The _Mercury_ set sail on the 28th of April, 1821, to convey Freycinet

and his crew to the port of Rio de Janeiro. But one point Captain

Galvin had failed to take into his reckoning,--his ship, equipped under

the flag of the Independent State of Buenos Ayres, then at war with the

Portuguese, would be seized on entering the harbour of Rio, and he

himself with all his crew would be made prisoners. On this he

endeavoured to make Freycinet cancel the engagement between them,

hoping to prevail on him to land at Monte Video. But as Freycinet would

not agree to this proposal on any ground, a new contract had to be

substituted for the original one. According to the latter arrangement

Freycinet became proprietor of the _Mercury_ on behalf of the French

navy by payment of the sum stipulated under the first contract. The

ship was renamed the _Physicienne_, and reached Monte Video on the 8th

of May, where the command was taken over by Freycinet. The stay at

Monte Video was made use of for arming the vessel, arranging its trim,

repairing the rigging, taking on board the supply of water and

provisions requisite for the trip to Rio de Janeiro; before reaching

which port, however, several serious defects in the ship had been

discovered. The appearance of the _Physicienne_ was so distinctly

mercantile that on entering the port of Rio, though the flag of a

man-of-war was flying at the masthead, the customs officers were

deceived and proposed to inspect her as a merchant-vessel. Extensive

repairs were absolutely necessary, and the making of them compelled

Freycinet to remain at Rio until the 18th of September. He was then

able to take his departure direct for France; and on the 13th of

November, 1820, he cast anchor in the port of Havre, after an absence

of three years and two months, during which time he had sailed over

18,862 nautical miles.

A few days after his return, Freycinet proceeded to Paris, suffering

from a severe illness, and forwarded to the secretary of the Academy of

Sciences the scientific records of the voyage, which made no less than

thirty-one quarto volumes. At the same time, the naturalists attached

to the expedition, MM. Quoy, Gaimard, and Gaudichaud, submitted the

specimens which they had collected. Among these were four previously

unknown species of mammiferous animals, forty-five of fishes, thirty of

reptiles, besides rare kinds of molluscs, polypes, annelides, &c., &c.

The rules of the French service required that Freycinet should be

summoned before a council of war to answer for the loss of his ship.

The trial terminated in a unanimous verdict of acquittal from all

blame, the council expressing at the same time their hearty

acknowledgment of the energy and ability displayed by the commander,

approving, moreover, the skilful and careful measures he had taken to

remedy the disastrous results of his shipwreck. A few days after, being

received by the king, Louis XVIII., his Majesty, accompanying him to

the door, said, "You entered here the captain of a frigate, you depart

the captain of a ship of the line. Offer me no thanks; reply in the

words used by Jean Bart to Louis XIV., 'Sire, you have done well!'"

From that time Freycinet devoted himself entirely to the task of

publishing the notes of his travels. The meagre account which has been

given here will serve to show how extensive these notes were. But the

extreme conscientiousness of the explorer prevented him from publishing

anything which was not complete, and he was bent on placing his work in

advance of the recognized boundaries of knowledge at that date. Even

the mere classification of the vast quantity of material which he had

collected during his voyage demanded a large expenditure of time. Thus

it was that when surprised by death on the 18th of August, 1842, he had

not put the last finishing touch to one of the most curious and novel

divisions of his work, that relating to the languages of Oceania with

special reference to that of the Marianne Islands.

At the close of the year 1821 the Marquis de Clermont Tonnerre, then

Minister of Marine, received the scheme of a new voyage from two young

officers, MM. Duperrey and Dumont d'Urville. The former, second in

command to Freycinet on board the _Uranie_, after having rendered

valuable assistance to the expedition by his scientific researches and

surveys, had within the year returned to France; the other, the

colleague of Captain Garnier, had brought himself into notice during

the hydrographical cruises in the Mediterranean and Black Seas, which

it had fallen to Captain Garnier to complete. He had a fine taste for

botany and art, and had been one of the first to draw attention to the

artistic value of the Venus of Milos which had just been discovered.

These two young _savants_ proposed in the plan submitted by them to

make special researches into three departments of natural

science--magnetism, meteorology, and the configuration of the globe.

"In the geographical department," said Duperrey, "we would propose to

verify or to rectify, either by direct, or by chronometrical

observations, the position of a great number of points in different

parts of the globe, especially among the numerous island groups of the

Pacific Ocean, notorious for shipwrecks, and so remarkable for the

character and the form of the shoals, sandbanks, and reefs, of which

they in part consist; also to trace new routes through the Dangerous

Archipelago and the Society Islands, side by side with those taken by

Quiros, Wallis, Bougainville, and Cook; to carry on hydrographical

surveys in continuation of those made in the voyages of D'Entrecasteaux

and of Freycinet in Polynesia, New Holland, and the Molucca Islands;

and particularly to visit the Caroline Islands, discovered by Magellan,

about which, with the exception of the eastern side, examined in our

own time by Captain Kotzebue, we have only very vague information,

communicated by the missionaries, and by them learnt from stories told

by savages who had lost their way and were driven in their canoes upon

the Marianne Islands. The languages, character, and customs of these

islanders must also receive special and careful attention."

The naval doctors, Garnon and Lesson, were placed in charge of the

natural history department, whilst the staff was composed of officers

most remarkable for their scientific attainments, among whom may be

mentioned MM. Lesage, Jacquinot, Berard, Lottin, De Blois, and De

Blosseville.

The Academy of Sciences took up the plan of research submitted by the

originators of this expedition with much enthusiasm, and furnished them

with minute instructions, in which were set forth with care the points

on which accurate scientific information was especially desirable. At

the same time the instruments supplied to the explorers were the most

finished and complete of their kind.

The vessel chosen for the expedition was the _Coquille_, a small ship,

not drawing more than from twelve to thirteen feet of water, which was

lying in ordinary at Toulon. The time spent in refitting, stowing the

cargo, arming the ship, prevented the expedition from starting earlier

than the 11th of August, 1822. The island of Teneriffe was reached on

the 28th of the same month, and there the officers hoped to be able to

make a few gleanings after the rich harvest of knowledge which their

predecessors had reaped; but the Council of Health in the island,

having received information of an outbreak of yellow fever on the

shores of the Mediterranean, imposed on the _Coquille_ a quarantine of

fifteen days. It happened, however, that at that period political

opinion was in a state of fervid excitement at Teneriffe, and party

spirit ran so high in society that the inhabitants found it hard to

come together without also coming to blows. Under these circumstances

it is easy to imagine that the French officers did not indulge in

violent regrets over the privations which they had to sustain. The

eight days during which their stay at Teneriffe lasted were given up

exclusively to the revictualling of the ship, and to magnetic and

astronomical observations.

Towards the end of September anchor was weighed, and on the 6th of

October the work of surveying the islands of Martin-Vaz and of Trinidad

was commenced. The former are nothing more than bare rocks rising out

of the sea, of a most forbidding aspect. The island of Trinidad is high

land, rugged and barren, with a few trees crowning the southern point.

This island is none other than the famous Ascencao--now called

Ascension--which for three centuries had been the object of exploring

research. In 1700 it was taken possession of by the celebrated Halley

in the name of the English Government, but it had to be ceded to the

Portuguese, who formed a settlement there. La Perouse found it still in

existence at the same place in 1785. The settlement, which turned out

expensive and useless, was abandoned a short time after the visit just

referred to, and the island was left in the occupation of the dogs,

pigs, and goats, whose progenitors had entered the island in company

with the early colonists.

When he left the island of Trinidad, Duperrey purposed to steer a

direct course for the Falkland Islands; but an accidental damage, in

the repair of which no time was to be lost, compelled him to alter his

course for the island of St. Catherine, where only he could obtain

without any delay the wood required for new yards and masts, as well as

provisions, which from their abundance could there be bought very

cheap. As he drew near to the island he was delighted with the grand

and picturesque scene presented by its dense forests, where

laurel-trees, sassafras, cedars, orange-trees, and mangroves

intermingled with banana and other palms, with their feathery foliage

waving gracefully in the breeze. Just four days before the corvette

anchored off St. Catherine, Brazil had cast off the authority of the

mother-country, and declared its independence by the proclamation of

Prince Don Pedro d'Alcantara as Emperor. This led the commander to

despatch a mission consisting of MM. d'Urville, de Blosseville, Gabert,

and Garnot to the capital of the island, Nossa-Senhora-del-Desterro, to

make inquiries about the political change, and learn how far it might

modify the friendly relations of the country with France. It appeared

that the administration of the province was in the hands of a Junto,

but orders were at once given to allow the French travellers to cut

what wood they might stand in need of, and the Governor of the Fort of

Santa Cruz was requested to further the scientific inquiries of the

Expedition by all the means at his command. As to provisions, however,

there was considerable difficulty, for the merchants had transferred

their funds to Rio, in apprehension of what the political change might

result in. It is probable that this circumstance accounts for the

commander of the _Coquille_ finding the course of business not run

smooth in a port which had received the warm recommendations of

Captains Kruzenstern and Kotzebue.

