves scarcely more than was strictly necessary. 
They refused for a long time to receive any payment, and yielded only to 
Gur pressing offers, in consequence of the representation we made to them, 
that they were the administrators and not the proprietors of the stores of 
the missions., 

* There are also small oviles, whelks, and different sea snails, but they are not at all ciu-ious. 



462 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1786. On'the 23d, the wind was contrary, and in the morning of the 24th, 
September. ^^-j ^-^.j^ ^ breeze from the west. Don Estevan Martinez had 

regularly come on board at day-break, and his long-boat and crew were 
constantly at our disposal, and had rendered us every assistance. Indeed I can 
but feebly express the gratitude we owe him for this estimable conduct, as 
well as Vincent Vassadre y Vega, a young man of talents and merit, 
who was on the point of repairing to China, to conclude a treaty of com- 
merce relative to the trade of otter skins. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



CHAPTER XII. 



Astronomical Observations — Comparison of the refiilts obtained by the Di- 
stances of the Sun and Moon and our Time-keepers, which have served as 
the Basis of our Chart of the American Coast — Reasons for thinking that 
Gur Work is intitled to the Confidence of Navigators^Vocabulary of the 
Language of the different Nations in the Neighbourhood of Monterey, with. 
Remarks on their Pronunciation.. 

WHILE our people were employed in collecting the necessary supply 
of wood and water, Dagelet went on shore with his quadrant, for the 
purpose of determining the latitude of Monterey with the greatest preci- 
sion. He regretted, that circumstances did not permit me to remain a 
sufficient time to resume the comparison of the rate of our time-pieces. 
The theft of the book of observations by the savages of Port des Franfais 
had occasioned some little uncertainty concerning the daily loss of N° 19 
by the help of which we had determined all the points of the American 
coast. This astronomer was even of opinion, that he ought to reject the 
comparisons made upon Cenotaph Island, and gave the preference to those 
of the bay of Talcaguana in Chili, though too old perhaps to deserve an 
entire confidence. But it must not be overlooked, that we every day 
compared the result of the longitude given by the time-piece, with that 
obtained from observations of lunar distances made on board each frigate, 
and that the perfect and constant agreement of these results leaves no doubt 
as to the accuracy of those on which we Kave fixed. 

As persons who are minute in their researciies may be desirous of knowing 
the limits of error, of which the determinations of the longitude at sea», 







VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

lygg. deduced from observations of lunar distances, may be susceptible, it will 
September, not be improper to give some account of them. 

Theory, assisted by a long course of observations, has hitherto never 
afforded tables of the lunar motions that are strictly accurate. Neverthe- 
less, considering the degree of precision to which these tables have already 
arrived, this first source of error cannot leave an uncertainty of more than 
40" or 50'' of time, at the most, and usually no more than 30'', which an- 
swer only to a quarter of a degree of geographical longitude : for the 
mean motion of the moon with regard to the sun is half a minute of a 
degree for each minute of time, and the minute of time answers to a quar- 
ter of a degree of geographical longitude. Whence it follows, that the 
longitudes deduced from the comparison of the distances observed at sea" 
with the distances calculated for the same periods, and for a determinate 
meridian, cannot be affected by the error of the tables, if there be an error, 
to a areater extent than a quarter of a degree in most cases, while it will 
often be less. 

The second source of error is that which arises from the imperfection of 
the instruments, and the want of accuracy or skill in the observer : but 
the difference here cannot be ascertained with the same precision as that 
which results from the error of the tables. 

With regard to quadrants and sextants, the limit of error depends, as 
to the instrument, on the accuracy of the divisions, and as to the observer, 
first, on the difficulty of verifying the point of 0, and secondly, on that of 
well observing the contact of the two luminaries, which depends on the 
excellence of the sight, the experience and the skill of the observer. 

The reflecting circles have no cause of error in common with sextants 
and quadrants, but the difficulty of the observation of the contacts j and 
they have many advantages over them, which renders their use more cer- 
tain. The principal of these is, that the error to be feared in the verifica- 
iion is in reality destroyed, because the observations being successively 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

made In two directions, to the right and the left, this verification may be 
dispensed with. As to the inaccuracy of the divisions, it is reduced at 
pleasure by repeating the observations a greater or less number of times ; 
and it depends only on the patience of the observer v/hether the error 
arising from it shall not at last be considered as nothing*. After 
having thus established the limits of error, we are warranted to conclude, 
that our mean result, for. the determination of the longitude by lunar 
distances, could not in any case have been affected by an error of more 
than a quarter of a degree ; for -having constantly employed the reflecting 
circle ; having never neglected in each operation to repeat the observa- 
tion as often as circumstances would permit, and the observers being also 
perfectly experienced, we had nothing to fear but the trivial error which 
might arise from the imperfection of the lunar tables.. 

We could therefore employ with certainty the results of these opera- 
tions, repeated almost daily, to ascertain the regularity of the timekeeper, 
by comparing them with the result of this instrument. We likewise placed 
some confidence, and with reason, in the combination and constant agree- 
ment of the several results of observations made in different circumstances, 
and separately, as I have remarked, on board each vessel. And these ob- 
servations, serving mutually to confirm each other, have afforded a com- 
mon and incontestable proof of the steady regularity of the timekeeper, 
N° 1 9> by the assistance of which we have determined the longitudes of all 
the points of the American coast that were explored by us. The pre- 
cautions of every kind which we have multipHed and accumulated, give 
jne the assurance, that our determinations have acquired a degree of preci- 
sion, which entitles them to the confidence both of navigators and the 
learned. 

The utility of timekeepers at sea is so -generally acknowledged, and so 
clearly explained in the Voyage of Mr de Fleurleu, that we shall speak of 

* The sextants we used were made by the English ardst Ramsden. ;The reflecting circles, invented 
by M"- de Borda, were executed by Lenoir, a French mathematical and astronomical instrument- 
-maker. 



VOL, I. 



3 o 



1786., 

September. 



mm 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1786. the advantages they afforded us, with no other view than to show how far 
eptember, jy^r Berthoud has exceeded the hmits assigned to his art ; since, after a 
period of eighteen months, his timekeepers N° 18 and 19 have afforded 
results equally satisfactory with those at our departure, and have permitted 
us to determine our exact position in longitude several times a day, from, 
which M' Bernizet has drawn the chart of the coast of America*. 

This chart undoubtedly leaves much to be desired with regard to detail : 
but we can answer for the principal points of the coast, which were deter- 
mined with precision, as well as for it's direction. It appeared in general to 
be safe, for we saw no breakers in the offing. There may however be 
shoals near the coast, but we have no reason to presume that this is the 
case. , ' 

M' de Lamanon, by whom the following notes were written, is of opi- 
nion, that it is extremely difficult to give exact vocabularies of the idioms 
of the different nations in the vicinity of Monterey j and he can only an^- 
swer for the pains and care he has taken to avoid the adoption of error. 
He would probably have placed little dependence on his own observations, 
if he had not found at the mission, where he passed four days, two Indians, 
who, from their acquaintance with the Spanish language, were of the 
greatest assistance to him. 

I must remark from his observations, that there is no country perhaps 
where the different idioms are so multiplied as in North California. The 
numerous hordes which divide it, though very near to one another, live 
isolated, and have each a particular language. The difficulty of learning 
them all is some consolation to the missionaries for their inability to under- 

* I must remark, that the business of astronomical observations and charts was common to both 
vessels; and as Monge had quitted us at TenerifFe, M' de Langle, who is himself a very goad 
, astronomer, remained charged with the direction of this labour, in which he was assisted by M^"" 
Vaujuas, Launston, and Blondelas. The latter also drew part of the charts from the observations 
that were put into his hands. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



467 



stand any of them : and for their sermons and death-bed exhortations they 1786. 
are obHged to make use of an interpreter. September, 

Monterey, and the mission of San Carlos, which is dependent upon it, 
comprehend the country of the AchastHans and the Ecclemachs. Of the 
two languages of these people, who are partly united in the same mission, 
would soon be compounded a third, if the Christian Indians should cease 
to communicate with those of the rancheries. The language of the 
Achastlians is adapted to the feeble developement of their understanding. 
As they have few abstract ideas, they have few words to express them. 
They did not appear to us to distinguish even all the species of animals 
by different names. They give the same name, ouakachey both to toads and 
frogs, and they make no difference in the appellations of vegetables which 
are employed in the same uses. Their epithets to qualify moral objects are 
mostly borrowed from the sense of taste, which is the sense they are most 
delighted to gratify. Thus the word missich denotes a good man, and sa- 
voury food, and the word keches a bad man, and meat that is tainted. 

They distinguish the plural from the singular ; they conjugate some 
tenses of verbs, but they have no declensions. Their substantives are 
much more numerous than their adjectives ; and they never employ the 
labials F B, nor the letter X. They have the chr, like the inhabitants of 
Port des Franfais ; as chrskonder, bird ; chruk^ hut 3 but their pronunci- 
ation is in general softer. 

The diphthong ou is found in more than half their words ; chouroui, to 
sing i touroun, the skin 3 touours, the nails 3 and the most common initial 
consonants are T and K. The terminations frequently vary. 

They make use of their fingers to count as far as ten ; but few of them 
can do this from memory, and independently of every external sign. If 
they wish to express the number which succeeds eight, they begin by 
counting with their fingers, one, two, &c. and stop when they have pro- 
nounced nine. Without this help they can seldom reach as far as five. 



468 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

17S6. Their numerical terms are, 

September. 



One 


moukala. 


Two 


cutis. 


Three . - 


capes. 


Four - - 


outiti. 


Fiv£ - 


is. 


Six 


etesake. 


Seven - 


kaleis. 


Eight 


oulousmasakhen. 


Nine 


pak. 


Ten 


~ ^ tonta. 



The country of the Ecclemachs ejftends more than twenty leagues to 
the eastward of Monterey. The language of it's inhabitants is totally dif- 
ferent from those of all it's neighbours, and has even a greater resemblance 
to the languages of Europe than to those of America, This grammatical 
phenomenon, the most curious in this respect which has yet been observed 
on this continent, will perhaps be interesting to such of the learned who 
endeavour, from the comparison of languages, to elucidate the history of 
the transplanting of nations. It appears, that the languages of America 
have a distinct character, which absolutely separates them from those of 
the ancient continent. By comparing them with those of Brasil, Chili, 
and part of California, as well as with the numerous vocabularies given 
by different travellers, we find that in general the American languages are 
deficient in several labial letters, and particularly the letter F, which the 
Ecclemachs employ and pronounce like the Europeans. The idiom of 
this nation is also richer than that of the other tribes of California, though 
it cannot be compared with the languages of civilised nations. If these 
circumstances should lead to the conclusion, that the Ecclemachs are, 
strangers in this part of America, it must be admitted, at least, that they 
have resided here for a considerable period y for they differ neither in co- 
lour, in features, nor in their general make and external appearance^. from 
the rest of the aations in this part of the continent. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



Their numerical terms are. 

One 

Two 

Three 

Four 

Five 

Six 

Seven 

Eight 

Nine 

Ten 



Friend 

Bow 

Beard 

To dance 

Teeth 

Seal 

No 

Yes 

Father 

Mother 

Star 

Night 



oulach. 
oullef. 
amniahou, 
pemaca. 
pekoulana, 
' houlakoalano. 
koulefaJa. 
kamakoualanL 
tomoila. 



nigefech, 

pagomach, 

iscotre, 

mefpa^ 

aour. 

opopabos. 

maah 

ike, 

aoit 

atzia. 

mmoulas». 

toumanes^ 



A69 

'1786. 

September, 



470 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Departure from Monterey — Plan of the Course intended to be followed in 
crossing the Pacific Ocean to China — Vain Search after the Island of 
Nostra Senora de la Gorta — Discovery of Necker Island — Meet during 
the Night with a sunken Rock, upon which we were in Danger of being 
lost Description of this Rock — Determination of it's Latitude and Lon- 
gitude — Unsuccessful Search after the Islands of la Mira and the Gardens 
—■We make the Island of Assumption^ one of the Ladrones' — Descrip- 
tion and true Position of this Island in Latitude and Longitude'— Error of 
the former Charts of the Ladrone Islands — Determine the Longitude 
and Latitude of the Bashee Islands — Anchor in Macao Road. 

1785. THE part of the great ocean which we had to traverse, in order to 
September, arrive at Macao, is almost an unknown sea, in which we might hope to 
find some new islands. The Spaniards, who alone frequent it^ have long 
lost that ardour for discovery, which the thirst of gold perhaps first 
excited, and which caused them to brave every danger. To the ancient 
enthusiasm, the cool calculation of security has now succeeded. Their 
course from Acapulco to Manilla is included in a space of twenty leagues, 
between the latitudes of 1 3° and 1 4°, and in their return they run nearly in 
the parallel of 40°, by the assistance of the westerly winds, which are 
very frequent in those regions. Sure, from long experience, of meeting 
neither with sunken rocks nor shoals, they sail in the night with as little 
precaution as in the European seas. Their voyages being more direct are 
shorter, and the interest of their employers is less exposed to be injured 
by shipwrecks. 

Our expedition having for it's object new discoveries, and the progress 
of navigation in seas little known, we avoided the frequented routes with 
as much care as the galleons employ to keep, as it were, in the wake of 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 471 

the preceding ones. We were obliged, however, to sail in the zone of 17S6. 
the trade winds, since, without their assistance, we could not flatter our- September,., 
selves with the expectation of arriving at China in six months, and of 
accomplishing the ulterior objects of our voyage. 

On our departure from Monterey, I formed the project of directing my: ' 
course to the south-west, as far as latitude 28°, the parallel in which some 
geographers have placed the island of Nostra Senora de la Gorta, All 
my endeavours to find out the navigator who formerly made this disco- 
very were fruitless. In vain I consulted my notes, and all the printed voy- 
ages which were on board the frigates : neither the history nor the romance 
of this island was any where to be met with ^ and I believe it is merely 
from the chart found by admiral Anson in the Manilla galleon, that geo- 
graphers have continued to give it a place in the great ocean 

I had procured at Monterey a Spanish manuscript chart of this ocean, 
which differs very little from that which was engraved for Anson's Voyage, 
and we may affirm, that since the capture of the Manilla galleon by 
that admiral, and even for two centuries back, no progress has been made: 
in the knowledge of this sea, till the fortunate discovery of the Sandwich 
Islands ; the Resolution and the Discovery, with la Boussole and I'Astro- 
labe, being the only vessels which, for two hundred years, have sailed out' 
of the ordinary course of the galleons -f-. 

Contrary winds and calms detained us two days in sight of Monte- 
rey; but they soon fixed at north-west, and permitted me to reach the 
parallel of S8°, in which I proposed to run five hundred leagues, as far 
as the longitude assigned to the island of Nostra Senora de la Gorta. It 
was less with the hope of finding it, than of effacing it fi-om the charts j . 
because it is desirable, for the interest of navigation, that islands ill deterl 

* See the note, page 336-/. 

t Admiral Anson, and the difFerent buccaneers, having no other object than to take prizes, al- 
ways followed the ordinary course. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1786. mined in latitude and longitude should remain in oblivion, and be totally 
September, ^^j^^own, till the moment when accurate observations, m latitude at least, 
should mark their true parallel, though observations of longitude might be 
wanting to ascertain the precise point they occupy' upon the globe. It 
was my intention afterwards to direct my course towards the south-west, 
and to cross the track of captain Gierke, in the latitude of S0% and 179° 
of longitude east of Paris, which is near the point where that navigator 
was obliged to abandon his route, to direct his course for Kamtschatka *. 

My run at first was extremely fortunate. The north-east winds suc- 
ceeded those from the north-west, and I had no doubt but we should 
• October, shortly arrive at the region of the trade-winds , but on the 18th of Oc- 
tober they changed to the west, and were as steady as m the higher lati- 
tudes, varying only from north-west to south-west. I struggled for eight 
or ten days against' these obstacles, taking the advantages of the different 
changes to proceed to the westward, and at length to gain the longitude 
which I purposed to reacli. 

We had heavy rain and storms almost continually; and the humidity 
was so extreme between decks, that all the clothes of the seamen were 
wetted, and I was greatly apprehensive that scurvy would be the conse- 
quence We had, however, only a few degrees to run before our arrival 
27. at the wished-for meridian, which happened on the 27th of October. V^e 
had no sign of land, but two species of turnstones f {coulon chamh), which 
were caught on board the Astrolabe ; but they were so lean, t.iat it ap- 
peared probable they had for some time lost themselves on the sea and had 
come from the Sandwich islands, from which we were only a hundred and 
.eventv leagues distant. The island of Nostra SeHora de la Gorta bemg 

■ * Captain Gierke, or. quitting the Sandwich islands, was desirous of following the par^lel of 2CP 

as far ns the mer.d.an of Kamtschatka, because this course being new, he hoped .t would be pio- 
^u iv ot diTo ery. He d.d not change his course till the 30th of March, 1779, and was ^ien 
180O 40 east, or 179° 20' west of Greenwich, which gives 178° 20' east long.tude fron. Pan. 
(French Editor.) 

t More commonly known by the name of <2/Av^ito w/- (sand-^^^^^ 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



473 



placed on my Spanish chart 45' more to the southward, and 4° more to 178(). 
the westward, than on the chart of admiral Anson, I shaped my course 
with the design of passing over this second point, but was not more suc- 
cessful. The westerly winds still prevailing in these regions, I endea- 
voured to approach the tropic, to find the general trade-winds which 
should carry us to Asia, and of which the temperature appeared to me to 
be better calculated to maintain the health of our people. We had yet 
not a man sick in either ship ; but our voyage, though already very long, 
when compared with the immense space which remained, might be con- 
sidered as little more than commenced. If the vast plan of our expedi- 
tion daunted no one, our sails and rigging advertised us every day, that we 
had constantly kept the sea for sixteen months. Our running rigging gave 
way every instant, and our sailmakers were unable any longer to repair 
the sails, which, were almost entirely worn out. It is true we had other 
stores on board ; but the intended length of our course required the most 
rigid economy. Nearly the half of our cordage was already unservice- 
able, and we were very far from being at the extent of half our voyage. 

On the 3d of November, in 24° 4' north latitude, and 165° west Ion- November, 
gitude, we were surrounded with boobies, man of war birds, and tern, 3* 
which generally keep near the land. We accordingly stood on with more 
caution, shortening sail during the night ; and on the 4th, in the even- 
ing, we came in sight of ^n island, at the distance of four or five leagues 
to the westward. It appeared of no considerable magnitude, but we flat- 
tered ourselves that it might not be single. 

