publications, for it is well known that the English voyages, chiefly
when published by authority, are remarkable both for the fine
language, and the strict keeping of the marine phrases, so necessary
to make these publications useful to future navigators, and which are
understood by the greater part of this nation, so much used to the sea
and its phrases, that our romances and plays are full of them, and
that they have even a run in common life. F.
-----
END OF THE FIRST PART.
A
_VOYAGE_
ROUND THE
_WORLD._
PART the SECOND.
From our entrance into the Western Sea, to our return
to France.
Et nos jam _tertia_ portat
Omnibus errantes terris et fluctibus æstas.
VIRG. Lib. I.
_CHAP. I._
_The run from the straits of Magalhaens to our arrival at the Isle of
Taiti; discoveries which precede it._
[Sidenote: January. 1768.]
[Sidenote: Direction of our track, after leaving the strait.]
From our entrance into the Western Sea, after some days of variable
winds, between S. W. and N. W. we soon got S. and S. S. E. winds. I did
not expect to meet with them so soon; the west winds generally last to
about 30°; and I intended to go to the isle of Juan Fernandez, in order
to make good astronomical observations there. I intended by this means
to fix a sure point of departure, in order to cross this immense ocean
the extent of which is differently laid down, by differently navigators.
The early meeting with the S. and S. E. winds, obliged me to lay aside
this scheme of putting in there, which would have prolonged my voyage.
[Sidenote: Observation on the position of the coasts of Chili.]
During the first days, I stood as near west as possible; as well to keep
my wind, as to get off from the coast; the bearings of which are not
laid down with any certainty in the charts: however, as the winds were
then always in the western board, we should have fallen in with the
land, if the charts of Don George Juan, and Don Antonio de Ulloa had
been exact. These Spanish officers have corrected the old maps of North
America[89]; they make the coast run N. E. and S. E. between Cape Corso
and Chiloe; and that upon conjectures, which they have certainly thought
well-founded. This correction happily deserves another; it was not a
very comfortable one for those navigators, who after coming out of the
strait, endeavour to get to the northward, with winds which constantly
vary from S. W. to N. W. by W. Sir John Narborough, after leaving the
straits of Magalhaens, in 1669, run along the coast of Chili, examining
all the inlets and creeks, as far as the river of Baldivia, into which
he entered; he says expressly, that the course from Cape Desire to
Baldivia is N. 5° E. This is something more certain than the conjectural
assertion of Don George and Don Antonio. If, upon the whole, their
conjecture had been true, by the course which we were obliged to take we
must have fallen in with the land.
[Sidenote: Order of sailing of the Boudeuse and Etoile.]
When we were got into the Pacific Ocean, I agreed with the commander of
the Etoile, that, in order to discover a greater space of the sea, he
should go every morning southward, as far from me as the weather would
allow, keeping within sight; and that every evening we should join; and
that then he should keep in our wake, at about half a league’s distance.
By this means, if the Boudeuse had met with any sudden danger, the
Etoile was enabled to give us all the assistance which the case might
require. This order of sailing has been followed throughout the whole
voyage.
[Sidenote: Loss of a sailor fallen into the sea.]
On the 30th of January, a sailor fell into the sea; our efforts were
useless; and we were unable to save him: it blew very fresh, and we had
a great sea.
[Sidenote: Fruitless search for Davis’s land.]
I directed my course for making the land, which Davis[90], an English
privateer, saw in 1686, between 27° and 28° south latitude; and which
Roggewein, a Dutchman[91], sought for in vain, in 1722. [Sidenote: 1768.
February.] I continued to stand in search of it till the 17th of
February. [Sidenote: Incertitude on the latitude of Easter island.]
According to M. de Bellin’s chart, I must have sailed over this land on
the 14th. I did not chuse to go in search of Easter island, as its
latitude is not laid down with certainty. Many geographers agree in
placing it in 27° or 28° S. M. Buache, alone, puts it in 31°. However,
on the 14th, being in 27° 7′ of latitude observed, and 104° 12′ computed
west longitude, we saw two birds very like _Equerrets_[92], which
generally do not go further than 60 or 80 leagues from land; we likewise
saw a tuft of that green plant, which fastens on ships’ bottoms; and,
for these reasons, I continued to stand on the same course till the
17th. Upon the whole, I think, from the account which Davis gives of the
land he saw, that it is no other than the isles of St. Ambrose and St.
