177& THE PACIFTC OCEAN. 140 



the mouth of the bottle with a leaden cap, I placed 

 it, the next morning, in a pile of stones erected for 

 the purpose, upon a little eminence on the north 

 shore of the harbour, and near to the place where it 

 was first found ; in which position it cannot escape 

 the notice of any European, whom chance or design 

 may bring into this port. Here I displayed the 

 British flag, and named the place Christmas Harbour, 

 from our having arrived in it on that festival. 



It is the first, or northernmost inlet that we meet 

 with on the south-east side of Cape St. Louis*, which 

 forms the north side of the harbour, and is also the 

 northern point of this land. The situation alone is 

 sufficient to distinguish it from any of the other in- 

 lets ; and, to make it more remarkable, its south 

 point terminates in a high rock, which is perforated 

 quite through, so as to appear like the arch of a 

 bridge. We saw none like this upon the whole 

 coast, t The harbour has another distinguishing 



Nay, even the soundings are the same upon the same spots in both 

 plans, being forty-five fathoms between the two Capes, before the 

 entrance of the bay ; sixteen fathoms farther in, where the shores 

 >egin to contract ; and eight fathoms up, near the bottom of the 

 harbour. 



To these particulars, which throw abundant light on this part of 

 our author's Journal, I shall only add, that the distance of our 

 harbour from that where Boisguehenneu landed, in 1772, is forty 

 leagues. For this we have the authority of Kerguelen, in the 

 following passage: "Monsieur de Boisguehenneu descendit le 13 

 " de Fevrier, 1772, dans un baie, qu il nomme Baie du Lion Marin, 

 " et prit possession de cette terre au nom de Roi ; il n'y vit aucune 

 " trace d'habitants. Monsieur de Rochegude, en 1774-, a descendu 

 " dans un autre baie, que nous avons nomme Baie de l'Oiseau, et 

 " cette seconde rade est a quarantes lieues de la premiere. II en 

 " a egalement pris possession, et il n'y trouva egalement aucune 

 " trace d'habitants.'* Kerguelen, p. 92. 



* Cap Francois, for reasons already assigned. 



\ If there could be the least doubt remaining of the identity of 

 the Baie de l'Oiseau, and Christmas Harbour, the circumstance of 

 the perforated rock, which divides it from another bay to the south, 

 would amount to a strict demonstration. For Monsieur de Pages 

 had observed this discriminating mark before Captain Cook. His 

 words are as follow : " L'on vit que la ctke de Test, voisine du 



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