The narrative of the travellers states that "the inhabitants were

living in expectation of the island being shortly attacked with the

view to recolonization, which they considered would be tantamount to

their enslavement. The decree issued on the 1st August, 1822, calling

on all Brazilians to arm themselves for the defence of their shores and

proclaiming under all circumstances a war of partisans had given rise

to these fears. The measures which Prince Don Pedro propounded were

equally generous and vigorous, and had created a favourable opinion of

his character and of his desire to promote freedom. Full of confidence

in his purposes, the strong party in favour of independence were filled

with enthusiasm expressing itself all the more boisterously as for so

long a time their fervid aspirations had been kept under restraint.

They now gave open demonstration of their joy by making the towns of

Nossa-Senhora-del-Desterro, Laguna, and San Francisco one blaze of

light with their illuminations, and marching through the streets

singing verses in honour of Don Pedro."

But the excitement which had been thus strikingly manifested in the

towns was not shared by the quiet peace-loving dwellers in the rural

districts, to whose breasts political passion was an entire stranger.

And there cannot be a doubt that, if Portugal had been in a position to

enforce her decrees by the despatch of a fleet, the province would have

been easily reconquered.

The _Coquille_ set sail again on the 30th October. When to the east of

Rio de la Plata she was caught in one of those formidable gales, there

called _pampero_, but had the good fortune to weather it without

sustaining any damage.

While in this part of the ocean Duperrey made some interesting

observations on the current of the Plate River. Freycinet had already

established the fact of its flowing at the rate of two miles and a half

an hour, at a distance of a hundred leagues to the east of Monte Video.

It was reserved to the commander of the _Coquille_ to ascertain that

the current is sensibly felt at a much greater distance; he proved

moreover that the water of the river resisted by that of the ocean is

forcibly divided into two branches running in the direction of the two

banks of the river at its mouth; and finally he accounts for the

comparative shallowness of the sea down to the shores of the Magellan

Strait by the immense residuum of earth held in suspension by the

waters of the La Plata and deposited daily along the coast of South

America.

Before entering Berkeley Sound the _Coquille_, driven by a favourable

breeze, passed immense shoals of whales and dolphins, flocks of gulls

and numerous flying fish, the ordinary tenants of those tempestuous

regions. The Falkland Isles were reached, and Duperrey with a few of

his fellow-travellers felt a lively pleasure at revisiting the land

which had been to them a place of refuge for three months after their

shipwreck in the _Uranie_. They paid a visit to the spot where the camp

had been pitched. The remains of the corvette were almost entirely

imbedded in sand, and what was visible of it bore marks of the

appropriations which had been made by the whalers who had followed them

in that place. On all sides were scattered miscellaneous fragments,

carronades with the knobs broken off, pieces of the rigging, tattered

clothes, shreds of sails, unrecognizable rags, mingled with the bones

of the animals which the castaways had killed for food. "This scene of

our recent calamity," Duperrey observes, "wore an aspect of desolation

which was rendered still gloomier by the barrenness of the land and the

dark rainy weather prevailing at the time of our visit. Nevertheless,

it had for us an inexplicable sort of attraction and left a melancholy

impression on our minds, which was not effaced till long after we had

left the Falkland Islands well behind us."

[Illustration: The wreck of the _Uranie_.]

The stay of Duperrey at the Falklands was prolonged to the 17th

December. He took up his residence in the midst of the ruins of the

settlement founded by Bougainville, in order to execute certain repairs

which the condition of his vessel required. The crew provided

themselves by fishing and hunting with an ample supply of food;

everything necessary was found in abundance, except fruit and

vegetables; and having laid in abundant stores, all prepared to

confront the dangers of the passage round Cape Horn.

At first the _Coquille_ had to struggle against strong winds from the

south-west and violent currents; these were succeeded by squalls and

hazy weather until the island of Mocha was reached on the 19th January,

1823. Of this island a brief mention has already been made. Duperrey

places it in 38 degrees 20 minutes 30 seconds S. lat., and 76 degrees

21 minutes 55 seconds W. long., and reckons it to be about twenty-four

miles in circumference. Consisting of a chain of mountains of moderate

elevation, sloping down towards the sea, it was the rendezvous of the

early explorers of the Pacific. It furnished the ships touching there,

now a merchantman, now a pirate, with horses and with wild pigs, the

flesh of which had a well-known reputation for delicacy of flavour.

Here was also a good supply of pure fresh water, as well as of some

European fruits, such as apples, peaches, and cherries, the growth of

trees planted here by those who first took possession of the island. In

1823, however, these resources had all but disappeared, through the

wasteful practices of improvident whalers. At no great distance might

be seen the two round eminences which mark the mouth of the river

Bio-Bio, the small island of Quebra-Ollas, and that of Quiriquina, and,

these passed, the Bay of Conception opened to view, where was a

solitary English whaler about to double the Cape, to which was

entrusted the correspondence for home, as well as the notes of the work

that had already been accomplished.

On the day after the arrival of the _Coquille_, as soon as the morning

sun had lit up the bay, the melancholy and desolate appearance of the

place, which had taken every one by surprise on the previous evening,

became still more depressing. The name of the town was Talcahuano; and

the picture it presented was one of houses in ruins and silent streets.

A few wretched canoes, ready to fall to pieces, were on the beach; near

them loitered a few poorly clad fishermen; while in front of the

tumble-down cottages and roofless huts sat women in rags employed in

combing one another's hair. In contrast with this human squalor, the

surrounding hills and woods, the gardens and the orchards, were clothed

in the most splendid foliage; on every side flowers displayed their

gorgeous colours, and fruits proclaimed their ripeness in tints of

gold.

Overhead a glowing sun, a sky without a cloud, completed the bitter

irony of the spectacle. All this ruin, desolation, and wretchedness

were the outward and visible signs of a series of revolutions. At St.

Catherine the French travellers had been witnesses of the declaration

of Brazilian independence; on the opposite side of the continent they

were spectators of the downfall of Director O'Higgins. This official

had evaded the summons of the Congress, had sacrificed the interests of

the agricultural community to those of the traders and merchants, by

the imposition of direct taxes and the lowering of customs duties; was

openly accused, as well as his ministers, of peculation; and as the

result of all this malversation the greater part of the population had

risen in revolt. The movement against O'Higgins was led by a General D.

Ramon Freire y Serrano, who gave formal assurances to the explorers

that the political disturbance should be no impediment to the

revictualling of the _Coquille_.

On the 26th January two corvettes arrived at Conception. They brought a

regiment under the command of a French official, Colonel Beauchef, who

came to assist General Freire. The regiment, which had been organized

by the exertions of Colonel Beauchef, was in point of steadiness,

discipline, and knowledge of drill, one of the smartest in the Chilian

army.

On the 2nd February the officers of the _Coquille_ proceeded to

Conception, to pay a visit to General Freire. The nearer they

approached the city the more fields were lying waste, the more ruined

houses were seen, the fewer people were visible, while their clothing

had almost reached the vanishing-point. At the entrance of the town

itself stood a mast, with the head of a notorious bandit affixed to the

top, one Benavidez, a ferocious savage, more wild beast than man, whose

name was long execrated in Chili for the horrible atrocities he had

committed.

The interior of the town was found as desolate in appearance as the

approach to it. Having been set fire to by each party that had

successively been victorious, Conception was nothing more than a heap

of ruins, amongst which loitered a little remnant of scantily clothed

inhabitants, the wretched residuum of a once flourishing population.

Grass was growing in the streets, the bishop's palace and the cathedral

were the only buildings still standing, and these, roofless and gutted,

would not be able much longer to resist the dilapidating influence of

the climate.

