frand, we were obliged, in our way to them, to pals through the water up to our waifts; and in fo doing feveral of the foldiers wetted their arms. It was in this critical fituation that the horrible fcene began which I am about to narrate. Scarcely were we in the long-boats, when M. de Langle gave orders to fhove them off, and to weigh the grapnel; but this feveral of the most robuft iflanders oppofed, by laying holl of the rope. The captain, witnefs of their refiftance, feeing the tumult increase, and perceiving the ftones reach him, tried to intimidate the favages, by firing a mufket in the air; but, fo far from being frightened, they made it the figual of a general attack. Immediately a fhower of flones, hurled with equal force and celerity, came pouring upon us; the fight began on both fides, and foon became general. Thole whofe mufkets were in a fervicable state brought feveral of the infuriated Indians to the ground; but the others were by no means difmayed, and feemed to combat with redoubled vigour. A part of them came clofe up to the long-boats, while the rest, to the number of fix or feven hundred, continued to ftone us in the moft dreadful and murderous manner."

Befides the twelve perfons who were killed, twenty others were wounded, none of them dangerout ly. M. de Lamanon, naturalift, was among the slain. During the two following days, M. de la Péroufe remained off Maouna, in fearch of anchorage, but could not find any near enough to the fhore to protect the boats in an attempt to land for without the fupport of the hips, the remaining boats (the

launches being both loft) were not fufficient to carry, at one time, a party large enough to make good a landing, if oppofed.

On the 14th, they flood towards Oyolava, another inland, in fight of Maouna, to the W. N. W. As they approached, great numbers of canoes came to the fhips, bringing provifions for exchange. Thefe people had the fame partiality for glafs beads, that had been manifefted by thofe at the island of Maouna.

6

The natives of the Navigators? Islands refemble, in many respects, the Friendly Iflanders. The custom of cutting off two joints of the little finger, M. de la Péroufe fays, in one part of the narrative, is utterly unknown at the Navigators? Ilands: but in a preceding part, he had faid, in the iflands of Navigators, I only perceived two individuals who had fuffered that operation.'--The language he obferved to be a dialect of the fame, and derived from the Malay.'

The unfortunate tranfaction at Maonna occafioned a flight alteration in M. de la Péroufe's plans. On leaving the Navigators' iflands, he determined not to anchor any where until he arrived at Botany-Bay, where he propofed to put together the frame of a new long-boat, which he had brought with him from France. They now paffed in fight of Traitor's inland, of the Friendly islands, and others; and the commodore fettled the position of fome which were not before well afcertained, but had no intercourse with the natives, except that a few caroes vifited the hips. At Norfolkifland, the furf was too great for his boats to land. On the 23d of January, 1788, he made the coast of

New

New Holland, and on the 26th anchored in Botany-Bay; at the very time that governor Phillip, with the whole colony embarked under his direction, was failing out of the bay, in order to occupy the prefent ftation of the fettlement at Port Jack fon.

Here finishes all that has been received of the Journal of M. de la Péroule but from extracts publifhed from his correfpondence with the minifter of the marine, and with M. Fleurieu, we may collect the plan which he propofed to purfue on leaving Botany-Bay. In a letter, dated September 21, 1787, from Avatfcha, he writes that his purpofe was to be at New Zealand by the 20th of January, 1788: thence to fail to the northward, to vifit New Caledonia, the Terre des Arfacides, and other iflands. At the end of July, (fays he,) I fhall pafs between New Guinea and New Holland, by a different channel from that of the Endeavour; provided, however, that such an one exift. During the months of Auguft, September, and part of October, I fhall vifit the gulph of Carpentaria, and the coaft of New Holland, but in fuch a way that it may be poffible for me to get to the northward, and to arrive at the beginning of December, 1788, at the Idle of France.' In a letter of a pofterior date, having received orders from France, he fays that he fhall make no other alteration in the before-mentioned plan, than that of going to Botany Bay in New Holfand, inftead of going to New Zealand. From Botany Bay, in February, 1788, he wrote, that the misfortune at Navigators' iflands fiould occafion no change in the plan of the remainder of the voyage. I

have ftill (fays he) a great many interefting things to do, and very mifchievous people to vifit. I fhall fail from Botany-Bay on the 15th of March, and fhall take care to lofe no time till the month of December, when I expect to arrive at the Isle of France. There is little probability that it will ever appear to the world, how much of this plan the unfortunate officer was permitted to execute, after his departure from Botany Bay.

