THE VOYAGE OF LA PEROUSE ROUND THE WORLD IN THE YEARS 1785, 1786, 1787, and 1788 with the nautical tables.

Arranged by M.L.A. Milet Mureau, Inspector of Fortifications and Member of several literary Societies at Paris.

The night after our departure from Traitors' Island was dreadful; the winds shifted, and blew hard from the west, with a great deal of rain. As, at sun-set, the extent of the horizon was not one league, I lay to until day light, with the ship's head to the S.S.W., the westerly wind still continuing violent, with abundance of rain.

All those who had symptoms of scurvy suffered prodigiously from the damp. Not one of the crew was attacked by this disease, but the officers, and particularly our servants, began to feel its advances: I attributed it to the scarcity of fresh provisions, which the sailors were less affected by than the servants, who had never been at sea, and were not accustomed to do without it. One of the name of David, the gun-room cook, died, on the 10th, of a scorbutic dropfy. Since leaving Breft, no one on board the boussole had died a natural death, and had we only made an ordinary voyage round the world, we might have returned to Europe without the loss of a single man. The last months indeed of a voyage are the most difficult to sustain, the body grows weaker by time, and the provisions spoil; but is, in the length of voyages undertaken for the purpose of making discoveries, there are bounds which cannot be passed, it is important to know those whereto it is possible to attain; and, I believe, that on our return to Europe, our experience on this head will be complete. Of all the known preservatives against scurvy, I think that molasses and spruce-beer are most efficacious. Our ships' companies constantly drank them in hot climates: a bottle per man was daily distributed, with half a pint of wine, and a small glass of brandy, mixed with a great deal of water; this made their other provisions palatable. The quantity of hogs we procured at Maouna was but a transitory resource to us we could neither salt them, because they were too small, nor keep them alive for want of victuals to feed them on, I determined to distribute some twice a day to the crew, when the swelling of the legs, and every scorbutic symptom disappeared. This new regimen had the same effect on our health as a long stay in port, which proves, that sailors have less urgent need of land air then salubrious food.

The N.N.W. winds followed us beyond the archipelago of the Friendly Islands, always accompanied with rain, and often as strong as the west winds which are met with in winter on the coast of Britanny. We very well knew that the winter season had commenced, and, consequently, storms and hurricanes; but we were not prepared for such continual bad weather. the 27th December we discovered the island of Vavo, the northern point of which, at noon, bore exactly west; our latitude was 18 34'. This island, which Captain Cook had never been at, but had been informed of by the inhabitants of the Friendly Islands, is one of the most considerable of this archipelago, nearly equalling in extent that of Tongataboo; but it has this advantage over it, that from being more elevated, it is never in want of frefh water. It stands in the centre of a number of other islands, which must retain the names Captain Cook has given a lift of, but which would be very difficult for us to class. We could not, without injustice, claim the honour of this discovery, which is due to Maurelle, the pilot, who has added to the archipelago of the Friendly Islands almost as many more as had been already explored by Captain Cook.

I procured, at China, an extract from this Spanish pilot's journal, who left Manilla in 1781, charged with a commission for America, whither he purposed going by the southern hemisphere, by nearly following the track of M. de Surville, and endeavouring to reach the high latitudes, where he reasonably expected to meet with westerly winds. This navigator was not acquainted with the new methods of determining the longitude, nor had he read any of the accounts of modern voyages: he steered by Bellin's old French maps, and made amends, by the greatest accuracy in his reckoning, and in taking bearings, for the imperfections of his method, instruments, and charts. He coasted, like M.de Surville, along New Ireland, saw several small islands which De Bougainville, Carteret, and Surville, had already noticed: discovered three or four new ones, and thinking himself near Solomon's Islands, first fell in with, northward of Vavao, an island which he called Margoura, because it afforded him none of the refreshments he began to be in want of. He had not an opportunity of seeing to east of it a second island, of which we got a complete view, that can only be seen three or four leagues, on account of its being very low. At length he arrived at Vavao, where he anchored in a commodious port, and took in water, and a considerable quantity of provisions. The particulars of his account were so true, that it was impossible not to recognise the Friendly Islands, and equally so to mistake the portrait of Poulaho, who, being the principal Chief of all the islands, dwells indifferently in several, but seems to make Vavao his particular place of residence. I shall not enter into any other details of this voyage, which I only mentioned out of justice to the pilot Maurelle. He had named the groupe of Vavao, the Islands of Majorca, after the name of the Viceroy at New Spain, and that of Hapaee, the Islands of Galves, from the name of the brother of the Minister of the Indies; but convinced that it is infinitely preferable to preserve the country names, I thought it best to make use of them in M. Bernizet's plan. This plan has been constructed according to the latitudes and longitudes determined by M. Dagelet, far more exact than those of the Spanish navigator, who placed these islands about six degrees too far west; this error, copied from age to age, and sanctioned by geographers, would have given birth to a new archipelago, whose real existence would have been on the charts alone.