I made signal to haul the wind, and stand off and on all night, waiting 
the dawn of day with the utmost impatience, to complete our discovery. 
At five in the morning of the 5th we were only three leagues from the 
coast, and I stood before the wind to reconnoitre it. I' hailed the Astro- 
labe to make sail a-head, and prepare to anchor, if the coast should af- 
ford an anchorage, or a creek in which it might be possible to land. 

This very small island is little more than a rock of about five hundred 



4. 



VOL. I, 



3 P 



'THnriTra'TWii li iiiiii ' lOii I ^ iiiii i 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

786. toises in length, and sixty in elevation at the most. It does not exhibit a 
ivember, giggle tree, but there is a great deal of grass near the summit. The 
naked rock is covered with the dung of birds, and it's white appearance af- 
fords a contrast to various red spots, upon which the grass has not sprung 
up. I approached within the distance of a third of a league. The banks 
were perpendicular, like a wall, and the sea broke so violently against 
them, that it was impossible to land. As we sailed almost entirely round, 
it, the plan of this island, as well as the different views, are perfectly ac- 
curate. It's latitude and longitude, as determined by M-^ Dagelet, are 23° 
34' north, and 166° 52' west of Paris. I called it Lie Necker. Though 
it's steriUty may render it of little value, it's precise position must be an 
object of considerable importance to navigators, to whom it might other- 
wise be fatal. {Charts and Plates, No. 39.) I had passed very near 
the southern part of the island without sounding, as I was unwilHng to 
stop the ship's way. Breakers appeared on every part of the coast, except 
at the south-east point, where there was a small ledge of rocks, extend- 
ing about two cables length towards the sea. I was desirous, before 1 con- 
tinued my course, to ascertain M^hether ground was to be had. I accord- 
ingly sounded, as did also the Astrolabe, which was nearly a league to lee- 
ward, and we both found only twenty-five fathoms, with a bottom of broken 
shells, a depth much more shallow than we had expected. It appeared 
evident to me, that Necker island is nearly the summit, or in some re- 
spect the nucleus of a much more considerable island, which the sea has 
undermined by degrees, probably from it's being composed of a tender or 
soluble substance J the rock, however, which is at present visible,- is ex- 
tremely hard, and will for many ages resist the action of time, and the 
efforts of the sea. As it was of much importance to ascertain the extent 
of this bank, we continued to sound on board the two frigates, directing 
our course to the west. The depth gradually increased with our distance 
from the shore ; and at about ten miles in the offing we had no ground 
with a line of a hundred and fifty fathoms. Through the whole space of 
these ten miles the bottom consisted of coral and broken shells. 



mxm^ 



P the whole of this day we had men continually on the v/atcE 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

from the mast-head. The weather was squally, with rain ; but it cleared 1786. 
up occasionally for short intervals, and we could then see the horizon for ten November, 
or twelve leagues round. At sun -set, in particular, the weather was beau- 
tifully fine, and the sea clear in every direction ; but we saw nothing but 
birds, whose number did not diminish, and which v/ere in flights of several 
hundreds, moving in cross directions, which rendered it impracticable to 
draw any satisfactory conclusions relative to the point of the horizon, to 
which they might be directing their course. 

The sky was so clear at the close of day, and the moon, which was 
near the full, so brilliant, that I thought we might venture to continue 
our voyage. I had, in fact, perceived by it's light in the evening Necker 
island, at four or five leagues distance. Nevertheless I had ordered ail the 
studding sails to be taken in, and the rate of the two frigates to be reduced 
to three or four knots an hour. The wind was from the east, and our 
course to the west. Since our departure from Monterey we had never 
experienced a finer night, or a more pleasant sea ; but this tranquillity of 
the water was among the circumstances which had nearly proved fatal to 
us. Towards half past one in the morning we saw breakers at the distance 
of two cables length a-head of my ship. From the smoothness of the 
sea they made scarcely any noise, and some foam only, at distant inter- 
vals, was perceptible. The Astrolabe was a little farther off, but she 
saw them at the same instant with myself. Both vessels immediately 
hauled on the larboard, and stood with their head south-south-east ; 
and as they made way during the manoeuvre, our nearest distance from 
the breakers could not, I conceive, be more than a cable's length, 
sounded, and we had nine fathoms, rocky bottom ; soon afterwards ten 
and twelve fathoms, and in a quarter of an hour no ground, with sixty 
fathoms. We had -thus escaped the most imminent danger to which na- 
vigators could be exposed ; and it is but justice to my people to observe, 
that there never appeared less disorder and confusion in such circum- 
stances. The least negligence in the execution of the requisite man- 
oeuvres to carry us from the breakers would infallibly have produced our 
destruction. For nearly an hour we perceived the continuation of the 



rariiiniiii Mill ■ 




476 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1786. breakers ; but they trended to the westward, and in three hours we had lost 
November. -^^ ^£ j continued, however, standing to the south-south-east 

till day-break. The weather was still fine and clear, and no breaker was 
visible, though we had made only five leagues fi-om the time of changing 
^ our course. I am persuaded, if we had not afterwards examined this sunken 
rock with particular attention, considerable doubts would have remained 
respecting it's existence. But it was not suflicient to possess certainty upon 
the subject, and to have, escaped from danger ourselves j I was also de- 
sirous that future navigators should not be exposed to it i and accordingly, 
at day-break, I gave orders to put about ship, and stand back again. At 
eight in the morning it was again in sight, bearing north-north- west. I 
made sail to come up with it, and we soon perceived a small island, or 
cleft rock, fifty toises at most in diameter, and about twenty or five and 
twenty in height. It was situate on the north-west extremity of this reef> 
of which the south-east point, where we had so nearly been lost, ex- 
tended in that point of the compass for more than four leagues. Between 
the island and the breakers to the south-east, we saw three sand-banks, 
rising not more than four feet above the sea. They were separated from 
■ each other by a greenish water, which did not appear to be a fathom in 
depth. Some rock§ at the surface, upon which the sea broke with vio~ 
lence, surrounded this shoal, as a circle of diamonds surrounds a medal- 
lion, and defended it from the fury of the sea. We sailed along the east, 
the south, and the western parts of it, at less than a league distance. No 
uncertainty remained but with regard to the northern part, of which we 
could only obtain a bird's eye view from the mast-head. It is possible, 
therefore, that it may be much more extensive than we have supposed : 
but it's length from south-east to north-west, or from the extremity of the 
breakers, near which we were in such imminent danger, to the islet, is 
four leagues. The geographical position of this islet, estimated from the 
only visible part, was fixed by M Dagelet in 23° 45^ of north latitude, 
and 168° lo' of west longitude, and is distant twenty-three leagues west 
north-west from Necker island. It must not be forgotten, that the eastern 
poipt is four leagues nearer, I named it Basse des Frigates Fran^-anes, 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

shoal of the French Frigates, because it had nearly proved the final ter- 1 
mination of our voyage. No 

Having determined the geographical position of this shoal with all the 
accuracy in our power, I directed my course west-south-west. 1 had re- 
marked, that ail the clouds appeared to collect themselves in this direction, 
and I flattered myself, that I was on the point of making at last some land 
of greater importance. A heavy swell, which came from the west-north- 
west, led me to presume that there was no island to the northward, and I 
had some difficulty in persuading myself, that Necker island and the shoal 
of the French frigates did not precede an archipelago, perhaps inhabited, 
or at least habitable ; but my conjectures were not realised ; the birds soon 
disappeared, and we lost every hope of any immediate discovery. 

I made no change in my plan of crossing the track of captain Gierke, at 
179° of east longitude, and, on the l6th of November, I arrived at this 
point. But, though we were more than two degrees to the south of the 
tropic, we did not find those trade winds, which, in the Atlantic ocean in 
the same latitude, are subject to only slight and momentary variations; and 
in a space of more than eight hundred leagues, as far as to the vicinity of 
the Ladrones, we had followed the parallel of twenty degrees, with winds 
almost as variable as those which prevail in the months of June and July 
on the coasts of France. The north-west winds, which occasioned a high 
sea, veered first to the north, and then to the north-east, when the weather 
became clear and fine, presently they shifted to the east and south-east, 
with a whitish dull sky, and considerable rain : and a few hours afterwards, 
when they had successively passed to the south-west, the west, and lastly 
to the north-west, the horizon again became clear. This revolution lasted 
for three or four days, and it did not once happen that the south-east winds 
returned to the east and north-east. 

. I have entered the more fully into this regularly variable transition o£ 
the winds, in this season and latitude, because it appears to me to contra- 
dict the opinion of those, who explain their regularity and steadiness he^ 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

tween the tropics from the rotatory motion of the earth. It is extraordi- 
nary enough, that, on the most extensive sea of the globe, and upon a space 
where the re-action of the land can have no influence, we should have 
experienced variable winds for nearly two months, and that they should 
not once fix to the eastward till we came into the vicinity of the La- 
drones *. It is true we traced only a single course on this ocean, but the 
fact notwithstanding is not entirely soHtary, because of the period which 
our run lasted. I agree, however, that we ought not hence to conclude, that 
the zone comprised between the northern tropic and the 19th degree, is not 
in the line of the trade winds in the months of November and December: 
for certainly a single voyage is not sufficient to authorise so great a change 
in the received opinions ; but we may affirm, that the laws on which they 
are founded are not so general but that they admit of many exceptions, and 
do not consequently agree with the explanations of those, who imagine 
they have discovered all the secrets of nature. 

* If the cause of the trade winds be uncertain, the knowledge of their existence and of the time 
of their prevalence is nevertheless of infinite utility to navigators. It will be innpossible to establish 
any infallible rule till the South-sea shall have been repeatedly traversed In all seasons. Nevertheless, 
the voyages hitherto known prove, that easterly winds prevail in the sea here spoken of by la Perouse. 
A slight examination of the table of courses h. Cook's third Voyage will sufficiently ftow then: con- 
stancy during the months of March, April, and May. If Gierke changed his course sooner than he 
^.ntended, it ^as not from contrary winds ; for as soon as they blew from the south he took the advan- 
tage to stand to the northward. Captain King speaks thus of the steadmess of the wmds. « Durmg 
the continuance of the light winds, which prevailed almost constantly ever since our deP-t-e from 
the Sandwich Islands." Cook's third Voyage, Vol. iu. p. 174. And m the next page, On the 6th 
of April, at noon, we lost the trade wind." 

On comparing the. journal of Dixon with his table of courses, we shall see, that he left AttonI on 
the 18th of September, and arrived at Macao the 8th of November. Durmg the fifty-two days of 
navigation between the equator and the 13th degree of north latitude, he ran t rough -ghty degr.es 
of longitude, and had but a single day with the wind to the southward. All the rest of the Um. 
easterly winds prevailed. 

- Our captain judged it most prudent to steer to the southward, till we were In about 13" 30' north 
latitude and then bear away to the westward; as that track was the most hkely for a true trade and 
Ifhld bee^ found in captain Cook's last voyage, that In the latitude 20^ and 21" to eeward of these 
■ islands, the winds are at best but light, and often variable." Dixon's Voyage, page 281. 

" From this day (22d of October) to the 31st, we had little variety. A constant e-terly trade 
caused a Ireavy swell to set In from east-north-east." 3i^. P- 285. Here, then, :s a fresh proof, that 
th.se winds prevail during the months of September, October, and November. (French Editor.) 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 479 

The system of Halley, as to the variations of the magnetic needle, would 1735. 
have lost all confidence, even in the eyes of it's author, if this astronomer, November, 
celebrated on so many other accounts, . had left Monterey in 124** of west 
longitude, and had crossed the great ocean as far as 160° of east longitude; 
for he would have found, that in a space of seventy-six degrees, or more 
than fifteen hundred leagues, the declination varies only 5°, and consequent- 
ly the navigator can draw no conclusion to determine or rectify his longi- 
tude. The method of lunar distances, especially when joined to that of 
the time-keepers, leaves so little to be desired in this respect, that we 
made the island of Assumption, one of the Ladrones, with the greatest 
precision, upon the supposition that the island of Tinian, of which captain 
Wallis has given the position from his observations, lies nearly south from 
Assumption, a direction which all the geographers and navigators are December^ 
agreed to give to the Ladrone Islands. We saw these islands on the 14th 14. 
of December at two in the afternoon. I directed my course with the 
intention of passing between Mira Island and the Desert and Garden 
Islands, but their idle names occupy places on the charts where there was 
never any appearance of land, and thus deceive navigators, who perhaps 
may hereafter find them several degrees to the north or the south *. The 
island of Assumption itself, which makes part of a cluster of islands, so 
well known that we have their history in several volumes, is placed on the 
chart of the Jesuits, copied by all the geographers, 30' too far to the north- 
ward. It's true position is 19° A5' north latitude,, and 143° W east long!- 
tude. 

As we had set the Mangs from our anchoring-place, bearing 28° west,, 
distant about five leagues, we observed, that the three rocks of this name 
are hkewise placed 30' too far to the northward ; and it is almost certain 
that the same error exists as to the Uracas, the last of the Ladrones, the 

* I have already observed in the notes, pages 279, 285, and 289, that it is not to be justified, and: 
that It would even be dangerous, to efface from geographical charts the ancient discoveries for whicli 
modern navigators n:ay ha\e seaiched m vain ; and the following is a new proof of my assertion. 

^ Captain Marshall, returning, in 1788, from Botany Bay to Macao, fell in with the Garden Islands, 
m 21^0 north latitude, and 148^" west longitude from the meridian of Paris. (French Editor.) 



^80 VOYAGE llOUNE^ THE WORLD. 

1786. archipelago of which only extends to 20° 20^ north latitude. The Jesuits 
Pecember. j^^^^ estimated the relative distances of the Ladrone Islands from each other 
with tolerable accuracy, but their astronomical observations respecting them 
are very indifferent. They have not judged with more felicity concerning 
the size of Assumption, for it is probable they had no other means of ascer- 
taining it than those of estimation. They pretend that it is six leagues m 
circumference; but the angles we took reduce it to half this size, and the 
most elevated point is about two hundred toises above the level of the sea. 
The most lively imagination could not easily depict a more dreadful spot. 
The most ordinary view, after so long a passage, would have appeared en- 
chanting to us J but a perfect cone, of which the surface, as far as forty 
toises above the level of the sea, was as black as charcoal, could not but 
mortify us, by destroying our hopes : for we had feasted our imagmations, 
for several weeks, with the turtle and cocoa-nuts we expected to find upon 
some of these islands. 

We perceived indeed a few cocoa-nut trees, which occupied scarcely a 
fifteenth part of the circumference of the island, in a hollow of about forty 
toises, where they were in some measure sheltered from the east winds. 
This is the onlv place where it is possible for vessels to anchor, m thirty 
fathoms, upon a bottom of black sand, which extends about a quarter of a 
league. The Astrolabe had already gained this anchormg-place, and! 
Jiad myself let go my anchor at the distance of a pistol-shot from that fri- 
.ate ; but having dragged it half a cable's length, we lost all bottom, and 
were obliged to weigh with a hundred fathoms of cable out, and to make 
two tacks in order to approach the land. This slight misfortune gave me 
no concern, because I saw that the island did ,not deserve a long stay 
My boat went on shore, under the command of lieutenant Boutin as did 



also that of the Astrolabe, in which M' de Langle himself embarked wxA 
de la Martimere, Vaujuas, Prevost, and father Recevcur. I had ob- 
served with my perspective-glass that they found great difficulty m land- 

V ^ . . .1 ^ „,^^f,<-aA U\T on inter 



L Willi Iliy US-lo^v-wi.a.v>--5^"-" — — J . ^ 

,ng. The sea broke every where, but they at last profited by an interval of 
calmness, and got on shore, after having first plunged up to their necks m 
water. I was aDprehensive, that their getting on board might prove stiU 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WOULD. 

more difficult, as the surf might increase every moment. This was the 
only event v/hich could induce me to anchor, for we were all as urgent to 
depart as we had before been desirous of reaching this spot. Fortunately, 
at two in the evening, I saw our boats return, and the Astrolabe set sail. 

Boutin reported, that the island was a thousand times more horrible 
than it appeared at the distance of a quarter of a league. The lava from 
the volcano has formed in it's course ravines and precipices, bordered 
with a few stunted cocoa-trees rem.ote from each other, intermixed with 
creeping underwood, and a small number of plants, among which it is 
almost impossible to advance a^hundred toises in an hour. Fifteen or 
sixteen persons were employed from nine in the morning till noon, to 
carry to the two boats about a hundred cocoa-nuts, v^^hich they had only 
the trouble to collect under the trees ; but the difficulty consisted in con- 
veying them to the shore, though the distance was very short. The lava 
has covered the whole surface of the cone, except a narrov/ portion of 
■about forty toises towards the sea. The summit appears in a certain de- 
gree vitrified, but the glass is black and of the colour of soot. We did not 
perceive the top of the cone, as it v/as constantly enveloped in a cloud j 
hut though we did not s?e it smoke, the odour of sulphur, which it 
spread to the distance of half a league at sea, led me to suspect, that it 
was not entirely extinguished, and that it's last eruption was probably not 
jrery , ancient J and there is beside no appearance of decomposition in -the 
lava on the middle of the mountain. 



178<S. 

Decembep. 



Every circumstance announced, tliat no human creature nor quadruped 
hid ever been so unfortunate as to have selected this island for an asylum, 
upon which we saw no other anim.al than crabs of the largest species, which 
would be very dangerous in the night to any one who might resign himself 
to sleep. They brought one of them on board. It is probable that this crus- 
taceous animal has driven from the island those sea-birds, which always lay 
their eggs on shore; but which, in this place, could only deposit them to 
be devoured. We saw only three or four boobies at the anchoring-place j 
but when we approached the Mangs our ships were Surrounded with a 
numberless flock of birds. de Langle killed on the island of Assump- 

VOL. I. 3 



482 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1786-. tion a bird resembling a black-bird, but which did not augment our col- 
December, lection, as it fell over a precipice. - Our naturalists found some very 
beautiful shells in the hollows of the rocks. de la Martiniere also 
made an ample harvest of plants, and brought on board three or four spe- 
- cies of the banana, which I had never seen elsewhere. We observed no other 
fishes than a red ray, some small sharks, and a sea serpent, which might 
be about three feet in length and three inches in diameter. The hundred 
cocoa-nuts, and the few objects of natural history, which we had so ra- 
pidly snatched from this volcano, for such it truly is, had exposed our boats 
to the greatest danger. Boutin, who was obliged to throw himself 
into the sea, both in getting on shore and in recovering the boat, had his 
hands cut in several places, from being obliged to rest them on the sharp 
rocks that surround this island. M"^ de Langle had also encountered some 
dangers,' but they are inseparable from the landing on all such small 
islands, and particularly of so round a figure. The sea, which comes from 
the windward, glides along the coast, and forms a surf upon aU the points, 
which renders the landing extremely dangerous.. 

