French Ship of Discovery, Urania. 91 



that I could recognise my position with certainty. I found the 

 wind had driven us so far to the north, that it would occasion 

 the loss of much time to seek to return to the south in the Bay 

 of Good Success. 



I consequently preferred putting into French-bav, Falkland- 

 islands, which Bougainville and Pernetti praise so highly, be- 

 cause I judged that place perfectly proper for the business I had 

 to perform. 



We were off these islands on the 12th of February: but the 

 maps I had were so inaccurate, that it was very difficult for me 

 to determine on what point we were. We arrived, however, at 

 the mouth of French-bay on the afternoon of the 14th, at which 

 time the weather was fine, the sea magnificent, and the wind fa- 

 vourable. 



We were trying to double a point which I took for that called 

 L'Aigle by Bougainville, when some little rocks that we observed 

 in the offing obliged us to bear up. We sounded continuallv from 

 the main chains ; and the look-out man, placed on the fore-top- 

 gallant cross-trees, was every moment interrogated. 



Finally, about three o'clock, when we believed that we had 

 only to sail into a spacious harbour, the ship was all at once 

 stopped by a severe shock, occasioned by striking against a sub- 

 marine rock; our soundings gave at this time 1 i fathoms dn the 

 starboard and 12 on the larboard side. By backing all the sails, 

 we got the corvette afloat again without difficulty. 



We did not at first perceive that the corvette had sprung a 

 leak ; but it soon exhibited itself with such violence, that, not- 

 withstanding all our pumps were at work, we could not master 

 it. I saw then that it was absolutely indispensable to .seek a 

 place to run ashore, in order to save at least my crew, and the 

 fruits of tlie voyage : but, to add to our distress, we had before us 

 onlv perpendicular rocks, in attempting to land among which 

 we should, without doubt, have been lost without the possibility 

 of saving a single man. 



In this dreadful situation 1 beat to windward a great part of 

 the night, in order to work into the centre of the bay, towards 

 which I had already dispatched a boat inider the command of M. 

 Dupcrrez, to look out for a part of the beech free of rocks; but 

 as if, in this night of grief, every thing was to concur to disappoint 

 us, the wind, which was weak, left us all at once. I now cast 

 anchor and got out mv boats, which the nianoeuvering of the ship 

 and the working of the jiumps had hitherto prevented me from 

 doing. 



The corvette was already half under water; but a light breeze 



having sjjrung up, I wished to try mv fortune by advancing with 



the corvette towards a part of the middle of the bay, near which 



M 2 ' Pernetti 



