in tlie French Ship Urania. 2\ 



of October, and she did not arrive at Santa Crus, in tlie island 

 of Teneriffe, before the 22d of the same month. 



This port would have been a commodious place for making 

 observations of various kinds; but the necessity of first submit- 

 ting to a long quaraTitine, determined M, de Freycinet to stop 

 only for six days ; and on the 28th of October he sailed for the 

 Brasils. 



On the 6th day of December Cape Frio was observed, and its 

 geographical position verified. The Urania entered Rio de Ja- 

 neiro the same night, where she remained until the 29th of 

 January. 



This' stay of nearly two months was not so usefully employed 

 as M. de Freycinet wished. Some difficulties at first opposed 

 themselves to the establishment of an observatory on shore. The 

 bad weather, too, obstructed the astronomical observations ; but 

 those in magnetism, and the oscillations of the pendulum, were 

 made with the greatest care ; and at the same time the numerous 

 specimens of natural history and drawings of all kinds commenced 

 the valuable collections which were to be the (ruits of the expe- 

 dition. 



The passage from Rio Janeiro to the Cape of Good Hope was 

 marked by a melancholy event, which deprived M. de Freycniet 

 of one of his ablest colleages. M. Laborde, an officer of distin- 

 guished merit; an accurate observer; a good draughtsman, and 

 who joined to these excellent qualities a character the most so- 

 ciable, died in the flower of his age. His loss at first caused an 

 universal sorrow. 



The Urania remained in Table Bay from the / th of March till 

 the 5th of April ; and from thence they sailed to Port Louis, in 

 the Isle of France, where they arrived on the 5th of May. 



M. de Freycinet praises particularly the reception which he 

 met with during these two stoppages from Lord C. Somerset, the 

 Governor of the Cape; and from Mr. G. Smith, Chief Judge and 

 Commissioner of Justice at Port Louis, from whom he received 

 the greatest facilities, as well for the establishment of his obser- 

 vatory a-shore, as for the advancement of every thing which 

 could contribute to the success of his mission. 



Port Louis, placed nearly in the same latitude as Rio de Janeiro, 

 and at a distance of more'than 100 degrees in longitude, was fa- 

 vourably situated for observations respecting the pcncluaim. 

 Those were made in detail, as well as experiments, the objects 

 of which were to enlarge the study of magnetisui, and of meteo- 

 rology. „. , 



A 'very considerable damage, which had torn off the copper 

 hheathing of the Urania, did not allow them to put to sea until 

 the Kith of July. The corvette slopped only some days at the 