General Freire, before placing himself in opposition to O'Higgins, had

arranged a peace with the Araucanians, an indigenous tribe

distinguished for their bravery, who had not only maintained their own

independence but were always ready, when opportunity offered, to

encroach on the Spanish territory. Some of these natives were employed

as auxiliary troops in the Chilian army. Duperrey saw them, and, having

obtained from General Freire and Colonel Beauchef trustworthy

information, has given a not very flattering description of them, of

which the substance shall be here given.

The Araucanians are of an ordinary stature, in complexion

copper-coloured, with small, black, vivacious eyes, a rather flat nose,

and thick lips; the result of which is an expression of brutal

ferocity. Divided into tribes, each one jealous of another, all

animated by an unbridled lust of plunder, and ever on the move, their

lives are spent in perpetual warfare. The mounted Araucanian is armed

with a long lance, a long cutlass, sabre-shaped, called a

"_Machete_,"[5] and the lasso, in the use of which they are extremely

expert, while the horse he rides is usually swift.

[Footnote 5: This is a weapon shorter than a sword and longer than a

dagger.--_Trans._]

"Sometimes they are known," says Duperrey, "to receive under their

protection vanquished enemies and become their defenders; but the

motive prompting them to this seemingly generous conduct is always one

of special vindictiveness; the fact being that their real object is the

total extermination of some tribe allied with the opposite party. Among

themselves hatred is the ruling passion; it is the only enduring bond

of fidelity. All display undoubted courage, spirit, recklessness,

implacability towards their enemies, whom they massacre with a shocking

insensibility. Haughty in manner and revengeful in disposition, they

treat all strangers with unqualified suspicion, but they are hospitable

and generous to all whom they take as friends. All their passions are

easily excited, but they are inordinately sensitive with regard to

their liberty and their rights, which they are ever ready to defend

sword in hand. Never forgetting an injury, they know not how to

forgive; nothing less than the life-blood of their enemies can quench

their thirst for vengeance."

Duperrey pledges himself to the truth of the picture which he has here

drawn of these savage children of the Andes, who at least deserve the

credit of having from the sixteenth century to the present day managed

to preserve their independence against the attacks of all invaders.

After the departure of General Freire, and the troops he led away with

him, Duperrey took advantage of the opportunity to get his vessel

provisioned as quickly as possible. The water and the biscuits were

soon on board; but longer time was necessary to procure supplies of

coal, which, however, was to be got without any other expense save that

of paying the muleteers, who transported it to the beach from a mine

scarcely beneath the level of the earth, where it was to be picked up

for nothing.

Although the events happening at Conception during the detention there

of the _Coquille_ were far from being cheerful, the prevailing

depression could not hold out against the traditional festivities of

the Carnival. Dinners, receptions, and balls recommenced, and the

departure of the troops made itself felt only in the paucity of

cavaliers. The French officers, in acknowledgment of the hospitable

welcome offered to them, gave two balls at Talcahuano, and several

families came from Conception for the sole purpose of being present at

them.

Unfortunately, Duperrey's narrative breaks off at the date of his

quitting Chili, and there is no longer any official record from which

to gather the details of a voyage so interesting and successful. Far

from being able to trace step by step from original documents the

course of the expedition, as has been done in the case of other

travellers, we are obliged in our turn to epitomize other epitomes now

lying before us. It is an unpleasing task; as little agreeable to the

reader as it is difficult for the writer, who, while bound to respect

facts, is no longer able to enliven his narrative with personal

observations, and the generally lively stories of the travellers

themselves. However, some few of the letters of the navigator to the

Minister of Marine have been published, from which have been extracted

the following details.

On the 15th February, 1823, the _Coquille_ set sail from Conception for

Payta, the place where, in 1595, Alvarez de Mendana and Fernandez de

Quiros took ship on the voyage of discovery that has made their names

famous; but after a fortnight's sail the corvette was becalmed in the

vicinity of the island of Laurenzo, and Duperrey resolved to put in at

Callao to obtain fresh provisions. It need not be said that Callao is

the port of Lima; so the officers could not lose the opportunity of

paying a visit to the capital of Peru. They were not fortunate in the

time of their visit. The ladies were away for sea-bathing at

Miraflores, and the men of most distinction in the place had gone with

them. The travellers were thus compelled to rest content with an

inspection of the chief residences and public buildings of the city,

returning to Callao on the 4th March. On the 9th of the same month the

_Coquille_ anchored at Payta.

The situation of this place between the terrestrial and magnetic

equators was most favourable for conducting observations on the

variations of the magnetic needle. The naturalists also made excursions

to the desert of Pierra, where they collected specimens of petrified

shells imbedded in a tertiary stratum precisely similar to that in the

suburbs of Paris. As soon as all the sources of scientific interest at

Payta had been exhausted the _Coquille_ resumed her voyage, setting

sail for Otaheite. During the sail thither a circumstance occurred

which might have materially delayed the progress of the expedition, if

not have led to its total destruction. On the night of the 22nd April,

the _Coquille_ being in the waters of the Dangerous Archipelago, the

officer of the watch all at once heard the sound of breakers dashing

over reefs. He immediately made the ship lie to, and at daybreak the

peril which had been escaped became manifest. At the distance of barely

a mile and a half from the corvette lay a low island, well wooded, and

fringed with rocks along its entire extent. A few people lived on it,

some of whom approached the vessel in a canoe, but none of them would

venture on board. Duperrey had to give up all thoughts of visiting the

island, which received the name of Clermont-Tonnerre. On all sides the

waves broke violently on the rocks, and he could do no more than coast

it from end to end at a little distance.

The next and following days some small islands of no note were

discovered, to which were given the names of Augier, Freycinet, and

Lostanges.

At length, as the sun rose on the 3rd May, the verdant shores and woody

mountains of Otaheite came in sight. Duperrey, like preceding visitors,

could not help noticing the thorough change which had been effected in

the manners and practices of the natives. Not a canoe came alongside

the _Coquille_. It was the hour of Divine worship when the corvette

entered the Bay of Matavai, and the missionaries had collected the

whole population of the island, to the number of seven thousand, inside

the principal church of Papahoa to discuss the articles of a new code

of laws. The Otaheitan orators, it seems, would not yield the palm to

those of Europe. There were not a few of them gifted with the valuable

talent of being able to talk for several hours without saying anything,

and to make an end of the most promising undertakings with the flowers

of their rhetoric. A description of one of these meetings is given by

D'Urville.

"M. Lejeune, the draughtsman of the expedition, went by himself to be

present at the meeting held the next day, when certain political

questions were submitted to the popular assembly. It lasted for several

hours, during which the chiefs took it in turn to speak. The most

brilliant speaker of the gathering was a chief called Tati. The chief

point of discussion was the imposition of an annual poll-tax at the

rate of five measures of oil per man. Then came a question as to the

taxes which were to be levied, whether they should be on behalf of the

king, or on behalf of the missionaries. After some time, we arrived at

the conclusion that the first question had been answered in the

affirmative; but that the second, the one relating to the missionaries,

had been postponed by themselves from a forecast of its probable

failure. About four thousand persons were present at this kind of

national congress."

Two months before, Otaheite had renounced the English flag, in order to

adopt one of its own, but that pacific revolution in no wise diminished

the confidence which the people placed in their missionaries. The

latter received the French travellers in a friendly manner, and

supplied them at the usual prices with the stores of which they stood

in need.

But what seemed especially curious in the reforms effected by the

missionaries was the total change in the behaviour of the women. From

being, according to the statements of Cook, Bougainville, and

contemporary explorers, compliant to an unheard of degree, they had

become most modest, reserved, and decently conducted; so that the whole

island wore the air of a convent, a revolution as amusing as it was

unnatural.

From Otaheite the _Coquille_ proceeded to the adjacent island of

Borabora, belonging to the same group, where European customs had been

adopted to the same extent; and on the 9th June, steering a westerly

course, made a survey in turn of the islands Salvage, Coa, Santa Cruz,

Bougainville, and Bouka; finally coming to an anchor in the harbour of

Praslin, on the coast of New Ireland, famous for its beautiful

waterfall. "The friendly relations which were established with the

natives there were the means of extending our knowledge of the human

race by the observation of some peculiarities which had not fallen

under the notice of preceding travellers." The sentence just quoted

from an abridged account appearing in the "Annals of Voyages," which

merely excites curiosity without satisfying it, causes us here to

express our regret that the original narrative of the voyage has not

been published in its entirety.

[Illustration: The waterfall of Port Praslin. (Fac-simile of early

engraving.)]