Felix, which are two hundred leagues from the coast of Chili.
[Sidenote: Meteorological Observations.]
From the 23d of February, to the 3d of March, we had westerly winds,
constantly varying between S. W.. and N. W. with calms and rain: every
day, either a little before noon, or soon after, we had sudden gusts of
rain, accompanied with thunder. It was strange to us to meet with this
extraordinary wind, under the tropic, and in that ocean, so much
renowned above all other seas, for the uniformity and the freshness of
the E. and S. E. trade-winds; which are said to reign in it all the year
round. We shall find more than one opportunity to make the same
observation.
[Sidenote: Astronomical observations,
compared with the ship’s
reckoning.]
During the month of February, M. Verron communicated to me the result of
four observations, towards determining our longitude. The first, which
was made on the 6th at noon, differed from my reckoning only 31′; which
I was more to the westward than his observation. The second, taken at
noon on the 11th, differed from my estimated longitude 37′ 45″, which I
was to the eastward of him. By the third observation, made on the 22d,
reduced to noon, I was more westward than he, by 42′ 30″; and I had 1°
25′ of difference west, from the longitude determined by the
observations of the 27th. Then we met with calms and contrary winds. The
thermometer, till we came into 45° lat. always kept between 5° and 8°
above the freezing-point: it then rose successively; and when we ran
between 27° and 24° of lat. it varied from 17° to 19°.
There was an almost epidemical sore-throat among the crew of my frigate,
as soon as we had left the straits. As it was attributed to the
snow-waters of the straits, I ordered every day, that a pint of vinegar,
and red hot bullets should be put into the scuttled cask, containing the
water for the crew to drink, on the upper deck. Happily these sore
throats yielded to the simplest remedies; and, at the end of March, we
had no-body upon the sick-list. Only four sailors were attacked by the
scurvy. About this time we got plenty of Bonitos and Great-ears
(_Grandes-Oreilles_); and, during eight or ten days, sufficient were
taken to afford one meal a-day for the crews of both ships.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Illustration:
CHART
_of the Discoveries_
in the
_SOUTH PACIFICK OCEAN,
made by_
M. de Bougainville.
_in 1768_.
_CONTINUATION
of the_
TRACK
_of the_
FRENCH SHIPS.
]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Sidenote: Meeting with the first isles.]
During March, we ran on the parallel of the first lands and isles marked
on the chart of M. Bellin, by the name of Quiros’s Isles. [Sidenote:
1768. March.] On the 21st we caught a tunny, in whose belly we found
same little fish, not yet digested, of such species as never go to any
distance from the shore. This was a sign of the vicinity of land.
Indeed, the 22d, at six in the morning, we saw at once four little
isles, bearing S. S. E. ½E. and a little isle about four leagues west.
[Sidenote: Observations on one of these isles.] The four isles I called
_les quatre Facardins_; and as they were too far to windward, I stood
for the little isle a-head of us. As we approached it, we discovered
that it is surrounded with a very level sand, and that all the interior
parts of it are covered with thick woods, above which the cocoa-trees
raise their fertile heads. The sea broke much to the N. and S. and a
great swell beating all along the eastern side, prevented our access to
this isle in that part. However, the verdure charmed our eyes, and the
cocoa-trees every where exposed their fruits to our sight, and
over-shadowed a grass-plot adorned with flowers; thousands of birds were
hovering about the shore, and seemed to announce a coast abounding in
fish, and we all longed for a descent. We thought this would be easy on
the western-side; and we ran along the coast at the distance of about
two miles. We saw the sea break on every side with equal force, without
a single harbour or creek, which might serve for shelter, or stem the
force of the sea. Thus losing all hopes of landing there, unless at the
evident risk of having our boats staved to pieces, we resumed our course
again, when some of our people cried out, that they saw three men
running to the sea-shore. [Sidenote: It is inhabited, notwithstanding
its small size.] We should never have thought that so small an isle
could be inhabited; and my first conjectures were, that some Europeans
must certainly have been shipwrecked upon it. I presently gave orders to
lay-to; as I was determined to do all I could to save them. These men
were returned into the woods; but soon after they came out again,
fifteen or twenty in number, and advanced very fast; they were naked,
and bore very long pikes, which they brandished against the ships, with
signs of threatening; after this bravado, they retired to the woods,
where we could distinguish their huts, by means of our glasses. These
men seemed very tall, and of a bronze colour—Who can give an account of
the manner in which they were conveyed hither, what communications they
have with other beings, and what becomes of them when they multiply on
an isle, which has no more than a league in diameter? I called it _Isle
des Lanciers_[93]. Being less than a league to the N. E. of this isle, I
made the signal to the Etoile to sound; she did so with a line of two
hundred fathom, without finding any bottom.
