goo VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY OF SOUTHERN LANDS.

which we {hall {hortly more fully particularize ; they were termed the illandsD’Arcole, and the more remarkable among them received the appellations Colbert,Buffon, Deffaix, Kerauden, Bernoulli, &c. &c. »

While at anchor off the iflands Arcole, the difference of foundings (hewed that thetide here rifes from 20 to 25 feet, which confirms the obfervation made by M. Ron-fard in t^ie ifland Depuch, and agrees with the account of Dampier. Thiscelebrated navigator was on the point, as is known, of falling a facrifice to thefe ex-traordinary tides, his veffel grounding in the very fpot where the day before he hadfound five fathoms water. This circumftance adds greatly to the danger of navigatingthefe feas, and feems to be the chief caufe of the violent currents experienced here.

The 12th, we continued along the great archipelago, the firft points of which we re-cognized the day before : it offers, collectively, the mofl whimfical and moft wild ap-pearance. In every quarter illands arife under a thoufand (hapes, fandy, barren, andwhite ; feveral referable immenfe antique tombs ; forne appear connected by chains ofreefs; others are defended by large fand-banks ; all, likewile, that can be diftinguifhedof the continent, has the fame hideous afpedt of fterility, the fame monotonous colourand conftitution.

In midft of thefe numerous illands nothing fmiling appears ; the foil is naked ; theburning Iky (hews itfelf always clear and void of clouds ; the waves are never agitatedfave by the noctural gales of which I have fpoken: the human race feems to avoid thefeungracious Ihores ; at leaft, we faw no traces of the habitation of man, or even of hishaving occafionally frequented them. The feaman, appalled as it were at the frightfullblitude, affailed by dangers ever renewed, is aftonilhed, and turns away his aching fightfrom fuch unhappy Ihores ; and when he reflects that thefe inhofpitable iflands border,I may fay, on thofe of the great archipelago of Afia, iflands in which nature has lavifhlypoured out her treafures and her bleffmgs, he finds it difficult to conceive how fuchperfect fterility can have an exiftence by the fide of the moft overflowing fruitfulnefs.In vain does he feek for the real elements of this oppofition in the ordinary laws ofnature ; neither can he fathom them, nor form the leaft conjecture. But this is notthe only phenomenon, Angular in its kind, which the phyfical conftitution of New Hol-land prefents ; we lhall find equal fubjeft for aftonifliment and meditation in each of thedifferent parts of the hiftory of this great continent.

The 13th Auguft, we continued through the archipelago, fucceffively paffing fromfifteen to twenty iflands, of greater orlefs dimenfions, but abfolutely the fame as thofeof the previous day, and to which we gave the defignations, Forbin, William Tell ,Suft'ren, Berthier, Tournefort , Corvifart, Juffieu, &c., as in the chart.

The 14th, we continued pretty clofe along the land, which apparently forms part ofthis archipelago ; it was bordered every where by reefs and breakers, again!! which thefea dallies with violence, rifing in long foaming (heaves.

Obje&ae Salfa fpumant afpergine cautes, Virg. TSneid.

Never before had a fight fo aftonilhing come under our notice. “ Thefe breakers/*fays M. Boullanger in his journal, “ form in appearance feveral lines parallel to thecoaft, and but little diftant one behind the other ; above them the waves rife, fuc-ceffively dalhing with fury, and forafpace of nearly fifteen leagues prefent one horriblecafcade!” We fteered at this time between banks, where oftentimes the plummetgave but fix fathoms water, then even, when we were feveral leagues from and perfe&lyout of fight of land. At noon we had a dead calm, and the currents bearing us to-wards the reefs, we let fall an anchor, and kept where we were until 11 at night, ft

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