The student Porel de Blossville--the same who afterwards lost his life

with the _Lilloise_ in the Polar regions--undertook a journey to the

village of Praslin, in spite of all the means adopted by the savages to

deter him. When there he was shown a kind of temple, where several

ill-shaped, grotesque idols had been set up on a platform surrounded by

walls.

Great pains were taken to prepare a chart of St. George's Channel,

after which Duperrey paid a visit to the islands previously surveyed by

Schouten to the north-east of New Guinea. Three days--the 26th, 27th,

and 28th--were devoted to a survey of them. The explorer, after this,

searched ineffectually for the islands Stephen and De Carteret, and

after comparing his own route with that taken by D'Entrecasteaux in

1792, he came to the conclusion that this group must be identical with

that of Providence, discovered long since by Dampier.

On the 3rd of September the north cape of New Guinea was recognized.

Three days later the _Coquille_ entered the narrow and rocky harbour of

Offak on the north-west coast of Waigiou, one of the Papuan islands.

The only navigator who has mentioned this harbour is Forest. Duperrey

therefore felt unusual satisfaction at having explored a corner of the

earth all but untrodden by the foot of the European. It was also an

interesting fact for geographers that the existence of a southern bay,

separated from Offak by a very narrow isthmus, was established.

Two officers, MM. d'Urville and de Blossville, were employed in this

work, which MM. Berard, Lottin, and de Blois de la Calande connected

with that accomplished by Duperrey on the coast during the cruise of

the _Uranie_. This land was found to be particularly rich in vegetable

products, and D'Urville was able there to form the nucleus of a

collection as valuable for the novelty as the beauty of its specimens.

D'Urville and Lesson, full of curiosity to study the inhabitants, who

belonged to the Papuan race, started for the shore immediately after

the corvette arrived at the island in a boat manned with seven sailors.

They had already walked some distance in a deluge of rain, when all at

once they found themselves opposite a cottage built upon piles, and

covered over with leaves of the plane-tree.

Cowering amongst the bushes, at a little distance, was a young female

savage, who seemed to be watching them. A few paces nearer was a heap

of about a dozen cocoa-nuts freshly gathered, placed well in sight,

apparently intended for the refreshment of the visitors. The Frenchmen

came to understand that this was a present offered by the youthful

savage of whom they had caught a glimpse, and proceeded to feast on the

fruits so opportunely placed at their disposal. The native girl, soon

gathering confidence from the quiet behaviour of the strangers, came

forward, crying, "_Bongous!_" (good!), making signs to show that the

cocoa-nuts had been presented by herself. Her delicate attention was

rewarded by the gift of a necklace and earrings.

When D'Urville regained the boat he found a dozen Papuans playing,

eating, and seeming on the best possible terms with the boatmen. "In a

short time," he says, "they had surrounded me, repeating, '_Captain,

bongous_,' and offering various tokens of good will. These people are,

in general, of diminutive stature, their constitution is slight and

feeble; leprosy is a common disease among them; their voice is soft,

their behaviour grave, polite, and even marked with a certain air of

melancholy that is habitually characteristic of them."

[Illustration: Natives of New Guinea. (Fac-simile of early engraving.)]

Among the antique statues of which the Louvre is full, there is one of

Polyhymnia, which is celebrated above the rest for an expression of

melancholy pensiveness not usually found among the ancients. It is a

singular circumstance that D'Urville should have observed among the

Papuans the very expression of countenance distinguishing this antique

statue. On board the corvette another company of natives were

conducting themselves with a calmness and reserve, offering a marked

contrast to the usual manner of the greater part of the inhabitants of

the lands of Oceania.

The same impression was made on the French travellers during a visit

paid to the rajah of the island, as also during his return visit on

board the _Coquille_. In one of the villages on this southern bay was

observed a kind of temple, in which were to be seen several rudely

carved statues, painted over with various colours, and ornamented with

feathers and matting. It was quite impossible to obtain the slightest

information on the subject of the worship which the natives paid to

these idols.

The _Coquille_ set sail again on the 16th September, coasting along the

north side of the islands lying between Een and Yang, and after a brief

stay at Cayeli reached Amboyna, where the remarkably kind reception

given by M. Merkus, the governor of the Molucca Island, afforded the

staff an interval of rest from the continual labours of this

troublesome voyage. The 27th October saw the corvette again on its

course, steering towards Timor and westward of the Turtle and Lucepara

Islands. Duperrey next determined the position of the island of Vulcan;

sighted the islands of Wetter, Baba, Dog, Cambing, and finally,

entering the channel of Ombay, surveyed a large number of points in the

chain of islands stretching from Pantee and Ombay in the direction of

Java. After having made a chart of Java, and an ineffectual search for

the Trial Islands in the place usually assigned to them, Duperrey

steered for New Holland, but through contrary winds was not able to

sail along the western coast of the island. On the 10th January he at

length rounded Van Diemen's Island, and six days after that sighted the

lights of Port Jackson, coming to an anchor off Sydney the following

day.

The governor, Sir Thomas Brisbane, who had received previous intimation

of the arrival of the Expedition, gave the officers a cordial welcome,

forwarded with all the means at his command the revictualling of the

corvette, and rendered friendly assistance in the repairs which the

somewhat shattered condition of the ship rendered necessary. He also

provided means to enable MM. d'Urville and Lesson to make an excursion,

full of interest, beyond the Blue Mountains into the plain of Bathurst,

the resources of which were as yet but imperfectly known to Europeans.

Duperrey did not leave Australia until the 20th of March. On this

occasion he directed his course towards New Zealand, which had been

rather overlooked in former voyages. The vessel came to an anchor in

the Bay of Manawa, forming the southern part of the grand Bay of

Islands. Here the officers occupied their leisure in scientific and

geographical observations, and in making researches in natural history.

At the same time, the frequent intercourse of the explorers with the

natives threw quite a new light upon their manners, their religious

notions, their language, and on their attitude of hostility up to that

time to the teaching of the missionaries. What these savages most

appreciated in European civilization was well-finished weapons--of

which at that time they possessed a great quantity--for by their help

they were the better able to indulge their sanguinary instincts.

The stay of the _Coquille_ at New Zealand terminated on the 17th of

April, when a _detour_ was made northwards as far as Rotuma,

discovered, but not visited, by Captain Wilson in 1797. The

inhabitants, gentle and hospitable, took great pains to furnish the

navigators with the provisions they required. But it was not long

before the Frenchmen discovered that these gentle islanders, taking

advantage of the confidence which they had known how to create, had

carried off a number of articles that it afterwards cost much trouble

to make them restore. Stringent orders were given, and all thieves

caught in the act were flogged in the presence of their

fellow-countrymen, who, however, as well as the culprits themselves,

treated the affair only as a joke.

Among these savages four Europeans were observed, who had a long time

before deserted from the whale-ship _Rochester_. They were no better

clothed than the natives, and were tatooed and smeared with a yellow

powder after the native fashion; so that it would have been hard to

recognize them but for their white skins and more intelligent looks.

They were quite content with their lot, having married wives and reared

families at Rotuma, where, escaping the cares, the troubles, and the

difficulties of civilized life, they reckoned on ending their days in

comfort. One among them asked to be allowed to remain on board the

_Coquille_, a favour which Duperrey was ready to grant, but the chief

of the island was unwilling, until he learned that two convicts from

Port Jackson asked permission to stay on shore.

Although these people, hitherto little known, offered a most

interesting subject of study to the naturalists, it was necessary to

depart, so the _Coquille_ proceeded to survey the Coral Isles and St.

Augustin, discovered by Maurelle in 1781. Then came Drummond Island,

where the inhabitants, dark complexioned, with slight limbs, and

unintelligent faces, offered to exchange some triangular shells,

commonly called holy water cups, for knives and fishhooks; next the

islands of Sydenham and Henderville, where the inhabitants go entirely

naked; after them, Woolde, Hupper, Hall, Knox, Charlotte, Mathews,

which form the Gilbert Archipelago; and finally the Marshall and

Mulgrave groups.

On the 3rd of June Duperrey came in sight of the island of Ualan, which

had been discovered in 1804 by an American, Captain Croser. As it was

not marked upon any chart, the commander decided upon making an exact

and particular survey of it. No sooner had the anchor touched the

bottom than Duperrey, accompanied by some of his officers, made for the

shore. The inhabitants turned out to be a mild and obliging race, who

made their visitors presents of cocoa-nuts and the fruit of the

bread-tree, conducting them through most picturesque scenery to the

dwelling of their principal chief, or "Uross-ton," as he was called.

