OF LA PEROUSE. ^j^y 



they had been made prifoners of war on board 

 of a Dutch fhip, a few days after they had been 

 in pofTcflion of her. 



The Fort Major, who came tons very often, 

 informed us of the death of the Purfcr of the 

 Recherche, named Girardin. It was difcovered 

 that this perfon was a woman, as had been 

 fufpccled from the beginning of our voyage, 

 although file had every appearance of a man. 

 It appears that the delire of gratifying her cu- 

 riofity had in a great meafure determined her 

 to undertake this voyage. She left in France a 

 very young child. 



The Nalbalie corvette, with Citizen Riche 

 on boar J, had been difpatched from the Ifle of 

 France to Batavia, in order to claim our 

 fliips from the regency ; but on her arrival in 

 the road, this corvette w\as detained for five 

 months under the guns of two Dutch fliips of 

 \var, and i^ac could obtain no other fansfiction 

 than that of carrying away the pcrfons bc- 

 IfHii^ing to our cxneditic^n v;ho were in c^.n- 

 fincnicHL, ap.d a few oiher Frenchmen, priforicrs 

 of war. 



At lengtli, on tlie 29!:!"! of ?viarch, 1795, we 

 let fiil tor the Ific -f France. 



It was h^gh time rh?:: I fliould quit the nio- 



rafi>s, in t]-!c niiddie of which Fort Ankec is 



Irjilt; for i had,fcri!p\\ ards ofa month, been at- 



I tacked 



