369 Letter from Captain Baudi/t,. 



wood distinguished by that appellation. This small vessel 

 will in future accompany me, and will be of the greatest 

 utility. Had I been in possession of it sooner, some places 

 to which I could not penetrate would not have remained 

 unexplored ; as it draws little water, it can any where ap- 

 proach the coast. 



Another consideration no less important, which made me 

 resolve to scud home the Naturaliste was, the embarrass- 

 ment occasioned by transporting our collections, which the 

 casualties of the sea and the length of the voyage might 

 have rendered fruitless to government and to the sciences, 

 had I subjected them to the new risks to which we are 

 about to be exposed: as the number is very considerable, 

 and as they are of some value, I am convinced that govern- 

 ment will approve of my conduct. 



Many of the great number of birds wliich I have sent 

 to you, and which I received from the inhabitants of Port 

 Jackson, are in a bad state : they will not give you a very 

 high idea of their skill in the art of preparing them, but 

 you will doubtless be indemnified for this loss by those 

 which we prepared ourselves. The quadrupeds, insects, liv- 

 ing plants, hortus siccus, seeds, shells, madrepores, &c. 

 are in the best state ; and I have no doubt that these articles 

 will be delivered to you in the same condition by the care 

 of captain Hamelin. 



If the live plants reach the place of their destination, you 

 will have the most curious and the most beautiful produc- 

 tions of the country, and you will regret that you did not 

 botanise on the soil which gave them birth. The whole 

 country, at the time I am now writing, is covered with the 

 most beautiful flowers. For variety 1 know no place but 

 the Cape of Good Hope which can be compared to it. 

 Though the greater part of our live plants were collected 

 between the 33d and 42d degree of south latitude, I think 

 it proper to observe, that I much fear whether they can be 

 naturalised in France so speedily as you may wish. The 

 temperature of Van Dicmen's Land is not so cold as the la- 

 titude where it is situated seems to indicate. That of New 

 Holland is still less so. At the commencement of winter, 

 when we were to the south of VanDicmen's Land, the ther- 

 mometer was only once at five di.'grees. At that time a 

 strong south-west wind prevailed, accompanied with hail. 

 At Port Jackson, in the middle of winter, we had it dur- 

 ing one night very near zero; in the day time it generally 

 kept at G or S degrees, and in the night between 4 and ,5, 

 and it rarely fell to 3. It appears to me, therefore, that aa 



orangcrie 



