Both the decrees manifeft much regard and attention for M. de la Péroule and his affociates, and are expreffed with that degree of feeling which the circumstances must naturally excite.

The preparation of the materials which had been received, for the prefs, was at firft intrufted to the care of M. Fleurieu, minifter of the marine but circumftances having obliged this gentleman to relinquith the undertaking, it was put into the hands of the prefent editor, M. Milet Mureau, ex-conftituent, and a brigadier-general in the engineers. He offers an apology for having fixed the title of a voyage round the world; which we think very allowable, as all the route of importance to difcoyery was completed, and the return from China to Europe only was wanting.

The editor alfo gives fome particulars of the life of la Péroufe;which, from the age of 15, when (in the year 1756) he first entered into the French marine, to the time of his death, was a life of almoft conftant hard fervice. He was in feveral actions against our countrymen. The following is the character given of him by M. Mureau:

Uniting in himself the vivacity peculiar to the inhabitants of warm limates, with an agrecable wit, and an equal temper, his mildnefs and his amiable gaiety made his company always fought after with eagernels on the other hand, matured by long experience, he joined to uncommon prudence a firmness of character, which is the character stic of a strong mind, and which, ncreased by the hardihips of a feanan's life, rendered him qualified o attempt, and to conduct the greaeft enterprizes with fuccefs.'

The most honourable teftimony to his character, however, and to which is given the evidence of our own countrymen, is his humane conduct when fent to deftroy the English fettlements in Hudfon's Bay, in the year 1782. Knowing that at his approach the English had fled into the woods, and that at his departure, on account of the deftruction of their fettlements, they would be expofed to the danger of perithing with hunger, or of falling defencelefs into the hands of the favages, he had the fingular humanity and generofity to leave them provifions and arms.

In a preliminary difcourfe by the editor, a plan, is fuggefted for the perfection of geography, by eftablishing a congrefs compofed of aftronomers, hydrographers, navi, gators, &c. and it is recommended that each of the maritime nations fhould contribute a proportion to the expenfe of expeditions, planned by and under the inftructions of the congrefs, &c. This defign requires a time of perfect peace and good neighbourhood.

The meridians in the voyage before us are throughout reckoned from Paris: on which head the editor remarks the inconvenience of calculations from many different meridians, and propofes, in order to obviate difputes for pre-eminence, to eftabli, as the firft meridian that remarkable peak which nature feems to have placed in the middle of the feas to ferve as a beacon for navigators,' i. e. the peak of Teneriffe. This new meridian, he obferves, would leave our inmenfe materials of geography in their full value; and he adds that it is with regret that he rejects, for the prefent, the plan which has

been

been recommended by Borda, and other leased men, for adopting a decimal divifion of the circle and of time: as it would almost destroy the value of the old materials in aftronomical science, and for a great length of time occafion much perplexity.

The hiftory of the voyage commences with copies of the inftructions given to the commander; to which is prefixed a note from the French king (Louis XVI.), under whofe particular patronage the expedition was defigned and executed. They are divided under distinct heads.

The plan of the voyage, according to thefe directions, appears to us too extenfive for more was undertaken than a fingle expedition could well accomplih. The time requifite, according to the calculation of thofe who formed the defign, exceeded four years; and allowances must always be made, in fuch long voyages, for accidents which are not to be forefeen or prevented, but which must be expected. Of this circumftance, indeed, they were not unmindful, for the orders are qualified by giving to M. de la Péroule a confiderable degree of difcretionary power, relying on his abilities and on his zeal for the service in which he was engaged.

Many parts of the inftructions are drawn up with great judgement. The acquirement of information respecting the interefts of commerce is an object not neglected. The navigator was directed to inquire into the American fur-trade, and likewife into the particulars of the concerns of the Dutch and Enlih in the Molucca and Spice nds; with other matters of a

politico-commercial nature. The interests of general knowledge and humanity are likewise objects of attention. Kindness and modera tion are in the strongest manner re commended to be obferved in all intercourfe with Indians; with this addition, his majefty will look upon it as one of the most fuccefful parts of the expedition, fhould it be terminated without cofting the life of a fingle man:" this is highly commendable, in every view!

The general intereft which was excited by this undertaking ap pears in many inftances; and in the equipment, the ships were moft liberally provided with every thing that could be thought useful.

It has been mentioned that no ftep was taken towards publication, till the return of the fips began to be confidered as almoft hopeless. M. de la Pérouse, in a letter which he had written to a friend, had defired that, if his jour nal fhould be printed before his return, it might be trufted to the direction of a man well versed in mathematical knowledge, and not to one who was merely a man of letters. In their appointment of an editor, the French government feem to have coincided in opinion with the lamented navigator; and the charts have been executed un der the direction of M. Buache, hydrographer of the marine.

The firft paper presented to the reader, from the materials fent home by M. de la Pérouse, is a narrative of a voyage made in a Spanish frigate, la Princeffa, commanded by Don Francifco Antonio Maurelle, from Manilla to San Blas in New Spain. This narrative was tranflated from the Spanish original by A. G. Pingré; and is accompa

ied with a chart conftructed by Buache. The voyage, by the addition of fome newly-difcovered flands, affifts, in fome degree, towards completing the geography of the South Seas: but the fituations given by the Spanith commander appear not always worthy of reliance; and the tranflator complains that the original journal was, in fome places, unintelligible. The track and the narrative likewise difagree, though Buache has taken confiderable pains in endeavouring to reconcile them.

We have here alfo other accounts of voyages of the Spaniards, to explore the N. W. coaft of America, but unaccompanied with charts. They differ from our difcoveries in their account of the longitudes, and there is nothing peculiarly interef ting in the occurrences. With thefe accounts, what the editor calls the preliminary part concludes; and we now enter on the subject of M. de Ja Péroufe's voyage.

On the 1ft of Auguft, 1785, the two frigates la Boullole, and l'Aftrolabe, the latter commanded by M. de Langle, but both under the orders of M. de la Péroufe, failed from Breft Road. They touched at Madeira and at Teneriffe; at the first of which places they experienced much kindness and attention from Mr. Johnfon, an English merchant, and from Mr. Murray the British conful.'

October the 16th. They faw the ifland of Trinidada, which, fince it has been forfaken by the English, has been occupied by the Portuguefe, as M. de la Péroufe conjectures, from no other motive than left fome other European nations fhould avail themselves of the vici

nage, and carry on a contraband trade with the Brafils.'

After having quitted Trinidada, they endeavoured to find the island Afcençaon, but miffed it; which, with what the commodore afterwards heard at St. Catherine's, made him conclude that no fuch ifland exifts. On the 6th of November, they anchored at the island of St. Catherine, on the coast of Brafil; which is described as a convenient and excellent place for all neceflary refreshments. In profecuting their route from this place towards the fouth, they fearched for the ifle Grande of la Roche, but without fuccefs. The editor is of opinion that M, de la Pérouse too haftily pronounces against the existence of lands which he cannot find in the pofitions affigned for them. He obferves:

It would be dangerous to the progrefs of navigation, and fatal to navigators, to adopt the method of expunging islands formerly difcovered from the charts, under the pretence of their having been fought for in vain, or of their potition being at any rate uncertain, in confequence of the want of means to lay them down with precision upon the charts, at the time of their difcovery.

I have the greater right to exprefs my difapprobation of fuch a method, as, a few pages back, I have proved that Afcençaon really exists, and that those who fhould expunge an island from the globe, would be in a manner refponfible for the risks to which navigators who might fall in with it would be expofed by the falle fecurity infpired by the charts; while its being laid down, even in an uncertain manner, by keeping