Happily for us we had sufficient water to serve us to China for It 
. would have been difficult to have taken in any at Assumption, if, indeed, 
there be any on the island. Our detachment saw none, except in the ca- 
vities of some of the rocks, where it remained as in a vessel, in no case 
exceeding the quantity of six bottles. 

At three in the evening, the Astrolabe having made sail, we continued 
our course west-north-west„ passing the Mangs at the distance of three or 
four leagues, bearing north-west by north.. I could have wished to have 
determined the position of the Uracas, the most northerly of theLadrones^ 
but this would have consumed a night, and I was in haste to .reach China, 
lest the European vessels should have departed before our arrival, and I 
should lose the opportunity of sending to France the products of our re- 
searches on the coast of America, as well as the relation of our voyage as,, 
far as Macao : and accordingly, thatl might not lose a moment, I stood 
" r on with every sail. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



483 



X)uring the night the two frigates were surrounded with an innumercible 1786'. 
flock of birds, which I supposed to be inhabitants of the Mangs and Uracas, P^^-^'^-^^ 
which are merely rocks. It is evident, that these birds fly only to the 
leeward j for we had seen scarcely any to the eastward of the Ladroncs, 
while they attended us forty leagues to the westward. Most of them 
were man of war birds, and boobies, with some gulls, terns, and tropic 
birds. The wind was very strong in the channel which separates the 
Ladrones from the Philippines, with a heavy swell, and the currents con- 
stantly drifted us to the south at the rate of about half a knot an hour. 
Our vessel made a small quantity of water for the first time since our 
departure from France ; which I attributed to the decay of the oakum 
in some seams near the water line. Our caulkers, who had exami- 
ned the upper part of the ship, during the passage, had found seve- 
ral almost entirely open, and they suspected those near the water to be in 
the same state. It was not possible to repair them at sea ; but on our 
arrival in Macao roads it was their first employment. 

On the 28th we saw the Bashee* Islands, of which admiral Anson has 23. 
given a determination as to longitude which is not exact: that of captain 
Wallis approaches nearer the truth. We passed within a league of the 
two rocks which lie farthest to the north. They ought rather to be called ' 
islets, notwithstanding the authority of Dampier j for the smallest is half a 
league in circumference ; and though it is not wooded, it is covered on 
the eastern side with grass. The longitude of this islet, determined, 
while it bore south, at the distance of a league, was fixed by the mean of 
more than sixty lunar observations, taken in the most favourable circum- 
stances f, at 119° 4/ 49"' longitude east, and it's latitude at 21° 9' u/' 
north. M"^ Bernizet has also laid down the position of all these islands 
with respect to each other, and drawn a plan which is the result of more 

* The Bashee, or BachI Islands, were so called by Dampier from the name of an intoxicating li - 
quor which is very much drank there. (French Editor.) 



t I have thought it necessary to apprise navigators, that these pretended rocks are small islandsj- 
for I was myself misled for severaj, hours by their bearing in charts this denomination. 



484 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1786. than two hundred bearings. As the Bashees have been several times vi- 
December. gj^gj^ and afford no object which could interest us, I did not purpose to 

anchor here ; and accordingly, having determined their position, I continued 

1787. my course towards China, and on the 1st of January, 1787, I found bot- 
January. -^^ ^^^^^ fathoms. The next day we were surrounded by a^ great 

^* number of fishing-boats, which kept the sea in very foul weather; but 
they could not pay any attention to us, the nature of their occupation not 
permitting them to turn aside to accost vessels, while -dragging with nets 
of extreme length, which cannot be raised in less than two hours^ 

i2. On the 2d of January we made the White Rock, and anchored in thsr 

evening to the north of Lin-ting Island, and the following day in Macao 
road, after having passed through a channel which I conceive to be little 
frequented, though very beautiful*. We had. taken on board Chinese pi^ 
lots from Lamma Island. 

- * Navigators who wish for a knowledge of this channel should procure Dalrynaple's chart. We 
left to the southward the great Lamma, the Lin-ting Islands, Chichow, Laf-sam-mee, Loog-shitow 
and Chang-ckow, and to tke nordi only the island of Sockochow and the great Lantao. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 



485 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Arrival at Macao-^Stay in the Road of Typa-^Obliging 'deception on the 
part of the Governor — Description of Macao — It's Government — It's 
Population — It's Relation mth the Chinese — Departure from Macao-^ 
Anchor at the Island of Liiccnia — Uncertainty of the Position of the Shoals 
of Bulinaoy Mansilog,. and Marivelie — Description of the Village of Ma- 
rivelky or Mirabella — Enter Manilla Bay by the southern Passage^ after 
having attetnpted in vain the northern.— 'Marks for working into the Bay, 
of Manilla without Danger—^ Anchor age at Cavite. . 

THE Chinese, wHo had piloted us into Macao, refused to conduct us to 1737. 
the anchorage of Typa. They showed the greatest earnestness to depart >«uary, 
with their boats ; and we afterwards learned, that if they had been caught, 
the mandarin of Macao would have demanded of each half the sum he had 
received. Tiiis kind of contribution is commonly preceded by a number 
of blows with a cane. These people, whose laws are so much vaunted in 
Europe, are perhaps the most unhappy, the most oppressed, and the most 
arbitrarily governed, of any nation on the earth, if a judgment may be 
formed of the Chinese government in general from the despotism of the 
mandarin of Macao. 

The weather, which was very cloudy, had prevented us fromdistin- - 
guishing the town ; but it cleared up about noon, when it bore west r 
south, distant about three leagues. I sent a boat on shore under the com- 
mand of M^ Boutin, to apprise the governor of our arrival, and acquaint 
him, that we purposed to make some stay in tlie road^ for the refreshment : 
and repose of our people. M-- Bernardo Alexis de Lemos, governor of 
Macao, received this officer in the most obliging manner, and offered us 



486 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1 787. every assistance in his power, sending immediately a Malay pilot to con- 
January. ^^^^ ^i^g anchorage of Typa. At day-break the next day we got un- 
der way, and anchored at eight in the morning in three fathoms and a 
half, muddy bottom, the town of Macao bearing north-west, distant five 
miles. 

We came to anchor alongside a French flute, commanded by M^ de Ri- 
chery, ensign of a man of war, which came from Manilla, and was ordered 
ty M'^'" d'Entrecasteaux and Cossigny to cruize off the eastern coasts to 
protect our trade. We had, accordingly, after an interval of eighteen 
months, the pleasure of meeting not only with our countrymen, but even 
with our friends and acquaintance. M^ de Richery had accompanied the 
Malay pilot the evening before, and had brought us a veiy considerable 
quantity of fruits, garden-stuff, fresh meat, and generally every thing 
which he could suppose agreeable to navigators after a long voyage. Our 
appearance of good health surprised him. He informed us, that the poli- 
tical situation of Europe was precisely the same as at our departure from 
France ; but all his inquiries at Macao, to discover if any one had been 
charged with dispatches for us, were in vain. It was more than probable 
that no letter addressed to us had arrived in China ; and we had the mor- 
tification to think ourselves forgotten by our families and friends. Painful 
situations render men unjust : those letters which we so strongly regret- 
ted might possibly have been entrusted to the company's ship which had 
lost her passage. Her companion alone had arrived this year ; and we 
learned from the captain, that the greatest part of the supplies, and all 
the letters, were on board the other vessel. We were perhaps more af- 
flicted than the merchants at the misfortune which had prevented the ar- 
rival of this ship ; and it was impossible for us to avoid remarking, that, 
out of twenty-nine English vessels, five Hollanders, two Danes, one 
Swede, tv^^o Americans, and two French, the only one which lost her pas- 
sage was of our own nation. As the English do not entrust these ships but 
to the most experienced seamen, an event of this kind scarcely ever hap- 
pens to them; and when they arrive too late in the Chinese seas, and find 
the north-east monsoon set in, they struggle against it with obstinacy, 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. " , 

often penetrate to the eastward of the Philippines-, and standing to the 
northward in this sea, which is much more open, and less exposed to J 
currents, return to the south of the Bashee Islands, make the land of 
Piedra Blanca, and pass like us to the north of the great Lamma. We 
were witness of the arrival of an English vessel, which, after having made 
this course, anchored in Macao road ten days after us, and immediately 
proceeded for Canton *. 

My first care, after having moored the vessel, was to repair with M^ de 
Langle to thank the governor for his obliging reception of M^ Boutin^ and 
to ask permission to have an establishment on shore, in order to fit up an 
observatory, and restore the health of M^ Dagelet,- which was much 
impaired by the fatigues of our passage, as well as of M^ Rolhn, our sur- 
geon, who, after having defended us from the scurvy and every other dis- 
order by his advice and care, must himself have sunk under the fatigues 
of our long voyage, had our arrival been retarded a week longer 

M' de Lemos received us as if we were his own countrymen. Every 
thing we had asked was granted with a politeness which cannot be ex- 
pressed. He offered us his house; and as he did not speak French, his 
lady, a young Portuguese from Lisbon, officiated as interpreter. She add- 
ed to the replies of her husband her own graceful and amiable manner, 
which was superior to what might be expected even in the principal towns 
of Europe.. 

Donna Maria de Saldagna had been married to M^ Lemos, at Goai 
twelve years before, and I had happened to arrive at that city, as com- 
mander of the flute La Seine, shortly after the nuptials. She was so kind 
as to mention this circumstance, which VN^as present in my memory, and 
obligingly added, that I v/as an 6ld acquaintance : then- calhng her Child- 
ren, she told me, that, it was thus she always presented herself to her 

* D'Entrecasteaux, in 1787, made a voyage from the Isle of France to China, ao-ainst the mor 
soon. He passed through seas almost unknown, and. discovered several rocks and shoals which ar 
not nientioiied in any chart. (French Editor.) 



Ollf 

re. 



488 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1787. friends J that their education was the object of all her care; that it was 
January. p^.-^^ ^e their mother; a pride which she hoped we would pardon, ^ 
as she wished to conceal from us none of her faults. 

:A more charming picture could not have been exhibited in any part of 
the world. The most beautiful children surrounded and embraced this 
affectionate mother, her kind and .benevolent disposition communicated 
itself to all around her. 

We were soon informed, that to her private virtues and accomplish- 
ments were added a firmness of character and an elevated mind ; that in se- 
veral delicate situations in which de Lemos had been placed with re. 
aard to the Chinese, he had been confirmed in his generous resolutions by 
her prudent counsels, and that they had both determined, that they ought 
not like their predecessors, to sacrifice the honour of their nation to any 
interest whatever. The administration of de Lemos would have 
formed a striking epocha in the history of the colony, if the superiors at 
Goa had been sufficiently enhghtened to have continued him longer m his 
place than three years, and had left him time to accustom the Chinese to 
a resistance, of which, for more than a century, they had lost the re- 
niembrancej, 

As the inhabitants of Macao are as remote frorn China as if they resided 
in Europe, from the extreme difficulty of penetrating into that empire, 1 
shall not imitate those travellers,, who have spoken of it without having 
had the smallest opportunity of knowing it, but shall confine myself to a 
description of the relation existing between the Europeans and the Chinese ; 
the extreme humiliation of the former ; ^ feeble protection they can derive 
from the Portuguese establishment on the coast of China ; and, lastly, 
the importance which the town of Macao might possess in the hands of a 
nation that should conduct itself with justice, and at the same time with 
firmness^and dignity, towards a government, which is probably the most 
unjust, the mosx oppressive, and the most cowardly in the world. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



489 



The Chinese carry on a trade with the Europeans to the amount of 1787. 
fifty millions of livres of which two fifths are paid in English cloths, J^^-'^^^Y- 
in Batavia or Malacca tin, in cotton from Surat and Bengal, , in opium 
from Patna, and in sandal wood and pepper from the coast of Malabar. 
A few objects of luxury are likewise brought from Europe, such as look- 
ing glasses of the largest dimensions, Geneva watches, coral and fine 
pearls; but these last scarcely need be reckoned, and cannot be sold to 
any advantage but in very small quantities. In exchange for all these va- 
luable commodities, no other return is made but green or black tea, with 
some bales of raw silk, for the European manufactures ; for I make no 
account of the porcelain, which is taken for the mere convenience of 
ballast ; or of the silks, which afford scarcely any profit. No nation, cer- 
tainly, carries on so advantageous a trade with foreigners, and yet there is 
no nation which imposes conditions so harsh, or multiplies vexations and 
every species of inconvenience with more audacity. There is not a cup of 
tea drank in Europe which has not been productive of humiliation to those 
who purchased it at Canton, and who have embarked and sailed over half 
the globe to bring this leaf to our markets. 

It is impossible to avoid relating in this place the story of an English 
gunner, who, two years ago, in firing a salute by order of his captain, 
.kilkd a Chinese fisherman, who imprudently placed himself in the j-ange 
of his cannon, and whom he could not have seen. The santock, or gover- 
nor of Canton, demanded the gunner, and at length obtained his request, 
by promising that no harm should befall him, adding, at the same 
time, that he was not so unjust as to punish an involuntary homicide. 
On this assurance the unhappy man was delivered up, and two hours af- 
terwards was hanged. The national honour demanded a speedy and no- 
torious vengeance: but merchant-ships did not possess the means; and 
the captains of these ships, accustomed to punctuality, honesty, and that 
moderation which does not endanger the property of their employers, 
could not undertake a spirited resistance, which would have occasioned a 
loss of forty , millions f to the company, whose vessels would have returned 



£' 2,083,333 6s. 8d. 



t 1,666,666 13;. 4^. 



yoL. I, 



3 R 




r 



1 



I 

MM 



490 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1737. empty. But they no doubt denounced this injury, and flattered theni- 
January. ^^^^^^ ^^liit they should obtain satisfaction. I will venture to affirm, that 
all the agents of the different European companies would give with plea- 
sure a considerable part of their fortune, to teach these dastardly mandarins, 
that every injustice has it's limit, and that conduct like theirs exceed all 
the bounds of inhumanity. , 

The Portuguese have still more reason to complain of the Chinese than 
any other nation. The respectable title by which they possess Ma- 
cao is well known, and is a monument of the gratitude of the emperor 
Camhy. The ground on which it is built was given to the Portuguese for 
having destroyed, in the islands in the neighbourhood of Canton, the pi- 
' rates, who infested the se^s and ravaged all the coasts of China. It xs an 

idle declamation to attribute the loss of their privileges to the abus^ they 
have made of them : their crimes consist solely in the weakness of their 
government. The Chinese have committed every day new injuries, and 
advanced new pretensions. The Portuguese government has never op- 
posed the least resistance , and this place, from which a European nation, 
possessing but a slight degree of energy, might have overawed even the 
emperor himself, is little more than a Chinese town, in which the Portu- 
guese are tolerated, though they have the undoubted right to command, 
and the means to make themselves feared, if they would maintain merely 
a garrison of two thousand Europeans, with two frigates, a few cor» 
vettes, and a bomb vessel. 

Macao, which is situate at the entrance of the Tigris, can receive ves- 
sels of sixty-four guns in ifs road, at the entrance of the Typa . and m .t s 
harbour, which is below the town, and communrcates with the nver to 
the eastward, vessels of seven or eight hundred tons, half laden. Accord- 
ing to our observations, >fs latitude is 2aM 2' 40" north, ana tt s longi- 
tude 1 1 1° 1 y' 30" east from Paris. 

The entrance of this harbour is defended by a fortress of two batteries 
which must be passed wrthin pistol-shot. Three small forts, two of 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

which are mounted with twelve guns, and the other with six, secure the 
southern part of the town from every enterprise on the part of the Chi- 
nese. These fortifications, which are in the worst state, would be of 
little avail against Europeans ^ but they can keep the whole maritime force 
of China at a distance. A mountain also commands the road, upon which 
a detachment might support a very long siege. The Portuguese of Ma- 
cao, more religious than military, have built a church on the ruins of a 
fort, which crowned. this mountain and formed an impregnable station. 

The land side is defended by two fortresses, of which one, mounted 
with forty guns, may contain a garrison of a thousand men. It has a cis- 
tern, two springs of clear water, and casemates for ammunition and pro- 
visions. The other, on which are thirty guns, is capable of containing only 
three hundred men; it has a spring, which is very abundant in it's water, and 
is never dry. These two citadels command the whole country. The Por- 
tuguese limits scarcely extend to the distance of a league from the city, and 
are bounded by a wall, which is guarded by a mandarin and a few soldiers. 
This mandarin is the true governor of Macao, and the Chinese obey his or- 
ders. He has no right to sleep within the limits ; but he may visit the place 
in the day, and even the fortifications, inspect the custom-houses, &c. ; 
and on these occasions the Portuguese are obliged to salute him w:ith five 
guns. No European, however, is allowed to set his foot on the Chinese 
territory beyond the wall. An imprudence of this kind would subject him 
to the mercy of the Chinese, who might either detain him prisoner, or 
exact a large sum of money. Some ofiicers of our frigates nevertheless 
exposed themselves to this dangerj but no serious xonsequence resulted 
from this act of levity. 

The whole population of Macao may be estimated at twenty thousand 
souls; of which a hundred may be Portuguese by birth, two thousand of 
mixed breed, or Indian Portuguese ; as many Caffre slaves, who serve them 
as domestics ; and the remainder Chinese, employed in commerce and 
flifferent trades, which render the Portuguese tributary to their industry. 
These last, .though almost all mulattoes, would think themselves disho- 



491 

1787. 

January. 



nl'i'l'"' 



^^""""^^"MFTirTi-Tiniin 







4()2 ^ VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1787. noured if they were to practise any mechanic arts, and by that means sup- 
January, ported their families ; but their pride is not in the smallest degree offended 
by their incessantly importuning the charity of passengers. 