We kept plying on the 27th, to approach the Island of Vavao, from whence the W.N.W. wind kept us at a little distance. Having, during the night, tacked and stretched to the north, for the purpose of extending my view twelve or fifteen leagues beyond the island, I got sight of that of Margoura of Maurelle, which bore west, and having approached it, saw another very flat island, covered with trees. The island of Margoura is, on the contrary, high, and most probably both of them are inhabited. After we had taken all our bearings, I bore up for that of Vavao, which was only distinguishable from the mast head. It is the most considerable of the archipelago of the Friendly Islands; the others, scattered to the north or west, cannot be compared to this last. Towards noon I was at the mouth of the port, in which Maurelle had anchored; it is formed by small elevated islands, having between them narrow but very deep passages, and completely sheltering vessels from the winds blowing in from the offing. This port, very much superior to that of Tongataboo, would have been a great convenience to pass some days in, but the anchoring-place is within two cables' length of shore, and in this position a long-boat is often necessary to carry out an anchor, in order to get off the coast. I was tempted every instant to renounce the plan I had formed on leaving Maouna, to put into no port before I made Botany Bay, but reason and prudence kept me firm. Being, however, desirous of getting acquainted with the islanders, I brought to near the shore; no canoe, however, came near the frigates, which did not surprise me, and was doubtless owing to the badness of the weather, and threatening appearance of the sky; and as the horizon became every minute more overcast, I, before night, stood to the west, towards the Island of Latte, which I perceived ; and which, in clear weather, is high enough to be seen at the distance of twenty leagues. This name of Latte is comprehended, in Capt. Cook's lift of the Friendly Islands; and had been assigned to this same island by Maurelle, in his journal, from the information of the islanders of Vavao, by whom he was Besides told that it was inhabited; and that ships might anchor there. Here may be seen of what importance it is, to geography to preserve the country names, for if, like former navigators, or even Maurelle himself, we had been seven or eight degrees wrong in our longitude, we might have supposed, on falling in with this island, that we were at a great distance from the archipelago of the Friendly Islands. The conformity in language, manners, and dress, would not have been sufficient to remove our feruples, because it is well known that all these people have a resemblance, though very far distant from each other; whereas, the identity of name, and slightest description of the form and extent of this island, would be a convincing proof of the identity of the place.

