Loss of the French Ship of Discovery, Urania. 89 



lunations is found to exceed or fall short of another quantity by 

 one hour and a half in a cycle, the same will amount to three 

 whole davs in a period of 48 such cycles, or 912 years. 



The Mveial quantities for the mean measure of a lunar month 

 or year adiiured from my calculations are these ; — 

 One lunation. 



Lunar period of 912 Julian years. 

 940 Lunar years. 

 11280 Lunar months. 

 Days. H. M. S. 

 333108 in 912 Julian years. Pag. 87. 

 333107 15 56 36 in 940 Lunar years. Ibid. » 

 [To be continued.] 



XII. Jccounl of the Loss of the French Ship of Discovery y 

 Urania. By Cupt. Louis de Freycinet*. 

 To His Excellency the Minister of the Marine and Colonies. 

 -P, Malouine Islands, French Bay, April 22, 1820. 



Sir, — liiXPEDiTiONS of maritime discovery would excite little 

 interest for those who perforin them, were voyages of that kind 

 accomi)iinied by fewer privations and dangers. Hitherto, in ren- 

 dering an account to Your Excellency of the progress of my voy- 

 age, I have h-id to speak only of the advancement of my labours, 

 and of the hopes we had cherished of accomplishing without ac- 

 cident the tedious enterprise we had undertaken ; but that power 

 which smiles at the prudence and the vain projects of men had 

 ordained that we should undergo at the end of our voyage a very 

 severe trial. 



The corvette Urania will never again enter the ports of 



France. In announcing this misfortune to Your Excellency, I at 



the same time feel much satisfaction in informing you, that it did 



not occasion the loss of a single individual, and that all the stores, 



• From the Gazette (k Ftuncv- 



Vol. 56. No. 268. Mg. 1820. M all 