The viceroy of Goa nominates to all the employments, civil and mili- 
tary, at Macao. The governor is of his choice, as well as the senators, 
who share with him the civil authority. He has fixed the garrison at a 
hundred and twenty four Indian seapoys, and a hundred and twenty sol- 
diers. The service of this guard consists in patroling the town and di- 
strict in the night. The soldiers are armed with clubs, while the officer 
alone has the right of wearing a sword, but is in no case permitted to use 
it against a Chinese. Even if a thief of this nation should be surprised 
breaking a house open, or carrying off the goods, he must be apprehended 
with the greatest precaution and if a soldier, in defending himself against 
the robber, have the misfortune to kill him, he is delivered to the Chinese 
governor, and hanged in the middle of the market-place, in presence of 
the same guard of which he formed a part, and of two Chinese mandarins, 
who, at their entrance into the town, as well as their departure after the 
execution, are saluted with cannon. But if, an the contrary, a Chinese 
kill a Portuguese, he is delivered into the hands of the judges of his na- 
tion, who, after first plundering him, make a pretence of performing the 
other formalities of justice, but suffer him to escape, and turn a deaf ear 
to the remonstrances which may be made by this injured people, whicb 
are never followed by any satisfaction. 

The Portuguese, however, have lately made a vigorous effort, which* 
ought to be engraved on brass in the annals of the senate. A seapoy hav- 
ing killed a Chinese, they caused him to be shot by their own people, in 
presence of the mandarins, and refused to submit this affair to the decision 
of the Chinese tribunal. 

The senate of Macao is composed of the governor, who is president, 
and three verradores, who are the auditors of the finances of the town, the 
revenues of which consist in duties imposed on merchandise, which enters 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 

Macao in Portuguese 'vessels only. They are so blind to their own in- 
terest, that they will permit no other nation to land goods within their 
city, even on paying the established duties, as if they were afraid of aug- 
menting the revenue of their own customs, and diminishing that of the 
Chinese at Canton. 

It is certain, that if the Port of Macao were to become free, and the towu 
had a garrison capable of assuring the safety of the commercial property 
which might be deposited there, the revenues of the customs would be 
doubled, and would no doubt be equal to all the expences of government ^ 
but a paltry individual interest opposes this arrangement, which sound po~ 
, hey so clearly prescribes. The viceroy of Goa sells Portuguese com- 
missions to the merchants of the different nations, who trade from port to 
port in India. The same adventurers make also certain presents to the 
senate of Macao, according to the importance of their expedition; and 
these mercantile bribes will perhaps be an invincible obstacle to the esta» 
blishment of a free trade, which would render Macao one of the most flou- 
rishing towns in Asia, and a hundred times superior to Goa, which will 
never be of the least utility to the mother country. 

Next to the vercadores of whom I have spoken, there are two judges of 
the rights of orphans, charged with the administration of the property of 
minors, the execution of testaments, the nomination of tutors and guardians, 
and generally of all disputes relative to successions. An appeal may be 
made to Goa against their decisions. 

The other civil or criminal causes are also determined in the first in- 
stance by two senators, who have the title of judges. The product of the 
duties is received by a treasurer, who pays, pursuant to the orders of the 
senate, the salaries and different expences ; which, however, if they ex- 
ceed three thousand piastres, must have the sanction of the viceroy of 



Goa. 



most important magistracy is that of the procurator of the town. 




^1 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



, . J- » „„»„f hpt ween the two governments of Portugal 

1787. who Is the intermediate agent between me tw g 

and China; is answerable for all foreigners who wintei at Maeao, and re 
ves a d ransmits to their respective governments the mutual complam s 
of the two nations, of which a secretary, who has no deUberat^e vo c 
keeps a register, as well as of all the deUberations of the council. He s 
SeTnlVlcer'whose employ is permanent That of the governor 1^^^^ 
three years, and the other magistrates are changed annually. So frequent 
t Lral. which is inimical to every -nected system, a^^^^^^^^^^ a ^td 
contributed to the annihilation of the ancient rights and p.ivileges ot the 
r lu e and which doubtless could not be continued, if the viceroy 
!f S . find his account iu having a number . of places to give away 
or?o se! : a conjecture authorised by the general manners and customs of 

Asia. ' 

, All the decisions of the senate may be referred to Goa by appeal, and 
the well known incapacity of it's members renders this 1- fxtremely n - 
ZZ These colleagues of the governor, who is himself a man of^di- 
^ Tn ui^hed merit, are lortuguese of Macao, but extremely vain and proud, 

though more ignorant than our country school-masters. 

The appearance of this town is lively and agreeable, {Charts and Plata, 
ThL-e remain, as parts of ifs ancient opulence, several good 
, I , 1« ,n the supercargoes of the different companies, who 

■ '""^'.^tfrst witr^r^^^^^ 

are obliged to pass the w ^^^^^ ^^^^^ 

. ^^iStltl™ "th': arrival of the ships from Europe in the fo. 
lowing monsoon. 

The residence at Macao during the winter is ^J^^f^^^' 
. ception on their.part ; but without this .recommendation, and 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

had no other title than that of Frenchmen, we should nearly have been 
as orphans, our Company having as yet no representative at Macao. 

We owe a public testimony of gratitude to Elstockenstrom, the 
principal agent of the Swedish Company, whose behaviour towards us was 
that of an old friend and fellow-countryman, zealous for the interest of 
our nation. He had the kindness to undertake the sale of our furs, on 
our departure, the produce of which was to be divided among our people, 
and he promised to remit the amount to the Isle of France. 

The value of these furs was only a tenth part of what they bore wlien 
captains Gore and King arrived at Canton ; because the English had this 
year made six expeditions to the north-west coast of America ; two ves- 
sels, designed for this trade, having sailed from Bombay, two from Ben- 
gal, and two from Madras. The two last alone had returned, and with 
no great quantity of skins ; but the report of this fleet had spread in China, 
and no more than twelve or fifteen dollars were now offered for a skin of 
the same quality, as, in 1780, would have produced more than an hun- 
dred. We had a thousand skins, which a Portuguese merchant had 
agreed to purchase for nine thousand five hundred piastres ; but at the 
moment of our departure from Manilla, when the money was to be paid, 
he made a difEculty of receiving them, under frivolous pretences. As the 
supposed conclusion of our bargain had driven away all the other com- 
petitors, who had returned to Canton, he was in hopes, no doubt, that in 
our embarrassment we should abate of the price ; and we have reason to 
suspect that he sent on board some Chinese merchants, who offered 
a much smaller sum. But, though we were little accustomed to these 
manoeuvres, they were too glaring not to be detected, and we absolutely 
refused to sell them. 

There was now no other difficulty with regard to our furs, than that of 
landing and depositing them at Macao. The senate, to which M^ Veil- 
lard, our consul, addressed himself, refused permission j but the governor, 
understanding they were the property of our seamen, employed in an 



495 

1787. 

January. 




496 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1787. expedition which might become useful to all the maritime nations of Eu- 
-January. ^^^^^ concluded, that he should accomplish the views of the Portuguese 
government in departing from the prescribed rules, and accordingly con- 
ducted himself on this, as on every other occasion, with his usual de- 
licacy *. 

It is unnecessary to remark, that the mandarin of Macao made no de- 
mand for our anchorage in the road of the Typa, which constitutes no 
part of the Portuguese possessions, any more than do the different islands. 
His claims, if he had made any, would have been rejected with contempt ; 
but we were informed, that he had demanded a thousand dollars from the 
- comprador who supplied us with provisions. This sum was not extra- 
vagant, considering the knavery of this comprador f, whose accounts for 

* Having embraced every opportanity of acknowledging with impartiality the confidence to which 
Dixon is entitled, I have reason to think, that, in perusing the voyage of la Perouse, he will fee a little 
regret for having accused our navigators of mercantile views and imposture ; and justice caUs upon 
me to repel this calumny of Dixon . The following is the passage to which I refer : 

The Astrolabe and Boussole, two French ships, commanded by M. Peyrouse and de Langk, 
sailed from France in 1785 ; they are said to have traced the north-west coast of America, from the 
Spanish settlement of Monterey to 60" north latitude ; but this seems improbable ; for though these 
vessels were professedly fitted out on discovery, yet the commanders did not forget that furs were a 
valuable article ; and accordingly, whilst on the American coast, they procured about, six hundred 
sea-otter skins, chiefly in pieces, of a very inferior quality, and evidently the same .s ^1-jeamported 
by the Spaniards ; whereas, had these gentlemen been well in with the coast to the northward,^ they 
Bndoubtedly roust have met with sea-otter skins of a quality far superior to what they procured. 

.Dixon's Voyage, page 32Q. 

- After having reminded the reader, that la Perouse did not deal in sea-otter skins, except in com- 
' pliance with the orders contained in the ninth article of the second part of his instructiens -m order 
to have a leading datum, and be able to give an account of this branch of commerce, .and hat he 
traded merely for the benefit of his seamen, I must observe, in contradiction io , &e assertion of 
Dixon, that this commerce took place at Port des Francjais, in 58" 3/ nort.h latitude, and tha 
therefore la Perouse was right in affirming, that there could not be a greater difference than ten per 
cent between the quality of the skins procured at Port des Frangais, and those of Monterey. (French 
Editor.) 

t « As it was captain DIxoti's wish to ^procure fresh provlsion,for the ship's^ company as soon as 
possible, no time w'as lo.t in making every necessary inquiry for that purpose; and we ^oon^^rn^ 
Lt la spite of our utmost care, it would be impossible to avoid a number of impositions : hat every 
3,-essel was supplied with whatever provisions ihey^wsnted by an officer, called comprador, who alwa;^ 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



497 



the first five or six days only, amounted to upwards of three hundred pi- 
astres ; but, convinced of his dishonesty, we dismissed him. The clerk 
of the commissary of the stores afterwards went daily to the market, as in 
our European towns, to purchase whatever was wanted ; and the expence 
for a whole month was less than that of the first week. 

' It is probable, that our economy was displeasing to the mandarin ; but 
this was a mere conjecture on our part, as we had no dealings whatever 
with him. The Chinese custom houses have no concern with Europeans, 
excepting for such articles of commerce as come from the interior of China, 
in boats of that country, or are embarked on board those boats at Ma- 
cao, to be sold in the empire. What we bought in the town, to carry on. 
board in our own boats, was subject to no examination. 

The climate of the road of Typa is at this season very uncertain. The 
thermometer varied eight degrees from one day to the other. We were 
almost all afflicted with severe colds and fevers, which disappeared in the 
salubrious temperature of the Island of Luconia, which we made on the 
15th of February. We left Macao on the 5th, at eight in the morning, February, 
with a north wind, which would have allowed us to pass between the 
islands, if we had had a pilot ; but wishing to spare this expence, which 
is considerable, I followed the ordinary track, and passed to the south of 
the great Ladrone. We had engaged six Chinese sailors on board each 
frigate, to replace those we had lost when our boats were unhappily cast 
away. ■ 

demanded a cumslaii, or gratuity of three hundred dollars, exclusive of fiie profit which accrues to 
him from serving us with provisions. 

^' A demand of this nature appeared so exorbitant, that we determined, if possible, to avoid it ; and 
a captain Tasker from Bombay, whose vessel lay near ours, kindly offered to furnish us with beef 
for the present. This, however, could not be done without caution, for we had a hoppo, or custom- 
house boat, on each side the vessel, with officers on boar^, who made it a point to prevent any beef 
-coming on board, unless furnished by a comprador." Dixon's Voyage, page 292, (French 
Jlditor.) 

I. :g-S ■ 



4P9 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1 787. ' The situation of these people is so unfortunate, that, in spite of the laws 
February. ^£ ^^le empire which forbid it's subjects to emigrate on pain of death, it 
would have been easy for us to have enlisted, if we had wanted them, two 
hundred men in a week. 

Our observatory was fitted up at Macao in the convent of the Augus- 
tins, from which we fixed the longitude of this town at 1 1 r 1 9' east by 
the mean of several sets of distances between the sun and moon. The 
rate of our timekeepers was likewise verified, and we found that the daily 
loss of N° 19 w^as 13" 36'\ a more considerable one than we had ever ob- 
served before this period. It must be remarked, however, that for twenty- 
four hours it was neglected to be wound up, and that the defect in the 
steadiness of it's rate might probably have arisen from this circumstance. 
But supposing, that, till our arrival at Macao, and before the negligence in 
question, the losing rate of N° 1 9 had been the same as we had determined 
it at Conception, it would have given for the longitude of Macao 113° 35' 
S3'', that is to say, 2° 14' 3'' more than it really proves from our lunar 
observations ; and thus the error of this timepiece, after ten months' navi- 
gation, would have been only forty-five leagues. 

The northerly winds allowed me to stand to' the eastward, and I should 
have passed in sight of Piedra Blanca, if they had not come quickly round to 
the east-south- east. The information I had received at Macao, concerning 
the best course to be held to Manilla, did not say, whether I should pass in 
- preference to the north or the south of the shoal de Pratas j and I therefore 
concluded, from the diversity of opinions, that it was a matter of indiffe- 
rence. The easterly winds, which blew with much violence, determined 
me to haul close on the starboard tack, and direct my course to leeward of 
this shoal, which, till captain Cook's third voyage, was erroneously placed 
on all the charts. Captain King, by determining it's latitude with preci- 
sion, has rendered a signal service to navigators who run from Macao to 
Manilla, and who before followed with confidence the chart of M^ Dal- 
rymple, which is copied by M^ Dapres. These two authors, meritorious 
and exact as they are when they have constructed plans from their own la- 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



499 



bours, have not always been able to procure perfect information ; and the situ- 1787. 
ation of the Pratas, and that of the western coast of Luconia, as well as of the February, 
bay of Manilla, are entitled to no confidence. As I was desirous of making 
the island of Luconia in latitude 1 7°, in order to pass to the north of the 
shoal of Bulinao, I stood as near that of Prata as possible. I even passed 
at midnight over the place it occupies on the chart of M"" Dapres, who 
has extended this danger twenty-five miles too far to the south. The po- 
sition he has given to the shoals of Bulinao, Mansiloq, and Marivelle, is 
not more exact. The ancient course and practice have shown, that there 
was nothing to fear in making the land to the north of 17° ; and this has 
appeared sufficient to the dilferent governors of Manilla, who, for two 
centuries, have not found a single moment's leisure to reconnoitre, with a 
few small vessels, these places of danger, and determine at least their la- 
titude, with their distance from the island of Luconia, of which we came 
in sight on the 15th of February, in 18° 14' north. We flattered our- 15. 
selves, that nothing more remained, but to run down the coast with the 
north-easterly winds to the entrance of Manilla. But the monsoons do not 
prevail along the shore. The winds were variable from north-west to 
south- v/est for several days : the currents carried us to the north at the 
rate of a knot an hour ; and till the 19th of February we did not advance jg, 
so much as a league a day. At length, the north winds freshening, we 
sailed along the Illoco coast at the distance of two leagues, and saw in the 
Port of Santa Cruz a small two-masted vessel, which was probably taking 
in a cargo of rice for China. It was impossible to make any of our bear- 
ings agree with the chart of M' Dapres ; but our own observations per- 
mitted us to give the direction of this coast, which is very little known, 
though much frequented. On the 20th we doubled Cape Buhnao; and 20. 
on the 21st Point Capones bore east precisely in the wind's eye. We 
made several tacks to approach it, and gained the anchorage, which does 
not extend above a league from the shore. We saw two Spanish vessels, 
which appeared unwilhng to open the entrance of Manilla Bay, from 
which the easterly -v/inds blew strongly, and chose rather to remain under 
the shelter of the land. We stood on to the south of Marivelle Island j 
and the winds in the afternoon having shifted to the east-south-east, we 



^00 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1787. directed our course between this island and that of La Monha, with the hopes 
February, of entering by the northern passage ; but after having made several boards 
in this passage, v/hich is not more than half a league in breadth, we per- 
ceived that the currents were so strong to the west as decidedly to frus- 
trate our attempt. We therefore determined to piit into the harbour of 
Marivelle, which was a league to leeward, and there to wait for better 
winds, or a more favourable current. We anchored in eighteen fathoms, 
muddy bottom ; the town bearing north-west by west, and the Hogs 
[les pores) south by east 3° south. This harbour is open only to the 
south-west winds, and the ground is so good, that I think a vessel might 
remain here without any danger during the monsoon in which they prevail. 

As we were in want of wood, which I knew was very dear at Manilla^ 
I determined to remain twenty-four hours at Marivelle to take in some ; 
and the next morning, at day-break, we sent on shore all the carpenters of 
the two frigates with our long boats. At the same time I directed the 
' jolly boats to sound the bay. The rest of the people, with the barge, 
were reserved for a fishing party in the cove near the village, which ap^ 
peared sandy, and well adapted for hauling the seine: but this was a 
mistake for we found the bottom rocky, and so shallow, at two cables 
length from the shore, that it was impossible to fish. All the benefits we 
derived from our fatigues were a few thorny woodcocks, in pretty good 
preservation, which we added to our collection of shells. About noon I 
landed at the village, which consists of about forty houses, built of bam- 
boo, covered with leaves, and raised about four feet from the ground. 
The floor of these houses is also made of small bamboos, which do not 
touch each other, and which give them the appearance of bird cages. The 
mode of ascending them is by a ladder j and I do not believe that all the 
materials of such a house/ roof and frame included, would weigh two 
hundred pounds. 

In front of the principal street is a large edifice of hewn stone, but 
almost entirely in ruins. There are still seen, however, two brass guns at 
the windows, which serve as embrasures. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



50^ 



We were informed, that this edifice was at once the house of the curate, 1787. 
the church, and the fort ; but all these titles had been insufficient to awe the ^^^^"^'T* 
Moors of the southernmost Philippine Islands, who, in the year 1780, had 
burned the village, destroyed the fort and church, made slaves of all the 
Indians who had not time to escape, and retired with their captives, with- 
out being molested. This event had so much alarmed the inhabitants, 
that they dared no longer apply themselves to any kind of industry. The 
lands accordingly are almost in a state of nature, and the parish is so 
poor, that we could not purchase more than a dozen fowls, and a 
small hog, except that the curate sold us a young ox, assuring us it was 
the eighth part of the only herd in this parish, the lands of - which are 
ploughed by buffaloes, , ^ 

The priest was a young Indian mulatto, who, regardless of it's con- 
dition, resided in the wretched edifice I have described. A few earthen 
pots and a matrass composed the whole of his furniture. His pa- 
rish, he told us, contained about two hundred persons of both sexes 
and every age, ready, on the slightest alarm, to conceal themselves 
in the ^yoods to escape from the Moors, who still make frequent 
descents on the coast ; and who are so audacious, and their enemies 
so inattentive, that they often penetrate to the extremity of Manilla 
Bay. During our short stay at Cavite, seven or eight Indians were 
carried off in their canoes, at less than a league from the entrance of the 
port. We were assured, that the boats from Cavite to Manilla were fre- 
quently taken by these same Moors, though the passage is in every respect 
similar to that between Brest and Landernau by sea. They make these 
expeditions in very light row boats, to which the Spaniards oppose only 
an armament of galleys, which can scarcely move, and which have accord- - 
ingly never taken any of them. 