Dumont d'Urville has given the following sketch of the country through

which the travellers passed on their way to the residence of the chief.

"We glided calmly across a magnificent basin girdled in by a

well-wooded shore, the foliage a bright green. Behind us rose the lofty

hill-tops, carpeted with verdure, from which shot up the light and

graceful stems of the cocoa palms. Out of the sea to the front rose the

little island of Leilei, covered with the pretty cottages of the

islanders, and crowned with a verdant mound. If this pleasant prospect

be further brightened by a magnificent day, in a delicious climate,

some notion may be formed of the sensations we experienced as we

proceeded in a sort of triumphal procession, surrounded by a crowd of

simple, gentle, kind attendants."

The number of persons accompanying the boats D'Urville estimated at

about 800. On arriving before a neat and charming village, with well

paved streets, they divided themselves, the men standing on one side,

the women on the other, maintaining an impressive silence. Two chiefs

advanced, and taking the travellers by the hand, conducted them to the

dwelling of the "Uross-ton." The crowd, still silent, remained outside

while the Frenchmen entered the chief's house. The "Uross-ton" shortly

made his appearance, a pale and shrivelled old man, bowed down under

the weight of fourscore years. The Frenchmen politely rose on his

entering the room, but they were apprised by a whisper of disapproval

from those standing about that this was a violation of the local

etiquette. The crowd in front prostrated themselves on the ground. The

chiefs themselves could not withhold that mark of respect. The old man,

recovering from a momentary surprise at the boldness of the strangers,

called upon his subjects to keep silence, then seated himself near the

travellers. In return for the trifling presents which were made to him

and his wife, he vouchsafed marks of goodwill in the shape of slight

pats on the cheek, the shoulder, or the thigh. But the gratitude of

these sovereigns was expressed only by the gift of seven so-called

"_tots_"--probably pieces of cloth--four of which were of very fine

tissue.

[Illustration: Meeting with the Chief of Ualan.]

After the audience was over the travellers proceeded to look round the

village, where they were astonished to find two immense walls made of

coral, some blocks of which were of immense size and weight.

Notwithstanding a few acts of petty theft committed by the chiefs, the

ten days during which the expedition remained at the island passed

without disturbance; the good understanding on which the intercourse

between the Frenchmen and the Ualanese was based never suffered a

moment's interruption. Duperrey remarks that "it is easy to predict

that this island of Ualan will one day become of considerable

importance. It is situated in the midst of the Caroline group, in the

course of ships sailing from New Holland to China, and presents good

ports for careening vessels, ample supplies of water, and provisions of

various kinds. The inhabitants are generous and peaceably disposed, and

they will soon be in a position to supply a kind of food most essential

to sailors, from the progeny of the sows that we left with them, a gift

which excited a very lively gratitude."

Subsequent events, however, have not verified the forecast made by

Duperrey. Although a route from Europe to China, by the south of Van

Diemen's Island, passes near the coast of Ualan, the island is of

little more value now than it was fifty years ago. Steam has completely

revolutionized the conditions of navigation. Sailors at the

commencement of the century could not possibly foresee the radical

changes which the introduction of this agent would produce.

The _Coquille_ had not gone more than two days' sail from Ualan, when

on the 17th, 18th, and 23rd June were discovered several new islands,

which by the native inhabitants were called Pelelap, Takai, Aoura,

Ougai, and Mongoul. These are the groups usually called Mac-Askyll and

Duperrey, the people resembling those of Ualan, who, as well as those

of the Radak Islands, give to their chiefs the title of "Tamon."

On the 24th of the same month the _Coquille_ found herself in the

middle of the Hogoleu group, which Kotzebue had looked for in too high

a latitude, the commander recognizing their bearings by means of

certain names given by the natives, which were found entered in the

chart of Father Cantova. The hydrographical survey of this group,

contained within a circumference of at least thirty leagues, was

executed by M. Blois from the 24th to the 27th June. The islands are

for the most part high, terminating in volcanic peaks; but some are of

opinion, judging from the arrangement of the lagoon, that they are of

madreporic formation. They are tenanted by a race of diminutive,

badly-shaped people, subject moreover to repulsive complaints. If ever

the converse of the phrase _mens sana in corpore sano_ can find a just

application, it must be here, for these natives are low in the scale of

intelligence, and inferior by many degrees to the people of Ualan. Even

at that time foreign styles of dress appeared to have found their way

into the islands. Some of the people were wearing conical-shaped hats,

after the Chinese fashion; others had on garments of plaited straw,

with a hole in the middle to allow the head to pass through, reminding

one of the "Poncho" of the South American; but they held in contempt

such trumpery as looking-glasses, necklaces, or bells, asking rather

for axes and steel weapons, evidences of frequent intercourse with

Europeans.

The islands of Tamatan, Fanendik, and Ollap, called "The Martyrs" on

old maps, were next surveyed; afterwards an ineffectual search was made

for the islands of Namoureck and Ifelouk about the position assigned to

them by Arrowsmith and Malaspina; and then, by way of continuing the

exploration of the north side of New Guinea, the _Coquille_ put in at

the port of Dorei, on the south-east coast of the island, where a stay

was made until the 9th August.

Whether estimated by the addition made to natural history, or to

geography, or to astronomy, or to science in general, no more

profitable a sojourn could have been made than this. The indigenous

inhabitants of New Guinea belong to the purest race of Papuans. Their

dwellings are huts built upon piles, the entrance to them being made by

means of a piece of wood with notches cut in it to serve for steps;

this is drawn up into the interior every night. The natives dwelling on

the coast are always at war with those in the interior, the Harfous or

Arfakis negroes.

Guided by a young Papuan, D'Urville succeeded in making his way to the

place where these last-mentioned dwelt. He found them gentle,

hospitable, courteous creatures, not in the least like the portrait

drawn of them by their enemies.

After the stay at New Guinea, the _Coquille_ again sailed through the

Moluccas, put in for a short time at Sourabaya, upon the coast of Java,

and on the 30th October reached the islands of Bourbon and Mauritius.

At length, having on the way stopped at St. Helena, where the officers

paid a visit to the tomb of Napoleon, and at Ascension, where an

English colony had been established since 1815, the corvette entered

Marseilles on the 24th April, 1825, concluding a voyage that had

occupied thirty-one months and three days, over 24,894 nautical miles,

without the loss of a single life, or any cases of sickness, and

without any damage being sustained by the ship. A success in every way

so distinguished covered with glory the young commander of the

expedition and all its officers, who had manifested such untiring

energy in the prosecution of scientific inquiries, yielding a rich

harvest of valuable results.

Fifty-two charts and plans carefully drawn up; collections of natural

specimens of all kinds, both numerous and curious; copious

vocabularies, by the help of which it may be possible to throw new

light on the migrations of the Oceanic peoples; interesting

intelligence regarding the productions of the places visited; the

condition of commerce and industrial pursuits; observations relating to

the shape of the globe; magnetical, meteorological, and botanical

researches; such formed the bulk of the valuable freight of knowledge

brought home by the _Coquille_. The scientific world waited eagerly for

the time when this store of information should be thrown open to the

public.

II.

Expedition of Baron de Bougainville--Stay at Pondicherry--The "White

Town" and the "Black Town"--"Right-hand" and "Left-hand"--Malacca--

Singapore and its prosperity--Stay at Manilla--Touron Bay--The monkeys

and the people--The marble rocks of Faifoh--Cochin-Chinese diplomacy--

The Anambas--The Sultan of Madura--The straits of Madura and Allas--

Cloates and the Triad Islands--Tasmania--Botany Bay and New South

Wales--Santiago and Valparaiso--Return _via_ Cape Horn--Expedition of

Dumont d'Urville in the _Astrolabe_--The Peak of Teneriffe--Australia--

Stay at New Zealand--Tonga-Tabu--Skirmishes--New Britain and New

Guinea--First news of the fate of La Perouse--Vanikoro and its

inhabitants--Stay at Guam--Amboyna and Menado--Results of the

expedition.

The expedition, the command of which was entrusted to Baron de

Bougainville, was, strictly speaking, neither a scientific voyage nor a

campaign of discovery. Its chief purpose was to unfurl the French flag

in the extreme East, and to impress upon the governments of that region

the intention of France to protect her nationalities and her interests,

everywhere and at all times. The chief instructions given to the

commander were that he was to convey to the sovereign of Cochin-China a

letter from the king, together with some presents, to be placed on

board the frigate _Thetis_.

