/

OBSERVATIONS

ON

THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS AND THE ISLE OF FRANCE .

From the French of M. de Guignes,

Refident of France in China , attached to the Miniftry of Foreign Relations, and Correfpondent of thefirft; and third Clafs of the Inftitute. (Paris , 1808.)

VOYAGE TO THE ISLE OF FRANCE, AND MANILA .

O N my return from Pekin, finding myfelf perfeftly at leifure, and being withoutnews from Europe or the coaft of India , and without expectancy of any, as allcommercial intercourfe between the French and China was fufpended by the war, Irefolved on a voyage to the Hie of France , as well to obtain fome knowledge of thatcolony, as to place myfelf in the way of vifiting Manila before I returned to Canton.This was indeed a circuitous voyage; but I was deficient of funds, and had been everfince 1793, and was induced to take this courfe as much by the hope of recruiting myfinances as by the defire I have before expreffed of feeing two important colonies.

I therefore embarked at Wampoo, on the 13th of January 17965 on board an Ame-rican floop of ninety-four tons, which failed in company with five other veffels of thefame nation, and on the 14th we palled Macao with a wind at firft favourable andpleafant, but which, increafing gradually, at length terminated in a violent gale offeveral days’ duration.

Notwithftanding the currents in the China feas run towards the weft, we faw nei-ther Pulo Sapate nor Pulo Condor, the firft land we defcried being Pulo Aor,which we doubled on the 2 2d. On the 24th we anchored under Munopin, and thenext day entered the Straits of Banca by favour of the currents, which here runtowards the fouth. On leaving thefe ftraits the fix American veffels, keeping in a line,coafted along the weftern fhore of Lucepara; when this ifland was brought to bearnorth we fteered fouth by eaft and fouth by weft for the Two Sifters, and large ofcertain Shoals on our ftarboard fide.

On the 30th we anchored at North Ifland : we failed thence on the iff of Februaryin hopes of clearing the Straits of Sunda the fame day; but at the inftant of our leavingthe mouth of them a wefterly wind fprang up, and blew with fuch violence as obligedus to feek fhelter under Sambooricoo, where we were detained ten days.

The 12th, in the evening, we diftinguilhed Chriftmas Ifland, of which in the nightwe were abreaft: it is lofty towards the middle, well wooded, and of fome extent.The wind did not fhift to the fouth till the 18th of February; afterwards it blew fromthe fouth-fouth-eaft and fouth-eaft until our arrival off the ifland of Rodriguez, which

o we