The next officer to the curate is an Indian, who bears the pompous 
title of alcaidey and has the supreme honour of carrying a cane with 
a silver head. He appears to exercise a considerable authority ; for no 
person had the right to sell us a fowl till he had granted his permission 
and fixed the price. He enjoyed also the odious privilege of the exclusive 



502. 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

sale of tobacco on government account, of which these Indians smoke a 
very considerable quantity. This impost has not been established more 
than a few years, and the poorest of the people can with difficulty support 
it's oppression. It has already occasioned several revolts, and I should not be 
surprised if it were to produce the same consequences here as that of stamps 
and tea in North America. We saw at the house of the curate three small 
antelopes, which he intended for the governor of Manilla and refused to 
Sell to us. We had no reason to suppose, however, we could have pre- 
served them alive, for this little animal is extremely delicate, and does not 
exceed the size of a large rabbit. The male and female are precise minia- 
tures of the stag and the hind. 

Our sportsmen saw in the woods some beautiful birds, the plumage of 
which was varied with the most lively colours ; but these woods are impe- 
netrable on account of the creeping shrubs with which the trees are every 
where interlaced. Their excursion was therefore very unproductive, since 
they could only shoot on the skirts of the wood. We purchased in the town 
several stabbed turtle doves, a name which has been given to these birds 
from a red spot in the middle of the breast, which exactly resembles a 
wound made by a knife. 

We embarked at the close of the evening, and made every preparation 
for sailing the next day. One of the two Spanish vessels, which we had 
seen on the 23d under Point Capones, had, like us, put into Marivelle, to 
wait for more moderate breezes. I requested a pilot of the captain, and 
he sent me his boatswain's mate, an old Indian, who seemed to have httle 
claim to my confidence, but to whom nevertheless I agreed to give fifteen 
dollars to conduct us to Cavite. On the 25th at day-break we set sail, 
and stood through the southern passage ; the old Indian having assured us, 
that our attempts by the northern one would be vain, the currents always 
setting to the westward. Though the distance from the harbour of Mari- 
velle to that of Cavite is only seven leagues, we were three days in making 
this little run, anchoring every evening in the bay upon a good muddy bot- 
tom. We had occasion to observe, that M"^ Dapres's plan is far" from ex- 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. soi 

act. The island of Fraile, and that of Cavallo, which form the entrance 1787. 
of the southern passage, are badly laid down, and in general the whole Febmary, 
abounds with errors. But it would have been better to have followed even this 
guide, than have trusted to the Indian pilot, who had nearly run us" aground 
on the shoal of Nicholas. He persisted in continuing to stand on to 
the southward, in spite of my representations, and we fell in less than a 
minute from seventeen fathoms to four. I instantly put about, and am 
convinced, that we should have grounded, if I had kept onward a pistol- 
shot farther. The sea is so smooth in this bay, that there is no sign of 
the shoals ; but a single observation renders it easy to work into it. The 
island de la Monha must be kept constantly in sight through the northern 
passage of the island of Marivelle, and as soon as this island begins to be. 
shut in it is necessary to put about. 

At length, on the 28th, we anchored in the harbour of Cavite in three gg^ 
fathoms, muddy bottom, at the distance of two cables length from the town. 
Our passage from Macao to Cavite was twenty-three days, and would have ~ 
been much longer, if we had conformed^ to the practice of the ancient Por- 
tuguese and Spanish navigators, and had persisted in passing to the nortk 
ofPrataSo 



504 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD„ 



C H A P T E R XV. 

Jrrival at Cavite— Reception by the Commandant of the Place-^M. Bou-- 
tin is sent to Manilla to wait on the Governor -General— -His Reception 
.^Account of Cavite and it's Arsenal— Description of Manilla and 
it's Environs— If s Populatio7i— Disadvantages arising from the Govern- 
ment established there— Penances of which we were Witnesses during Pas- 
sion Week—Duty on Tobacco— Institution .of the new Philippine Com- 
pany—Reflections on this Establishment— Account of the Islands to the 
South of the Philippines— Continual War with the Moors or Mahometans 
of these different Islands— Stay at Manilla— Military State of the Island 
of Luconia. 

1787. WE had scarcely anchored at the entrance of the harbour of Cavite, 
February, when an officer came on board from the commandant of the place, to re- 
quest us to have no communication on shore till the arrival of orders from 
the governor- general, to whom he intended to dispatch a courier as soon 
as he should be informed of the motives of our arrival. We repHed, that 
.we only wanted provisions, and permission to refit our frigates, and that 
we should continue our expedition as speedily as possible : but before the 
departure of the Spanish officer, the commandant of the bay * arrived 
from Manilla, whence our ships had been perceived. He informed us, 
that the government had heard of our arrival in the Chinese seas, and that 
the letters from the Spanish ministry had announced us to the governor- 
general several months before. Be added, that the season was favourable 
for anchoring before Manilla, where we should find every accommodation 
and resource which it was possible to procure at the Philippines. But 
. we were at anchor before an arsenal, at the distance of a musket-shot 
from the shore, ^nd we were perhaps deficient in politeness in observing 

■* The commandant of the bay Is in Spain thexhief commissioner of the customs, and possesses a 
military rank. At Manilla he ranks as captain. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



to this officer, that nothing could compensate for these advantages. He 
consented that our lieutenant, Boutin, should accompany him in his 
hoat, to give an account of our arrival to the governor -general, and re - 
quest him to give orders that our different wants might be supplied before 
the 5th of April ; the final plan of our voyage requiring that the two fri- 
gates should be under sail the 10th of the sam.e month. M-" Basco, bri- 
gadier of the navy, and governor-general of Manilla, gave to my lieute- 
nant the most obliging reception, and issued the most positive orders 
that nothing should retard our departure. " 

He also wrote to the commandant of Cavite, begging him to permit us 
to have free communication with the place, and to procure us every as- 
sistance and refreshment in his power. The return of M"" Boutin, charged 
with dispatches from M-- Basco, rendered us citizens of Cavite. Our ves- 
sels were so near the shore, that we could land and return on board every 
minute. We found convenient houses in which to repair our sails, salt 
mr provisions, build two boats, accommodate our naturalists and geogra- 
phical engineers ; and for the purpose of erecting our observatory, the 
worthy commandant lent us his own house. We enjoyed as perfect liberty 
as if we had been in our own country, and we found in the market, and 
at the arsenal, the same resources as we should have done in one of the. 
best ports in Europe. 

Cavite, which is three leagues to the south-west of Manilla, was for- 
merly a considerable place ; but in the Philippines, as in Europe, the large' 
towns drain in a great measure the smaller, and there remain at present 
only the commandant of the arsenal, a contador, two lieutenants of the 
harbour, the commandant of the place, with a garrison of a hundred and 
fifty men, and their officers. 

All the other inhabitants are mulattoes or Indians, employed in the arse- 
nal, and who form with their famihes, which are usually very numerous,, 
a population of about four thousand souls, distributed in the town and tha 

vot. I,, 3 -J. 



5-06 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. - 



1787. suburb Roch. There are two parishes, and three convents for men, 
February, ^^^j^ ^£ ^^j^i^h is occupied only by two monks, though thirty might con- 
veniently be accommodated. The Jesuits formerly possessed a very hand- 
some house here, which the commercial company lately established by the 
government has taken into it's own hands. In general, nothing is to be 
seen but ruins. The ancient stone edifices are abandoned, or occupied by 
Indians who do not repair them ; and Cavite, the second town of the 
Philippines, and the capital of a province of the same name, is at present 
a wretched village, with no other Spaniards than the civil and military of- 
ficers But though the town presents only ruins to the eye, this is by no 
means the case with the harbour, Bermudes, brigadier m the navy 
who commands there, having established an order and discipline, which 
render it an object of regret that his talents have been exercised on so di- 
minutive a theatre. All his workmen are Indians, and the workshops pre- 
cisely like those in our European arsenals. This officer, who is equal m 
rank to the governor-general, finds no detail beneath his attention, and his 
conversation proved to us, that there was probably no sul^ect to which 
his talents were not adequate. Every thing we asked was granted m the 
most obliging manner. The smiths, blockmakers, and riggers, were em- 
ployed in our service for several days. Bermudes anticipated our de- 
sires, and his friendly attentions were the more flattering, as he appeared 
not in the habit of granting them j and this austerity of principle, which 
■ ' was a part of his character, had perhaps been prejudicial to his military 
advancement. As we could not flatter ourselves with the hope of finding 
elsewhere so commodious a port, de Langle and myself determined to 
overhaul our rigging completely, and to strip our lower masts. This pre- 
caution could be attended with no loss of time, because we were obliged 
to wait at least a month for the different provisions, for which we had ap- 
plied to the intendant of Manilla. 

March Two days after our arrival at Cavite I embarked for the capital with 
M' de Langle, accompanied by several officers. We employed two hours 
and a half in this passage in our boats, which were well armed, on ac- 
count of the Moors, with whom the bay of Manilla is frequently infested. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 507 

Our first visit was to the governor, who retained us to dinner, and ap- 1787. 
pointed his captain of guards to conduct us to the houses of the archbishop, ^^''^'^ 
the intendant, and the different o'idors. This, was by no means the least 
fatiguing day we had experienced. The heat was extreme, and we were on 
foot in a town, where none of the inhabitants ever go out except in a 
carriage ; but carriages are not to be hired here as at Batavia, and, but for 
M' Sebir, a French merchant, who, hearing by accident of our arrival, 
sent us his carriage, we should have been obliged to decline many of the 
visits we had intended to make. 

The town of Manilla, including the suburbs, is very considerable. 
It's population is estimated at thirty-eight thousand souls, among whom 
are included a thousand, or, perhaps, twelve hundred Spaniards. The 
rest are mulattoes,. Indians, or Chinese, who cultivate all the arts, and ex- 
ercise every species of industry. The poorest Spanish families have one 
or two carriages, and sometimes more ; the price of a pair of good horses 
is thirty dollars j and the board and wages of a coachman six dollars a 
month, so that there is no country in which the expence of a carriageis; 
equally inconsiderable, or the use of it more necessary. 

The environs of JVIanilla are delightful.. They are watered by a fine 
river, that branches into different streams, of which the two principal 
lead to the famous lagoon, or lake of Bahia,. which is seven leagues within 
the country, and bordered by more than, a hundred Indian villages,- situ- 
ate in the midst of a most fertile soil. Manilla itself, which is built on 
the banks of a bay of the same name, is more than five and twenty 
leagues in circumference, lies at the mouth of a river, which is navigable 
as far as the lake from which it derives its source, and is,- perhaps^ one of 
the most happily situated towns in the world. Every article food is 
found there in the greatest abundance, and at the most moderale, price j 
but the price of clothes, European toys, and furniture, is extremely ex- 
orbitant. The want of emulation, with prohibitions and restraints of 
every kind upon commerce, render the productions and, merchandise: of 
India and China at least as dear as in Europe ; and this colony, though the; 




.508 VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1787. difFerent imposts produce a revenue of hear eight hundred thousand dol- 
lars, nevertheless costs the mother country annually fifteen hundred thou- 
sand livres *, which are sent from Mexico. The immense posessions of 
the Spaniards in America have prevented the government from essentially 
applying it's attention to the Philippines, which resemble the estates of 
those great lords, whose lands remain uncultivated, though they would 
make the fortune of a number of families. 

I do not hesitate to affirm, that a powerful nation, in possession of no 
other colony than the Philippines, and which should establish there the 
best government these islands are capable of, might look without envy at 
all the European settlements both of Africa and America. 

The population of these different islands amounts to three millions of 
inhabitants, of which Luconia contains nearly a third ; and the people ap- 
pear to m.e to be in no respect inferior to Europeans. They cultivate the 
earth with abundant skill, and are good carpenters, joiners, smiths, 
gold-workers, weavers, masons, &c. I have visited their towns, and have 
found them benevolent, hospitable, and communicative ; and though the 
Spaniards speak of and treat them with contempt, I have observed, that 
the vices of which they accuse them are to be imputed to the government 
they have established among them. It is well known, that the avidity of 
gold, and the spirit of conquest, with which the Spaniards and Portuguese 
were animated two centuries ago, caused adventurers of both these nations 
to traverse the different seas, and visit the islands of the two hemispheres, 
with no other view than to procure that precious metal. 

Some auriferous streams in the neighbourhood of the Spice Islands, no 
doubt, determined the first estabHshments in the Philippines ; but the 
produce did not correspond with the hopes that were entertained. To 
these motives of avarice succeeded the enthusiasm of religion. A great 
number of monks of every order were sent out to preach Christianity, 
and the harvest was so abundant, that eight or nine hundred Christians 

* ^.6250. 



I 



. VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. , 509- 

were soon reckoned in these difFerent islands. Had this zeal been enlight- ] 787. 
ened by a small portion of philosophy, the conquest of the Spaniards 
could not have been better secured than by this system, and the establish- 
ment would have been rendered useful to the mother country. But their 
■object vs^as to make Christians, not citizens. The colony was divided 
into parishes, and subjected to the most frivolous and extravagant rules. 
Every fault, every sin of every kind, is still punished with the whip. 
Omission of attendance at prayers and mass is entered in a book, and the 
punishment inflicted, both on the men and the women, by order of the 
curate, at the door of the church. Festivals, religious assemblies, and 
private devotions, occupy a very considerable portion of time ; and as 
the imagination is more fervent in hot than in temperate climates, I 
have seen, during passion week, masked penitents dragging chains in 
the streets, their legs and loins surrounded with a girdle of thorns, re- 
ceiving at the gates of the churches, or before the oratories, several 
strokes of discipline, and, in a word, submitting to penances no less ri- 
gorous than those of the fakirs of India. These practices, more calcu-,- 
lated to form enthusiasts than men of true piety, are at present forbidden 
by the archbishop of Manilla, but it is probable, that certain confessors 
still advise, if they do not actually order their infliction. 

To this monastic discipline, which enervates the mind and too power- 
fully persuades this people, already indolent by the influence of climate 
and want of motives to industry, that the present life is a mere passage, 
and that the goods of this world are useless, is added the impossibility of 
selling the produce of the earth to that advantage which compensates the 
labour of man. Hence, when all the inhabitants have the quantity of 
rice, sugar, and vegetables, necessary for their subsistence, the rest be- 
comes of no value ; and in such circumstances sugar has been sold at less 
than a penny a pound, and the rice has been left on the ground without 
being cut. It would be difficult for the most unenlightened society to ' 
form a system of government, more absurd than that which has been 
observed for two centuries past in these colonies. The port of Ma- 
nilla, which ought to be free to all nations, till lately has been shut to 



510 
1787 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 



17»7. Europeans, and open only to some Moors, Armenians, or Portuguese of 
March. Qoa. The most despotic authority is confided to the governor, and the 
council, which ought to moderate it, is in this respect totally impotent. 
He is able, not of right indeed, but in fact, to receive or confiscate the 
merchandise of foreigners, whom the hope of profit has led to Manilla, 
and who expose themselves to this risk solely from the expectation of 
enormous profits, ruinous to the consumer. No one possesses there the 
least liberty. The inquisitors and the monks superintend the consciences 
of men J the oidors all private affairs; and the^overnor the most innocent 
amusements ; a walk into the interior of the island, or a private conver- 
sation, not being exempt from his controul and jurisdiction : and thus the 
most charming country in the universe is certainly the last which a lover of 
liberty would chuse for his residence. 

' I have seen at Manilla that upright and virtuous governor of the La- 
drones, M^ Tobias, who, unhappily for his repose, has been too much ce- 
lebrated by the abbe Raynal. I have seen him persecuted by the monks, 
who have alienated the affections of his wife, by representing him as a 
wretch destitute of piety ; and she has even demanded to be separated from 
him, that she might not live with a pretended reprobate, and all the fanatics 
have applauded her resolution. M. Tobias is lieutenant-colonel of the 
regiment which forms the garrison of Manilla, and is known to be the best 
officer in the country : yet the governor has ordered, that his appomt- 
ments, which are considerable, should be paid to this pious wife, leaving 
him only twenty-six dollars per month, for his own subsistence and that 
of his son. This brave soldier, reduced to despair, was waiting for a pro- 
per opportunity to quit the colony, in order to obtain justice. There is a 
wise law, intended for moderating this excessive authority, but it is unfor- 
tunately without effect, by which any person aggrieved may prosecute the 
ex-governor before his successor. The latter, however, is interested m ex- 
cusing every thing which may be brought against his predecessor, and the 
citizen who should be so rash as to complain would be exposed to new 
and still more intolerable vexations. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

The most galling distinctions are established and maintained with the 
harshest severity. The number of horses which may be harnessed to car- 
riages is fixed for every rank of persons. Those which have the greatest 
number take precedence, and must never be out-stripped; so that the 
mere caprice of an oi'dor may detain in a file behind his carriage all those 
which have the misfortune to be on the same road. So many vices in this 
government, and so many vexations which are the consequence, have how- 
ever not been sufficient entirely to destroy the advantages of the climate j 
and the peasants have an air of happiness not to be seen in the villages of 
Europe. Their houses are wonderfully neat, ar)d are shaded by fruit-trees 
which grow spontaneously. The tax paid by each head of a family is 
very moderate, amounting only to five reals and a half*, including the dues 
of the church, which are received by the public. All the bishops, canons, 
and curates, have salaries from government; but they have established 
certain perquisites to compensate for their smallness. 




1787. 
March. 



I 

i 



A terrible scourge, however, has lately arisen, which threatens to de- 
stroy among these people their remaining portion of happiness. This is 
the tax on tobacco. Their passion for smoking this narcotic is so immo- 
derate, that there is not an instant in the day in which either a man or 
woman is without a segar-f-. Even children who have scarcely quitted 
their cradle contract this habit. The tobacco of the island of Luconia is the 
best in Asia. Formerly every one cultivated enough for his use in the vici- 
nity of his residence, and by the small number of foreign vessels which are 
permitted to touch at Manilla, it was exported to every quarter of India. But 
within a few years a prohibitory law has been instituted ; the tobacco of 
each individual has been rooted up, and the growth of this article con- 
fined to fields, where it is cultivated on the national account. The price 
is fixed at half a dollar a pound ; and though the consumption is prodi- 
giously diminished, the daily pay of a workman is not sufficient to procure 
tobacco for himself and his family. The inhabitants generally agree, that 



1^. 