[Sidenote: Farther meeting with islands.]
From that day we always shortened sail at night, fearing to meet all at
once some of these low-lands, to which it is so dangerous to come near.
We were obliged to bring-to[94], during a part of the night, between the
22d and 23d; as we had a storm, with very high wind, rain, and thunder.
At day-break we saw land, bearing from us, from N. E. b. N. to N. N. W.
We stood for it, and at eight o’clock were about three leagues from its
eastermost point. Then, though it was somewhat hazy, we perceived
breakers along this coast, which appeared very low, and covered with
trees: therefore, we stood out to sea again, waiting for the fair
weather to allow us to come nearer the coast at a less risk; this we
were able to do towards ten o’clock. Being only one league off the
island, we ran along it, endeavouring to find a proper landing-place; we
could not find bottom with 120 fathom. A bar, over which the sea broke
with great violence, lay along the whole coast; and we soon discovered,
that this island is formed by two very narrow slips of land, which join
at the N. W. end, and leave an opening to the S. E. between their
extremities. [Sidenote: Description of the largest of these isles.] The
middle of this isle is therefore occupied by the sea, in all its length,
which is about ten or twelve leagues S. E. and N. W. so that it appears
like a very oblong horse-shoe, whereof the opening or entrance is at S.
E.
The two necks of land are so very narrow, that we could perceive the sea
beyond the most northerly one. They seem composed of nothing but sandy
downs, interspersed with low grounds, without either trees or verdure.
The higher downs are covered with cocoa-nut and other lesser trees,
which were very shady. After noon we saw periaguas in the kind of lake
which this island forms; some sailing, others paddling. The savages in
them were naked. In the evening we saw a great number of these islanders
along the coast. They likewise seemed to have such long lances as the
inhabitants of the first island threatened us with. We had not yet found
any place where our canoes could land. The sea foamed every where with
equal violence. Night interrupted our researches; we passed it plying
under our top-sails; and not discovering any landing-place, on the 24th
in the morning, we continued our course, and left this inaccessible
island; which, on account of its figure, I called _Harp Island_. I
question whether this extraordinary land is rising and encreasing, or
whether it is decaying? How was it peopled? Its inhabitants appeared to
us tall and well proportioned. I admire their courage, if they live
unconcerned on these little slips of sand, which are exposed to be
buried in the sea every moment by a hurricane.
[Sidenote: First division: _Dangerous Archipelago_.]
The same day, at five in the afternoon, we saw another land, about seven
or eight leagues distant; the uncertainty of its position, the
inconstant squally and tempestuous weather, and the obscurity of the
night obliged us to stand off and on. The 25th, in the morning, we came
near the land, which we found to be another very low island, extending
S. E. and N. W. about twenty-four leagues. We continued till the 27th to
sail between low and partly overflowed islands, four of which we
examined, all of the same nature, and all inaccessible, and not
deserving that we should lose our time in visiting them. I gave the name
of _Dangerous Archipelago_ to this cluster of islands; of which we saw
eleven, and which are probably more numerous. It is very dangerous
sailing amidst these low isles, surrounded with breakers and shoals;
where it is necessary, especially at night, to use the utmost
precaution.
