OF LA PEROUSE. 1 ij 



tain Cook made a prefent to one of their chiefs, 

 before they fuffered them to multiply. Scarcely 

 did they pay the fmalleft attention to their 

 fowls ; I favv only three hens and a cock during 

 our Hay in the iOand. 



V/edid not obferve in their pofTefHon any of 

 the articles which had been given to them by 

 Captain Cook. Perhaps thefe riches have oc- 

 cafioned the unhappinefs of the inhabitants of 

 this coaft, by exciting their neighbours to come 

 and'plunder them. 



I remarked with aftonifhment, that the au- 

 thority of the chiefs had always fcemed almoft 

 nugatory, in the different fkirmifhes which we 

 had had with thefe favages; but I was not lefs 

 furprifed to fee them exercife a confiderablc 

 fhare of power when their own perfonal inrerefirs 

 were at flake ; for they generally feized upon 

 the articles which their fubjeds had received 

 from us. 



During our flay at New^ Caledonia we enjoyed 

 tolerably fine weather. 



The winds varied from north-caft to fouth, 

 and thofe which were the ftrongeft blew from 

 the eafl and fouth-eail. 



The latitude of our anchoring-placc was in 

 20 17' 29" fouth, and its longitude was 162' 

 16' 28" eafl. 



The variation of thecompafs was 9" 30' er.fi. 



VOL. ir. a The 