M. de Bougainville was also, whenever possible, without such delays as

would prejudice the main object of the expedition, to take hydrographic

surveys, and to collect information upon the commerce, productions, and

means of exchange, of the countries visited.

Two vessels were placed under the orders of M. de Bougainville. One,

the _Thetis_, was an entirely new frigate, carrying forty-four cannons

and three hundred sailors, no French frigate of this strength, except

the _Boudeuse_, having ever before accomplished the voyage round the

world; the other, the sloop _Esperance_, had twenty carronades upon the

deck, and carried a hundred and twenty seamen.

The first of these vessels was under the direct orders of Baron de

Bougainville, and his staff consisted of picked officers, amongst whom

we may mention Longueville, Lapierre, and Baudin, afterwards captain,

vice-admiral, and rear-admiral. The _Esperance_ was commanded by

Frigate-Captain De Nourquer du Camper, who, as second in command of the

frigate _Cleopatra_, had already explored a great part of the course of

the new expedition. It numbered among its officers, Turpin, afterwards

vice-admiral, deputy, and aide-de-camp of Louis Philippe; Eugene

Penaud, afterwards general officer, and Mederic Malavois, the future

governor of Senegal.

Not one notable scientific man, such as those who had been billeted in

such numbers on the _Naturalist_ and other circumnavigating vessels,

had embarked upon those of Baron de Bougainville, to whom it was a

constant matter of regret, a regret intensified by the fact that the

medical officers, with so many under their care, could not be long

absent from the vessels when in port. M. de Bougainville's journal of

the voyage opens with this judicious remark:--

"It was not many years ago a dangerous enterprise to make a voyage

round the world, and scarce half a century has elapsed since the time

when an expedition of this kind would have sufficed to reflect glory

upon the man who directed it. This was 'the good old time,' the golden

age of the circumnavigator, and the dangers and privations against

which he had to struggle were repaid a hundredfold, when, rich in

valuable discoveries, he hailed on his return the shores of his native

land. But this is all over now; the _prestige_ has gone, and we make

our tour of the globe nowadays as we should then have made that of

France."

What would Baron Yves-Hyacinth Potentien de Bougainville, the son of

the vice-admiral, senator, and member of the _Institut_, say to-day to

our admirable steamships of perfect form, and charts of such minute

exactitude that distant voyages appear a mere joke.

On the 2nd March, 1824, the _Thetis_ quitted the roads at Brest to take

up at Bourbon her companion, the _Esperance_, which, having started

some time before, had set sail for Rio de Janeiro. A short stay at

Teneriffe, where the _Thetis_ was only able to purchase some poor wine

and a very small quantity of the provisions needed; a view of the Cape

Verd Islands and the Cape of Good Hope in the distance, and a hunt for

the fabulous island of Saxemberg, and some rocks no less fictitious,

were the only incidents of the voyage to Bourbon, where the _Esperance_

had already arrived.

Bourbon was at this time so familiar a point with the navigators that

there was little to be said about it, when its two open roads of St.

Denis and St. Paul had been mentioned. St. Denis, the capital, situated

on the north of Bourbon, and at the extremity of a sloping table-land,

was, properly speaking, merely a large town, without enclosure or

walls, and each house in it was surrounded by a garden. There were no

public buildings or places of interest worth mentioning except the

governor's palace, situated in such a position as to command a view of

the whole road; the botanic garden and the "Jardin de Naturalisation,"

which dates from 1817. The former, which is in the centre of the town,

contains some beautiful walks, unfortunately but little frequented, and

it is admirably kept. The eucalyptus, the giant of the Australian

forests, the _Phormium tenax_, the New Zealand hemp-plant, the

casuarina (the pine of Madagascar), the baobab, with its trunk of

prodigious size, the carambolas, the sapota, the vanilla, combined to

beautify this garden, which was refreshed by streams of sparkling

water. The second, upon the brow of a hill, formed of terraces rising

one above the other, to which several brooklets give life and

fertility, was specially devoted to the acclimatisation of European

trees and plants. The apple, peach, apricot, cherry, and pear-trees,

which have thriven well, have already supplied the colony with valuable

shoots. The vine was also grown in this garden, together with the

tea-plant, and several rarer species, amongst which Bougainville noted

with delight the "Laurea argentea," with its bright leaves.

On the 9th June the two vessels left the roads of St. Denis. After

having doubled the shoals of La Fortune and Saya de Malha, and passed

off the Seychelles, whilst among the atolls to the south of the Maldive

Islands, which are level with the surface of the water and covered with

bushy trees ending in a cluster of cocoas, they sighted the island of

Ceylon and the Coromandel coast, and cast anchor before Pondicherry.

[Illustration: Natives of Pondicherry.]

[Illustration: Ancient idols near Pondicherry. (Fac-simile of early

engraving.)]

This part of India is far from answering to the "enchantress" idea

which the dithyrambic descriptions of writers who have celebrated its

marvels have led Europeans to form. The number of public buildings and

monuments at Pondicherry will scarcely bear counting, and when one has

visited the more curious of the pagodas, and the "boilers," whose only

recommendation is their utility, there is nothing very interesting,

except the novelty of the scenes met with at every turn. The town is

divided into two well-defined quarters. The one called the "white

town," dull and deserted in spite of its coquettish-looking buildings,

and the far more interesting "black town," with its bazaars, its

jugglers, its massive pagodas, and the attractive dances of the

bayaderes.

"The Indian population upon the coast of Coromandel," says the

narrative, "is divided into two classes,--the 'right-hand' and the

'left.' This division originated under the government of a nabob

against whom the people revolted; those who remained faithful to the

prince being distinguished by the designation of 'right-hand,' and the

rest by that of 'left-hand.' These two great tribes, which divide

between them almost equally the entire population, are in a chronic

state of hostility against the holders of the ranks and prerogatives

obtained by the friends of the prince. The latter, however, retain the

offices in the gift of the government, whilst the others are engaged in

commerce. To maintain peace amongst them it was necessary to allow them

to retain their ancient processions and ceremonies.... The 'right-hand'

and 'left-hand' are subdivided into eighteen castes or guilds, full of

pretensions and prejudices, not diminished even by the constant

intercourse with Europeans which has now for centuries been maintained.

Hence have arisen feelings of rivalry and contempt, which would be the

source of sanguinary wars, were it not that the Hindus have a horror of

bloodshed, and that their temperament renders them averse to conflict.

These two facts, i.e. the gentleness of the native disposition and the

constant presence of an element of discord amongst the various tribes,

must ever be borne in mind if we would understand the political

phenomenon of more than fifty millions of men submitting to the yoke of

some five and twenty or thirty thousand foreigners."

The _Thetis_ and the _Esperance_ quitted the roadstead of Pondicherry

on the 30th July, crossed the Sea of Bengal, sighted the islands of

Nicobar and Pulo-Penang, with its free port capable of holding 300

ships at a time. They then entered the Straits of Malacca, and remained

in the Dutch port of that name from the 24th to the 26th July, to

repair damages sustained by the _Esperance_, so that she might hold out

as far as Manilla. The intercourse of the explorers with the Resident

and the inhabitants generally were all the more pleasant that it was

confirmed by banquets given on land and on board the _Thetis_ in honour

of the kings of France and the Netherlands. The Dutch were expecting

soon to cede this station to the English, and this cession took place

shortly afterwards. It must be added, with regard to Malacca, that in

point of fertility of soil, pleasantness of situation and facilities

for obtaining all really necessary supplies, it was superior to its

rivals.

Bougainville set out again on August 26th, and was tossed about by

head-winds, and troubled alike by calms and storms during the remainder

of his passage through the straits. As these latitudes were more

frequented than any others by Malay pirates, the commandant placed

sentries on the watch and took all precautions against surprise,

although his force was strong enough to be above fearing any enemy. It

was no uncommon thing to see fly-boats manned by a hundred seamen, and

more than one merchant-ship had recently fallen a prey to these

unmolested and incorrigible corsairs. The squadron, however, saw

nothing to awake any suspicions, and continued its course to Singapore.