[Sidenote: Error in the chart of this part of the Pacific Ocean.]
I determined to stand more southerly, in order to get clear of these
dangerous parts. Indeed, on the 28th, we ceased to see the land. Quiros,
discovered first, in 1606, the south end of this chain of islands, which
extend W. N. W. and among which admiral Roggewein found himself engaged
in 1722, in about 15° lat. he called them the _Labyrinth_. Upon the
whole, I know not on what grounds our geographers lay down after these
isles, a beginning of land seen, as they say, by Quiros; and to which
they give seventy leagues of extent. All that can be inferred from the
Journal of this navigator is, that the first place he _landed_ at, after
his departure from Peru, was eight leagues in extent. But far from
considering it as a considerable coast, he says, that the savages who
inhabit it, gave him to understand, that he should find great countries
in his way[95]. If any considerable land existed hereabouts, we could
not fail meeting with it; as the least latitude we were hitherto arrived
at, was 17° 40′ S. which is the same that Quiros observed on this very
coast, whereof the geographers have been pleased to make a great
continent.
I agree, that it is difficult to conceive such a number of low islands,
and almost drowned lands, without supposing a continent near it. But
Geography is a science of facts; in studying it, authors must by no
means give way to any system, formed in their studies, unless they would
run the risk of being subject to very great errors, which can be
rectified only at the expence of navigators.
[Sidenote: Astronomical observations,
compared with my reckoning.]
Mr. Verron, in March, gave me three observations of longitude. The
first, taken by Hadley’s octant, on the 3d in the afternoon, was only
21′ 30″ different from my reckoning, I being so much to the westward of
the observed longitude. The second, made by the megameter, and reduced
to noon of the 10th, differed considerably from my reckoning, as my
computed longitude was 3° 6′ more westward than that taken by
observation. On the contrary, from the result of the third observation,
taken with the octant on the 27th, my reckoning agreed within 39′ 15″,
which he found I was more eastward than his longitude. It must be
observed, that since my leaving the straits of Magalhaens, I have always
followed the longitude of my departure, without correcting it in the
least, or making use of the observations.
[Sidenote: Meteorological observations.]
The thermometer[96] constantly kept between 19° and 20°, during this
month, and even near the land. Towards the end of the month, we had five
days west winds, with squalls and storms, which succeeded each other
almost without interruption. It rained continually; and the scurvy made
its appearance on eight or ten persons of the crew. Moistness is one of
the most powerful causes of this disease. [Sidenote: Advantageous use of
lemonade-powder at sea.] Each sailor got daily a pint of lemonade,
prepared with a kind of powder, called powder of _faciot_; which we made
great use of, during the course of this voyage. [Sidenote: Water
deprived of its salt.] On the third of March I had likewise begun to
make use of the distilling apparatus of M. Poissonier; and we continued
till we arrived at New Britain to make use of the sea-water, which was
by this means deprived of its salt; employing it in broth, and in
boiling meat and legumes. The supply of water it procured us, during
this long run, was a very great resource. [Sidenote: 1768. April.] We
lighted our fire at five in the evening, and put it out by five or six
in the morning, making above a barrel of water every night. By way of
sparing our fresh water, we always kneaded our bread with salt water.
[Sidenote: Second division of lands; Archipelago of Bourbon.]
The second of April, at ten in the morning, we perceived, to the N. N.
E. a high and very sleep mountain, seemingly surrounded by the sea. I
called it the _Boudoir_, or the _Peak of the Boudeuse_. [Sidenote: Sight
of Taiti.] We stood to the northward, in order to make it plain, when we
saw another land, bearing W. by N. the coast of which was not so high,
but afforded an indeterminate extent to our eyes. We had a very urgent
necessity for touching at some place where we might get refreshments and
wood, and we flattered ourselves to find them on this land. It was a
calm almost the whole day. In the evening a breeze sprung up, and we
stood towards the land till two in the morning, when we stood off shore
again, for three hours together. The sun rose obscured by clouds and
haze; and it was nine o’clock in the morning before we could see the
land again, its southermost point then bearing W. by N. We could no
longer see the peak of the Boudeuse, but from the mast-head. The wind
blew N. and N. N. E. and we stood as close upon it as we could, in order
to fall into windward of the island. As we came nearer we saw, beyond
its northermost point, a distant land, still further to northward,
without our being able at that time to distinguish whether it joined to
the first isle, or whether it formed a second.
