Baudin's Foynge of Discovery. 46^ 



west to south-east. Capt Baudin was off Port Western, at the 

 opposite extremitv, on the 29th of March of the same vear, and 

 followed the windings of the shore in an o])posite direction to 

 that of the English ; i. e. proceeding from south-east to the 

 north-west. The ships of tlie two nations passed each other 

 under sail in the eastern extremity of the easternmost of the two 

 great gulfs whicii are on this shore, as mav h>e seen in the ac- 

 count of the French Voyage published by M. Perou. 



" The most friendly connnunications took place between the 

 two ships, and Capt. Flinders wa.s the lir.t to visit, the com- 

 mander of the French expedition. The priority of discovery ^oi 

 the south-west coast of New Holland, from the ishmds of bt. 

 Francis to the point at which the ships met, belongs therefore, 

 untpiestionablv, to Capt. Flinders ; but the other jjortion of the 

 coast ought not to be ihsputed with the French. Nevertheless, 

 a regard to truth obliges us to retrench from this last portion 

 about 50 or 60 leagues to the east of Port Western, which had 

 been some time previously explored by Capt. Grant, command- 

 ing the Lady Nelson. 



" It must not be concluded that each of the navigators ot 

 both nations had not the merit of discovering the half ot this 

 dangerons coast, since each inspected the wliole of it closely, 

 without communicating to each other the chart of the parts 

 which they had first vi<ited. ^ 



" Wlieii Capt. Baudin had explored and laid down the souta- 

 west coast of New Holland, he proceeded to Port Jackson, where 

 he met Capt. Flinders a second time. 



« In an interview which took place in presence of tlie Go- 

 vernor of New Holland, the chief inha!)icants of the place, and 

 .some French officers, the Enghsh captain agreed with iVl. Bau- 

 din on the limits of the shores upon which each should m future 

 lay claim to a prioiity of discovery. Those w?re fixed by com- 

 mon consent on a chart exhibited by Capt. Fhnders. ^ 



After a few observations on the imijortance of the worK, the 

 Moniteur thus vindicates the French officers from the charp 

 which has been l)rought against the^n, of appropriating all t.ie 

 discoveries of Capt.^Flinders to themselves, and givmg them 

 French names : u i ii 



'•' The impartial public will decide if this reproach be well 

 founded, or if it was possible to describe shores whic!i were un- 

 known to them, without distingn.s'.iing In' names the most re- 

 markable parts of those shores; and if, when they knew not nng 

 of the names imoosed by Capt. Flinders, they could do any thing 

 else than resort to the privilege of every voyager, of naming tne 

 capes and islands which had not l)cen pi)intcd out m any known 



Wprk." 



Gg3 COMMUM- 