The following night was dreadful; the darkness, which enveloped us, was so thick, that it was impossible to distinguish any thing around us. Thus situated, it would have been very imprudent to continue our course in the midst of so many islands; and I resolved to make short tacks till day break, but it was even more stormy than the night; the barometer had fallen three lines, and if a hurricane could possibly rage with greater violence, it could not be announced by weather of a more threatening appearance. I, notwithstanding, stood on for the Island of Latte, and approached it within two miles; very certain, however, that no canoe would hazard putting to sea. Under this island I was so borne down by a squall, as to be obliged to bear up towards the Islands Kao and Toofoa, which we could not but be near, though imperceptible through the fog. These two islands were first laid down on the plan of Captain Cook, who had entered the channel, two miles in breadth, which separates the one from the other, and had accurately determined their latitude and longitude. It was a matter of great importance, to compare the latter with the longitude given by our time-keepers, I proposed indeed to go near enough to Tongataboo, to complete the comparison. M. Dagelet very properly considered the observatory of Tongataboo, the same as that of Greenwich, since its position was determined by the result of more than 10,000 sets of observations taken in the space of four or five months, by the indefatigable Capt. Cook. At five o'clock in the evening, the weather clearing up, brought to view Kao Island, whose form is that of a very high cone, which may be seen, in fine weather, thirty leagues. Toofoa Island, though also very high, did not shew itself, but remained concealed in the fog. I passed the night as the preceeding one, standing off and on, but under the maintop and foresail only, the wind blowing so fresh that we could carry no other fail. The next morning was tolerably clear, and at sun-rise we got sight of the Islands of Kao and Toofoa. I came within half a league> of Toofoa, and convinced myself that it was uninhabited, at least in three parts of its circumference, for I was near enough the coast to distinguish the stones on the beach. This island is very mountainous, steep, and covered with trees to the top. It may be four leagues round. I think that the islanders of Tongataboo, and the other Friendly Islands, often land there in fine weather, to cut down trees, and very probably build their canoes, for in their flat islands they want wood, where they have only preserved those trees which, like the cocoa-palm, bear fruit for their subsistence. In running along this island, we saw several slides, whereby the trees felled on the brow of the mountains roll down to the sea side; but there were neither huts nor cleared ground in the woods, nor any thing in short which bespoke its being inhabited. In this way, continuing our track towards the two little Islands of Hoonga-tonga and Hoonga-hapaee, we shut in Kao Island with the middle of Toofoa, so that the first only seemed the summit of the second, and its bearing, in this position, was N. 27 E. Kao Island is about three times the height of the other, and resembles the mouth of a volcano. It appeared less than two miles in diameter at the base. We observed, likewise, on the north east point of Toofoa on the side of the channel which separates it from Kao, a country absolutely burnt as black as a coal, destitute of trees and every kind of verdure, and which it is more than probable has been ravaged by floods of lava.

In the afternoon we came in sight of the two islands of Hoonga-tonga and Hoonga-hapaee. They are included in a chart of the Friendly Islands, inserted in Cook's third voyage; but we do not find laid down a very dangerous ledge of rocks extending two leagues, whose direction is nearly N. by W. and S. by E. Its northern point is five leagues to the north of Hoonga-tonga, forming with the two islands a strait of three leagues in width. We ran along the west side of it for more than a league, and espied its breakers rising mountains high, but in more moderate weather it shews itself less, and is then much more dangerous. The two little islands of Hoonga-tonga and Hoonga-hapaee are only large uninhabitable rocks, so high as to be seen fifteen leagues. Their form changed every moment, and any sketch it might have been possible to take, would have only agreed in one particular point: they seemed to me of equal extent, each of them less than half a league in circumference. A channel, one league wide, separates these two islands, which lie E. N. E. and W. S. W. They are situated two leagues to the northward of Tongataboo, but that island being low, it cannot be seen at half that distance. We saw it from the mast-head, the 31ft December, at six o'clock in the morning; at first only the tops of the trees, which seemed to grow out of the sea, were seen. In proportion as we advanced, we rose the land but only two or three toises. We soon got sight of Vandieman's point and the ridge of breakers without it; at noon it bore east about two leagues. As the wind was northerly I steered for the southern coast of the island, which is very bold, and may be approached within three musket shots. The sea broke violently upon all the coast; but the breakers were in shore, and we could perceive the most charming orchards beyond; all the island seemed cultivated, the trees skirted the fields, which were of the most delightful green. It is true we were then in the rainy season, for notwithstanding the magic of this landscape, the most horrible drought, in all probability, prevails during part of the year in so low an island. Not a single hill was to be seen, and the sea itself in the calmest weather has not a more even surface.

