MISCELLANIES. 



625 



qiiently, they do not care about 

 selling- it, and there are only two 

 or tluee inhabitants that can col- 

 lect it in any quantity, and they 

 are tlie only people that ever can 

 realize property upon these is- 

 lands. It seems of little conse- 

 quence to them, as 1 do not think 

 there areaiiyfive men of the whole 

 who have ;iu idea of ever (juitting 

 the island. Tiie piiiicijjal j)eople 

 hei"e say, their oidy reason for 

 coming to settle at these islands 

 was, to live retired fi'om the 

 world, and gain a hare existence ; 

 some of them had been unfor- 

 tunate, and had lost all their pro- 

 jjei ty, and weie (hsgusted with 

 ihe world. After remaining some 

 time, they fonnd the cotton-plant 

 grow very kixniiant, and have 

 carried on the cultivation of it to 

 a ceitain extent ; and some of 

 them now have from l.'iO to 200 

 slaves at uj)rk, and will he soon 

 men of fortune. The climate is 

 such that they have little occasion 

 for clothes ; their piincipal wants 

 aie some white ch)th anil some 

 blue dungaree, or blue tdoth 

 (Fondichs'riy). 'I'lie slaves wear 

 nothing but a small piece of bine 

 cloth ; I should think one yard 

 would serve them a year ; they 

 pay no kind of respect to dress ; 

 you will see the most respectable 

 amongst them going without 

 shoes, and some of them with 

 half-shoes tied on their feet with 

 string.' : all this is from custom, 

 and having no communication 

 with the world. 



Notwithstanding, the people in 

 generiil live very well, are rather 

 hospital.le, and have abundance 

 at their tables; but it is chieHy 

 the produce of their own planta- 

 tions. 



Vol. LVIII. 



That these islands were of 

 great im])ortance to France, while 

 that power possessed those of 

 France and Bourbon, there cannot 

 be the least doubt, not only as 

 atfoi ding facilities foi' the annoy- 

 ance of our trade in the East, 

 but, al<o, as being admirably 

 placed to keep up a constant 

 conuTiunication between those 

 islands and the Court of Persia, 

 if the latter should, at any time, 

 have entered into the hostile views 

 of our enemy, against the Biitish 

 ])ower. But, that any material 

 atlvantages are likely to accrue, 

 either to the colmy of the Isle of 

 France, or to Great Britain in 

 general, from intercinirse wither 

 possession of the Seychelle Is- 

 lands, other than that of keeping 

 the enemy out of them, 1 cannot 

 possibly foresee. 



ADMIRALTY ISLANDS. 



Before I close, I shall beg 

 leave to call your attention to the 

 Admiralty Islands, lying a small 

 distance to the S. \V. of Seychelle 

 Islands. 



This group is so exceedingly 

 ill placed in all charts, both with 

 respect to longitude, and their 

 bearings from each other, that no 

 vessel can navigate the sea with 

 safety in that neighbourhood ; 

 \Uieieas, if a couple of small 

 schooners were employed by Go- 

 vernment a few months, in sur- 

 veying them, their actual position 

 would be easily ascertained j and, 

 if an European vessel, in conse- 

 quence of such survey, be pre- 

 served fiom shipwreck, more than 

 the expense of the survey (inde- 

 l)endent of preserving men's lives) 

 will have been saved. 



Live Cattle. — There are about 



2 S two 



