^8 Geography. [Chap. V. 



perfect*. The immediate direction of it was com- 

 mitted to Messrs. de la Perouse and de Langle, 

 accompanied by a number of learned men, who, 

 in 17S5, sailed from France, under the most favour- 

 able auspices. Seldom has any expedition of the 

 kind excited so general an interest throughout the 

 civilised world, or promised more brilliant success. 

 The melancholy fate of la Perouse and his com- 

 panions is well known. Happily, however, all 

 knowledge of the voyage is not lost with its un- 

 fortunate conductors. From the accounts which 

 have been published, it appears that we are in- 

 debted to them for some important geographical 

 discoveries, especially on the north-western coast 

 of America, and on the eastern coast of Asia, and 

 in the seas between that continent and Japan. 

 From them, also, the accounts of some preceding 

 navigators have received satisfactory confirmation ; 

 the mistakes of others have been corrected ; and 

 impositions under which the learned world had 

 long lain, either through the ignorance or dis- 

 honesty of their authors, have been detected and 

 removed. 



The discovery of the great extent of Nezv-Hot- 

 land deserves to be mentioned among the most 

 important acquisitions in modern geography.—^ 

 Tliat large portion of our globe, which may in- 

 deed be called, with propriety, a new continent '\y 



* Sec the voyage of la Perouse, particularly vol. i. 



t The length of New Holland is about 2/30 miles-, and itg 

 breadth about I96O; so that its extent is but a quarter less than 

 that of Europe. It does not appear to be yet reduced to an abr 