The huts of the islanders were not collected in villages, but scattered over the fields like the country houses in our best cultivated plains. Seven or eight canoes were soon launched, and advanced towards our frigates; but these islanders, more husbandmen than sailors, managed them with timidity; they did not dare to approach our ships, though laying to, and the water very smooth; they jumped overboard at eight or ten toises distant, swimming towards us with cocoa nuts in each hand, which they exchanged in the most honest manner, for bits of iron, nails, or little hatchets. Their canoes were similar to those of Navigators' Islands; but none of them had fails, which they possibly could not have managed. The greatest confidence soon took place between us, they came on board, we talked to them about Poulaho, and Seenou, and were like old acquaintances who see one another again, and Discourse upon their friends. A young Islander gave us to understand that he was the son of Seenou, and this truth or falsehood was worth many presents to him; he uttered a cry of joy on receiving them, and endeavoured to make us understand by signs, that if we would anchor on the coast we should find provisions in abundance, but that the canoes were too small to carry them out to sea. The fact was, the canoes contained neither fowls nor pigs, their cargo consisting of some bananas and cocoa nuts; and as the smallest wave made these ticklish barks overset, the animals would have been drowned before they could be got on board. The manners of these islanders were noisy, but their countenances had no expression of ferocity; and neither their stature, the proportion of their limbs, nor the presumptive force of their muscles could overawe us, though they even had not known the effect of our arms; their physical strength, without being inferior to ours, seemed to have no advantage over that of our sailors. As to the rest, their language, tatooage, dress, all announced one common origin with that of the inhabitants of the archipelago of the Navigators, and it is evident that the existing difference in the individual proportions of these people only proceeds from the dryness of the foil, and the physical causes, arising from the territory and climate of the archipelagos of the Friendly Islands. Of the hundred and fifty islands which compose this archipelago, the greater number consists but in uninhabited and uninhabitable rocks; and I feel no hesitation to asserting that the Island of Oyolava alone exceeds in population, fertility, and real strength, all these islands put together, where the islanders are obliged to water with the sweat of their brow, the fields which furnish them, with their subsistence. It is perhaps to this necessity for agriculture that they are indebted for their progress in civilisation, and discovery of some arts which compensate for the want of natural strength and protects them from the invasion of their neighbours. We have, however, seen no arms among them but patow-patows; we bought several of them, which were not one third of the weight of those we procured at Maouna, and which the inhabitants of the Friendly Islands would not have had strength to make use of.

The custom of cutting off the two joints of the little finger is as general among these people as at Cocoa and Traitors' Islands, while that mark of grief for the loss of a friend or relation is almost unknown in Navigators' Islands. I know that Captain Cook, thought that Cocoa and Traitors' Islands made part of the Friendly Islands; he founded his opinion on the report of Poulaho, who knew of the trade Captain Wallis carried on in these two islands, and who even had in his cabinet, before Captain Cook's arrival, some pieces of iron proceeding from the barter of the Dolphin frighate with the inhabitants of Traitors' Island. I thought, on the contrary, that these two islands were comprehended in the ten which had been named to us by the islanders of Maouna, because I found their situation precisely in the point of the compass pointed out by them, and more to the east than was laid down by Captain Wallis, and I thought that they might, with the island of the Hansome Nation of Quiros, make the group complete of the finest and largest archipelago of the South Sea. I agree, however, that the natives of the islands of Cocoa and Traitors bear a greater resemblance, both in stature and external appearance, to the inhabitants of the Friendly Islands, than to those of Navigators' Islands, which they are nearly of an equal distance from. After having thus explained the reasons for my opinion, I feel little reluctance in adopting, on all occasions, that of Captain Cook, who had made so long an abode in the different islands of the South Sea.

All our intercourse witht the inhabitants of Tongataboo consisted in a simple visit, and seldom is it made at such a distance; from them we received only the same refreshments as they give to neighbours in the country; but M. Dagelet had an opportunity of verifying the rate of going of our time-keepers. The great number of sets of observations made, as I before stated, by Captain Cook, at Tongataboo, left no doubt as to the accuracy of position of the Resolution's observatory, and he thought to make it, in some fort, a first meridian, by ascertaining the relative positions with respect to it, of the whole archipelago of the Friendly Islands, and even some others which he had visited in the southern hemisphere. The result of his observations, obtained by a great number of distances between the sun and moon, differed at least seven minutes from that of Captain Cook, thus M. Dagelet, while admitting the longitudes of that celebrated navigator, likewise pursued his own, and he was convinced that comparisons on places whose situation was already determined, might greatly increase the confidence given to time-pieces, but that they were not necessary for their verification; a set of lunar observations, taken in favourable circumstances, leaving nothing in that respect to be desired. From the conformity of our determinations of latitude and longitude, it may be concluded, that supposing we had been entirely unacquainted with the voyages of Captain Cook, the Navigators' Archipelago, and the group of the islands of Vavao, would nevertheless have had the same geographical positions on our charts within five or six minutes.