The population of this town is a curious mixture of races, and our

travellers met with Europeans engaged in the chief branches of

commerce; Armenian and Arabian merchants, and Chinese; some planters,

others following the various trades demanded by the requirements of the

population. The Malays, who seemed out of place in an advancing

civilization, either led a life of servitude, or slept away their time

in indolence and misery whilst the Hindus, expelled from their country

for crime, practised the indescribable trades which in all great cities

alone save the scum from dying of starvation. It was only in 1819 that

the English procured from the Malayan sultan of Johore the right to

settle in the town of Singapore; and the little village in which they

established themselves then numbered but 150 inhabitants, although,

thanks to Sir Stamford Raffles, a town soon rose on the site of the

unpretending cabins of the natives. By a wise stroke of policy all

customs-duties were abolished; and the natural advantages of the new

city, with its extensive and secure port, were supplemented and

perfected by the hand of man.

The garrison numbered only 300 sepoys and thirty gunners; there were as

yet no fortifications, and the artillery equipment consisted merely of

one battery of twenty cannons, and as many bronze field-pieces. Indeed,

Singapore was simply one large warehouse, to which Madras sent cotton

cloth; Calcutta, opium; Sumatra, pepper; Java, arrack and spices;

Manilla, sugar and arrack; all forthwith despatched to Europe, China,

Siam, &c. Of public buildings there appeared to be none. There were no

stores, no careening-wharves, no building-yards, no barracks, and the

visitors noticed but one small church for native converts.

The squadron resumed its voyage on the 2nd September, and reached the

harbour of Cavite without any mishap. Meanwhile, M. du Camper,

commander of the _Esperance_ who had, during a residence of some years,

become acquainted with the principal inhabitants, was ordered to go to

Manilla, that he might inform the Governor-General of the Philippines

of the arrival of the frigates, the reasons of their visit, &c., and at

the same time gauge his feelings towards them, and form some idea of

the reception the French might expect. The recent intervention of

France in the affairs of Spain placed them indeed in a very delicate

position with the then governor, Don Juan Antonio Martinez, who had

been nominated to his post by the very Cortes which had just been

overthrown by their government. The fears of the commandant, however,

were not confirmed, for he met with the warmest kindness and most

cordial co-operation from the Spanish authorities.

Cavite Bay, where the vessels cast anchor, was constantly encumbered

with mud, but it was the chief port in the Philippine Islands, and

there the Spaniards owned a very well supplied arsenal in which worked

Indians from the surrounding districts, who though skilful and

intelligent were excessively lazy. Whilst the _Thetis_ was being

sheathed, and the extensive repairs necessary to the _Esperance_ were

being carried out, the clerks and officers were at Manilla, seeing

about the supply of provisions and cordage. The latter, which was made

of "abaca," the fibre of a banana, vulgarly called "Manilla hemp,"

although recommended on account of its great elasticity, was not of

much use on board ship. The delay at Manilla was rendered very

disagreeable by earthquakes and typhoons, which are always of constant

occurrence there. On October 24th there was an earthquake of such

violence that the governor, troops, and a portion of the people were

compelled hastily to leave the town, and the loss was estimated at

120,000_l_. Many houses were thrown down, eight people were buried in

the ruins, and many others injured. Scarcely had the inhabitants begun

to breathe freely again, when a frightful typhoon came to complete the

panic. It lasted only part of the night of the 31st October, and the

next day, when the sun rose, it might have been looked upon as a mere

nightmare had not the melancholy sight of fields laid waste, and of the

harbour with six ships lying on their sides, and all the others at

anchor, almost entirely disabled, testified to the reality of the

disaster. All around the town the country was devastated, the crops

were ruined, the trees--even the largest of them--violently shaken, the

village destroyed. It was a heart-rending spectacle! The _Esperance_

had its main-mast and mizen-mast lifted several feet above deck, and

its barricadings were carried off; the _Thetis_, more fortunate than

its companion, escaped almost uninjured in the dreadful tempest.

The laziness of the workpeople, and the great number of holidays in

which they indulge, early decided Bougainville to part for a time from

his convoy, and on December 12th he set sail for Cochin-China. Before

following the French to the little-frequented shores of that country,

however, we must survey with them Manilla and its environs. The Bay of

Manilla is one of the most extensive and beautiful in the world;

numerous fleets might find anchorage in it; and its two channels were

not yet closed to foreign vessels, and in 1798 two English frigates had

been allowed to pass through them and carry off numerous vessels under

the very guns of the town. The horizon is shut in by a barrier of

mountains, ending on the south of the Taal, a volcano now almost

extinct, but the eruptions of which have often caused frightful

calamities. In the plains, framed in rice plantations, several hamlets

and solitary houses give animation to the scene. Opposite to the mouth

of the bay rises the town, containing 60,000 inhabitants, with its

lighthouse and far-extending suburbs. It is watered by the Passig, a

river issuing from Bay Lake, and its exceptionally good situation

secures to it advantages which more than one capital might envy. The

garrison, without including the militia, consisted at that time of 2200

soldiers; and, in addition to the military navy, always represented by

some vessel at anchor, a marine service had been organized for the

exclusive use of the colony, to which the name of "sutil" had been

given, either on account of the small size, or the fleetness of the

vessels employed. This service, all appointments in which are in the

gift of the governor-general, is composed of schooners and gun-sloops,

intended to protect the coasts and the trading-vessels against the

pirates of Sulu. But it cannot be said that the organization, imposing

as it is, has achieved any great results. Of this Bougainville gives

the following curious illustration:--In 1828 the Suluans seized 3000 of

the inhabitants upon the coast of Luzon, and an expedition sent against

them cost 140,000 piastres, and resulted in the killing of six men!

[Illustration: Near the Bay of Manilla. (Fac-simile of early

engraving.)]

Great uneasiness prevailed in the Philippines at the time of the visit

of the _Thetis_ and the _Esperance_, and a political reaction which had

steeped the metropolis in blood had thrown a gloom over every one. On

December 20th, 1820, a massacre of the whites by the Indians; in 1824,

the mutiny of a regiment, and the assassination of an ex-governor,

Senor de Folgueras, had been the first horrors which had endangered the

supremacy of the Spanish.

The Creoles, who, with the Tagalas, were alike the richest and most

industrious classes of the true native population, at this time gave

just cause for uneasiness to the government, because they were known to

desire the expulsion of all who were not natives of the Philippines;

and when it is borne in mind that they commanded the native regiments,

and held the greater part of the public offices, it is easy to see how

great must have been their influence. Well might people ask whether

they were not on the eve of one of those revolutions which lost to

Spain her fairest colonies.

Until the _Thetis_ reached Macao, she was much harassed by squalls,

gales, heavy showers, and an intensity of cold, felt all the more

keenly by the navigators after their experience for several months of a

temperature of 75-3/4 degrees Fahrenheit. Scarcely was anchor cast in

the Canton river before a great number of native vessels came to

examine the frigate, offering for sale vegetables, fish, oranges, and a

multitude of trifles, once so rare, now so common, but always costly.

"The town of Macao," says the narrative, "shut in between bare hills,

can be seen from afar; the whiteness of its buildings rendering it very

conspicuous. It partly faces the coast, and the houses, which are

elegantly built, line the beach, following the natural contour of the

shore. The parade is also the finest part of the town, and is much

frequented by foreigners; behind it, the ground rises abruptly, and the

facades of the buildings, such as convents, noticeable for their size

and peculiar architecture, rise, so to speak, from the second stage;

the whole being crowned by the embattled walls of the forts, over which

floated the white flag of Portugal.

"At the northern and southern extremities of the town, facing the sea,

are batteries built in three stages; and near the first, but a little

further inland, rises a church with a very effective portico and fine

external decorations. Numerous _sampangs_, junks, and fishing-boats

anchored close in shore, give animation to the scene, the setting of

which would be much brightened if the heights overlooking the town were

not so totally wanting in verdure."

Situated as it is in the high road, between China and the rest of the

world, Macao, once one of the chief relics of Portuguese colonial

prosperity, long enjoyed exceptional privileges, all of which were,

however, gone by 1825, when its one industry was a contraband trade in

opium.

The _Thetis_ only touched at Macao to leave some missionaries, and to

hoist the French flag, and Bougainville set sail again on January 8th.

Nothing worthy of notice occurred on the voyage from Macao to Touron

Bay. Arrived there, Bougainville learned that the French agent, M.

Chaigneu, had left Hue for Saigon, with the intention of there

chartering a barque for Singapore, and in the absence of the only

person who could further his schemes he did not know with whom to open

relations. Fearing failure as an inevitable result of this

_contretemps_ he at once despatched a letter to Hue, explaining the

object of his mission, and expressing a wish to go with some of his

officers to Saigon. The time which necessarily elapsed before an answer

was received was turned to account by the French, who minutely surveyed

the bay and its surroundings, together with the famous marble rocks,

the objects of the curious interest of all travellers. Touron Bay has

been described by various authors, notably by Horsburgh, as one of the

most beautiful and vast in the universe; but such is not the opinion of

Bougainville, who thinks these statements are to be taken with a great

deal of reservation. The village of Touron is situated upon the

sea-coast, at the entrance of the channel of Faifoh, from the right

bank of which rises a fort with glacis, bastions, and a dry moat, built

by French engineers.

