Duvantel, Quenot, Sorlin, Mongin, Jerom, and Michael Lefrançais Lalande, Burckhards, Thulis, Duc-la-Chapelle, and Bernier.

To thefe are added, the hiftory of Aftronomy for the year 7 (1799); notices of new aftronomical books; an extenfire extract from two pieces, to which the prize of the Inftitute was adjudged, by Mr. Burg, and Mt. Bouvard, with the programma of the prize propofed by the Board of Longitude, &c. Ibid.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

In reply to Mr. Lewis, we defire he will enquire of his publifher, what are the reafons which he affigns, for refufing to the trade the customary credit for the Tales of Wonder.

The letter of Veritas has been received. We fhall undoubtedly beftow a careful confideration on the production mentioned in his letter.

We do not happen to know the book to which Homo alludes; but we recommend to him 'Dr. Watt's Scripture Hif torý, in question and anfwer, which is probably at least as good.

LITERARY INTELLIGENCE.

Mr. Fitzgerald, whofe compofitions have been often heard with applaufe at the Literary Fund, is preparing a volume of Poems for the public.

A new edition of Boileau, with various notes, will foon be published by Dulau.

A comprehenfive fyftem of medical and operative furgery is preparing for the prefs by Mr. Blair, affifted by other refpectable furgeons.

A work by Mr. Fabrooke, called British Monachifm, or Monaftic Manners and Cuftems, is gone to prefs.

Mr. B feawen's volume of Poems will very foon go to prefs."

In our laft, p. 652, 1.

beyond the Strait."

ERRATUM.

for "

4,

or the ftraits," read "or the marts

THE

BRITISH CRITIC,

For FEBRUARY, 1801.

Primam religioni fuæ judex patientiam debet, quæ magna pars Juftitiæ eft." PLIN. JUN.

The firft duty of a critic is patience, which is itfelf a principal part of Jaftice.

ART. I. Voyage in Search of La Pérouse, performed by Order of the Conflituent Affembly, during the Years 1791, 1792, 1793, and 1794; and drawn up by M. Labillardiere, Correfpondent of the Academy of Sciences at Paris, Member of the Society of Natural Hiftory, and One of the Naturalifts attached to the Expedition. Tranflated from the French. Illuftrated with Forty-fix Plates. 4to. 21. 2s. Stockdale, 1800.

ART. II. An Account of a Voyage in Search of La Pérouse, undertaken by Order of the Conflituent Affembly of France, and performed in the Years 1791, 1792, and 1793, in the Recherche and Efperance Ships of War, under the Command of Rear-Admiral Bruni D'Entrecafteaux. Tranflated from the French of M. Labillardiere, Correfpondent of the ci-devant Academy of Sciences, &c. &c. In Two Volumes. Illuftrated by Engravings, and a Chart, exhibiting the Tracks of the Ships. 8vo. 11. 115. Debrett. 1800.

THAT

HAT the fate of the justly celebrated Péroufe should excite an intereft and regret among his countrymen, even in the prefent condition of degenerated France, cannot be deemed

I

BRIT, CRIT, VOL. XVII, FEB. 1801.

ex

102

extraordinary. The prefent publication, therefore, records the particulars of a Voyage, undertaken for the exprefs purpofe, and with the authority of the ruling powers of France, to afcertain whether any remnant of the companions of Péroufe might ftill remain among the islands they might be fuppofed to have vifited; or whether any particular information could, by any means, be obtained of their fate and fortune. Our readers will not fail to remember, that the last authentic accounts of Féroufe were received by his countrymen from the coafts of New Holland, and through the medium of England. It is a matter alfo of confiderable pride and honour to Englishmen, that the information contained in thefe volumes is folely to be ascribed to the candour and liberality of this country. In the midft of a war, profecuted with much inveteracy, the papers, through the means of which thefe volumes were made public, were, irom the generous interpofition of Sir Jofeph Banks, remitted to the hands of the French government.

The track purfued by those who had the conduct of the expedition, the particulars of which are here related, may be eafily fuppofed. Their object mult neceffarily and immediately be to explore, in all directions, the thores of New Holland. They accordingly proceeded from France to the Brazils and the Cape. Here they appear to have been deluded by fome misinformation, which gives occafion to the compiler of this work to vent a fpleen against Englishmen, alike prepofterous and unjuft. At the Cape, Admiral D'Entrecafteaux was informed by two French Captains, that, being at Batavia, Commodore Hunter had informed them, he had feen, at the Admiralty Inlands, fome natives dreffed in the uniform of the French But we have never heard this affertion confirmed; and navy. it is rendered impr. bable by what the writer of this work, Labiliardiere, fubfequently remarks. Captain Bligh, who went to the Society Ilands, to procure the bread-fruit tree, had seen Commodore Hunter after he was fuppofed to have feen the natives of the Admiralty Iflands in the French uniforms. it appeared," that Captain Bligh did not learn from Hunter any thing relating to the depolitions of the two French Captains But, furely, Governor Hunter would have communicated fuch information to Captain Bligh, had it been in his

power.