The 1st of January, 1788, on the approach of night, having lost every hope of obtaining even sufficient provisions for our consumption while thus plying in the offing, I resolved to bear away to the W.S.W. and run for Botany Bay, by taking a course which hitherto had not been pursued by any other navigator. It did not come within my plan to reconnoitre Pyltart Island, discovered by Tasman, and the position of which Capt. Cook had determined; by the wind having shifted from N. to W.S.S. obliged me to make a stretch to the south, and in the morning of the second I perceived that island, whose greatest width is about a quarter of a league. It is very steep, with some trees only on the N.E. side, and can serve for a retreat to sea fowl alone.

This small island, or rather rock, bore west from us at half past ten in the morning. Its latitude by observation taken at noon by M. Dagelet, was found to be 22 22', that is to say 4' further north than the latitude assigned by Captain Cook, who having determined it by distant bearings, was liable to error.

The calms gave us too many opportunities of ascertaining and correcting our observations. For three days we remained in sight of this rock. The sun, which was in the zenith, kept up these calms, a hundred times more tedious to sailors than contrary winds. We waited with the most lively impatience for the south easterly breezes, which we expected to meet with in these seas to conduct us to New Holland. The winds had blown constantly from the west since the 17th December, and whether violent or not, their only variation was from north-west to south-west. Hence it appears that the trade winds are very unsettled in these latitudes: they, however, blew from the east the 6th January, and shifting to N.E., the weather became very overcast, and the sea exceeding high, and so continued with much rain, and a horizon of trifling extent to the 8th, when we had steady but very strong breezes from N.E. to S.E., the weather dry and sea extremely rough. As we crossed the latitude of all these islands, the winds resumed their coufe, which had been absolutely interrupted from the line to the 26th degree south; the temperature was also greatly changed, and the thermometer fell 6 , either from our having gotten beyond the sun, or as is equally probable, the strong easterly breezes, and whitish sky had checked its influence; for it was but four degrees from our zenith, and its rays had very little obliquity. On the 13th, we came in sight of Norfolk Island* (Of which, see the account, in the voyages and discoveries of governors Philip and Hunter, in New South Wales, and the Southern Ocean, printed for Stockdale.), and of the two islets lying off its southern point. The sea was, and had been for a long time so high, that my hope of shelter on the north-east coast was but faint, although the winds was at this moment southerly; I however, on coming nearer, found smoother water, and I decided upon letting go the anchor, at a mile from the shore, in 24 fathoms, and a hard sandy bottom, intermixed with very little coral. I had no other object in view, than that of sending our naturalists and botanists to get information respecting the soil, and productions of this island, they having, since our leaving Kamtfchatka, had but very few opportunities of increasing their journals. We saw the sea break with fury round the island, but I flattered myself that our boats would shelter themselves, in some degree, behind the large rocks that border the coast. As we had, however, learnt from experience never to lay prudence aside, I charged M. de Clonard, Post Captain, second officer in the expedition, with the command of four small boats from the two frigates, and enjoined him not to risk a landing under any pretext whatever, if our Biscay yawls ran the least danger of being overset by the surf. His punctuality and prudence, left me nothing to fear; and this officer, whom I intended to appoint to the command of the Astrolabe so soon as we should arrive at Botany Bay, deserved my entire confidence. Our frigates were anchored abreast of two points, situated at the northern extremity of the N.E. coast of the island, opposite the place where we supposed Captain Cook to have disembarked. Our boats made for this kind of calm, but they found the surf break so violently over the great rocks as to render the approach to it injustible. They coasted within half a musket shot of the beach, steering towards the south-east, and thus rowed half a league without finding a place where there was a possibility of landing. They saw the island surrounded by a wall, formed from the lava which had flowed down from the top of the mountain, and which having cooled in its descent, had left in many places a kind of roof, projecting several feet over the coast of the island. Though it had been possible to land, the interior could not have been penetrated, without stemming for fifteen or twenty toises the rapid course of some torrents that had formed ravines, beyond these natural barriers, the island was covered with pines, and carpeted by the most beautiful verdure; we might probably have met with some culinary plants, and this hope greatly increased our desire for visiting a shore, where Captain Cook had landed with the utmost facility. It is true, he met with fine weather in these seas that continued several days, while we had constantly navigated in such a heavy sea, that for eight days, our ports and windows had never been once opened. From the deck I followed the motion of the boat with my glass, and seeing that night was coming on, and they had not found a commodious landing place, I made the signal for them to return, and soon after gave orders for weighing. I might possibly have lost much time in waiting for a more favourable moment, and the survey of this island was not of sufficient consequence for such a sacrifice. As I was preparing to fail, a signal from the Astrolabe, indicating her to be on fire, threw me into the utmost consternation. I immediately ordered out a boat to her assistance, but it had hardly got half way, before a second signal informed me of its being extinguished, and soon after, M. de Monti told me through his speaking trumpet, that a box of acids, and other chemical liquids belonging to Father Receveur, deposited under the quarter deck, had taken fire of itself, and spread so thick a smoke below, that it was very difficult to find out what it proceeded from: they at length found means to throw this box into the sea, and the accident was attended with no further consequences. Probably from bottle of acid having bursted in the box, was the cause of the fire which communicated to the bottles of the spirits of wine, either broken or carelessly corked. I gave myself credit for having ordered from the first setting out on the voyage, that a similar box, belonging to the Abbe Monges, should be placed in the open air on the forecastle of my frigate, where there was nothing to fear from fire.

