395 



Trip up Waimea Valley, Kauai. 



One of Dixon's men made a short trip, occupying part 

 of one day, up Waimea Valley. He describes the taro patches, 



paper-mulberry plantations, and other features of native life and 

 agriculture. In the "Natural History" appendix of Dixon's nar- 

 rative, there are descriptions and plates of a crab, a snail shell, 

 and a "yellow-tufted bee-eater," but no botanic notes. 



6. Visit of La Perouse. 



1786. May 2Sth. 



Four days after the arrival of Portlock and Dixon, and in eri- 

 tire ignorance of their presence, the famous and ill-fated La 

 Perouse, with his two frigates ''La Boussolc" and "L' Astrolabe," 

 sighted the snow-covered peaks of Hawaii. On the 29th his ships 

 stood in the channel between Maui and Hawaii, and considerable- 

 trading was done with the nativeis, who came out in canoes. 



First European Landing on Maui. 



On the 30th he and a large party, in two boats> made a land- 

 ing at Honua-ula, East Maui. Thus the first landing by Euro- 

 peans on Maui, (aside from the possibility of unknown Spanish 

 landings), was made by the French. La Perouse and his party 

 visited several villages in the immediate vicinity. He describes 

 the large gourd calabashes, kapa cloth, etc., but gives no detailed 

 or even general Statement of the vegetation. Lie re-embarked 

 at noon, and sailed toward Molokai. Without touching at any of 

 the islands save the one landing on Maui, by June first his ships 

 stood clear to the windward of Oahu and Molokai and continued 

 to the Alaskan Coast. 



Life and Voyage of La Perouse. 



Although adding nothing to botanical knowledge of the islands, 

 the great voyage of La Perouse and its my'.sterious termination, 

 did much to attract scientific attention to the Pacific and its 

 island worlds. Jean-Francois de Galaup La Perouse (Comte 

 de), was born Aug. 22, 1741. His youth was spent in various 

 naval expeditions during the war with England. 



On Aug. 1, 1785, he sailed, under command of the French 

 Government, in the ship'.5 already named, to search for the tradi- 

 tional North-West Passage, vainly attempted by Cook in his last 

 voyage, from the Pacific side. His commands included extensive 

 explorations in the Pacific, as well as to report upon the whale 

 fisheries and the fur trade. His large fetafif of scientists included 

 a naturalist, a botanical draughtsman, and a bctanjc gardener. 



