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LXVI. Letter froiyi Captain Baudin, vow employed on a 

 I'oi/rige of Discovert/, to C JussiEU*. 



On board Le Geo^raphe, Port Jackson, 

 ^^ New Hciilaiid, Nov. ii, 1802. 



J. HE return of the Naturaliste to France, under the com- 

 Tiiand of captain Hamelin, will enable you to judge how 

 well our time lias been employed in what relates to natural 

 history. I have entrusted him with the care of conveying 

 to their destination all the articles we have hitherto collect- 

 ed, bcino; persuaded that he will discharge this duty with 

 that zeal and attention of which he has given me so many 

 prools. I recommend him to you on that score. 



By my letter to the minister of the marine, containing 

 several extracts of my Journal, you will see that for two 

 years I have done every thing in my power to increase our 

 collections of every kind. 



The premature death of C. Riedle and Mauge, whose 

 memory I must ever respect, has reduced me to the neces- 

 sity of undertaking myself the departments of both these 

 gentlemen, iu which they acquitted themselves with a zeal 

 I can never hope to equal. 



I shall not entertain you at present with an account of 

 all the events which have occurred since our departure ; I 

 shall only observe, that I never performed a voyage attended 

 with so many hardships. More than once has my health 

 suffered ; but if I shall be so fortunate as to terminate this 

 expedition agreeably to the intentions of government, and 

 the expectatrons of the French nation, I shall have little 

 left to wish for, and my difficulties will soon be forgotten. 

 I have the greater hopes of succeeding, as Lewin's Land, 

 with those of Concord and De Witt, Entrecastcaux's Chan- 

 nel, the island of Maria and its environs, the eastern coast 

 of the large island of Dienien, Basse's and Banks's straits, 

 and the whole south-west coast of New Holland from Cape 

 Wilson to the islands of St. Peter and St. Francis, have 

 been explored in a manner sufficient to ensure the safety of 

 navigation. Much, however, remains to be done for the 

 topography of the country, which no doubt will be long 

 miknown,'on account of the natural difficulties presented 

 by the extent of coast which we have explored. 



To supply the place of Lc Naturaliste I resolved to pur- 

 chase a small vessel of thirty tons, which I have named the 

 Casuarina, because the greater part of it is constructed of 



• rrom Ai.na/i-i Ju Maeif.-" U'lliitpirc Natiirdle, No. 10. 



'/, 4 wood 