The elevation of Norfolk Island, though very steep, hardly exceeds seventy or eighty toises from the level of the sea: the pines which cover it, are probably of the same species as those of New Caledonia or New Zealand. Captain Cook says, that he found there several cabbage palm trees, and the desire of procuring some, was not one of the least inducements we had for putting in there. It is probable, that the palms bearing these cabbages are very little, for we could perceive no tree of that fort. This island, not being inhabited* (In Philip's and Hunter's Voyages, is a particular account of the English colony since settled there; with a large chart and plan of the island and its soundings.), is covered with sea-fowl, particularly tropic birds, all of which have their long red feather: there were also several noddies and gulls, but not a single man of war bird. A sand-bank, on which there are 20 or 30 fathoms water, extends three or four leagues N. and E. of this island, and, perhaps, all round it, but we did not found to the west of it. While we were at anchor we caught some red fish on the bank, like what are called capitaine, or sarde, at the Isle of France, which afforded us an excellent meal. At eight o'clock in the evening we were under fail. I stood W.N.W., and bore up, by degrees, in S.W. by W. under easy fail, continuing to found. on this bank, where we might possibly meet with some shoal; but the bottom was, on the contrary, very even, and the water deepened, foot by foot, as we got further from the island. At eleven o'clock in the evening, a line of 60 fathoms did not reach the bottom, we were then ten miles W.N.W. from the most northerly points of Norfolk Island. The winds remained steady at E.S.E., with rather foggy squalls, but, in the intervals, the weather was very clear. At day-break I crowded fail for Botany Bay, which was not more than 300 leagues off. After sun-set, on the 14th, I made the signal for bringing to, and sounding with a line of 200 fathoms. The flat bank of Norfolk Island had made me think that bottom might be found all the way to New Holland: but this conjecture was false, and we stood on our course with one error less, for I had strongly adhered to this opinion. The winds from E.S.E. to N.E. were fixed till we came in sight of New Holland; we made much way by day, and very little by night, because we had been preceded by no navigator in the track we were pursuing. The 17th, in 31 28' S. Lat., and 159 15' E. long., we were surrounded by an innumerable quantity of gulls, which led us to believe we had passed near some island or rock; and many were ready for the discovery of a new land before our arrival at Botany Bay, which we were, however but 180 leagues from. These birds followed us till within 80 leagues of New Holland, and it is very probable, that we may have left behind us some islet or rock, which these birds make their asylum, for they are not near so numerous near inhabited land. From the time we left Norfolk Island till in sight of Botany Bay, we, every evening, sounded with a line of 200 fathoms, and only began to strike ground eight leagues from the coast, in 90 fathoms. We got sight of it the 23d of January. It is not very high, being hardly perceptible for more than twelve leagues. The winds then became very variable, and we fell in with, like Captain Cook, currents that carried us, each day, 15' S. of our reckoning; so that we passed the 24th in working to windward, in sight of Botany Bay, without being able to weather Point Solander, which bore north, one league distant. The wind blew violently from this quarter, and our ships failed too badly to overcome, at the same time, the force of the winds and currents. But this day we had a sight entirely new to us since our departure from Manilla; which was the English fleet, whose pendants and colours we could distinguish, riding at anchor in Botany Bay.