* About half a crown, the vakie of the real being five-pence halfpenny, T. 

t A small roll of the leaves of tobacco, which is smoked without the assistance of a pipe. (French , 
Editor.) 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD 



a tax of two dollars, added to the capitation already imposed, would have 
produced a sura equal to that of the sale of tobacco, and would not have 
occasioned the disorders of which the present tax has been productive ; for 
insurrections have threatened every part of the island, and troops have been 
employed to suppress them. An army of custom-house officers is kept in 
pay to prevent smuggling, and to force the consumers to apply to the 
national warehouses. Of these officers several have been massacred : but, 
though their death has been speedily avenged by the tribunals, which pass: 
judgment on the Indians with much fewer formalities than on the other 
citizens, a leaven still, remains, to which the smallest fermentation might 
give the most dreadful activity-; and there is no doubt that an enemy, who 
entertained the project of a conquest, would find an army of disaffected 
ready to join his standard the moment he should land, and should put arms 
into their hands If the Spanish governm.ent were to adopt a better con- 

* From their extent, their climate, and the nature of their soil, the Philippines have the means of 
producino- every colonial commodity. They afford the precious metals, and their position is advan^ 
taceous, above all other islands, for trading with India and China. Whatever European nation 
should establish itself there in a solid manner, and possess a port on the coast of Africa, Madagascar^ 
or in the neighbouring seas, for stores and refreshments, might resign without regret it's possessions in^ 
America. This important property does not seem to be estimated at it's just value by the Spanish 
.Tovernment ; but this apparent indifference, undoubtedly, arises from the difficulty of supporting its. 
Lmense possessions in the Uvo hemispheres, and the want of power to put them into such a state of: 
activity as would afford all die benefit which the mother country has a right to expect. 

The Philippines, therefore, may be an object of desire to. the other maritime powers of Europe?; 
and if the enemies of Spain do not profit by the state of weakness in which they are suffered to re- 
main, they will hereafter become the prey of the Malays. 

When the metallic treasures and productions of the soil of the South-sea islands shall be better 
known, when the new paths opened to trade shall allow of a safe and speedy commnnication to the 
centre of that ocean, the importance of the Philippines will he fully perceived. The Spaniards who 
have already a settlement on the Bashee Islands, will soon have another in the Sandwich Islands 
tlrough situate a little to the north of the ordinary course of the galleonsj and their possessions, if 
suffered to extend themselves, will form a kind of chain round the earth. The Russians wall be 
aware of all the advantages they may derive from the South-sea commerce; and all tlreir raantime 
views will be directed towards the ports of Kamtscliatka. 

This state of things, however, will only endure till the energy of the people, who cover 
the globe, shall set bounds to these impolitic extensions, shall resume their natural rights ; ai^d expel 
the Europeans, in order freely to trade with all the world. But this period is still remote; and befor^- 
it arrives! the Spaniards, as the abbe Raynal has foretold, enfeebled by therr -^-^ P^^! ^^^^^ 
which they are unable effectually to protect, will be successively driven from their establishments hy 
«ome luore pov/erful nation, (French Editor.).- 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 515 

stitution for the Philippines, the picture that might be drawn of the state 17S7. 
of Manilla a few years hence, would be very different from it's present 
condition. The earth refuses none of the most valuable productions i 
;nine hundred thousand individuals of both sexes in the island of Luconia 
might be encouraged to cultivate them; and the cHmate admits of ten 
crops of silk in the year, while that of China scarcely affords the promise 
of two. 

Cotton, indigo, the sugar-cane, and coffee, grow without cultivation 
"beneath the feet of the natives, who disregard them ; and every thing con- 
spires to show, that their spices would not be inferior to those of the Mo- 
luccas. A perfect freedom of trade for all nations would secure a market 
that would encourage every species of cultivation ; and a moderate duty on 
all exportations would be sufficient, in a very few years, to defray all the 
''cxpences of government. Religious toleration, with a few privileges, 
granted to the Chinese, would soon draw to this island a hundred thousand 
inhabitants from the eastern provinces of that empire, who are driven 
away by the tyranny of the Mandarins. If to these advantages the Spani- 
ards should add the conquest of Macao, their establishments in Asia, and 
the benefits which their trade would derive from them, would certainly 
be more considerable than those of the Dutch at the Moluccas and at Java, 
The institution of the new Philippine company seems to announce, that 
the attention of government is at length turned towards this part of the 
world. It has in part adopted the plan of cardinal Alberoni. That mi- 
nister was aware, that Spain, having no manufactures, would do better to 
enrich the Asiatic nations with her precious metals, than those of Europe, 
who were her rivals, and whose commerce and power she increased by 
.consuming the articles of their industry. He therefore thought, that an 
open mart ought to be established at Manilla for all nations ; and was de- 
sirous of inviting the different merchants of Spain to repair to this em» 
porium, in order to purchase the different fabrics of India or China, which 
might be necessary for the consumption of .the mother -country and the 
colonies. 



•VOL, I. 



514 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1787. It is well known, however, that Alberoni had more genius than in- 
March, formation. He was acquainted with the situation of Europe ; but had 
not of Asia the slightest idea. The objects of greatest consumption for 
Spain and her colonies are the produce of Bengal and the coast of Coro- 
mandel J which it is certainly as easy to bring to Cadiz as to Manilla, the 
latter being placed at a great distance from that coast, while it's seas are 
subject to monsoons which expose navigators to considerable losses and 
delays. The difference of price between India and the Manillas would 
• thus be at least fifty per cent. : and if to this be added the immense ex- 
pence of armaments fitted out for the protection of so distant a country, it 
will be seen, that the produce of India from the dep6t of Manilla must be 
«old very dear in Spain, and still dearer in her American colonies and that 
nations like England, Holland, and France, which carry on a direct trade, 
might always introduce them in a contraband way, with the greatest ad- 
vantage. It is, however, on this defective plan, that the foundation of this 
new company has been laid, and what is worse, with restrictions and pre- 
judices, which render it still more exceptionable than that of the Italian 
minister. In a word, the institution is such, that in my opinion it cannot 
possibly subsist longer than four years, though it's privilege has in a man- 
ner absorbed the whole trade of the nation with it's American colonies. 
The pretended emporium of Manilla, where the new company must sup^ 
ply itself, is open only to the Indian nations, as if the projectors feared to 
increase the number of sellers, and to obtain the cotton manufactures of 
Bengal at too low a price. 

It may also be remarked, that these pretended Moorish, or Armenian, or 
Portuguese vessels from Goa, bring only English goods , and as the different 
modes of deception require new expences, the charge of these also falls 
upon the consumers ; so that the difference of price between Manilla and the 
Indies is not merely fifty, but sixty, and perhaps eighty per cent. To this 
vicious arrangement is joined that of the right, which the company enjoys, 
of purchasing exclusively the productions of Luconia, whose mdustry, not 
being stimulated by the competition of buyers, will continue in the same 
state of inactivity to which, for two centuries past, it has totally owed it s 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

insignificance. As others have sufficiently treated of the civil and military 
government of Manilla, I have thought fit to exhibit the settlement in this 
new light, which the establishment of the new company has perhaps ren- 
dered interesting in an age, in which it is the duty of every man, destined 
to occupy a certain rank in the state, to be acquainted with the theory of 
commerce. 



1787. 

March. 



The Spaniards have several establishments in the islands to the south- 
ward of Luconia; but they seem merely to be on sufferance there, and 
their situation at Luconia does not engage the inhabitants of those islands 
to acknowledge their sovereignty : on the contrary, they are always at 
v^^ar with them. These pretended Moors, of whom I have spoken, who 
infest their coasts, make such frequent descents, and carry into slavery the 
Indians of both sexes subject to the Spaniards, are the inhabitants of Min- 
danao, Mindoro, and Panay, who acknowledge no other authority than 
that of their princes, called sultans, with the same impropriety as the 
people themselves are called Moors. They are in fact Malays, who em- 
braced Mahometanism nearly at the period when Christianity first began 
to be preached at Manilla. The Spaniards have denominated them Moors^ 
and their sovereigns sultans, merely from the identity of their religion 
with that of the African people of the same name, and who have been ene- 
mies of Spain for so many centuries. 

The only military settlement of the Spaniards in the Southern Philip- 
pines is that of Samboangan in the island of Mindanao, where a garrison 
is maintained of a hundred and fifty men, under the command of a military 
governor, who is appointed by the governor-general of Manilla. In the 
-other islands there are only a few villages, defended by wretched fortifi- 
cations, served by militia, and governed by alcaides, who are also appoint- 
ed by the governor-general, but are eligible from every class of citizens^ 
who are not enrolled as soldiers. The true masters of the different islands 
in which these Spanish villages are situate would soon destroy them, if 
they had not a considerable interest in their preservation. These Moors 
are at peace in their own islands ; but they send vessels to commit depre- 




VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1787. dations on the coasts of Luconia, and the alcaides purchase a great number 
March, the slaves taken by these pirates, which saves them the trouble of send- 
ing them to Batavia, where they would sell for a much lower price. The 
weakness of the government of the Philippines is more apparent from 
these details, than from all the reasonings of different travellers; and the 
- reader will perceive, that the Spaniards are too feeble to protect the com- 
merce of their possessions, and that all the benefits they have yet conferred 
on these people relate to the concerns of another life, and have in reality 
no other object in vievv. 

We staid only a few hours at Manilla j and the governor having taken 
leave of us immediately after dinner, to enjoy his sksia or afternoon's nap, 
We were at liberty to wait upon M"^ Sebir, who rendered us the most 
essential services during our stay in the bay. This merchant, who was by 
far the best-informed Frenchman I had met with in the Chinese seas, had 
supposed that the new company of the Philippines, and the intimate con- 
nexion of the cabinets of Versailles and Madrid, would have procured him 
■ the means of extending his speculations, which were cramped by the esta- 
blishment of the French East-India company. He had accordingly set- 
tled his affairs at Canton and Macao, where he had been established for 
several years, and had formed a commercial house at Manilla, where he 
interested himself in the decision of a v«ry important law-suit, in which 
one of his friends was materially concerned. But he already perceived^ 
that the prejudices against strangers, and the despotism of the admini- 
stration, would form an invincible obstacle to his views ; and at the time of 
our arrival he was disposed to contract rather than extead his under- 
takings. 

We returned to our boats at six in the evening, and at eight were on board 
our frigates : but fearing, while we were employed at Cavite in the repair of 
bur ships, that the flour and biscuit contractors, &c. would make us victims, 
of the usual tardiness of the merchants of their nation, I thought proper ta 
appoint an officer to reside at Manilla, in order to visit every day the seve- 
ral agents to whom the intendant had recommended us. 1 made choice 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



517 



of M' Vaujuas, lieutenant of the Astrolabe : but this officer soon wrote to 1787, 
inform me, that his residence at Manilla was useless, as M^ Consoles Car- 
vagnal, intendant of the Philippines, was so careful of our interests, that he 
every day went himself to observe the progress of the workmen who 
were employed on our account, and was no less active than if he 
had belonged to the expedition. His obliging and assiduous attentions 
demand from us this public expression of our gratitude. His cabinet 
of natural history was open to all our naturahsts, to whom he gave part of 
his collections, in each of the three kingdoms of nature ; and at the moment 
of our departure, I received from him a complete double collection of the - 
shells which are found in the Philippine , seas : his desire to serve us being 
directed to every thing wliich could in the least interest our pursuits. 

A week after our arrival at Manilla I received a letter from M-" Elstock- 
enstrom, principal supercargo of the Swedish East-India company, inform- 
ing me, that he had sold our sea-otter skins for ten thousand dollars, and 
authorising us to draw on him for the amount. I was extremely desirous-^ 
of procuring this money, in order to distribute it among the crews, who, 
having left Macao without receiving it, were fearful their hopes would ■ 
never be italised. As M' Sebir had at that time no remittance to make to 
xMacao, we had recourse to M^ Consoles, to whom every affair of this kind - 
was m reality foreign, but who used the influence of his amiable character- 
with the different merchants of Manilla, to engage them to discount our 
bills, which they did, and the produce arising from them was divided •< 
among the seamen before our departure. 

The excessive heats of Manilla began to produce some unfavourable 
effects on the health of our people. Several were attacked with colics 
which were followed, however, by no bad consequence. But M--= La-' 
manon and Daigremont,. who had brought from Macao a beginning dysen- 
tery, occasioned probably by suppressed perspiration, were so far from find- 
ing relief at this place,, that they grew worse^ and to such a degree that, 
the twenty-third day after our arrival, M^ Daigremont was without hope, 
and died on the twenty-fifth. He was the second person who had been 



518 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1787. thus lost by sickness on board the Astrolabe j while on board the Boussole 
no misfortune of this kind had yet happened, though our people in general 
had enjoyed perhaps a less favourable state of health than those of the other 
frigate. It must be observed, however, that the servant who died in the 
passage from Chili to Easter Island, was consumptive when he came on 
. board; and de Langle, in taking him, had yielded solely to the desire 
of his master, who flattered himself that the air of the sea and a warmer 
climate would effect his cure. With regard to Daigremont, in oppo- 
sition to medical advice, -and unknown to his friends, he had attempted to 
cure himself with burnt brandy, pimento, and other remedies, which the 
■strongest man could not have resisted, and he fell a victim to his own im- 
prudence, misled by the too high opinion he had entertained of the 
strength of his constitution. 

a. On the 08th of March all our works were finished at Cavite, our boats 

^ ^ huWt, our sails repaired, the rigging examined, both vessels completely 
caulked, and our salt provisions barrelled up. This last business we did not 
think prooer to entrust to the store-keepers of Manilla, knowing that the 
salt provision of the galleons never kept good for more than three months, 
and we had beside the greatest confidence in the method of captain Cook 
Accordingly a copy of his process was put into the hands of each Salter, and 
we superintended 'this new operation ourselves. We had salt and vinegar 
on board from Europe, and had nothing to purchase on this occasion but 
«ome hogs, which we obtained at a very moderate price. 

The communications between Manilla and China are so frequent that 
we received news from Macao every week, and - " 
greatest astonishment that the Resolutkn, commanded by M dEntre- 
casteaux and the Sukik frigate, commanded by M^ la Croix de Castnes, 
had arr^ed in the river of Canton. These vessels had left Batavia when 
. tl orLast monsoon was in it's force, had run to the eastward of the 
Philippines, coasted New Guinea, and traversed seas abounding with 
Lis of ;hich they had no chart, and at length, after a navigation of _ 
ev nty days, had anchored in the river I have mentioned the very day 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WOPvLD. 

subsequent to our departure. The astronomical observations made during 
this voyage will be very important for the knowledge of those seas, which 
are always open to navigators who may have missed the monsoon ; and it 
is astojiishing to me, that our East-India company should have entrusted 
the command of the vessel, which this year lost her season, to a man ig- 
norant of this track. 

At Manilla I received a letter from d'Entrecasteaux, informing me 
of the motives of his voyage, and soon after the Subtile herself brought 
me other dispatches. 

M-- la Croix de Castries, who had doubled the Cape of Good Hope in 
company with the Calypso, brought us the news of Europe ; but the latest 
date was the 24th of April, and our curiosity had still to regret the inter- 
val of nearly a year. Our families and friends had beside not profited by 
this opportunity of writing, and from the state of tranquillity enjoyed by 
Europe, there was little to counterbalance, in public events, the hopes 
and fears by which we were individually agitated. We had, however, an- 
other opportunity of sending letters to France ; and the Subtile was so 
well manned as to permit la Croix de Castries to repair in part the loss 
of officers and soldiers which we had sustained in America. Accordingly 
M-- Guyet, an ensign, with four men, embarked on board the Boussole,. 
and le Gobien, a midshipman, with four others, on board the Astro- 
labe. This augmentation was extremely necessary ; we^ad eight officers 
less than at our departure from France, including M"" de Saint-Ceran^ 
whom, from the total derangement of his health, I v/as obliged to send back 
to the Isle of France in the Subtile, the surgeons having declared that it 
was impossible for him to continue the voyage. 

In the mean time our provisions had generally been embarked at the pe~ 
riod we had fixed; but passion week, which suspends all business at Ma- 
nilla, having occasioned a delay in some particular articles, I was under? 
the necessity of fixing my departure for Easter Monday. As the norths 
east monsoon, however, was still very strong, the sacrifice of three or 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 



four days could be of no prejudice to the expedition. On the 3d of April 
all our astronomical instruments were on board. From the period of our 
departure from France, Dagelet had not found a more convenient place 
for ascertaining with precision the rate of going of our timekeeper, N° 19, 
as our observatory had been fitted up in the garden of the governor, 
at the distance of about a hundred and twenty toises from our vessels. 
The longitude of Cavite, determined by a great number of lunar obser- 
.^vations, was 1 1 8^ 50' 40" east *, and it's latitude, taken with a three-feet 
quadrant, U° 29^ 9" north. If the longitude had been determined 
from the daily loss attributed to this timekeeper at Macao, it would have 
been 118° 46' 8'" i that is to say 4' 32^' less .than .the result of our lunar 
observations. 