The latter half of the 3d and last volume is occupied by fupplementary memoirs, which confift of detached papers on various fubjects, that had been tranfmitted home by the commodore, and by different fcientific men who accompanied him in the voyage. Of these, are written by M. de la Pérouse, befides his correfpondence, a memoir concerning Manilla and Formosa ; and one concerning the fur-trade. What is faid concerning Manilla is principally defigned to demonftrate thegreat eafe with which it might be taken from the Spaniards; and the following curious fact is stated in this memoir: It is computed, that Luconia contains no more than 1200 Creolian or European Spaniards; and it is remarkable, that not a fingle Spanish family has lafted four generations, whilft the population of the natives has increased fince the conqueft. Refpecting Formofa, M, de la P. writes with the fame views. He thinks that the English would derive the greatest advantage from making themfelves mafters of that ifland; and that it would give them great influencé over the Chinese; whereas, confidering the prefent ftate of our teatrade, he fays, I fhould not be furprifed to fee thefe Europeans (the

Ii 4

English)

inftructions," he will endeavour to reconnoitre and infpect the northeaft and the east coast, and go on fhore in fome of its ports, in order to fatisfy himself whether its government in reality oppofes any invincible obftacle to the introduction of commerce or barter with Europeans, Perhaps the prohibitory laws of this empire, which all the accounts of this country speak of as fo fevere, are not in force on the coafts to the north-eaft and eaft, with fo much rigour as at Nangafaki and the fouth coaft, places too near the capital to expect any relaxation in them." To which it may be added that the western coaft is probably more populous, and better cultivated, if not more civil. ized, on account of the nearnels of communication with the Chinefe, than the eastern coaft;, which has for its boundary only an immenfe open fea.

The difcoveries of this highlylamented navigator on the eastern coaft of China, and in the feas between that and Japan, are juftly entitled to be confidered as entirely new, and as forming a moft yaluable acquifition to geography.

On the whole, indeed, it may be pronounced that few accounts of voyages can be ranked with this in entertainment and intereft, and that ftill fewer are fo replete with valuable information. May no other ever have fo melancholy a termination!

Travels in the interior Districts of Africa, performed under the Direction and Patronage of the African Affociation, in the Years 1795, 1796, and 1797; by Mungo Park,

TH

Park purfued his laborious. journey is not very extenfive; it is bounded by the parallels of latitude 12° 20′ N. and 15° 10′ N. and the meridians 16° 30′ and 1° 30′ weft longitude; the moft diftant point that he arrived at from the weftern fea is nearly 1100 English miles from Cape Verd. If we compare the magnitude of this tract of land with that of the whole continent, our expectations may be difappointed; but, as here are the bounds of Moorif ferocity and Mahometan fuperftition, as well as of the knowledge which the ancients poffeffed of Africa, the travels, confidered with a view either to the state of manners in half-uncultivated minds, or to a better idea of the knowledge of the ancients than fome are inclined to entertain of it, are highly interefting.

My inftructions (fays Mr. Park) were very plain and concife. I was directed, on my arrival in Africa, "to pals on to the river Niger, either by the way of Bambouk, or by fuch other route as fhould be found moft convenient. That I should ascertain the courfe, and, if poffible, the rife and termination of that river, That I fhould ufe my utmost exertions to vifit the principal towns or cities in its neighbourhood, particularly Tombuctoo and Houffa; and that I fhould be afterwards at liberty to return to Europe, either by the way of the Gambia, or by fuch other route, as, under all the then exifting circumftances of my fituation and

profpects,