Europeans, at that distance from home, are all countrymen; and we felt the greatest impatience to get to an anchor. But the next day was so hazy, that it was impossible for us to distinguish land, and we did not reach our anchorage before the 26th at nine o'clock in the morning. I let go the anchor a mile from the north shore, in seven fathoms water, over a bottom of fine grey sand, abreast of the second bay. The moment I appeared in the mouth of the channel, an English lieutenant and midshipman were sent on board my ship, by Captain Hunter, commanding the English frigate the Sirius. They offered me, on his part, all the services in his power; adding, however, that being on the point o f getting under way to run northward, circumstances would not permit him to give us provisions, ammunition, nor fails; so that their offers of service were reduced to wishes for the final success of our voyage. I sent an officer to return my thanks to Captain Hunter, who was already a-peak, with his topsails hoisted, and to tell him that my wants were confined to wood and water, which we should find plenty of in the bay; and that I knew that ships, destined for the establishment of a colony, at so great a distance from Europe, could afford no succour to navigators. We learnt from the lieutenant that the English fleet was commanded by Commodore Philp, who had got under way, the evening before, in the Spy floop, to look for a place to the north more convenient for his establishment. The English lieutenant seemed to keep Commodore Philip's plan very secret, and we did not permit any question to be put to him on this subject; but we could not doubt but that the projected establishment must be very near Botany Bay, several boats and launches being on their way to go thither; and the passage must be short indeed to judge it useless to put them on board the ships. The sailors of the English boat, more indiscreet than their officer, soon informed our's that they were only going to Port Jackson, sixteen miles north of Cape Banks, where Commodore Philip had himself discovered a very good harbour, which ran ten miles towards the S.W.: the ships could ride at anchor there within pistolshot of shore, in a sea as smooth as the water of a basin. We had, in the sequel, too many opportunities of hearing news of the English establishment at Botany Bay, the runaways from which gave us a great deal of trouble and uneasiness* (Here ends the Journal of La Perouse. I shall not repeat what I have said in the Preliminary Discourse, on the fate of this illustrious but unfortunate officer. I think I have completely refuted the absurd assertions respecting the probability of his existence. I refer the reader to it, and request him to read in this volume the last letter he wrote from Botany Bay to the Minister of Marine. He therein relates what track he means to pursue before his arrival at the Isle of France; and from the simple combination it presents to navigators, it is not possible to indulge the least hope of his return.-French Editor.).

The following Extract is taken from Governor Philip's interesting Voyage to Botany Bay. "During the stay of M. de la Perouse in Botany " Bay, Father le Receveur, who had come out "in the Astrolabe as a naturalist, died. His death "was occasioned by wounds which he received in "the unfortunate rencounter at the Navigators' "Islands. A flight monument was erected to his "memory, with the following inscription: Hicjacet Le RECEVEUR, E. F. F. Minimis Galliae Sacerdos, Physicus in circumnavigatione Mundi, Duce de la PEROUSE, Ob. 17 Feb. 1788. "The monument being soon after destroyed by the "natives, Governor Philip caused the inscription to "be engraved on copper, and affixed to a neighbouring "tree. M. de la Perouse had paid a similar "tribute of respect to the memory of Captain Clerke, "at the harbour of St. Peter and St. Paul, in Kamtfchatka.