The French being looked upon as old allies were always received with

kindness and without suspicion. It had not, apparently, been so with

the English, who had not been permitted to land, whilst the sailors on

board the _Thetis_ were at once allowed to fish and hunt, and to go and

come as they chose, every facility for obtaining fresh provisions being

also accorded to them. Thanks to this latitude, the officers were able

to scour the country and make interesting observations. One of them, M.

de la Touanne, gives the following description of the natives:--"They

are rather under than over middle height, and in this respect they

closely resemble the Chinese of Macao. Their skin is of a

yellowish-brown, and their heads are flat and round; their faces are

without expression, their eyes are as melancholy, but their eyebrows

are not so strongly marked as those of the Chinese. They have flat

noses and large mouths, and their lips bulge out in a way rendered the

more disagreeable as they are always black and dirty from the habit

indulged in, by men and women alike, of chewing areca nut mixed with

betel and lime. The women, who are almost as tall as the men, have not

a more pleasant appearance; and the repulsive filthiness, common to

both sexes, is enough without anything else to deprive them of all

attractiveness."

[Illustration: Women of Touron Bay.]

What strikes one most is the wretchedness of the inhabitants as

compared with the fertility of the soil, and this shocking contrast

betrays alike the selfishness and carelessness of the government and

the insatiable greed of the mandarins. The plains produce maize, yams,

manioc, tobacco, and rice, the flourishing appearance of which

testifies to the care bestowed upon them; the sea yields large

quantities of delicious fish, and the forests give shelter to numerous

birds, as well as tigers, rhinoceroses, buffaloes, and elephants, and

troops of monkeys are to be met with everywhere, some of them four feet

high, with bodies of a pearl-grey colour, black thighs, and red legs.

They wear red collars and white girdles, which make them look just as

if they were clothed. Their muscular strength is extraordinary, and

they clear enormous distances in leaping from branch to branch. Nothing

can be odder than to see some dozen of these creatures upon one tree

indulging in the most fantastic grimaces and contortions. "One day,"

says Bougainville, "when I was at the edge of the forest, I wounded a

monkey who had ventured forth for a stroll in the sunshine. He hid his

face in his hands and sent forth such piteous groans that more than

thirty of his tribe were about him in a moment. I lost no time in

reloading my gun not knowing what I might have to expect, for some

monkeys are not afraid of attacking men; but the troop only took up

their wounded comrade, and once more plunged into the wood."

Another excursion was made to the marble rocks of the Faifoh River,

where are several curious caves, one containing an enormous pillar

suspended from the roof and ending abruptly some distance from the

ground; stalactites were seen, but the sound of a water-fall was heard

from the further end. The French also visited the ruins of an ancient

building near a grotto, containing an idol, and with a passage opening

out of one corner. This passage Bougainville followed. It led him into

an "immense rotunda lighted from the top, and ending in an arched

vault, at least sixty feet high. Imagine the effect of a series of

marble pillars of various colours, some from their greenish colour, the

result of old age and damp, looking as if cast in bronze, whilst from

the roof hung down creepers, now in festoons, now in bunches, looking

for all the world like candelabra without the lights. Above our heads

were groups of stalactites resembling great organ-pipes, altars,

mutilated statues, hideous monsters carved in stone, and even a

complete pagoda, which, however, occupied but a very small space in the

vast enclosure. Fancy such a scene in an appropriate setting, the whole

lit up with a dim and wavering light, and you can perhaps form some

idea how it struck me when it first burst upon me."

On the 20th of January, 1825, the _Esperance_ at last rejoined the

frigate; and, two days later, two envoys arrived from the court at Hue,

with orders to ask Bougainville for the letter of which he was the

bearer. But, as the latter had received orders to deliver it to the

Emperor in person, this request involved a long series of puerile

negotiations. The formalities by which the Cochin-Chinese envoys were,

so to speak, hemmed in, reminded Bougainville of the anecdote of the

envoy and the governor of Java, who, rivalling each other in their

gravity and diplomatic prudence, remained together for twenty-four

hours without exchanging a word. The commander was not the man to

endure such trial of patience as this, but he could not obtain the

necessary authorization of his explorations, and the negotiations ended

in an exchange of presents, securing nothing in fact but an assurance

from the Emperor that he would receive with pleasure a visit of the

French vessels to his ports, if their captain and officers would

conform to the laws of the Empire. Since 1817 the French had been

pretty well the only people who had done any satisfactory business with

the people of Cochin-China, a state of things resulting from the

presence of French residents at the court of Hue, on whom alone of

course depended the maintenance of the exceptionally cordial relations

so long established between them and the government to which they were

accredited.

The two ships left Touron Bay on the 17th February for the Anambas

Archipelago, which had not as yet been explored; and, on the 3rd of

March, they came in sight of it, and found it to bear no resemblance

whatever to the islands of the same name, marked upon the English map

of the China Sea. Bougainville was agreeably surprised to see a large

number of islands and islets, the bays, &c., of which were sure to

afford excellent anchorage during the monsoons. The explorers

penetrated to the very heart of the archipelago, and made a

hydrographic survey of it. Whilst the small boats were engaged upon

this task, two prettily built canoes approached, from one of which a

man of about fifty came on board the _Thetis_, whose breast was seamed

with scars, and from whose right-hand two fingers were missing. The

sight of the rows of guns and ammunition, however, so terrified him

that he beat a hasty retreat to his canoe, though he had already got as

far as the orlop-deck. Next day two more canoes approached, manned by

fierce-looking Malays, bringing bananas, cocoa-nuts, and pineapples,

which they bartered for biscuits, a handkerchief, and two small axes.

Several other interviews took place with islanders, armed with the

kriss, and short two-edged iron pikes, who were very evidently pirates

by profession.

Although the French explored but a part of the Anamba group, the

information they collected was extremely interesting on account of its

novelty. The first requisite of a large population is plenty of fresh

water, and there is apparently very little of it in the Anambas.

Moreover, the cultivable soil is not very deep, and the mountains are

separated by narrow ravines, not by plains, so that agriculture is all

but out of the question. Even the native trees, with the exception of

the cocoa-palm, are very stunted. The population was estimated by a

native at not more than 2000, but Bougainville thought even that too

high a figure. The fortunate position of the Anambas--they are passed

by all vessels trading with China, whichever route may be taken--long

since brought them to the notice of navigators; and we must attribute

to their lack of resources the neglect to which they have been

abandoned. The small amount of cordiality and confidence met with by

Bougainville from the inhabitants, the high price of provisions, and

the destructive nature of the monsoons in the Sunda waters, determined

him to cut short his survey and to make with all speed for Java, where

his instructions compelled him to touch. The 8th of March was fixed for

the departure of the two vessels, which sighted Victory, Barren,

Saddle, and Camel Islands, passed through the Gasper Straits--the

passage of which did not occupy more than two hours, although it often

takes several days with an unfavourable wind--and cast anchor at

Surabaya, where the explorers were met with the news of the death of

Louis XVIII. and the accession of Charles X. As the cholera, which had

claimed 300,000 victims in Java in 1822, was still raging, Bougainville

took the precaution of keeping his crew on board under shelter from the

sun, and expressly forbade any intercourse with vessels laden with

fruit, the use of which is so dangerous to Europeans, especially during

the rainy season then setting in. In spite of these wise orders,

however, dysentery attacked the crew of the _Thetis_, and too many fell

victims to it.

The town of Surabaya is situated one league from the mouth of the

river, and it can only be reached by towing up the stream. Its

approaches are lively, and everything bears witness to the presence of

an active commercial population. An expedition to the island of Celebes

having exhausted the resources of the government and the magazines

being empty, Bougainville had to deal direct with the Chinese

merchants, who are the most bare-faced robbers on the face of the

globe, and now resorted to all manner of cunning and knavery to get the

better of their visitors. The stay at Surabaya, therefore, left a very

disagreeable impression on all. It was quite different, however, with

regard to the reception met with from the chief personages of the

colony, for there was every reason to be satisfied with the conduct of

all connected with the government.