ably to fuch furmife, we find the two frigates, though conftantly failing within hail of each other, thus differing in the fituation of the fhip at noon, as recorded in the printed tables. In lefs than two months after they left the port of Breft, Sept. 25, 1785, the longitude on board the Bouffole was, by eftimation, 18 weft, by time-keeper, 14° 28′ 12"; on board the Aftrolabe, by eftimation, 16° 33', by time-keeper, 14° 04'. On January 24, 1786, the longitude of the Bouflole was 69° 03 weft by estimation, 66° 41' by time-keeper, and 68 04 by lunar diftances; of the Aftrolabe, 67° 09 31 by eftimation, 67° 58' 10" by time-keeper, and 66° 49' 23" by lunar diftances. Such obfervations inftantly prove the inaccuracy of their inftruments and aftronomical apparatus, or the incompetence of the perfons that made ufe of them; indeed, Mr. Dagelet himfelf was fo confcious of the imperfection of thefe tables which he tranfmitted to Fleurieu, the Minifter, that he "muft clear up the doubts when he arrives at Paris;" and we are convinced that the publication of thefe tables, in the state in which they are, cannot be of much use either to the feaman or the aftronomer. Thus, the most important object of the voyage has been attended with little fuccefs; and the aftronomers, men of fcience, and artifts of the Academy Royal of Paris, muft yield the palm to many English naval Captains, for accuracy of obfervations, and the identity of the refults for afcertaining the longitude and lati tude, by eftimation, by time-keepers, by lunar diftances, and by the altitude of the fun, or quadrants. Indeed, M. Pérouse is only ambitious to be ranked next to Cook, for his difcoveries in the Tartarian fea (voL. II. P. 491.); though, when on the coaft of America, he hesitated whether he was entitled to that rank, because he had run along it with too much hafte. (ibid.) We hefitate not do declare, that the publications of Vancouver, Colnett, &c. difplay more unwearied attention in the officers of the fhips, and that the charts, constructed by fuch navigators, give the longitude and latitude of places with greater fidelity that thofe of the French voyagers.

Having juftly estimated the pretenfions of this gafconading nation to fuperior merit, we will proceed to fhew the pretended and probable objects for which this expedition was fitted out. The promotion of the progrefs of the sciences was ftated, by Mr. De Caftries to Mr. Condorcet, to be the principal object of the voyage. But when we examine the private and fecret inftructions of Mr. Péroufe, we fhall find political and military objects are far from being overlooked. Peace, beneficence, and cofmopolite philanthropy, were to be manifefted to the inhabitants of the Pacific Ocean, and the frigates

were,

were, by no means, to fire on the natives, as Englishmen had done, left they fhould be accused of barbarity; for, in the language of the philofopher Lamanon, who was maffacred by by them, fuch men were better than ourselves;" (VOL. II. P. 507,) but with refpect to their object on European cololies and fettlements, Mr. Péroufe durft not tranfmit the particulars of the voyage through the city of Mexico, "the plans they had taken, nor the numerous and accurate obfervations they had collected relative to the minutest information on the fubject of the fur trade" (VOL. II. P. 433.); "the political and fecret objects connected with the commerce on the South American coaft, could not even be communicated by cypher, but would be tranfmitted by a veffel from China" (P. 444.); they "had, however, made important difcoveries, they had taken poffeffion of a port very convenient for the establishment of a factory, and which a hundred men might easily defend against a confiderable force" (P. 422,). Indeed, these voyagers conftantly furveyed every place they touched at, as a military pofition to whatever nation it might appertain, whether Madeira or St. Jago of the Portuguese, the Moluccas or Cape of the Dutch, New Holland or Queen Charlotte's Sound of the English, the Philippine Islands and Ladrones of Spain, Kamfchatka or the Kurile iflands of Ruffia, &c. &c. So that, at this period, France was fo far illuminated that she meditated peace to favages, and war to civilized nations, as, in the fame fpirit, fhe has fince preached peace to the cottage, and extermination to the privileged orders.