Before we sailed, 1 thought it my duty to go with M'' de Langle to re- 
turn our acknowledgements to the governor-general for the speed with 
which his orders had been executed, and still more particularly to the m- 
teadant, from whom we had received so many distinguishing marks of 
kindness and friendship. Having discharged tli€se duties, we both took 
. advantage of a stay of forty-eight hours at the house of M"^ Sebir, to visit, 
either in a boat or a carriage, the environs of Manilla. We met neither 
with sumptuous houses, nor parks, nor gardens ; but unadorned nature is 
here so beautiful, that a simple Indian .village on the hank of the river, 
.',or a habitation in the European style, surrounded by a few trees, forms a 
.viewmorepicturesgue than that of our most magniiicent mansions .3 and 
the coldest imagination could not but suppose happiness to be the atten- 
dant on this enlivening simplicity. The Spaniards, in general, are ac- 
customed to quit the town after the Easter holidays, and to pass the sea- 
son of the scorching heats in the country. They have not attempted to 
embellish a place which has no need of the assistance of art. A neat ana 
spacious house, built on the banks of a stream, with suitable baths, but 
without avenues and gardens, and shaded only with a few fruit-trees, con- 

... .See the explanation of the method of co.puti.g the longitude in ^f^^/ ^'^^ 
the frigates, from. M^.iUa:.to. Kamtscl^.tka, by Dagelet, at the end of tne Voyage. (French 

llditor.) 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

stitutes the dwelling of the most opulent citizens ; and this country would 
be one of the most agreeable spots in the world to live in, if a more mo- 
derate government and fewer prejudices v/ere better to secure the civil li- 
berty of every inhabitant. The fortifications of Manilla have been aug- 
mented by the governor-general, under the direction of M' Sauz, an able 
engineer ; but the garrison is far from numerous. In time of peace it is 
limited to a single regiment of two battalions of infantry, each composed 
of a single company of grenadiers, and eight companies of fusileers, the 
two battalions forming together thirteen hundred effective men. It is a 
Mexican regiment, of which all the soldiers are of the colour of mulat- 
toes, but are said, in courage and skill, not to be inferior to the troops of 
Europe. There are beside two companies of artillery, commanded by a 
lieutenant-colonel, and composed each of eighty men, whose officers are 
a captain, a lieutenant, an ensign, and a supernumerary ; three companies 
of dragoons, forming a squadron of a hundred and fifty horse, commanded 
by the eldest of the three captains ; and, lastly, a battalion of twelve 
hundred militia, raised and formerly paid by a wealthy half-bred Chinese, 
named Tuasson, who was ennobled. All the soldiers of this corps are 
Chinese of mixed blood ; they perform the same duty in the town as the 
regular troops, and receive at present the same pay y but they would be a 
weak dependence in time of war. In case of emergency, eight thousand 
militia can quickly be raised^ divided into provincial battalions, and com- 
manded by European or Creole officers. Each battalion has a company of 
grenadiers. Of these companies one has been disciplined by a serjeant 
from the regiment at Manilla ; and the Spaniards, though more disposed 
to undervalue than exalt the bravery and merit of the Indians, affirm, that 
it is in no respect inferior to those of the European regiments. 

The little garrison of Samboangan, in the island of Mindanao, is not 
included in that of the island of Luconia. Two corps, of a hundred and 
fifty men each, have been raised for the defence of the Ladrone islands, 
and the island of Mindanao, and are invariably attached to those coloniesa 



VOL. I, 



5 X 



>2l 



1787. 

April, 





522 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



CHAPTER XVI. 



Departure from Cavite—Meet with a Bank in the middle of the Channel of 
Formosa-— Latitude and Longitude of this Bank^We anchor two Leagues 
in the offing opposite the ancient Fort of Zealand—We set sail again the 
next day— Account of the Pong-hou, or Pescadore Islands— We make the 
Island of Botol T:abaco-xima--and run along the Island of Kumi, which 

' makes a Part of the Kingdom of Liqueo—The Ships enter the Japanese 
Sea, and sail along the Coast of China— We steer our Course for the Island 
of ^elpaert—We run along the Coast of Corea, and make astronomical 
Observations every day— Particulars respecting ^uelpaert Island, Corea, 
Discovery ofDagelet Island — It's Longitude and Latitude. 

THE 9th. of April, by our reckoning, and the 10th by that of the Ma- 
April.* nillese, we set sail with a fine breeze from the north-east, which gave us 
- 9- hope of doubling all the islands in the different channels of Manilla bay 
before night. Before we got under way, M"" de Langle and I received a 
visit from Bermudes, who assured us, that the north-east monsoon 
would not change for a month, and that it was still later on the coast of 
Formosa; the continent of China being in some measure the source of the 
north winds, which reign more than nine months of the year on the coasts 
of this empire. But our impatience would not allow us to Usten to the 
advice of experience : we flattered ourselves with the hope of some fortu- 
nate exception from the general rule : different years might have different 
periods for the change of the monsoons : and accordingly we took leave 
of him. Slight variations in the- wind enabled us soon to get to the north 
of the island of Luconia. 

We had scarcely doubled Cape Bujador, when the wind settled in the 
north-east, with an obstinacy, which too well convinced us .f the truth of the 



^ VOYAGE ROUI^JD THE WORLD. 

observations of Bermudes. I flattered myself, though faintly, that we 
should find the same variations under the island of Formosa, as under that 
of Luconia. The proximity of the continent of China, I was aware, ren- 
dered this little probable : but at all events we could only wait for the 
change of the monsoon j as our ships, v/hich were sheathed and filled, sailed 
too badly to permit us to hope, that we should get to the north with con- 
trary winds. 

We made the island o£ Formosa on the 21st of April. In the channel 
between it and Luconia we found very strong tideways ; but it appeared, 
that they were occasioned by a regular ebb and flow, for our reckoning 
never varied from our observations either of latitude or longitude. On the 
22d I set the island of Lamay, which lies off the south-west point of For- 
mosa, east by south, distant about three leagues. The sea ran very high, 
and the appearance of the coast induced me to think, that I should get to 
the north m^ore easily, if I could approach the coast of China. The wind 
from the north-north-east allowed me to steer north-west, and thus gain 
in latitude 3 but in the^ middle of the channel ! observed the sea greatly 
changed. We were then in the latitude of 2.° 57' north, and to the 
westward of the meridian of Cavite, being in the longitude of 116° 41' 
east. By the lead we had twenty-five fathoms of water, sandy bottom, 
and, four minutes after, nineteen fathoms only. Such a rapid decrease in 
the depth made me suppose, that these could not be the soundings of the 
Chinese coast, from which we were upward of thirty leagues distant, but 
that of a bank not laid down on the charts. I continued sounding, and 
soon found only twelve fathoms. I then tacked, and stood towards the 
island of Formosa, but the bottom continued equally irregular. On this 
I thought it proper to come to an anchor, and made a signal to the Astro- 
labe for the purpose. The night was fine, and at day-break we perceived 
no breaker on any side of us, I then directed the ships to get under way, 
and steer north-west by west towards the continent oi China : but at nine 
in the morning our soundings being twenty-one fathoms, and the next 
minute eleven fathoms rocky bottom, I thought it imprudent to pursue 
sp dangerous a search, as our boats sailed too badly to sound a-head of 



523 



17S7. 

April. 



22, 



524 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



, 1787. the ships, and give us notice of the bottom. Accordingly I resolved to 
■^P^'^^' get out by the opposite point of the compass, and fixed the course south- 
east by east. We proceeded thus six leagues, on an irregular bottom of 
sand and rock, with soundings from twenty-four fathoms to eleven ; and 
then the depth of water increased, till ten o'clock at night, when we could 
find no bottom, being about twelve leagues from the place where we 
tacked in the morning. This bank, the limits of which to the north-west 
we did not determine, is in the latitude of 23° north, longitude 116° 45' 
east, taking the centre of the line we ran along ; and the south-east extre- 
mity is in the latitude of 22° 52", longitude 117° 3". Perhaps it is not dan- 
gerous, as our least_ soundings were eleven fathoms ; but the nature and 
inequality of the bottom render it very suspicious, and it is to be observed, 
that almost all these shoals in the Chinese seas, where they are very fre- 
quent, have points even with the water, which have rccasioned many 
shipwrecks. 

This tack brought us upon the coast of Formosa, near the entrance of 
the bay of the ancient fort of Zealand*, where is the city of Tay wan, the 
capital of the island. I had been informed of the revolt of the Chinese 
colony, and I knew that an army of twenty thousand men, commanded by 
the santoc of Canton, was sent against it. The north-east monsoon, which 
was still in all it's force, allowing me to sacrifice a few days for the satis- 
faction of hearing farther news on this subject, I anchored to the westv/ard 
of the bay, in seventeen fathoms, though our boats found fourteen fathoms 
a league and half from the shore ; but I knew, that we could not approach 
very near the island, that there were only seven feet of water in the port 
of Tay wan, and that, when the Dutch were in possession of it, their ships 
were obliged to stop at the Pescadore islands, where there is a very good 
port, which they fortified. This circumstance rendered me very doubtful 
about sending a boat ashore, which I could not protect with my ships, and 
Vv'hich probably would have appeared suspicious in the state of war in 

* There is a plan of this fort annexed to a letter from father MeaxUa, the Jesuit, See tiae fourteenth 
collection of Lettres cdifiantes. (French Editor.) 



¥7M 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

which the Chinese colony was. The most I could hope for would be, 
that the boat would be sent back without being allowed to land : if, on 
the contrary, it were detained, my situation would have been very embar- 
rassing, and the burning of two or three shampans would have been a poor 
recompense. 

Accordingly I resolved to endeavour to entice on board some of the Chi- 
nese boats, that came near us. I shov/ed them dollars, which appeared to me 
to have powerful attractions for these people ; but the inhabitants of this 
place are probably forbidden to have the least intercourse with strangers. 
It was evident, they were not afraid of us ; since they came within reach 
of our guns : but they refused to come on board. One boat alone had the 
courage ; and we bought it's fish at the price the owners thought proper 
to ask, that we might acquire a good reputation, if they durst avow, that 
they had had any dealings with us. It was impossible for us to guess at 
the answers these fishermiCn made to our questions, which they certainly 
did not understand. Not only has the language of this people no affinity 
whatever with those of Europe ^ but that kind of pantomimical language, 
which we have thought universal, is not a whit better understood ; and an 
inclination of the head, which implies assent with us, has with them per- 
haps an opposite signification. This little experiment convinced me of 
the impossibility of satisfying my curiosity, supposing the boat I might 
send ashore should meet the most friendly reception ^ accordingly I re- 
solved to sail the next day with the land breeze. Several fires lighted up 
on the coast, which appeared to me to be signals, led me to believe, that 
we had occasioned an alarm : but it was more than probable, that the 
Chinese and rebel armies were not in the neighbourhood of Tay wan, where 
we had seen only a small number of fishing boats, which would have been 
otherwise employed on the eve of an action. 

This, which was no more than a conjecture, soon became a certainty. 
The next day, the land and sea breezes having allowed us to get ten 
leagues to the northward, we perceived the Chinese army at the mouth of 
a large river, which is in the latitude of 33° 23' north, and the banks of 





,,i5J 




178 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

.,lnch stretd> fou. or five leagues Into the offing. Abreast of tMs rive, 
we anchored, in thirty-seven fathoms of water, tnuddy bottom K w s >m- 
,os.;b!. for us to count all the vessels : several were under satl, sotne were 
at anchor on the open coast, and a great number were seen m tae nver. 
The ad n;,,rs ship! covered with various flags, was the farthest rn the 
offi "a catne'; an anchor in a hue with the banks, a league to the 
eastward of our ships. When night came on, he hung oat hgnts or^ 
his masts, «-hich served as a direction to several ships, whrcn ^^^-ere s.,L to 
windward. These vessels, being obliged to pass by us to jorn tnerr admrral, 
took great care not to come nearer than within rando.na st>ot. not kno.™,g 
whether we were friends or enemies. The light of the moon enabled u 

0 continue these observations trll midnight . and we -er mo. ea^ay 
wished for fine weather, to see the end of the bus.ness ^^^^ 
southern Peseadore islands west by north : rt rs V^^^^'^Z 
army, departing from the provmce of Foicen, h..d ^"--"^"^ 

island of Pong-hou, the largest of the Pescadores, where tne.. ts a .e.y 
good harbour, and had set oS thence to begin it's operations. 

We wer. unable to satisfy our curiosity, however, for the weather became 
solid h we were forced to get under way before day-break, rn oraer to 
V tr anchor, which it would have been impossible to - ^ot^ t^p 
if we had staid an hour longer. At four m the mormng the -/ 
overcast, it blew a hard gale, and the hori.on was so thrck we^u d - 
see the land At day-break, however, I saw the Cnmese admuai ran 
X for thtriver before the wind, with a few other shampans whrch 

still distinguish through the fog. With my courses a Kl t -s^ 
close-reefed I stood for the offing. The w.nd was -'f-^'^"^ 

1 hoped to double the Pescadores by steerrng north-west ; bu . n^^g^e 
astonishment, at nine in the morning I discovered ^^^^^^^^^^^ 

: ty^at trb::i::'around them being co.-"-; ^ 
for the sea ran as high as I had ever seen jt rn my Uf . ^ 
,„d stood for the island of Formosa; and three hour, art.r, .t 





VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



527 



Astrolabe, which was a-head, made the signal for twelve fathoms water, 
and put about. We sounded at the same moment, and found forty fa- 
thoms ; so that in less than a quarter of a league distance the water shal- 
lows from forty fathoms to twelve and it is probable, that it would shal- 
low from twelve to two in a very short time, since the Astrolabe found 
only eight fathoms while she was going about, which probably did not 
take up four minutes. From this circumstance we learned, that the chan- 
nel between the north-easternmost of the Pescadore Islands, and the banks 
of Formosa, was not above four leagues wide; of course it would have 
been dangerous to ply to windward in it during the night, in such tem- 
pestuous weather, when we could not see a league from the ship, and the 
sea ran so high, that every time we wore we were apprehensive of the 
sea's breaking completely over us. These different motives induced me to 
bear up, and run to the eastward of Formosa : as my instructions did not 
direct me to proceed through this channel, and I was too well convinced, 
that I could not have accomplished it before the change of the monsoon, 
a period which could not be far distant ; and as this is always preceded by 
a very heavy gale, I thought it better to stand the shock of it in the open 
sea. Accordingly I shaped my course toward the southernmost of the 
Pescadore Islands, which bore west-south- west. Being obliged to adopt 
this measure, I resolved at least to reconnoitre these islands, as far as such 
weather would permit. We ran along them, therefore, at the distance of 
two leagues; and it appeared, that they stretch to the south as far as 
23" ll\ though tlie chart of Zvl'' Dapres places the southernmost 13^ far- 
ther north. Of their limits to the north we are not so certain : the north- 
ernmost v/c saw was in the latitude of 23° £5^; but we are not certain that 
there are no more beyond this. 



1787. 

April« 



These islands are a heap of rocks, assuming all sorts of figures :. one 
among them exactly resembles the tower of Cordouan, at the entrance of 
the river of Bourdeaux ; and you would suppose, that it was cut by human 
hands. Among these islets we counted five islands of a m.iddling height^ 
vv^hich appeared like sandy downs. We could not perceive on them a 
singletree: but, it must be confessed^ the badness of the weather that 





VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

1787. day renders our observations very doubtful. These islands must be knovi^n, 
however, by the accounts of the Dutch, who fortified the island of Pong- 
hou, at the time when they were masters of Formosa. It is known, like- 
wise, that the Chinese keep there a garrison of five or six hlindred Tar- 
tars, who are relieved every year. 

As the sea became much smoother under the shelter of these islands, 
we sounded several times. The bottom was sandy, but so uneven, 
that the Astrolabe, within a musket-shot of the land, had forty fathoms, 
when we had only twenty-four, and presently after we could find no 
tottom. As night approached, I directed our course south by east; and 
at day-break I altered it to east-south-east, to pass through the channel 
between Formosa and the Bashee Islands. . 

The next day v/e experienced a squall of wind as violent as that of the 
iay before, but which continued only till ten at night. It was preceded 
by such a deluge of rain, as can be seen only between the tropics. The 
sky was in a blaze all the night: the most vivid lightnings flashed from 
every point of the horizon, yet we heard but a single clap of thunder. 
We ran before the wind, under the foresail and two topsails close-reefed, 
with the ship's head to the south-east, in order to double Vele-rete, which, 
from the bearing we took of the south point of Formosa before night, was 
four leagues to the eastward. We had the wind constantly north-west 
the whole night ; but the clouds flew rapidly to the south-west, and a 
mist, which did not reach above a hundred toises above our heads, alone 
felt the impulse of the inferior current of air. I had made a similar ob- 
servation for several days ; and it served not a little to determine me to 
stand out to sea, during the crisis of nature, which the winds announced, 
and which the full moon rendered still more probable. 

^t'" We lay in a dead calm all the next day, in mid-channel between the 
island of Botol Tabaco-xima and the Bashees. This channel is sixteen 
leagues over: our observations fixing the south-east point of Botol Ta- 
baco-xima in 21° 5/ north latitude, and 119° 32^ east longitude. The 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

wind allowing us to approach within two miles of this island, 1 distinctly 
perceived three villages on the south coast, and a canoe appeared com- 
ing towards us. I could have wished to visit these villages, inhabited 
probably by people resembling those of the Bashee Islands, whom Dam- 
pier depicts as so good and hospitable but the only bay, that promised 
to afford an anchorage, was open to the south-east winds, which appeared 
a,bout to set in, as the scud flew swiftly from that quarter. In fact, about 
midnight, the wind settled in that point of the compass, and allowed me 
to steer north-east by north, which is the direction M' Dapres gives to the 
island of Formosa as far as the latitude of 23° 30\ 



529 



1787. 
May. 



We had sounded several times as we approached Botol Tabaco-xima, 
and as far as within half a league of the land, without finding any bottom. 
Every thing indicates, that, if there be any anchoring ground, it must be 
very close to the shore. This island, on which no navigator, as far as is 
known, ever landed, may be four leagues in circumference. It is sepa- 
rated by a channel half a league wide, from an islet, or very large rock, 
on which a little verdure and a few shrubs are visible, but which is unin- 
habited, and indeed uninhabitable. The island itself, on the contrary, 
appears to contain a considerable number of inhabitants, since we reckoned 
three villages, and these not small, in the space of a league. It is well 
wooded, from a third part of it's height above the sea to it's summit, 
which appears to be crowned with large trees. The ground between 
these forests and the sand of the shore has a pretty rapid descent. It was 
beautifully green, and cultivated in several places, though furrowed by the 
gullies, which the torrents make in rushing from the mountains. I appre- 
hend Botol Tabaco-xiraa may be seen at the distance of fifteen leagues 
in clear weather : but this island is very often enveloped in fogs ; and it 
appears, that admiral Anson at first saw only the islet I mentioned above, 
which is not half so high. 