[Sidenote: Manœuvres in order to land there.]
During the night, between the third and fourth, we turned to windward,
in order to get more to the northward. With joy we saw fires burning on
every part of the coast, and from thence concluded that it was
inhabited.
The 4th, at day-break, we discovered that the two lands, which before
appeared separate, were united together by a low land, which was bent
like a bow, and formed a bay open to the N. E. We run with all sails set
towards the land, standing to windward of this bay, when we perceived a
periagua coming from the offing, and standing for the land, and making
use of her sail and paddles. She passed athwart us, and joined a number
of others, which sailed a-head of us, from all parts of the island. One
of them went before all the rest; it was manned by twelve naked men, who
presented us with branches of bananas; and their demonstrations
signified that this was their olive-branch. [Sidenote: First traffic
with these islanders.] We answered them with all the signs of friendship
we could imagine; they then came along side of our ship; and one of
them, remarkable for his prodigious growth of hair, which stood like
bristles divergent on his head, offered us, together with his branch of
peace, a little pig, and a cluster of bananas. We accepted his present,
which he fastened to a rope that was thrown over to him; we gave him
caps and handkerchiefs; and these first presents were the pledges of our
alliance with these people.
The two ships were soon surrounded with more than an hundred periaguas
of different sizes, all which had outriggers. They were laden with
cocoa-nuts, bananas, and other fruits of the country. The exchange of
these fruits, which were delicious to us, was made very honestly for all
sorts of trifles; but without any of the islanders venturing to come
aboard. We were obliged either to come into their periaguas, or shew
them at a distance what we offered in exchange; when both parties were
agreed, a basket or a net was let down by a rope; they put their goods
in it, and so we did ours; giving before they had received, or receiving
before they gave indifferently, with a kind of confidence, which made us
conceive a good opinion of their character. We further saw no kind of
arms in their periaguas, in which there were no women at this first
interview. The periaguas kept along-side of the ships, till the approach
of night obliged us to stand off shore, when they all retired.
We endeavoured, during night, to go to the northward, never standing
further than three leagues from the land. All the shore was, till near
midnight, covered as the night before, with little fires at a short
distance from each other: it seemed as if it was an illumination made on
purpose, and we accompanied it with several sky-rockets from both our
ships.
[Sidenote: Description of the coast as seen from the offing.]
The 5th we spent in plying, in order to work to windward of the island,
and in letting the boats sound for an anchoring-place. The aspect of
this coast, elevated like an amphitheatre, offered us the most
enchanting prospect. Notwithstanding the great height of the mountains,
none of the rocks has the appearance of barrenness; every part is
covered with woods. We hardly believed our eyes, when we saw a peak
covered with trees, up to its solitary summit, which rises above the
level of the mountains, in the interior parts of the southermost quarter
of the island. Its apparent size seemed to be no more than of thirty
toises in diameter, and grew less in breadth as it rose higher. At a
distance it might have been taken for a pyramid of immense height, which
the hand of an able sculptor had adorned with garlands and foliage. The
less elevated lands are interspersed with meadows and little woods; and
all along the coast there runs a piece of low and level land, covered
with plantations, touching on one side the sea, and on the other
bordering the mountainous parts of the country. Here we saw the houses
of the islanders amidst bananas, cocoa-nut, and other trees loaded with
fruit.
As we ran along the coast, our eyes were struck with the sight of a
beautiful cascade, which came from the tops of the mountains, and poured
its foaming waters into the sea. A village was situated at the foot of
this cascade, and there appeared to be no breakers in this part of the
coast. We all wished to be able to anchor within reach of this beautiful
spot; we were constantly sounding aboard the ships, and our boats took
soundings close under the shore; but we found a bottom of nothing but
rocks in this port, and were forced to go in search of another
anchorage.
[Sidenote: Continuation of the traffic with the islanders.]