But

From the Cape, and with this impreffion frong upon , their minds, the navigators proceeded to the land of St. Paul, and from thence to Van Diemen's Land. At Cape Van Diemen, they discovered a ftrait, to which they properly gave the name of their leader; and which, in a fituation where impetuous winds, almoft conftantly prevail, promifes to be of

con

confiderable importance to future navigators. Leaving this place, the voyagers next proceeded to New Caledonia, and from New Caledonia to what are called the Admiralty lands. These last were neceffarily objects of their ferious regard; for here it was that Commodore Hunter was faid to have perceived fome veftiges of Péroufe's unfortunate expedition. Their careful examination of thefe places, however, terminated wholly in difappointment. Froin this part of the work, we think it proper to take the following extract.

"At noon, in latitude 5° 43′ 12′′ fouth, and longitude 152° 3′ 26′′ eaft, we faw Bougainville Ifland, forming, with the little adjoining iflands, a bay not lefs than 15,000 toifes in exten". The General intended to anchor there; but fhoals obferved in different points of its entrance, and a fand-bank near its farther extremity, made him change his refolution.

Bougainville Ifland terminates in very low lands, and we foun had fight of the narrow channel which feparates it from Bouka land. After ftanding off, we lay to all night.

"The heat of the day had accumulated the materials of thunder above the high mountains. Frequent flathes of lightning discovered to us their fummits, and the thunder rattled with a tremendous noise.

"During the night the current had carried us more than twenty minutes towards the north. At fix in the morning we were 5,000 toifes to the northward of Bouka Iflacd. The vast plantations of cocoa-nut trees which adorned its fhores, indicated a numerous population.

"A canoe, with nine natives on board, put off, and fieered towards us. We immediately hove to in order to receive them; but they ftopped within three hundred toifes of the ship, and fhowing us their ifland, made figns to invite us on fhore. There were but feven paddles in the canoe; two other natives feemed wholly occupied in baling out the water, which beat over the fides of the canoe, and in obferving our movements.

A native put off alone from the breach, on a catimarran, and paddling with the greateft celerity, came and joined the canoe, which kept always to the windward of us. Though a very old man, he appeared to be still very robuft. After having viewed us for fome minutes, he plied towards the ifland, as rapidly as he had come off. He appeared to be a meffenger difpatched by the inhabitants, to make his obfervations, and to report to them what he had feen.

"The canoe left us, and proceeded towards the Efperance, another very large one having been already alongfide of her.

We faw at fome diftance a finall canoe, manned by five natives, who came aftern of our fhip, and kept at the distance of about 500 toifes, notwithstanding all our invitations to them to come on board. "In hopes of alluring thofe favages, we let down into the water a plank, with fome knives and nails upon it, and a bit of fearler stuff by way of a flag, tied to a ftick placed upright in its centre. They did not, however, feize upon thofe objects, till we cut the ring which kept it nearer to the fhip than they chose to venture. The fight of I 2

the

the bit of stuff diffused among them the moft lively joy they flawed us that they had accepted of our prefent, and earnestly defired more of the fame fort.

"At laft, by throwing them handkerchiefs, bits of red ftuff, and empty bottles, we fucceeded in bringing them alongfide. One of the bottles having taken in fome fea-water, the favage who took it up, thinking perhaps that we had fent him fomething good to drink, was disagreeably mistaken on tafting the contrary, and we regretted that we had not given him timely notice of the circumstance.

"Those natives were acquainted with the method of barter, and took much pains to fhew us the price of their goods.

"We received a very fine bow and fome arrows, in exchange for a few handkerchiefs, which we let down to them by a rope. As they did not observe that we poffeffed this kind of weapon, they endea voured to make us fenfible of its value, by fhowing us its ufe.

"One of the gunners went for his fiddle, and played them fome tunes; and we had the pleasure to fee that they were not infenfible to mufic. They offered us a number of things in exchange for the inftrument, making figns for it, by imitating the motions of the fiddler upon a paddle. But they foon found that their folicitations were fruitlefs. It was the only fiddle by which the fhip's company danced; and we had too long a voyage before us, to think of parting with the inftrument, which procured us an exercise fo falutary to feamen.

"We had fo loaded them with prefents, that they foon began to make difficulties in giving their commodities in exchange for ours, to procure which they had recourfe to unfair arts. The Commander had agreed to give them fome handkerchiefs ftriped with red, their favou rite colour, for a bow, and trufting too much to their good faith, had delivered them the handkerchiefs: but inftead of the bow, they would only give fome arrows, which were refused.

Thofe natives feemed to have a great propenfity to gaiety. They feemed to take pleasure in repeating the words which they heard us pronounce; and the sweetness of their langage enabled them easily to fucceed in the imitation.

"They were paffionately fond of mufic, and particularly of the moft brifk and noify tunes. One of the officers, who was a good performer, played a very lively tune. They liftened with very great at tention; aftonishment was visible in their features; they could not conceal the pleasure they felt; but, by different motions of their arms, which kept exact time with the meafure, and a great agitation of the whole body, they gave unequivocal proofs of their fenfibility.

"They did not lofe fight of the defire which the Commander had expreffed for a bow. One of them promised him a bow in exchange for a hat; but when he got poffeffion of the hat, he refused to furrender the bow.

"Molt of the things which we gave them were tied to the end of a line, which they were not at the pains to loofe; for they carried in their girdles fhells which were fufficiently fharp to cut it at once.

"As we had good reason to diftruft their promifes, a man went down by a rope-ladder aftern, with a view to exchange a bit of red Ruff for a bow, when we perceived that the current had carried us to

the