After having doubled the island, we directed our course north-north- 
east, keeping a good look-out for land a-head during the night. A 
strong current, which set to the north, did not allow us to ascertain with 

VOL. I. . 3y 




30 



YOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



J 78/. accuracy the distance we ran j but a very beautiful moonlight, and ex- 
May. tj-eme attention, gaye us no apprehension from sailing in the midst of an 
archipelago little known to geographers ; for we have no account of it but 
in a letter of father Gaubil, the missionary, who learned some parti- 
culars respecting the kingdom of Liqueo and it's thirty-six islands, from an 
ambassador of the king of Liqueo, with whom he was acquainted at Pekin, 

It is obvious how insufficient determinations of latitude and longitude 
from such data must be for the purposes of navigation ; yet it is always 
a. great advantage to know the existence of islands and shoals in the seas 
^. in which we are. On the 5th of May, at one in the morning, we made 
an island, bearing north-north-east. The rest of the night we spent 
in plying under an easy sail, and at day-break I shaped my course so as 
to range along it's western coast at the distance of half a league. At 
this distance we sounded several times, without finding any bottom. We: 
were soon certain that the island was inhabited, as we saw fires in several 
places, and herds of cattle grazing along the sea-shore. When we had; 
doubled it's western point, which is the finest and best inhabited part, se- 
veral canoes put off to look at us. They appeared to be extremely afraid, 
of us ; for though their curiosity drew them- within musket-shot of us, , 
their fears made them instantly hasten away. At length our voices, our 
gestures, our tokens of peace,, and the sight of some stuffs, induced , two of: 
the canoes to come alongside. I gave to each- a. piece of nankeen and a 
few medals. That they did not come off for the purpose of trade was evi- 
dent, for they had nothing to offer us in exchange for our presents : but 
y they fastened a bucket of fresh water to a rope, making signs, that they 
did not think themselves out o/ our debt, and that they would return on- 
shore for: some provision, which they expressed, by putting their hands into 
their mouths. Before they came alongside the ship, they had laid their- 
hands on their breasts, and stretchedrout their arms toward the sky; and 
on our repeating these actions, they determined to come on board; but it 
was with a mistrust which was never effaced from their countenances. They 
invited us, hov/ever, to approach the land, giving us to understand, that- 
we, should want nothing,. 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

These islanders are neither Chinese nor Japanese, but, situate between 
the two empires, they appear to have some similitude to each. They 
were clothed in a shirt and drawers of cotton. Their hair was turned 
up on the crown of the head, and there rolled round a pin, which aopeared 
to us to be gold. Each had a dagger, the hilt of which likewise was gold. 
Their canoes were formed only of trees hollowed out, and they managed 
them but badly. I could have wished to have landed at the island ; but 
while we lay to, waiting for the canoes, the current set to the north with 
extreme rapidity, and we had drifted a great way to leeward, so that pro- 
bably we should have tried in vain to get near it : beside, we had not a 
moment to lose, for it was of importance, that we should be out of the Ja- 
panese seas before the month of June, when the storms and hurricanes 
Tender these seas the most dangerous in the universe. 

It is evident, that ships in need of provision, wood, and water, might 
procure them at this island, and perhaps establish some trifling trade • but 
as It IS only three or four leagues in circumference, it's population pro- 
bably does not exceed four or five hundred persons, and a few gold pins 
are no proof of wealth*. I have not altered it's name of Kumi, by 
which It IS marked on the chart of father Gaubil, where it is placed in a 
latitude and longitude differing little from those ascertained by our obser-. 
vations, accordmg to which it is in 24° 33' north, and 1 20» SS'east. On this 
chart the island of Kumi is one of a cluster of seven or eight, of which it 
IS the westernmost, and it is isolated, or at least separated from those that 
may be supposed to the east of it, by channels eight or ten leagues 
wide, for we could see that distance without perceiving any land. From 
the account father Gaubil has gi.en of the large island of Liqueo, the 
chief of al] that lie to the east of Formosa, I am greatly inclined to believe, 
that Europeans would gain admission into it, and perhaps would find a 
trade there as beneficial as that to Japan. 

.to prove'' tlrr 'TT '^S^^^-^' "^^^^^^^ ^ilts were of .old, seen. 

iLd 't -h-^^ gold com pL 



533 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1787 At one o'clock I crowded sail to the north, without waiting for the 
May' islanders, who had informed us by signs, that they would soon return with 
something to eat. We had still plenty of provision, and the fair wind 
invited us not to lose such valuable time. Continuing our course to the 
, north with all sails set, we were out of sight of the island of Kumi when 
the sun went down, though the atmosphere was clear, and we could ap- 
parently see to the distance of ten leagues. During the mght we kept 
under an easy sail ; and at two o'clock in the morning, after having run 
five leagues, I brought to, supposing the currents might have earned us 
ten or twelve miles a-head of our reckoning. 

At day-break we made an island bearing north-north-east, and several 
rocks or islets more to the east. I shaped my course so as to pass to the 
west of this island, which is circular, and well wooded on the western 
side I ran along it at the distance of a mile, without finding any 
bottom, or perceiving any trace of a habitation. It is so steep, indeed, 
that I do not believe it to be habitable. It's extent may be a couple of 
miles in diameter, or two leagues in circumference. When we were 
abreast of it, we saw a second island, of the same size, equaUy co^ 
vered with wood, and nearly of the same shape, though som'.wha t ies, 
lofty. It bore from us north-north-east ; and between these islands Aere 
were five clusters of rocks, round which an immense number of birds 
were flying. To the latter I have retained the name of Hoapinsu. and 
: thatferLr to the north-east, the name of Tiaoyu-su , which were 
given by father Gaubil to these islands. They are to the eastward of the 
Serl point of Formosa, and are P^-d °n*e chart much a^Je 
south than they are from our observations of their latitude *. Be this as 
t il our caLulations place the island of Hoapinsu in the latitude of 
,5' 4l''north, andlongitude :31«u'east; and that ofTiaoyu-su m the 
latitude of 25°56^ longitude W 2/. 

. The cha. of father GauUl e.h..s a ^f^^^Z^^^''^^ 
name of Pongkiachan, and nearly at an equal f ^ See LcUm #nUs. 

astonishing, considering la Perouse's course, Aat he did not get sight 
collection the 28th. (French Editor.) 




^ VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

At lerigth we were clear of the archipelago of the Liqueo Islands, and 
about to enter into a more spacious sea, between China and Japan, where 
some geographers assert the bottom is always to be found. This is very 
true i but we scarcely got so little as seventy fathoms of water, till we arrived 
in the latitude of 24° 4", and from that latitude till we were beyond the 
channel of Japan, we were never out of soundings. The coast of China 
indeed is so flat, that in the latitude of 31° we had only twenty-five fa- 
thoms, when above thirty leagues from the land. On leaving Manilla, it 
was my intention to reconnoitre the entrance of the Yellow Sea, to the 
north of Nankin, if circumstances would allow me to spend a few weeks 
on this object : but it was of importance to the success of my subsequent 
schemes, to be at the entrance of the channel of Japan before the 20th of 
May, and on the northern coast of China I experienced hindrances, which 
would not allow me to make more than seven or eight leagues a day. The 
fogs then were as thick and constant as on the coast of Labrador ; the wind 
faint, and variable only from the north-east to the east; we were often 
becalmed, and obliged to anchor, and make signals to keep together at 
anchor, because we could not see the Astrolabe, though within hail. The 
currents are so violent, that we could not keep a lead to the bottom, to 
ascertain that we did not drive ; the tide, however, did not run above a 
league an hour, but it's direction could not be calculated, for it changed 
every moment, and ran quite round the compass in twelve hours, without 
a single instant of slack water. In the space of ten or twelve days we had 
but one interval of fine clear weather, which gave us an opportunity of 
seeing an islet, or rock, in the latitude of 30° 45' north, longitude l£l°-26' 
east : but the fog soon returned, and left us ignorant whether it were con- 
tiguous to the continent, or separated from it by a wide channel ; for we 
never had sight of the coast, and our shallowest water was twenty fathoms. 

On the 19 th of May, after a calm that had continued a fortnight, with a 
very thick fog, the wind fixed in the north-west, and blew very hard. 
The sky remained dull and whitish, but our horizon extended several 
leagues. The sea, which had hitherto been so smooth, ran very high. 
We were at anchor in twenty-five fathoms at the moment when it came 




534 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



17S7. on. I made the signal for getting under way, and directed my course* 
^^^y- without losing an instant, north-east by east, for Quelpaert Island, which 
was the first place of importance to be made before entering the channel 
of Japan. This island, which is known to Europeans only by the loss of 
the Dutch ship Sparrow-hawk in 1635, was at that time under the domi- 
% 1 . nion of the king of Corea. We got sight of it on the 2 1 st of May, in the 
finest weather possible, and under the most favourable circumstances for 
lunar observations. The latitude of the southern point we ascertained to 
be 33° 14' north, and it's longitude 1£ 4° 15' east. I ran along the whole 
of the south-east part at the distance of two leagues, and set with the 
greatest care an extent of twelve leagues, the plan of which has been traced 
by M"^ Bernizet. [Charts and Plates, No. AS.) 

It is scarcely possible to find an island of a more pleasing aspect. A 
peak about a thousand toises high, which may be seen eighteen or twenty 
Seagues off, rises in the centre of the island, of which it is doubtless the 
reservoir. The land slopes from it gently to the sea, whence the houses 
appear as an amphitheatre. The soil appeared to us to be cultivated to a 
.-great height. By the help of our glasses we could see the divisions of the. 
land, which is parcelled out into very small fields, a proof of a numerous 
.population. The greatly varied tints, arising from the different kinds of 
cultivation, added to the beauty of the prospect. Unfortunately the island 
belongs to a people, to whom all intercourse with strangers is prohibited, 
and who retain in slavery all who have the misfortune to be wrecked on 
their shores. Some of the Dutch sailors of the Sparrow-hawk, after a 
captivity of eighteen years, during which they had received several basti- 
nadoes, found means to s|eal away a bark, and get to Japan, whence they 
reached Batavia, and , at length Amsterdam,. This event, the narrative of 
which we had before our eyes, was little calculated to indace us to send a 
boat ashore. We perceived two canoes come off j but they never ventured 
within a league of us, and it is probable, that their object .was jnerely t^ 
pbserve our motions, and perjiaps give the alarm on the coast of Corea, 

Till midnight I continue^ my course north-east by east ; and then I lay 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 

« 

to till day-break, which was dull, but the fog was not thick. The north- 
east point of Quelpaert Island was in sight, bearing west j and I fixed my 
course north-north-east, to approach the coast of Corea. We did not 
neglect to heave the lead every hour, but found uniformly sixty or seventy 
fithoms. At day-break we saw several islands, or rocks, forming a chain 
of more than fifteen leagues in front of the main land of Corea. They lie 
nearly north-east and south-west, and our observations place the northern- 
most in the latitude of 35° 15' north, longitude 127° Y east. A thick fog 
concealed from us the continent, which is not more than five or six leagues 
distant J but we saw it the next day, about eleven o'clock. It appeared 
behind the islets or rocks, with which it was still skirted. Two leagues to 
the south of these islets our soundings were constantly thirty or thirty-five 
fathoms, muddy bottom : the sky too was always dull and whitish ; but 
the sun pierced the haze, and we were able to take excellent observations 
for the latitude and longitude j which was of no small importance to the 
science of geography, since no Europea^n vessel is known to have traversed 
these seas, which are laid down on our maps of the world from Japanese or 
Corean charts, published by the Jesuits. It is true, these missionaries have 
corrected them by journeys on land, noted with great care, and subjected 
to excellent observations of longitude made at Pekin; so that their errors 
are not very considerable. And it must be confessed, that they have ren- 
dered essential services to the geography of this part of Asia, with which 
they alone have made us acquainted, and of which they have given us maps^ 
nearly approaching the truth : navigators have only to wish for hydrogra- 
phical particulars, which the Jesuits could. not insert in them, because they 
travelled by land. 

In the night of the 25 th we passed the strait of Corea. After the sun 
went down we had set the coast of Japan, extending from east by north to • 
east-south-east J and that of Corea, from north-west to north. The sea 
appeared very open to the north-east; and a pretty heavy swell setting 
from that quarter confirmed this opinion. The wind was south-west, 
blowing a light breeze, and the night very clear. We stood on before the ■ 
Wind under an easy sail, making not more than two knots an hour, that we >• 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 

might have in sight at day-break the points we had set in the evening, 
and be able to trace an accurate chart of the strait. Our bearings, sub- 
jected to the observations of Dagelet, leave nothing to be wished re- 
specting the accuracy of the plan we have given of it. We sounded 
.every half hour; and as it appeared to me of more importance to follow 
the coast of Corea than that of Japan, I approached within two leagues of 
it, and steered my course parallel to it's direction. 

The channel, which separates the continent from Japan, may be fifteen 
leagues wide ; but it is narrowed to ten by rocks, which continued from 
Quelpaert Island to skirt the coast of Corea, and did not end till we had 
doubled the south-east point of the peninsula j when we could keep very 
close to the continent, see the houses and towns on the borders of the sea, 
and reconnoitre the entrances of the bays. On the tops of the mountains 
we saw some fortifications exactly resembling European forts ; and it is 
probable, that the principal means of defence of the Coreans are directed 
against the Japanese. This part of the coast is extremely favourable to 
navigation, for we perceived no dangers, and found sixty fathoms of water, 
with a muddy bottom, three leagues in the offing : but the country is 
mountainous, and appears very much parched; the snow was not entirely 
melted in some of the clefts ; and the land seemed little capable of culti- 
vation. The houses, however, are very numerous; and we counted a 
dozen shampans or junks, sailing along the coast. These junks appear 
not in the least to differ from those of the Chinese; and their sails are 
composed in like manner of mats. The appearance of our ships seemed 
to inspire them with very little fear : it is true, they were not far from the 
land, and could have reached the shore before we could get near them, if 
•our proceedings had given them any mistrust. I greatly wished, that they 
would venture to speak to us : but they continued their course, without 
taking any notice of us ; and the spectacle we afforded them, notwith- 
standing it's novelty, did not excite their attention. At eleven o'clock, 
however, I observed two boats sailing to reconnoitre us. They came 
within the distance of a league, followed us for two hours, and then re- 
turned to the harbour, from.which they came in the morning. It is pro- 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, 



537 



bable we occasioned some alarm on the coast of Corea, for in the afternoon 1 787o 
we perceived fires lighted on all the points. May. 

This day, the 26th, was one of the finest and most interesting of our 
expedition, as we were enabled to take the bearings of more than thirty 
leagues of coast. Notwithstanding this fine weather, the barometer fell to 
twenty-seven inches ten lines but as it's indications had been erroneous 
several times, we continued our course till midnight along the coast, which 
we could discern by the light of the moon. The wind then chopped about 
from the south to the north into considerable violence, without the change 
being announced by any cloud. The sky was clear and serene, but it : 
grew very black, and I was obliged to stand off the shore, that I might 
not be embayed by the easterly winds. If the clouds did not give us 
warning of this change, we had an indication of it, which we did not un- 
derstand, and v/hich it is not perhaps easy to explain. The men at the 
mast-head cried out, that they felt burning vapours, resembling those of 
the mouth of an oven> coming in puffs every half minute. All the officers 
went to the mast-head, and felt the same heat. The thermometer at that 
time was at 14° upon deck. We sent one up to the cross-trees, and it 
rose to S0°. These puffs of heat, however, passed with great rapidity, and 
in the intervals the temperature of the air did not differ from that of the 
temperature of the level of the sea. During the night we experienced a 
gale of wind from the north, which continued only seven or eight hours ^ 
but the sea ran very high. ^ 

As the channel between Corea and Japan must be tolerably wide in this 
latitude, we had nothing to fear from bad weather j and the next day I 
re-approached within three leagues of the continent. It was free from 
fog, and we made the points we had set the preceding evening. We had 
gained a little northing notwithstanding the strength of the wind, and the 
coast began to bend north-north-west; we had therefore passed the east- 
ernmost part, and explored the most interesting of the coasts of Corea. 
Accordingly I judged it adviseable, to direct my course for the south-west 
point of the island of Niphonj the north-east point of which, or Cape 



VOL. I. 



3 



538 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



1787. Nabo, had been accurately ascertained by the observations of captain King.' 

May. xhese two points will remove the uncertainty of geographers in future, 
who will have nothing left but the convolutions of the coast, on which to 
exe-rcise their imaginations.. , 

^57. On the 27th I made the signal to bear up, and stand to the eastward. 
In a short time I saw to the north-north- east an island, which is not laid 
down upon any chart, and which appeai-ed to be about twenty leagues 
distant from the coast of Corea. I endeavGured to get near it, but it 
was exactly in the wind's eye. Fortunately the w^ind changed in the night, 
and at daybreak. I proceeded to reconnoitre the island, to which I gave the 
name of Dagelet, [Charts and Plates, N° 45), in compliment to the astrono- 
mer, who was the first person that saw it. It is scarcely more than three 
leagues in circumference, and I sailed almost round it, at the distance of a mile, 
without finding any bottom ; when I hoisted out a boat, and sent M' Boutin to 
sound all the way to the shore. He did not get bottom with twenty fathoms 
water, till he reached the beginning of the waves that broke on the shore, 
when he was about a hundred toises from the island ^ the north-east poirlt 
of which is in the latitude of 37° 25' north, longitude 129° 2' east. It is 
very steep, but covered with fine trees from the sea-shore to the summit. 
A rampart of bare rock, nearly as perpendicular as a wall, completely 
surrounds it, except seven little sandy coves, at which it is possible to land. 
In these coves we perceived some boats of the Chinese fashion on the 
stocks. The sight of our ships, which passed within point-blank shot, 
no doubt frightened the workmen, and they fled to the woods, which were 
not fifty paces from the place where they were at work. We saw nothing 
else but a few huts, without any village, or appearance of cultivation ; 
so that probably some carpenters of Corea, which is not above twenty 
- leagues from Dagelet Island, repair to it in summer with a stock of pro- 
vision, to build boats, which they sell upon the continent. This opi- 
nion may be deemed little short of certainty: for, after we had doubled 
the western point, the workmen of another yard, who did not perceive 
the approach of the ship, because it was concealed by the point, were 
^surprised by us near their pieces of timber, working on their boats j and 



VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD. 



we saw them flee into the forest, two or three excepted, who appeared not 
in the least afraid. 

I wished to find an anchorage, that I might convince these people by 
acts of kindness we were not their enemies ; but pretty strong currents 
drifted us from the land. Night coming on, and being apprehensive, that 
the ship might drive to leeward, and the boat with M"- Boutin be unable to 
join it, I was obliged to call him on board by a signal, just as he was going 
to land. Having rejoined the Astrolabe, which had been drifted consi- 
derably to the west by the currents, we spent the night in a calm, occa- 
sioned by the height of the mountains of Dagelet Island,, by which the 
sea-breeze was intercepted. 



END OF THE FIRST VOLUME,