Experience, however, dear-bought experience, has fully manifefted to the crews of these vessels the delufions which fcience, falfely fo called, has propagated amongst its difciples. Mr. Péroufe, in February, 1788, obferves, "I am a thoufand times more angry with the philofophers who so enthufiaftically extol favage nations than with the favages themfelves" (VOL. II. P. 506,). At this period, Meffrs. De Lamanon, natural philofopher, Langle, Captain of the Aftrolabe, Talin, Mafter at Arms of the Bouffole, and nine other perfons, of the two crews, had been maffacred, with unexampled barbarity, by the natives of Maouna, one of the islands difcovered by Bougainville. Twenty perfons more were feverely wounded; and the frigates were deprived, for a time, of the fervice of thirty-two men. Péroufe, in the papers which he had tranfmitted to France from Kamfchatka, had before spoken of the catastrophe which befell Captain Cook, at Sandwich iflands, in terms that he would not have used fubfequent to the lofs of his murdered companions. He ftated, that it is more natural for navigators to regret the lofs

of

of fo great a man than coolly to examine, whether fome imprudence, on his part, might not, in a manner, have compelled the inhabitants of Owhyhee to have recourse to a just and neceflary defence." (voL. I. P. 436.) The pertinent French editor obferves, alfo, that it is but too certain that the English commenced hoftilities; that it is in vain to conceal this truth, and pretends to prove it from thefe words of Capt. King: "this confidence, I was always fearful, might, at Lome unlucky moment, put him off his guard;" which prove no fuch thing. Monf. Milet-Mureau adds, likewife, that Capt. Cook, intending to convey the King and his family on board his thip, either by perfuafion or force, and having, for that purpofe, penetrated into the country, made too weak a preparation for fuch an attempt, by taking with him only a detachment of ten men." (VOL. I. P. 346.) This writer fhould have proved that Capt. Cook "intended to convey the King and his family" before he had deduced fuch conclufions, or fo wantonly afperfed his character. Capt. Cook had just grounds for his confidence, his fhips were at anchor in Karakakooa Bay; their guns rendered them mafters of the feathore there they could give law, and threaten with deftruction all the canoes remaining on the coaft, as well as the villages that skirted it. But it was the conduct of a man, who has fince been tried for cowardice, in Lord Duncan's engagement, that loft to this country the invaluable life of this unequalled navigator. Compare the fituation of the French frigates, and the conduct of their Commanders. It was impoffible for them to anchor within gun-fhot, or to cover or protect their boats, fince they could not be seen from the fhips. The natives of Maouna were ferocious, turbulent, of great bodily ftrength, and were rendered bold by the forbearance of the French. Some frivolous quarrels had occurred between the Indians and crews, and ftones had been thrown at Mr. Rollin, the furgeon.--The cove, where Mr. De Langle landed was filled with coral rocks; there was no penetrating into it but by means of a winding channel, not five-and-twenty feet wide, and where the furf broke as on a bar. The bay had been fo inaccurately reconnoitred by him at high water, that he knew not of the tide falling five or fix feet; in confequence of which, the long-boats grounded, and the barges remained afloat, only because they were hauled to the entrance of the pafs, at fome diftance from the shore. Mr. Péroufe can alone account for the conduct of Mr. De Langle, by afcribing it to an inconceivable fatality. In addition to thefe difadvantages, trees came down to the fea, which would fhelter the Indians from mufketry, and these

