102 FRENCH IX VAN DIEMEN's LAND. 



But the Frenoli had never ceased to turn longino: eyes 

 towards the new Southern world. It" the mind of France 

 had not been so fully occu])ied in the desperate effort to 

 maintain her naval power agfainst the English in other 

 seas, it is quite possible that to her, and not to England, 

 would have fallen the dominion of Australia. And, 

 probably, suspicion of French designs had its effect in 

 hastening English action. Already, in 1785, the French 

 (jrovernment had despatched the celebrated La Pcrouse 

 with an expedition to circumnavigate the world, and 

 explore the coasts of New Holland, doubtless with some 

 more or less definite design of settlement. When, on the 

 26th January, 1788, La Pcrouse, with his ships, the 

 J3onssole and the Astrolabe, sailed into Botany Bay, he 

 found an English Heet at anchor there, having arrived five 

 days before him. Governor Phillij) had just left the Bay 

 in the Supply to find in Port Jackson a more suitable 

 site for a town ; and on the very day La Perouse's ships 

 Collins' New came to an anchor the city of Sydney was founded. The 

 ^south Wales, p^euch remained in Botany Bay for six weeks, the 

 English and they maintaining a friendly and pleasant 

 intercourse. Collins says that the French were very 

 unfavourably impressed with the prospects of the settle- 

 ment, the officers having been heard to declare that in 

 their whole voyage they had never found so poor a 

 country, or such wretched peoj)le as the natives of New 

 mi,\.,i(i. South ^^'al('s. On the lOtli ]March La Prrouse sailed 

 from New South Wales to vanish into s])ace — the mystery 

 which shrouded his fate not being solved until nearly 40 

 years had elapsed. 



The English foothold on the Australian continent was 

 now securely establislied, and disregarding the western 

 half, to which the Uutch were still considered as having a 

 title — something like their present title to Western New 

 Guinea — England, by solemn proclamation, formally laid 

 claim to the whole eastern territory from Cape V^ork to the 

 extreme South Ca])e of Van Diemen's Land, and as far 

 west as the 135th degree of east longitude. 



Still France did not I'eliiiquish her dreams of colonisa- 

 tion, but seemed to cherish the idea of disputing with 

 her great rival her exclusive j)08session of the new 

 territories. There is reason to think that the French 

 designs, if ever distinctly formulated, pointed to the 

 southern extremity of \iu\ ])ienicn's ly.ind as the locality 



