396 NAUSCOPIE. 



ation. Abbe Fontenay, the Editor of the Mercure de France, having 

 heard of my pretended discovery, without even asking to see my cer- 

 tificates, signed by the Governor of the Isle of France, and all the 

 officers in garrison there, thought proper to turn my discovery into 

 ridicule, and affirmed that it was not ' ships at sea, but castles in the 

 air/ I had found out. In this state does the affair remain ; and all 

 I can add is, that should vexation and disappointment terminate my 

 existence before I can explain my discovery, the world will probably 

 be deprived, for some time, of an art that would have done honour 

 to the 18th century/' 



Such, my dear friend, is the account Mr. Bottineau has given me ; 

 he has also explained the phenomenon which, he assures me, in order 

 to understand perfectly, only requires being on the sea shore for a 

 few hours, and that in less than a week I should understand his art as 

 well as himself. As my poor friend looks very ill, I am afraid he will 

 not be able to visit England, the only resource, he says, that is left to 

 him. Mr. Moore, who has been studying medicine here for some 

 time, leaves Paris this evening for London, and will take charge of 

 this letter. I have not time to explain to you the phenomenon per- 

 ceived in the atmosphere when a vessel approaches land, &c. but I 

 will give you all the explanation in my power in my next letter and 

 very possibly it may enable you, who have so many opportunities of 

 visiting the coast, to ascertain whether the art of Nauscopie be one of 

 those sublime discoveries that do honour to the genius of man. For 

 myself, if I could conveniently visit the sea shore, I would certainly 

 make more than one trial. When I have sent you the explanation 

 you will be able to judge for yourself and do not act as the Abbe 

 Fontenay, for one of your poets has said wisely, that " There are 

 more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in our philo- 

 sophy." Adieu. 



MARAT. 



CERTIFICATES. 

 No, I. 



A letter from the Governor of the Isle of France to theMarshalde Castries. 



Au Port Louis, Isle de France, 18 February, 1784. 

 Monseigneur. A letter which you wrote on the 6th of April, 

 1782, to Mr. Bottineau, a ci-devant officer of the second class in this 

 colony, in the king's service, as well as in that of the company, ren- 

 ders it imperative on our part, to give him one for you, of which he 

 is the bearer. It is, in order to be useful to his country that he is 

 about to visit France; and he would experience much regret were 

 his discovery lost to the world ; a discovery with which he alone is 

 acquainted, and which others have, in vain, endeavoured to unfa- 

 thorn : it consists in the art of announcing the presence of one or 

 several vessels at a distance of 100, 150, and even 200 leagues. Is 

 this the result of study, or the application of the principles of some 

 science ? By no means : all his science is in his eyes. He sees in 

 nature signs that indicate the presence of vessels, as we assert that fire 



