394 NAUSCOPIE. 



following is his statement : " As early as the year 1762, holding 

 then an inferior situation in the King's navy, it appeared to me that 

 a vessel approaching land must produce a certain effect upon the at- 

 mosphere, and cause the approach to be discovered by a practized 

 eye even before the vessel itself was visible. After making many ob- 

 servations, I thought I could discover a particular appearance before 

 the vessel came in sight : sometimes I was right, but more frequently 

 wrong ; so that at the time I gave up all thoughts of success. In 

 1764 I was appointed to a situation in the Isle of France: while 

 there, having much leisure time, I again betook myself to my fa- 

 vourite observations. Here the advantages I possessed were much 

 greater than before. First, the clear sky and pure atmosphere, at 

 certain periods of the day, were favourable to my studies, and as 

 fewer vessels came to the island, I was less liable to error than was 

 the case off the coast of France, where vessels are continually passing, 

 some of which may never arrive in sight, although the indications I 

 allude to may have been witnessed by me. I had not been more than 

 six months upon the island when I became confident that my disco- 

 very was certain, and all that was requisite was to acquire more ex- 

 perience, and then Nauscopie would become a real science. As the 

 officers in the island led an idle life, they were frequently on the 

 shore looking through their glasses to discover when a vessel was 

 arriving from Europe. I frequently laid wagers that a vessel was 

 arriving one, two, and even three days before she was actually in 

 sight, and as I was very seldom wrong, I gained a considerable sum 

 of money. The officers attributed my success to a peculiar power of 

 vision I possessed ; but then again, they were quite puzzled on re- 

 flecting that although they used glasses, I never employed any. In 

 1780, I wrote to the Minister of Marine, Marechal de Castries, an- 

 nouncing my discovery. In his answer, he instructed the Governor 

 of the island to enter my announcements of arrivals in a private regis- 

 ter for two years at least. On the 15th May, 1782, my observations 

 commenced. On the 16th May I announced to the Governor that 

 three vessels were near the island. Orders were immediately given 

 to the vigies ;* their glasses were turned to the direction I had 

 pointed out. Their declaration was ' No vessel in sight.' On the 

 17th the vigies informed the Governor that a ship had just appeared 

 above the horizon. On the 18th a second came in sight, and on the 

 20th a third was visible to the naked eye. Viscount de Souillac sent 

 for me on the last day, and made me an offer of 10,000 livres, and a 

 pension of 1,200 livres a-year, on the part of government, if I would 

 disclose my secret ; but not conceiving the remuneration sufficient, I 

 declined accepting the offer. Viscount de Souillac, some months 

 after, wrote to M. de Castries : he stated, that I had made the sur- 

 prising discovery of a new art, that of being able to observe the 

 arrival of vessels 100, 150, and even 200 leagues distant ; that for 

 more than fifteen years I had regularly predicted the arrival of ves- 

 sels, sometimes three or four days before they could be seen with a 

 glass ; that the register kept by order of the Minister shewed that I 



" Officers whose duty it is to look out for vessels approaching the island. 



