NAUSCOl'lE. 395 



had almost always been right in my predictions ; and that even when 

 I had announced the approach of a vessel which did not actually 

 arrive, it was proved beyond a doubt, that the vessel or vessels in 

 question were foreign ones that had come within two or three days' 

 sail of the island, and had proceeded to their destination without 

 touching at the Isle of France. ' Upon one occasion he asserted that a 

 fleet of eleven vessels were approaching the island ; the announce- 

 ment caused great alarm, as we anticipated an attack from the Eng- 

 lish. A sloop of war was instantly despatched to look out; but before 

 she returned, Mr. Bottineau came to the Governor, and informed him 

 that the signs in the atmosphere had disappeared, and that the fleet 

 had taken a different direction. Some time after this a vessel 

 arrived here from the East Indies, and reported that she had seen 

 a fleet of eleven vessels sailing towards Fort St. William. In fine, 

 that from the year 1778 till 1782, he had announced the arrival 

 of 575 vessels, many of them four days before they became visible. 

 The letter terminated thus ' How r ever incredible this discovery may 

 appear, myself and a great many officers, naval and military, must 

 bear testimony to the announcements made by Mr. Bottineau. We 

 cannot treat him as an impostor, or as a visionary. We have had 

 ocular demonstration for so many years, and in no instance has any 

 vessel reached the island, the approach of which he had not pre- 

 dicted ; those which did approach, but did not touch the island, were 

 in most cases proved to be foreign vessels/ A short time after this 

 letter had been despatched (this letter, I am certain, reached the 

 office of Mr. de Castries, but, I am also certain, was never perused 

 by him) I determined to return to my native country, and accord- 

 ingly took my passage on board one of His Majesty's vessels, com- 

 manded by Captain Dufour. I felt somewhat anxious to ascertain 

 whether the effect produced on the atmosphere, when a vessel ap- 

 proaches, would be somewhat similar, as regards the approach of one 

 vessel towards another, and, to my great delight, I perceived it to be 

 the same, although less powerful ; but my eyes had now become so 

 practised, that not once, during the voyage, did I make a mistake. 

 I announced to Captain Dufour the approach of twenty-seven ves- 

 sels, while proceeding to our destination : but what afforded me more 

 heartfelt satisfaction than my previous observations, namely, certain 

 appearances in the skies when a vessel approaches land, the observer 

 being on shore or similar appearances when one vessel approaches 

 another ; yet, in my opinion, to be able to discover land from a vessel 

 by the same phenomenon, long before it is in sight, is, if possible, of 

 infinitely greater advantage to navigation. Upon one occasion I told 

 Captain Dufour, that we were not more than thirty leagues from some 

 land. This he denied to be possible : however, upon looking atten- 

 tively to his reckoning, he was compelled to acknowledge that he 

 was in error, and immediately altered his course. I discovered land 

 three times during the voyage; once at the distance of 150 leagues. 

 On the 13th June, 1784, I landed at L' Orient, and instantly pro- 

 ceeded to Paris. My applications to the Minister to obtain an au- 

 dience, were not attended to ; and the only answer I obtained from 

 the Officer of Marine was, that my memorial was under consider- 