Indians

Indians had never experienced or feen the force of cannon, or fuperior power of European arms over their warlike weapons; for they "thought them fit only for killing birds.". (VOL. II. P. 132.) Under fuch circumftances it furely was. highly imprudent and unguarded to land a few men amongst thoufands of favages, amongst favages whofe bodies were covered with fears, (a fufficient proof that they were often at war and quarrelling with one another,) and the extremity of moderation to defift from firing, when hundreds of Indians were within four or five paces of the boats, throwing ftones, and armed with clubs and patows. But "the double line of French fufileers reaching from the long-boats to the wateringplace!!!" (a double line extended to a confiderable diftance. when the total number, including an armed marine and feaman for each boat, the crews employed in getting in the water, the invalids, Mr. Colinet and father Receveur, officers, &c.) only comprized fixty-one perfons, proves that there was no difcipline nor regularity obferved by the party; for, instead of keeping the favages within bounds, the marines were gratifying their carnal paffions with the women and young girls, who offered themfelves in the most indecent manner; for Mr. Vaujas ftates, "that their advances were not univerfally rejected." (voL. II. P. 143.) From fuch circumstances, we did not expect that Mr. Milet-Mureau would have reflected with fuch unjuft feverity on the conduct of Captain Cook, or fo generally accufed the English nation of unneceffary barbarity in their intercourfe with the Indians, or inhabitants of new difcovered countries; efpecially after Mr. Péroufe's avowal that, if at any future period he fhould undertake another voyage, he mutt "requeft different inftructions relative to behaving to the natives with the utmost mildness" (VOL. II. P. 506) efpecially when Mr. Péroule affirms, that "a navigator, on leaving Europe, ought to confider the favages as enemies; weak indeed, and whom, without fufficient reafon, it would be ungenerous to attack, and barbarous to deftroy, but whofe hoftile attempts he has a right to prevent, when authorized by well-founded fufpicions to believe in fuch attempts," (ibid.) and efpecially when both the frigates engaged in this voyage of difcovery, and the whole of their crews, have moft probably been deftroyed and facrificed, because the officers engaged in the expedition were almoft obliged, by their inftructions, not to fire cannon to fupprefs the infolence, brutality, roguery, rapine, and attacks of favages.

The object of this voyage is flated to have a decided fu

periority

periority over the motives which have influenced all former expeditions of a fimilar nature:

"Though the French were the first who, in modern times, had landed on the island of Mowée, I did not think it my duty to take poffeffion in the name of the King. The cuftoms of Europeans, on fuch occafions, are completely ridiculous. Philofophers must, doubtlefs, lament to fee, that men, for no better reason than because they are in poffeffion of fire-arms and bayonets, fhould make no estimation of fixty thousand of their fellow creatures, and fhould confider, as an object of conqueft, a land fertilized by the painful exertions of its inhabitants, and, for many ages, the tomb of their ancestors. These iflands have, fortunately, been difcovered at a period when religion no longer ferves as a pretext for violence and rapine. Modern navi. gators have 110 other object in defcribing the manners of, or vifiting, remote nations, than that of completing the hiftory of man; and the knowledge they endeavour to diffufe has for its fole aim to render the people they vifit more happy, and to augment their means of fubfiftence.

"It is in pursuance of these principles that they have already conveyed to remote islands black cattle, goats, and fheep; have planted trees, fown ufeful grain in all thefe countries, and fupplied the inhabitants with tools proper to accelerate the progrefs of their industry. For our part, we thould be amply repaid for the extreme fatigues of this expedition, if we could fucceed in deftroying the custom of human facrifices, which is faid to be generally prevalent among the islands of the fouth fea." VOL. 1. Pp. 349-350.

The reader would little expect to find, after fuch declarations, that thefe voyagers purchased an ifland at Port des Français (VOL. 1. 375) for a fettlement, if practicable; or, to perceive, in the obfervations of Mr. Péroufe, enquiries "whether it would be proper in the French nation to establish a factory in Port des Français, a country of which we have already taken poffeffion, and which would certainly be a proceeding of which no government would have a right to complain, or whether the ought to content herself with countenancing private expeditions;" or, that their inftructions ordered them to "examine any port of importance in a military view." But this voyage" fully proves to the univerfe," in contradiction to the letter of Mr. de Lamanon, "that the French nation are (not) the most peaceable and mild, and that man, in a ftate of nature, is inclined to be mifchievous."

After having fhewn the real objects of this voyage, and the just pretenfions of the French to eminence as navigators, in comparison of the English, we will fummarily review the. different places which they vifited in their courfe. The frigates, Bouffole and Aftrolabe, left Paris, August 1, 1785,

touched