The Departure of the French from Botany Bay; and the Return of the
'Supply' from Norfolk Island; with a Discovery made by Lieutenant Ball
on his Passage to it.
About the middle of the month our good friends the French departed from
Botany Bay, in prosecution of their voyage. During their stay in that
port, the officers of the two nations had frequent opportunities of
testifying their mutual regard by visits, and every interchange of
friendship and esteem. These ships sailed from France, by order of
the King, on the 1st of August, 1785, under the command of Monsieur
De Perrouse, an officer whose eminent qualifications, we had reason
to think, entitle him to fill the highest stations. In England,
particularly, he ought long to be remembered with admiration and
gratitude, for the humanity which marked his conduct, when ordered to
destroy our settlement at Hudson's Bay, in the last war. His second
in command was the Chevalier Clonard, an officer also of distinguished
merit.
In the course of the voyage these ships had been so unfortunate as
to lose a boat, with many men and officers in her, off the west of
California; and afterwards met with an accident still more to be
regretted, at an island in the Pacific Ocean, discovered by Monsieur
Bougainville, in the latitude of 14 deg 19 min south, longitude 173 deg
3 min 20 sec east of Paris. Here they had the misfortune to have no less
than thirteen of their crews, among whom was the officer at that time
second in command, cut off by the natives, and many more desperately
wounded. To what cause this cruel event was to be attributed, they knew
not, as they were about to quit the island after having lived with the
Indians in the greatest harmony for several weeks; and exchanged, during
the time, their European commodities for the produce of the place, which
they describe as filled with a race of people remarkable for beauty and
comeliness; and abounding in refreshments of all kinds.
It was no less gratifying to an English ear, than honourable to Monsieur
De Perrouse, to witness the feeling manner in which he always mentioned
the name and talents of Captain Cook. That illustrious circumnavigator
had, he said, left nothing to those who might follow in his track to
describe, or fill up. As I found, in the course of conversation, that
the French ships had touched at the Sandwich Islands, I asked M. De
Perrouse what reception he had met with there. His answer deserves to be
known: "During the whole of our voyage in the South Seas, the people of
the Sandwich Islands were the only Indians who never gave us cause of
complaint. They furnished us liberally with provisions, and administered
cheerfully to all our wants." It may not be improper to remark, that
Owhyee was not one of the islands visited by this gentleman.
In the short stay made by these ships at Botany Bay, an Abbe, one of
the naturalists on board, died, and was buried on the north shore. The
French had hardly departed, when the natives pulled down a small board,
which had been placed over the spot where the corpse was interred, and
defaced everything around. On being informed of it, the Governor sent
a party over with orders to affix a plate of copper on a tree near the
place, with the following inscription on it, which is a copy of what was
written on the board:
Hic jacet L. RECEVEUR,
E.F.F. minnibus Galliae, Sacerdos, Physicus, in
circumnavigatione mundi, Duce De La Perrouse.
Obiit die 17 Februarii, anno 1788.
This mark of respectful attention was more particularly due, from M. De
Perrouse having, when at Kamschatka, paid a similar tribute of gratitude
to the memory of Captain Clarke, whose tomb was found in nearly as
ruinous a state as that of the Abbe.
Like ourselves, the French found it necessary, more than once, to
chastise a spirit of rapine and intrusion which prevailed among the
Indians around the Bay. The menace of pointing a musquet to them was
frequently used; and in one or two instances it was fired off, though
without being attended with fatal consequences. Indeed the French
commandant, both from a regard to the orders of his Court as well as to
our quiet and security, shewed a moderation and forbearance on this head
highly becoming.
On the 20th of March, the 'Supply' arrived from Norfolk Island, after
having safely landed Lieutenant King and his little garrison. The
pine-trees growing there are described to be of a growth and height
superior, perhaps, to any in the world. But the difficulty of bringing
them away will not be easily surmounted, from the badness and danger of
the landing place. After the most exact search not a single plant of the
New Zealand flax could be found, though we had been taught to believe it
abounded there.
Lieutenant Ball, in returning to Port Jackson, touched at a small
island in latitude 31 deg 36 min south, longitude 159 deg 4 min east of
Greenwich, which he had been fortunate enough to discover on his passage
to Norfolk, and to which he gave the name of Lord Howe's Island. It
is entirely without inhabitants, or any traces of any having ever been
there. But it happily abounds in what will be infinitely more important
to the settlers on New South Wales: green turtle of the finest kind
frequent it in the summer season. Of this Mr. Ball gave us some very
handsome and acceptable specimens on his return. Besides turtle, the
island is well stocked with birds, many of them so tame as to be knocked
down by the seamen with sticks. At the distance of four leagues from
Lord Howe Island, and in latitude 31 deg 30 min south, longitude 159 deg
8 min east, stands a remarkable rock, of considerable height, to which
Mr. Ball gave the name of Ball's Pyramid, from the shape it bears.
While the 'Supply' was absent, Governor Phillip made an excursion to
Broken Bay, a few leagues to the northward of Port Jackson, in order to
explore it. As a harbour it almost equals the latter, but the adjacent
country was found so rocky and bare, as to preclude all possibility of
turning it to account. Some rivulets of fresh water fall into the head
of the Bay, forming a very picturesque scene. The Indians who live
on its banks are numerous, and behaved attentively in a variety of
instances while our people remained among them.